:) DVD-R Version Now Available! :)

Hey Guys,
You can download the Break In DVD-R and S-VCD Here (http://www.eaprogramming.com/)! After the site loads click the link to download the zip file or the link to jump to the downloads page.
This file is a zipped up Nero Disc Image (nrg file). Unzipped it is pretty large (~700 Mb) but zipped it was very small (2 MB). This disc image should be burned to a regular CD-R. The disc image is a Super Video CD so your DVD player needs to be able to play SVCD's. It is basically a set of 20 images that are 720p native resolution. The images are full screen colors so that the entire screen is 1 color at a time. The colors go from a white to a dark grey in 5 gradients, white to blue in 5 gradients, white to green in 5 gradients and white to red in five gradients. The images change every 30 seconds and the disc goes for approximately 16 hours (double check that number when you open the image in Nero). I created the disc like this so that the DVD players loop functionality does not have to be relied on. Furthermore there is no menu for this SVCD so there is no fear of a menu coming up and being stuck on the screen.
I have been breaking in my Pioneer PDP-5050HD using this disc and my Pio Elite DV-59AVi DVD player that is set to 720p output over HDMI. I turn down the contrast and brightness to conform with regular breakin levels. Currently I have 202 hours on my plasma in 11 days due to this break in dvd that works flawlessly. I plan on continuing to use the DVD until I hit 1000 hours and then I will just shelf it for the future.
Everyone, please enjoy and feel free to ask any questions.
-Evangelo2




I have just updated the link above to point to a geocities page I have to host this file. Please only download once as I don't know the kind of bandwidth geocities gives for free.
Some people have reported that when this file is emailed, hotmail reports it as a possible virus. The only thing I can think of is that the zip file is 2 meg and the unzipped image is ~700 meg due to repeating images. I have scanned the file many times over and over with my up to date Norton Antivirus 2005 and the file is clean. It is a hotmail issue.
Enjoy All,
-Evangelo2
/EDIT]

[EDIT-Feb 27, 2006 5:11PM]
Just re-updated the link with a new site. Geocities gave us the shaft with bandwidth. The site is brand new so it may take some time for the DNS to filter down to you but it is already up here in LI, NY.
Enjoy All,
-Evangelo2



Thank again zachaller for hosting the file for us in the beginning.



The DVD-R Version of the Break In SVCD is now available! There are available downloads in iso format, nrg format and video_ts format! This DVD has been authored in 16:9 mode so please keep that in mind whith your DVD Player Settings.
I have not tested the DVD-R in my DVD Player yet but I will tonight. I have tested it using Power DVD on my computer and everything looked fine.
If you download and use the DVD-R please send me feedback letting me know if it worked for you or not, the DVD player brand and model you are using and the output resolution. I will try to keep a list up of players that have used this succesfully.
Enjoy!
-Evangelo2


There are basically two schools of thought, none of which is incorrect...

1 - Low Contrast/Brightness - The main reason to do this is a precaution sao that if anything goes wrong with your DVD player or TV durring unattended running of the breakin dvd or images, you will minimize the risk of doing any damage. Risk is minimized because the brightness and contrast is low. Break in *may* take a little longer when using the disc like this but I feel it is safer and go this route myself, since I prefer to err on the side of caution.

2 - Torch Mode - In torch mode, you are more intensly displaying the images, thus breaking in the plasma MUCH faster. Downside is that if something goes wrong (and of course it shouldn't, but this is an imperfect world and unexcpected things do happen), you have a much higher chance of getting serious burn in (permanent IR) that may not be correctable.

The choice of which way to go is up to the individual. Both mehtods are technically and logically sound, just a different perspective.

Keep in mind, when using my preferred method (very low cotrast and brightness), you should switch to calibrated settings when you want to watch something durring the break in period and avoid black bars as well as high contrast static images that can be on the screen for a long time (e.g. CNN or ESPN tickers...).

-Evangelo2

Hey... thanks very much for this. I will look at using it when my new Pio comes in a couple of weeks. Glad it compressed so small.

No problem Peter... It works very well, My TV is through the breakin period in record time and now I am getting ready to enjoy Lost tonight :)

-Evangelo2

Evangelo,

Just reporting back that it works! Burned successfully and plays on my Panny S77. Just want to offer encouragement to anyone considering downloading and burning this puppy.

Cool, thanks. I didn't even know it was possible to compress a 700 meg file to 2 megs. Amazing.

Ya it compresses so well because it is the same images over and over so what it dose is just tells winzip when uncompressing it to recopy every image it cut off howevery many times the picture shows up

Glad you got it to work Pete! Like I said, I've been using it for almost 2 weeks now without any issues. My plasma is pretty much broken in now that I ahve surpassed the 200 hour mark. I will continue ot use the break in dvd at least until the 500 hour mark then I can shelf it for the next plasma I buy :)

zachaller is absolutely correct about why the file zips to such a small size.

Now, I just wait for my Salamander Triple 20" to be delvered tomorrow :)

-Evangelo2

I don't even have a plasma yet, but I'm D/Ling this puppy now for future (hopefully soon) use. Takes a lot of the guesswork out of it.

Thanks for the link!!!

Whoa...the offered extension and my PC won't shake hands. Windows LOL doesn' t have a clue about Nero. Operator error? Is there a workaround?

No problem Peter... It works very well, My TV is through the breakin period in record time and now I am getting ready to enjoy Lost tonight :)

-Evangelo2

I am jealous.

pbturk,
Do you have Nero installed? If so you should be able to select the Disc Image when creating a SVCD from a disc image. I don't know if double clicking it in windows will open it correctly and I think the .nrg file is specifically for Nero. I can try and rip a .iso file this weekend so it is more generic but if this does not zip up as nice as the .nrg file it may be large and hard to download.
-Evangelo2

Captain8bit,
Download the iamge and burn it if your DVD player can play SVCD. You'llg et through the breakin in no time!
-Evangelo2

Evangelo2,

Thanx for the SVCD, just downloaded it. ;)

Take Care,

Richard

-Evangelo2...


Really Enjoyed your Travel Pics !!






Just kidding !! :D



Thanks for getting this done ! Got it Downloaded & Burned with No problems.
Plan on running it in the morning before I leave for work.

-Evangelo2...


Really Enjoyed your Travel Pics !!

Just kidding !! :D


Thanks for getting this done ! Got it Downloaded & Burned with No problems.
Plan on running it in the morning before I leave for work.


Scared me there. As long as they are not pics of the GF or I'd be DEAD!

Can you use this for other displays? or is it only meant for plasmas..

Thanks but id rather watch tv and save on my electric bill... :)

bruce,
I guess it can be used on any widescreen display. I don't know if it is necessary to break in other displays like LCDs...

hammyoni,
I hear you on the electric bill but its football season and with the ammount of TV I watch I would not hit 200 hours until November. Not a option for me :)
-Evagnelo2

Thanks for this... it works perfectly (on my old TV).
Now... all I need is my new PDP, and I'll be ready to rock! ;)

cheers

shane

bruce,
I guess it can be used on any widescreen display. I don't know if it is necessary to break in other displays like LCDs...
-Evagnelo2
Thanks ;)

What is the intent of the break-in? Are the plasma materials most succeptible to burn-in during the first hours of use?

Thanks but id rather watch tv and save on my electric bill... :)

If you bought a plasma, I'd think you'd be able to handle the cost of the electricity it uses.

Thanks! Cool Idea. My only problem is none of my players do SVCD! I could always just hook a notebook up and run from PC.

Thanks!
John

I made a SVCD with the image file and tried to run it in my DVD player with a regular TV.. could not run it. It did not play with WinDVD either??? any ideas

media player should run svcd with no problem.

thank you for this Evangelo2. I was going to test a dvd looped on crt while @ work waiting on my pana but this is the fix.

plasma_cricket,
DId you burn the image using Nero? Is it on a CD-R as a lot of DVD players do not playy +R or RW. It should definitely play on your computer as it is a SVCD. I am playing it on a Pioneer ELite DV-59AVi set to output 720p. I'll try it on ym comp later on today in PowerDVD for you.

Cynder, enjoy. I figure the least I could do for this community that has given me so much knowledge in this area was to share this file :)

-Evangelo2

Evangelo2-
My DVD player plays SVCDs that are burned on -R+r. I used Nero to burn the SVCD. I am not sure whats wrong???

Evangelo2-
My DVD player plays SVCDs that are burned on -R+r. I used Nero to burn the SVCD. I am not sure whats wrong???

Does it just Reject the disk? Is the counter working.
It does start off with a light colored Blank Screen. ;)

evangelo2 - I downloaded the file and am looking for Nero.

One question: is the amount of color saturation (R, G, B) that the pixels get equal for each color?

Ie, are you sure that you're not burning, let's say red pixels faster than blue ones? That would not be good and could be visible on a white screen (it would no longer be pure white but rather have a bluish tint - in this example).

I hope that's not the case, but can you confirm?

Thx

Hi all. :)

plasma_cricket, if all else fails, a DVD-Video version similar to the one offered by Evangelo2 can be found here (http://www.dvdshrink.info/goodies.php) (towards the bottom of the page).
Pure red, green and blue images, followed by a few shades of grey, on an automatic loop.
Available in both NTSC and PAL versions, SD widescreen (108kb & 129kb respectively). ;)

wojtek,
The ammount of color saturation should be pretty close to even ammount. Each color (RGB) goes through 5 shades from white down to that pure color. The images only stay up for 30 seconds. Hope this helps.
-Evangelo2

evangelo2 - for those computer-challenged can you go step by step in Nero how you go about burning?

