A macroscopic plasma display discharge cell has been designed in order to more easily study the plasma evolution in dielectric barrier discharges occurring in the much smaller commercial ac plasma display panels (PDPs). The electrodes in the macrocell can be arranged in matrix or coplanar configurations. The dimensions of the cell are 100 times larger than those of typical PDP cells and the gas pressure is 100 times smaller. Although some of the properties of the discharge pulse obviously do not follow the classical similarity laws, we find that the macrocell is a very useful tool for improving our understanding of the discharge in a PDP cell. The large dimensions of the cell and the longer time scale because of the smaller pressure make the plasma diagnostics easier than in a real PDP cell. The results are presented here for discharges in pure neon at 5 Torr. Measurements of the time evolution of the current and imaging of the plasma with an intensified charge coupled device (ICCD) camera are presented in matrix electrode configurations and are compared with previously developed models. The experiment confirms the large power deposition in electron impact excitation of the gas atoms while the plasma spreads over the dielectric surface above the anode. The images obtained with the ICCD camera also show the existence of striations of the plasma near the dielectric surface which were not predicted by the models. Measured and calculated duration and shape of the current pulse are in reasonable agreement. © 2000 American Institute of Physics.