Hmmm...I see, thanks for the information. So IR would go away after a awhile of shifting images? Also I heard something that sometimes panels can have dead pixels, but if they're under a certain number they can't be considered defective. Normally how noticable are these pixels?

Well I have a single dead pixel on my 32" Sharp AQUOS. I sit about 6' away. I can notice it at times when the entire screen is black or white as the pixel is stuck green. It's quite annoying and I will be returning it to Costco eventually.

Manufs are pretty crappy about honoring warranties for dead pixels. Don't expect anything to happen unless you have more than 8 or so dead pixels towards the center of the display is what I'ld say.

Also, unless you plan to keep your LCD on 24/7 you don't need to worry about IR or Burn In.

You are taking it to literally. You can watch 4:3 content, you can watch movies with bars on the top and bottom. Just don't do it ALL the time. A movie or two, a few shows in 4:3 is fine. Then mix things up, watch something else for awhile. What Pioneer is saying that if you watch to much 4:3 or bars on the top/bottom you will get IR, but you have to watch a LOT. I've watched two movies with bars on the top and bottom (I have a 6070) and I've watched hours of 4:3 content, no problems.

WilliamR, are you sure your checking a all black screen when checking for retention?

Yes. All black and all white. I've pushed this plasma pretty hard. I was sure I would have some IR with the things I've done (one game for 4 1/2 hours) so I checked for IR, none. No sign. Awesome panel.

I recently got my early christmas toy (Pioneer Plasma PDP 6070/6071 HD) and so far i'm happy with it.
Accordingly to pioneer's website, I can't watch anything that doesn't fill the entire screen with content. That means that all my wide screen movies have to be view on zoom mode (screen size).
That's not cool.
Then turn the AC on.


You need to put *effort* on taking good care of your nice Pio plasma. When they tell you to don't do this and don't do that, you just follow. Breaking-in is a must. I personally like watching movies at full screen size than watching at lame arse widescreen of 2.35:1 ratio. They need to make 16:9 a set-in-stone law and you get fined for releasing 2.35:1 movies. I request Fine cost of $450,000. 2.35:1 is so.... stupid. You know... I used to be a Plasma President.



:p

I recently got my early christmas toy (Pioneer Plasma PDP 6070/6071 HD) and so far i'm happy with it.
Accordingly to pioneer's website, I can't watch anything that doesn't fill the entire screen with content. That means that all my wide screen movies have to be view on zoom mode (screen size).
That's not cool.

i would keep everything in full screen for the first few hundred hours then after that i wouldnt worry about it.

Mmm... Nope, never had to worry about burn-in or image retention on ol' Westy here, just as good, if not better from day one since it was in our home last year.

if you watch everything in full screen then you will never know any different. yeah stretching 4:3 to fit the screen distorts the content, but if you always watch it in full mode then what's the problem?? I never watch 4:3 unless it's a commercial on an HD channel...

actually LCD does and CAN burn in. I've seen it countless times on PC monitors. But you need extreme cases of static images over very long periods of times before it happens. You are not going to see it at home watching tv or gaming. Relax and enjoy, fall asleep if need be. Remember too that most tv's have a sleep timer to make the tv shut off after 30,60,120 mins or so.

mkjnovak- can you point me as to which tv has the non-linear stretch and crop feature that you talked about.
As someone already mentioned the Hitachi has it. AFAIK all the Philips use the same "super zoom" as mine, which I like.

Actually, I think almost every brand has one of these modes. To rephrase, I guess more accurately I was saying to go to stores and look at the different brands to make sure you like what they can do with 4:3. I wasn't implying the idea was rare, just that some sets may be more to your liking in their ability in this regard.

Mike

ok, silly question here ... but am I supposed to play the downloadable dvd for 100 hours straight? or turn the tv off each night and resume the next day?

ok, silly question here ... but am I supposed to play the downloadable dvd for 100 hours straight? or turn the tv off each night and resume the next day?

Yes, that is silly. If you want to actually use it (you don't have to) use it when you are not using the TV (i.e. at night). Doesn't have to be straight. Enjoy your TV for heaven sakes, you paid a lot for it.

Yes, that is silly. If you want to actually use it (you don't have to) use it when you are not using the TV (i.e. at night). Doesn't have to be straight. Enjoy your TV for heaven sakes, you paid a lot for it.

honestly, i thought i'd check because all of these stories of game images and espn logos and other channel logos has truly got me paranoid. at this point i want to everything to avoid retention or burn in. (not really enjoying it like you said)

honestly, i thought i'd check because all of these stories of game images and espn logos and other channel logos has truly got me paranoid. at this point i want to everything to avoid retention or burn in. (not really enjoying it like you said)

What set do you have?

What set do you have?

a Samsung 5053, I've only been using it for XBOX 360 (no problems so far, and not playing any games with static images like Madden 07). I'm getting HD programming soon (tomorrow actually) so I've just been waiting for that before full use. Basically, I want to break in a little and then watch HD NFL games on Sunday w/o any problems.

hey guys, i'm a little confused. how long are we supposed to break-in a plasma TV? 100 hours seems to be the average but some guys actually go higher than that. is that necessary before i start calibrating it?

hey guys, i'm a little confused. how long are we supposed to break-in a plasma TV? 100 hours seems to be the average but some guys actually go higher than that. is that necessary before i start calibrating it?

Some say to wait to calibrate it. You can always calibrate it now, and calibrate it again afterwards. The purpose of the break is in slightly lower settings to help age the phospors and get things settled in, so calibrating usually has higher settings then break in. Most go for around 200 hours. I left mine on overnight when I went to bed on Discovery HD to help, but I only did this a couple times, then I skipped break in, set it to what I liked and enjoyed it. No IR so far.

I found my 'break-in' settings weren't that different to my calibrated settings once I did it, BUT alot of that depends on the room, lighting, etc...

hey guys, i'm a little confused. how long are we supposed to break-in a plasma TV? 100 hours seems to be the average but some guys actually go higher than that. is that necessary before i start calibrating it?"Plasma phosphors are most susceptible to image retention in the first hundred hours of use. The panel becomes considerably less sensitive to burn-in after this period.

When the plasma is initially installed, videophiles say it is best to do the following:

Make sure the display is in a viewing mode (aspect ratio) that completely fills the screen (there are often three or more settings from which to choose). The panel is shipped in this condition, in what is called the “Just” mode.

Turn down the picture control (contrast) to 50% or less.

Briefly engage the 4:3 mode to confirm the side bars are set to mid-gray (there is usually an adjustment in the Set Up menu that takes the sidebars from black to gray) to minimize the chance of burn-in.

Return the set to a “full screen” (Just, Zoom, Full) position during the first hundred hours of use.

During the first hundred hours of use it is best not to view the same channel for extended periods. This should prevent channel logos and other fixed images found on some channels from being retained.

Avoid any static images (video games, computer images, DVD title screens, etc.) during the hundred-hour break-in.

After the hundred-hour break-in period, during the next nine-hundred hours:

Continue to retain the picture setting at 50% or less.

Limit the use of 4:3 aspect ratio mode (traditional picture size that does not fill the entire screen) to 15% of viewing time.

Limit the use of static images (computer, video games, etc.) to less than 10% of viewing time.

After one-thousand viewing hours, panels are much less likely to experience
image burn-in."

Optivity,

I'm not saying its wrong, but it seems a little much to wait 1000 hours to calibrate...I mean I doubt after calibration my picture setting will be below 50%(I'm assuming on the 9UK that means in the negative numbers)

great info guys, thanks a lot. ^^

I just got the Pioneer PDP-4271 42 Inch Plasma on October 7th....so, according to what I have read, it is fine to play video games, just not for hours at a time? What is the proper time?

Hey there, I just got a Pioneer 4270 and calibrated at D-Nice's settings for HDTV use on a Scientific Atlanta Box. Anytime we watch any SD programming which has the bars on the side, I make sure to strech it immediately. However, tonite, I wanted to make sure that there was no burn in going on so I turned off my cable box which left my screen blank. To my big surprise, burn in was very evident in the top right of the screen with a Fox logo, the top left with a mini baseball diamond and the bottom right with an ESPN logo. I am so upset that from watching the baseball this week and from random ESPN watching that this has occurred. Could this not be burn in and smply retnention that will go away? Please advise. Thanks.

Hey there, I just got a Pioneer 4270 and calibrated at D-Nice's settings for HDTV use on a Scientific Atlanta Box. Anytime we watch any SD programming which has the bars on the side, I make sure to strech it immediately. However, tonite, I wanted to make sure that there was no burn in going on so I turned off my cable box which left my screen blank. To my big surprise, burn in was very evident in the top right of the screen with a Fox logo, the top left with a mini baseball diamond and the bottom right with an ESPN logo. I am so upset that from watching the baseball this week and from random ESPN watching that this has occurred. Could this not be burn in and smply retnention that will go away? Please advise. Thanks.

It sounds like image retention to me. I have been playing Xbox 360, watching all types of sporting events where there is a static logo and have had some minor image retention that goes away very quickly. Whenever I notice image retention, I just turn on another channel (usually hd) for a few minutes. Personally, it has been my experience that the image retention appears to be less of an issue as the display is used. In the beginning, I noticed IR more often. Now, if it does appear it is gone within minutes. I have had my display since 1/06. I did the initial 100 hour break-in period and have definitely not had any burn in issues whatsoever.

I have 2 small kids and at one point I was taking them out and accidentially left my display on while an Xbox 360 game (GRAW) was paused. I realized this after about an hour or so and frantically called my wife. She confirmed that I did leave the display on with the game paused. She turned everything off. The first thing I did when I got home was checked the display. No problems....
Steve

... To my big surprise, burn in was very evident in the top right of the screen with a Fox logo, the top left with a mini baseball diamond and the bottom right with an ESPN logo. I am so upset that from watching the baseball this week and from random ESPN watching that this has occurred. Could this not be burn in and smply retnention that will go away? Please advise. Thanks.

Don’t panic ....just image retention. I have had the Pio 4340 plasma for 3 years without using the 100 hour burn in process. You would need many days of continuous similar image to permanently do damage. I know, because when I first got my plasma my family was viewing it for the first 4-5 months in 4:3 mode (I was away a lot and only watched full screen HD when I watched it). In any case eventually I noticed, in HD, a pronounced brightness difference where the side bars were .... ya , I know, I was more than a little mentally slow at the time.

Anyway I insisted on FULL screen for everyone from then on ….. spent the next few months running a white full screen of static (from my cam) every night at bedtime using the 120 minute timer TV shutoff. I actually tracked the fix using my digital camera, filming the white screen process ….. the camera actually showed a more pronounced line then the naked eye …. made the progression to the improvement noticeable.

I should be able to dig up the photos if interested.

The advice from this Forum to limit sidebars and logos to is bang on …. I expect that if 80% of your viewing is FULL screen and you don’t watch just ONE channel you will never have a problem.

i already got about 1000 hrs on my plasma, should i not worry about using the break-in dvd, or should i download it and go ahead and run it a few hrs or so?

i already got about 1000 hrs on my plasma, should i not worry about using the break-in dvd, or should i download it and go ahead and run it a few hrs or so?

you are long past break-in if you are at 1000 hours.
heres hoping you broke it in correctly :p

you are long past break-in if you are at 1000 hours.
heres hoping you broke it in correctly :p
yeah i hope i did too, i just recently found out that a plasma needed to be 'broken in'
i did calibrate it (that turned down the contrast and brightness) and i didnt play any video games on it and pretty much watched everything in full screen. so i think i did everything ok.

yeah i hope i did too, i just recently found out that a plasma needed to be 'broken in'
i did calibrate it (that turned down the contrast and brightness) and i didnt play any video games on it and pretty much watched everything in full screen. so i think i did everything ok.

Which model TV do you have?

Bottom line, if you are not noticing any burn-in you are ok.

best way to check is to use full screen solid colours, and look for ghosting of things like vertical/horizontal bars, and station logos etc.

The break-in DVD is good for that because it has solid white, red, green and blue images.

I just got the Pioneer PDP-4271 42 Inch Plasma on October 7th....so, according to what I have read, it is fine to play video games, just not for hours at a time? What is the proper time?With a new PDP... I'd say you're safe for about 10 minutes. ;) I just got a Pioneer 4270 and calibrated settings for HDTV use on a Scientific Atlanta Box. Anytime we watch any SD programming which has the bars on the side, I make sure to strech it immediately. However, tonite, I wanted to make sure that there was no burn in going on so I turned off my cable box which left my screen blank. To my big surprise, burn in was very evident in the top right of the screen with a Fox logo, the top left with a mini baseball diamond and the bottom right with an ESPN logo. I am so upset that from watching the baseball this week and from random ESPN watching that this has occurred. Could this not be burn in and smply retnention that will go away? Please advise. Thanks.Most likely it's "temporary" image retention, which can be evened out by displaying full screen content for a number of hours. My preference is to display full screen HD content using a program where no station logo is displayed. I follow the same procedures you describe each day to inspect my panel for evidence of uneven phosphor wear (caused by displaying black bars) and image retention.

Which model TV do you have?

Bottom line, if you are not noticing any burn-in you are ok.

best way to check is to use full screen solid colours, and look for ghosting of things like vertical/horizontal bars, and station logos etc.

The break-in DVD is good for that because it has solid white, red, green and blue images.

panasonic th-42pd50u EDTV, im not and never have noticed any burn in or IR. if i put it on a solid white screen, if there was any, i would notice right?

I need some help. I bought the Samsung S5053 and just last night I noticed some IR or Burn-In. My gf was playing Texas Hold Em for a couple hrs and I played earlier as well for about an 1:45 min. When I turned the set on last night to the blue screen I noticed the IR, it was the oval area that displays your gamertag, $ and poker hand. The one in the middle was clearly visible and the one on the sides a little weaker.

I ran the Burn-In protection utility the set has and it helped a little erasing the ones on the side but the center one is still visible and hasn't gone away for good. Is this screwed up for good or is there anything I can do? The set is only 3 days old. :( I have the 30 days return from BB but I'd like to know if this is something that will happen again so I can just get an LCD and not worry about this issue. Shame because I love this Plasma and it looks great.

I was looking at the above model today in my local store and noticed some pretty obvious burn-in. Salesperson said the PVR had been left on pause, but it was the 50" version as well...but no other sets.

I have heard nothing but good things about this set, but the salesguy also said Pioneer have more issues with this than the Panny. I have always knon the Pioneer to be a little nicer of a set and discounted it due to the increased cost of it versus the Panny 600U. But I canget them at the same price now and looked into it...until I saw this burn-in.

So any owners of the PDP-4270HD please let me know what your experience is with burn-in. I do not want to drop [EDIT] CDN after taxes ans see what I saw today in the store.

Many thanks!!!

... I ran the Burn-In protection utility the set has and it helped a little erasing the ones on the side but the center one is still visible and hasn't gone away for good. Is this screwed up for good or is there anything I can do? The set is only 3 days old. :( I have the 30 days return from BB but I'd like to know if this is something that will happen again so I can just get an LCD and not worry about this issue. Shame because I love this Plasma and it looks great.

More likely than not if you stop playing games on it, the image retention will fade as you watch other programming. If you continue to game on it, it will most likely never fade and may even worsen.

It is my opinion (others may disagree) that plasmas are not for gaming. Plasmas are for television and DVD viewing. If you game on your plasma, you will experience burn-in.

More likely than not if you stop playing games on it, the image retention will fade as you watch other programming. If you continue to game on it, it will most likely never fade and may even worsen.

It is my opinion (others may disagree) that plasmas are not for gaming. Plasmas are for television and DVD viewing. If you game on your plasma, you will experience burn-in.

