Get extended warranty

2 Years ago I never dreamt I would say it. Plasma screens have several weakness. The phosphors can fade or become permanently set. This will almost certainly not be covered by any warranty. Fortunately this problem can largely be avoided.

There are many components in a plasma TV that are just waiting to go wrong. The processor, the cooling system to name but a few. So if your Plasma TV is likely to get a lot of use then this is one of the few situations were an extended warranty is worthwhile.

You should of course pretend you are not interested when first asked as it is always possible to get a reduction on the cost of the warranty or on the screen itself as a condition of taking the warranty.

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Clean Your Plasma, LCD TV

What's the point of buying a high technology super screen and then view it through mountains of dust and finger marks? Here I will explain how you can easily and cheaply clean your beloved Plasma or LCD TV to get that stunning viewing experience, like the day you had it delivered, every day.

Plasma & LCD Screens are Porous.
First of all a warning! Most screens of this type are porous. This means that any moisture no matter how slight will be absorbed into the screen. At the least it will leave an annoying mark that will never come off and at the worst your TV could suffer any of the symptoms you might expect when you mix water and electricity.
!!NEVER LEAVE ANY MOISTURE ON YOUR SCREEN!!

Expensive Anti Static
Many retailers are selling anti static sprays for anything up to £15 a bottle. I generally think these products are not worth it. Firstly because with the appropriate tool the dust is gone with one quick wipe and secondly because it increases the risk that moisture might be left on the screen. One anti static manufacturer who recommends spraying their product directly onto the screen says in its instructions to make sure all the cleaner is wiped off afterwards. I say. What if the phone rings when your in the middle of cleaning the TV? And anyway I don't think they are necessary and they are generally very expensive for a tiny bottle.

Microfibre cloths
I have just spent 2 paragraphs telling you what not to do, so I suppose I should get around to telling you how you SHOULD clean a screen. The answer as the title above suggests is a microfibre cloth. These are simply cloths made out of a fabric whose fibres are much smaller(micro) than normal cloths.

What this means is that they have the uncanny ability to simply absorb things which other cloths cannot. Things like finger prints, very fine dust and splashes from coughs and sneezes. If the mark is not to old a good microfibre cloth will absorb such marks without the need for any chemicals even water.

Sometimes if the mark is old, maybe if you have had a screen for sometime and have only just got around to cleaning it you might need to use some water. The difference between using water here and say using the anti static liquid is that you only need a tiny (and I mean tiny) usually a flick onto the cloth (not the screen) and even the crustiest of finger marks etc. should be gone.
And because a dry cloth will always remove the dust in a second or two why spend loads of money on anti static cleaner?

There are many microfibre cloths on the market. Just be sure to get one that specifically states being suitable for your screen type. I can recommend the WOW screen wipes for just about any screen and I have included an entry about them on this blog

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Caring For Your Family

At the end of the day even more important than the TV itself is its users. Generally speaking as long is you follow the usual safety procedures as you would with anything electrical you and your family should be safe. There are a few issues to bear in mind however.

Radiation & Eye strain from Plasma and LCD TV's

Photosensitive seizures & TVs

Plasma TV operating temperature

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Radiation & Eye strain from Plasma and LCD TV's

While watching television, the lighting in the room should be dimmer than the screen. Make sure that the lighting doesn't reflect on the screen or cause a glare. Don't watch in very dim light because the contrast in light is almost as bad as glare. Avoid viewing from an angle which causes an unclear or glare effect. Sit in front of the plasma screen about four or five times the width of the TV screen away. This is just a rough guide.

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Can I Put My Plasma Or LCD TV Above A Fireplace?

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Photosensitive seizures

Television and electronic games are major factors that evoke seizures. Other light sources include flickering or reflected sunlight, lightning, car headlights, flickering artificial lights, arcade games, disco or even simple Christmas tree lights and sharply contrasting patterns.
Some computer games can evoke seizures. Several factors explain why seizures occur during video games: photosensitive response to physical characteristics of the TV display, e.g., flicker at or near the frequency of the electrical supply; photosensitive response to the game’s visual content; specific cognitive activities, decision making.
Emotional factors are also a significant cause, such as anxiety or excitement; ssleep deprivation or fatigue; and simple chance.
To minimise the risk, the viewing distance should be at least four times the screen width. The room should be appropriately lit to avoid glare or excessive contrast between screen and ambient room light levels. Avoid prolonged play! Children should not play when sleep deprived or febrile.

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TV operating temperature

Quite simply plasma and LCD TVs get very hot. Especially on the top edge but generally all over as well. Out of all the large screens I have checked (and i have checked a fair few) I don't think it is possible to cause a significant, serious burn but they do get as hot as say a radiator.

If a child were to touch the hottest part they would probably instinctively let go quick enough that no real harm would be done. But just suppose the TV were to fall or perhaps a circumstance were to arise that the child could not remove their hand (or other part of their body) then some large screens are hot enough to cause a nasty burn. I cannot really picture a 'highly likely' scenario where this would happen but it is worth being aware of if you have children or if perhaps you are using your LCD set in a public/work place.

You might also be interested in:-

Can I Put My LCD Or Plasma Television Above A Fire?

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How A Plasma TV Works

This explanation requires a few sub explanations so please bare with me. I promise it will all make sense in the end. I have taken the liberty of slightly simplifying a few aspects, like the actual reactions between gases and electrical current. However you should be safe giving this explanation down the pub or at the office without fear of some smarty pants chipping in about anything you missed or got wrong.

What Is A Plasma and What Can It Do
A plasma is a gas. It is made up of an equal number of positively and negatively charged electrons which means it has no actual electrical charge. However if you supply an electrical current to one of these plasmas then it becomes positively charged and produces light.

What Is A Phosphor and How Does it React To a Plasma
A phosphor is a coloured substance coated to the screen. On a plasma screen they are either Red, Green or Blue. Light from the electrically charged plasma causes the phosphor to produce a colour, Red, Green or Blue depending upon the colour of the phosphor.

Sub Pixels Are Phosphors
Red Green & Blue phosphors known as sub pixels are lit in the manner described above. It is the combination of the three colours at varying intensities, caused by varying electrical currents, that can produce any colour. Well almost any colour (about 16 million different ones).
Now just remember that a sub pixel is a phosphor and is either Red, Green or Blue and that by mixing Red, Green and Blue you can make any colour.

Pixels
A pixel is made of 3 sub pixels(phosphors), It is the dot you can actually see if you put your face really close to the screen. Combinations of dots (pixels) make a picture, Refreshed (redrawn) quickly (50 times a second) makes the moving picture that we see.

Summary So Far:-
Fine so all this is great but how does a Plasma TV know where and how to light these millions of sub pixels at millions of different combinations and intensities to light about a million(depending on the specific TV) pixels, that form a picture, so damn quickly?!

The Electrrode Grid
This is a lattice of circuits (One for each sub pixel phosphor) that can be accessed individually one after the other with a current of varying voltage. The circuits connect to electrodes which fire the plasma to light each individual sub pixel phosphor at (depending on the voltage) the required intensity. They of course then light the pixel at the precise colour required. This happens between 50 & 60 times per second per sub pixel phosphor (WOW!). Creating the moving image.

The Processor and Plasma's are not TV's At All?
What controls this is a computer processor. Not unlike, but never the less different from a PC processor. It is the inclusion of a processor and a relatively flat lattice of electrical circuits which alleviates the need for an electron gun which is what produces the picture in a conventional TV. The absence of an electron gun and its large space requirements is why Plasmas are so thin it also technically speaking means that Plasma TV's are not really TVs at all but more like monitors.

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