Plasma used to be a term restricted to describing ionized gas and blood cells. These days, the word "plasma" enjoys a more stylish place in society, and many people consider plasma to be the lifeblood of uber-television viewing.

The television industry has evolved at an alarming rate over the past fifty years.  Television sets have morphed from small screens with rabbit-ear antennas, to wall-sized flat screens.  The media has grown as well, taking North American viewers from three main networks to countless satellite programming choices.

Buying a television is no longer as simply as making a trip to the local department store.  There are many points to consider when choosing a new set.  Analog, or digital?  HDTV ready, or HDTV enabled?  LCD or plasma screen?  The decision can be overwhelming, so it helps to understand a few basic points about modern day televisions.

Analog
The television you've known and loved for all these years is an analog TV.  With this tried-and-true technology, signals are sent and received in analog format.  Analog televisions are very competitively priced, and can offer good quality for your relatively small investment.  The disadvantage of this format is that analog TV signals can only accommodate a limited amount of data for the screen and sound, and analog signals can be easily and immediately corrupted.  Don't worry, though, if you have an analog television.  The service will be available and your set will work just fine, even years after other formats dominate the market.

Digital
Digital TV signals allow television stations to send date that is much more dense, and includes more definition.  There is also less degradation of signal. This increased level of density creates a much better quality sound and picture, particularly through DVDs. 

High Definition (HDTV)
Traditional digital television has paved the way for the newer standards of high definition programming.  In order to provide customers with the highest level of audio and video quality, television stations should transmit high definition television (HDTV).  Your TV set should be able to receive and process the HDTV signal, and display it on a high definition-enabled screen.  When all of these pieces fall into place, the results are simply stunning.

Digital television and HDTV are commonplace in today's industry, but you won't be able to appreciate the pristine levels of sound and picture on your old television set.  We are in the midst of a digital video revolution, thanks to recent advancements like DTV, DVD-Video, HDTV, digital satellite broadcasts and computer video.  One giant leap forward in modern television technology is plasma display technology.

Plasma screens entered the US market toward the end of 1999, but the concept was initially put into place at the University of Illinois in July 1964.  These first displays were nothing more than points of light formed in laboratory experiments. From this starting point the technology began to improve, and by the late 1960s it had advanced to the point where scientists were able to put up geometric shapes.  Today, thanks to the development in high speed digital processing, materials and advanced manufacturing technology, brighter full-colour plasma display screens are widely available. 

Plasma televisions have taken technological leaps and bounds ahead of other television technologies, making them the fastest-selling 'new' television technology on the market. Plasma television screens provide a higher resolution compared to conventional TVs, and many new plasma televisions are capable of displaying HDTV signals.  In addition to superior picture quality, plasma televisions can be wall mounted, saving valuable floor space and offering a theater-like display. 

With HDTV displayed on a plasma screen, it's like you're seeing your favorite movies and television programs for the very first time.