I extracted the .nrg file but have problems burning it properly.

I got Nero 6.

Thanks

If you bought a plasma, I'd think you'd be able to handle the cost of the electricity it uses.

Come pay my bill then. There are many things I can afford to do, but choose not to when they can be done in a more productive manner. This break in option is great for some, but for me, Ill watch full zoom TV for a few weeks, and my TV will be just fine.

wojtek,
When I get home from work tonight Ill throw together a quick guide to burning the SVCD with Nero...
-Evangelo2

Would it be possible to get a DVD version of this?

Thanks in advance :)

Welcome to the forums, cap10. :)

A DVD version of something similar can be found at:
http://www.dvdshrink.info/goodies.php#run-in

Thanks,

That did the trick :)

I’ve been a long time lurker but I hope to contribute more soon.

I have a pre-order on a Panasonic TH-50PHD8UK and plan to post my impressions.

Glad to be of help. :)

Keep us posted. ;)

I'm a newbie at this but do I need the Nero software to burn this??? also, is there a place where I can just buy a copy of this?? the cost of the software is probably a bit more expensive.

I'm a newbie at this but do I need the Nero software to burn this??? also, is there a place where I can just buy a copy of this?? the cost of the software is probably a bit more expensive.
tiger.... I think you need Nero to burn evangelos SVCD since it is in Nero's format. But you can burn the DVD referenced earlier (http://www.dvdshrink.info/goodies.php#run-in) with any burning software, assuming you have a DVD writer.

tiger3p, you could use the 30-day trial version of Nero Burning ROM, available at http://www.nero.com

The following guide will show you how to burn the (DVD-Video compliant) files.
http://www.dvdshrink.info/nero-video.php
It was made with an older version of Nero, but the principle is the same. ;)

I tried various links for nero download and the demo copy were all expired...

Tiger,
My guess is you've already used a trial version of nero and your pc knows it. That info I believe is in your windows registry but the other linked file pstrisik mentioned should work.

tiger3p, I've added an ISO image (http://www.dvdshrink.info/goodies.php#run-in) version of the DVD.
Unzip it and burn it with DVD Decrypter ("Mode >> ISO write"). ;)

Any of you guys use my Breakin DVD? Just curious to hear if you all had as good results as me :)

My Pio 5050HD plasma now has over 500 hours on it and is working beautifully!

-Evangelo2

tiger3p, I've added an ISO image (http://www.dvdshrink.info/goodies.php#run-in) version of the DVD.
Unzip it and burn it with DVD Decrypter ("Mode >> ISO write"). ;)
Hey ddlooping! I didn't realize that was your shrink site. I downloaded and use the "Insert next disk" files. Thanks for that and all of the helpful info and links you provide.

I made up a couple of stills for shrink for myself that you are welcome to add to your "goodies" if you like (please make anonymous if you do).

Any of you guys use my Breakin DVD? Just curious to hear if you all had as good results as me :)

My Pio 5050HD plasma now has over 500 hours on it and is working beautifully!

-Evangelo2
Hi Evangelo2.... I've got your Breakin SVCD burned and ready to spin as soon as my 1130 comes in. :cool:

I'm also waiting. My pl5000n should be delivered wed-fri. I say I can't wait but what I can't wait for is to be done with everything around here so I can enjoy it and fall asleep on the coach but OH no burn-in, can't do that lol
After ISF burn-in testing done not long ago I'm wondering now why I need to do a breakin since they tortured them and retention went away after regular viewing. I hope I don't need to read that whole burn-in sticky again. Is breakin just for the anal now? Just checking if I am :eek: :confused:

Excellent. Saves me from having to make one of these myself, thanks.

Hey ddlooping! I didn't realize that was your shrink site. I downloaded and use the "Insert next disk" files. Thanks for that and all of the helpful info and links you provide.
No problem, glad to be of help. :)
I made up a couple of stills for shrink for myself that you are welcome to add to your "goodies" if you like (please make anonymous if you do).
Thanks, I might just do that. ;)

Any of you guys use my Breakin DVD? Just curious to hear if you all had as good results as me :)

My Pio 5050HD plasma now has over 500 hours on it and is working beautifully!

-Evangelo2


Evangelo2 - I finally managed to burn your SVCD and played it for 100 hours straight on my new TH-50PHD8UK to take off the "hot pixel edge" - thanks!!!

Worked very well. Since them I watched pretty much all the baseball games on FOX in HD and was a little worried about the score bar in the top part of the image burning in - but no problem whatsoever.

I now watch pretty much everything; and just try to mix it up HD/SD/DVDs.

Hey, glad it worked out for you wojtek.

I got some image retention for the first time the other day after hooking up my new HR10-250 DirecTiVo to the Pio 5050HD. The bright yellow "Now Playing" words on the top of the now playing list were visible on a screen with no input signal. That went away by the time I got done with Batman Begins (which was excellent).

I ran the break in DVD the next day for 13 hours, just in case :) I think that's it for me, I am over 500 hours and it is time for me to retire the breakin DVD for future plasmas :)

-Evangelo2

I'm getting my first plasma it should arrive tomorrow or monday is everyone sure this will work and not screw up my tv. I don't what to wreck something so darn expensive.

Welcome to the forums, cap10. :)

A DVD version of something similar can be found at:
http://www.dvdshrink.info/goodies.php#run-in

Also what about this one?

I don't see any reason why it would screw-up your tv.
I don't want to be held responsible if it does though. ;)

I'm getting my first plasma it should arrive tomorrow or monday is everyone sure this will work and not screw up my tv. I don't what to wreck something so darn expensive.

TorturEd - hate to be blunt, but nothing risked, nothing gained, right?

You don't have to use it - if you feel uncertain, just watch regular material (TV, DVD, etc) stretched to fill the screen.

I personally feel that Evangelo2's SVCD is a better option (less babysitting), but to each his own.

All I can say that the SVCD worked on my brandy-new Panny TH-50PHD8UK for 100 hours of play.

TorturEd,
No gaurantee for anything but it has worked 100% fine on my Pioneer 50" Plasma. Can something go wrong? I guess its possible your DVD player can et screwed up adn display some kind of distorted static image on the screen. That could be bad but that is the only thing I can think of that can go wrong with this. I have a pretty well built DVD player (Pio DVD-59AVi) so I wasn't really concerned about that.
-Evangelo2

I'm getting my first plasma it should arrive tomorrow or monday is everyone sure this will work and not screw up my tv. I don't what to wreck something so darn expensive.
I won't hurt anything. And on the other hand it probably doens't help anything either. Plasma phosphors decay over time when they are energized (being used). The decay the fastest when new and the decay rate is somewhat asymtotic (I think that's the correct word - diminishes rapidly at first then very slowly over time). Playing a special full screen pattern(s) don't speed things up. In fact some may argue that "breaking in" the plasma differently than you watch it isn't the correct thing to do. Although you'll never be able to prove anything either way. Sorta like the "breaking in a car engine debate". Anyway, plasmas aren't as fragile as some people think, especially today. But it's your money and do as you see fit and makes you comfortable. But speaking from experience, watching movies with black bars and 4:3 TV during the first 100 hours does not cause burn-in. You can't do it all day, but a couple hours or so at a time followed by the same at full screen will work just fine.

larry

I won't hurt anything. And on the other hand it probably doens't help anything either. Plasma phosphors decay over time when they are energized (being used). The decay the fastest when new and the decay rate is somewhat asymtotic (I think that's the correct word - diminishes rapidly at first then very slowly over time). Playing a special full screen pattern(s) don't speed things up. In fact some may argue that "breaking in" the plasma differently than you watch it isn't the correct thing to do. Although you'll never be able to prove anything either way. Sorta like the "breaking in a car engine debate". Anyway, plasmas aren't as fragile as some people think, especially today. But it's your money and do as you see fit and makes you comfortable. But speaking from experience, watching movies with black bars and 4:3 TV during the first 100 hours does not cause burn-in. You can't do it all day, but a couple hours or so at a time followed by the same at full screen will work just fine.

larry
I don't think it's only to speed things up, it's also to do it evenly.

I won't hurt anything. And on the other hand it probably doens't help anything either. Plasma phosphors decay over time when they are energized (being used). The decay the fastest when new and the decay rate is somewhat asymtotic (I think that's the correct word - diminishes rapidly at first then very slowly over time). Playing a special full screen pattern(s) don't speed things up. In fact some may argue that "breaking in" the plasma differently than you watch it isn't the correct thing to do. Although you'll never be able to prove anything either way. Sorta like the "breaking in a car engine debate". Anyway, plasmas aren't as fragile as some people think, especially today. But it's your money and do as you see fit and makes you comfortable. But speaking from experience, watching movies with black bars and 4:3 TV during the first 100 hours does not cause burn-in. You can't do it all day, but a couple hours or so at a time followed by the same at full screen will work just fine.

larry

If indeed the phosphors are the "hottest" when new (and also burn-in more easily if static patterns or bars are displayed during that time), then using something like Evangelo2's SVCD for the first 100 hours to take off the edge makes sense to me. You can run it all night to log the Panasonic-recommended 100 hours quicker.

Beats watching stretched TV with its permanent logos or full-creen DVDs 2 hours at a time.

That was really the main purpose of making this thing. I am not a big fan fo stretching 4:3 out. Zoom is a little better (or Just mode for the panny folks) but I still would rather just watch with side gray bars.

Now I don't know how much I believed the whole 100 hour breakin rule but with a 4500 dollar TV I was not taking any big chances. This breakin DVD ages the phosphours evenly and rotates the colors as well to at least help simulate the idea of watching regular TV and lighting the different colors on the screen.

