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Plasma Televisions Plasma HDTVs have generally been a more expensive technology than LCD displays, but this gap is shrinking. Plasmas offer benefits like darker blacks and more accurate colors over LCD displays, but are generally not as bright and have their own set of issues. Plasma displays are made up of many small cells that are filled with gas, typically neon and xenon. High voltage electrical impulses are used to excite this gas, which produces the state called Plasma from which the displays derive their name. As a plasma is produced, it releases electrons that then excite phosphor materials that line the cell, which produce the red, green and blue lights that are used to create an image. Three cells, one for red, green and blue, are grouped together to form a single pixel on the display. By modulating the electrical impulse to produce brighter or dimmer combinations of these three colors Plasma displays can produce any color in the visible spectrum. Because they lack the backlights that LCD displays use, Plasmas are able to produce much deeper blacks and a higher contrast between the darkest black and brightest white. This also helps them produce more accurate colors. The negative to Plasma displays are that they cannot get as bright as LCD displays, and all of that plasma gas means that the displays can get very hot if they are showing a lot of white. So they don't melt, most displays turn down the brightness as they show more white (called white falloff). This means that if you are watching TV in a brightly lit room they will be more difficult to view, so if you show a lot of white screens (such as PowerPoint presentations, or documentaries on polar bears), they will look paler than their LCD cousins. Plasma displays are also susceptible to  burn-in: if a static image is left on the display for long periods of time, it can result in a "ghost" effect as the burned in image remains visible even after the display has switched to another image. Plasma TVs are much smaller than their rear projection cousins. And because they create the light in the image in the panel itself, they usually have better viewing angles than LCD displays. Due to the more difficult construction of Plasma displays, they have generally been relagated to larger, more expensive TV sized.  But as costs have come down, we are beginning to see smaller Plasma displays and they have become more competitive with LCD displays in that market. Plasma Reviews TV Name Type Resolution HDMI In Size Format Price Panasonic VIERA TH-46PZ80U Plasma 1920x1080 3 46 in. 1080p $1,072.00 Plasma Spec Sheets TV Name Type Resolution HDMI In Size Format Price VIZIO VP50HDTV Plasma 1366 x 768 2 50 in. 720p $900 VIZIO VP504 Plasma 1920x1080 4 50 in. 1080p $1,700 VIZIO VP503 Plasma 1365x768 4 50 in. 720p $1,200 VIZIO VP423 Plasma 1024x768 4 42 in. 720p $900 VIZIO VP422 Plasma 1024x768 3 42 in. 720p $800 VIZIO