MASTER BURN-IN THREAD: READ THIS FIRST! (And ask follow-ups here.) (1 Viewer)

[Zach Nelson]

I adjusted the settings using Avia. This is what I ended up with:

Contrast: 59
Brightness: 42
Color: 46
Tint: -4
Sharpness: 25

I should note, I bought the tv in June 2000, and the burn-in happened Sept. 2001, so it had a good number of hours to get acclimated. But again, with 9/11 and everything, we were glued to the news.

 

[Dave H]

Zach,

Having contrast at 59% is very high for a CRT RPTV. The general rule is around 33%.

I've had mine around 33%. However, I've recently dropped it to 15% for cable because I watch a lot of Fox cable news and realized the burn in issue. I only use 33% now for DVD.

Another thing that concerns me is I have digital cable and every time I change the channel the programming and blue channel bar at the bottom of the screen appears. I am trying to figure out a way to make this not appear.

 

[Kirk Patrick]

Another thing that concerns me is I have digital cable and every time I change the channel the programming and blue channel bar at the bottom of the screen appears. I am trying to figure out a way to make this not appear.

i have a motorola cable box and it allows me to configure the screen somewhat, have you gone into setup to see if you can change the position of the channel bar?

 

[Zach Nelson]

59% contrast is exactly where Avia said it should be based on the tests. I ran the tests once a year, starting with all the levels at default and then adjusting from there and I always ended up within 1-2% of the settings I posted previously. I've since sold the tv but I would be interested in seeing how 33% contrast would've looked. At least on this set, I'd imagine it would be far too low to look right.

 

[Dave H]

Hey Kirk,

I too have a Motorola -- how do I enter setup? Thanks.

 

[Kirk Patrick]

dave
without knowing exactly what you have it's tough to say
plus i have programmed my cable box onto a master remote

but basically
look for a button that says "guide" or "menu" there should be a screen that allows you to choose colors for your onscreen guide and to set the height of the grid and select where the "flip bar" goes etc

just look for "guide setup"

there are 2 issues which you may be referring to, the 'flip bar" and a permanent 1.5 inch bar at the very bottom of the screen, the flip bar can be changed but it looks like this bottom bar cannot

i don't know if this is much of a help

i have a new rp-crt coming tomorrow and you have put me on alert as well

doess your tv allow you to set different viewing modes, because you can set a lower contrast and brightness for one mode for tv watching and a higher contrast and brightness mode for dvd watching

i hope some of this helps

 

[Dave H]

Kirk,

My TV (Sony KP-57WS520) does have different viewing modes. For cable, I keep the contrast very low (around 10-15%). For DVD, I keep it around 33%.

I am seriously considering dropping my digital/HDTV cable and go back to analog. The reason being, my cable company (Time Warner) offers very few channels in digital or HD. The only couple of stations I do watch are in analog only. In addition, I don't have to worry about any burn-in with the digital cable guide/menu every time I change a channel and I save about $15.00 a month using just analog cable.

 

[Dave H]

I found the answer.

I was able to shift the digital cable guide/menu downward quite a bit; now with Zoom mode (on my TV) this menu is no longer visible.

Thanks again.

 

[shaneOneill]

I am currently researching the type of equipment to get: a) plasma 50+ inch, projector/screen etc.

I am new to the equipment part of it, but I am shocked at the number of problems reported here with plasma burn-in and have decided I want no part of that possibility. I dont care if you can adjust settings based on what youre watching. Who in the world wants to have to adjust settings on a $5,000 piece of equipment? The piece of mind is worth going another route, IMHO.

Shane

 

[ChrisWiggles]

The burn-in consideration is realistic if you do a lot of gaming or such, but:

Who in the world wants to have to adjust settings on a $5,000 piece of equipment?

You will ALWAYS have to adjust settings on your display. Or you will have to pay someone to do so. You always need to calibrate your display for proper viewing.

 

[TedT]

Just got a "information manual" from Circuit City about HD TVs. They say there is no chance for burn in on LCD TVs. This true?

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Pretty much.

 

[Dave H]

This sounds like a dumb question....but I use the zoom mode on my Sony CRT RPTV to help keep out network icons, etc. However, this makes the scan lines more visible (larger)...these cannot be burned in, can they?

 

[Drew Dockery]

I've recently noticed that the border from my TiVo menus is burned-in on my Hitachi widescreen set. It's expecially noticable on the vertical line on the left side of the screen. Would displaying a white image for a while help reduce this at all? The brightness and contrast are and have been turned down, but eventually that doesn't make enough of a difference I guess.

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings
A high contrast white burn will reduce the effect ... but will not remove it.
Burn in just takes longer at lower contrast settings.
(Kinda like only 1 cigs a day instead of a pack )
Regards

 

[Drew Dockery]

I've read elsewhere that using a snow pattern yields better results than just a white screen - any truth to that?

 

[Michael Douglas]

I'm researching buying a plasma TV. How serious is this burn-in problem? Is it something that's a problem for all plasma TVs?

 

[Shad R]

mine has burn in. I only notice it with white backgrounds though. Oh well, time to get me a dlp projector!

 

[ChrisWiggles]

I'm researching buying a plasma TV. How serious is this burn-in problem? Is it something that's a problem for all plasma TVs?

People keep asking questions like this, apologies for calling you out, but let me clarify:

*ALL* phosphor-based displays will wear out with time. As the phosphors are excited to emit light, they wear out. How fast this wear is depends on many things, including the phosphors itself, how hot they get(the cooling of them, sometimes by liquid), and how hard they are driven(also obviously affects how hot they get).

Displays that use phosphors are commonly:
CRTs: Direct view and projection (front or rear)
Plasmas

ALL CRT-based displays, and ALL Plasmas use phosphors, and as such the phosphors will wear out with time.

How susceptible a particular display is to wear depends on the display itself, then of course how you use it. If you misuse the set, you can cause burn-in quite easily, but with basic calibration and appropriate and proper use, it is quite likely that your display will last many many years without any problem.

 

[mikeSantos]

I agree with Jeff Lam.