Widescreen LCD TV "burning"???

Question

I recently purchased a 37" LCD TV. I was told that if we watch too many programs that are not in the widescreen format it will "burn" the lines of the picture that is not in the widescreen format into my screen. Is this true? I am not into electronics much so please pardon me if my lingo is not correct.

Answer 1

Your "lingo" was fine. :-) My understanding is that the "burn in" problem was only true for the older Plasma tv sets. The LCD's don't have that problem at all. Here's a blurb I read on this topic from the web:

"Burn In" is a phenomenon that occurs when an image is left on the screen too long, like if you pause a DVD for a long time. And to put it mildly, Burn In is a major problem. Once burn in happens, you will always see a ghostly outline of the Burnt In image no matter what you are watching. This is because some pixels on the TV can no longer create as much light as others, so they will always appear darker. Most commonly this occurs from playing video games for too long (see, your mother was right) or from watching letterboxed material too often. The easiest way to avoid this problem is to limit videogame time and to watch material in a full screen format as much as possible. Another good tactic to avoid Burn In is to take frequent breaks. You can play video games for a little while, then watch some TV before you go back to the games.

However Burn In is nothing new. It has always been something to consider since the first TVs were invented. And Flat-Panel TVs are no more prone to Burn In than any other type of TV. In fact, one type of Flat-Panel TV is completely immune to this problem.

Burn In is a consideration with Plasma TVs, but not LCDs. Plasma TVs, like traditional Cathode Ray Tube TVs create their own light. They make light by exciting a chemical coating inside the screen called "phosphors". The burn-in issue happens when you continually ask some of these phosphors to make light while others nearby are basically sleeping. LCDs on the other hand create a picture by blocking light from an outside source (basically a powerful light bulb). This makes it impossible for burn-in to happen on a LCD screen.

So if your Flat-Panel TV is a Plasma, just keep in mind what you are watching and for how long, just like you would on a traditional television. But if it's an LCD set, go ahead and schedule that 24-hour Madden marathon video game session.

Answer 2

Burn in is possible with LCD, but its more of a 'memory effect' than a true burn in. LCDs work by way of polarizing crystals, and if the crystals are left on for a long period of time, they can develop a memory, which appears as burn in.

Answer 3

Polaroid being a very 'low end' television, the maintenance must be particularly high priced. i'd evaluate a extra constructive form television.... it is not clever to get a television/DVD blend... If between the mixture breaks, you lose the two on the same time as being fastened.!