using hdtv as primary computer monitor. am I burning screen?

[Semidevil]

I just bought a cheap ol' e-machine desktop and hooked it up to my 50 inch PDP hdtv. everything looks good. The main purpose is really to just watch internet videos, email, etc etc. all online things and no gaming of any type.

If I use my tv as a monitor, will there be any ghosting or burn-in on my tv? Something that I should be worried about? what can I do to prevent it?

 

[DrZDO]

Plasma? From what I understand, the burning of Plasma is temporary, will last a few days. LCD doesn't burn in

 

[BassBomb]

Originally posted by: DrZDO
Plasma? From what I understand, the burning of Plasma is temporary, will last a few days. LCD doesn't burn in

Plasma is permament whereas on a LCD they have Image Retention, which is not permanent.

If you are using a plasma as a monitor, I would be really careful. Make sure you turn the screen off or use a screensaver even if you are going to be away for a few minutes.

It would help to tell us what tv you have to see if it may be risky

 

[Semidevil]

it's a plasma tv.

samsung hpt5034. amazon link


the tv has pixel shift function on. Does that help any? I figured since the tv has a vga port designed to plug into the computer , I thought it might be safe....
any ideas?

 

[DrZDO]

Originally posted by: BassBomb

Originally posted by: DrZDO
Plasma? From what I understand, the burning of Plasma is temporary, will last a few days. LCD doesn't burn in

Plasma is permament whereas on a LCD they have Image Retention, which is not permanent.

If you are using a plasma as a monitor, I would be really careful. Make sure you turn the screen off or use a screensaver even if you are going to be away for a few minutes.

It would help to tell us what tv you have to see if it may be risky

You may be an expert, which I'm not, but I have noticed a consensus on net articles that plasma burn in does eventually return to normal. random article: http://www.electronichouse.com...yth_of_plasma_burn_in/

 

[BassBomb]

Originally posted by: DrZDO

Originally posted by: BassBomb

Originally posted by: DrZDO
Plasma? From what I understand, the burning of Plasma is temporary, will last a few days. LCD doesn't burn in

Plasma is permament whereas on a LCD they have Image Retention, which is not permanent.

If you are using a plasma as a monitor, I would be really careful. Make sure you turn the screen off or use a screensaver even if you are going to be away for a few minutes.

It would help to tell us what tv you have to see if it may be risky

You may be an expert, which I'm not, but I have noticed a consensus on net articles that plasma burn in does eventually return to normal. random article: http://www.electronichouse.com...yth_of_plasma_burn_in/

If you read your article it states that on "current" plasmas burn is not permanent IF you cycle the monitor with moving picture afterward. This is why I asked what TV he had to see whether its from yesteryear or current.

That being said, the TV linked is a recent one and should not be too bad. If you are using your computer 8 hours a day and mainly using it within Windows then it might be a bad idea to use it UNLESS you are going to display moving images or use screensaver for any down time you can.

I've noticed with my monitor that changing the brightness/contrast changed the amount of Image Retention that I would receive. The main proponent that reduced the IR I experienced was setting my Screen saver to 1 minute (I used "Mystify", since it had moving + changing colors).

 

[Sunrise089]

Originally posted by: BassBomb
If you read your article it states that on "current" plasmas burn is not permanent IF you cycle the monitor with moving picture afterward. This is why I asked what TV he had to see whether its from yesteryear or current.
...

This top secret technique is called "using the TV normally." I swear for as much as current-generation plasma users live in fear over a problem that disappeared years ago they should have all just bought LCDs and been done with it.

The whole myth of "burn in dangers" on modern TVs comes from the fact that people associate any retained image with "burn in." The reality is that burn in could be an issue with a non-pixel-shifting plasma that hasn't been broken in then viewing a fixed image for a long time. On a broken in modern pixel-shifting plasma with a source that uses a screensavor I would say there is zero risk.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: Semidevil
it's a plasma tv.

samsung hpt5034. amazon link


the tv has pixel shift function on. Does that help any? I figured since the tv has a vga port designed to plug into the computer , I thought it might be safe....
any ideas?

Yes, the pixel shift helps and should always be on. I'd recommend taking a few precautions like hiding the taskbar and setting your screen saver to come on after 1 minute.

The main risk for burn in is not how many hours you use it as a computer monitor but what percentage of your total usage is as a computer monitor. If you use it 90% of the time as a computer monitor, then you'd be at a much higher risk of burn in compared to using it 40-50% of the time as a computer monitor. Varying your content is what ensures that a plasma will not get burn in. Also, be sure that you've taken your TV out of "torch" mode (probably called something like dynamic). TVs ship with insanely high brightness and contrast, both of which contribute to the likelihood of burn in. At the very least put your TV in movie mode. Better yet, find some settings for your TV on avsforum or use a calibration DVD/BD.