MASTER BURN-IN/BREAK-IN THREAD: ALL POSTS HERE ONLY! - Page 3  

I just wanted to report my experience over the weekend. Friday night I had a bunch of people over for an XBox night. 4 Xboxes, 4 Tvs, 16 people.

Anyways, we had one of the XBoxes hooked up all night to my Panny PW6UY. We played Halo from about 6pm - 4am. I stretched the picture to fit the TV, since this isn't a 16:9 game. Twice during the night, I ran the white bar across the screen a few times, "just in case." I spent a good part of Saturday examining the picture. I can't find any indication of burn in at all.

Disclaimer: I'm not trying to condone anybody play Halo on their plasma for 10 hours straight. Just wanted to report what I experienced.

I'm considering buying a plasma set right now.

After reading this thread I can't help but be a little scared by all this burn-in talk. I don't want to live my life having to check the tv every time I watch something for a few hours or play a game for a few hours. I don't need the extra anxiety in my life having to worry about a $6000 piece of electronics equipment.


It just seems that there are so many potential pitfalls with these sets. Almost every single network on tv has some logo on the screen and you always have to worry about that.


I basically get the impression that the only material you are completely safe watching on a plasma is a 1:85 dvd.

Yup. Unfortunately. The model they should all follow is Discovery HD, where the logo comes on only intermittently and therefore does not cause any risk of burn-in. Why have the logo present all the time (except during commercials) is beyond comprehension. Maybe they think it's "chic." It's just plain stupid, if you ask me.

Yeah, or why not also have the logo switch from the left side to the right side as well? You could have it on for 1 minute every 10 and it could also switch from left to right each time.

How about a dancing logo that flits about the screen like a little digital pixel nymph?

I have had a Panasonic plasma for about a year and a half. I don't stretch 4:3 content. I play games on it (PS2). After all this time (it gets a lot of use), it only has slightly uneven wear from the side bars. It's not noticeable at all unless you have a solid white screen. There are no station logos or game HUD elements burned in at all.

In my opinion, burn-in worries are way overrated. The meaningless amount of "burn in" I have could have been prevented by using stretch mode. I could set up a "reverse pattern" to wear the side bars to the same level as the central 4:3 area.

Well, I have a question that may be stupid, but hasn't been addressed anywhere in this thread.

Can high color or sharpness contribute to burn in? When I watch standard cable I like to set the color and sharpness level rather high, but I keep the brightness and contrast extremely low.

Is this a concern at all? My gut tells me no, but I figured I should ask.

By the way, I have a Panny TH37PA20U and I am loving it. Without question the best purchase I've ever made.

Great forum. Got lots of useful information prior to making the jump into plasma, so obviously I am a newbie.

I just got a Panny 42 PX25 and when I go to watch Lord of the Rings and other widescreen movies, even in zoom mode there's black bars on the top and bottom of screen. Is there a way to get rid of the black bars?

I'm very worried about burn from watching movies like this. I probably watch on average 2 movies per week.

Should I be worried about burn in from these black bars?

Is there anything I can do to help prevent burn in from this?

From what I read, the channel logo is not a big issue for burn-in because of regular commercial breaks from programming, right?

Thanks.

Channel logos that stay on throughout uninterrupted movies (and there are a lot of such movies, especially on premium channels) are a definite issue for burn-in. The question is: how much of an issue? Say you watch one such movie every day -- with the logo in the right bottom corner -- will burn-in eventually show up? Anyone knows?

If you are only watching 2 movies per week (with black bars at the top and bottom) then I wouldn't even think about burn-in. It will take a lot more than that to cause problems.

Agree. 2 movies per week = ~ 4 hours worth of viewing. IMHO, not a problem. At least I haven't experienced it .

FWIW, re: channel logos, also have not had a problem watching ESPN, TNTHD (thanks E*), etc.

The point is that if you vary your viewing habits, ie the type and format of content you will not experience burn-in. Display a static image for, say, ever and yes there will be burn-in.

These displays are becoming more "mainstream" with the consumer. The average consumer "surfs" (I know I am the average consumer). We watch SD (stretched from E* for Nick, and the kids shows maybe "food network" every now and then), HD (normal friggin magnificent via both E* and OTA), and DVD's (very good above SD but below HD).

Can't think of another display device that I would rather have for all the different types of content that we view.