I agree with this for the most part; however, after 1000 hours, occasionaly gaming should be ok.
The problem with the above guy with teh pocker problem, is it sounds like he gamed for hours in the first couple days! BIG No-no! :eek: :(

Hope fully he wasn't using the standard dynamic/game settings - "tourch" mode. :mad: :rolleyes:

Hello friends. I have seen this question asked before but I dont remember ever seeing a reply. From what I read these days about Nth generation pdp etc. Why is plasma more suseptable to IR than lets say my 5 year old 27" Toshiba crt?
Here is my delema. I am going to buy a panny 50" at xmas and I would consider myself and my family average - power users. DVD, HD, XBox 360, Soon to be HD-DVD etc. That said we are going to game on it. Is is going to be the primary usage? No. Will I justify sd content? Ubet. But why is the PDP any differant regarding IR than crt?

I agree with this for the most part; however, after 1000 hours, occasionaly gaming should be ok.
The problem with the above guy with teh pocker problem, is it sounds like he gamed for hours in the first couple days! BIG No-no! :eek: :(

Hope fully he wasn't using the standard dynamic/game settings - "tourch" mode. :mad: :rolleyes:

It went away after watching a couple hrs of ESPN HD and Discovery.

I did not play on it all day and I wasn't using the dynamic setting but I was using the game setting. It's gone now but I have a concern that you guys are correct and Plasma isn't for gaming. This is bad because I love this set and want to keep it but I don't want any issues in the future either. I might have to get an lcd now. :(

Thanks for the help.

That's what I did. I have my 360 hooked up to a 19" widescreen LCD monitor. It is excellent for gaming and I have no worry about burn-in. Plus it leaves the plasma free for my wife to watch her horrifyingly bad E! shows.

ok now I am super paraniod after reading alot of these posts. I just bought my Pioneer PDP-4271HD plasma yesterday with an A1 HD-DVD player and now I am woried about trying to watch any movies that have black bars on the top and bottom..will I get any sort of burn in by watching a 2 hour movie? I have probally 4 hours of viewing time on this TV????please don't tell me I need to wait 100 hours before I can watch any dvd's.....

thanks : )

Anyone have ideas on image retention that might be a possible burn-in its located in the right lower corner. It was caused due to gaming I have a pioneer 1130HD I have tried using the Break-in disc to get rid of it but it still looks like it is barley there.

please don't tell me I need to wait 100 hours before I can watch any dvd's.....

thanks : )

You need to wait 100 hours before you watch any DVDs.
sorry, but it is true. :p

You should really do the full 200 hour break-in before watching anything with bars or static images such as station logos.

it won't take that long, and you'll feel so much better.
For now - watch full screen stuff with the low contrast break-in settings.
- you can find the settings here:

Pionner settings (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=731242)

enjoy.

I would discourage people from feeding a computer image in, and from gaming, but that isn't to say it can't be done safely. As far as DVD's go I never did a 100 hour full screen burn in and had no problems with DVDs ...... although if you run it 6-8 hours a day you'll be there in two weeks. I would watch 1-3 dvds per week and also ~30-40hours of full screen TV.

If you run a static image of any sort, just run the same amount of time (or 2-3 times that amount woud be better) in full screen mode. The gases will equalize ..... retention image gone (if you even notice it).

I suppose my greatest fear with computer/game input is the accidental static image that someone walks away from and leaves it on for 6 hours..... ouch.

I would discourage people from feeding a computer image in, and from gaming, but that isn't to say it can't be done safely. As far as DVD's go I never did a 100 hour full screen burn in and had no problems with DVDs ...... although if you run it 6-8 hours a day you'll be there in two weeks. I would watch 1-3 dvds per week and also ~30-40hours of full screen TV.

.


what type of tv do you have?

what type of tv do you have?

Pio 43" PD-4340HD plasma

I havent been here for awhile and didnt bother to look at the previous posts of the thread.. but are plasma burn-ins still with us and is it ok for gaming now?

I havent been here for awhile and didnt bother to look at the previous posts of the thread.. but are plasma burn-ins still with us and is it ok for gaming now?

Ive been in the same boat .... and yes still an issue ...... i have seen some in this forum claiming that , at least the pioneers, are worse. I don't know about that but FULL screen still rules.

are plasma burn-ins still with usYes is it ok for gaming now?No

Yeah... don't game on a plasma.

Ive been in the same boat .... and yes still an issue ...... i have seen some in this forum claiming that , at least the pioneers, are worse. I don't know about that but FULL screen still rules.

4 + hours a night gaming on a new Pioneer. Zero problems/issues.

4 + hours a night gaming on a new Pioneer. Zero problems/issues.

This is good to hear. :cool:
What are your settings for gaming, what game system and what games are you playing?

I have a well broken in Pioneer 4360, I am at about 400 hours, but had not planned to game on it at all until well past 1000 hours.

4 + hours a night gaming on a new Pioneer. Zero problems/issues.

Try Texas Hold Em for not 4+ hr, but just 1 hr and come back to post your experience.

I'm just curious.

i tried to look a few places on this thread....when you say, turn down the brightness and contrast...how far do you go down? this is a maxent 50-phm

TIA

4 + hours a night gaming on a new Pioneer. Zero problems/issues.That you've noticed. :p

i tried to look a few places on this thread....when you say, turn down the brightness and contrast...how far do you go down? this is a maxent 50-phm

TIAJust don't run your PDP in "torch" mode and adjust the picture settings down as low as is tolerable for you while still enjoying the picture your display renders. You'll find if you give yourself some time to become accustomed to a lower setting, you may actually prefer a more cinematic like picture. Ambient and/or direct light is a big influence regarding how bright the picture needs to be, so if your tendency is to watch TV in low lighting conditions you should be able to adjust the display's settings down. Also, the size and distance you sit from your panel will be factors in determining the display's picture adjustments.

Just don't run your PDP in "torch" mode and adjust the picture settings down as low as is tolerable for you while still enjoying the picture your display renders. You'll find if you give yourself some time to become accustomed to a lower setting, you may actually prefer a more cinematic like picture. Ambient and/or direct light is a big influence regarding how bright the picture needs to be, so if your tendency is to watch TV in low lighting conditions you should be able to adjust the display's settings down. Also, the size and distance you sit from your panel will be factors in determining the display's picture adjustments.

Thanks for the quick reply...Thats what i assumed but wanted to make sure as i'm running the disk while there is nothing on tv ;)

This is good to hear. :cool:
What are your settings for gaming, what game system and what games are you playing?

I have a well broken in Pioneer 4360, I am at about 400 hours, but had not planned to game on it at all until well past 1000 hours.

I posted them in another thread, I don't have them off the top of my head, sorry. They are turned down, but not a lot. I think contrast was around 35 or something, I'll have to check again.

I tried a no input screen, and a screen with all white (a movie) and no IR.

I play Halo 2 a LOT. I also play Oblivion a LOT and The Outfit a LOT. Those are the three big ones. Don't know if it matters or not but when I am not playing games I am watching almost exclusively high definition TV, full screen. However, in the last few weeks the amount of time I game is WAY more then the amount of time I watch TV. Also, I play one game for 3 - 4 hours at time before I switch to TV.

I don't have Texas Holdem, sorry, can't try that one.

Had a dream last night, I purchased the 103" Panasonic and played Halo and when Halo started, I turned it off immediately and there was an obvious red IR image of Halo (the Halo image isn't even red). We were so upset and we couldn't get it to go away. Weird dream.

You need to wait 100 hours before you watch any DVDs.
sorry, but it is true.

You should really do the full 200 hour break-in before watching anything with bars or static images such as station logos.

it won't take that long, and you'll feel so much better.
For now - watch full screen stuff with the low contrast break-in settings.


I really have to disagree with this. I can only speak to my own set, which is a Panny 9UK. However, I think burn and IR is way overhyped on this forum. The newer generations of plamsas deal with this quite well.

I live with my significant other. Let's just say that it would have been more aggravation than it was worth to give her all the "rules", and then watch them not be followed. Hence, from day one, she has watched DVDs, stations with logos, content with side bars, etc. I have tried to counter this with full screen stuff, but even I watch a ton of sports with tickers, etc.

I am happy to say that the plasma is at 200+ hours with ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE OF IR OR BURN IN .

Again, I can only speak to my plasma model, however I think you can take the IR fears here with a grain of salt.

ok now I am super paraniod after reading alot of these posts. I just bought my Pioneer PDP-4271HD plasma yesterday with an A1 HD-DVD player and now I am woried about trying to watch any movies that have black bars on the top and bottom..will I get any sort of burn in by watching a 2 hour movie? I have probally 4 hours of viewing time on this TV????please don't tell me I need to wait 100 hours before I can watch any dvd's.....

thanks : )

does your TV have a zoom aspect setting? just put the TV in zoom or don't watch 2.35:1 aspect movies.

ok now I am super paraniod after reading alot of these posts. I just bought my Pioneer PDP-4271HD plasma yesterday with an A1 HD-DVD player and now I am woried about trying to watch any movies that have black bars on the top and bottom..will I get any sort of burn in by watching a 2 hour movie? I have probally 4 hours of viewing time on this TV????please don't tell me I need to wait 100 hours before I can watch any dvd's.....

thanks : )A good rule of thumb is to display no black bars during the first 100 hours of operation and for no more than 15% of viewing during the next 900 hours (1 hour of w/black bars for every 6.67 hours of full screen content). After 1000 hours the risk for permanent image retention becomes less.

does your TV have a zoom aspect setting? just put the TV in zoom or don't watch 2.35:1 aspect movies.

my tv(pioneer 4271 plasma) does have a "zoom" feature but movies tend to look really bad that way(long and stretched out)......plus its really hard to watch anything thats not 2.35:1, I just bought a A1 HD-DVD player and 90% of dvd's are letterboxed....
for the past couple of days I have watched some dvd's that were 2.35:1 and there seems to be no problem as of yet....

so I can asume that after the first 100 hours I can watch ESPN, CNN, and DVD's and not be worried right?

so I can asume that after the first 100 hours I can watch ESPN, CNN, and DVD's and not be worried right?

I think you know the answer to that.
You are looking for a false sense of security by asking for some one to tell you everything is going to be ok.

200 hours is no big deal - wait it out... you spent a lot of money.

and as for your comment about watching letter box and not seeing any damage "as of yet" good luck with that - you might be fine, but why risk it when the general consensus is that a propperly broken in plasma is almost bullet proof?

:rolleyes:

my tv(pioneer 4271 plasma) does have a "zoom" feature but movies tend to look really bad that way(long and stretched out)......plus its really hard to watch anything thats not 2.35:1, I just bought a A1 HD-DVD player and 90% of dvd's are letterboxed....
for the past couple of days I have watched some dvd's that were 2.35:1 and there seems to be no problem as of yet....

so I can asume that after the first 100 hours I can watch ESPN, CNN, and DVD's and not be worried right?Currently, most DVDs are endoded with 2.35:1 aspect ratio. If you display too many hours of black bars on your new PDP, eventually you will begin to notice signs of uneven phosphor wear. The symptoms will become evident with full screen content where there will be brighter bands across the top and bottom of the display where the black bars were used. The key is to use reasonable contrast/brightness/sharpness settings and to vary the content viewed on your screen. With a new screen display ~7 hours of full screen content for every 1 hour with black bars.

Plasma Facts and Myths Panasonic Presents Advice From the Video Purist Perspective (http://www.dynamicdigital.ca/documents/Plasma%20Facts%20and%20Myths.pdf)

Hello friends. I have seen this question asked before but I don't remember ever seeing a reply. From what I read these days about Nth generation pdp etc. Why is plasma more susceptible to IR than lets say my 5 year old 27" Toshiba crt?
Here is my dilemma. I am going to buy a panny 50" at xmas and I would consider myself and my family average - power users. DVD, HD, XBox 360, Soon to be HD-DVD etc. That said we are going to game on it. Is gaming going to be the primary usage? No. Will I justify sd content? Ubet. Will I adjust my settings for the
break-in period? Yes. Will I Vary game,dvd,HDTV,SD content frequently? Yes.
That said do I really have to be more concerned about IR with plasma than my Toshiba crt? And if so please explain why.

If you do all the common-sense things you've posted, especially during the break-in period, I really think you have nothing to worry about. I just finished the break-in period on my 58PX600U, and have never seen any evidence of IR. Even during the break-in, I was watching a lot of sports with scorebars on the bottom or top of the image; even so, no evidence of any IR, and I looked for it carefully. Just use common sense, and you should be fine.

I have seen image retention during my breakin of my Pioneer... it's becoming less apaprent, but sometimes I do see a faint image of ESPNHD after even just 20 minutes of viewing.

Who knows if it can get any worse? But I am still early into the break in so... woohoo.

Not sure how many of you saw my previous post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=741021). I just wanted to pin it to this sticky to see if I can get more answers or suggestions.

Currently, most DVDs are endoded with 2.35:1 aspect ratio. If you display too many hours of black bars on your new PDP, eventually you will begin to notice signs of uneven phosphor wear. The symptoms will become evident with full screen content where there will be brighter bands across the top and bottom of the display where the black bars were used. The key is to use reasonable contrast/brightness/sharpness settings and to vary the content viewed on your screen. With a new screen display ~7 hours of full screen content for every 1 hour with black bars.

Plasma Facts and Myths Panasonic Presents Advice From the Video Purist Perspective (http://www.dynamicdigital.ca/documents/Plasma%20Facts%20and%20Myths.pdf)


That link is from 2004, have plasmas changed over the last 2 years in terms of IR and burn in?

That link is from 2004, have plasmas changed over the last 2 years in terms of IR and burn in?Most likely. PDP makers continue to make improvements to reduce the risk of permanent image retention (a.k.a. burn in). However, considering the usable phosphor life has remained at 60,000 hours for the past 3 generations... IMO this technology has not "eliminated" the possibility of burn in. Just read this thread and you will see many posts from individuals who did not exercise "reasonable" caution with their PDPs and report seeing evidence of permanent or persistent image retention. Panasonic's "white paper" offers "guidelines" from the "videophiles" perspective... "most" people in this Forum are A/V enthusiasts who in general will take "proper care" of their "toys."

"_" added for emphasis :rolleyes:

Hopefully this is okay to post, as I think the "burn-in" thread is just for Plasma screens.

I just got a Sony LCD HD TV this week, but I'm going to be mostly using it for current-gen 4:3 games on it for probably most of the next year.

I just wanted to check with you guys to see if there's any risk to the TV doing that-ie if the black bars on the sides of the image can cause burn-in.

My understanding is LCD panels can't suffer from burn-in, but I just wanted to double check with you guys.

No

LCD televisions are immune to the actual “burn-in” that can impact CRT & plasma displays since they don’t use light-emitting phosphors which can degrade due to static images.

However, there is a similar effect for LCD sets called “image retention” or “image persistence”. In theory, if a static image is displayed for long enough, the LCD crystals can develop a tendency to stay in the particular positions that are used to display that image. If the crystals cannot readily return to a neutral position, a burn-like effect occurs.

Image persistence in general though is supposed to be very rare, occurring only with extreme business-like usage patterns where fixed images are displayed for days / weeks / months on end. Many also report that image persistence is only temporary, and goes away after some period of time.

Hey guys, great forum. I just recently got a Hitachi 42" Plasma 42HDM12A set and so far I'm really enjoying it, but I'm not abusing it too much for the first 100 hours. I've watched a couple of movies, played a couple of Xbox 360 games and so far I've had maybe 2 image retentions, but no serious burn-ins since I've been really anal about what I watch. Also, when I go out during the day, I leave the break-in DVD in so it can shorten the 100 hour period.

I got a question, once the 100 hour period is over, what should I have the contrast and bright as? Should I always keep them low or can I bring them up a little? Right now I have them both low, but I would like the contrast to be a little higher, but I don't want to damage the set by making it too high too early.

Thanks!

Image persistence in general though is supposed to be very rare, occurring only with extreme business-like usage patterns where fixed images are displayed for days / weeks / months on end. Many also report that image persistence is only temporary, and goes away after some period of time.


