What is a Plasma TV?
Plasma TVs are the latest display technology and the best way to achieve flat panel displays with excellent image quality and large screen sizes viewable in any environment. Plasma Screen TVs are an array of cells, known as pixels, which are composed of 3 sub-pixels, corresponding to the colors red, green and blue.

Gas in a plasma state is used to react with phosphors in each sub-pixel to produce colored light (red, green or blue). These phosphors are the same types used in conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) devices such as televisions and standard computer monitors. You get the rich, dynamic colors you expect. Each sub pixel is individually controlled by advanced electronics to produce over 16 million different colors. All of this means that you get perfect merchant/envisiontek that are easily viewable in a display that is less than 6 inches thick.

Step 1: Address electrode causes gas to change to plasma state.	Step 2: Gas in plasma state reacts with phosphors in discharge region.	Step 3: Reaction causes each subpixel to produce red, green, and blue light.

How Does a Plasma TV Work?
Plasma technology is different from that used in other display systems in that red, green and blue lights are created in every pixel, reducing the need for space. Charged electrodes between glass panels cause tiny pockets of inert gas to change a state of plasma. This process causes UV light to be produced, which in turn reacts with the red, green, and blue phosphors in each pixel to produce visible light.

Unlike traditional displays, where the image is scanned across the screen, in plasma displays all pixels are "lit" at once. Having no electron beam, back lighting or light polarization, the image is inherently sharper and brighter. Perfect from edge to edge.

CRT VS Plasma
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)	Plasma Display Panel (PDP)
CRT technology: CRTs use a beam of electrons to stimulate phospors and thus make the image. The beam strikes the phospor cells at an angle, however, and this creates a larger spot size. Also, because it is difficult to focus the beam at all points, the image will be less precise in some areas.	Plasma technology: Each Pixel contains 3 cells, green, red, and a blue. Plasma Display Panels stimulate phosphor cells individually with electrodes. There is no loss of focus.
CRT RESULTS:	PLASMA RESULTS:
Geometric distortion. The picture on a CRT will always have a certain amount of distortion.	No geometric distortion. The plasma panel's accurate cell structure produces a picture that is geometrically perfect.
Uneven light output. The picture on a CRT will have areas that are brighter and areas that are darker than others.	Even light output. The plasma panel is perfectly evenly illuminated - no dark or hot spots.
Difficulty focusing across the entire screen. The picture on a CRT will have some regions that are not as focused as others.	Perfect focus. The plasma panel has perfect focus across the entire screen.
Picture distorted by magnetic fields. The CRT's electron beam can be influenced by magnetic fields, which results is a distorted image.	No susceptibility to magnetic fields. The plasma panel is not affected by magnetic fields.

Why Buy a Plasma TV?
There are many reasons why you should buy a plasma screen. Perhaps the main reasons that we hear from our customers is the saving of space coupled with contemporary design. Critics agree, plasma TV's are futuristic looking, sexy, slim (most are less than 3 inches thick), and compelling to watch. When combining these features with design and extra benefits of receiving a large bright screen, this is by far one of the best display solutions on the market today. Plasma TVs create an enhanced display experience so real that it sometimes appears that you can reach out and touch actors in a movie, or see straight thru the flat glass screen with x-ray vision. Once you “go plasma”, you won’t go back to traditional television… EVER!

Who Really Makes YOUR Plasma TV?
Did you know there are very few Plasma TV manufacturers that actually make their own plasma TV'? It's true! Most use a system called re-badging or OEM. Basically they buy from a Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), add some extra feature and then stick there new logo and THERE PRICE on it and bill you thousands more. Please consider the following:

