Is burn in more of a problem with direct view or RPTV's? (1 Viewer)

[Todd smith]

And how much more of a problem is it?

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

It happens to both, but much faster on RPTV's because the CRT's work a lot harder.

Time frame ... who knows and I am not going to try and figure that out.

Regards

 

[Jack Briggs]

But the key to burn-in protection is found in that White Level control. Use it!

 

[Todd smith]

Could you expand some on the white level control? I am a total rookie and dont understand what you are talking about. The whole reason I am asking about this is that I want to pair a xbox with the RP HDTV and am wondering how risky it is. I know quite a few people do it, but if a direct view will be MUCH less risky for burn in then I might go that route. Just really wanted that big screen! But I dont know, you guys tell me. I noticed you were an ISF tech so maybe you could convince me one way or the other from personal experience. As always, THANKS for the help!

 

[Kevin P]

The "white level" control is more commonly called the Contrast control. It's somewhat of a misnomer, as on modern TVs the "contrast" controls the level of whites in the picture, and "brightness" controls the level of black.
The problem is that most TVs ship from the factory with contrast/white level cranked to 100%, which is bad for the CRTs, especially on RPTVs. If you use the Avia or Video Essentials DVD to properly set white and black levels, you'll get a better picture, and your CRTs will last much longer. Optimum contrast levels on most RPTVs is usually somewhere around the 30% point.
If you want to play video games on a RPTV, turn the contrast down even lower than usual (keep the room dark to compensate) and avoid keeping static images (particularly high contrast ones) up for extended periods of time. Newer games like those on the Xbox are better in regards to keeping the entire screen moving than older "classic" games (tip: don't play Pac-Man for extended periods on a RPTV, unless you want a maze burned into your CRTs!)
KJP