video games and HDTV bad? (1 Viewer)

[David Jenkinson]

I have read from a couple different places, including microsofts xbox faq, that it might be a bad idea to play video games on a rear projection television because it may "damage" them. Why is this? I don't understand why this might be.
I have a Hitachi 61SWX01W hdtv ready set, and am planning on buying an xbox. I can't find anything in the manual advising against video games, but I'm still not sure. Any advice?

 

[Jonathan Trueh]

I think because video games have a lot of static images, there is a chance that you will burn in images on the screen. I'm not sure if it's the image or the outline of the image. Either way it's something you don't want to see on your screen. If you do decide to play games on your set just make sure you turn the contrast down as far as possible.
[Edited last by Jonathan Trueh on October 17, 2001 at 10:07 PM]

 

[John Tillman]

I'm hoping the X-Box has a screen saver built in. I haven't checked the specs yet but it is necessary due to the presence of two kids.
Other than that, some games have fixed bright logos, score counters etc that will burn the screen after a certain amount of play.
We use Dreamcast on an older direct view set and occasionally rent a PS2. I would love to see a 1080i game on our Pro-610 but I'll probably rent the X-Box for a few days and access the features and game availability.
If a screensaver exists, a purchase might be inevitable. If absent, no sale.

 

[Richard Travale]

I have read in other threads that it is not so much of a problem unless you have it in torch mode. If you have the contrast down and calibrated well you should not have that big of a problem, unless you are a marathon gamer of course. This is what I have read, do a search.
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[Michael St. Clair]

If your contrast is such that static items burn in, 2.35:1 movies are probably going to burn it in as well.

 

[Richard_Huntington]

Contrast below 35% all the time on all RPTV's from what I understand.
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"My wife actually prefers widescreen"

 

[Grady Hollums]

I wonder if the Xbox does have a screen saver. They are interested in the HDTV, so surly they woill incorperate the Rear projection TVs and have one.... maybe...?
Well, I am still going to buy one and plan on buying a Toshiba 16x9 rear screen TV next year when I have enough money!! And the xbox will be played on it even if it will be for short periods of time.
How long would you have to play and wait after and during game play before it would burn in?
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[Ted Lee]

How long would you have to play and wait after and during game play before it would burn in?

i've heard as little as two hours can do damage. but i don't know how hi/lo contrast could affect this. it seems like the lower the contrast the longer you could go.
i'm not sure if i'd take the chance...but it sure would be tempting. caveat emptor!
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[David Jenkinson]

I just checked and my contrast has been on 75%, I've never changed it. Maybe I should lower it. But I've watched a lot of 2.35:1 movies and haven't seen a problem. Also, I've been watching one hell of a lot of baseball this season being a Mariners fan, and there is a static score on the top of the screen all the time (white score on black background). I have seen no problems with that either. So I'm thinking I'll be ok. I would sure hope MS has incorporated a screen saver though.

 

[Richard_Huntington]

That's too high. Drop it to at least 50%. The set will last longer and there will be less chance of burn-in. Check your sharpness as well. It should be no more than 25%.
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"My wife actually prefers widescreen"

 

[Bruce Hedtke]

Well, the X Box is making a HD A/V pack that supports 480p, 720p and 1080i playback. So, by that, I would assume they are trying to move gaming further into the HD realm. I would hope that the static image and burn-in problems would be worked on and reduced. Time will tell, but your best defense is indeed to turn down your contrast, alot.
Bruce
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[Grady Hollums]

If I calabrate my future HDTV to Video Essentials will that work? Or do RPTV's need a professional to calabrate them?
I have never owned a RPTV, and I really am excited about getting one, but don't know too much about them.
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In Him,
GH
My Home
Theater

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Video Essentials or Avia should get your RPTV in the ballpark for proper contrast, brightness, color saturation and sharpness settings. While it's not as good as a professional calibration, it's much, much better than the horrible setting many sets have out of the box. I think my Toshiba 56H80 was at 100% on all settings when it was delivered. The first thing I did was select the "movie" setting, which reduced everything to 50%. Then, I immediately calibrated with Avia to dial the settings in as good as I could.
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[David Jenkinson]

What is avia and video essentials? Some kind of calibration tool? Where do I get it?

 

[Bruce Hedtke]

David,
Avia and Video Essentials are DVDs that will walk you through calibrating your monitor and audio equipment. They are available pretty much all over. Go to http://www.dvdexpress.com
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