Can you damage an LCD monitor by leaving it on?

[johnsees]

Depending on the application I'm running, sometimes my monitor doesn't go into standby as it should if I leave it alone for a while. So is there any sort of "burn-in" like with a CRT? Usually, I just turn it off when I leave the room, but sometimes I don't if I'm planning on coming right back.
Thanks

[edDV]

No burn in issues but it does draw power and it does age the CFL backlight. Some video display cards lose the connection if you turn the monitor off. It may require reboot to reconnect the monitor.

Monitor energy saving modes turn off the backlight but keep the connection active.

[stiltman]

No burn in issues

I can show you a bunch of LCDs that have burn in
It's hard to really tell from this picture, but this whole thing has menus burned in. It looks much worse in real life

[Constant Gardener]

My ex-boss had a pathological aversion to screen savers - it took about two years, but he did manage to burn a permanent image onto some LCDs used to monitor our network. So it can be done.

[edDV]

My ex-boss had a pathological aversion to screen savers - it took about two years, but he did manage to burn a permanent image onto some LCDs used to monitor our network. So it can be done.

But not likely. Screen savers keep the image moving, or they should.

[wtsinnc]

Hi stiltman;

Do you have any idea how long the image was on the monitor for the burn in to take place ?

[edDV]

Hi stiltman;

Do you have any idea how long the image was on the monitor for the burn in to take place ?

Worse case test is a static high contrast static image (e.g. game menu). Plasmas solved this with slow circular screen movement. LCD so far hasn't needed to do this.

[jagabo]

Plasmas solved this with slow circular screen movement.

Of course, it's not really solved. The burn in pattern is just blurrier and harder to see.

[johnsees]

Well, too bad! I was hoping I wouldn't have to worry about that. Oh, well!
Thanks everybody.

[jagabo]

I wouldn't worry about it. Windows often neglects switch the display off and I don't use screen savers. So some of my computers are often on all night with a static Windows desktop. I have no burn-in issues.

[edDV]

I've never heard of LCD burn in. I was responding to recent plasma issues.

Johnsees seems to be in a lawsuit? He will need an expert witness (not me*).

* I might be available for the defense --- not really at this time. Larger fish to fry.

[johnsees]

Johnsees seems to be in a lawsuit? He will need an expert witness (not me*).

A lawsuit? I hope not. Why do you say that?

[fritzi93]

As to plasma burn-in: supposedly newer sets are less prone to it, especially if care is taken during break-in (say, first 100 hours or so) to not leave still images on screen for extended periods.

But plasma has another issue: displaying pillarboxed 4:3 can leave the pillared areas slightly brighter than the center of the screen. Ask me how I know :P , the damn manual made no mention of it. It's just detectable to me, although my wife can't see it. Put on the image cleaner (bright white screen) and it's plainly visible even to her.

AFAIK, this is not burn in, but normal decline in brightness, the pillars having 'aged' less. Putting on the image cleaner after watching a 2.35:1 DVD, the bars on top and bottom can be seen as well, but will disappear after a cleaning session. So now I set analog channels to 'wide' and increase vertical height to match.

The image cleaner is used regularly because of....goddamn logos.

[edDV]

As to plasma burn-in: supposedly newer sets are less prone to it, especially if care is taken during break-in (say, first 100 hours or so) to not leave still images on screen for extended periods.

But plasma has another issue: displaying pillarboxed 4:3 can leave the pillared areas slightly brighter than the center of the screen. Ask me how I know :P , the damn manual made no mention of it. It's just detectable to me, although my wife can't see it. Put on the image cleaner (bright white screen) and it's plainly visible even to her.

AFAIK, this is not burn in, but normal decline in brightness, the pillars having 'aged' less. Putting on the image cleaner after watching a 2.35:1 DVD, the bars on top and bottom can be seen as well, but will disappear after a cleaning session. So now I set analog channels to 'wide' and increase vertical height to match.

The image cleaner is used regularly because of....goddamn logos.

Broadcasters fill the pillars with video to prevent this problem. Some DVD players allow other than black in the outside letterbox. Some plasma TV sets have options to fill side pillars with gray or other neutral color.

[handyguy]

Today's plasma tvs have features to prevent it.

But I'm surprised to see it on an LCD.

[stiltman]

Hi stiltman;

Do you have any idea how long the image was on the monitor for the burn in to take place ?

Took about 6-9 months. If this certain program is up, it prevents screensavers and energy star setting (turning off monitor after say 20mins)

[Ai Haibara]

Could you still tell the monitor to power off (no, not using the physical power button ), with the program active?

[stiltman]

Nope, the program has total control.
Power setting are set to turn off the monitor after 30mins, screensaver after 15mins. If the program is up and has focus, then it over-rides the settings

[Ai Haibara]

So, you can't have another program tell the monitor to shut off/issue a power-off command? For example, I've used Steve Gibson's 'Wizmo' utility to manually force the monitor to turn off, on a couple of systems. Handy because our XP laptop is currently ignoring the power-saver settings for some reason, and won't turn off (no screensaver set, either).

[stiltman]

That would be defeating the purpose of the program needing full control
The program in question is worth a lot more than a $300 LCD

[Number Six]

That would be defeating the purpose of the program needing full control

OK - I'll bite - What does that program do that it needs the back light on all the time?

And, please don't tell me that it is a fish tank :P

[handyguy]

Some say you can put on a full bright white screen for hours to clear off that write in.