THE MAJOR MANUFACTURERS
NEC - Nec is a OEM manufacturer, The company's plan is to supply industrial unit under the NEC name and supply home units thru re-badges such as Marantz and RCA.
Panasonic - Makes the complete units, Supplies Toshiba, JVC, Fujitsu and more.
Pioneer - Makes all of there own equipment and sells OEM to Sharp Note: The 5030 and 4030 HD multimedia box is made by Sharp.
Fujitsu - Only makes their own 42 inch in partnership with Hitachi . 50 and 61 inch Fujitsu Plasmas are Panasonic and NEC but the 42 inch are their own. Note Hitachi plasma screens are almost identical to Fujitsu and cost thousands less.
Sony - Makes their own boards and chips but uses Fujitsu/ Hitachi plasma screen glass.
Hitachi - Owns 50% of plasma screen factory with Fujitsu. Makes own internal components.
Philips - Uses Fujitsu/ Hitachi glass screen and most internal components as well. However, Philips makes its own bezel with built in speakers.
LG / Zenith - Make their own glass in Korea Zenith is owned by LG Electronics which OEM's Pioneer 50" units.
Samsung - Makes its own components in Korea

THE SECONDARY MANUFACTURERS
RCA/ Thompson - Partners with NEC to OEM its product. Basically a NEC with a new bezel.
JVC - 50 inch is Panasonic, 42 is NEC.
Toshiba - OEM from Panasonic.
Sharp - OEM product through Pioneer for 50" and 42 though they may make some internal component changes .
Runco - OEM 50" from Pioneer and 42" from NEC, Marantz - OEM 42" plasma monitor from NEC.
Viewsonic - OEM 50" plasma screen from Pioneer ( old 502 ).
Sampo - 42v3 is old Fujitsu, 42v6 is Samsung Plasma.

What is so Great About Viewing a Flat TV/Surface?
A flat viewing surface is advantageous for several reasons. First, the image itself is more realistic. With a conventional tube TV the image is distorted by the curvature of the glass. With Flat TV the image is not distorted in this manner. Second, the viewing angle is wide. A Flat TV is viewable from anywhere in the room. Its bright clear picture looks great straight on or from the side. Finally, the flat surface minimizes the viewing interference of reflections from room light.

Keep in mind, All Flat Screens Are Not all the Same! Plasma displays are not the same as an LCD screen, like those on laptop PC's or the ones that you see on commercial jetliners. Among other differences, an LCD screen uses backlighting for its illumination; plasma displays are self-lit, which produces a far brighter picture. Nor should the "flat panel TV's" you may see in stores be confused with a plasma display. These flat panel TV's, like plasma displays, do have a flat screen, so they don't have the edge distortions of a conventional curved screen. But their use of CRT's gives them the same bulky "behinds" of regular TV's, and they cannot offer the same practical advantages of plasma displays.

Is a Plasma TV a TV Monitor, Computer Monitor or What?
A Plasma Display is a television monitor, capable of displaying high definition TV, regular TV, and home video. AND it's a computer monitor, capable of doing everything a regular computer monitor can do. Just bigger and better!

Where are Some Popular Applications of Plasma Screens?
There are many different applications for Plasma displays. Whether it's placed in your home or in a business area, your plasma display will provide an excellent display solution for your needs.

Home Theater - For your personal use, experience crisp, clear pictures on a flat screen.
Conference Room Settings – Display sophisticated business presentations using a range of digital sources, including laptop computers, VCRs, DVDs and more.
Retail Locations – Advertise flawlessly using plasma displays to gain attraction and create short-term or long-term multi-media environments with added appeal.
Terminals – a number one choice to present clear text, eye-catching graphics, and flexible mounting options. Plasma monitors are commonly used in most terminals around the world.
Classrooms - Plasma displays on powered ceiling lifts make excellent ceiling monitors in a lecture hall environment.
Versatility Switching Between Data Sources - The beauty of plasma is its ability to handle full-motion video as well as text-based presentations with equal clarity. Most displays are designed to take full advantage of this versatility. You gain total plug-and-play capability from a wide range of data sources and a second set of side-mounted inputs gives you an easy way to use your monitor for multiple tasks. If you seek superior display quality and excellent versatility, then a Plasma display is clearly the best choice.