I thought it was supposed to be rare too, but I've had two panels from two different makers that have this problem. A CompUSA brand Norwood Micro LCD burned in 2 hours after I bought it home (playing Gran Turismo on my PS2), and my current Syntax LCD has burned in the pixels on the right side of where the 4:3 image ends. It's visible all the time and quite annoying.

Why couldn't one use a looping slideshow, especially with the "Ken Burns" pan-and-zoom effect, to warm up a new (plasma) TV? Is there something specifically better about the warmup VCD/DVD posted here?

Obviously the slideshow couldn't have a lot of picture-to-picture uniformity, but normal photo slideshows seem to have variability, and KB effect enhances the variability and non-static image characteristics.

Doug

Question regarding static images..

I know that they can cause image retention, but of course all of the channels now have their static logo in the lower right. How long is too long for that to be there? Is it ok if it is there while the show is on and then obviously when the commercial hits it is not there? Just wondering if there is a typical standard.

I already have my display set to all 0s for the picture quality until after my 100 hours is up.

All I know is that I've fallen asleep about four times watching a DVD and woke up thinking I damaged my PDP 6071 HD and not a problem (thank GOD), and I only used for about 50 hours +/-

I have a question for anyone that has a "fix." I have a Pioneer PDP5071 and I have over the 100 hours logged but I have ESPN logo in the bottom right hand corner it's very faint most of the time I can't see it and i started watching this channel in zoom mode only so the image isn't on the screen? It's still there after 3 days and I don't know what else to do. As I've said I can see it but very faintly and only when white appears on the screen a DVD or watching TV. Please help I've only had this TV 40 day's or so and I'd prefer to not have ESPN logo on the TV forever is there something I can do to fix this?

I have a question for anyone that has a "fix." I have a Pioneer PDP5071 and I have over the 100 hours logged but I have ESPN logo in the bottom right hand corner it's very faint most of the time I can't see it and i started watching this channel in zoom mode only so the image isn't on the screen? It's still there after 3 days and I don't know what else to do. As I've said I can see it but very faintly and only when white appears on the screen a DVD or watching TV. Please help I've only had this TV 40 day's or so and I'd prefer to not have ESPN logo on the TV forever is there something I can do to fix this?

How much do you figure you watched ESPN in those first 100 hours?

It seems the only way to fix IR is to watch lots of variabl content to even out the pixel aging.
if it is true "burn-in" there isn't much you can do.

I suspect it will go away after you view regular content for twice as long as you viewed content with teh logo - so if you watched ESPN for 50 hours, it might take 100 more to clear it up...?

please report back in a week or two and let us know how it goes.
No one ever does that, so you end up with ots of panicing people posting thinking they have burn-in when it is actually IR, and they never come back to tell the forum it went away.

Hi, I have a Panasonic TH50PX600U coming any day now and I'm curious as to what I should have my setting at for the first 100 hour break in period. I've seen some conflicting posts.

Some say set to Cinema Mode and be sure to have pictue set to zero. Others say set just about everything to zero. While others still say something in between. Which is it? Is there a general consensus as to what is best?

Thanks!

Hi, I have a Panasonic TH50PX600U coming any day now and I'm curious as to what I should have my setting at for the first 100 hour break in period. I've seen some conflicting posts.

Some say set to Cinema Mode and be sure to have pictue set to zero. Others say set just about everything to zero. While others still say something in between. Which is it? Is there a general consensus as to what is best?

Thanks!

brightness and contrast are the main issues (you can also turn down sharpness).

I don't know specific settings for your TV, but if you turn those way down, you should be ok.

Where DOES the 100 hours advice come from? My plasma TV's owners guide doesn't mention anything specifically about a break-in period, just a general up-front warning about static images and mentioning some built-in prevention mechanism.

Doug

Where DOES the 100 hours advice come from? My plasma TV's owners guide doesn't mention anything specifically about a break-in period, just a general up-front warning about static images and mentioning some built-in prevention mechanism.

Doug

Have you read any of this very thorough thread?
All the info you are looking for has been posted above.

For instance - Panasonic has published recommendations for break-in I have heard it described as "the white paper" - there are numerous links to it above...

Question regarding static images..

I know that they can cause image retention, but of course all of the channels now have their static logo in the lower right. How long is too long for that to be there? Is it ok if it is there while the show is on and then obviously when the commercial hits it is not there? Just wondering if there is a typical standard.

I already have my display set to all 0s for the picture quality until after my 100 hours is up.

I have the same question....anybody have an answer to this?

Hi, I have a Panasonic TH50PX600U coming any day now and I'm curious as to what I should have my setting at for the first 100 hour break in period. I've seen some conflicting posts.

Some say set to Cinema Mode and be sure to have pictue set to zero. Others say set just about everything to zero. While others still say something in between. Which is it? Is there a general consensus as to what is best?

Thanks!

I have the Panasonic TH42PHD8UK, since January. There has really been no issue at all with burn-in. We made sure none of the settings were overly high, say over +5. We've even left still images on accidentally overnight with no perceptible difference.

I have had a few issues with ghosting. They only have come as a result of the video input display (the one showing Component 1, etc.) leaving a ghosted image on the screen. It usually goes away after using the break-in dvd for a few minutes or turning on another channel. As long as I don't leave that label up, should it be ok in the long run?

Ya know, after reading this:
http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/4520-11488_1-6408444-1.html
it makes me realize that since I am still within my 100 hours, that this temporary ghosting is going to happen, but just keep rolling along

Have you read any of this very thorough thread?
All the info you are looking for has been posted above.

For instance - Panasonic has published recommendations for break-in I have heard it described as "the white paper" - there are numerous links to it above...


Well excuse me all to heck. Much of the detailed information dates to 2004, and much has changed since then. More recent pages didn't have what I was looking for. My specific brand/model isn't mentioned anywhere. And no, I probably didn't read every single post in 70 pages.

Doug

I'm new to the plasma market but have been fearful of the whole burn-in thing. There's no way I can read through the 2000+ posts here, so I'm gonna take a chance on not getting flamed (see Schteevie above) for asking what is very likely posted somewhere above.

I've been considering the new 1080p Pioneer but my kids have the run of the TV at times and they have been known to go out of the room for a long period of time occasionally with the TV either paused or with a DVD menu running. I'm afraid this puts me out of the market for anything other than an LCD (I'm also considering the 46" Sharp). My kids are good, they're just....well, young.

Are plasma's too risky in a situation where the kids are allowed to view/control the TV when they want? Do I have to ban them from the plasma to avoid burn-in?

I'm new to the plasma market but have been fearful of the whole burn-in thing. There's no way I can read through the 2000+ posts here, so I'm gonna take a chance on not getting flamed (see Schteevie above) for asking what is very likely posted somewhere above.

I've been considering the new 1080p Pioneer but my kids have the run of the TV at times and they have been known to go out of the room for a long period of time occasionally with the TV either paused or with a DVD menu running. I'm afraid this puts me out of the market for anything other than an LCD (I'm also considering the 46" Sharp). My kids are good, they're just....well, young.

Are plasma's too risky in a situation where the kids are allowed to view/control the TV when they want? Do I have to ban them from the plasma to avoid burn-in?

I had gone through the entire thread. In short, yes, you do need to ban them from the plasma to avoid burn-in, at least for the first 500 hours or so. Even after 500 hours, if your children is going to leave menu screens of DVDs or video games for hours every day, your plasma will get burn-in. It's better to get LCD and not worry about it.

For me, I had bought Sony 1080p LCD in favor of clear and vibrant PQ and burn-in free factor. After 2 weeks, I returned it because it was too bright for night/evening viewing, and if I turn down brightness/contrast, it would lose details, especially in black/grey/dark scenes. Then I've come to find this site, got feedbacks from the others, and got myself a pioneer plasma(5070) and wow... I couldn't be any happier. PQ is just fantastic!
I suggest you try both LCD and plasma at your home for a couple of weeks. If LCD's "crushed" blacks don't bother you, go with LCD.

cheers,
wu

got a quick qestion about d'nices' breakin settings for the pio 5070hd, so the texts in red are pre breakin settings and the yellow texts are post breakin settings? also are these setting ok for 75% watching SD channels?

thanks

SD or HD is not the issue with break-in - you just need to be sure to FILL THE SCREEN with changing images.

So, non-zoomed SD in a 4:3 box is BAD, and HD with a bright station logo is also BAD.

What I did during break-in was be sure to zoom everything.
SD filled the screen, and HD channel logos were off the screen.

hope that helps.

thanks a lot, i'll be gettin the unit probably next week, i'll keep you guys posted.

thanks again. :)

After reading the many posts in this thread, I would like someone's take on whether or not a break in period is necessary for my brand spankin' new Samsung 50" Plasma, model HP-S5053.

This television has numnerous 'preventative' features such as auto pixel shift and a white screen for ridding the screen of any burn in. Now I have a Comcast DVR, and since I connect it using a HDMI/DVI connection this TV does not allow any aspect ratio other than 16:9 or 4:3, no zoom. Even in 16:9 format, there are black bars on the side of non-HD channels... I assume the DVR/CableBox is doing this.

Do I need to worry about a break in period or do these features make the pain of breaking it in a moot point? I refuse to only watch the limited number of HD channels and can't watch SD since, as I said, I can't get rid of the side bars.

Also... does this pixel shift technology work only when the entire screen is still or will it shift any logos or black bars on the side? Lost....

Any thoughts?

Yes you need to worry about it, yes you should observe a break in period. Yes it will be difficult, yes you will thank us later.

Set the TV's contrast to 50% or less, and avoid black bars of any kind (top or bottom, or on the sides). Don't watch 4:3 content unless it is stretched or zoomed. Ever. Limit 2.35:1 DVDs, and avoid channels with tickers, bright banners or logos. You should do this for at least the first 100 hours. I went 180, and I still have contrast set to 55% at 220 hours.

If your cable box does not have features to stretch or zoom the picture, the TV certainly will. Use those modes.

I think I messed up big time. I ran the break-in disk to try and prevent burn in and actually appear to have caused the problem by doing so. I made a copy of the disk and I played the disk for about 60-70 hours at very low settings. I don't know if the disk is messed up, if the player cause it (HD up-converter connected via HDMI) or maybe a problem with the screen itself but there was a minor change of color at 1/2 point vertically of the display. There is now a very slightly lighter color band visible at that point, mostly visible on lighter backgrounds. and is more noticeable on lower contrast, brightness and power settings. After I saw this problem at about 70 hours I have been playing nothing but full screen HDTV. I am now at a little over 100 hours and it is still visible but may be getting better.

I haven't read though all the posts but has this been seen by others and what is the best way to offset it. I can't make an opposite like suggested for side or top/bottom bars because it is an unintentional variation. Options seem to be to just run full screen moving pics with no logo as I have been doing, use my TV's built in wipe (white screen) function or maybe there is something else. Also should I run at brighter with high power or is low contrast, brightness and power better, I know most posts suggest lower settings to prevent burn in but since the problem already exists and is more visible at lower settings, I would think continuing this could make the problem worse and at this point I need to even out more than anything else. :(

Any thoughts?

I think I messed up big time. I ran the break-in disk to try and prevent burn in and actually appear to have caused the problem by doing so. I made a copy of the disk and I played the disk for about 60-70 hours at very low settings. I don't know if the disk is messed up, if the player cause it (HD up-converter connected via HDMI) or maybe a problem with the screen itself but there was a minor change of color at 1/2 point vertically of the display. There is now a very slightly lighter color band visible at that point, mostly visible on lighter backgrounds. and is more noticeable on lower contrast, brightness and power settings. After I saw this problem at about 70 hours I have been playing nothing but full screen HDTV. I am now at a little over 100 hours and it is still visible but may be getting better.

I haven't read though all the posts but has this been seen by others and what is the best way to offset it. I can't make an opposite like suggested for side or top/bottom bars because it is an unintentional variation. Options seem to be to just run full screen moving pics with no logo as I have been doing, use my TV's built in wipe (white screen) function or maybe there is something else. Also should I run at brighter with high power or is low contrast, brightness and power better, I know most posts suggest lower settings to prevent burn in but since the problem already exists and is more visible at lower settings, I would think continuing this could make the problem worse and at this point I need to even out more than anything else. :(

Any thoughts?

I can't say for sure, but there was a post in the Panasonic thread from someone who had this problem. They called Panasonic tech support abou it, and apparently what they were told was:
a) This is not burn-in
b) There is a dividing line in the construction of the panel about half-way down the screen, and it's common to have a slight mismatch in color or brightness between the halves.
c) It is not considered a defect unless the effect is significantly visible.

I can't say for sure, but there was a post in the Panasonic thread from someone who had this problem. They called Panasonic tech support abou it, and apparently what they were told was:
a) This is not burn-in
b) There is a dividing line in the construction of the panel about half-way down the screen, and it's common to have a slight mismatch in color or brightness between the halves.
c) It is not considered a defect unless the effect is significantly visible.

THAT is rediculous! :eek:
I am not saying it isnt true - I am saying it is crazy that they expect people to put up with it. (same with dead pixels - 3 or 4 are considered acceptable??!

I remember hearing about that and it helped sway my decesion to go with Pioneer as I think they use a single panel to make thier plasmas.

I have a question. What if I don't connect any signal to the plasma and just let the plasma run on the snow noise? It is not a static image. It is just black and white noise constantly moving. Or is the noise moving too fast? Anyone have any input on this?

Hey all. Thanks for this great thread and wonderful forum. It has provided me incredible insight in this new (to me) world of Plasmas, etc. I just purchased a new 42" LG plasma and have had it for a couple days. I am very happy with it. However, I confess, I was rather ignorant in purchasing it. I had no idea how many subtle intricacies there were to get it to perform at optimal level and to avoid burn-in issues.

When I hooked it up two days ago, I watched Sunday night football, and a few HD programs. I also watched Batman Begins, of course, the letterbox bars were at the top. Fortunately, I see no effects of burn-in and even unplugged the HDMI cable to double check (I believe this is correct).

Anyway, I just want to review what I have leared in this forum to see if I am missing anything or have anything confused. It may be useful for other newbies like myself as well:

1. Brightness and contrast should be below 50 for the first 100 hours
2. Use energy saver mode for the first 100 hours
3. During this first hundred hours you should avoid lettebox or 4:3 ratio bars as much as possible
4. Be cautious of any stationary object, such as stock market tickers or station logos. However, translucent station logos should be okay.
5. During this break-in period, the downloadable DVD found at the beginning of this threadcan aid in your efforts to get it up to par faster.
6. After the first 100 hours (?) the Avia disk can help you in getting your plasma up to optimal visual performance.

At this point I have done all of the above. Am I missing anything?

Thanks for your time.

Best,

Chad

It went away after watching a couple hrs of ESPN HD and Discovery.

I did not play on it all day and I wasn't using the dynamic setting but I was using the game setting. It's gone now but I have a concern that you guys are correct and Plasma isn't for gaming. This is bad because I love this set and want to keep it but I don't want any issues in the future either. I might have to get an lcd now. :(

Thanks for the help.

Not true. After 100-200 hours of break in IR/BI is not a big issue when gaming. So many people have had amazing results with their XBOX 360s and PS2s (soon PS3s) - just be careful and you'll be great.

Hey all. Thanks for this great thread and wonderful forum. It has provided me incredible insight in this new (to me) world of Plasmas, etc. I just purchased a new 42" LG plasma and have had it for a couple days. I am very happy with it. However, I confess, I was rather ignorant in purchasing it. I had no idea how many subtle intricacies there were to get it to perform at optimal level and to avoid burn-in issues.

When I hooked it up two days ago, I watched Sunday night football, and a few HD programs. I also watched Batman Begins, of course, the letterbox bars were at the top. Fortunately, I see no effects of burn-in and even unplugged the HDMI cable to double check (I believe this is correct).

