another TV ?

[ND13]

Okay, si I know that LCDs, DLP, and the good ole tubes have no issues with burn in, but I've been informed that that issue has been, for the most part, resolved in the plasmas...true or not?

[faster100]

far as i have heard and read... Yes, true..

are ya gonna keep it for 10 years, doubtful.. and that's what it would take to get to 50% loss of brightness.. or maybe its 5 years. BUt still, it doesnt take up massive amounts of space like a tube tv..

[Gaara]

ND13,

It all depends on the set. Many newer plasmas have technologies to prevent burn in like pixel shifting and orbiters, as well as ones to reverse it like inverting the image. One extra caveat, alot of times these features must be turned on. Nothing like leaving a movie paused for hours thinkin your safe, only to have the preventive features turned off.

Not all sets will have these features, and even if they have them burn in can still occur, it is just much harder to do. Most plasmas take alot more abuse before they can burn in, and even then it can be reversed. The downside of this is using the inverse image shortens life.

Other ways to prevent burn in are self explanatory, setup the tv properly. Turn down the brightness and contrast, take the tv out of torch mode. This will cut down on the chance of it happenenig aswell.

Jared

[brettw22]

I've read as long as you're careful for the first 100 hours or so you should be good from that point on. Also, the half lives are being reported as being 66,000 hours, which would be 22 years if the tv is on for 8 hours a day. I have a hard time believing that considering they're still relatively new, but whatever. Maybe someone can chime in on any factory information about power consumption on a plasma vs. dlp/lcd etc, because every plasma I've been around gets pretty toasty.

Personally, my 40" tube is 10 years old, and I'm not looking to spend money on a tv every 5 years.

[danger boy]

i don't know about plasmas, but burn in happens when the contrast is turned on to high and when a signal is displayed on the screen that is non moving.

say if you left a video game on the screen for extended periods of time without turning it off or having a screen saver.

alot of people leave their TV's ON all the time when they aren't watching it. if you leave the room and run out to do some shopping and know you'll be gone for 3 hours.. turn the damn thing off.. it'll extend the life of the display and also prevent any burn in.

[Ray Zenz]

i second that

[josh_parsons626]

if you leave the room and run out to do some shopping and know you'll be gone for 3 hours.. turn the damn thing off.. it'll extend the life of the display and also prevent any burn in.

LOL I think that everybody needs to take heed to that advice. Maybe their wont be so many issues of people having burn-in problems!

[mmcgehee]

or you could turn on the screensaver function quite a few of them have now.

What it really comes down to it very simply. Plasmas are great Tvs, but like anything great you have to treat it right. Mostly by turning it off, or just changing the channel every now and then. If you do get burn in turn the tv to something pure white and leave it, in most cases it will burn it out.

When buying you need to ask yourself these questions:

Does it need to hang on the wall?: yes- then plasma and lcd are for you. no- then you'll get a much larger tv for your buck. (a 50 inch plasma will run you the same as a 60" DLP)

How big of a space do I have?: A crucial bit of information, measure before you shop so you know exactly what you can and can't fit. Nothing worse than falling in love with a Tv you can't have.

What Size do I want based off of my space?: If it's over 40" get a plasma, it'll be cheaper and look a hell of a lot better than an LCD.

and last but not least, How much do I have to spend?: A 40" plasma retail will cost you about $2300USD, a 50 will be a little over 3000. If you have the coin I would go with Pioneer, it'll run you about a thousand more but it's worth it.

Also be careful what you buy online, there's some great deals right now but that's because this is the time of year when many companies are refreshing their tv lines. If you don't mind an older tv check places like Best Buy and Circuit City as they're probably marking down the TV's to make room for the new ones. Also don't be afraid to ask for $100-$200 off, if you use it to buy some monster cable they're usually more than willing to do it.

Oh and about the life, yes it's 66,000 hours on most tv's and the companies usually back that up with warranty, but will you really have a TV for 20 years? Something cooler is bound to happen before then.

[reeltrouble1]

Forget it and buy some audio stuff, you know its what you crave.

RT1

[Holydoc]

Forget it and buy some audio stuff, you know its what you crave.

RT1

RT,

That made me laugh.

:)

[ND13]

Well, I'm hooking up my new Whouse 37" Flat panel LCD as we speak:D

[ND13]

Oh and BTW, Fry's has 27" WS LCD flat panel ViewSonics on clearance for Under $500. I might pick up one of those for the front room. That's a decent tv at a hell of a price.

[mmcgehee]

Well, I'm hooking up my new Whouse 37" Flat panel LCD as we speak:D

....goodluck with that.

[Refefer]

Oh and BTW, Fry's has 27" WS LCD flat panel ViewSonics on clearance for Under $500. I might pick up one of those for the front room. That's a decent tv at a hell of a price.

You can also use it as a computer monitor, which I'm doing with my 26" Olevia LCD tv. Not half bad!

[ND13]

Done for a while, watched Aeon Flux again to set everything with. It said it was in 1920x1080 mode when hooked up to my hd/dvr/cable box.

So fAR VERY PLEASED!!!!

[Toxis]

Plasmas can and always will have issues with burn in. It's just like old CRT big screens. It will always be a problem no matter what technology they put in it to help prevent it. Those technologies are like condoms. Sure they help prevent it but they're not the cure.

[ND13]

Well, now that I've had a few days with the new tv, I can say that I made a great choice. Just read that Westinghouse just took over the top spot, as far as sales numbers go, in the flat panel LCD division of tv sales. I guess that means they're doing something right other than just price, cause there were several less expensive brands(Olevia, Emprex, Polaroid, Ilo, Vizio, RCA, Magnavox, etc, etc).

[mmcgehee]

Being in sales myself, and seeing these thing sold all day long I would say be very careful about what you read. I hardly believe that Westinghouse is outselling Sony, Samsung, or Toshiba in the flat panel market.

As far as the brands you mentioned go, sure I can see that.

Either way it's great that you're enjoying your new tv. :)

[danger boy]

Noel, did you use component video cables to hook up your new display to your receiver/pre amp? how about from your DVD player to your TV or receiver? I use component thruout my system.. everything looks great that way.

congrats on your new TV.

[ND13]

Being in sales myself, and seeing these thing sold all day long I would say be very careful about what you read. I hardly believe that Westinghouse is outselling Sony, Samsung, or Toshiba in the flat panel market.

As far as the brands you mentioned go, sure I can see that.

Either way it's great that you're enjoying your new tv. :)

It actually said it on the sticker on the TV at the store. Also read on the net a few weeks ago that they were definitely in the top 3. NOT for ALL flat panels, just LCDs.


HDMI

[mmcgehee]

It actually said it on the sticker on the TV at the store. Also read on the net a few weeks ago that they were definitely in the top 3. NOT for ALL flat panels, just LCDs.


HDMI

I really have trouble believing they're the top selling, top 3 I can accept. Well who knows for sure.

[Toxis]

Seeing 1. the price and 2. they're EVERYWHERE, I don't doubt it at all. The new series are nothing more than a 2 year old Sony (The old M1 series) rebadged and new fascia for the darker grey. Great TV for the money but definitely not in the top 5 of quality.