Installation Basics…working with a Tuner/Satellite Box
Plasma monitors do not come with built in tuners. NTSC/ATSC television signal must be passed through a satellite box, cable box, HDTV receiver, VCR/VHS device, or an outboard tuning device. Most of these components offer an RF style cable input or commonly known as a cable connection. Signals are then passed to the plasma TV using these connections:

Satellite Box - S-video cable is normally utilized. However if component output is available it will produce a better over-all picture quality.

Cable Type Box - Composite RCA to RCA or RCA to BNC connection is used. Some new cable boxes also have S-video, Component Video Outputs which are popular.

HDTV Decoder Box - 15 pin VGA to 15 pin VGA cable is normally used though 3 cable component RCA to component RCA or BNC is also an option.

VCR/VHS/DVD - RCA to RCA or BNC is normally used though S-video is better option if available on the VCR. – Note: Optional decoders boxes will have a mix of the above options.

Distance-How Far Away Should I be?
Pixel distortion or motion artifacts can occur on early generation plasma monitors when displaying an incoming signal with poor resolution (some cable channels - a signal of around 250 interlaced is generally poor). However, this effect known as "pixelating" is lessened by increasing the viewing distance from the plasma display. Early generation models generally viewed the proper distances as 8 to 12ft. on a 42" plasma and 12 to 16ft. or more on a 50". Now, with the many improvements that have been made to the units, the latest 50" models can be viewed comfortably from 9ft. So it really becomes a matter of preference. It’s fine to some people to view a 42" plasma from 16ft. away in there home.

Can Plasmas Handle HDTV?
Yes, all have either component inputs or RGB and will support the HDTV formats. The higher resolution plasmas will better support the higher formats; but the advanced scan conversion, (NEC's Scrubland) will make all formats look excellent. This scan conversion makes it possible to view XGA computer resolutions with virtually no noticeable degradation.

What is the Life of a Plasma TV?
Depending upon the model, we are told 30,000 - 40,000 hours before half brightness. At 10hrs/day that is over 8 yrs. Plasma TVs are ready for the future. Whether it be DVD, HDTV, Digital TV, or a digital satellite receiver, the Plasma TV is the perfect display companion. The dramatic, high-impact picture makes it not only compatible but a very wise choice of television viewing.

Is a Tuner Built Into a Plasma?
Most of the time…NO. However, any source, DVD, Satellite, VCR will hook-up to it through a variety of inputs. The best way is to run all your input sources into an A/V surround sound receiver, and the monitor output of the receiver into the plasma. That way your audio is processed in surround sound and the plasma displays the video source selected at the receiver. If you are tuning Cable TV a VCR can be used as the tuner or you can use an HDTV tuner/satellite receiver. Call envisionTek if you would like to discuss this further.

Audio Considerations - Do Plasmas Have Speakers?
There is only one plasma TV maker that incorporates built in speakers into the plasma frame (Philips). Most manufacturers do however offer speakers as additional options which can be attached to the side of the plasma TV. Amplification of these speakers comes through built in 7 or 8 watt amplifiers which are built in to the side of the plasma display (this is plenty of wattage for excellent audio output). Many users will want to attach speakers to the amplifiers for watching simple programming such as the news or displaying the unit in a board room or at a trade show. There are two options to consider here: 1) The user may purchase flat, slim speakers which attach to the sides of the plasma monitor, 2) The viewer may choose to use his or her own bookshelf, or satellite speakers. Small cube type speakers may also be attractively mounted on the wall beside the plasma display TV. In addition, home users will often use a sound system with surround sound or their external amplifier/receiver component. Some manufacturers of plasma TVs offer no built in amplifiers for sound. In this instance an outboard amplifier/receiver must be used. Remember, manufactures make factory speakers that match, and some have small amps built-in to accommodate. However, you should view this as more a trade show audio application, certainly not Home Theater as the fidelity just isn't there. The speakers with your surround system are the way to go. If you want a wall variety, Acoustic Research has some HiFi speakers (Phantom) that are made to complement the plasma display. They are about the thickness of the plasma, similar height and quite nice. Tannoy is a favorite and has any type and price range your budget can afford, even their full Pro line made famous in the recording studio and movie industry.

