With the revolution of Televisions, the screens have become flat. The initial screens were of Cathode Ray Tube TV which was heavy and bulky.
Later, new technology bought thinner and lighter models. Screens can be broadly classified into two main types, which are, Plasma Screen and Flat Screen.
Plasma Screen vs Flat Screen
The difference between plasma screens and flat-screen is that plasma screens are no more manufactured and have become obsolete while flat-screen are manufactured extensively. Plasma screen has only a volatile type of display while the flat screen is available in two types of display that is static and volatile.
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A plasma screen is the initial model of display. It was first launched in the year 1964.
Plasma screens are heavily weighted. The models are bulky and do not provide portability to the users.
The type of display was extensively used in large televisions.
On the other hand, flat-screen are the latest and modern models of the display. It was first launched in the year 1968.
Flat screens are light weighted foster the models are thin and compact which provides portability to the users.
The type of display is used in various domains like the computer, entertainment, electronic devices, transportation and industrial equipment, medical equipment, and others.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Plasma Screen | Flat Screen |
|---|---|---|
| Year of launch | 1964 | 1968 |
| Type of display | Volatile | Two types- static and volatile |
| Contrast ratio | 5,000,000:1 | 4000:1 |
| Advantages | Produce deeper black on the screen, has higher contrast ratio, color reproduction is excellent, wider viewing angle, motion blur is less visible, uniformity is maintained and is less expensive | It has a backlight, has no issue of burn-in, screen requires very little power to operate, are available in various screen sizes and is lightweight and thin |
| Disadvantages | Susceptible to screen burn-in image retention, bistable color nature, Initial models had phosphorus which lost luminosity, and does not operate well at higher altitudes | The lifetime is comparatively lower, the black produced on the screen is not very deep, viewing angle is moderately wide, inferior uniformity and is expensive |
What is Plasma Screen?
A plasma screen is known as Plasma Display Panel or PDP faster. The display uses small cells which contain ionized gas and can respond to electric fields. The use of plasma displays was at its peak in the year 2007.
The type of display was extensively used in large televisions. However, with the introduction of another type of this place, plasma screens became obsolete.
Plasma screens provide a wide color gamut and are a brighter display source. The screens can be manufactured in various large sizes, up to 150 inches. The plasma screen is locally lit and does not have any backlight.
It has comparatively low luminance in black levels.
A typical plasma screen is about 6 cm and the total thickness is around 10 cm. The constituent of the plasma screen is glass which also produces glare from surrounding light sources.
The power consumption of the screen depends on the picture content. A brighter picture requires more power than darker pictures.
A typical plasma screen has a lifetime of about 11 years or 100,000 hours.
The color reproduction of the plasma screen is similar to the CRT display. The contrast ratio is 5,000,000:1. The viewing angles of the plasma screen are wider.
The polishing process by clouding does not affect the plasma screen. It also provides superior uniformity. The screen has a faster response time and higher refresh rate. This leads to less visible motion blur.
What is a Flat Screen?
A flat-screen is known as a Flat Panel Display or FPD. It is an electronic display device that is used in various domains like the computer, entertainment, electronic devices, transportation and industrial equipment, medical equipment, and others.
The screen has various portability advantages because of its low power consumption and lightweight models.
The thickness of the flat screen is less than 10 cm. They are available in two display categories are either static or volatile displays.
The static display has bistable color states which retain the picture even when the power is off while the volatile display has pixels that are periodically refreshed and shows the image on the screen only when the power is on.
The flat-screen can provide a resolution of 1080p and even 4K resolution. Some flat screens can even have additional video input which is known as a multi-functional monitor or MFM.
The flat-screen can Be classified into various types like Liquid Crystal Display or LCD, LED-LCD, Electroluminescent panel or ELD, Organic light-emitting diode or OLED, and Quantum-dot light-emitting diode or QLED.
Due to the exclusion of the CRT technology, the models are flat and lightweight. The life span of flat screens is about 50,000 – 100,000 hours. It does not have a wide-angle and supports viewing angles up to 165°.
The pictures which are viewed from the side can suffer. The screen type has its backlight also.
Main Differences Between Plasma Screen and Flat Screen
- Plasma screen is known as Plasma Display Panel or PDP while the flat screen is known as Flat Panel Display or FPD.
- Plasma screens are bulkier and heavier while flat screens are thinner and lighter.
- Plasma screens are no more manufactured and have become obsolete while flat-screen are manufactured extensively.
- Plasma screens emit UV light to stimulate phosphorus for the luminosity while Flat-screen does not emit any UV light.
- Plasma screen does not have any backlight while the flat screen has a backlight.
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/125029/
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11367-010-0169-2
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
