Guide for new RPTV owners? (Toshiba 50H81) (1 Viewer)

[Joseph S]

Next Friday I will be receiving shipment of my first RPTV. The set is the Toshiba 50H81. I would like to prevent burn-in and other catastrophes and was looking for help in what I should do from the instant I get the TV.
1)Is it fine to turn it on and off to check function?
2)How long should it remain on before turning it off?
3)I've heard that I should run a movie like Toy Story for 48 hours straight to break it in. Is this really recommended?
Any help is appreciated.

 

[Stefan A]

I would like to prevent burn-in and other catastrophes and was looking for help in what I should do from the instant I get the TV.
1)Is it fine to turn it on and off to check function?
2)How long should it remain on before turning it off?
3)I've heard that I should run a movie like Toy Story for 48 hours straight to break it in. Is this really recommended?

The first thing you want to do once the set has been delivered and confirmed to "work" is get out your instruction manual. Do not keep the tv on while you look over the manual. Find the section which explains how to adjust and save contrast settings. Using your remote, turn on the TV and imediately take the contrast down to about 40-35%. This is one of the best things to do to prevent burn in. Play around with your new toy for about 1/2 hour and learn the basic functions. Once that is done, hook up the rest of your components and do a video essentials, or avia calibration. Then try the 9 pt. convergance as described in the manual. You could do the auto focus but the 9 pt is a bit more accurate. Once all that is done, I would guess that you should do a mix of full screen viewing and letterbox. I would think all letterbox could cause a bit of burn in. At this point, just use it like any other TV. My feeling is that it is a waste of good viewing time to just run a movie for 48 hours. During the first 2 days you are going to want to watch a variety of things. During the first few months you will know weather the power button works or not. No need to keep turning it on and off. The purpose of break in is to break in the TV BUT to also see if the TV hold up during typical situations. After 100-200 hours of viewing, get an isf calibration. Good luck and keep us posted.
Stefan Antwarg

 

[errol]

Hi Joseph,
Congrats on your new tv.
As mentioned earlier, the best thing you can do to prevent burn-in is to lower the contrast from torch mode to somewhere between 30-40%. Also, don't watch over an extended length of time programs with bright station logos or those marketwatch tickers. Try to cycle through 4:3 and 16:9 programs.
No specific length of time to wait to turn it off.
If you don't find anything objectionable with the image, don't bother with the 9pt user convergence. Better control is made through the 64pt service mode convergence.
No need to keep it on for 48 hrs tuned to a specific program or movie. It is after all just a tv. Watch it like you would a regular tv.
Thanks,
Errol
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