Do Plasmas Have Wall Mounts?
Yes, either straight or tilt, ceiling mount or tabletop stand. Tall stands are also available as well as motorized mechanisms to drop it from above a ceiling or to come up from a cabinet at the end of a bed. These items are normally sold separately. Call envisionTEK for clarification.

What are the Advantages of Plasma over Regular or Projection Televisions?
While at a retail store, you'll probably see dozens, even hundreds, of other displays and TV's, and it may become a little overwhelming. Here is a quick list of advantages of a Plasma Display over conventional CRT-type TV's:

• 4" thick, and can be hung on a wall.
• Much larger picture.
• Higher color accuracy.
• Brighter merchant/envisiontek.
• Better resolution.
• High-definition capability.
• 16:9 aspect ratio vs. standard 4:3.
• Can be used as a monitor for a PC or Mac.
• merchant/envisiontek don't bend at the edge of the screen.
• Reflections from windows or lights are minimized.
• Wider viewing angles.
• Takes up less space (zero, if wall-mounted).

Advantages Of Plasma Displays Over Projection Monitors Like plasma displays, the best rear-projection monitors are great for viewing TV and video. However, a Plasma Display has certain key advantages over rear-projection monitors:

• Ideal for any room, even rooms where space may be limited.
• 4" thick, and can be hung on a wall.
• Can be used as a monitor for a PC or Mac.
• Higher color accuracy than most PTV's.
• Brighter merchant/envisiontek than most PTV's.
• Better resolution than most PTV's.
• Wider viewing angles.

Can a Plasma be Used as a Computer monitor?
Absolutely, the inputs are there. The better plasmas can be used at their native resolution or will scan convert to 1024 or above. You could watch TV and at a commercial, hit a button and surf the net.

What Does True Resolution/Native Resolution Mean…and How Does it Apply?
Resolution is defined by the number rows of horizontal and vertical pixels that create a picture. Native resolution describes the actual resolution of the plasma display and not the resolution of the delivery signal. When the delivery format is higher or lower than the flat screen's native pixel resolution, the delivery signal will be converted to the plasma's native resolution through an internal converter. Generally, the closer the incoming picture signal is to the native pixel resolution on the plasma display monitor - the better the picture. For example, a VGA computer signal of 853X480 will match up perfectly with a plasma monitor with 853X480 native pixel resolutions, while an XVGA signal of 1024X768 will match up better with a plasma monitor that has the higher resolution of 1024X1024. There are more considerations that deal with the quality of the internal converter/scalar, and also whether or not the monitor is progressively scanning (853X480) or interlacing the signal (1024X1024). All 42" inch plasma display monitors are HDTV ready, while none will show the true HDTV signals of 1080i. However, they will benefit from the better signal and still show something close.

Native resolution options include:
1024x1024
1024x768
1280x768
1365x768
640x480
825x480
853x480

Resolution options: Here are basic choices for native or true resolutions:

VGA, or "640 x 480" – This is the lowest data resolution that is currently on the market.

SVGA, or "800 x 600" – This is a popular resolution today, because most notebook computers are SVGA. Matching the plasma resolution with the computer resolution will produce good results.

XGA, or "1,024 x 768" - XGA plasma TVs are generally more expensive, and are the second most popular resolution format. Many of the newest products are coming out in XGA. They are getting more popular as prices drop and the use of XGA notebook computers increases.

SXGA, or "1,280 x 1,024" – SXGA products are high resolution, and notably more expensive than XGA. These products are targeted for high end personal computer users and low end workstation users. They are used primarily for command and control, engineering and CAD/CAM applications where acute resolution of small details is important.