Anyway, I just want to review what I have leared in this forum to see if I am missing anything or have anything confused. It may be useful for other newbies like myself as well:

1. Brightness and contrast should be below 50 for the first 100 hours
2. Use energy saver mode for the first 100 hours
3. During this first hundred hours you should avoid lettebox or 4:3 ratio bars as much as possible
4. Be cautious of any stationary object, such as stock market tickers or station logos. However, translucent station logos should be okay.
5. During this break-in period, the downloadable DVD found at the beginning of this threadcan aid in your efforts to get it up to par faster.
6. After the first 100 hours (?) the Avia disk can help you in getting your plasma up to optimal visual performance.

At this point I have done all of the above. Am I missing anything?

Thanks for your time.

Best,

Chad

Everything sounds pretty good. Is there a way to get full screen 16:9 when watching Batman Begins on this set without stretching/losing some info?

PS: Go Hoosiers! Both of my parents were born & raised in Bloomington, went to IU - I would've gone there if they had a decent media program. Beautiful campus. Is that awesome greek restaurant still there?

Hey Mongoos - thanks for the response. I am originally from FL - but have been here for about 3 years now and love it. Great college town and great restaurants! Yes that great Greek place, The Trojan Horse is still here!

I think I can watch Batman Begins in cinema mode or with slight stretching, it sounds like after the first 100 hours I should be okay though, right?

Best,

Chad

I really don't understand the what the point of the burn-in dvd, I have been running my TV on snow for the past 50 hrs.

I really don't understand the what the point of the burn-in dvd, I have been running my TV on snow for the past 50 hrs.Just because someone came up with a "bright idea," doesn't mean it's the best way to break-in a new PDP:

Plasma Facts and Myths Panasonic Presents Advice From the Video Purist Perspective (http://www.dynamicdigital.ca/documents/Plasma%20Facts%20and%20Myths.pdf)

1. How does the picture look during break-in?

2. Most of my content will be SD (directv) then OTA HD then DVD. How does it look stretched?

3. Can you ever watch regular SD content or DVD's with bars?

This will help making my decision. Man I never thought this would be so tough. :confused:

I was runnin late for work and I left my pio 5070hd on for 10 hours with just a black picture on my screen due to the fact that i turned off the STB but didnt turn off/standby the TV. Would this cause a problem/burn-in?

I was runnin late for work and I left my pio 5070hd on for 10 hours with just a black picture on my screen due to the fact that i turned off the STB but didnt turn off/standby the TV. Would this cause a problem/burn-in?

you are probably fine because all the pixels were doing the same thing for the same amount of time, so no asymmetrical aging would have occured...

The Pioneer PDPs (6th gen at least) have an auto off feature that shuts it down after 3 hours of no input - I swear by it.

So, in a worst case scenario, you can't do more then 3 hours of damage at a time if you leave it on a freeze frame or something...

1. How does the picture look during break-in?The picture looks great during the break in period. Phosphors burn hottest when new, which is when the risk of permanent image retention (a.k.a. burn in) is the greatest. This is why precautions should be taken during the break in period.2. Most of my content will be SD (directv) then OTA HD then DVD. How does it look stretched?SD content looks fine stretched. Not quite the same as in its native 4:3 aspect ratio, but if you give it a chance you will quickly become accustomed to watching SD content in stretch mode and it won't bother you at all.
3. Can you ever watch regular SD content or DVD's with bars?Yes. The rule-of-thumb is to display no black bars during the first 100 hours of operation, for no more than 15% of viewing during the next 900 hours and after 1000 hours the risk of burn in is greatly reduced. Most people vary their viewing habits, which helps to even out phosphor wear. When I watch a DVD showing black bars... I typically follow that up with approximately 6 hours of full screen content.

Hi all,

I'm considering the 65" Panasonic 1080P Plasma. I watch mostly movies and some TV. I do however like to watch football and sports and in watching today's NFL games I noticed the black tickers at the bottom and the score boxes that are alway present on the screen. Does this eliminate Plasma as an option? What do you all do regarding sporting events?

Brownie

Hi all,

I'm considering the 65" Panasonic 1080P Plasma. I watch mostly movies and some TV. I do however like to watch football and sports and in watching today's NFL games I noticed the black tickers at the bottom and the score boxes that are alway present on the screen. Does this eliminate Plasma as an option? What do you all do regarding sporting events?

Brownie
They're no problem. Just be sure to follow the 100 hour break in procedure talked about here.

Hi all,

I'm considering the 65" Panasonic 1080P Plasma. I watch mostly movies and some TV. I do however like to watch football and sports and in watching today's NFL games I noticed the black tickers at the bottom and the score boxes that are alway present on the screen. Does this eliminate Plasma as an option? What do you all do regarding sporting events?

Brownie

I have the Panasonic 42HDPHUK, and we watch movies and lots of sports. We have had absolutely no problem with logos and score boxes. I love my plasma!

Just because someone came up with a "bright idea," doesn't mean it's the best way to break-in a new PDP:

Plasma Facts and Myths Panasonic Presents Advice From the Video Purist Perspective (http://www.dynamicdigital.ca/documents/Plasma%20Facts%20and%20Myths.pdf)

I have to admit - I haven't read the link yet that you provided and am about to.

I was wondering in your opinion -

Is it better to run either snow or a break in cd for the first 200 hours straight - to excel the break in process.

Or does this actually cause other problems due to the unusual strain on the panel being on so long without a break?

As I will be using my Plasma as a dedicated gaming monitor - I would love to think that there is a shortcut through the break in period, but don't want to do something that will end up degrading quality in a few months - just to rush through the first couple of weeks.

I mean playing games for roughly 3 hours a day and then running snow or a burn in disc for the remaining 21 hours - is that a good thing or bad? Should the phosphours have at least some time during the day to cool down?

Thanks.

okay i am confused about this burn in on plasms, i have heard so many different stories.

some people say dont watch something with a static image for one hour
some say an extended period of time
some say more then 5 hours.

I dont understand lol what is what and, what is to believe?

oh my LCD 15 hp back in the day i had a vaio logo burn in after 2 years of continuous use, but because i left the monitor on for two hours, but that went away from i changed background etc.

this is the cheaper plasma i was loking at and i know what u pay is what u get
[EDIT]

but i can get the warranty andany programs covered but really i dont get how long an image can be viewed as stories are different

anyway i read teh FAQ and other threads if someone could clearify for me polease and thanks!!

I have the Panasonic 42HDPHUK, and we watch movies and lots of sports. We have had absolutely no problem with logos and score boxes. I love my plasma!

oops, meant to say Th-42PHD8UK. Didn't mean to swear. :o

Ok guys....I am about to return a new XBR2 that I have had for about 2 weeks...for a Samsung plasma...the 5053.

Of course, my big concern is burn-in. I read so many conflicting stories on this and similar forums...I don't know what to think. I am a big gamer....XBOX360 and soon, PS3 (if I'm lucky enough to get one). There are many posts from people here who say "nothing to worry about, as long as you baby the set for the first 100 hours, etc, etc." Then I read posts from users who say things like, "I DID baby the set and was very careful, and yet...there were logo's and videogame HUD's burned into my set, etc, etc."

So...what am I to think? Is burn-in a risk? Is it NOT a risk? How much of a risk is it? Has plasma technology really come all that far, in terms of reducing burn-in?

And here's my big question: if burn-in is indeed considered difficult to do now, why don't the major retailers like BB and CC cover burn-in in their warranties? Doesn't strike me as a very big vote of confidence, does it?

More confused than ever!!!

I'm like a broken record. If you game on your plasma, it will burn in. Maybe not immediately, but eventually. Plasma TVs are not a good choice for gaming, in my opinion (which is not worth much). I use a 19" widescreen LCD monitor for my 360, because I care about my plasma TV. Maybe after 1000 hours it might be safer, but certainly not for constant use. If you are going to game on your plasma, just accept that it will burn in, and learn to ignore it.

I have to admit - I haven't read the link yet that you provided and am about to.

I was wondering in your opinion -

Is it better to run either snow or a break in cd for the first 200 hours straight - to excel the break in process.

Or does this actually cause other problems due to the unusual strain on the panel being on so long without a break?IMO... it doesn't make sense to run a PDP unattended for a prolonged period of time. First, why wear the phosphors without the benefit of enjoying your display and second, I would be concerned regarding the potential affects to the panel's internal components. The break in period (100 - 1000 hours) goes by fast and once your panel has this number of hours of operation the possibility for permanent image retention is not eliminated, just reduced. You still need to balance your viewing habits in order to insure even phosphor wear.As I will be using my Plasma as a dedicated gaming monitor - I would love to think that there is a shortcut through the break in period, but don't want to do something that will end up degrading quality in a few months - just to rush through the first couple of weeks.

I mean playing games for roughly 3 hours a day and then running snow or a burn in disc for the remaining 21 hours - is that a good thing or bad? Should the phosphours have at least some time during the day to cool down?

Thanks.Not a good idea... for a dedicated gaming monitor I'd recommend buying an LCD FP instead.

Lots of hysteria about burn in out there. Also alot of good advice on it as well, trouble is separating the good from the hysteria.

Plasmas have gotten better about the burn in thing. New features built in by all manufactures help prevent it.

The logo thing is something that you have to be carefull about though. Yes you can get a channel logo burn in with a plasma, or the ticker line from ESPN, or CNN.

In this era of SD and HD there are other dangers as well. Since SD is typically a 4:3 picture and HD uses the full screen, watching extended periods of SD with dark sidebars can cause problems. Until 4:3 is a thing of the past this will be a problem.

I have an LCD and even with it there can be problems with watching to much of one thing all of the time although there are not nearly the same level of concern I would have with a plasma.

All in all, the key is to vary your viewing habits. Don't keep one thing on the screen for hours at a time. Shift from SD to HD often or stretch SD to avoid the sidebars. Allot of avoiding burn in is just common sense. Such as be careful if you use it as a computer monitor, a TV picture is a constantly shifting thing, computer displays tend to be more static on the screen. Static display images can equal burn in if you are not carefull.

Owning a plasma is in my eyes a responsiblilty. There are things that you don't do if you want to keep the set in good condition.

You really should read the stickies @ the top of the forum.

Here's all the details on burn in:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=608677

I've read up on the issue as well and I'm still a tad worried about some things.

For example: Sunday Night Football in HD. The NBC logo with the scores stay up pretty much the entire game. It only comes off during commercials and when they cut to some misc. info during the game...but for the most part the full color non ghosted peacock and score bar is in the same spot! Should I be worried about it?

I'm like a broken record. If you game on your plasma, it will burn in. Maybe not immediately, but eventually. Plasma TVs are not a good choice for gaming, in my opinion (which is not worth much). I use a 19" widescreen LCD monitor for my 360, because I care about my plasma TV. Maybe after 1000 hours it might be safer, but certainly not for constant use. If you are going to game on your plasma, just accept that it will burn in, and learn to ignore it.

Just curious...the Samsung plasma I am looking at has a 'game mode.' Why would it have a game mode if gaming was a big no-no on the tv?

I'm like a broken record. If you game on your plasma, it will burn in. Maybe not immediately, but eventually. Plasma TVs are not a good choice for gaming, in my opinion (which is not worth much). I use a 19" widescreen LCD monitor for my 360, because I care about my plasma TV. Maybe after 1000 hours it might be safer, but certainly not for constant use. If you are going to game on your plasma, just accept that it will burn in, and learn to ignore it.

How much gaming are you talking about here? I'm a casual gamer - perhaps 4 to 5 hours a week and maybe 25% of my total TV usage is spent gaming. Am I placing my plasma at risk?

I've read up on the issue as well and I'm still a tad worried about some things. For example: Sunday Night Football in HD. The NBC logo with the scores stay up pretty much the entire game. It only comes off during commercials and when they cut to some misc. info during the game...but for the most part the full color non ghosted peacock and score bar is in the same spot! Should I be worried about it?

No.....first of all, you can usually 'stretch' a 4:3 picture either by using features on the TV (like my Philips 9631) or on the cable STB.

Second, while there's no hard-and-fast rule on burnins, the biggest problem is a dedicated TV which is set to CNBC for 10-12 hours a day (at the office) or someone using a TV for gaming a few hours a day.

Logos on channels? They seemed to have been 'dimmed down' a bit, but even there, a few hours shouldn't be a problem because the logo goes on and off during replays, cuts to other views, commercials, etc.

You can always change the channel during a commercial or halftime or take a break scanning other channels. Do this for a few minutes every hour or two and you should be fine. Again, I think you're OK anyway but this will be an extra precaution.

No, not at risk at all. The thing with games is the same as logos from TV. If you play different games and not say, Madden, all-day everday, you should be fine. Some games, like NHL2k7, are great because they have no stationary logos, scores, etc... You tv won't care if it's a videogame or a TV Broadcast as long as you avoid static images for long times.

I had my panny plasma delivered over the weekend and it's into 20th hour of break-in. I'm quite satisified, but there are also doubts creeping in. According to Panny guide, I am supposed to keep black bar to 15% of the use after 100 hours till 1,000th hour. As I was searching for 16:9 movies, I realized that the vast majority of my dvd movies are either 4:3 or 2.35:1. It's going to be impossible to limit them to 15% for nearly a year unless I watch them in distorted, wrong aspect ratio. This is rather extreme. Do I really have to limit to 15%?

Also, with non-HD TV programming, I notice a kind of shadow or double lines with edges of images. Any way to fix this?

Thank you.

I had my panny plasma delivered over the weekend and it's into 20th hour of break-in. I'm quite satisified, but there are also doubts creeping in. According to Panny guide, I am supposed to keep black bar to 15% of the use after 100 hours till 1,000th hour. As I was searching for 16:9 movies, I realized that the vast majority of my dvd movies are either 4:3 or 2.35:1. It's going to be impossible to limit them to 15% for nearly a year unless I watch them in distorted, wrong aspect ratio. This is rather extreme. Do I really have to limit to 15%?

Also, with non-HD TV programming, I notice a kind of shadow or double lines with edges of images. Any way to fix this?

Thank you.

My Pio is in 56th hour into break-in. I'm using the break-in settings (low contrast, brightness, and etc.) and I've been watching 2.35:1 movies about 40%, HD programming for about 40% and 20% in 4:3 with black sidebars. So far, I've had zero problem, not even the slightest evidence of IR. And as far as I know, Panny are less prone to IR than Pio.
Just watch anything (2:35 or 4:3), enjoy, and after each viewing, check for IR, and if you find one, watch Discovery for about 4 hrs.

I will say this - I currently work for Washington States largest Casino. We have roughly 50 Plasma panels that are literally on 24 hours a day 7 days a week - 100% of the time they are on ESPN or NEWS channels with tickers.

The two prominate brands the Casino has are Sony and LG and the sizes range from 42" to 50".

These panels have run continuously non-stop on the sports and news channels for about a year and a half now. I kept getting very close to them yesterday to see if I could see any annomolies. I even turned a few off and back on, changed channels, etc...

Absolutely ZERO burn in. That's with tickers. We even had one LG that had been hooked up in a tech area for maintenance for the last 2 weeks and had been displaying nothing but the Direct TV logo (acquiring signal) page nonstop 24 hours a day for the whole two weeks! No burn in there either.

This got me thinking that as the manufacturer of my new Plasma has re-assured me that burn-in is from previous generations of Plasma and is virtually a thing of the past - that he must be right.

I can't stand looking at LCD after seeing Plasma - The colors are just too much richer and the image is just too much better than LCD. I am going to use my Plasma for dedicated gaming - against all suggestions (except the manufacturers) and not worry about burn in. I will baby the set during the first 100 to 200 hours, but am not going to worry about it. I will be using Mark's break in DVD as I have downloaded it and after checking it out - like the concept. It will evenly age all the colors of all the phosphours and can get my Plasma past the 100 hour mark in about 5 days.

I'm sure I will get a new TV in a year or two anyway. The TV I just replaced was only 10 months old. So as long as my new Plasma works well for a year and a half or two years with no burn in - I'll be good to go. Also it occurred to me that video games really are no more taxing than ESPN or CNN tickers. Yes the HUD is on the screen for awhile, but in most games you either complete a level or in multiplayer either you or your squad is killed within 20 to 30 minutes anyway and then your HUD is gone for however long the cut scene is and you take before starting your next level. This is pretty much the same as TV commercials.