-Evangelo2

Burn-in is one thing, but un-even phosphor wear is another.

This "Break-in Method" will not prevent that.

The user must still be prudent with their viewing habits, a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Good luck.

Dave

Burn-in is one thing, but un-even phosphor wear is another.



I thought that burn-in is a result of uneven phosphor wear between the burned-in images and the rest of the screen. But that's semantics.

The Break-in DVD ideas come straight from the Panasonic White Paper recommending against ANY side or top/bottom bars during the first 100 hours of panel life.

That is VERY cumbersome to do even if you watch HD only (most commercials are 4:3).

So, running the Break-in DVD at night and when you're at work allows you to hit the 100 hours quickly and enjoy varied programming earlier (HD, DVDs in OAR and some SD thrown in for good measure).

I intend to mix them up pretty good, but I will NOT distort my widescreen DVDs to fill my screen, or stretch SD content.

The latest Panny looks like it is pretty resistant to burn-in, anyway, so I don't worry.

Anyone get this message when clicking the dvd link from the DVD shrink site?

Forbidden
You don't have permission to access /downloads/BURN_IN_DVD.zip on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

Worked for me tiger3p... try again.

Worked for me tiger3p... try again.

Jaa-Yoo..

Which exactly did you burn to the DVD?? both the NTSC and PAL?

What do you do w/ the ISO image? Do I need to burn them into the DVD as well?

Download the ISO and use a program such as DVD Decrypter (its free, do a google search) to burn it, thats probably the easiest way. You do have a DVD burner right? If you need more help with burning, i can point you to a tutorial
Depending on where you live, you will need either NTSC or PAL. NTSC if you live in north america, PAL if you live in europe.

Download the ISO and use a program such as DVD Decrypter (its free, do a google search) to burn it, thats probably the easiest way. You do have a DVD burner right? If you need more help with burning, i can point you to a tutorial
Depending on where you live, you will need either NTSC or PAL. NTSC if you live in north america, PAL if you live in europe.


So I burn both the NTSC and the ISO to a single DVD disc correct using the DVD Decrypter?

Not meant to be sarcastic, but why wouldn't I just want a white screen all the time? Why would I want any red, green, and blue screens at all. Although unlikely, if the player gets stuck on any of those images that would not be a good thing. But if it gets stuck on white only, then all is fine.

Just curious.

assJack1,
Someone mentioned once that the all white screen is a little harder on the plasma so I decided to make the different shades to give the screen a break from the intensity of outputting all white (someone please correct me if Im wrong because this is information I found on a thread here at AVS).
I also thought that changing the colors would also more closely simulate watching different programs as nothing is just pure white.
-Evangelo2

tiger3p,
Just the ISO,
http://www.dvdshrink.info/downloads/BURN_IN_NTSC_ISO.zip
This is all you need. Use DVD Decrypter to burn it.

I also got the forbidden message. I turned off my internet security and tried again. I was then able to download with no problem.

The link Jaa-Yoo posted will not work (external linking disallowed) .
But the links on the "Goodies" (http://www.dvdshrink.info/goodies.php) page should work. ;)

I was wondering the same about the colors. Why not just make it different shades of grey, as you already do with the decaying white. If you really wanted to replicate "real" viewing, you could do something like rolling bars and/or columns of black & white, blinking checker squares, etc. I was getting a little concerned about this disc that if the colors are not pure, they would lead to uneven color decay. Or how about someone using the wrong HD/SD color mix while playing this disc. (like if there was a little green in the red, the green would decay more than the red).

However, my concerns aside, I used this disc to get to 100 hours after watching 50 hours of regular tv. I did not find this disc until after 5 days of having the tv.

Quant,
The colors are true Red\Green\Blue according to photoshop. Not sure how that maps to the TV as far as being pure red green blue. Maybe one day Ill revamp this disc and make a few different versions of it available for download.
-Evangelo2

Same here:
- pure red (255/000/000 RGB).
- pure green (000/255/000 RGB).
- pure blue (000/000/255 RGB).
- a few shades of grey, with red, green and blue being mixed equally (i.e 96/96/96 RGB).

This is what I'm going to use for the new plasma. It looks great on the LCD monitor. Hopefully it will work as well. God, if we only had something like this in the '60's! Reallyslick.com has some AWESOME screensavers.

http://www.reallyslick.com/pictures/solarwinds.jpg

Thanks nailzer, i was looking for something just like this earlier today. :)

Welcome to the forums, cap10. :)

A DVD version of something similar can be found at:
http://www.dvdshrink.info/goodies.php#run-inI hope this isn't a stupid question, but how long does each color stay on the screen before it switches to the next color?

Reason I ask: when I play the DVD in the DVD burner in my computer, each color stays up for 60 second. When I play it in my Apex player that's hooked up to my plasma, each color stays up only a second or two; I mean, it's like a laser show at the planetarium , the colors are changing so fast.......

Not meant to be sarcastic, but why wouldn't I just want a white screen all the time? Why would I want any red, green, and blue screens at all. Although unlikely, if the player gets stuck on any of those images that would not be a good thing. But if it gets stuck on white only, then all is fine.

Just curious.White screen would work just fine, but the "all white" screen does cause the plasma to draw the most current - if you worry about those "green" things.

larry

I hope this isn't a stupid question, but how long does each color stay on the screen before it switches to the next color?

Reason I ask: when I play the DVD in the DVD burner in my computer, each color stays up for 60 second. When I play it in my Apex player that's hooked up to my plasma, each color stays up only a second or two; I mean, it's like a laser show at the planetarium , the colors are changing so fast.......

Listen up Jabroni, I believe that each color should stay up for 30 seconds. enjoy.

-Evangelo2

Its actually 60 seconds... at least when I played it on my computer using PowerDVD 6 for testing purposes.

Thanks, guys.

I'll be dasmed, it was just the Apex. I played it on another Apex, and got the same 1-2 seconds per color. Then I tried it on a Toshiba and a Panny players, and both played each color for the expected 60 seconds.....

Wow, a huge thanks to Evangelo for making this disc!

I'm an avid gamer debating between the Panny 50PM50U at Costco and a smaller LCD, but am still concerned about burn-in. I have two days to make my decision, and the fact that this burn-in disc exists makes it easier for me to choose the Plasma over LCD.

I'm sure this disc would've also prevented the burn-in I've just recently experienced on my three year old Sony rear projection TV, KP-43HT20.

Wow, a huge thanks to Evangelo for making this disc!

I'm an avid gamer debating between the Panny 50PM50U at Costco and a smaller LCD, but am still concerned about burn-in. I have two days to make my decision, and the fact that this burn-in disc exists makes it easier for me to choose the Plasma over LCD.

I'm sure this disc would've also prevented the burn-in I've just recently experienced on my three year old Sony rear projection TV, KP-43HT20.

No problem antidentite.
Remember though, this disk will not make your plasma burn-in proof. It most likely will not have prevented burnin on your Sony rear projection TV KP-43HT20. It will only help you get through the break in period more quickly so that the risk is greatly decreased. As long as you are somewhat careful with your plasma you have nothing to worry about.
I have the Pio 5050HD and play XBox360 on it for abou 2-3 hour clips. Any image retention (which may freak you out a little the first time you see it) dissapears after under a minute of watching anything using the full screen. You also can not see it when watching anything on the full screen for that minute. I also have 700+ hours on my plasma now which helps.
Please take the time to turn down your contrast and brightness settings durring the first 200 hours of breakin and then calibrate the plasma for all your sources after breakin. Also try not to game for the first 100 hours.
The picture that these plasmas produce now-adays is breathtaking (especially HD) and with a little care it will provide many many years of enjoyment.

-Evangelo2

Thanks Evangelo.

I'm very anal about things like image retention, and what I have on my SONY kills me. So if I get the Panasonic Plasma I'll have to be much more careful with it. But your disk will help me get through the first 100 hours so that I can start playing my games!

I am unable to download the Break In DVD...keep getting a page not found error. Is the server down?

Welcome to the forums, rockyhora. :)

I am unable to download the Break In DVD...keep getting a page not found error. Is the server down?
If you're refering to the DVDShrink.info downloads they are working.
You can find the "Run-in" files at http://www.dvdshrink.info/goodies.php#run-in ;)

Can this be burned to a "CD-R"?

Can this be burned to a "CD-R"?

mbroadus,
The SVCD (the original file in this thread) can be burned to a CD-R as long as your DVDpalyer can play back SVCD. Most players can.
-Evangelo2

added a link to this thread in the Master Burn-in thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=3551356&&#post3551356) so it is easier to find :)

The link on the first page for the SVCD is down. I will find a place to hsot the zip file and update the first post ASAP.

-Evangelo2

mbroadus,
The SVCD (the original file in this thread) can be burned to a CD-R as long as your DVDpalyer can play back SVCD. Most players can.
-Evangelo2

I have a Sony DVP-NS70H CD/DVD player that plays just about everything so I assume I can. :D

The link on the first page for the SVCD is down. I will find a place to hsot the zip file and update the first post ASAP.

-Evangelo2
That would be great, thank you very much!

The link on the first page for the SVCD is down. I will find a place to hsot the zip file and update the first post ASAP.

-Evangelo2

Much appreciated. I'll be getting my NEC 42XR4 this week and I'll want to use this to break it in and look for stuck/dead pixels.

Yeh that would be great if you could upload it somewhere i would like the SVCD too...

The link for the download is broken. Could someone else put this file up on their server?