VP322 Plasma 1366x768 3 32 in. 720p $650 VIZIO VM60P Plasma 1366 x 768 4 60 in. 720p $2 Panasonic VIERA TH-C50FD18 Plasma 1920x1080 3 50 in. 1080p $3,999 Panasonic VIERA TH-C42HD18 Plasma 1366x768 2 42 in. 720p $1,400 Panasonic VIERA TH-65PZ750U Plasma 1920x1080 3 65 in. 1080p $5,700 Panasonic VIERA TH-65PX600U Plasma 1920x1080 3 65 in. 1080p $4,448 Panasonic VIERA TH-58PZ750U Plasma 1920x1080 3 58 in. 1080p $3,095 Panasonic VIERA TH-58PZ700U Plasma 1920x1080 2 58 in. 1080p $3,098 Panasonic VIERA TH-58PE75U Plasma 1366x768 2 58 in. 720p $2,000 Panasonic VIERA TH-50PZ850U Plasma 1920x1080 3 50 in. 1080p $1,948 Panasonic VIERA TH-50PZ80U Plasma 1920x1080 3 50 in. 1080p $1,288 Panasonic VIERA TH-50PZ800U Plasma in. Unknown $1,783 Panasonic VIERA TH-50PZ800U Plasma 1920x1080 4 50 in. 1080p $1,783 Panasonic VIERA TH-50PE700U Plasma 1920x1080 2 50 in. 1080p $2,299 Panasonic VIERA TH-50PC77U Plasma 1366x768 2 50 in. Unknown $1,276 Panasonic VIERA TH-46PZ85U Plasma 1920x1080 3 46 in. 1080p $1,235 Panasonic VIERA TH-46PZ850U Plasma in. 1080p $1,719 Panasonic VIERA TH-46PZ80U Plasma 1920x1080 3 46 in. 1080p $1,072 Panasonic VIERA TH-46PZ800U Plasma 1920x1080 4 46 in. 1080p $1,799 Panasonic VIERA TH-42PZ85U Plasma 1920x1080 3 42 in. 1080p $966 Panasonic VIERA TH-42PZ80U Plasma 1920x1080 3 42 in. 1080p $845 Panasonic VIERA TH-42PZ800U Plasma 1920x1080 4 42 in. 1080p $1,702 Panasonic VIERA TH-42PC77U Plasma 1024x768 2 42 in. Unknown $1,300 Hitachi UltraVision P50V701 Plasma 1920 x 1080 3 50 in. 1080p $1,778 Hitachi UltraVision P50S601 Plasma 1920 x 1080 3 50 in. 1080p $1,600 Hitachi UltraVision 55HDX99 Plasma 1366 x 768 3 55 in. 720p $0 Hitachi UltraVision 55HDT79 Plasma 1366 x 768 3 55 in. 720p $0 Hitachi UltraVision 55HDS69 Plasma 1366 x 768 3 55 in. 720p $2,915 Hitachi UltraVision 42HDX99 Plasma 1024 x 1080 3 42 in. 720p $0 Panasonic TH-58PX600U Plasma 1366 x 768 2 58 in. 720p $2,999 Panasonic TH-50PZ700U Plasma 1920 x 1080 2 50 in. 1080p $2,500 Panasonic TH-50PX77U Plasma 1366 x 768 2 50 in. 720p $1,499 Panasonic TH-50PX600U Plasma 1366 x 768 2 50 in. 720p $5,000 Panasonic TH-50PF9UK Plasma 1920 x 1080 0 50 in. 1080p $2,200 Panasonic TH-46PZ80U Plasma 1920 x 1080 3 46 in. 1080p $1 Panasonic TH-42PZ700U Plasma 1920 x 1080 2 42 in. 1080p $1,542 Panasonic TH-42PX77U Plasma 1024 x 768 2 42 in. 720p $710 Panasonic TH-42PX75U Plasma 1024 x 768 2 42 in. 720p $995 Panasonic TH-42PH10UK Plasma 1024 x 768 0 42 in. 720p $1,049 NEC PX-42XR4A Plasma 1024 x 768 2 42 in. 1080p $1,879 Norcent PT-5045HD Plasma 1366x768 1 50 in. 720p $1 Norcent PT-4246HD Plasma 1024x768 1 42 in. 720p $1,100 Samsung PN58A650 Plasma 1920x1080 4 58 in. 1080p $2,579 Samsung PN58A550 Plasma 1920x1080 3 58 in. 1080p $2,400 Samsung PN50A650 Plasma 1920x1080 3 50 in. 1080p $1,585 Samsung PN50A550 Plasma 1920x1080 3 50 in. 1080p $1,489 Samsung PN50A530 Plasma 1920x1080 3 50 in. Unknown $1 Samsung PN50A450 Plasma 1365x768 3 50 in. Unknown $994 Samsung PN50A410 