Flat Screen Plasma TV for Wide Viewing Range

When flat screen televisions were first introduced, they mainly included LCD technology and were available in smaller sizes for use in some television sets and in computer monitors. These liquid crystal displays were optimal for laptop computers and the small sizes were excellent for handheld devices as well. With the introduction of a flat screen plasma TV screen in 1999, the television viewing world was knocked on its ear.

Prior to the introduction of the flat screen plasma TV the larger television screen were rear projection and had a very limited viewing angle. In order to view a clear, sharp image the viewer had to sit directly in front of the unit. They were also very large and bulky, some as many as four feet in depth. With the limited viewing angle, they were not appreciated by larger groups of people as some of them could not see the picture.

With viewing angles of about 170 degrees on flat screen plasma TV, the larger screens can be viewed by a much wider audience and still see the full picture. With many of the older tapered models of television screens, the picture often lost some of its detail around the edges. With the new flat screen plasma TV monitors, there is no loss of detail on the sides or the top and viewer can realize the full impact of the image.

Size Matters When it comes to Diagonal Measurements

When televisions first hit the market in the 1950's, the measurement of the screen often escaped people’s logic. The industry set the standard practice of measuring them diagonally. A 22-inch television was measured from one corner to a diagonal corner to arrive at the 21-inch mark. When measured horizontally or vertically, the size was considerably less. The same technique is used on today's flat screen plasma TV, but more people are interested in the aspect ratio of the image and the resolution being presented.

The big difference in today's flat screen plasma TV monitors is the overall size of a television. With older models, the cathode ray tube often was enclosed in the case with as much as two-inches on the sides. Even with a 21-inch screen, measuring about 16-inches wide, the case could still require as much as 22-inches or more. A flat screen plasma TV monitor will generally be only an inch or so wider than the width of the screen and much more space is saved due to their thickness of about four-inches.