Newbie - screen burn-in please help
 

I own a Hitachi 46" HD Projection TV that i began using in Sep 05. I
have done the best I can to minimize the amount of time that the screen
is not filled up by stretching SD broadcasts, watching HD broadcasts
whenever possible, and watching DVDs etc. I have only been using the
unit since Sep and I just noticed the other nite on an HD NHL broadcast
that I am getting ghost sidebars already. They show up really awful
against a clean white screen (like hockey ice where I first noticed
it), but it is also visible at other times. It is not bad enough yet to
detract from general viewing pleasure (although it bugs the heck out of
me). I dont believe there is an automatic aspect adjuster that will
keep the screen filled, so I have reminded my family to make sure the
screen is filled when they are watching regular channels. Doesnt this
seem to be too quick for the phosphorus to be deteriorating? Should I
look into a warranty repair? Should I just turn down the contrast - is
it just set too high? Is there anyway to slow or reverse the uneven
wear?

Any help would be appreciated -

HD is the greatest thing ever, there should be a law that everyone
broadcasts in HD

Newbie - screen burn-in please help
 

wrote:
I own a Hitachi 46" HD Projection TV that i began using in Sep 05. I
have done the best I can to minimize the amount of time that the screen
is not filled up by stretching SD broadcasts, watching HD broadcasts
whenever possible, and watching DVDs etc.

look into a warranty repair? Should I just turn down the contrast - is
it just set too high? Is there anyway to slow or reverse the uneven
wear?

So I take it you never adjusted your set properly from the beginning?

If not, go buy a setup disk like Avia Home Theater and follow their
directions for brightness/contrast. If you've been watching with the
stock settings, it's probably WAYYYY too high.

Newbie - screen burn-in please help
 

I was not aware of any necessity to scale back factory settings, I
followed Hitachi instructions which instructed you to use Magic Focus
to set color settings. I get it now, that must tune the color/contrast
using Avia. However, the second part of my question was - Is the
screen permanently damaged? Can I expect when I fix the color /
contrast that they will no longer be visible. Avia DVD refers to
"hotspots" - is that what this is?

Newbie - screen burn-in please help
 

wrote:
I was not aware of any necessity to scale back factory settings,

Oh boy. Yes, big time. The factory settings are WAYYY too high, and
can cause other damage to the set besides burn in...


I followed Hitachi instructions which instructed you to use Magic Focus
to set color settings.

Is the "magic focus" just convergence? I don't know Hitachi's terms.

I get it now, that must tune the color/contrast
using Avia.

For now, turn down the brightness AND contrast to about 50%. Avia will
allow you to fine tune it better. You're going to think that the
screen is too dark, but the picture reproduction is actually MORE
accurate. When you turn the brightness (which is actually how black
the blacks are) up too high, blacks become grey. And when you turn the
contracts (which is how white the whites are) up too high, it can cause
overload in the power supply (as demonstrated by "blooming"), and light
colors will become white.

However, the second part of my question was - Is the
screen permanently damaged?

Yes, but the damage can be minimized over time by proper settings of
the TV. When I'm watching 4:3 material, I stretch the picture using a
"wide zoom" setting on my Sony, which zooms in on the picture a bit AND
expands it to the width of the screen. Many people don't like
distorted images, but I've gotten used to it. In addition, if I'm
watching a digital station that has 4:3 material (like one of the
network stations), I'll tune to the non-digital because you can't
stretch the digital signal.


Can I expect when I fix the color / contrast that they will no longer be visible.

No, you'll probably still notice them, but they might not be as
apparent.

Avia DVD refers to
"hotspots" - is that what this is?

Area of the screen which are brighter than the rest of the screen.
It's usually only noticable on a completely white picture.

Newbie - screen burn-in please help
 

Just freaking great the screen is permanently damaged and Hitachi says
$ 1500 to replace the CRTs Apparently my digital cable box is filling
in bars on the 4:3 broadcast, which is why it wont stretch it even in
16:9 mode. Great. So now I apparently have to get some type of split
that allows an analog signal (which can be stretched) and and HD
signal. How much will that cost. If I had known this was going to be
so much work I would have bagged it. I spent days and days reading
manuals, talking to people, learning formats, configuring my HD box,
buying the best connectors, etc etc etc and I still end up like this.
One of the reasons I wanted this was to watch HD hockey - so now those
bars will be haunting me against the white ice. Like i said, its not
like it is completely unwatchable , but once you notice them its all
over. Replacing the CRTs will cost more than I paid for the thing. My
only hope is I think i recall buying the extended warranty from Sears,
so its possible I might be able to do something about that. This sucks