I'll count on my pixel orbiter to do the rest after the break in period.

Thanks all for your advice - there's just no way I can go for LCD right now regardless of the resolution, compared to Plasma. Plasma just looks TOO much better.

Thanks, that's more reassuring.

By the way, I set everything to zero right now, but should I lower picture, brightness, etc even more? How about sharpness, color, etc?

These panels have run continuously non-stop on the sports and news channels for about a year and a half now. I kept getting very close to them yesterday to see if I could see any annomolies. I even turned a few off and back on, changed channels, etc...

Absolutely ZERO burn in. That's with tickers. We even had one LG that had been hooked up in a tech area for maintenance for the last 2 weeks and had been displaying nothing but the Direct TV logo (acquiring signal) page nonstop 24 hours a day for the whole two weeks! No burn in there either.

This got me thinking that as the manufacturer of my new Plasma has re-assured me that burn-in is from previous generations of Plasma and is virtually a thing of the past - that he must be right.

Not to naysay, but just to play "devil's advocate" for a second...
I had a brand spankin' new Hitachi plasma this summer, and turned down the settings off the factory torch settings. About a week or so after getting the TV, I got lost in a night of sports -- baseball game, followed by Baseball Tonight, followed by a couple SportsCenters, etc. on a channel with a bright ticker and logo which shall remain nameless but rhymes with BSTN. My point is, I wasn't abusing my set, only using it, and it wasn't on 24/7 for weeks. I now have a certain 4-letter logo in the lower right corner of my TV that will be there forever. It's barely visible, and only on a very dark background, but I know it's there and it will haunt me until my next TV purchase. I've told my story in great detail on this board, but that was probably 20 pages ago, and the casual reader probably doesn't make it through more than a page or two looking for answers or advice, so I thought I'd resurface and say the following:

1) if you're very careful with a new set, I agree that you probably are going to be fine.
2) we shouldn't have to be that careful with our purchases, but it comes with the territory.
3) burn-in, not just image retention, is NOT YET a thing of the past. It is real and does affect people that aren't abusing their sets (although some would argue that 6 continuous hours on the same channel with a nefarious logo constitutes abuse)
4) the maintenance/protection effort is worth it for the results/enjoyment. There was a message posted not long ago asking if it was ok to watch sports on a plasma. This is where plasma shines, baby! Enjoy! Try watching a football game in hi-def on a plasma and then go back to a 27" CRT in standard def. Oh, the humanity...

Ok, I'll go back to lurking in the shadows again. Probably won't come back out until the next person claims that burn-in doesn't exist. :)

Peace,
-Brad

Not to naysay, but just to play "devil's advocate" for a second...
I had a brand spankin' new Hitachi plasma this summer, and turned down the settings off the factory torch settings. About a week or so after getting the TV, I got lost in a night of sports -- baseball game, followed by Baseball Tonight, followed by a couple SportsCenters, etc. on a channel with a bright ticker and logo which shall remain nameless but rhymes with BSTN. My point is, I wasn't abusing my set, only using it, and it wasn't on 24/7 for weeks. I now have a certain 4-letter logo in the lower right corner of my TV that will be there forever. It's barely visible, and only on a very dark background, but I know it's there and it will haunt me until my next TV purchase. I've told my story in great detail on this board, but that was probably 20 pages ago, and the casual reader probably doesn't make it through more than a page or two looking for answers or advice, so I thought I'd resurface and say the following:

1) if you're very careful with a new set, I agree that you probably are going to be fine.
2) we shouldn't have to be that careful with our purchases, but it comes with the territory.
3) burn-in, not just image retention, is NOT YET a thing of the past. It is real and does affect people that aren't abusing their sets (although some would argue that 6 continuous hours on the same channel with a nefarious logo constitutes abuse)
4) the maintenance/protection effort is worth it for the results/enjoyment. There was a message posted not long ago asking if it was ok to watch sports on a plasma. This is where plasma shines, baby! Enjoy! Try watching a football game in hi-def on a plasma and then go back to a 27" CRT in standard def. Oh, the humanity...

Ok, I'll go back to lurking in the shadows again. Probably won't come back out until the next person claims that burn-in doesn't exist. :)

Peace,
-Brad




Have you found that the burnin is fading over time? My story is about 20 pages back as well where I said I was using my 42" samsung hs- 4253 as a pc monitor and burned the start logo in the lower left hand corner into my screeen.


Well since then I put about 600+ hours on my set, and went into the service menu and eneabled the pixel shift test to 1. Now my pixels shift every second instead of minute and I almost never even see IR anymore, even when gaming for hours on end and my burnin even though it's still there, has faded to almost nothbing on a white screen. The only way you could tell is if I pointed it out to you and you would have to stare at it from every angle possible.

So to my point..... Burnins will fade with time.

Have you found that the burnin is fading over time?

So far, no. I don't have quite as many hours on my set as you do; the counter reads 587 right now, but the burn-in is the same as it was in June. Perhaps it will eventually go away, but I'm not counting on it. I will say that IR isn't as prevalent as it used to be, and goes away faster than it did, so there is a lot of truth to the advice being given on this forum.

Peace,
-Brad

Just curious...the Samsung plasma I am looking at has a 'game mode.' Why would it have a game mode if gaming was a big no-no on the tv?

I'm not sure what their game mode is, but it probably bumps down the Contrast setting, maybe the brightness too, and might do some pixel orbiting. But this probably assumes light or casual gaming, in which the majority of the time the user will be viewing tv programming. This can mitigate the burn in. But with any significant gaming, even these modes will not save your plasma. Gaming should not be the primary activity on a plasma tv.

I downloaded all three versions of the files from the website, however, I cannot burn the disc correctly. Every time I try to burn any of the three types of files I get an error message when I try to add the relevant files into the "recording job" (can't recall what it says exactly at the moment). I do have Nero on my computer - which specific recording command should I be using? Of the three files I've downloaded, I'm looking to burn the one that will run the longest on my DVD player (a Sony 7700).

Your help is appreciated!

I will say this - I currently work for Washington States largest Casino. We have roughly 50 Plasma panels that are literally on 24 hours a day 7 days a week - 100% of the time they are on ESPN or NEWS channels with tickers.

The two prominate brands the Casino has are Sony and LG and the sizes range from 42" to 50".

These panels have run continuously non-stop on the sports and news channels for about a year and a half now. I kept getting very close to them yesterday to see if I could see any annomolies. I even turned a few off and back on, changed channels, etc...

Absolutely ZERO burn in. That's with tickers. We even had one LG that had been hooked up in a tech area for maintenance for the last 2 weeks and had been displaying nothing but the Direct TV logo (acquiring signal) page nonstop 24 hours a day for the whole two weeks! No burn in there either.

Thanks all for your advice - there's just no way I can go for LCD right now regardless of the resolution, compared to Plasma. Plasma just looks TOO much better.

This is the best news I've seen in a long time! Thanks very much! And I totally agree with you about LCD vs. plasma. I am exchanging a Sony XBR2 for a Samsung plasma...because I find the Sony to have cloudy whites and a hazy, shimmering picture. To me, plasmas are just much richer and more dynamic. I guess for some people, rear projection is ok...but I think they've got a long way to go to equal plasma. I bought an XBOX 360 today to give the XBR2 one last shot....to see if XBOX looked amazing on it. The first thing I saw was the XBOX dashboard....overly saturated and glimmering with a harsh sheen. That was enough to end my debate right there. I admit, playing 'Gears of War' for 10 minutes or so was fun....and I enjoyed not having to worry about burn-in, but taking one look at the sky in that game and seeing shimmering....that was enough for me.

Now, hoping against hope that burn-in is not an issue with my future plasma. And one good thing about 'Gears of War'....no HUD...so not too much to burn in!

Well since then I put about 600+ hours on my set, and went into the service menu and eneabled the pixel shift test to 1. Now my pixels shift every second instead of minute and I almost never even see IR anymore, even when gaming for hours on end and my burnin even though it's still there, has faded to almost nothbing on a white screen. The only way you could tell is if I pointed it out to you and you would have to stare at it from every angle possible.

So to my point..... Burnins will fade with time.

Greeman....is it easy to get into the service menu to change the pixel shift to every second? How did you do it? I will be getting this tv and this is of importance to me, since I will be gaming a lot.

How do you tell how many hours you've logged on a Pionner 427?

If I buy a plasma I will be worried about burn in and will take precautions but I have also seen plasma's running all day on Bloomberg and I do not see any burn in. The displays are NEC plasma's.

When it's dark outside, turn your PDP on with no source input signal active... cast a low indirect light on the screen, if there is any image retention you'll see it.

FWIW, much of the advice here, especially the white paper often referred to as authoritative, date from 2004. It would be nice (and possibly reassuring) to get some 2006 data, especially on "how much better are 2006 plasmas versus 2004 plasmas."

Doug

How do you tell how many hours you've logged on a Pionner 427?

Yeah, I have a Panny TH-42PX60U and have no idea where to see hours logged. Anyone???

FWIW, much of the advice here, especially the white paper often referred to as authoritative, date from 2004. It would be nice (and possibly reassuring) to get some 2006 data, especially on "how much better are 2006 plasmas versus 2004 plasmas."

DougHere are some excerpts from the operating instructions manual of the (2006) TH-65PF9UK, which is one of Panasonic’s “flagship” 1080p PDPs:

“Do not allow a still picture to be displayed for an extended period, as this can cause permanent after-image to remain on the Plasma Display. Examples of still pictures include logos, video games, computer images, teletext and images displayed in NORMAL mode.”

“After-image (image lag) may occur on the plasma display panel when a still picture is kept on the panel for an extended period. The function that darkens the screen slightly is activated to prevent after-image (see page 44), this function is not the perfect solution to after-image.”

“Do not allow the picture to be displayed in NORMAL mode for an extended period, as this can cause a permanent after-image to remain on the Plasma Display Panel.”

“Do not display a picture in NORMAL mode for an extended period, as this can cause an after-image to remain on the side bars on either side of the display field. To reduce the risk of such an after-image, change the brightness of the side bars.”

“To reduce the occurrence of after-images, set the SIDE BAR ADJUST to BRIGHT.”

“Do not allow a still picture to be displayed for an extended period, as this can cause a permanent after-image to remain on the Plasma Display. Examples of still pictures include logos, video games, computer images, teletext and images displayed in NORMAL mode.”

“The permanent after-image on the Plasma Display resulting from fi xed image use is not an operating defect and as such is not covered by the Warranty. This product is not designed to display fi xed images for extended periods of time.”

LIMITED WARRANTY STATEMENT

This warranty does not apply to:

"Marking or retained images (sometimes called “burn-in”) resulting from the display of fixed images on video display products are not defects and are not covered under this warranty."

Great Forum

I have finally assmebeld my 37" pwd8.
And now I am running the break-in DVD in my Pioneer DV-470, through the compoenent (progressive).

I have a few questions though, perhaps anyone can assist:

My DVD has an option of either "Title Repeat" or "Chapter Repeat", but there is no "Disk repeat", what do you recommned to select? are all titiles the same?

Everytime a chapter changes the DVD displays on the screen for 1 second the data of the title, can that hurt anything?

Do I have / can to run the 100 hours straight on, or should I do it fro about 12 hours a day?

What do you say about turning the Picture and Brightness setting to their bare minumum (a.k.a -30) , isn't that better the -15?


Thank for everything, can't wait until I am through :-)

Thanks for the 2006 manual excerpt; basically the same as my 2006 plasma, only more detailed / repetitive. In fact, the WARRANTY has more details than the user manual!?

Regarding the break-in DVD, it just repeats for me (using a disk image on my Mac Mini for convenience and less wear and tear on the DVD drive there or in my Sony DVD/VCR combo). I think the key is 100 hours total, not 100 hours consecutive; after all, the advice here is mostly "don't do certain things in the first 100 hours of viewing", not "in the first four days you own the set". I watched some TV, then left the DVD (image) running overnight and when I was out, because that was convenient. So I figured about 20ish hours per day, plus 4 hours of live viewing.

Doug

First - I have read a few pages back of people using their XBOX 360 to burn in their Plasma TV's.

I wouldn't recommend doing that at all. The 360 runs much hotter than a regular DVD player. All I'm saying is the last thing I would want to do is test the "360 no longer has heating issues" theory by running it 100+ hours straight. Just not a wise idea in my opinion. You can get a progressive scan DVD player at Walmart for $30 - that's a better idea for the "break in" DVD I think.


Second - I have never said that "burn in" doesn't exist with Plasma. I know it does exist as a possibility. I think some manufacturers are more susceptible than others. When I was talking about the 50+ Plasma monitors being on 24/7 with no burn in, at the Casino I work for - I wasn't exagerating. That doesn't mean that burn in isn't possible. I just think that (as my manufacturer has stated) burn in is MUCH less common with current generation panels.

If you're curious - I have started a thread on my EyeFi PX4200 - which I will be using as a deicated gaming monitor (XBOX 360 and future PS3). After the calibration (today) and break in DVD period (roughly a week) - I will be posting periodic updates on my experiences and will be honest about the first time I notice any type of burn in on the screen, if it occurs. Again this will be a dedicated gaming monitor. I came to realize even on games with a HUD - there are cut scenes and other breaks in gameplay every so often, so even those aren't really too static. With a good pixel orbiter - I don't see there being a problem. The worst kind of game would be a Tetris or Hexic HD type game, where the border of the game never changes. So it really does depend on the type of game. I think childrens games are generally more static like that - whereas the more hardcore gamers games are very fluid and active - even the ones with HUD's.

Here is a link to my thread if you're interested. It does of course go in to detail in reference to the PX4200 as well, but in the future will be more about the gaming effects on this Plasma panel:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8903616&highlight=px4200#post8903616

Yeah, I have a Panny TH-42PX60U and have no idea where to see hours logged. Anyone???

No one?? I know there's some owners here with the same model...

Yeah, I have a Panny TH-42PX60U and have no idea where to see hours logged. Anyone???No one?? I know there's some owners here with the same model...BruZZi's Flat Panel Forum > Read Only Forums > Checking The Hours Used - Plasma, LCD, etc. (http://www.bruzzi.ws/vbforum/showthread.php?t=27)

I just bought my first LCD and I was under the impression that LCD is almost immune to burn-in, however, in the manual it states that having black bars or still images on the screen for more than 2 hours can cause burn-in.

Do you think the manual is just being slightly over-cautious with the whole 2 hours part or can burn-in actually happen that fast on an LCD?

It would be kind of a bummer to only be able to watch two hours of a movie with letterboxing then have to turn your TV off to let it refresh.

What's the real deal behind LCD burn-in, guys?

There was a thread (can't find it now) with a guy that had some dark lines on his LCD in the area where the sidebars were (watching 4:3 on a widescreen).

Someone explained that it is very, very uncommon, but in the TFT layers that turn on each individual cell a magnetic field can build up at the light/dark boundry. More of a retention than a burn in. It will go away, or should.

Have only heard of the one time of that happening, not very common.

For all purposes with a modern LCD in a typical AVS'ers home .... no

Cool, thanks for the assurance, guys. I think they just put that in the manual because the manufacturer's warranty doesn't cover burn-in and they just want you to be careful, which is a good thing.

For 2 hours, no, for 24 hours in "vivid" (aka burn-in) mode, yes.

Hi I'm in the process of getting either an LCD or Plasma 40"-46" tv. I like to have news channels on during the day for about 6 hours or so. One news channel CNBC has top and bottom stock tickers on the whole time even during commercials.

Would this ruin a Plasma? Should I go for LCD instead? I actually like Plasma color for movies but I'm worried my use would damage it.

Thanks.