FYI, today in "BestBuy" flyer they had the Sampo Plasma 50" for under $4k.

In a word, no. As to their presence, search for aspect ratios, or read the sticky post in the Home Theater General forum on this topic.

My philosophy: the plasma is for the enjoyment and betterment of movies. Let it do its job, and don't be stressed about hypothetical "damage" to the plasma from using it.

I got my HD hook-up last night, watched CSI:Miami and PQ was great! HD RULES!

Thanks again for all the great info & make my mind more at ease with purchasing a plasma.

I was reading somewhere on this forum that the new plasmas have something that prevents burn in? what feature is that called? If kids play x-box and leave, If I turn off the tv but not the game console does that help prevent burn in?

Xbox is a terrible system. Poorly designed controller, almost no AAA games, and poorly designed hardware. PS2 and GCN have huge quantities of superb games, with sleek hardware, and good controllers. Hah. Xbox 2 will not even have a hard drive, nor will it be able to playback Xbox games. What does this mean? The best way to prevent burn-in on your plasma is simply not to play the Xbox. It is a terrible console to begin with.

How about a remotely constructive comment, Nintendo boy?

Jason, I'm not sure to what you refer. If you turn the TV off, the console can remain on indefinitely with no risk of burn in, however.

Mark

If Congress mandated no burn-in displays could the Video Manufacturers comply? Would it also be possible to create electronics that could filter out all burn-in questions at AVS? The mind staggers with such possibilities!

My Daewoo display has something called Dynamic Pixel Management, which is supposed to prevent burn-in. I have no idea how it works, or if it actually does though. I'm sure there are some more experienced posters who would know for sure

> The best way to prevent burn-in on your plasma is simply not to play the Xbox.

and PS2 and GCN. Or Atari, Commodore or PC, for that matter. Oh, and not watching CNBC, ESPN or anything that has tickers. Are you satisfied yet?

Turning off the TV should be fine. I do play Xbox games occasionally (also watch ESPN and CNBC, for that matter) for the past two years, and I haven't noticed anything much.

Hong.

If you have especially bad burn-in is this covered under most larger store's warranties? They sometimes mention they cover "wear and tear".

If so it would seem to be a good idea to get an extended warranty, so if you get burn-in after a few years you can just get it replaced.

Many, if not all, warranty's, manufacturer or extended, will not cover burn-in.

Sorry.

I play hours of xbox at a time with my pwd6uy, and have no issues. I used DVE to calibrate my xbox, and then turned down the contrast/brightness settings just to be sure.

Just so you know, xbox has a self dimming feature on it. Leave the system alone for about 5 minutes, and it drop it's brightness about 75% (from 100% down to about 15%). Nice addition which will help avoid any burn-in issues that would worry you.

You can also turn the "wobbler" function on. This shifts the image a few pixels at a time, not enough for you to notice, but supposedly enough to help avoide burn-in.

-JR

Thank you. actually no game station yet but with two kids already asking for it, I thought I better ask the question. Just making sure before I buy a plasma 42 inch. Just not completely sold on the DLP especially the Samsung. I hestiate with anything Samsung- past bad experience.
I am getting the panny std dwuy and was seeing if they had the hardware that helps reduce burn in?

Speaking of calibration? When I buy the plasma due I need to get that done? Or can I due it myself? What is it? I will turn down the color contrast.

Calibration is not just toning contrast down. It is about adjusting your display to more accurately display the image (or have your display perform better). It is not just for plasma displays.

You can hire someone to do it or you can buy a calibration DVD, such as Digital Video Essentials or AVIA and do it yourself. The DVDs are not as comprehensive as the professional calibration, but for most, they are enough.

Hong.

Merged with master burn-in thread.

LOL, if this obvious sign of burn in doesn't have you worrying, then I suggest you start. You've owned your plasma for only a year or so and you already have signs of bars on the sides? That's not a good sign at all, and the more you use your plasma that way, the WORSE it will get. The burnt-in bars on your plasma are by no means "meaningless" or "overrated."


If a year of non-stretched 4:3 footage has already given you signs of burn in, imagine playing your favorite videogame on a daily basis, with the HUD or health bar in the same place for around 2-3 hours a day? Stretch modes may be able to protect your screen from burnt-in bars, but not burnt-in health meters.

geezs, I thought this stuff only happens on Gamefaqs