Newbie - screen burn-in please help
 

FYI The Screen(S) are not damaged, they are the flat plastic things facing
you that the picture is projected onto. It is physically the phosphor
coating in the CRTS that has sustained the burns.
There probably is no manufacturer currently covering Phosphor Burnins that
are obviously caused by the consumers viewing habits or preferences. If
there is an electronic failure within the device, then the manufacturer may
cover the tubes. Be glad you did not drop your Quid for a Plasma and have a
tech tell you how much the display panel costs after having the lovely 4X3
burnin!
Some Retailers, through their Extended Service Contracts, will cover burnin,
only once during the life of that specific contract.
I agree! the flippin aspect change being done automatically by the new
cable boxes drives many customer totally wild, let alone not being able to
select an aspect mode manually to minimixe the 4X3 thing.
Also, most if not all manufacturers have a written disclamer in the
respective owners manuel referring to burnin. Stating there will be no
special warrenty covering that specific symptom, be it consumer induced
(even though the CATV Box causes it!). RTFM may apply? Maybe even before
purchase, if possible.
wrote in message
ups.com...
Just freaking great the screen is permanently damaged and Hitachi says
$ 1500 to replace the CRTs Apparently my digital cable box is filling
in bars on the 4:3 broadcast, which is why it wont stretch it even in
16:9 mode. Great. So now I apparently have to get some type of split
that allows an analog signal (which can be stretched) and and HD
signal. How much will that cost. If I had known this was going to be
so much work I would have bagged it. I spent days and days reading
manuals, talking to people, learning formats, configuring my HD box,
buying the best connectors, etc etc etc and I still end up like this.
One of the reasons I wanted this was to watch HD hockey - so now those
bars will be haunting me against the white ice. Like i said, its not
like it is completely unwatchable , but once you notice them its all
over. Replacing the CRTs will cost more than I paid for the thing. My
only hope is I think i recall buying the extended warranty from Sears,
so its possible I might be able to do something about that. This sucks

Newbie - screen burn-in please help
 

wrote:
I own a Hitachi 46" HD Projection TV that i began using in Sep 05. I
have done the best I can to minimize the amount of time that the screen
is not filled up by stretching SD broadcasts, watching HD broadcasts
whenever possible, and watching DVDs etc. I have only been using the
unit since Sep and I just noticed the other nite on an HD NHL broadcast
that I am getting ghost sidebars already. They show up really awful
against a clean white screen (like hockey ice where I first noticed
it), but it is also visible at other times. It is not bad enough yet to
detract from general viewing pleasure (although it bugs the heck out of
me). I dont believe there is an automatic aspect adjuster that will
keep the screen filled, so I have reminded my family to make sure the
screen is filled when they are watching regular channels. Doesnt this
seem to be too quick for the phosphorus to be deteriorating? Should I
look into a warranty repair? Should I just turn down the contrast - is
it just set too high? Is there anyway to slow or reverse the uneven
wear?

Any help would be appreciated -

HD is the greatest thing ever, there should be a law that everyone
broadcasts in HD

Surely by now you've backed off the high levels of your TV. Is the burn-in less
apparent. I would think it would be. Some plasma sets have a function that
reverses the screen in an attempt to nullify burn-in. You would have to be able
to replicate the signal that caused the burn-in and then enter that "reverse"
mode. I'm wondering if some bright person or company has produced a DVD with
this reverse image. Shouldn't be too hard to make. Black 4x3 center with white
sides. If it matched exactly it could even out the burn-in effect.
When a digital TV station sends out a 4x3 picture when 16x9 is not available the
station is really sending out a 16x9 picture that includes the black or gray
sides. That's why you can't stretch the image horizontally. One local station in
my town uses gray. It's real obvious watching a network HD show during
commercial breaks. Network 4x3 commercials have the black sides and local
commercials have the gray sides.

Newbie - screen burn-in please help
 

I am a proponent of RTFM and I think I did that to the best of my
ability, however, with the CATV box filling in the sides and the fact
that I have a wife and two kids who are viewing the TV when I am not
there, I cannot control everything. I was thinking the exact same
thing, isnt there a way to reverse the picture so the burn-in catches
up?? Seems like a simple concept.

I also noticed last nite, for the first time(because I am paying strict
attention), if I am in 16:9 standard mode, and watching HD, when you go
to the Guide - it has the bars on it. What happens if I have it setup
properly and then one of my kids leaves the guide on repeatedly for an
extended period of time? Seems to me that I should not be at fault for
that.

I read the manual and understood the burn-in but in tracking my viewing
habits, I just thought that I was watching it in full screen mode for
the majority of the time... Wouldnt having the Guide and the
commercials in 4x3 cause burn-in over time???

I looked at my levels, and contrast was at 100% but brightness was only
50% - this was factory setting. It has a Day/Night setting Day: 100%
contrast Night: 50%. I set it to 50% manually.

Not sure what to do in the absence of some clever way to reverse the
image for a period of time. Checked my records and I do not have an
extended warranty, I swear I did but I guess not. So I am going to
have to live with it

Newbie - screen burn-in please help
 

At any rate - no matter what. 5 mos is a short period of time to be
experiencing burn-in, no matter what. The TV has been on in total, I
would think, much less than 500 hours... I can see if someone abuses
it time after time after time over an extended period of time, then
they get what they deserve. But in the first few months of initial
ownership with so many mitigating factors it does not seem at all fair.

Newbie - screen burn-in please help
 

Larry Bud wrote:
Oh boy. Yes, big time. The factory settings are WAYYY too high, and
can cause other damage to the set besides burn in...

Dumb question. Are all TV technologies subject to burn-in? I have a
Sony 3LCD projection and they claim it is not subject to burn-in. Is
that right?

Cheers.

Victor