Plasma televisions use phosphors to generate visible light.
Although the technology is different to older CRT based
televisions, the phosphor is common to both of them. Plasma
televisions gained a poor reputation when they were first
introduced because static images could cause phosphor burn in a
short period of time. Phosphor burn is caused by high brightness
levels on certain parts of the screen with the result that the
phosphor is no longer as effective as it was, showing a dark shadow
of the image that was left on the display for too long.
Since their introduction, the screens are far more stable and
phosphor burn is not as much of a problem as it was. Despite the
improvements, showing a high contrast static image for long periods
of time can still cause image burning. For domestic use, this
shouldn't be an issue.
