If plasma TVs can be so thin, why have we spent decades with those bulky, oversized television sets taking up an entire corner of the room? The answer is in the technology.

To understand why plasma TVs can be so thin, you should start by understanding why traditional television sets of the past couldn’t be. Those televisions typically used tubes as the means to producing the pictures. There were several problems with tubes, including their size. The size of tubes inside a television set depended on the amount of screen space the picture was expected to fill.

The technology wasn’t put to the “size test” until people became disenchanted with the typical 20-inch screen and started demanding larger screens. Manufacturers were happy to meet the demands, but there was a problem. The dimensions of tubes are predetermined. If you want a bigger screen, you have to be prepared to project a larger picture. Larger picture demands a larger tube. It’s always been a given that the size of the television set was dependent on the amount of “stuff” that had to be fitted inside. Larger tubes meant larger cases.

If you consider the average size of a 20-inch television set that used tube technology, you can imagine how big the case would have to be in order to project a picture for a 32-inch, 40-inch or larger screen.

By contrast, a plasma TV doesn’t need the tubes in order to project the picture. Plasma TV, by its very technology, can be housed in a very thin case. Instead of having tubes that project a picture onto that big screen, the plasma TV works by lighting up the phosphorous coating at various times to create the images prescribed by the signal.

The result is that plasma TV screens require very little space other than the room for the screen and the phosphorous. In fact, the entire packages are actually thin enough that they can be mounted – creating a viewing experience only to be imagined with the tube-type television technology. It also means that the thickness of the screen can remain virtually constant, even while the width and height of the screen increases dramatically.

When you consider where the technology is, and where it’s come from, you’ll see that the huge television sets of a decade ago weren’t merely a fad. Those cases weren’t created that large simply to provide a shelf for mom’s favorite flower arrangement or the wedding photo. It was just a matter of providing a case for the technology.

For the average person, even a regular television set is something of a technological marvel that becomes almost unbelievable when considering today’s latest and greatest advances, including the plasma TV. Take a brief look at the history of the technology that we now take for granted.

As early as the 1950s, people were beginning to have television sets in their homes, though the practice of a home television set wouldn’t become widespread until the 1960s. Suddenly, the average person could be a bystander for historic events, catch the latest news and spend hours being entertained.

In those early days of television, an analog signal transmitted the audio and video that would become a picture on the home television set. The early home sets used a tube technology – it took ages to warm up sufficiently to produce a picture. The analog signal was prone to fuzzy pictures that could fade out completely with various conditions. A home typically had an antenna, either on top of the television set itself or standing outside the house. Adjusting that antenna could help the reception of the picture.

Many things have changed since those early days of television. Analog signals are still used, though high definition digital signals are becoming more common.

Remarkably, there have always been experiments and advances in the works, many appearing on the drawing boards long before they’re introduced to the public. In the case of plasma TVs, the idea has been around almost as long as the video technology. The first plasma screen was actually constructed by a college professor and his student as early as 1964. The idea was sound, but the high-end television set simply wasn’t practical for the signal technology of the day. After all, there was little need for a screen that could produce a better picture than the television stations could send!

The reason for that early development wasn’t aimed at the television industry, but was to be used for displaying information in an educational setting. When the television industry started looking at newer, better technology for the tube-type television sets commonly being used in the 1960s, plasma was actually considered, though only briefly. In the end, the more practical idea became the liquid display screen television screens and it would be many more years before the plasma TV option was again considered.

There’s just something about spending a couple of hours at a theater, and many people are trying to recreate that feeling with home theaters. There’s no doubt that both electronic and furnishing industries are meeting the demand, and you’ll find a great array of equipment, furniture and “extras” to make your home theater feel as much like a commercial theater as possible.

The plasma TV is no doubt one big step toward creating the ultimate viewing experience. The sharp picture added with the potential for a large, flat screen are important steps, but the benefits of a plasma TV don’t stop there. Plasma TVs have an important feature – the ability to sit directly in front of the screen or to either side without losing a good view of the movie. Many of the television options have a very limited viewing range before the picture becomes much less sharp and clear.

Another important aspect of the plasma TV is that the screen can be mounted on a wall, meaning there doesn’t need to be an entertainment center or even a shelf where the screen sits. It’s all aimed at offering the viewers an experience similar to that of a movie theater.

Remember that setting up the home theater may start with the electronics, but it certainly doesn’t end there. You’ll find authentic theater furnishing to further your home theater experience. Choose reclining seats, seats with armrests or comfortable recliners.

You’ll also find companies that provide everything else you need to make your home theater more like the commercial experience. Want popcorn? Don’t just pop a bag of the buttery treat – pop a whole batch in your popcorn popper that looks just like the popper at the theater. Drinks can be distributed the same way!

If you’re looking for more practical items, you’ll be relieved to know you can even find inexpensive and easy-to-install sound proofing material for walls, floors and ceilings. When you’ve finished this project, you can cover the floors with carpet and welcome mats just like those in your favorite theater, and hide the sound-proofed walls with authentic theater curtains, made to fit your home theater walls.

Your home theater may very well start with a plasma TV – after all, that’s arguably the latest and greatest technology available for your viewing pleasure. But don’t think that creating the ultimate home theater experience has to stop there.