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

[Dmitry]

Travis, if your TV is calibrated properly, you shouldn't run a risk of burn-in. Direct view TVs are also succeptible to burn in, but proper calibration virtually eliminates the risk.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Does anyone who watches a lot of 2.35 movies just run 1.85 movies and not watch them to help the situation?

Not here. I watch whatever titles I'm in the mood for, regardless of the material's aspect ratio. I've owned a 16x9 RPTV for over 20 months (it's ISF calibrated), and have no problem with burn-in of either 2.35:1 or 1.33:1 material. I always use the DVD player-generated black side bars for 1.33:1 material, not the gray side bars generated by the TV. Still no problems.

As others have said in this thread, if the TV is properly calibrated, burn-in should not be a concern under normal use. Just don't abuse the set by leaving a static image with black bars on 24 hours per day (or something insane like that).

 

[Aaron Cohen]

I have the 34XBR800 Widescreen Sony TV and I have noticed a bit of yellow coloring in the upper left corner of the screen...

It starts at the top and goes about 5 inches down. It is clearly noticeable when I am playing games and have them stretched to fill the screen and also on many of the static warning screens at the beginning of dvd's and some dvd menus....

What's going on? Has anyone else experienced this or a similar problem? I don't know what could have burned in though I have never had burn in on a set and would not recognize it.

Is this the sign of burn in?? I have owned this television for less than two months!!!!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Clinton McClure]

Have you let your set play a lot in standard 4:3 mode with bars on the sides?

You might get more helpful responses if you posted this in the Home Theater Hardware/Display Devices section of The Forum.

 

[Aaron Cohen]

It was suggested that I mention that I have been watching many shows with the sides letterboxed as my roommates do not like it stretched (even though I absolutely love wide zoom!!!)

I'll be very annoyed with them if I find that this may be the cause of my problem....

Again, any help would be greatly appreciated!

I'm very new to having a tv that needs to be taken care of after having a very cheap 14 inch the last few years.

 

[Aaron Cohen]

I posted this thread there as well and have yet to get any responses...

And yes, I have my tv in 4:3 with bars on the sides frequently as my roommates do not like it stretched (though I love wide zoom mode!!!!).

I'll be mildly annoyed at them if I find out this may be the problem!

 

[Ned]

It could be magnetic interference from your speakers. Doesn't sound like burn.

 

[Jim FC]

It doesn't sound like burn-in to me but you never know. Try moving the TV out away from the wall, or away from any speakers that might be nearby. A magnetic field can cause discoloration in a TV screen, so even moving the TV a foot one way or another will cause the yellow area to change shapr or color if this is the case. If that doesn't help, the TV might need to be degaussed - which measn to remove any residual magnetic field from the tube itself. Depending on where you bought the set, you might be able to get the store to come degauss the TV for you.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Aaron, please start any discussions related to televisions in this section. Thanks!

 

[Clinton McClure]

Yes. I agree that it doesn't have the characteristics of burn-in and my be a magnetic problem.

 

[Aaron Cohen]

Yes, now that you all mention it it DOES look like magnetic interference is the cause. I will try to move the television around a bit. There may be something in the wall near where it is...

What's wierd is that it seems to be the most noticeable when something bright red is on the screen (like the menu screen of Amadeus)...

I will try moving the television and also look into getting it degaussed. Is there anyway that I can do the degaussing myself? The television is under warranty and I'm sure the people from Circuit City would be happy to come out and help but I'd like to see if I can take care of it myself first.

Thanks for the help!

 

[TimG]

Unplug it for a while, I believe the Sonys degauss themselves when unplugged and then plugged back in. Not sure though.

TimG

 

[elMalloc]

eh that's a directviews right?

youre gonna have trouble getting that thing to burn in...that's definitely interference. I get blue/purple hues with magnetic interference....
-ELMO

 

[Aaron Cohen]

Okay, I will try unplugging the television. Thanks.

Yeah it's direct view elMalloc, and that's one of the reasons I got it over RPTV, to avoid burn in. But as I had never seen it, I wasn't sure what this was. But as you said and everyone else agrees on (including me), it most definitely is interference.

I'll try leaving it unplugged for a bit and then go from there!

 

[jeff lam]

The 34XBR800 is brand new, it's only been out for a few months. I highly doubt it's burn in. You could probably run in torch mode all day and night and not get burn in for a long time. I assume you weren't in torch mode and you haven't keept your set running 24/7 right? I highly doubt it's burn in.

 

[BruceSpielbauer]

If you have any speakers nearby, try moving them away from the set.

And, as others have suggested, try completely unplugging the set for awhile, leave it this way, and then plug it back in. I do not recall how long... (ten minutes? An hour? You could just do this overnight, to make certain.)

Some Sony's definitely degauss themselves if this is done, when you switch it back on (you may hear a weird "Phooomp!" sound).

There are also service techs who have a degaussing tool.

And, sometimes facing the TV in a different direction can solve this (not that this is usually convenient). Some sets even have a "north / south" and "east / west" switch configuration since the magnetic poles can make a difference, depending on the mineral content in the soil under you. The larger screen direct views often have such a switch... my 1987 35" Mits has this, although it is hidden under a flap, with a plastic cover over the top to minimize its use.

-Bruce in Chi-Town

 

[VinT]

It might be a faulty CRT.

 

[Anthony.Lin]

hey everybody,
Ok, I've been searching and scouring this forum and other forums like crazy for the past couple days, and I still have a few lingering questions so I'm just going to ask people instead of trying to search more forums.
First off, people seem to make a big deal about burn-in on RPTV's. To my best knowledge, however, (and after searching on google) this seems to be a matter that only audio/videophiles really address. To the average joe user, calibration and burn-in and tuning down the contrast is unheard of.
Well then, is burn-in that apparent? I personally have a 62" Proscan RPTV at home (couple years old) and have played a good amount of N64, watched CNN/MSNBC, and watched widescreen DVD's, often at high contrast, and I can't really tell the difference (although the picture quality isn't that great to start out with).
My thoughts was to purchase a ~$1500 RPTV for my bedroom, and after the 100-hr. break-in period and calibration, I figured I'd tone down the contrast a bit for games, and wouldn't have to worry about burn-in without excessive video game playing. I wasn't sure if this was quite enough, as some people seem to think that any video games on RPTV's would cause burn-in. However, I'm still not fully convinced that even after taking the right precautions significant and noticeable burn-in will still result from video games, so if anybody could explain a bit more on how visible or sensitive burn-in is on RPTV's, it would be appreciated
Which brings me to my next topic; with a $1500 budget, what would be my best choice? I watch TV about 40%, DVD's 35%, and games 25% of the time (so about even on all 3), but I was mostly concerned about my DVD picture quality, so I'm looking to purchase a 16:9 widescreen TV. I was specifically looking to buy the Toshiba 40H80 or 42H82, and picture size beyond that would be overkill for my room. DLP tv's are beyond my budget, and FPTV's are kind of overkill for my room, so I'm choosing between RPTV's or a direct view HDTV. For my setup, I think RPTV should be fine, but if anybody could chime in with an opinion about burn-in, it would help me a lot in making my decision.
Thanks!

 

[elMalloc]

I think burn-in is a rarity. I don't have an RPTV so I'm not one to say anything at all, but you just said yourself..how did you get away with no burn in on your RPTV?
I'm guessing as long as we are cautious, everything will work out fine.
-ELmO:star:

 

[elMalloc]

Phoomp!