Doug

In the meanwhile you can download a 6 minute dvd breakin from

http://www.dvdshrink.info/downloads/BURN_IN_NTSC_ISO.zip

found at the bottom of the page

http://www.dvdshrink.info/goodies.php

The link for the download is broken. Could someone else put this file up on their server?

Doug

HistoneMaster,
Sorry, I've been dragging my feet on finding someone to host this file for us. MY FTP server is down so I can not host it. Send me a PM with your email and I can email it to you tonight. Same goes for anyone else who wants a copy. It is a relatively small file (a few mb like a mp3). As soon as I find a host I will update the links. Sorry for the delay.
-Evangelo2

this is great! thanks guys

Evangelo2, I sent you a pm for the file. Thanks, simms51

Evangelo2, I sent you an updated pm.

The first post has been updated and everyone should now be able to download the file. Please post here if there any download issues.

-Evangelo2

I guess after several downloads, geocities will no longer allow connectivity to your page as it has exceeded traffic limits.

I am working an having a different host, geocities gives very little bandwidth per hour...

-Evangelo2

Hey Guys,
OK, I now have the file hosted. Please follow dirctions in the first post. It may take 24-48 hours for the DNS to filter down if the site does not come up for you.
-Evangelo2

bookmark

I downloaded the file just fine and it will run on the Nero software on my PC, but when I place it in my DVD player it won't run. My DVD player recognizes the disk as a SVCD, but the images will not show up on my 26" Maxent LCD. Not sure what the problem is. I plan to purchase the 42" Visio Plasma on Monday from Costco and want to use this program to break it in. My PC video card has a DVI out. Maybe I should run this SVCD through my PC to the Visio DVI. Any ideas?

CW Spiess

Hmmm, strange CW. I am running the SVCD on a Pioneer Elite DV59 AVi. Should pretty much be compatable with any SVCD. What DVD player do you have?
-Evangelo2

Evangelo2 - I finally managed to burn your SVCD and played it for 100 hours straight on my new TH-50PHD8UK to take off the "hot pixel edge" - thanks!!!

Worked very well. Since them I watched pretty much all the baseball games on FOX in HD and was a little worried about the score bar in the top part of the image burning in - but no problem whatsoever.

I now watch pretty much everything; and just try to mix it up HD/SD/DVDs.


Which screen format did you choose while playing the svcd? Also, which contrast/brightness levels did you choose? Thanks in advance.

I have a Pioneer Plasma so my settings may be different than yours. I basically had 1 set of settings saved that were calibrated with AVIA. I had another set where the brightness and Contrast were 1/2-2/3 the level of AVIA that I used while running the breakin DVD. I did this for the extremely slim chance my dvd player screwed up and displayed some message while I wasn't around. Please note, no such thing happened :)
All of the images are based on native 720p resolution images of solid colr screns. I ran the output from my DVD player at 720p. Hope this helps.
-Evangelo2

I have the panasonic 42" phd8uk...I am sure others w/this model have used the svcd...please feel free to comment

anyone try this on a panny 42" 8uk

kparker,
If nobody gets back to you, just turn down the brightness and contrast for the first 100 hours regardless of using the breakin svcd or not. No reason why the disc shouldn't work because it only disaplys full screen solid colors.
You amy also want to try and PM wojtek since Im sure he diesn't check this thread that often.
-Evangelo2

You amy also want to try and PM wojtek since Im sure he diesn't check this thread that often.
-Evangelo2

Evangelo2 - I do check the thread out once in a while... :)

Your anti-burn-in software worked very well on my Panny 50PHD-8UK. I'd recommend it to anyone.

No sight of burn-in after a few months watching 50/50 4:3 and 18:9. I don't care what aspect ratio I watch anymore.

It seems that the new Pannys are burn-in resistant. I would not worry about burn-in AT ALL if I were a newbie and used your disc for 100 hours.

My DVD player doesn't play SVCD's but rather VCD's and I dont have a DVD burner...What's my options in terms of getting this burned and played on my DVD player?

i downloaded the image file and burned it to disc...just waiting for my tv to arrive to start breaking it in. I guess I'll just turn down the contrast and brightness and play the dvd. Thanks for all the help.

Just a thought. If your goal is to cook each pixel for 100 hours and you are alternating three colors you have to run it for 300 hours. Using white will accomplish the goal in less time and with less power usage.

My DVD player doesn't play SVCD's but rather VCD's and I dont have a DVD burner...What's my options in terms of getting this burned and played on my DVD player?

Not sure if you can change the project from SVCD to VCD. You can always hooke a computer or laptop up to your plasma and play it through there but I never did that.
-Evangelo2

Just a thought. If your goal is to cook each pixel for 100 hours and you are alternating three colors you have to run it for 300 hours. Using white will accomplish the goal in less time and with less power usage.

sktAVS,
My original idea was to more closely simulate watching full widescreen programming. The full widescreen programming changes color so I stuck with the primary colors. I guess I may have been able to do all white but that drives the plasma harder and I did not want to do that for long extended hours.
-Evangelo2

Sadly, I didn't catch on to the whole Burn-In process before I started watching my new Vizio P42HDTV. It has been used for about 25 or so hours off and on at various levels of programming (bars on top/bottom and sides for extended preiods). Even more sadly, I had the contrast and brightness turned up kinda high to meet with some suggested settings. I am not seeing a hint of PQ degredation, thankfully. Turned down the contrasts and brightness and will run this at night (work from home so I can't not watch it during the day :P ) untill I hit 100 hours.

Is this the best route, or have I possibly already screwed myself?

I assume that since I am not seeing any PQ issues, I am fine.

evangelo2 - for those computer-challenged can you go step by step in Nero how you go about burning?

I extracted the .nrg file but have problems burning it properly.

I got Nero 6.

Thanks


Yea that would be nice... I have Nero 7. Can anybody confirm that when you download it you can just click it and burn it or do you need to open nero and create a SVCD and then drag the file over?

I did both and its still not working corectly... Im getting kind of frustrated....

TIA

C. Bucket,
If you do not see any problems with your picture when the full screen is being used then you did not do any damage. Just watch out a little for the enxt 75 hours or so.

Audibink, wojtek,
Sorry I didn't ge tback to you with my version of Nero. I wont be home until late tonight but Ill try and check then. Maybe Ill right a quick paragraph on how to burn it through Nero.
-Evangelo2

I have had a plasma set for 3 years and never had trouble with burn in and there are many times when we have the dvr paused for 45 minutes or more and usually 15 minutes many, many times a day is the norm.

I think this burn in stuff is nonsense but hey if ya want to play with the new toy then who am I to argue.

Just my opinion and personal experience with my set.

Tomos,
I hear ya and know where you're coming from but if the manufacturers are suggesting it, then I am not taking any chances with a 5000 dollar plasma tv. It really was an extremely easy process to get through the first 100 hours for me. It also set my mind at ease so that alone was worth it.
-Evangelo2

C. Bucket,
If you do not see any problems with your picture when the full screen is being used then you did not do any damage. Just watch out a little for the enxt 75 hours or so.

-Evangelo2

Great. Thanks for the help. :)

Evangelo2, sorry for the late reply, but I was busy setting up the new Vizio. It is working fantastic. However, I still can't get the SVCD to work in my DVD player. I have the GO Video, DVD/VCR combo recorder. I did hook up my 26" Maxent LCD to my PC thru the DVI and ran the break in DVD thru the PC. It worked great. Now I guess I'll have to either haul my PC downstairs to where the Plasma is and run it from there. I don't want to haul the 100lb plasma upstairs.

CW Spiess

Tomos,
I hear ya and know where you're coming from but if the manufacturers are suggesting it, then I am not taking any chances with a 5000 dollar plasma tv. It really was an extremely easy process to get through the first 100 hours for me. It also set my mind at ease so that alone was worth it.
-Evangelo2




Can't argue with that and I wasn't aware they were recomending this these days.
Learn something new all the time.

Hey Guys,
I'm using Nero Version 6.6.
-Evangelo2

Are you all just plugging in the plasma and running this svcd or calibrating first or what?

Reminder to self. Do this tonight.

Are you all just plugging in the plasma and running this svcd or calibrating first or what?

You should calibrate first. I used the AVIA Calibration DVD and then turned the settings (Contrast, Brightness) a little lower than calibrated levels.

-Evangelo2

i wasn't going to calibrate until after the break in period (or around 100 hours)

is this the wrong approach?

its ok but turn down your settings. Don't leave the factory settings which are usually why too high for brightness and contrast which can be bad for your tv.
-Evangelo2

Thanks Evangelo2,

im up and running.;)

Regarding the "you pay my @#$% electric bill" comments, let's do a little math.

50" Plasma display uses ~ 500 watts. DVD player, 30 watts. Receiver, 300 watts. Total : 830 watts. Running this for 100 hours, that's 83 kWh, which at my current rates would cost maybe $5. Am I calculating this incorrectly? That's not any sort of amount to complain about.

Regarding the "you pay my @#$% electric bill" comments, let's do a little math.

50" Plasma display uses ~ 500 watts. DVD player, 30 watts. Receiver, 300 watts. Total : 830 watts. Running this for 100 hours, that's 83 kWh, which at my current rates would cost maybe $5. Am I calculating this incorrectly? That's not any sort of amount to complain about.

You may want to adjust that figure. You should probably turn off your AV receiver if your DVD goes straight to the plasma because the disc has no sound and nobody will be watching the colors go by :)

-Evangelo2

I was trying to give a worst-case scenario. It could be far, far lower if the plasma truly does use about 300 watts (as reported), which would mean about $2-3. My point was that $5 is worth b!tching about? You just spent more on a TV than you spent on your first car. :D

I wonder if THIS would be a good 'burn-in' dvd...

http://www.plasmawindow.com/aquariumdvd.html

Evangelo2,

I just downloaded Nero 7 trial and now I am trying to burn the .nrg file, but it doesn't recognize the extension as a compatible video file. How do I go about burning this to DVD?

thanks

Jason

I'm planning on creating an ISO file of this tomorrow that will work with any software, not just Nero.

Evangelo2,

I just wanted to thank you for taking the time and patience to create this SVCD image. I have burned it and am now waiting patiently until my plasma gets on the assembly line.

Excellent contribution!

RandyL712,
Send me the iso and I will host it ont he web site with the original file. I should also have a DVD version of this ready tonight or tomorrow. I will supply both the .nrg and .iso for the DVD version.
-Evangelo2


Holydoc,
No problem. Enjoy :)
-Evangelo2

Once it's an ISO, it can be burned to either CD or DVD, so this will resolve that issue for you.

Once it's an ISO, it can be burned to either CD or DVD, so this will resolve that issue for you.

The DVD loop will be a lot longer and (not that it really needs to be :) ). Ill throw it out there anyway since I am pretty much finished with it.

One more idea I had, would love to get some feedback from the fine folks at AVS. Do you think there would be a need for "reverse image" burnin fixing DVDs? I was thinking of making a DVD with reverse black\white bars for different aspect ratios and 4:3 tv so that any burn in could be "reversed". Since burn in is not really an issue anymore especially with a properly calibrated and broken in Plasma, I dont know if there is any real need for this.

-Evangelo2

For some reason my drive is acting up right now. It's en route to the mfr for service. Sorry!

RandyL712,
I can rip an iso with DVD decrypter right? If so, Ill do it tonight. Should be quick.
-Evangelo2

it won't let you do that with a CD, only a DVD. DVD Decrypter will just say, "No DVD found"

Ill find a program I can rip an .iso with. If you have any suggestions Randy that would save me one step.
-Evangelo2

Has anyone tried this SVCD on a Denon 3910 with any success?

Looking forward to your DVD version - I have 1 week to break in my Plasma before it needs extended use!

PhilH930, BuckaTune,
I should have the DVD Version up tonight or tomorrow. Ill update the first post of this thread when it is up. The DVD-R should work on a Denon 3910. Not sure if the 3910 can play SVCDs (but I would be more surprised if it couldn't).
I also will try to get iso files for both fot he disc up as wel.
-Evangelo2

Thanks for your effort. Can't wait to try it out.

PhilH930, BuckaTune,
I should have the DVD Version up tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks for putting in the time to help us all out!

Cheers.

i am eagerly awaiting this burn in DVD since my xbox 360 doesnt play SVCDs,. This is killing me, i really wanna use my new plasma. Wonering when its gonna be released. Thanks for all your hard work!!!!

cracker696969,
Sorry about the delay. Been swamped with work. I already have the DVD-R project complete in Nero and just ahve to creat a iso and nrg file. Sorry for the delay again. I will post when the DVD-R is ready.
-Evangelo2

dont be sorry at all, you are helping all of us out of the kindness of your heart. Thanks again, I look forward to this baby.

cracker696969

is there a launch party? :D

i am hoping there will be one tonight :)

Hey Guys,
Just letting you all know the DVD-R version is now available on my website here (http://www.eaprogramming.com/) in the Downloads Section. Please read the notes I added in the 1st message (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6230381#post6230381) about the DVD-R version Enjoy!
-Evangelo2

downloaded this tonight, been trying the iso and nrg files, burned both twice. using my xbox 360 at 1080i and it goes through about the first 5 mintues without a problem, switching screens every 30 seconds, then it flashes through 15 or so screens really fast and ends up back at the beginning white color. i dunno.
doesnt happen when i watch it in windows media player on the same discs. weird since they should be using the same software.

downloaded this tonight, been trying the iso and nrg files, burned both twice. using my xbox 360 at 1080i and it goes through about the first 5 mintues without a problem, switching screens every 30 seconds, then it flashes through 15 or so screens really fast and ends up back at the beginning white color. i dunno.
doesnt happen when i watch it in windows media player on the same discs. weird since they should be using the same software.

cracker696969,
I got some feedback from someone who ran it on a PS2 without issue. Strange about the XBox360. I guess I can give it a shot in mine. Do you have another DVD player available? The XBox360 can not output 1080i when playing DVDs by the way.
I also have confirmed that the .nrg burnt disc has been running succesfully on my Pio Elite DV59AVi using HDMI outputting 720p.
-Evangelo2

what i meant is that my xbox is set to output 1080i, whether or not it does that on dvds, i dunno. i guess not.

i dont have another dvd player, guess i'm gonna have to borrow one from a friend. damn. oh well.

still weird that it wouldnt work on an xbox 360, its microsoft for crying out loud.

thanks for the help.

hello,

i was just wondering is this break in dvd supposed to run continuously for 100 hours or in segments (so i can watch tv in between sessions) totalling 100 hours. btw, thank you ea for making this.

hmm.... I've got a question.... I downloaded the dvd-r version (to play on my xbox 360..) and the colors aren't in 30 second segments...

example:
gray: 30 seconds, gray w/ slight blue: 30 seconds, gray w/ little more blue 30 seconds, blue 1 second, red 1 second, green 1 second,

then starts over


I might have the orders of colors wrong... but it definetely isn't evenly mixed time-wise... is this the xbox or dvd? I'm going to hold off on leaving this for a couple hours until I hear back that it won't mess up the tv

Hmm... Bummer about the 360 bug. I was counting on having a 360 and not having to buy a separate DVD player.

I think I'll still not buy a separate DVD player actually. I'll probably buy a Mac Mini and do a DVI --> HDMI hookup and watch DVDs on there, unless anyone has a recommendation for a sub-$100 HD-capable HDMI DVD player.

But my real question: Any success on any counts with the DVD on either an Xbox or a 360?

Don't buy a DVD just for a not-really-necessary break in DVD. That's just silly. Play a DVD for 100 hours and so long as it's not in letterbox you'll break in the TV just fine. Or just watch TV on it :)

roro5pm,
This DVD does not need to run for 100 hours continuous, It just allows you to run something safely when you are not around to help get through the breakin hours quicker. You can run it for any time periods you like and you can stop it to watch whatever you want.

cheesey,
I have not run this on ym XBox 360 yet. It does work correctly through my DVD player. Someone else reported the same issue as you through the 360. I will give it a shot on the 360 ASAP.

applky,
RandyL712 is right. I don’t think I would by a DVD player just to run this break in DVD. you can break in your TV with video that is full screen and not the DVD. The DVD is just meant to get through those initial 100 hours quicker. You may want to see what happens when running it through a laptop out to the TV as I have confirmed that this run correctly using WinXP SP2 with PowerDVD.

Hope this helps guys.

-Evangelo2

Evangelo2,

Disregard the PM I sent you - your last post answered my question. Thanks!
I ordered/paid for a Panasonic TH50PX600U (my first plasma!) that I plan to use the break-in DVD for.

Just tried the DVD version on my JVC brand, model # XV-N33SL and it seemed to work perfectly.
Now i just have to get that plasma!

Can i expect the DVD version to play for 16 hours as well?

Thanks

levi333.
Glad it worked for you. The DVD version should play for 24 hours.
-Evangelo2

Look I have nero buring program, I tried to down load it and it worked, but I cant burn it to a dics, what type of disc do i need to have. I have a DVD R/RW burner, but all I have is DVD + R discs, what type of discs do I need to use

is there any particular reason i need to run the video output at 720p? I just have a simple dvd player that has the cheapo cables running from my new plasma to the tv.

I think the idea is to use all the pixels of the TV, so 420p would be nice... But I think anything is better than nothing (I realize this is less than helpful. Sorry)

offthechizzain, I've been using DVD-R.

golddbz2000, 720p not necessary. Just hwo I ran it. Make sure it is occupying the full 16x9 screen though with now bars.

So I've been experimenting with my Xbox 360 (connected to my 50-inch Panasonic plasma consumer model via component) and whether it works or not with the break-in DVD.

I've concluded that it doesn't. Like other people have experienced, it goes through about 5-10 shades of white/grey in normal 30-second intervals, and then speeds through the rest of the colors in very fast intervals and doesn't repeat after the cycle is over. I tested both the SVCD and DVD-R versions. Neither wound up working.

If you only have an Xbox 360, here's the temporary solution to the problem:

We're going to loop a DVD so that it plays continuously. using the 360's built-in features (I assume some other DVD players can do this, but I also assume that other DVD players can actually play the break-in DVD properly). Find a widescreen DVD that you like that will allow your plasma to display a wide range of colors (preferably with some blacks in there as well). I'm alternating between "The Matrix" and "Finding Nemo."

Start the DVD in your 360 and begin the movie. Fast forward past the opening credits. Choose a spot that you'd like to begin the looping from. On your remote (I think you have to have a remote to do this), press the "Display" button, which is above the four directional buttons. This will bring up five items on the bottom of the screen. Select the fifth one, which says, "Set loop start point." Select this, and it will change to "Set loop end point." Fast forward to the end point (preferably before the closing credits) and select it again. After that, the button will change to "Cancel loop." Obviously, you don't want to do that, so press "Display" again and the menu will go away. And voila, behold your looping!

Now, I don't trust technology, so I haven't let this run overnight, but I assume it just loops forever. I've left it on during the day, and that seems like it's enough, but I'll probably start running it overnight as well.

One other issue: I've considered using the break-in DVD as-is and looping it, but since it doesn't display the darker colors for very long on the 360, I figured I'd just use a regular DVD.

(this isn't meant to undermine the break-in DVD, but the fact is that the 360 doesn't support it, so I figured posting an alternative would be in the spirit of the author's original intent)

I bunred it as an SCVD but it cylces through in like 2 mins and then stops. It goies through easch color in like .5 secs. I'm using a new Sony 5 disc DVD player that handles most formats including the SVCD. Please help.

Biscuit,
It seems like some DVD players do not handle the 30 second time between pictures correctly. Not sure exactly why this is. You could try to burn the DVD-R version and see if you have better luck with that.
You may also want to try and burn the other file (if you burned the .nrg file and are having this problem, try burning the iso file and vice versa). Hope this helps.
-Evangelo2

Biscuit,
It seems like some DVD players do not handle the 30 second time between pictures correctly. Not sure exactly why this is. You could try to burn the DVD-R version and see if you have better luck with that.
You may also want to try and burn the other file (if you burned the .nrg file and are having this problem, try burning the iso file and vice versa). Hope this helps.
-Evangelo2



Nero 7 ..... I just used make SVCD selection. How would I do things differently?

And how do burn a .iso file? Thanks. NOOB ALERT :)

I used the SVCD version this past weekend and came home to notice that the CD was stuckj at the Green portion. i am pretty sure it ran all the way through, but it didnt restart. I have downloaded the DVD-r one and waiting on getting a brand new dvd player with high-def to burn it in.

Are the returns on using the break-in cd any more than marginally better (measured by how evenly all plasma phosphors are fired) than just leaving the Discovery Channel HD on with the sound muted?

EJRothman,
As long as you have a channel with no static logos and no bars anywhere then I would guess the returns would be the same. For me, this was a little safer and worry free than leaving a channel on all day and night when I wasn't there. When Iw as home, I turned off the breakin DVD and watched whatever I wanted (Discovery HD, HBO HD, etc...).
-Evangelo2

golddbz2000,
A high def DVDplayer should not be necessary. I can tell you that the transitions for the images should occur every 30 seconds for both versions. The Key transition in the DVD-R version occurs at the 45 minute mark. To test it out I would let it play from the 44:30 mark and if it gets past 45 minutes without a problem then you are home free since that 45 minutes segment just keeps repeating. This is what I did after I made the DVD (tested on my PC using Power DVD and my DVD player).
-Evangelo2

I've tried Evangelo's DVD and the one on dvdshrink. I have a Panasonic 50PX60U. The BLUE screens do not appear to be blue while playing either disk. Anybody else have this problem?

Hey SDHughes,
On my Pio Plasma, the lighter blue shades had a purplish tinit to them but the pure blue image did look blue (it is pure blue according to Adobe Photoshop). Not sure why this 1 picture is not displaying. It is possible that the default cinema settings on your plasma are not correctly calibrated. Id recommend running some kind of calibration using your DVD player with something like AVIA.
One more thing, there really is no threat of anything bad happening by the blue picture not displaying. As long as the pictures keep changing cleanly there is no threat to your plasma from the break in dvd. Just strange that the blue is not showing for you. What DVD player are you using? How is it connected?
-Evangelo2

Hey SDHughes,
On my Pio Plasma, the lighter blue shades had a purplish tinit to them but the pure blue image did look blue (it is pure blue according to Adobe Photoshop). Not sure why this 1 picture is not displaying. It is possible that the default cinema settings on your plasma are not correctly calibrated. Id recommend running some kind of calibration using your DVD player with something like AVIA.
One more thing, there really is no threat of anything bad happening by the blue picture not displaying. As long as the pictures keep changing cleanly there is no threat to your plasma from the break in dvd. Just strange that the blue is not showing for you. What DVD player are you using? How is it connected?
-Evangelo2
I am using a Yamaha DVD-C750 connected to a Yamaha HTR-5960 A/V Receiver connected to PX60U. Both connections are component.

how long should the break dvd dvd run continuously at most?

XBox 360 Update!

Hey Guys,
Many of you have asked if this break in DVD works on teh XBox 360. I got an email from someone who has gotten it to play through the XBox 360. They saw the same problems as the rest of us until they used the TS files to burn the disc. So there you go. To run this on the XBox360 try burning the TS files. Let me know if this works for you.
-Evangelo2

I read on another site that they have used white noise for the break in.

They just tune to an empty channel and make sure the aerial is pulled out and the auto-power off funtion is disabled.

What do you think if this method compared with using the Burnin in DVD mentioned in this thread?

Will it be safe or safer?

Thanks a lot

Ian

EDIT: ignore the original posting, located below the ***'s...

OK, finally got this to work - I downloaded the trial version of Nero and got the DVD-R download to work - after a few discs... :rolleyes: So I am now breaking in my Hitachi 42HDT52A that I bought 6/14/06. I have the following settings for Input 4, Day mode - set specifically for this exercise:

contrast - 9%
brightness - 9%
color - 50%
tint - 0% (dead center)
sharpness - 25%
black enhancement - OFF
contrast mode - NORMAL
noise reduction - OFF
auto movie mode - OFF
black side panel - OFF (color images fill screen, so not an issue)

Are these proper settings to use when using the break-in disc?? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

Current installed software version is V0102.0001, latest per my chat w/ Hitachi this afternoon is V0113.0001. Anyone know what the updated software fixes?

(EDIT - just spoke with another Hitachi rep this morning - he says V0113 is the latest software for the 42HDT52 model while V0102 is the latest software for the 42HDT52A. Can anyone else confirm this?

FYI, this was bought as a floor model so not sure how many hours are already on it. It was mfr'd in April 2006 in Mexico (wtf?), so maybe 2 months +/- of in-store use. Video Only doesn't seem to torch their TVs with ridiculous settings, at least compared to BB and CC...


*****************************************
ok, I'm an idiot...

I've downloaded and burned most of the files mentioned in this thread, and I cannot get one of the discs to be recognized in my DVD player (Yammy DVD-CX1). What am I doing wrong?? My guess is that I am burning the files as a "data disc". :confused:

BTW, tried doing this at work today which has Nero and another program. My laptop at home has Sonic DigitalMedia Plus v7 CD/DVD burning software.

Can someone help this Nero-challenged plasma newbie create this SVCD/DVD so I can get my new toy started off on the right foot? I just bought a new Hitachi 42HDT52 about 28 hours ago...

Heck, I'll gladly send someone an "ePint" via pay pal if you help me get a disc ready to go... ;)

Thanks!!

Thanks for the work on this. Just got Pioneer 505CMX two weeks ago. Being new to the plasma world, how do you know how many hours you have viewed on the tv? Is there a counter menu or are you just manually keeping track? Thanks again for the disk. I have it running now.

I finally got around to this but have some questions on the DVD-R version. The zip file contains an .iso file and a .msd file. Do I need to burn both to the disc? I only burned the iso file and it it seems to work fine, but the disc is only 45 minutes in length (roughly.) I read that it should be 16 hours. Did I do something wrong?

britboyhk,
White Noise is most likely fine also. I like having a uniform color pattern on th screen but I also am extremely picky. I imagine white noise would cause no issue but I do not know 100% for sure.

mak99,
Glad you got everything working. your lowered contrast and brightness settings should be ok at such a low percentqage level. I believe I had my contrast and brightness down to 20%.

jkscherk,
Each slideshow is 45 minutes in length. At the 45 minute mark it should roll over to the next slide show and start another 45 minute stretch. This should go on for ~24 hours on the DVD Version.

-Evangelo2

mak99,
Glad you got everything working. your lowered contrast and brightness settings should be ok at such a low percentqage level. I believe I had my contrast and brightness down to 20%. -Evangelo2
Evangelo - thanks again for all your time and effort to make such a great break-in disc for everyone! Funny - every time the one green screen comes up, I wonder why the MPAA rating is missing... :D

jkscherk,
Each slideshow is 45 minutes in length. At the 45 minute mark it should roll over to the next slide show and start another 45 minute stretch. This should go on for ~24 hours on the DVD Version.

-Evangelo2

Got it. I just assumed it restarted the disc at the 45 minute mark (as I had the disc repeat turned on.) I'll try again tonight.

Thanks!

I burned the break in DVD last night and started running it this morning on my 1130 that I just picked up over the weekend. Thanks for putting this together!

Great find! I gotta do this.

I had this running for 8 hours straight today, all my settings are at 40 on a Maxent MX-42HPM20. Anyone having vertical lines in some of the color images? On the purple/lavendar screen I get veritcal lines that look like an electricity current running up an down. Anyone else see this?

Well I downloaded Nero 7 demo. I was able to create a SVCD. I'm getting some different color bands in some of the colors which I've not heard about. Not sure If I burnt this with the correct preferences. Didn't someone post the instructions for Nero on burning this? Thanks.

Hi,

I'm having real problems in burning a break in dvd that will actually work with either of the stand alone dvd players I have at home.

I have both DVD Decytpter/Shrink and Nero and have attempted to use them in a number of different ways to create the break in dvd. Every disc (I think I've used about 10 dvd-r's now) I have burnt, play perfectly on the PC with either Powerdvd or WMedia player. However when played in either my Pioneer 717 or 747a I can't get any of them to play.

I'm really no expert with computers so I presume it's something I'm doing incorrectly. I've posted this in the hope that someone might be able to make a suggestion...probably something obvious !!

I have a Pioneer 436SXE by the way.

Thanks

Ian

Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Hi Ian,
Sorry you ahve not had luck in getting it to work. Have you tried the CD-R version? Most DVD players play SVCDs so it should work. It may be worth a try since CD-Rs are cheap.
Have you ever played a DVD-R on your DVD player before? If no one else chimes in it may just be that your DVD player doesn't paly DVD-Rs.
-Evangelo2

Hi,

I did try a SVCD one aswell with the same result. The 747a displayed only a white screen (for some time) and nothing else.

I have also just checked the 747a with a DVD-R from my fathers panasonic dvd recorder and it plays fine.

Thanks for the suggestion though. I can't help feeling that there's some setting somewhere I haven't checked/unchecked.

Ian

Can I burn this to a normal DVD and play it? Do I need to use the other format?

I did a DVD burn at work and opened it up with Windows Media playe; i can see the images change every 30 seconds...

will that be ok for me to use?

Can I burn this to a normal DVD and play it? Do I need to use the other format?

I did a DVD burn at work and opened it up with Windows Media playe; i can see the images change every 30 seconds...

will that be ok for me to use?

A newbie to Plasma.
I want to know the same. Can I burn the Video_TS into a DVD and play that using my DVD player for Break-in? Will that work? Why is everybody talking only about SVCD?
Please let us know.

Sorry if this has been asked before..

I serously want to start using this dvd to break the 100 hour mark on my brand new panasonic, however I would like to now if any research was done in order to make this "break in DVD"...

I kinda understand the usage of RGB colors+grayscale, but how is this better than say, moving images? Is it not dangerous showing a solid color for a while on a plasma?

Shouldnt it be better to show a continuosly scroll of colors, that pans horizontaly on screen?

Hi,

I'm having real problems in burning a break in dvd that will actually work with either of the stand alone dvd players I have at home.

I have both DVD Decytpter/Shrink and Nero and have attempted to use them in a number of different ways to create the break in dvd. Every disc (I think I've used about 10 dvd-r's now) I have burnt, play perfectly on the PC with either Powerdvd or WMedia player. However when played in either my Pioneer 717 or 747a I can't get any of them to play.

I'm really no expert with computers so I presume it's something I'm doing incorrectly. I've posted this in the hope that someone might be able to make a suggestion...probably something obvious !!

I have a Pioneer 436SXE by the way.

Thanks

Ian

Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Update....

I've just burnt a working copy. I thought I'd try a different brand of DVD-R. I was using very cheap -r's from my local supermarket. This time though I used a verbatim one and hey presto success. :) :)

boy I hate to ask, but.... can anyone mail me one of the burn-in dvds, and I'll reimburse you for postage, and send it back, if you'd like? I don't have a burner, and I just ordered a panny 9UK.
Please pm me if you wouldn't mind.
TIA,
goMO (NJ)

Sorry if this has been asked before..

I kinda understand the usage of RGB colors+grayscale, but how is this better than say, moving images? Is it not dangerous showing a solid color for a while on a plasma?



Well my theory would be that since its a solid color the phospherous burn would be even. I've been running it for about 15hrs now.

I had trouble burning with Nero. The image file didn't work at all. I found an option to dump in the Video folder that you have listed also and that worked for me.

Evangelo2,

Thanks for a great tool!

I'm curious as to how you made it. Unfortunately I used my 50PHD8UK far too long in 4:3 mode with black bars (my cable box gave me setup problems), and when I went to calibrate it with DVE, I noticed the difference in brightness between the edges and the center. Not real bad, but I'd like to get rid of it. I want to make a DVD that would put bright side bars, with an all black middle, to try to even out the phosphor wear. So any ideas, suggestions, software used, will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

tom (also on LI)

I was thinking of throwing a pattern out there for this.
I use Photoshop (but you can do this with MSPaint Probably) and jsut draw the image you want to come out on the screen. In your case the reverse 4:3 box. I switched my cable box to have grey side bars to avoid this problem.

-Evangelo2

Sorry if this has been asked and answered before. I did search throughthe thread but could not find an answer.
I just took delivery of a Panasonic TH50PV600M (I am in Saudi Arabia) and it does not come with any stand at all. SO wanted to use the time till when my Chief wall mount arrives to use the burn-in disc. Have downloaded and burned the disc to a DVD-R.
I use an Oppo DV971H player.
Plan to hook up the player to the Panny using DVI-HDMI. Panny will still be sitting in the styrofoam (lower portion only on sides). I understand the Disc will play for 16hrs or so. Should I just let the repeat function of the player repeat the disc every 16 hours until I hit 200 hrs, or shoudl I allow the player and Panny plasma a break every so often.
All is set up in an unused room of the hosue for now, so I can let it go on continously for 13 cycle of 16 hrs each = 208 hrs = 8.5. Not sure whether this will harm the plasma more than do it good as it would be in 24x7 operation for almost 9 days.

Any assistance or help or comments woudl be greatly appreciated.

Roopster,
This should not be a problem as long as you make sure NO BLACK BARS are being displayed on the screen the way you set up your dvd player and as long as you ahve confidence you DVD player will function properly and loop back without displaying some sort of menu built into the player. Giving the Plasma a break to cool down every 12-16 hours might not be a bad idea either.

-Evangelo2

Thanks Evangelo2. I got the original SVCD/CD-R download and Nero to work, popped it in my Sony NV90 DVD player, and Bingo, works like a charm so far. Surprising as most of the time I do stuff like this it takes forever and never goes right the first time. I'm using to break-in my new Hitachi 55 HDT79. Dumb question, but you leave the TV on while the break-in DVD is running, right???

Thanks again!!!

yeah lol, that's the point

Can/Should this tool be used for an NEC P50XR5-A?

OK after reading this thread - Can we revisit the length of time each color takes on the screen?

On my Power DVD application on my laptop - it takes 60 seconds to cycle through the colors...

Should it take this long on a DVD player?

Okay, two things:
A) I have seen people posting settings for burn-in that are pretty low (such as a cinema preset). If the purpose of the break-in DVD is to get the phosphor aging over with and in an even fashion, doesn't it make sense to have your settings turned to at least normal while running a break-in dvd? doesn't turning your settings down make your first 100 hours less effective?

Sorry about complaining here, the DVD contributors have contributed a zillion times more to the community than I ever will, but I'm curious:

B) howstuffworks has pretty pictures that show that plasma images are formed by individual subpixels. (http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/plasma-display1.htm). Now, the DVDshrink guy's is a bit worse than the other guy's in this respect, but when the display is showing pure blue, aren't you effectively only exercising 1/3 of the set's phosphors? Seems like this is exactly 1/3 as effective as a purely white screen. So if the DVD cycles through R,G,B,White for one unit of time each, each phosphor is only getting exercised for 2 units of time per cycle.

OK after reading this thread - Can we revisit the length of time each color takes on the screen?

On my Power DVD application on my laptop - it takes 60 seconds to cycle through the colors...

Should it take this long on a DVD player?

Mine have been staying on the screen for 30 seconds and then moving to a different color. I think 30 seconds is the "standard" time it takes to cycle through each color, according to what I've read throughout this thread. I'm using a Sony NS-90 with a Hitachi plasma through component.

OK after reading this thread - Can we revisit the length of time each color takes on the screen?

On my Power DVD application on my laptop - it takes 60 seconds to cycle through the colors...

Should it take this long on a DVD player?
Mine takes 60 secs also, this is not a problem.

"Now, the DVDshrink guy's is a bit worse than the other guy's in this respect, but when the display is showing pure blue, aren't you effectively only exercising 1/3 of the set's phosphors? Seems like this is exactly 1/3 as effective as a purely white screen. So if the DVD cycles through R,G,B,White for one unit of time each, each phosphor is only getting exercised for 2 units of time per cycle."


I think the idea, and please someone correct me if I'm wrong, is to give ALL the phosphors an EVEN workout. Again, if I'm mistaken please somone correct me, but the plan is to age the phosphors equally, and unless there is a specific shade or colour that is exactly 33.3% red, 33.3% green and 33.3% blue then this way would be the best (or at least very effective as well as SIMPLE :) ). If I am not mistaken, the initial period is when the phosphors are at the point most likely to cause IR, so graduating them in phases and repeating ensures good even usuage of each phosphor without risk of retaining any image.

...unless there is a specific shade or colour that is exactly 33.3% red, 33.3% green and 33.3% blue then this way would be the best ...

Heh, isn't that white? :)

Well, maybe it isn't. I'm not an expert. In photoshop I get white by putting R G and B equal and maxed out. Perhaps there is something else going on with plasmas, so I'll refrain from being a wiseguy. :)

I think that each pixel has all three colors, therefore they are all on, but just putting out one color when using the breakin Disc.

well if they are all 33.3% it would be a dark grey :p
but yes, white is a combination for red blue and green, did anyone else take 7th grade science?

I have been using this break in DVD for approximately 140hrs on my new 50" Pioneer. I just noticed that the "movie" did not fill the entire screen, leaving an inch on the top and bottom. You guessed it! :eek: I was using the settings provided by D-Nice (thanks to him), but I did not zoom the screen. When I turn up the settings to be check for burn-in, it is there. Obviously I have zoomed it now, but how should I proceed. Please someone help me, my wife is going to kill me if she sees it.

I use the DVD and it works great. I use it here and there when I'm not watching something.

I have one question. It may be just me or a kind of optical illusion but, I see kind of a slightly darker horizontal "line" directly in the center of my TH-58PX600U. I'm about 10FT away and I only see it on the lighter colored screens of the break-in DVD. Particualrly on the white screens.

It really isn't that noticeable and not really a "line" just slightly darker in the center across the horizontal than anywhere else. My set is brand new and I wanted to see if anyone else sees this using this DVD.