UXGA, or "1,600 x 1,200" – UXGA is for very high resolution workstation applications that are detail or information intensive. These are expensive plasma TVs that support a broad range of computer equipment. Relatively few products on the market have this native resolution.

Application specifics for your plasma TV First, you must decide how you want to use the plasma TV?
Perhaps you have a need for very accurate display of small visual details. If your primary use of the system is for "Powerpoint" style graphics, pie charts, graphs, and general business presentation products, you don’t need to pay extra for high resolution equipment. SVGA resolution is very adequate for this kind of work, and makes an excellent solution for the money.

However, if you are often presenting materials like Excel spreadsheets that have a lot of numeric data on the screen, you will probably be happier with XGA resolution. This format is able to produce a clean, clear, and more legible image of small numbers and other data.

Finally, if you are projecting engineering drawings or other merchant/envisiontek of a highly detailed and technical nature, you will probably need a very high resolution SXGA projector to produce an acceptable image for your purposes.

As you consider the question of resolution, keep in mind that the best resolution for your plasma TV is the resolution of your intended computer application. If you typically use a notebook computer with SVGA resolution, you will want a plasma TV with the same native SVGA resolution in order to get the sharpest and cleanest image. Similarly, if you normally use a computer with XGA output, you will get the best picture from plasma that has XGA as its native resolution.

Most of the plasma TVs on the market today are capable of projecting input signals other than their native resolutions. For example, you can usually hook up an XGA computer to SVGA plasma. The plasma TV will automatically convert the incoming 1,024 x 768 signal to its native 800 x 600 output. However, there is always a loss of sharpness and detail in the process, so you will end up with a picture that is not quite as sharp as if the incoming signal had been the same format as the plasma TVs native resolution.

This loss of sharpness also happens if you plug an SVGA computer into a higher-resolution XGA plasma TV. You will usually get a decent image, but the conversion from the 800 x 600 input to a 1,024 x 768 output will produce some fuzziness that you may not appreciate after having spending money for an XGA plasma TV.

…Let’s sum it up for you
How to properly select the right resolution depends upon the computer sources you are using, your budget, and your application. Here are some general guidelines:

Choose a resolution format for both your computer display and your plasma TV that is adequate for the type of materials you will be presenting (the smaller and numerous the details in your presentation materials, the higher the resolution that is required to display them successfully).

Use a plasma TV that matches the native resolution of your computer display, so that you can avoid the image fuzziness that often comes from scaling one input format to a different output format.

If you are using a high resolution computer display, and find that plasma with matching resolution is out of your budget range, select plasma that is one step down in resolution. However, make sure that the scaled plasma TV image gives you results comparable to your computer display. By doing this, you can often save a lot of money and still end up with a very acceptable image on the screen.

And finally, give some consideration to the useful life or your plasma TV. VGA resolution was popular for 8 years, SVGA resolution became the most popular resolution for projectors (similar use to plasma TVs) in 1997, and XGA is expected to replace SVGA in popularity by the end 1999. If you keep pace with the changes in the personal computer industry, you know that performance doubles about every 18 months. Keep this in mind as you make your plasma TV choice.

What Does Scaling Mean?
The plasma TV’s process of converting a different input format to its native output format is called "scaling." Some plasma screen TVs are very good at scaling, so the resulting image fuzziness is relatively minor, and the image is very adequate no matter what the source. The quality of scaling varies widely among plasma TVs and like all technology, it is constantly being improved. If scaling is an important consideration, be sure you see it demonstrated as you would use it.

What is Wide Screen Format and How Does it Affect a Regular TV Broadcast?
The wide screen or 16x9 format is HDTV standard, so they are designed for the future. 16x9 is the way most movies are produced, so you will finally get to see the entire movie, not a panned and scanned version modified to fit your screen. If you input a conventional 4x3 picture to it, you have the choice of viewing it in the 4x3 or various modes which intelligently stretch the picture to fit. Someday all new broadcast signals will be in 16x9 format.

