Widescreen Dilemma - WHY is it like this ? (1 Viewer)

[stephen_mendes]

Hi folks,

I just bought a new 42 inch Plasma monitor

The Manual states,"Make sure 4 x 3 aspect ratio and letterbox images are not displayed more than 15% of total viewing time"

At least 85% (or more) of Widescreen movies are 2.35:1 which WILL produce letterbox on the monitor.

One would think that Manufacturers know this..... and they should make the monitors and TV's wider

How do you all stop your Plasma TV's from uneven burn.... when you are watching letterbox most of the time ?????????

I only watch DVD's so its a much bigger problem for me.

Are 2.35:1 TV's or monitors even available ??????

 

[Charlie Campisi]

Calibrate your tv to reduce burn in risk. This is the most important thing you can do to reduce the risk. IMO, that warning is also a little outdated if you believe the plasma manufacturers who say that they've reduced the risk of burn in significantly the last few years. It's probably a cya warning mostly now, but they'd risk warranty claims if they changed it to 50% letterbox and 4:3.

The size of monitors corresponds obviously to hdtv broadcast 16:9 aspect ratios, which is also commonly used for movies. It's impractical to make monitors for every aspect ratio used, so you get choices of those most commonly used. If you paid $3k for that 16:9, I'd imagine you'd pay 5 times that for a 2.35:1 that was in far less demand.

 

[Reginald Trent]

For those unaware, DLP displays do not suffer from burn in.

 

[Allan Jayne]

When the phosphors are excited to deliver high brightness they heat up and either they or the glue that holds them on the screen or both degenerate. There is just no way around this. If you do a lot of viewing where portions of the screen are not used, the "wear and tear" on the phosphors will be less on those parts of the screen resulting in unevenness.

Set the contrast no higher than 50% of the scale (or 50% of the blooming point seen in calibration if that is less) and the phosphors should rarely get hot, and wear should be negligible even after many years of viewing letterboxed pictures.

Caution: Many TV sets have separate calibrations for each input so you need to set the contrast for each.

Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm

 

[Chad Ellinger]

I've got a new Panasonic plasma arriving today. I've been reading a lot about burn-in over the past few weeks.

The truth is that modern plasmas are FAR less susceptible to burn-in than earlier generations. You need to be careful during the first 100 hours of use (the "break-in" period). Set your picture and brightness down to 50% or lower, stretch out all 4:3 material, and avoid static images. After the first 100 hours, your set should be reasonably broken in and you can begin calibration.

Check out this informative PDF I found, Plasma Facts and Myths.

 

[stephen_mendes]

Thanks to all of you for your help...

I accept the point that 16:9 is probably the best price... and 2.35:1 would be exorbitant, if it was available.

I am not impressed with DLP displays... otherwise I would have bought one....
plasma looks superior in picture quality to me, even if its long term viability is questionable.

The contrast is set under 50% and the brightness is just a little over 50% for an even setting on 10 IRE brightness steps and the settings holds true with the THX optimizer

Personally, I like low contrast/ sharpness settings.... when compared with grainy, high contrast images.... I like to see shadow detail... and most movies seem to have in lots of scenes shot in dim light

I never knew plasmas need "running in" like a car.... the book makes no mention of this.... but I will heed your advice during the first 100 hours

I use the AVIA test & calibration disc for my picture and sound calibration....

and I am personally very happy with my purchase.... I have looked at lots of screens.... some costing much more.... but in the end its my eyes that have to be satisfied.

thanks for your re-assurance concerning the burn-in issue.... I have another shipment of movies on the way !!!

Happy viewing to all of you

Regards,
Stephen Mendes