FWIW, even on my office brand-name LCD monitor (not TV) I seem some variant of image retention or burn in, where the always-present Windows window stuff and task bar live. Faint, and possibly transient, but there. Just like CRTs of years ago, actually.

Having ANY "permanent" static image is likely to cause SOME degree of problem, varying by technology, manufacturer, age, etc. But it's usually hard to be that harsh on a TV/panel unless it's truly an invariant image for hours at a time.

Of course, if the "permanent" image is really permanent, who cares? It's when you switch from 4:3 to 16:9, or from one long-term channel to something else, that you'll notice the problem - but then it's not really a "permanent" image, is it?

Doug

I have downloaded the break-in disc and I have a question. The colors cycle so fast that I see the color white about every second. I am under the impression that there should be a static color image for 30 seconds. Has anyone else had this problem with their download?

Hi :) I'm due to have my new TH-50PX600A (Panasonic) delivered today, and was wondering if there was any truth to the following email from Panasonic (apologies if this has been brought up already, I'm new):

Dear ****,

Thank you for taking the time to contact Panasonic with your enquiry.

The required run in time for Plasma TV's and Panels is not need for Panasonic Plasma. These units are run in in the Factory as part of the normal Testing.

Thanks :)

Taking posession this weekend of a 42PX60. I'm confused as to when I should calibrate with Avia. Before the 100 hrs. of break-in or after? What I'm concerend about is that the settings would be too high (torch) if I use Avia right away.

Also, any consensus on what the "recommended" settings would be for the break-in period on this TV?

Hi I'm in the process of getting either an LCD or Plasma 40"-46" tv. I like to have news channels on during the day for about 6 hours or so. One news channel CNBC has top and bottom stock tickers on the whole time even during commercials. Would this ruin a Plasma? Should I go for LCD instead? I actually like Plasma color for movies but I'm worried my use would damage it. Thanks.

Do you have to leave it on CNBC for 6 hours straight? Can you switch every 30 or 40 or 60 minutes to FNC or CNN or MSNBC or some other channel?

If you do, you're definitely OK even though you're probably OK the other way, too.

CNBC ticker doesn't run ALL the time, BTW.

Taking posession this weekend of a 42PX60. I'm confused as to when I should calibrate with Avia. Before the 100 hrs. of break-in or after? What I'm concerend about is that the settings would be too high (torch) if I use Avia right away.

Also, any consensus on what the "recommended" settings would be for the break-in period on this TV?

I just recieved my new PX4200 Plasma a few days ago and used Digital Video Essentials to calibrate before starting the break in DVD period. I too was wondering if I should do it before (because the settings are higher) or after (using low settings during break in). I read a few pages back in this post that it was recommended by a Senior Moderator to calibrate before breaking in.

So I did - I will tell you that the brightness levels on my panel after calibration are at 62% and the contrast is at 41%. This had me wondering if this was too high for break in. (Every panel even of the same model may be different settings)

Then it ocurred to me that if this is properly calibrated and will be the settings I will be using after break in - then that's probably what's best to use during break in. My reasoning is this - If you set all the settings substantially lower than the levels you'll actually be using the panel at, you're not truly breaking the monitor in properly. For example if you set all your settings to 15% for a hundered hours and then at 100 hours jack the settings all up to 50% (this is just an example) - I think you may "shock" the phosphour. It will have gotten used to the setting of only 15% and then to drastically switch it to your new clibrated settings can't be the best method.

I could be wrong in this theory, but it is my opinion and the method I am using - to calibrate first and then break in.

Something to be aware of - if you're SUPER anal like I am with settings, be careful as to how long you leave any particular calibration screen displayed at a time. If I was taking more than 2 or 3 minutes on a particular screen I would turn the monitor off for a second and hit the |< button on my DVD remote to back up a screen. The I'd turn the monitor back on and hit the >| button to get back to the screen I was on. Some of the calibration screens are VERY high in contrast and some are very brightly colored. Make sure and take a few seconds break (power off the monitor) between doing each of the RGB clibrations as well, those screens are VERY bright and would be the ones I'd be most cautious of leaving static for too long on the screen. Also if you have an overscan calibration tool (looks like a grid) be careful with that as the white lines of the grid on the black background could be dangerous if not monitored properly as well. Be aware that your "menu" screens for the monitor can be pretty static as well - so you'll want to exit out of the menu every few minutes. During this process you may notice some image retention. It's not burn in - don't worry, once you turn the monitor off for more than 10 minutes or start the break in DVD, this will go away.

This process may take longer than what you may initially think if you're a perfectionist. For me it took about 2-1/2 hours to get everything perfect. Once done though - the picture was phenomenal and looked much more realistic than I had even hoped for. It was literally like looking through a window.

Have fun, be patient and you'll be rewarded with a superior image.

<)DataDream(>

BruZZi's Flat Panel Forum > Read Only Forums > Checking The Hours Used - Plasma, LCD, etc.

Erm, one problem with this. The remote doesn't actually have a RECALL button :)

Now, hoping against hope that burn-in is not an issue with my future plasma. And one good thing about 'Gears of War'....no HUD...so not too much to burn in!

I have a Pioneer PDP-4271 with about 300 hours on it. I babied it through the 1st 200 hours using break-in settings. I had noticed IR last night after playing Gears Of War for the past week on and off. While Gears has no HUD it shows bright white ammo indicator in the upper right corner. That's where I see IR. It's only barely noticeable on white background.

I've been using Gaming mode and am disappointed with getting IR on a new set. I may have to bump down the settings a bit more and take a few days break from Gears.

What should my break in settings be.

I have it set as follows right now.

Normal = No
Pic Mode = vivid
Picture = 0
Brightness = 0
Color = 0
Tint = 0
Sharpness = 0
color temp = cool
color mng = on
CATS = off
video nr = on
mpeg nr = off
black level = light

To me and the WIFE it looks like crap. What should I change? I have directv SD TiVo over svideo. Wil be trying to get ota hd. Tried to use comcast and the QAM and got nothing. I have a upconverting dvd. Which monoprice hdmi cable should I get?

Thanks for any comments.

Well, once you move to HD everything looks better. I'd play a movie (like, say lord of the rings or something new-ish) and get the settings where the picture looks great (to you). Then split the difference between those settings and the one you list above...

My experience....

I have the 5071 Pioneer and I do have "IR" of a station logo in the lower right hand corner. I put IR in parenthesis only because I do not know if it is image retention or burn-in. Once I noticed the "IR" I changed the channel to Discovery channel for the last 24+ hours. The logo is still there and has not seem to fade at all. By the way, I did break it in for 100+ hours using the settings suggested in these forums. I will continue to keep it on logo-less stations for a few more days to see if it will fade. Any other suggestions?

Panasonic recommends you continue to follow their break in procedures for 1000 hours, with the first 100 being the most critical. After 1500+ hours of operation, I still observe image retention with my PDP on occasion which occurs less often and is more easily reversed as time goes on.

Plasma Facts and Myths Panasonic Presents Advice From the Video Purist Perspective (http://www.dynamicdigital.ca/documents/Plasma%20Facts%20and%20Myths.pdf)

Can the first 100 hours be done with 4 days of continuous 24-hour operation, or should it be spaced out over a longer period of time?

I'd be concerned regarding what potential affect the heat generated by running a PDP continuously for 100 hours might have on some of the internal components.

I'd be concerned regarding what potential affect the heat generated by running a PDP continuously for 100 hours might have on some of the internal components.

I agree - pace your self and break it in over a month.
use the break-in DVD mixed with regualr (full screen) viewing.

Just a comment to throw in about gaming on a plasma, I have a Samsung S5053 and regularly play 360 games. Mostly Tiger Woods golf and racing games, which usually have some sort of display on scren most of the time. I've only experienced IR once and after a few minutes of normal viewing it was completely gone. I am only 200 hours into me break in period and have my picture settings at what I think looks best (done with that 50% break in crap). Enjoying my TV and highly recommend this television to anyone. Don't let anyone sway you from purchasing a plasma if you plan on gaming plenty.

Hi,

I'm about 40 hours into my Samsung S4253 Plasma TV. I strictly watch all dish network programming stretched and movies that are fit the screen. My dilema is that I currently own the Sony DVP-NS75H but I cannot strecth the picture on 2:35:1 dvds without leaving the zoomx1 screen on. We had to watch Cars on the zoom mode and it was not a lot of fun with the zoom function displaying on the screen. So i picked up the Panasonic S52 and use its cinema mode to fill the screen on 2:35:1 movies but the quality suffers and the picture overall in my opinion (stretched or non streched is not as sharp & clear as the sony dvd player. I cannot stretch the screen using my plasma tv due to the HDMI connection, it only allows 16:9 or 4:3, stupid ah?

My question is should I just keep the sony and and play the 2:35:1 movies with the black bars since I only watch one or two 2:35:1 movies a week? Does this really matter now in days with the newer plasmas. I currently have my picture settings at around 50+ which is halfway on the Samsung. I never used the dynamic (torch) mode and so far I have not seen much IR on logos, my daughter averages 2-3 hours a day of Nick Jr. and I have never seen any IR or burn in from the Nick Jr. logo. Anyways, I would like to know how many of the newer plasma owners actually watch 2:35:1 movies in their original aspect and have they have any problems? Does anyone worry about this? Thanks, Los

Hi,

I'm about 40 hours into my Samsung S4253 Plasma TV. I strictly watch all dish network programming stretched and movies that are fit the screen. My dilema is that I currently own the Sony DVP-NS75H but I cannot strecth the picture on 2:35:1 dvds without leaving the zoomx1 screen on. We had to watch Cars on the zoom mode and it was not a lot of fun with the zoom function displaying on the screen. So i picked up the Panasonic S52 and use its cinema mode to fill the screen on 2:35:1 movies but the quality suffers and the picture overall in my opinion (stretched or non streched is not as sharp & clear as the sony dvd player. I cannot stretch the screen using my plasma tv due to the HDMI connection, it only allows 16:9 or 4:3, stupid ah?

My question is should I just keep the sony and and play the 2:35:1 movies with the black bars since I only watch one or two 2:35:1 movies a week? Does this really matter now in days with the newer plasmas. I currently have my picture settings at around 50+ which is halfway on the Samsung. I never used the dynamic (torch) mode and so far I have not seen much IR on logos, my daughter averages 2-3 hours a day of Nick Jr. and I have never seen any IR or burn in from the Nick Jr. logo. Anyways, I would like to know how many of the newer plasma owners actually watch 2:35:1 movies in their original aspect and have they have any problems? Does anyone worry about this? Thanks, Los

Personally, I avoid 2.35:1 movies, I want the widescreen to fully fit the screen and try to purchase 1.85:1 whenever possible. That beign said, I have a S5053 and have watched a couple movies in that format with no problems. Oddly enough, I also HAD a DVP-NS75H player as well connected via HDMI. I compared the PQ to that of the DVD player on my XBOX360 and found very little difference. Since my 360 is hooked up via component, I can use the multiple zoom in levels available for the model we both have. I would ditch the HDMI and switch to component if it bothers you that much. As long as you keep viewing in that format to roughly 15% of your overall usage then you're fine from what I hear. I've never had any problems. Unless your a videophile you'll notice very little difference between HDMI and component connections. I ended up returning that player and will wait around for a winning HD format to emerge before adding any more to my DVD collection. Upconversion is overated, when a decent DVD player is connected via component the PQ is about equal on this television (IMO).

I personally do not avoid 2.35:1 movies. I used to, to be certain. For the first 180 hours I zoomed anything that was 2.35:1. I also kept the Picture down to 0, and Brightness to 5, on my Panasonic 50PX60U. Once I was confident that I had adequately broken in the plasma display, I bumped the Picture up to 5 and Brightness up to 10. I do not zoom 2.35:1 content, but then again I don't watch all that many DVDs. Once or twice a week at the most. I would say once you have broken in your set (at least 100 hours), it should be fine to show 2.35:1 content unzoomed.

Are translucent logos a threat for burn-in, or just the solid ones? It seems that most channels (network and cable) have a persistent logo at all times. How do people minimize the threat of burn-in from these?

I'd be concerned regarding what potential affect the heat generated by running a PDP continuously for 100 hours might have on some of the internal components.

Why? If runs at its operating temperature after a few hours of use, what is going to happen to make it "too hot" after more than that?

I'd be concerned regarding what potential affect the heat generated by running a PDP continuously for 100 hours might have on some of the internal components.


Televisions run at stores non-stop for months, sometimes more. Have you ever been to a 24-hr walmart? How about those Plasma displays they have at grocery stores, do you think the employees turn them off to give 'em some 'rest?' I don't understand why people are scared their electronics will break if left running for prolonged equipment. They are designed to function, preferably on. If your plasma malfunctions because it's been on too long, you have a defective unit.

Televisions run at stores non-stop for months, sometimes more. Have you ever been to a 24-hr walmart? How about those Plasma displays they have at grocery stores, do you think the employees turn them off to give 'em some 'rest?' I don't understand why people are scared their electronics will break if left running for prolonged equipment. They are designed to function, preferably on. If your plasma malfunctions because it's been on too long, you have a defective unit.

Agreed. Most people would be better off avoiding this forum. Pretty soon people will be watching break-in dvd's for 5000 hours and soaking their set in ice water...

I'd be concerned regarding what potential affect the heat generated by running a PDP continuously for 100 hours might have on some of the internal components.

I think turning a unit on and off would have more of an effect as it is the heating/cooling cycles that would cause 'wear and tear" through the expansion/contraction associated with each. Once your unit reaches it's normal operating temp, it should stay there barring any changes in the enviroment. 100 hours straight is probably better then 100 hours reached by having it on 30 minutes at a time.

Are translucent logos a threat for burn-in, or just the solid ones? It seems that most channels (network and cable) have a persistent logo at all times. How do people minimize the threat of burn-in from these?

I wouldn't be worried about station logos. THe commercial breaks in between give that area of the plasma a break. I'm at about 200hrs now and watch a lot of news channels, which ALWAYS have something permanently on screen. I've had it on a few hours straight and still no IR or burn in. Are you past your break in period? I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Thanks for the tip Nick. Actually I'm still in the first 100 hours. I've become paranoid particularly of the opaque logos (such as TLC) and persistent ones (such as NBC and Fox NFL coverage) where the logo stays in the same place even during instant replay.

Commercials are a nice break, although I've become accustomed to skipping them by DVR.

I am probably 60 hours into my plasma, I have all the settings set at 50, and I am fairly happy with the picture quality. I am wondering, if I generally watch shows that are in HD and have translucent logos, or movies on Showtime HD, how necessary is setting the brightness and contrast to 50 or below. (The first 50 hours, I was running all setting sbetween 40 - 45...a little too dark). The reason I ask, is I am very happy with the picture quality of the Night time mode setting. However, Brightness is at 70, contrast is at 60, color is 50 and sharpness is 40. I think the 70 is a little high, but it doesn't seem like I would have much to worry about regarding burn-in if there is nothing to burn-in! Correct? For example, if I were to watch a movie on Showtime HD, it fits the entire screen, there is no logo and no static images, I can't see where the problem would be. Now, if I were to watch a football game, I can see having the settings lower due to number of static images that are displayed. Any thoughts?

Sorry should have read that the night time mode setting is:
Contrast: 70
Brightness: 60
Color: 50
Sharpness: 40

Why don't people who complain that they have burn in ever come back later to tell us how their set is doing?


(My burn in has faded to almost nothing, you can't see it unless I pointed it out to you, it's defintly there but doesn't affect viewing at all. Of course this is after hundreds of hours of use.....)

But seriously if you have or had a burn in tell us how your set is doing later on.

Why don't people who complain that they have burn in ever come back later to tell us how their set is doing?

(My burn in has faded to almost nothing, you can't see it unless I pointed it out to you, it's defintly there but doesn't affect viewing at all. Of course this is after hundreds of hours of use.....)

But seriously if you have or had a burn in tell us how your set is doing later on.

