4:3 on a 16:9 TV or vice-versa: Damage?

[AngusMacGyver]

I was reading a Samsung CRT TV's user manual that claims that you cannot view 4:3 videos on a 16:9 TV or vice-versa over 15% of total time. You should avoid black borders. It says they could damage CRT because create fixed black areas on screen and they mark it forever. That claims warranty becomes void if you view black borders over 15% of time.
I think it's a shame. Must I have 2 TVs? One to 4:3 and another to 16:9 videos????
What about anamorphic DVDs????
I've never read that advice on other brands' manuals.
I'd like to know your opinions.
Thanks.

[Cunhambebe]

Fala aeee brow... belê rsrsrs? Bom, você vive no Brasil né...
If I were you I'd get back to the store and choose another brand such as Sony - Panasonic - LG - Philips. The Consumer Code allows you to do it.

[AngusMacGyver]

Hi!
I have't bought it. I was reading a PDF version of the manual. Thanks.
----- In Portuguese -----------------
Não a comprei, só estava dando uma olhada no manual em PDF.
Obrigado pela atenção.
Um abraço.

[thecoalman]

It says they could damage CRT because create fixed black areas on screen and they mark it forever. That claims warranty becomes void if you view black borders over 15% of time.

I know this used to be an issue hence the screen saver in windows. AFAIK it's not a problem now, I have accidently left a monitor on once with the same screen "Its now safe to turn off your compter" for well over 24 hours way back in the Win 95 days and that didn't do any damage to the monitor.

This even goes back to the days of Atari's where some TV's were getting burn in... probably people playing one game like pac-man for hours and hours... Anyhow if that is there warranty I'd take my business elsewhere.

[whitejremiah]

im not too sure on CRT tv's....but i know as far as monitors are concerned, its nothing that you have to worry TOO much about....LCD's are relatively safe in this manner as well, these days........about the only time you run into burn in anymore for the most part, is if you go to an ATM, those will get burn in, because they display the same screen nearly 24/7 and they are never turned off for any long length of time...i think they mostly say that for THEIR end incase someone tries to pull something stupid, like letting a video game sit on pause for 3 weeks straight then goes back to them and complains that it caused burn in.............

[guns1inger]

Plasma and cheap LCDs *might* suffer burn in. Some plasmas certainly do. I haven't seen a CRT suffer burn-in for probably 15 years. Agree with the previous poster that this is probably a general disclaimer that has been placed there to stop frivilous lawsuits.

[edDV]

Plasma and cheap LCDs *might* suffer burn in. Some plasmas certainly do. I haven't seen a CRT suffer burn-in for probably 15 years. Agree with the previous poster that this is probably a general disclaimer that has been placed there to stop frivilous lawsuits.

Lawyers are in the business of intimidation but rarely do this unless they are well paid to do so.

[DRP]

Don't worry about it. All consumer goods these days are made down to a price and designed to last just the warranty period (if you're unlucky). Any monitor you buy these days will fail of something else and become landfill long before you need to start worrying about screen burn in.

[budz]

I just bought a SAMSUNG 23 inch LCD TV from BEST BUY. Here's a link to regarding watching 4:3 & 16:9:

http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/200503/20050308143839734_BN68-00801L-00Eng.pdf

Interesting!

[guns1inger]

edDV - you don't need a lawyer to initiate a pointless lawsuit. Anyone is entitled to represent themselves, no matter how stupid the reason.

[thecoalman]

edDV - you don't need a lawyer to initiate a pointless lawsuit. Anyone is entitled to represent themselves, no matter how stupid the reason.

Don't know about your side of the pond but over here there are more than enough willing to start a lawsuit. You only need to sit down during the afternoon TV shows to find numerous lawyers willing to start a lawsuit... coincidentally the same time most people who are willing to work are doing so.

Here's a quote, "We can get you money!" No shit that's in the ad, right next to the list which includes slip and fall... Nothing but a bunch of leeches.

[BSpielbauer]

I was reading a Samsung CRT TV's user manual that claims that you cannot view 4:3 videos on a 16:9 TV or vice-versa over 15% of total time. You should avoid black borders. It says they could damage CRT because create fixed black areas on screen and they mark it forever. That claims warranty becomes void if you view black borders over 15% of time.

First, all of the major brands have warnings in the user manuals regarding the possibility of "uneven phosphor wear" or what is often described as "burn in." Switching to a different maker will not make any difference.

Second, the threat of this occurring is quite real (on any CRT-based TV, and also on any plasma, especially). There are some types of sets that can "burn in." There are also some types that cannot ever "burn in" (DLP sets, for example). However, even with a CRT set or a plasma set, it is also quite easy to mitigate the threat so it becomes a moot point.

-Turn down the contrast (something you should do anyway).
-Vary your viewing (something most of us do anyway).

Here is a link to a FAQ I was asked to create a few years back on this issue:


http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=21041

The TVs that are the most likely to burn in are plasma sets and rear projection CRT units. Direct view CRT units can burn in, but this is more rare. LCD direct view sets and LCD projection sets can burn in, but this is even more rare. DLP sets are immune to this "burn in." LCOS and DILA sets are immune to "burn in."

Finally, to those who believe this is merely lawyer-speak, or that it is merely something dreamed up by manufacturers as a "just in case" with no validity, I can assure you that people have become afflicted, and some of those people have tried to sue when a manufacturer refused to help compensate them for their $8000.00 brand new plasma or their $4000 six month old Pioneer Elite or their Mitsubishi Diamond (three of the cases I am aware of where owners actually sued, unsuccessfully).

I still recall the guy who left his set on CNN almost non-stop after the second space shuttle disaster, only to find he could see their logo and their "ticker" no matter which channel he turned to.

I also recall the case (over at the Spot Forum) of the guy whose kid hit the A/V reset switch and put him back in "torch mode." He thought he was safe, and he played his video games for many days until he saw his "bottom menu" begin to appear on all of his DVDs.

The easiest way to see what this looks like to is to visit a dealer. Ask a salesman. They usually have a few sets with "burn in," as they often leave their sets in "full contrast mode" and tuned to one or two stations for hour after hour, day after day. Any static image can eventually appear, as a sort of a "ghost," and dealers often find this out the hard way.


Should you worry? Not if you turn down that contrast (calibrate!) and not if you vary your viewing.

-Bruce

[edDV]

I went away on a 3 week business trip back in the early 90's and forgot to turn off my almost new $1000 Sony XBR direct view CRT. When I got back and ever since it has had "SVHS" burned into the upper left.

Newer sets have this input label time out.

[NiteLite]

Should you worry? Not if you turn down that contrast (calibrate!) and not if you vary your viewing.-Bruce

Nice post bruce.

Last sentence sums up perfect.

[Wile_E]

How could the color black, burn-in a CRT screen? Nothing is being drawn in that area. It's the rest of the picture that is actually being "burned in". So if you watch too much 4:3 on a 16:9, the middle area will be burned in, leaving the black area untouched. It's high contrast WHITE color that you have to worry about. I've seen several 16:9 TV's and a cable box that had white/grey bars and you couldn't change the color.

I had an old 19" CRT that was used heavily as a computer display, back in the 80's. The computer I used(Tandy Color Computer 2), would draw it's screen in the middle of the TV with green color and the border black. As much as I used this TV, the black and green area was never burned in.

[AngusMacGyver]

Thank you for your posts, guys!
You rule.

[BSpielbauer]

How could the color black, burn-in a CRT screen? Nothing is being drawn in that area. It's the rest of the picture that is actually being "burned in". So if you watch too much 4:3 on a 16:9, the middle area will be burned in, leaving the black area untouched. It's high contrast WHITE color that you have to worry about.

The term "burn in" is merely the layman's method of referring to this phenomenon.

As I explained in my FAQs (referenced above), the correct phrase should actually be "uneven phosphor wear." To put it simply, the phosphors in one part of the screen are "excited" while the phosphors in another part of the screen are stagnant, or not "excited." When this occurs, for extended lengths of time, one begins to notice that one part of the screen has been "overused" in comparison with the remainder of the screen. One part has been "overused" and is thus much dimmer in appearance while another part is "less used" and thus appears much brighter. It is that DIFFERENCE that is noticable, regardless of whether the stagnant portion is black, white, green, red, or a tasteful sort of a chartreuse <grin>.

Any sort of a static image can potentially cause this, merely because the phosphors in that portion remain at a constant, while the phosphors in the remaining portions are "fluctuating" or "moving." If it happens to be black in the static portion, so be it. If it happens to be white, so be it. Regardless, it is the fact that it was static - while other parts of the screen were not static -- that poses the risk.

And, again, the risk is minor, for most. Turn down the contrast. Vary your viewing (as most people do without even thinking about it). Do both, and the risk will be nullified.

-Bruce