I thought it might be my picture settings. I'm using Cinema and have all settings at -7 or below. Would someone mind taking a look and possibly tweaking their setting to match mine and let me know if you can make it out.

Like I said it's more like an optical illusion but, I'm pretty sure it's there. I've been using the DVD for about 2 weeks now (off and on). Unfortunately, I hadn't noticed this until today.

Regards.

Is there a program that can play any of these file formats on my PC? I don't have a DVD player, but have my PC hooked up through VGA input.

Thanks

Roopster,
This should not be a problem as long as you make sure NO BLACK BARS are being displayed on the screen the way you set up your dvd player and as long as you ahve confidence you DVD player will function properly and loop back without displaying some sort of menu built into the player. Giving the Plasma a break to cool down every 12-16 hours might not be a bad idea either.

-Evangelo2

Thanks Evangelo.

Apologise for the delayed response.
Ran the disc inthe Oppo and it worked like a charm. My calculations as wellas in relaity showed that the disc actaully run for 24 hours. So I just shut it off at 22 hrs, gave it break for 2 hrs and then ran it again for the next 22 hrs.
Had to take a major break (from the break in) when I realised that the plasma panel was slowly but surely leaning forward. Took it out of the base styrofoam only to realise that the plasma weight and lack of support onthe upper portion had snapped the lower styrofoam and thus it was no longer supporting the plasma properly.
Whew!! caught that one in time otherwise the plasma would have fallen flat on its face!

Anyway.. it s all well. Finally received by Chief articulating wall mount yesterday. Thursday/Friday (weekend for us out here) the plasma goes up on the wall.

Thanks again to all.

Enjoy
Roopster.

test

.

,

How does this DVD compare to just following the regular break-in procedure using HD/SD channels?

meehassa,
The regular break in procedure will work just as well as this DVD. THis DVD is meant to allow the tv to run un attended without the fear of any network logos or static images on the screen.
-Evangelo2

Thanks!!! should be getting my TV delivered this week!! will get the DVD ready so I can pass the break-in time quicker... BTW - should I be using PIP at all during breakin ?

Does it make any difference if this disc is used on my old non-upconverting DVD player (assuming the dvd works in the player in the first place)? Thanks.

I use the DVD and it works great. I use it here and there when I'm not watching something.

I have one question. It may be just me or a kind of optical illusion but, I see kind of a slightly darker horizontal "line" directly in the center of my TH-58PX600U. I'm about 10FT away and I only see it on the lighter colored screens of the break-in DVD. Particualrly on the white screens.

It really isn't that noticeable and not really a "line" just slightly darker in the center across the horizontal than anywhere else. My set is brand new and I wanted to see if anyone else sees this using this DVD.

I thought it might be my picture settings. I'm using Cinema and have all settings at -7 or below. Would someone mind taking a look and possibly tweaking their setting to match mine and let me know if you can make it out.

Like I said it's more like an optical illusion but, I'm pretty sure it's there. I've been using the DVD for about 2 weeks now (off and on). Unfortunately, I hadn't noticed this until today.

Regards.

I think I see it also. Should this be ok? Obviously if others have used it, I imagine not. I have a TH-50PX60U

hoggan, a upconverting DVD player is not necessary as long as the image is taking up the entire screen and not leaving any black bars.

cpohland, I sent you a PM with a response.
basically these color images were made with Photoshop 7 and are pure 720p images of one solid color.
-Evangelo2

what if its not even a progressive player but has component output?

ty fine sir for creating this.

quick question though, can i still watch tv/movies/play 360 if i follow the break-in procedure? i'm excited about enjoying my tv but i also want to protect it as best i can.

thx

What about simply using an Xbox 360, and listening to music with the cool light show option? That thing creates some varieds colors non stop. kind of the same thing 'eh?

plasma_cricket,
DId you burn the image using Nero? Is it on a CD-R as a lot of DVD players do not playy +R or RW. It should definitely play on your computer as it is a SVCD. I am playing it on a Pioneer ELite DV-59AVi set to output 720p. I'll try it on ym comp later on today in PowerDVD for you.

Cynder, enjoy. I figure the least I could do for this community that has given me so much knowledge in this area was to share this file :)

-Evangelo2

This may be a stupid question but when I play it on my PC all I see is colors flashing for a second on the screen back to back to back. It's like a flickering image. Did I burn it correctly? I burnt through Nero.

Thanks for the image!

I couldn't find a way to get the image onto a disk that my DVD player could read, so I uploaded it to my server and played it thorough my modded xbox + XBMC.

Hi,

Evangelo2 - Thanks much for the burn-in DVD.

It was a breeze to start the burn-in for my new Sammy 5053. Also, I am using an upconverting DVD player Sammy 860. The pictures flip every 60 secs without any hassles.

One question though - I have family watching TV during the day. I am immediately burning in after that through the night and until next day. I hope I am doing everything correctly.

Thanks
-yyzian

Sounds like you are doing everything right. Make sure that there are no bars on any material that they are watching all day.
-Evangelo2

hi, im new here, and noob to all this. But what advantages would i get from breaking in a Plasma screen? and does this apply to LCD TVs as well? cuz im planning on buying a 52" Sony Bravia 1080p TV.

thanks.

Hi,

I have just purchased a new Panny 42PX60 and am in the break in period. I am having trouble finding the definitive answer on how I should set the contrast/brightness/color while I run the break in DVD overnight.

Should they be turned all the way down? In the middle? Up a little higher? I think most of the settings go from -30 to 0 to +30. If anyone could help me out on the best settings while running the DVD I would appreciate it. I want to treat this new addition to my home like a fine automobile! :)

thanks!

anyone?

Marwan, you need tp break in a plasma because the first 100 hours are the most sensitive. As the phosphours age, burn in and image retention becomes less of an issue but the first 100 hours are most critical. LCD's do not work with phosophours being lit up so you don't have to worry about this.


kluza, I turned all my settings way down while the disc was running. On your sets scale it would be the equivalent to Contrast = -20 and Brightness = -20. I did this incase my DVD player locked up in a strange way that everything would be turned totally low so no fear of it getting burned in.

-Evangelo2

gotcha, thanks Evangelo2 ;)

If some kind soul would take pity on me, I could really use a variation of this burn in DVD that is modified to have the 4:3 section of the screen stay black and just rotate the colors on the bars that are left on either side of the 4:3 viewing area.

Like a fool, I didn't do my research and let the kids watch too many 4:3 shows on my HP PL4260N without zoom when it was new. I have slight burn-in in the 4:3 section of the screen now.

To try and "catch up" the pixels in the bars, I recorded part of a commercial from the NFL network that had gray side bars and a black screen in the 4:3 area. I've been pausing on that shot and leaving it on the screen but my DVR will only pause for 10 min. before going back to live TV.

I could really use an "anti 4:3" burn in DVD to run over night. Santa are you listening?

I thought of making "reverse" burn in disc for quite some time now. Maybe Ill throw a few patterns together on a DVD this weekend.
-Evangelo2

I thought of making "reverse" burn in disc for quite some time now. Maybe Ill throw a few patterns together on a DVD this weekend.
-Evangelo2

That would be great. I would really appreciate it! Thanks for all your help. :)

Folks,

I just created the Burn-In DVD (on a DVD-R) last night using the Nero image. When I play it on my Toshiba DVD player (connected to my Panny 50PX60U with component) the following happens:

1) It displays a all white screen but with black bars on top & bottom UNLESS I change the Aspect to ZOOM. Shouldn't the screen be changing colors with this Burn-IN DVD? Has anyone else been able to see all color screen without zooming?

2) The timer count on the DVD player display changes in a wierd manner, as if it is playing chapters of unequal lenghts (28 sec, 1:03 min, 58 sec etc.) and it also stops that timer count at times asif the DVD was stuck and trying to read but then resumes it self. I can't really tell it if skips or gets stuck because the screen is always ALL WHITE!!
Is it normal for this DVD to have even chapters? Did I do something wrong?

The plasma has the Ver 1.25 firmware and picture settings are at:
Mode: Standard
Picture: 0
Brightness: 0
Color: -6
Tint: -4
Sharpness: -20
Color Temp: Normal
Black Level: Light

I would appreciate if anyone can help me with this so I can properly burin-in my plasma!!


THANK YOU!!

Folks,

I just created the Burn-In DVD (on a DVD-R) last night using the Nero image. When I play it on my Toshiba DVD player (connected to my Panny 50PX60U with component) the following happens:

1) It displays a all white screen but with black bars on top & bottom UNLESS I change the Aspect to ZOOM. Shouldn't the screen be changing colors with this Burn-IN DVD? Has anyone else been able to see all color screen without zooming?

2) The timer count on the DVD player display changes in a wierd manner, as if it is playing chapters of unequal lenghts (28 sec, 1:03 min, 58 sec etc.) and it also stops that timer count at times asif the DVD was stuck and trying to read but then resumes it self. I can't really tell it if skips or gets stuck because the screen is always ALL WHITE!!
Is it normal for this DVD to have even chapters? Did I do something wrong?

The plasma has the Ver 1.25 firmware and picture settings are at:
Mode: Standard
Picture: 0
Brightness: 0
Color: -6
Tint: -4
Sharpness: -20
Color Temp: Normal
Black Level: Light

I would appreciate if anyone can help me with this so I can properly burin-in my plasma!!


THANK YOU!!

Hmm...sounds like your DVD player is not set to output 16:9 at 1080i. Can you set it to do that? The DVD works fine on my Samsung DVD-R135.

I burned it onto a DVD-RW using Nero Express 6. Works great.