Plasma 1024x768 2 50 in. 720p $1 Samsung PN42A450 Plasma 1024x768 3 42 in. 720p $750 NEC PlasmaSync 60XC10 Plasma 1024 x 768 1 60 in. 720p $5 NEC PlasmaSync 50XC10 Plasma 1024 x 768 1 50 in. 720p $2 NEC PlasmaSync 42XC10 Plasma 1024 x 768 1 42 in. 720p $2 HP PL4272N Plasma 1024 x 768 3 42 in. 1080p $1,150 Pioneer PDP-5080HD Plasma 1365 x 768 4 50 in. 720p $2,698 Pioneer PDP-5070HD Plasma 1365 x 768 2 50 in. 720p $2,100 Pioneer PDP-505CMX Plasma 1280 x 768 0 50 in. 720p $3,000 Pioneer PDP-4280HD Plasma 1024 x 768 4 42 in. 720p $1,899 Pioneer PDP-4270HD Plasma 1024 x 768 2 42 in. 720p $2,499 Hitachi P55T551 Plasma 1280 x 1080 3 55 in. 1080p $2,200 Hitachi P50T501 Plasma 1280 x 1080 3 50 in. 1080p $1,222 Hitachi P50H401 Plasma 1280 x 1080 3 50 in. 1080p $1,800 Hitachi P42T501 Plasma 1024 x 1080 3 42 in. 1080p $899 VIZIO P42HDTV Plasma 1024 x 768 1 42 in. 720p $636 Hitachi P42H401 Plasma 1024 x 1080 1 42 in. 1080p $950 Maxent MX-58HPT51 Plasma 1366 x 768 3 58 in. 1080i $2 Maxent MX-50X5 Plasma 1366 x 768 2 50 in. 1080i $1 Maxent MX-50HPT51 Plasma 1366 x 768 2 50 in. 1080i $1 Maxent MX-5020HPM Plasma 1366 x 768 2 50 in. 720p $1,469 Maxent MX-42HPT51 Plasma 1024 x 768 2 42 in. 720p $841 Maxent MX-42HPM20 Plasma 1024 x 768 1 42 in. 720p $800 Pioneer KURO PDP-6020FD Plasma in. Unknown $3,795 Pioneer KURO PDP-6010FD Plasma 1920x1080 4 60 in. 1080p $3,899 Pioneer KURO PDP-5020FD Plasma 1920x1080 4 50 in. 1080p $2,389 Pioneer KURO PDP-5010FD Plasma 1920x1080 4 50 in. 1080p $2,699 Samsung HP-T5064 Plasma 1366 x 768 3 50 in. 720p $800 Samsung HP-T5054 Plasma 1366 x 768 3 50 in. 720p $800 Samsung HP-T4264 Plasma 1024 x 768 3 42 in. 720p $700 Samsung HP-T4254 Plasma 1024 x 768 3 42 in. 720p $700 Samsung FP-T5084 Plasma 1920 x 1080 3 50 in. 1080p $1,050 Pioneer ELITE KURO PRO-950HD Plasma 1024x768 4 42 in. 720p $2,700 Pioneer ELITE KURO PRO-151FD Plasma 1920x1080 4 60 in. 1080p $5,000 Pioneer ELITE KURO PRO-150FD Plasma 1920x1080 4 60 in. 1080p $5,995 Pioneer ELITE KURO PRO-1150HD Plasma 1365x768 4 50 in. 720p $2,999 Pioneer ELITE KURO PRO-111FD Plasma 1920x1080 4 50 in. 1080p $3,949 Pioneer ELITE KURO PRO-110FD Plasma 1920x1080 4 50 in. 1080p $4,495 Hitachi Director's Series P60X901 Plasma 1920 x 1080 3 60 in. 1080p $0 Hitachi Director's Series P50X901 Plasma 1920 x 1080 3 50 in. 1080p $0 LG 60PG60 Plasma 1920 x 1080 4 60 in. 1080p $2,900 LG 60PG30 Plasma 1920 x 1080 3 60 in. 1080p $4 LG 60PC1D Plasma 1366 x 768 2 60 in. 720p $2,000 LG 52LG50 Plasma 1920 x 1080 3 52 in. 1080p $1,689 LG 50PG60 Plasma 1920 x 1080 4 50 in. 1080p $1,799 LG 50PG30 Plasma 1920 x 1080 3 50 in. 1080p $1,479 LG 50PG25 Plasma 1365 x 768 4 50 in. 1080p $999 LG 50PG20 Plasma 1365 x 768 3 50 in. 1080p $1,050 Philips 50PFP5332D Plasma 1366 x 768 2 50 in. 720p $1,400 LG 50PC5D Plasma 1366 x 768 2 50 in. 720p $980 LG 42PG25 Plasma 1024 x 768 4 42 in. 1080p $989 LG 42PG20 Plasma 1024 x 768 3 42 in. 1080p $799 LG 42PC5D Plasma 1024 x 768 2 42 in. 720p $700