New to RPTVs and I have a question (1 Viewer)

[Scotty_McW]

I'm new to RPTVs and was wondering how long they need to run for. What I mean is, how long should they run before turning them off? If you turn them on and then off again after 15 minutes or so, is that hard on the set? Thanks.

Scott

 

[Jack Briggs]

The off/on cycle is the most perilous feat any piece of electronic gear needs to perform--all the more so when the power supplies get bigger and beefier. If you're going to enjoy an RPTV, best to turn it on and off (or, rather, "standby") just once during the day. Repeated on/off cycles during a short timeframe (i.e., minutes) are not good.

(Why would you turn on an RPTV just to watch it for fifteen minutes anyway? It takes at least half an hour for the set's electronics to reach thermal stability.)

 

[Marshall Alsup]

I know nothing about RPTVs as well, I didn't know they take a half hour to warm up for instance. So you wouldn't really want to use a RPTV for day to day TV viewing unless you were going to watch for an extended time? That kinda sucks. How hard is it on the tv if you do way watch tv in 1/2 hour increments or something?

Thanks,

Marshall

 

[Allan Jayne]

Any piece of electronics suffers more wear and tear during on-off cycles. 1. The primary reason for an RPTV's having to warm up for half an hour is that convergence is more critical than on a direct view TV and will drift as the set warms up. Thus convergence is usually calibrated with the TV already warmed up. There is nothing wrong with watching sitcoms or the news on your large RPTV.
2. There is always the tradeoff between wear and tear from the set's being on (and also power consumption) versus wear and tear due to the on-off cycling. If you want to you can make your own rule that you leave the TV on if you are going to come back to see another program within, say, two hours. Don't punish your kids for once in awhile infraction of this kind of rule.
You can also believe the following if you want to, especially if deciding whether to buy a small inexpensive TV set to put next to your RPTV (also makes a good "external PIP" or "POP"):
3. The more expensive the equipment is, the more heartbreak you will have if it breaks due to too many on-off cycles.
4. The more complex the equipment is, the more likely something will go wrong when the power surges in at turn-on.
5. The more current the equipment consumes, the larger will be the incoming power surge as it is turned on.
It is possible for equipment to be made so that the incoming power is gentle instead of surging at the moment of turn-on, but I don't know what manufacturers do it.
Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm