eau

Could you provide some links to the threads there? I would like to find out more about breaking in a new plasma

Save Ferris

what kills me is how people fix the burn in problems--they put the screen on something bright so that the pixels surrounding the burn in match the burned in piece. thats like making a white shirt match a dingy brown stain that you cant bleach out.

Save Ferris

Basically with a plasma you're investing in a decaying technology (phospor based). If you dont get a part of a video game burned in the screen, you'll get the screen as a whole dimming at the same time. Id hate to watch my TV knowing the screen was being used up as it glowed. Its not like a bulb that can be replaced (free if on warranty).

forgot the link

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=608677

flashburn

You forgot to mention that this 'dimming' only occurs after MANY years of use (10-20 years). It can be said of most displays that after that amount of time, they won't look as good as they did new.

Oh and as far as bulbs that can be replaced for free under warranty. I am guessing you are talking about DLP's, if so, no company covers replacement bulbs under warranty.

Josh H

He might be talking about the extended warranties you buy from the store of purchase. Those usually cover bulb replacement. Though I personally usually don't buy them for any thing I purchase.

Save Ferris

I actually had a tech come over about a month ago and install a $210 bulb for free under warranty. Best Buys extended coverage includes bulbs. My bulb wasnt out but it was dim and I didnt want to worry about it going out at a critical time. I was surprised honestly.

If the TV manufacturer is telling you 10-20 years I wouldnt worry about it then. We'll all be using something else by that time anyway.

Josh H

Then that was the mix up. I think flashburn was saying the manufacturer's warranties don't cover that.

BTW, what did you pay for the extended warranty? I've seen some that were as much as the cost of a bulb, and thus only end up being worthwhile if your bulb goes more than once in the 2-3 year period or you have something else go wrong with the set.

Save Ferris

My EW was almost $400 for 5 years. I was worried about fitting at least 3 bulb replacements in that time but im encouraged by them replacing my bulb that was a bit dimmer than new, no questions asked. They came out 2 days after I reported it too.

flashburn

Yep, I was talking about the manufacturer's warranty.

joshd2012

Plasma is a CRT technology. All TVs that use CRT technology have the potential to burn in. Its not a matter of opinion, its a matter of science.

Gromit

Yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that I've seen NO signs of burn-in. I just don't get why some people don't believe the people who actually OWN a plasma display, insisting that the burn-in is there, we're just in denial.

Josh H

Exactly. No one is saying burn in CAN'T happen on Plasmas. Just that it's damn rare if you use your TV properly (break in period, properly calibrated, etc.).

Save Ferris

Ive heard people describe the amazing difference of how much their plasma display degraded over a year.

They would of never known (because honestly a 10% degredation over a span of a year is hardly noticable) if it werent for a side by side comparison. This was reported by people in the avsforum who had the means/ability to compare a new with a year-old display. This was a few years ago so maybe the displays are better but I dont even want to think that my TV is subtley dying on me.

flashburn

A few years ago Plasma's were much easier to succumb to burn in. Since then they have become much more resistant. I don't know if the speed the image degrades has gotten better, but I can only assume that it has.

RocShemp

So is it still uncertain or is Plasma now a definite yay or nay for gaming?

Supermallet

At this point in the game, almost any of the technologies will work for gaming. Everyone has its potential drawbacks (LCD has ghosting, plasma has burn-in, DLP has lag times), but most newer sets take care to minimize these problems. I think the worst offender at this point is LCD, as plasmas have gotten better about burn-in AND half life (i.e. the phosphors fading), and DLP has gotten so good at eliminating lag times that none of the 2007 models from any major company seem to have them. So I say get the TV that best suits your needs, and while you're at it, double check to make sure it works for your gaming.

Save Ferris

wait, who was the guy (infidel?) who JUST bought a brand new DLP and had to tweak his setup because the 'rainbow effect' was driving him nuts? Also theres no ghosting in the LCD displays--they're pretty nice for gaming rear projection or flat panel--they're the technology that Microsoft used in all their 360 displays.

flashburn

If you say so, I still see it in even the newest and most expensive LCD displays. I also can't stand the way stuff "looks" on LCDs. I am glad I chose a Plasma since it is the closest you can get to a CRT as far as image quality goes, and takes up much less space.

Save Ferris

Its all preference--they're all getting pretty close (within similar price ranges) now.

But size--Why would a Plasma take up less space than a flatscreen LCD?

Shagrath

I think he was comparing the size to a CRT, since hs said the picture quality closely matches that.

flashburn

Exactly.

Liver&Onions

I use a plasma for gaming. I see some lingering on the screen from some things, but it fades quickly when switching to TV mode for 5 minutes.

Save Ferris

How old is your set?

Something like that would kill me. It would make me want to spend less and less time gaming, gnawing in the back of my mind.

Gromit

I just upgraded to a new 50" Panasonic TH-50PH9UK (and I just went to visualapex.com to make sure I got the model number right only to see that it's now $300 less than what I paid dammit).

I was reading the plasma/lcd forum at avsforum.com and even though I had zero problems with my 42", I started to get paranoid about burn-in after reading some to stuff there. Someone posted that they played less than 1 game of Madden '07 and they now have a permanent EA logo burnt on their display.

Well I don't know what these people are doing, but I ran a break-in disc on my new plasma for 100 hours and once again, I have NO burn-in issues. Lately I've been playing Lego Star Wars II and NCAA '07, both of which have static images that remain on the screen.

Whew.

Save Ferris

i think if you have it turned down (Dim) then it should last longer.