SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2005 I bought a 52" HD projection screen TV yesterday at Best Buy for $999. I seems like a good deal, considering the interest rate they're offering this week. At the store though, they mentioned the high risk of images, such as from video games or bars on the side of the screen, burning into the screen. I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem. Should I just leave all my video games hoked up to my old TV? Do the black bars from extra-wide screen movies pose a risk? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2005 Not sure about the black bars, but I heard the video game problem generally comes from putting the game on pause and leaving it paused for an extended period of time. I'm sure there are others here that can give you a better answer. BTW: How much was the warranty they tried to pimp on you?... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Black Lushus 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2005 I too own a 52" wide HD, had it for over a year...common sense is the best advice I can give you, bro...like KKK said, don't leave shit paused for extended periods of time or at least turn the TV off. Now by extended I'm talkin over a couple hours...I've left games paused for almost 2 hours without problems...I watch movies on it constantly and have never had issues with black bars...the one thing I will tell you though is that every once in a while the screen will flicker...it's very slight...VERY slight, but it does happen and you will notice...i only catch that once every 3 hours or so of straight viewing... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2005 Now what if you don't pause a video game, but instead are at a point in the game where most of the screen won't change scenes (example: in Madden games when you're drafting players or signing free agents), should someone be worried about images getting burned then?... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Black Lushus 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2005 no because for the most part the screen moves within the right time frame...I play NBA and NFL 2K5 constantly and not one issue... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2005 Not sure about the black bars, but I heard the video game problem generally comes from putting the game on pause and leaving it paused for an extended period of time. I'm sure there are others here that can give you a better answer. BTW: How much was the warranty they tried to pimp on you?... It was $249. $100 better than the one Circuit City was pushing. Even with the warranty (yeah, I bought it because its good for 4 years and I did have a monitor go out on me once before), the monthly payments are less than $40 a month. I've heard about the problem with putting it on pause also, but wouldn't any score icons or ammo numbers get burned into the screen as well? They usually stay on the screen for most of the game, right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Black Lushus 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2005 Y2Jerk...I've gone 5 or 6 hours straight for 5 or 6 days straight without that issue...honestly bro, just be sensible with your TV, for 999 you cannot go wrong! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoCalMike 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2005 Are these HD-ready or HD-built in? Also, are these 16X9 screens? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Black Lushus 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2005 mine is 16x9 HD READY...had to get a covnerter box through my cable company... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoCalMike 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2005 Let me ask a question. On dvds that say "enhanced for 16x9 tvs" does that mean because the screen itself is a rectangle, that there are no black bars period? How exactly does that work? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2005 Let me ask a question. On dvds that say "enhanced for 16x9 tvs" does that mean because the screen itself is a rectangle, that there are no black bars period? How exactly does that work? You have to switch your DVD player to 16:9 mode. It then transmits an image to the TV if viewed on a regular shaped television would make everything look skinnier (which you can do on virtually any DVD player). On a 16:9 TV, it looks normal proportions, but its shaped like a movie screen. The "enhanced" mode is a slightly higher resolution picture because it makes better use of the space. Whether or not it gets rid of the black bars completely depends on how wide the image is supposed to be viewed at. For example, the "Spider-Man" DVD fills the entire screen. "Lord of the Rings" leaves tiny black bars at the top and bottom. Y2Jerk...I've gone 5 or 6 hours straight for 5 or 6 days straight without that issue...honestly bro, just be sensible with your TV, for 999 you cannot go wrong! Thanks for the feedback. I honestly don't play my X-Box that much, so maybe I'm just being paranoid. Still, were talking about a lot of money, even for the cheapest HD television. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Razor Roman Report post Posted January 28, 2005 Don't worry about it too much, unless all you do is play the same game all the time. Then, if there is something static on the screen (like let's say a score or health meter) then it could burn in. Just watch lots of different stuff, and keep your brightness level fairly low. They usually are set near max, which is really bad for display life and generally totally unnecessary. If you have questions about the Best Buy Performance Service plan PM me, I work at best buy part time in the Home Theater department, and I can tell you honestly, if something goes wrong with the TV it's not a ripoff, it costs about as much as one "Average" repair from a TV shop... and if it's something the manufacturer covers, BestBuy sends someone to your house to fix it, rather than you having to figure out how to get it to an "authorized service center" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2005 Thanks. My friend, who I'll admit is not an expert, was telling me that the big screen TV sold today are less likely to have burn-ins than the TV of a few years ago. Anybody know if this is true? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Razor Roman Report post Posted January 28, 2005 It's true to an extent, but not 100% burn-in free. The new projection TV's he might be referring to are LCD and DLP Rear projection sets (they start around $2000) those are 100% burn-in free... really the only burn in free option for a 42" or bigger screen (unless you get a projector) Also note, the Best Buy service plan does NOT cover burn in damage. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dobbs 3K 0 Report post Posted January 29, 2005 Don't know if you've made your decision yet, but I personally would avoid Best Buy and Circuit City. Those two companies aren't exactly known for knowledgable sales people or great customer service. Maybe people around here have had good experiences, but I've heard lots of horror stories about them. www.bestbuysux.org is a great example of the kind of junk you have to put up with from the big box places. Personally, my wife and I bought bought our Mistubishi 48" HD-ready set from Sears last year and couldn't be happier. Haven't had a problem with the set at all, but Sears was very good about delivering it, and the sales guy was knowledgable. Now, this set was more than the one you are looking at (it was about $1899, plus tax and about $30 for delivery). We also bought a two year extended service plan, which we haven't really needed, but it was worth the piece of mind, IMO. (Yay...post #400...I can't believe I've been coming to the various "smark" posting groups/forums since Scott Keith's old "Scott-Land" and "Rantsylvania" websites, and I'm only at #400 on this board...guess I should post more frequently). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted January 29, 2005 It's true to an extent, but not 100% burn-in free. The new projection TV's he might be referring to are LCD and DLP Rear projection sets (they start around $2000) those are 100% burn-in free... really the only burn in free option for a 42" or bigger screen (unless you get a projector) Also note, the Best Buy service plan does NOT cover burn in damage. Good to know. Well, they delivered it this morning. My plan is to use the zoom to cut off the top and bottom of the screen when I'm watching TV, and not play video games for more than 1 hour at a time. Those two companies aren't exactly known for knowledgable sales people or great customer service. I've had Best Buy sales associates tell me stuff that was just flat out wrong about my JVC 32" flatscreen (which I STRONGLY RECOMMEND for its enhanced widescreen feature...the Best Buy folks had no clue how this feature worked) and my DirecTV (regarding the expense of obtaining a replacement receiver) before I bought them. Still, I'm sure there's lots of knowledgable and professional folks who work there I just haven't met yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dobbs 3K 0 Report post Posted January 29, 2005 Hope you are enjoying it so far. Which brand did you end up going with? You can probably play video games for more than 1 hour at a time, but it might be good to switch which titles you are playing after each hour or so. Frankly, I've had long marathon sessions of playing Fable and Halo 2 and haven't had a single problem yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KingPK 0 Report post Posted January 29, 2005 If you are in a situation where you have to leave a game or a movie paused for HOURS, just turn the set off, and turn it back on when you come back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted January 30, 2005 Invader3k, its the basic GE model without the glass-protect over the screen (hence the low price). And I turned the contrast down first thing, like someone suggested. Is it true that the light gray bars that format the screen for regular TV can also burn in? If so, why not make them black. I'd think that black bars would be less likely to burn in than light gray, but I could be wrong. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Secret Agent 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2005 Don't know if you've made your decision yet, but I personally would avoid Best Buy and Circuit City. Those two companies aren't exactly known for knowledgable sales people or great customer service. Maybe people around here have had good experiences, but I've heard lots of horror stories about them. www.bestbuysux.org is a great example of the kind of junk you have to put up with from the big box places. So since you've heard that some of the folks that work their don't know everything under the sun about a T.V., that means you should avoid shopping there? For the kind of money these big screen sets cost a consumer should do some research on their own, and not rely on someone at Best Buy or Circuit City to have all the answers. Most often, the really knowledgable people are working as installers not sales people, anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Czech Republic 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2005 These TVs sound so high-maintenance that it's not even worth it to me. I had an old television that lasted like 18 years, and if you counted the time that it was actually on, you'd probably end up with like, shit, 15 years. Just doesn't seem necessary. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jobber of the Week 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2005 Is it true that the light gray bars that format the screen for regular TV can also burn in? If so, why not make them black. I'd think that black bars would be less likely to burn in than light gray, but I could be wrong. That's wrong. There's a certain shade of gray that's less likely to burn in. Black bars can be a problem. On many HD sports events, 4:3 shots have images on the side (like Monday Night Football does a replay, and ABC logos on a red background appear on the sides.) My Dad used to watch NASCAR races on NBC-HD and while the quality wasn't really great (NBC's HD support is also akin to a comedy of errors), the extra picture did help. When they went to commercials, the sides were a frosty-covered copy of the left and right sides of the 4:3 picture, so as to sort of give the impression that the picture filled your screen when it didn't. But it still kept the motion and colors going on the sides so that black bars wouldn't burn any projection viewers. ESPN-HD used to use black bars all the time except for their occasional 16:9 programs, and even then some programs (notably SportsCenter) have to use 4:3 anytime they show anything other than the anchor. Finally, a few months ago ESPN added an image to the sidebars, to the delight of projection owners. If you want to talk to some people who seriously know projection TVs, I'd start here. Pick the forum for your TV type. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Czech Republic 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2005 Yeah. High definition actually sounds really shitty. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted July 13, 2005 Okay...new problem: I'm not sure if its because the air conditioning in my house is running or what, but my screen's been showing a lot of lines and has been shaking a bit. I also thought this might be the connection, but its doing it on every input source. It doesn't do it 100% of the time, but enough to annoy me. I should probably just have them come out and look at it, but I'm afraid they'll be all "We don't see anything wrong with it". Is there something I can do to fix this, or is it definitely time to call the repair man? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted July 13, 2005 If you got the warranty, you should call them to come look at it, as thats what you bought the warranty for. Also, I use the stretch mode on my widescreen TV to eliminate the black pillarbars on the 4:3 SD programming, although some of the HD channels that air programming in 4:3 can't be stretched. At first it was hard to deal with because everything (and everyone) looks bloated, but I dont even really notice it any more. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoCalMike 0 Report post Posted July 13, 2005 Well I have an HD 16:9 46" Toshiba TV and I haven't had any problems yet. I haven't hooked up the PS2 yet though, but as far as watching movies, nothing burns in. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
