Their lighter size allows people to free up space. Watching the game on a big screen television used to be the "cool" thing to do, but now you can get the same size with better color. The flat screen has come a long way and has affected more than just the television industry.

You have probably noticed that flat screen monitors have been around for quite some time. The laptop would not have been a viable and streamlined monitor had it not been flat. Flat screen monitor's first run of production were still quite heavy, but instead of a rounded screen, a flat screen was inserted. From there it became the goal of designers and engineers to have a monitor that was not as heavy, nor as bulky.

The year of 1964 was a huge year of discovery for the flat screen TV. Plasma technology was discovered thanks to a growing need by scientists to have a computer screen that did not have to constantly refresh itself.

The plasma offered a better screen resolution and provided a huge difference from having to use a regular television set as a computer monitor. LCD and plasma TV's came out of this revolution in technology. It did not happen immediately, but it was a starting point from which scientists began to work.

Television has come so far from its humble beginnings. It was a novelty to possess something that could transmit a program from the other side of the country. Sure the image was grainy and in black and white, but it was still an item that only the wealthy possessed.

Eventually it became more affordable. The television evolved into color and bigger screen sizes. Then it became much larger; as tall as the average woman. Too bad the image was distorted and lost its vibrant colors. LCD and plasma solved those dilemmas by changing from a cathode-ray to the use of plasma.

People everywhere are jumping into the flat screen TV craze. Even the price does not seem to be intimidating to most buyers when they compare the differences between their older models and the new fantastic versions.

As more manufacturers discover new technology, the prices will fall. The 30 inch flat screen plasma or LCD can be purchased for around $800 and in some sales, they go for as little as $600.