Plasma Burn In

I am setting up my new plasma TV today, but I will still be viewing 4:3 SD
TV until I can get DirecTv to come out and set up the HD hardware.

The TV will not be on 24/7, so how worried do I need to be about burn in
(from the pillar box) until I get my new DTV set up?


--


Ray

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Ray wrote:
I am setting up my new plasma TV today, but I will still be viewing 4:3 SD
TV until I can get DirecTv to come out and set up the HD hardware.

The TV will not be on 24/7, so how worried do I need to be about burn in
(from the pillar box) until I get my new DTV set up?

Depends on the brand to some extent. I suggest for the first 50 or so
hours that you stretch the 4:3 material at least 1/2 of the time. Check
the settings for the TV and STB. If the STB is an older SD only unit,
then it probably does not have output options for a 16:9 screen nor
brightness settings for the pillar bars. But the TV might have the menu
option to set the pillar bars for input 4:3 SD signal to several shades
of gray. Set it to one of the darker shades because this will help
prevent uneven wear during the break-in period.

But don't get too paranoid about this. The current generation of
plasma TVs, in general, once they get pass the initial break-in period,
should be less prone to burn-in than the CRT TVs we have used for decades.

If you have a DVD player, set it to output to a 16:9 screen. Then
pop-in some anamorphic 1.85:1 movies or widescreen TV shows to fill the
screen for even wear during the break-in period. You may be surprised at
how much better the DVD looks with the new HD TV.

Alan F

Depends on the brand to some extent. I suggest for the first 50 or so
hours that you stretch the 4:3 material at least 1/2 of the time. Check
the settings for the TV and STB. If the STB is an older SD only unit,
then it probably does not have output options for a 16:9 screen nor
brightness settings for the pillar bars.
But don't get too paranoid about this. The current generation of
plasma TVs, in general, once they get pass the initial break-in period,
should be less prone to burn-in than the CRT TVs we have used for decades.

If you have a DVD player, set it to output to a 16:9 screen. Then
pop-in some anamorphic 1.85:1 movies or widescreen TV shows to fill the
screen for even wear during the break-in period. You may be surprised at
how much better the DVD looks with the new HD TV.

Thanks for the reply.

The TV is a Panasonic 42PZ700U and my current STB is a DirecTivo unit (I
have to check to see if that will output 16:9).

For now, I also plan on using an indoor OTA antenna to receive local HD
programming in the short term, so that will help as well. And, if the
reception is good enough, I will probably keep using it after DirecTv
installs the new hardware so I can receive the uncompressed signal.

I also purchased a new DVD player that will upconvert to 1080i.


"Alan F" wrote in message
news:[email protected]
Ray wrote:
I am setting up my new plasma TV today, but I will still be viewing 4:3
SD TV until I can get DirecTv to come out and set up the HD hardware.

The TV will not be on 24/7, so how worried do I need to be about burn in
(from the pillar box) until I get my new DTV set up?

Depends on the brand to some extent. I suggest for the first 50 or so
hours that you stretch the 4:3 material at least 1/2 of the time. Check
the settings for the TV and STB. If the STB is an older SD only unit,
then it probably does not have output options for a 16:9 screen nor
brightness settings for the pillar bars. But the TV might have the menu
option to set the pillar bars for input 4:3 SD signal to several shades
of gray. Set it to one of the darker shades because this will help
prevent uneven wear during the break-in period.

But don't get too paranoid about this. The current generation of
plasma TVs, in general, once they get pass the initial break-in period,
should be less prone to burn-in than the CRT TVs we have used for decades.

If you have a DVD player, set it to output to a 16:9 screen. Then
pop-in some anamorphic 1.85:1 movies or widescreen TV shows to fill the
screen for even wear during the break-in period. You may be surprised at
how much better the DVD looks with the new HD TV.

Alan F

On Oct 13, 9:04 am, "Ray" wrote:
I am setting up my new plasma TV today, but I will still be viewing 4:3 SD
TV until I can get DirecTv to come out and set up the HD hardware.

The TV will not be on 24/7, so how worried do I need to be about burn in
(from the pillar box) until I get my new DTV set up?

Ray

Ray
YES you do. That said... "Todays" plasma sets are less susceptible to
burn-in than those from 5 years ago "HOWEVER" they will still burn if
you are not careful. It's not just the pillar box (black bars) you
need to be cautious of. You should also follow a break-in process for
the first 125 hours minimum (although many push the break-in period to
200 hours)

During the break-in period you need to stretch or zoom the image on
screen as needed to eliminate the black bars. Today's widescreen
plasma sets have this stretch to fit / zoom feature you don't
necessarily need a HD set top box. Depending on the stretch / zoom
function used to remove the black bars it may distort the images
slightly (like making people look fat)...BUT... this is a little
annoyance during the break-in period is far better than ruining your
new TV by burning the display.

