Opinions about using a TV as monitor

Solarstarshines · 07 Oct 2010

screen burn can be avoided if you turn the monitor off or have the win7 theme change it i havnt gotten burned yet thank god but i do leave my screen on for long periods of time with the same pic up maybe im just darn lucky

Ponmayilal · 07 Oct 2010

LCD panels are immune from screen burn unlike CRTs. Neither is it a problem with the present generation Plasma panels, though it is better to exercise a bit of caution.

boohbah · 07 Oct 2010

Ponmayilal said:

LCD panels are immune from screen burn unlike CRTs. Neither is it a problem with the present generation Plasma panels, though it is better to exercise a bit of caution.

Call it what you will i just minimized my browser and i can still read my bookmarks that are burnt /ghosted whatever . its a samsung lcd 32"

Ponmayilal · 07 Oct 2010

Well, now I understand what people are referring to here as screen burn and/or ghosting is really not screen burn (which leaves a permanent mark) but persistence of an image or streaking in a fast moving scene which is due to the response time of the pixels in the panel switching on and off. LCD panels with a fast response time and wide viewing angle for discerning users and gamers naturally cost more. ( In the case of my 42" LG LCD TV the same model was available with two different panels and I chose the one with a faster response time. Also different manufacturers use different video processing techniques for the panels used and some may be better than the others with the same type of LCD panel)

kword88 · 08 Oct 2010

i chose to call it "ghosting" because it doesnt appear to be permanent (at least not in my case), like "burn-in". as long as the image on screen keeps changing, its probably not an issue. i used the desktop as an example, but ghosting also can occur with any program. i even notice it on regular tv news programs that use a "template", like a stock ticker at the bottom of the screen. so its really not just an issue of using it as a computer monitor. i only mentioned it (as a con) because, on a computer, you tend to display the same image for long periods of time, so ghosting is more noticeable than if you were just watching tv.

WindowsStar · 08 Oct 2010

Ponmayilal said:

LCD panels are immune from screen burn unlike CRTs. Neither is it a problem with the present generation Plasma panels, though it is better to exercise a bit of caution.

Not true. LCD and Plasma panels’ new, old, or bleeding edge all can have screen burn-in issues. They are just much harder to burn than a CRT. We have huge convention center with hundreds of 50+ inch LCD and Plasma panels, all of them have burn-in issues from playing the same still shots over time. We have found that we need to have video only, or move the still shots around in different order, or make them do transitions from still to still in a random pattern to avoid burn-in. Some panels are informational and they display the information for the conference rooms. They may display this information for weeks, these burn-in all the time, the fix on these is to have them display the information and then go dark (sleep), we have motion sensors on them to display the information when someone walks up. A side benefit is we are much more green with these in sleep mode much of the time.

On a side Note: We had a LCD on a back wall on a side that did not get much traffic and the program that ran the pictures exited/crashed or something. The LCD was left with the ORB (start) taskbar along the bottom of the panel for days (we don't know exactly how long, but let’s say a week on 24 hours a day) and the ORB taskbar is burnt into that panel. We had to replace it. Just and FYI.

IownAmoneyPit · 08 Oct 2010

I have a Sharp 42 inch LCD hooked up to 2 computers via HDMI cable which includes audio using lower end GT 210 and 220 cards and have had no burn in issues.

WindowsStar · 08 Oct 2010

IownAmoneyPit said:

I have a Sharp 42 inch LCD hooked up to 2 computers via HDMI cable which includes audio using lower end GT 210 and 220 cards and have had no burn in issues.

Granted a convention center is the most extreme case.

I use several LCD panels at home we watch TV and are directly connected to computers (internet, video, movies, etc.) and I have never had any burn-in issues, and the average user probably never will. I stated all that because the post stated are immune (meaning they NEVER have) burn-in issues which is simply not true. I have seen it on all major panels produced again granted in a most extreme case. -WS

rezelute · 08 Oct 2010

Ponmayilal said:

rezelute said:

.....[If you have a TV hooked to a PC a screenshot would be nice]

I did have many screenshots of my 42" LG LCD TV hooked up to a Zotac Mini-PC but deleted them after posting in Team-BHP forum. Though it is used as a Media Center, I do use it for occasional browsing using a Lenova mutimedia remote and keyboard. You can have a look at it here . (I hope redirecting to my thread/post in another forum is not prohibited here. You can view the pictures there in full resolution.) I shall try to take a few screenshots in a day or two, showing how the web looks therein and post it here.

Thanks for that link, i appreciate you posting more pics of browsing aswell

rezelute · 08 Oct 2010

As for everyone else (as i thought) im getting mixed signals lol, the general idea im getting is that TVs are more prone to ghosting/burn-ins, although from my point of view comparing a TV to a monitor (300,000 contrast, 3ms response time,1920x1080) doesnt seem to have much difference in terms of spec, unless there are other factors like components (transistors, resistors) etc. that have a shorter life span? Also am i getting the idea that a TV isnt as good to keep on as long as a monitor?