| Televisions are very important to modern society. They allow news to travel quickly, show educational programmes for both adults and children, and entertain. They can be used for a variety of applications including playing video games and as screens for PCs, as well as watching DVDs and VHS cassettes. They are often one of the more valuable items within a household. For many years most home TVs functioned in one way – they were CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) televisions. Although these screens produce a good picture quality, they are quite bulky – bigger televisions using this technology are very heavy and take up a large amount of space. In recent years developments have been made which have allowed different kinds of TV screens to be available to the public. These tend to have good picture quality and are often able to display High Definition (HD) images. These screens can also be made into very large sizes without being as bulky as CRTs, they are slim, this means they take up less space, and they can also be wall mounted, rather like a picture.
There are two main kinds of slim-line televisions which are widely available, Plasma screen and LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). They differ in several ways and have different pros and cons. LCD screens are obtainable in smaller sizes than plasma, and the majority of exceptionally large screens are plasma. Plasma screens tend to use xenon or neon gas, these gases are kept within thousands of tiny cells alongside a grid of electrodes. All necessary internal layers are sandwiched between two plates of glass. Electric currents are sent through the grid of electrodes in order to excite a reaction from the gases in certain places. When xenon or neon gas is ionized in this way, ultra violet light is released. In order to make this light visible to the human eye, it is then converted to visible light photons. When illuminated these little fluorescent lights form the picture, and the whole colour spectrum can be achieved, although the pixels are only made up of red, green and blue.
Plasma TVs have several advantages – the contrast level is excellent, and colours tend to appear natural and have good depth. Plasmas can be viewed from a wider range of angles than their LCD counterparts. This can mean positioning a plasma TV within a certain space can be easier. Today, many people choose wall plasma mounts. As plasma screens can sometimes be very large it is important to ensure that strong plasma mounts are used. They should also be suitable for the make and model of the television in question, to avoid any damage to either the TV itself or the wall. One thing to consider when positioning plasmas is the light level of the space in question. Colour quality is better in low and ordinary light levels than in areas where it is unusually bright. Once an appropriate location is found, whether it be on the wall, ground or even ceiling, the search for the right plasma mount can begin. Although most televisions come with stands of various kinds, they may not meet the need of all consumers or environments. Some will require a plasma mount that can tilt, rotate, swivel or turn. |