Also... be aware that, out of box, your plasma TV will be calibrated
from the factory for displaying it in a showroom setting. In other
words the brightness and contrast settings etc., will be up really
high (to present you with a "WOW" picture) however... these high
settings will make it easier for you to burn the screen before the
phosphors have had a chance to age. You need to lower the brightness
and contrast settings from what they were out of box.

While the particular settings at this URL may not apply to your
particular set... this link will give you the general idea of why you
need to turn them down.

http://tinyurl.com/2c8tux
FYI: By searching the above forum you might be able to find a thread
on your specific make and model.

On the subject of Break-in... To accelerate the break-in process you
can either download a free program for creating break-in DVD (works
great)... or you can simply simply tune your set to the cartoon
network and stretch the image so there are no bars and the cartoon
network logo is off the screen. Then, leave this on 24 hours a day
until you reach the end of your break in period. By using the break-in
DVD or cartoon network when you are not watching you will hit 200
hours in about two weeks. The break-in period will be over before you
know it.

There have been tons of articles written on the subject of plasma
break-in and burn-in. Do yourself a favor and read everything in
relation to break-in and burn-in at this URL. Ignore the reference to
Samsung. While the overall site in general is geared towards Samsung,
the break-in and burn-in information at this URL applies to all
plasmas TV's.

http://tinyurl.com/2s3rh4

Good luck
Don Task
(Owner of several plasmas TV's since 1999)

On Oct 13, 10:21 am, "Ray" wrote:

The TV is a Panasonic 42PZ700U and my current STB is a DirecTivo unit (I
have to check to see if that will output 16:9).

- Show quoted text -

Ah... that that we know your specific model is a Panny 42PZ700U... you
really need to read the entire thread. (Probably more than you ever
wanted to know about your set)

Panasonic 42pz700, 50pz700u, 50pz750u, 58pz700u and 58pz750u Owners
Thread!

http://tinyurl.com/25y7s6

On Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:04:10 GMT, "Ray"
wrote:

I am setting up my new plasma TV today, but I will still be viewing 4:3 SD
TV until I can get DirecTv to come out and set up the HD hardware.

The TV will not be on 24/7, so how worried do I need to be about burn in
(from the pillar box) until I get my new DTV set up?

Burn-in is not as much of a factor with the new Plasma TV's as the old
ones. You can also set your TV to stretch the image to fill the
screen, though some people do not like the look of that.

What brand/size did you buy? I recently bought one, as well, as love
the picture quality.

What brand/size did you buy? I recently bought one, as well, as love
the picture quality.

A Panasonic 42PZ700U (42"). Right now I have a tiny set of rabbit ears
hooked up to it and I'm pulling in my locals pretty well. DirecTv is coming
on Thursday to hook up my HD DVR.


Life is good...



"kjw" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:04:10 GMT, "Ray"
wrote:

I am setting up my new plasma TV today, but I will still be viewing 4:3 SD
TV until I can get DirecTv to come out and set up the HD hardware.

The TV will not be on 24/7, so how worried do I need to be about burn in
(from the pillar box) until I get my new DTV set up?

Burn-in is not as much of a factor with the new Plasma TV's as the old
ones. You can also set your TV to stretch the image to fill the
screen, though some people do not like the look of that.

What brand/size did you buy? I recently bought one, as well, as love
the picture quality.

"Ray" wrote in
news:[email protected]:


The TV is a Panasonic 42PZ700U and my current STB is a DirecTivo unit
(I have to check to see if that will output 16:9).

Panasonic's are beasts. They actually don't include any 'anti burn in'
technology because burn-in is just NOT an issue with anything resembling
regular use. They burn them in at the factor for 100+ hours anyways.

Get the TV, plug it in and ENJOY. All the crap you will read on AVSForums
about "breaking in your Plasma with a special DVD" for hundreds of hours is
just that - crap. If Plasma was a significant consumer issue there would
be recalls and all that jazz.

It's just not an issue on most brand-name Plasmas, *especially* Panasonics.
Enjoy the television.

"Good Man" wrote in message
...
"Ray" wrote in
news:[email protected]:


The TV is a Panasonic 42PZ700U and my current STB is a DirecTivo unit
(I have to check to see if that will output 16:9).

Panasonic's are beasts. They actually don't include any 'anti burn in'
technology because burn-in is just NOT an issue with anything resembling
regular use. They burn them in at the factor for 100+ hours anyways.

Get the TV, plug it in and ENJOY. All the crap you will read on AVSForums
about "breaking in your Plasma with a special DVD" for hundreds of hours
is
just that - crap. If Plasma was a significant consumer issue there would
be recalls and all that jazz.

It's just not an issue on most brand-name Plasmas, *especially*
Panasonics.
Enjoy the television.

Do you ever use your plasma as an internet desktop? That's what has me most
concerned.

"Tantalust" wrote in
news

Do you ever use your plasma as an internet desktop? That's what has me
most concerned.

Alas Plasma is probably not the best choice if you are planning a lot of
computer use...