Editing Plasma display (section)

=== 2000s ===
[[File:Evolution of 21st century plasma displays.jpg|thumb|upright=.75|Plasma displays became 75% thinner between 2006 and 2011.]]

In the year 2000, the first 60-inch (152-cm) plasma display was developed by Plasmaco. Panasonic was also reported to have developed a process to make plasma displays using ordinary window glass instead of the much more expensive "high strain point" glass.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB967587676614566981#:~:text=When%20plasma%2Dgas%20technology%20was,quality%20standards%20for%20the%20sets.|title = Passion for Plasma Fuels Creation of First 60-Inch Flat-Screen TV|newspaper = The Wall Street Journal|date = 30 August 2000|access-date = 23 September 2020|archive-date = 10 January 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210110165121/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB967587676614566981#:~:text=When%20plasma%2Dgas%20technology%20was,quality%20standards%20for%20the%20sets.|url-status = live}}</ref> High strain point glass is made similarly to conventional float glass, but it is more heat resistant, deforming at higher temperatures. High strain point glass is normally necessary because plasma displays have to be baked during manufacture to dry the rare-earth phosphors after they are applied to the display. However, high strain point glass may be less scratch resistant.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.glassonline.com/central-glass-to-produce-speciality-glass/|title = Central Glass to produce speciality glass|date = 19 November 2002|access-date = 31 October 2020|archive-date = 5 November 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201105033432/https://www.glassonline.com/central-glass-to-produce-speciality-glass/|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US20080113857|title=High Strain-Point Glass Composition for Substrate|access-date=2020-10-31|archive-date=2023-04-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413013644/https://patents.google.com/patent/US20080113857|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US6998578|title=Baking system for plasma display panel and layout method for said system|access-date=2020-10-31|archive-date=2023-04-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413013712/https://patents.google.com/patent/US6998578|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Duisit, G., Gaume, O., & El Khiati, N. (2003). 23.4: High Strain Point Glass with Improved Chemical Stability and Mechanical Properties for FPDs. SID Symposium Digest of Technical Papers, 34(1), 905. doi:10.1889/1.1832431</ref>

Until the early 2000s, plasma displays were the most popular choice for [[HDTV]] [[flat-panel display]] as they had many benefits over LCDs. Beyond plasma's deeper blacks, increased contrast, faster response time, greater color spectrum, and wider viewing angle; they were also much bigger than LCDs, and it was believed that LCDs were suited only to smaller sized televisions. Plasma had overtaken rear-projection systems in 2005.<ref>[http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=169300184 "Plasma TV sales overtake projection units, says report"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105204008/http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=169300184 |date=2010-01-05 }} ''EETimes'', 17 August 2005</ref>

However, improvements in LCD fabrication narrowed the technological gap. The increased size, lower weight, falling prices, and often lower electrical power consumption of LCDs made them competitive with plasma television sets. In 2006, LCD prices started to fall rapidly and their screen sizes increased, although plasma televisions maintained a slight edge in picture quality and a price advantage for sets at the critical 42" size and larger. By late 2006, several vendors were offering 42" LCDs, albeit at a premium price, encroaching upon plasma's only stronghold. More  decisively, LCDs offered higher resolutions and true [[1080p]] support, while plasmas were stuck at [[720p]], which made up for the price difference.<ref name="shift">Reuters, [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15916808 "Shift to large LCD TVs over plasma"], ''MSNBC'', 27 November 2006</ref>

In late 2006, analysts noted that LCDs had overtaken plasmas, particularly in the {{convert|40|in|cm|adj=on}} and above segment where plasma had previously gained market share.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15916808 "Shift to large LCD TVs over plasma"], ''MSNBC'', November 27, 2006, retrieved 2007-08-12.</ref> Another industry trend was the consolidation of plasma display manufacturers, with around 50 brands available but only five manufacturers. In the first quarter of 2008, a comparison of worldwide TV sales broke down to 22.1 million for direct-view CRT, 21.1 million for LCD, 2.8 million for plasma, and 0.1 million for rear projection.<ref>[http://www.digitalhome.ca/content/view/2538/206 "LCD televisions outsell plasma 8 to 1 worldwide"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522001447/http://www.digitalhome.ca/content/view/2538/206/|date=2009-05-22}}, ''Digital Home'', 21 May 2008, retrieved 2008-06-13.</ref>

When the sales figures for the 2007 Christmas season were finally tallied, analysts were surprised to find that not only had LCD outsold plasma, but CRTs  as well, during the same period.<ref name=outship>{{cite news |first=Wolfgang |last=Gruener |url=http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/36119/118/ |title=LCD TVs outship CRT TVs for the first time |work=TG Daily |date=19 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226094529/http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/36119/118/ |archive-date=26 February 2008}}</ref> This development drove competing large-screen systems from the market almost overnight. The February 2009 announcement that [[Pioneer Electronics]] was ending production of plasma screens was widely considered the tipping point in the technology's history as well.<ref>Jose Fermoso, [http://newteevee.com/2009/02/21/pioneers-kuro-killing-a-tipping-point-in-the-plasma-era/ "Pioneer's Kuro Killing: A Tipping Point in the Plasma Era"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716015143/http://newteevee.com/2009/02/21/pioneers-kuro-killing-a-tipping-point-in-the-plasma-era/ |date=2010-07-16 }}, newteevee.com, 21 February 2009</ref>

Screen sizes have increased since the introduction of plasma displays. The largest plasma video display in the world at the 2008 [[Consumer Electronics Show]] in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]], was a {{convert|150|in|cm|adj=on}} unit manufactured by Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic) standing {{convert|6|ft|cm|abbr=on}} tall by {{convert|11|ft|cm|abbr=on}} wide.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/6ft-by-150-inches--and-thats-just-the-tv-768862.html Dugan, Emily., "6ft by 150 inches – and that's just the TV"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925043555/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/6ft-by-150-inches--and-thats-just-the-tv-768862.html |date=2015-09-25 }}, ''The Independent'', 8 January 2008, retrieved 2009-01-29.</ref><ref>[[PC Magazine|PCMag.com]] – [https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2246186,00.asp Panasonic's 150-Inch "Life Screen" Plasma Opens CES] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211002943/http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2246186,00.asp |date=2017-02-11 }}</ref>