About 30 hours later after noticing IR after playing Gears Of War on Xbox 360, I still see it there. I had reported it earlier in this thread btw. I've gone back to break-in setting on the input I use for Xbox. I have also limited gaming considerably to just under an hour a day with source change over between game rounds. It's better but for some reason I expected it to go away by now. My set has about 350 hours now and I spent 1st 200 carefully breaking it in. The IR is only visible against white or some very light background. Disappointed... :(

Your burnin kind of sounds like mine. It'll fade to almost nothing, but will still be there. But even on a white screen you would have to look so hard you'll go crosseyed just to see anything.....


I wouldn't worry about it at all. And the older your set gets, the less likely it'll happen again.

Televisions run at stores non-stop for months, sometimes more. Have you ever been to a 24-hr walmart? How about those Plasma displays they have at grocery stores, do you think the employees turn them off to give 'em some 'rest?' I don't understand why people are scared their electronics will break if left running for prolonged equipment. They are designed to function, preferably on. If your plasma malfunctions because it's been on too long, you have a defective unit.So would you guy's spend $$$$ for a demo unit? I know I wouldn't. Why age the phosphors at a faster rate then necessary, without the benefit of the enjoyment you'll get from watching your PDP? I've never seen a recommendation from Panasonic, Pioneer, etc., about using a break-in DVD... but I guess the "rocket scientists" who participate in the AVS Forum know better. ;)

I advocate the RTFM approach… as published by the manufacturer’s who actually make these products.

So, how do I get the break in DVD without having a DVD burner?

So, how do I get the break in DVD without having a DVD burner?

I guess you find someone who can burn it for you.

Your burnin kind of sounds like mine. It'll fade to almost nothing, but will still be there. But even on a white screen you would have to look so hard you'll go crosseyed just to see anything.....

You know, this taught me that 100 or even 200 hours breakin simply doesn't cut it if one wants to be on the safe side. I didn't abuse the set by any means and only played Xbox post-breakin period. I've also noticed a small horizontal bar like IR in the right lower corner. I think that's probably from news channels. It's a lot less noticeable than the other one though.

I wouldn't worry about it at all. And the older your set gets, the less likely it'll happen again.

Thanks, I hope so. I've timed getting a new set and breakin so that I can play Gears Of War when it's out. Now that I see GOW related IR, and even with all extra precautions, I'm hesitant playing it again because that's basically the only game I'm interested in at the moment. I have a new 27" bedroom LCD coming in a week or so. I might just have to hook up Xbox to that LCD until I see my Pioneer's IR go away.

Since so many people are into, or will soon be into next gen video games, and since the only real drawback to plasma is possible burn in, why hasn't one of the major manufacturers put a plan in place to have these panels broken in already, greatly reducing that risk?

You still hear stories of people who broke their panel in for 200+ hours and still see IR, and others who gamed at the 20 hour mark and have none.

I would just think that many people are close to choosing plasma, but the burn in risk scares them (me included) for a tv that costs thousands of dollars.

It seems that if they are broken in correctly and settings are turned down, the risk is minimal. Just thought maybe someone would find a way to have safely put 200 hours on them before they hit the stores.

Just thinking out loud, would seem to gain more market share to me anyway.

About 30 hours later after noticing IR after playing Gears Of War on Xbox 360, I still see it there. I had reported it earlier in this thread btw. I've gone back to break-in setting on the input I use for Xbox. I have also limited gaming considerably to just under an hour a day with source change over between game rounds. It's better but for some reason I expected it to go away by now. My set has about 350 hours now and I spent 1st 200 carefully breaking it in. The IR is only visible against white or some very light background. Disappointed... :(
What type and model plasma do you have?

rripcordd,

Buried somewhere few pages earlier :) ... I have a Pioneer PDP-4271.

DReilly1,

I think game developers are partially to blame. For the most popular titles they should provide an option to hide any static images such as HUD or ammo count.

I am currently on the market for a new 42" HD TV. I have talked to alot of different people and read AVS form to get information on the burn in issue with plasma's. One question on my mind is how does the burn in of standard CRT tv's compare to the burn in issue with 2006 plasma panels. Everyone knows what to expect out of CRT's so it seams to me that a comparison of plasma burn in to CRT burn in is a great way to get a feel for how much of a issue it is going to be for different people.

P.S. I am looking at the sony v2500 1080P LCD and the pany 60U plasma.

k

This is my first HD TV, I bought the Samsung Plasma HP-S4253. I purchased the unit 5 days ago and this is the first i have heard about having to "Break In" the TV. My Question is after watching about 20 hours of random media on the default settings, what should i do to for the rest of my 100 hours? Currently i was only switching through the default settings of dynamic, standard, and movie. Dynamic has a contrast of 100 and brightness of 75. After reading this forum I am crapping my pants fearing that I may have damaged my investment.
I have all of the settings currently on 50 (bright, contrast, color, sharpness) and I plan on leaving them that way for the next 80 hours or so.
Is 50 even to high? Or should I be safe with those settings?
Thank You

David

eman - that is the exact same question I have. I read over the report put out by Panasonic which states that CRT-based TV's are also prone to burn-in (which I already knew), however, the report did not state how prone to burn-in plasmas are relative to CRT displays. Hopefully, the risk is roughly similar or the same.

There was a sheet in the box of my plasma that says out of the box it comes preset to shift the screen in a counter clockwise motion I guess to preven burn in. My question is is picture quality reduced? If so after the first 200 hours can I turn this feature off if I'm watching movies? Obviously for video games and PC use I'll turn the counter clock wise motioning off.

How long do you recommend waiting before using the plasma to do pc work? 100 hours, 1,000 hours?

Well, let me begin this by saying that I am an idiot.

I just got my TH-42PX60U, and I'm trying to leave it on for 100 hours straight so that I can go through the break in period as quickly as possible. I downloaded the burn in DVD and I have that, and I used it last night. Well, after reading some of the posts in this thread about just leaving it on Discovery HD, I thought I'd do that and spare my DVD player the abuse.

Bad Idea. VERY bad idea. If anyone out there is thinking about doing this, don't. I have a SA 8300 HD cable box, and after some time the hard drive in it for the DVR spins down and goes into a sleep mode. At this point, the box keeps displaying the regular TV image, but overlays a box over it with the words "press any button to watch TV". The box takes up the entire part of the screen where a 4:3 image would be, and the places where the side bars would be is where you can still see the TV image moving.

Well, it stayed in this shape for at least 10 hours. I woke up this morning and came up stairs and saw it and nearly made an audible noise. I rushed to turn on the DVD instead. I paused it on a white background and there is the slightest of lines visible on the sides. Nothing is noticable on any other background or in any sort of television image, so the TV is basically fine for use, but it does have some form of uneven wear or image retention. I'm hoping of course it is the latter, but even if it is uneven wear then I'm not very upset for 2 reasons:

1: Its the reverse of what would happen from watching too much 4:3 TV. Logic would dictate that watching 4:3 TV would over time fix this. However....

2. I'm better off leaving things as they are. If its something you can't notice, then whatever. I'll consider it lesson learned and just move on.

I can't wait until the break in period is over. I still have about 40 hours to go, but I'm ready to be done with this crap.

I lucked out. After less than 2 hours of normal TV watching even on a white background any IR is completely gone. I've learned my lesson.

Wow, I didn't think a cable box would do that. You mean after just leaving the cable box on a specific channel it goes into standby mode? What if you're watching it? I leave my Comcast Motorola 6412 box on 24/7 (it's recommended since the unit doesn't like to record anything when off).

Wow, I didn't think a cable box would do that. You mean after just leaving the cable box on a specific channel it goes into standby mode? What if you're watching it? I leave my Comcast Motorola 6412 box on 24/7 (it's recommended since the unit doesn't like to record anything when off).

Yeah, I was really annoyed with it when I got up late this morning. Its probably because it has a hard drive for the DVR, but I still don't get why they woudln't put a full screen screen saver on with some random movement as opposed to the 4:3 block of gray with words in the middle.

Actually, the block was probably gray because thats the color I have for the box to display side bars on 4:3. If not it probably would have been black which would have been worse.

Its an HD dedicated box (SA 8300) so for them to do something like that really irks me because you know a good percentage of the people using this box (if not the majority) have a plasma or rear projection display which is susceptible to burn in. I know its not their responsibility but one would think that you would put in a simple feature to help out the vast majority of your customer base.

Anyhow, I'm glad I go through this experience with nothing but a lesson.

Took delivery of a 42" Panny 600U this morning and officially joined the "Burn In/IR" 12 Step Program.

Knocked the settings down to:

Mode: Standard
Picture: 0
Color: -6
Tint: -4
Sharpness: -20
Color Temp: Normal
Black Level: Light

IMHO, picture looks like crap (1989 Projection Contrast) but I'm trying to avoid coming home from work next week and seeing an image of a purple dinosaur forever etched into the panel.

I'd forgo the ridiculous OTA TV Guide Feature to have an integrated screen saver any day. And will the day ever come when networks shift their logo's/streams from left/right/top bottom? (rhetorical)

Can't wait until I pop the proverbial 100 hr. cherry. Going to calibrate and roll the dice at that point. Extremely happy with the purchase other than the slight case of IR neurosis that came with it. If anyone needs to feel better about the slight IR they may be experiencing, fly into DFW and check out the panels at the rental car center. There's about 8 panels that do nothing but display flight status. Can barely read the existing image because the Burn In/IR is so insane.

On another note, with respect to DVD connectivity is the image going to be noteably better using composite/progressive as opposed to standard audio/visual cables? I've read about the infamous Oppo and figure I'll remain content with my generic Sony Progrssive Scan until Blue Ray or HD DVD wins the battle. Still haunted by the memories of my father throwing down over a G on a betamax.

Took delivery of a 42" Panny 600U this morning and officially joined the "Burn In/IR" 12 Step Program.

Knocked the settings down to:

Mode: Standard
Picture: 0
Color: -6
Tint: -4
Sharpness: -20
Color Temp: Normal
Black Level: Light


I just purchased the same unit yesterday.

Can anyone else confirm that setting the "Picture" control to "0" is relatively safe for the break-in period?

"0" still seems kind of high to my eye, so I've set my "Picture" to "-20". I'm wondering if by lowering the levels SO low, I'll need a longer break-in period to compensate. Any opinions? Thanks.

Hey all,

I got a Panasonic TH-50PX6U several weeks ago. Using the old dvd player I had I could not use the Break-In DVD. Instead, I just watched tv (actually just had it on while I was in the house) for long periods at a time...6- 10 hours. I believe I have surpassed the 100 hours. The settings are 0 for everything. The PQ is still decent while not burning any of the plasma pixels. I did have a case of IR at about 20 hours from ESPN or FoxSportsnet, but it was only IR. I switched channels and watched theat for a while and the IR was gone. I still watch ESPN (with the banner), but none of the news channels. To this point, no damage.

I think, just to be safe, I will continue on this same mode (0 on everything) for another hundred hours. It is not that big of a deal, the PQ is still good, and then I will calibrate the set.

I hope this helps others. Let me know if I can be of further assistance.

After scanning, I need to ask (my wife uses Closed Captioning) are there any stories regarding the black bands using CC?

Thanks,

Hi
I just got a new Panasonic(50PX60U) delivered yesterday. I am running the burn-in DVD (d/l from this site) on it and I notice two faint black line (like 4:3 image but not exactly at the same spot) when some versions of white color( there are many white color where it does not show) is on. One line is about 1/3 from the left edge and other about 3/4 from left edge. I do not see the line when the TV is running or when any other color is displayed using the burn-in DVD. Since the TV has come we have used it for an 1.5 hrs only and watched the SD channels in FULL mode. It has never been used in 4:3 mode. I checked the hours used and it shows it as 2 hrs. I have already set my TV settings to those recommended here for the break-in period.

Can someone explain what these lines are? Do I need to worry about it.

Thks

My first post here!
Here goes: I purchased the Panasonic TH-42PX60U this past Wednesday. Last night, after viewing some movie, I was checking the STB’s guide and felt asleep for about an hour with the guide on full screen. I woke up to find the after image (of the guide) on the screen. I turned it off and went to bed. This morning the after image was still there. I’ve been running an array of DVDs (played thru HDMI) since the morning and it seems that the after image is slowly fading away. At this point the TV set has only about 15 to 20 viewing hours on it, and is set to Standard (vs. the out-of-the-box Vivid setting). Is this just a case of Image Retention (IR), or should I be further concerned? The regular TV programming is being run in JUST mode with no bars. Anyone?
Thank you in advance.

This is a classic case of why retailers should give serious warnings to new plasma buyers.

Get that set out of vivid mode, and break it in for a couple hundred hours with full screen viewing and NO STATIC images.

If you had a static image for 1 hour on a new TV with 15 hours of total time, that means the static image accounts for over 5% of the TVs life so far
That is like leaving a static image for 20 hours on a TV with 300 hours total time - no body would want to do that!

- it will take a while for that to fade (if it does at all)

Please come back and report how it is going, but you'll likely see that IR for a week or so.

I have been reading all about Break in and Burn in all over this site. I understand the concept of Burn in, and I am being careful about not having stationary images play too long in games, tv, etc.

As long as I am careful about burn in, is there any other reason to have my settings so low for the break in period?

I have a new Panny th-42px600u, and have heard you have to be pretty abusive to cause burn in on the new generation of Plasmas.

I use the plasmatvbuyinguide site optimized settings and it looks great (although I like my black level dark on DVDs). Am I hurting the lifes span of my plasma by enjoying those settings?

How important is it to go through The Break in DVDs or Avia Dvds I have heard so much about? Do they optimize anything besides the obvious picture settings on my TV.

Hey all.

I have my Pioneer 4360 for a year now, for the first 100H I had all the settings bumped down to minimum. My first IR happened after 2 mounts after purchase, I was playing Fife 2006 for 6 hours and EA logo in lower left corner burn in really bad. I took 24 H of watching regular cable and EA logo went away. 2 mounts ago I noticed IR but from closed caption on ma SA 8300 (black bars). Usually I run Burn in DVD to get rid of any Image Retention, so long story short, it took me more then 4 weeks to get rid of the black bars from closed caption. I guess I had there for a long time I just never noticed it before.

I have my Pioneer 4360 for a year now, for the first 100H I had all the settings bumped down to minimum. My first IR happened after 2 mounts after purchase, I was playing Fife 2006 for 6 hours and EA logo in lower left corner burn in really bad. I took 24 H of watching regular cable and EA logo went away. 2 mounts ago I noticed IR but from closed caption on ma SA 8300 (black bars). Usually I run Burn in DVD to get rid of any Image Retention, so long story short, it took me more then 4 weeks to get rid of the black bars from closed caption. I guess I had there for a long time I just never noticed it before.

Thanks for the confirmation. I posted earlier about Pioneer 4270 IR on this thread. A week later I can see that IR from Gears Of War is noticeably less visible. My guess that in about 2-3 weeks it'll be almost gone. Note to myself - play Xbox games in moderations, i.e. in 2-3 hour sessions at most. FTR, I have over 400 hours on my TV now.

I finished GOW on my Xbox 360; I played the whole game at 40 contrast since there is not a lot of static images in game play. Everything’s good here. 

Maybe its been posted before, I dont know but here it is. When you buy something such as a TV, you should enjoy it out of the box, without having to worry about setting it to minimal settings to avoid Burn-in or IR. To me this is a FATAL flaw of plasma and the biggest advantage of LCD, who cares if plasmas really do have a superior image if you have to worry about them all the time!! I almost made the mistake of buying a Pioneer PDP5070hd, but after reading all of this its LCD for me. I want to enjoy my new TV, not worry for it!!

Maybe its been posted before, I dont know but here it is. When you buy something such as a TV, you should enjoy it out of the box, without having to worry about setting it to minimal settings to avoid Burn-in or IR. To me this is a FATAL flaw of plasma and the biggest advantage of LCD, who cares if plasmas really do have a superior image if you have to worry about them all the time!! I almost made the mistake of buying a Pioneer PDP5070hd, but after reading all of this its LCD for me. I want to enjoy my new TV, not worry for it!!

enjoy the poor blacks, back light bleed and bad viewing angle ;)

but seriously - I think a properly broken in plasma is fine.