When Will TV Stations Start to Broadcast Digital Signals?
As of November 1999, digital broadcasts will have reached the top thirty markets, accounting for roughly 50% of the U.S. population. By 2003, digital broadcasts will be available in every market in the country.

Will TV Stations Stop Broadcasting Regular Signals When They Switch to Digital?
No. Stations are required to broadcast regular TV signals alongside the digital programming until at least 2006 and probably well beyond.

When Will Digital TV Sets be Available?
Our full line of HDTV products is already available. It includes Plasma Displays, HD Projectors, set-top decoder boxes and 6-channel home theater audio equipment. - You will need one set-top box required to view DTV programming.

Will I be Able to Adapt my Current TV so That it can Receive Digital Broadcasts?
Yes. Our new digital set-top decoder box allows many current televisions to display digital programs. The resulting picture quality that will rival DBS or DVD. Conventional televisions will not be able to display full HDTV resolution quality.

How Will a Digital Picture Look on my Conventional TV?
A DTV picture viewed on your conventional TV (set-top box required) will be comparable to a picture from a digital broadcast satellite (DBS) or DVD player. This is an improvement over conventional broadcast television, because DTV signals can't be degraded by environmental interference that would otherwise cause "snow" or "ghosting".

Will I Need an Antenna?
Yes. Initially, DTV is available over the air. This means you will need an antenna to receive it. Outdoor or attic antennas will be generally more effective than set-top versions. DTV is also available from your cable and satellite providers.

What's the Difference between Plasma Vs LCD?
What's the difference between a plasma display and an LCD flat screen, and how do these differences enter into your decision-making process? Often "plasma" is used as a general term for thin, flat displays or monitors, but there are some general differences in the technologies, as listed below. Overall, LCD is great for displays 28-inches and smaller, and plasma is ideal where 32-inches or larger display is needed. They are complementary technologies. Please note, we just are starting to see LCD's that are designed for video/TV use where several of the items below may be subject to qualification.

What's the Difference Between DTV, HDTV, and SDTV?
"DTV" is a general reference to Digital Television technology. DTV will either be broadcast in HDTV (High Definition TV)—with resolution as high as 1080 scanning lines (interlaced) or 720p—or SDTV (Standard Definition TV), with 480 scanning lines (interlaced or progressive). Broadcasters will most likely broadcast daytime programs in SDTV while switching to HDTV for prime time movies and specials. For HDTV formats, Dolby Digital 5.1 channel surround sound is the audio standard (also known as AC-3)1. This provides 3 discrete audio channels for the front speakers (left, center, right); 2 channels for the rear surround sound speakers, and one channel for subwoofer sound. You will need a TV or an external audio system which is capable of decoding AC-3 to get the full effect, but any standard stereo system will provide you with good audio. - One Dolby and Dolby Digital AC-3 are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corp.

What's the Difference Between Interlaced & Progressive Scanning?
These designations refer to the method by which the lines of picture information will be scanned in 1/30th of a second to create the image on your screen. "Interlaced" means alternate lines scanned in alternate passes, the way conventional TV sets currently work, while "progressive" represents sequential scanning of all lines in a single pass, the way computer monitors display their information (see diagram in our "DTV Benefits" section).

Will all Digital Programs be Transmitted in the 16:9 Wide-screen Formats?
No. All HDTV and some SDTV programs will be transmitted in the 16:9 wide-screen aspect ratios (the format of movie theaters). Aspect ratio refers to the width of a picture relative to its height. Today's conventional TV aspect ratio is 4:3 DTV broadcasts may also be delivered in the 16:9 format, the same as many movie theater screens. Today’s conventional TV aspect ratio is 4:3. SDTV programming may utilize 16:9 or 4:3. Of course, wide-screen programs can be viewed on conventional TV screens in the letterbox format (black areas above and below picture). Likewise, you'll be able to view regular aspect ratio pictures on a wide aspect TV screen, with the picture digitally "stretched" to fill the screen, or with gray areas on both sides of the picture.