I finished GOW on my Xbox 360; I played the whole game at 40 contrast since there is not a lot of static images in game play. Everything’s good here. ?

good to hear that!
I also have a pioneer 4360 with about 500 hours on it (have had it about 6 months or so).

I broke it in for the first 200 hours, with low contrast and brightness, and haven't worried about it since.

I now have contrast at about 30 and the only IR I have ever seen was at around the 140 hour mark, after a DVD menu with bright static letters, got left on screen for half an hour, and it went away with in 30 seconds.

Maybe its been posted before, I dont know but here it is. When you buy something such as a TV, you should enjoy it out of the box, without having to worry about setting it to minimal settings to avoid Burn-in or IR. To me this is a FATAL flaw of plasma and the biggest advantage of LCD, who cares if plasmas really do have a superior image if you have to worry about them all the time!! I almost made the mistake of buying a Pioneer PDP5070hd, but after reading all of this its LCD for me. I want to enjoy my new TV, not worry for it!!

Well, considering I did the one of the worst things possible to my TV in the break in period and haven't suffered a thing for it other than a short span of hardly noticeable IR retention, I've stopped worrying one bit about it. I just finished my break in period and I'm not one bit worried about it.

If anything, I've found that the problem IS overblown. Not to say one should abuse their set, but I feel you have to go out of your way in order to damage these sets.

If I am to break in a set for the 100 hours as recommended. How safe would it be to have one of the Panasonic TH60U for heavy game use. The set will probably be used for 4-5 hours daily on the same game, some days even longer as the set will be used by more than one person playing the same game.

Should I go with an Vizio LCD when my priority will be gaming followed by, football. As much as I'd rather have the better image, with the amount of gaming going on I'm deathly afraid of burn in.

I'm thinking about buying Panasonic Plasma. I only have one thing holding me back. With most content still being broadcast in 4:3, will I suffer burn in from the sidebars after a proper 100 hr. break in? I know there are ways to fill the screen but I really hate the look of a stretched screen and a grainy zoomed picture. I won’t buy a Plasma if I watching 4:3 will cause burn in from the gray sidebars.

FIU Panther, if you are primarily looking to game, you may want to consider the LCD TV. Plasmas are far more resistant to burn-in now, but if your primary use is game-play, you will likely encounter burn-in sooner than later.

Mark_P, if you do not plan to stretch or zoom 4:3 content, you may want to consider something else besides plasma. Same as above. Plasmas have improved considerably in the burn-in department, and can tolerate some gaming and 4:3 content. But if you are viewing 4:3 most of the time, or gaming most of the time, this may not be the best display for you, as it will eventually begin to show uneven wear.

FIU Panther, if you are primarily looking to game, you may want to consider the LCD TV. Plasmas are far more resistant to burn-in now, but if your primary use is game-play, you will likely encounter burn-in sooner than later.


Thank you AVJeff.

Quick question:

I'm unable to use the DVD supplied in this thread to break-in my plasma...

I plan to cut the settings way down. But is there any channel recommended that would mimic that same sort of scenes on the DVD? I guess a channel without tickets, and without a static logo (is a transparent logo ok?). I'm thinking maybe HBO, as long as it's not showing a letter-box movie? Damn if it doesn't seem like every channel has static logos, or tickers, or something like that....

FIU Panther, if you are primarily looking to game, you may want to consider the LCD TV. Plasmas are far more resistant to burn-in now, but if your primary use is game-play, you will likely encounter burn-in sooner than later.

Mark_P, if you do not plan to stretch or zoom 4:3 content, you may want to consider something else besides plasma. Same as above. Plasmas have improved considerably in the burn-in department, and can tolerate some gaming and 4:3 content. But if you are viewing 4:3 most of the time, or gaming most of the time, this may not be the best display for you, as it will eventually begin to show uneven wear.


What do plasma TV owners do with 2.35:1 movies to minimize burn-in from those black bars?

What do plasma TV owners do with 2.35:1 movies to minimize burn-in from those black bars?

I have the Panasonic 50PX60U, and I watch plenty of 2.35:1 films. When I first got my plasma, during the break-in period, I zoomed those films so there would be no black bars. I also had Picture and Brightness turned down. Now that I have been out of the break-in period for a couple months, I have Picture and Brightness at normal settings, and I watch DVDs in their native aspect. It isn't a problem because I only watch one or two DVDs a week. The vast majority of programming I watch is not 2.35:1, and I never watch 4:3 content in its native aspect. Mixing up my viewing keeps me safe from any burn-in. I'm certain I could safely watch three or four times as many 2.35:1 DVDs as I do. Now if all you used your plasma for was viewing 2.35:1 DVDs, then I would be more concerned.

A movie is usually around 2 hours long. Just watch an hour or two of full screen afterwards & you'll be just fine.

A movie is usually around 2 hours long. Just watch an hour or two of full screen afterwards & you'll be just fine.

That isn't exactly the solution... The issue is tha the asymmetrical pixel aging is cumulative; meaning that you can have a problem if you watch alot of the same thing, regardless of breaking it up by switching channels or aspect ratios.

However, I think the rule of thumb that only 15% of viewing should be letterboxed movies is insane. I am aiming for more like 30-40% with black bars, and then 60-70% full screen to make up for it.

I'd like to hear from more guys that watch sports on thier plasmas - those score bars are often static and bright - how many people are having issues with those burning in?

Is there any other reason to break in a Plasma besides burn in? Life span of the plasma, etc.

Is there any other reason to break in a Plasma besides burn in? Life span of the plasma, etc.
I believe the break-in is strictly to reduce the chance of burn-in.

Is image burning with plasmas only an issue on the cheap-o screens these days? The Circuit City near my has a feed loop for all HDTV's which cycles between 16:9 and 4:3 sources, and out of all the tv's on display, only a single one (sylvania) had very apparent burn in. None of the others even hinted a little bit.

If one is careful never to leave the TV on 24/7 in a 4:3 mode, or other things going with static images, is this even a problem anymore?

I can't stand the muddy/grey blacks with the LCD's right now, and I think Plasma is my only other choice. I will probably go with a Pioneer model, as they seem to be top of the heap, and look much nicer color wise once played around with than the panasonics around it (those too also adjusted)

"If one is careful never to leave the TV on 24/7 in a 4:3 mode, or other things going with static images, is this even a problem anymore?"


If thats true than break in is a non issue now as long as we are careful, right?

What should I set it to if I just bought the Plasma and am trying to break it in?

That isn't exactly the solution... The issue is tha the asymmetrical pixel aging is cumulative; meaning that you can have a problem if you watch alot of the same thing, regardless of breaking it up by switching channels or aspect ratios.

However, I think the rule of thumb that only 15% of viewing should be letterboxed movies is insane. I am aiming for more like 30-40% with black bars, and then 60-70% full screen to make up for it.

I'd like to hear from more guys that watch sports on thier plasmas - those score bars are often static and bright - how many people are having issues with those burning in?

Well, the higher-end plasmas do have pixel shifting, so a few hours of something "different" does go a long way...

Well, the higher-end plasmas do have pixel shifting, so a few hours of something "different" does go a long way...


But say Gears of War as an example is played on your Plasma everyday for different amounts of time for a year, many times for multihour sessions. Wouldn't the cumlative time of playing the same game burn in the hud? Even if you watch other programs such as football, and dvds.

OK - so I bought a plasma around 3 years ago which I've been enjoying but am now upgrading. I pop back to this forum and noticed the same old IR/burn-in threads making a comeback. What on earth has changed to have this issue rear it's head again 3 years after we all apparently put it to bed? Seriously - the concensus back then was that there really no need to be paranoid about this - is the main change taxing these units that many more people are playing games for exceedingly long times that have fixed HUD panels or such ? I mean, if IR really occurs, then shouldn't we just be returning the units for replacement ? There is _NO WAY_ that people should require a warmup perioid unless the vendor clearly states this in their documentation. Are the companies doing this now ?

But say Gears of War as an example is played on your Plasma everyday for different amounts of time for a year, many times for multihour sessions. Wouldn't the cumlative time of playing the same game burn in the hud? Even if you watch other programs such as football, and dvds.

You could replace "Gears of War" with ESPN in that sentence. If that was the case, we'd all have espn logo's burned into our tvs by now right?

You could replace "Gears of War" with ESPN in that sentence. If that was the case, we'd all have espn logo's burned into our tvs by now right?

Not necessarily - I think ESPN and a lot of the other networks have done a good job making the logos opaque. Last month DiscoveryHD revised theirs and has substantially reduced it's bightness.
So really, they are not exactly static as they change colour based on what is underneath them.

As for the response regarding pixel shifting - I can't see it doing much with a really bright static image; Unless the shift is more then several hundred pixels, all it would do is mean your burn-in would have a soft instead of hard edge to it.

Bottom line - bright static images are bad for plasmas - why are we in denial about that?

FYI on Gaming. I just bought a Samsung HPS4253 and played Madden 07 for two hours a couple days ago. I see the EA logo in the bottom right hand corner of my TV now but only if I use the "white-screen" burn-in protection thingy. I have my setting below 50% and it still happened.

You could replace "Gears of War" with ESPN in that sentence. If that was the case, we'd all have espn logo's burned into our tvs by now right?

Some of us do.

FYI on Gaming. I just bought a Samsung HPS4253 and played Madden 07 for two hours a couple days ago. I see the EA logo in the bottom right hand corner of my TV now but only if I use the "white-screen" burn-in protection thingy. I have my setting below 50% and it still happened.

Apparently EA and more specifically Madden is one of the worst.
I haven't seen it - but isn't the EA logo totally bright white?

I don't watch sports or game on my plasma (Pioneer 4360), so I have no first hand experience of this stuff.

It seems with the risk of burn in a hardcore gamer/(sports watcher?) may be better off looking at an LCD then?

But say Gears of War as an example is played on your Plasma everyday for different amounts of time for a year, many times for multihour sessions. Wouldn't the cumlative time of playing the same game burn in the hud? Even if you watch other programs such as football, and dvds.

No, it is the constant static image in one spot. Soon as you switch to something else and watch it, you are washing that area out. IR and burn in is not accumalative (i.e. once you get to 20 hours from one game you get it).

well -what do you know - my new Pioneer mentions danger of burnin right there on Page 7, including this gem "When playing a game, the "GAME" mode setting is strongly recommended. However, please limit its use to less than 2 hours at a time". Crikey.

Also, there is an explicit note that says that the warranty does NOT cover residual images.

I guess that is me told !

Apparently EA and more specifically Madden is one of the worst.
I haven't seen it - but isn't the EA logo totally bright white?

I don't watch sports or game on my plasma (Pioneer 4360), so I have no first hand experience of this stuff.

Yeah the EA Sports logo is totally bright white. I did play this in Game mode with the pixel shift on as well and it still happened.

I also noticed when watching football on Sunday that the CBS score logo had a bit of IR but it eventually went away.

I'm not sure that even breaking these things in will make a difference because I'm being as careful as possible with settings turned way down to where it's almost unpleasant to watch and it is still happening.

Dumbest thing of the year: A dude in the xbox forms got some IR he couldn't remove, so he plugged his TV into the washer and dryer plugins (with some adapter) and blew his tv-up so he could replace it under the warranty... people are losing their minds.

OK - so I bought a plasma around 3 years ago which I've been enjoying but am now upgrading. I pop back to this forum and noticed the same old IR/burn-in threads making a comeback. What on earth has changed to have this issue rear it's head again 3 years after we all apparently put it to bed? Seriously - the concensus back then was that there really no need to be paranoid about this - is the main change taxing these units that many more people are playing games for exceedingly long times that have fixed HUD panels or such ? I mean, if IR really occurs, then shouldn't we just be returning the units for replacement ? There is _NO WAY_ that people should require a warmup perioid unless the vendor clearly states this in their documentation. Are the companies doing this now ?


No it's still an issue I think. Mine right now has around 50 hours on it and it still is sensitive to burn in and it has that built safety feature that is supposed to help prevent burn in but it still seem very possible. If I go to my menu screen and stay on it for more than a few seconds I will have that image stay on the screen and be visible during darker scenes. It eventually fades but I think burn in is still an issue. Also I have my contrast brightness etc. turned down to 20% of max or less right now. Hopefullly after 50 more hours it will be less sensitive.

Dumbest thing of the year: A dude in the xbox forms got some IR he couldn't remove, so he plugged his TV into the washer and dryer plugins (with some adapter) and blew his tv-up so he could replace it under the warranty... people are losing their minds.


To some degree the manufactures have this coming if they can't fix the problem. Dishing out high dollar for a unit that has this kind of weakness and you're going to have people trying to screw someone in ths supply chain over.

Why are plasmas more sensitive to burn in than crts?

Why are plasmas more sensitive to burn in than crts?

Because it is phosphor based. The pixels are kind of like ingnited to make the color, the longer they stay on, the more chance the phosphor retains that color.

No, it is the constant static image in one spot. Soon as you switch to something else and watch it, you are washing that area out. IR and burn in is not accumalative (i.e. once you get to 20 hours from one game you get it).

I thought burn in not being accumulative was only true for LCD. I thought that the problem with PLASMA was the pixel wear being accumulative? I thought for example, a LOGO being displayed on a PLASMA, for 60 minutes a day, for a total time of 10 days, would be the same as it being displayed on PLASMA for 10 hours straight.

I've read 75% of this thread and I am more confused now than ever. So you are supposed to refrain from static images for the first 100-200 hours? This is somewhat tought to do. Name a show where something is always moving. The news for example, the guy/gal may move their mouth and hands every now and then and cut to a short news clip, but much of it is them sitting there. It seems to me that video games on 50% levels without HUD's or static logos would be the best possible way to break in a plasma. The scenery is always change, the person,car,bike is always moving back and forth and you would be using most of the colors at the same time. Am I missing something here? I think video games are crucial to prolonging life of a plasma! (said in jest a little)

I thought burn in not being accumulative was only true for LCD. I thought that the problem with PLASMA was the pixel wear being accumulative? I thought for example, a LOGO being displayed on a PLASMA, for 60 minutes a day, for a total time of 10 days, would be the same as it being displayed on PLASMA for 10 hours straight.

You are correct. Plasma pixel aging IS accumulative.

(Note: rant warning for the following paragraph...)

Anyone that thinks changing the channel "washes away" or "replenishes" the pixels some how, doesn't understand the technology they spent thousands of dollars on; and that is fine - no one says you need to understand technology to buy it, but you shouldn't be giving advice to others if you don't know what you are talking about.

I've read 75% of this thread and I am more confused now than ever. So you are supposed to refrain from static images for the first 100-200 hours? This is somewhat tought to do. Name a show where something is always moving. The news for example, the guy/gal may move their mouth and hands every now and then and cut to a short news clip, but much of it is them sitting there. It seems to me that video games on 50% levels without HUD's or static logos would be the best possible way to break in a plasma. The scenery is always change, the person,car,bike is always moving back and forth and you would be using most of the colors at the same time. Am I missing something here? I think video games are crucial to prolonging life of a plasma! (said in jest a little)

You are tripping a little...

The news example is over the top.
Static lines and ticker bars on CNN are a problem, but the news anchor's face being in roughly the same spot wouldn't be considered a "static image."
The real issue is that the pixels age (quickly for the first couple hundred hours) so if you have asymmetrical aging, then some pixels will be slightly less bright then others. So, if you have a white image on screen in ceratin areas all the time (EA logo) then eventially, that area wil be slightly less bright then the pixels beside it, so when the entire screen is asked to make a white image, you'll see the slightly less bright area where the EA logo was.

This problem is largely solved by agining the pixels evenly initally, when they are most suseptable to fading.
After that critical break-in period, the risk is substantially reduced.