new plasma.. break in procedure?

[PoorSignal]

As stated in the other thread I am getting the 54" Panasonic G10 soon.
Now I am reading you have to burn DVDs with slide shows and play for 100 hours? seems like a lot of trouble.. and maybe I am spending too much time researching about this I Imagine the average joe buy this TV at BB take it home would simply take it out of the box and watch a sports game with it.

I just want to pop in my blu rays and watch.. Would the 2.35 :1 black bar be a problem with image retention and such?

I also want to play my some games on it but I guess I should wait a bit or be more mindful about what is persistance on the screen for each game?

Anyways what do you think is a reasonable break-in and do's and don'ts?

[skatalite]

Originally Posted by PoorSignal

As stated in the other thread I am getting the 54" Panasonic G10 soon.
Now I am reading you have to burn DVDs with slide shows and play for 100 hours? seems like a lot of trouble.. and maybe I am spending too much time researching about this I Imagine the average joe buy this TV at BB take it home would simply take it out of the box and watch a sports game with it.

I just want to pop in my blu rays and watch.. Would the 2.35 :1 black bar be a problem with image retention and such?

I also want to play my some games on it but I guess I should wait a bit or be more mindful about what is persistance on the screen for each game?

Anyways what do you think is a reasonable break-in and do's and don'ts?

The break-in process is a chore when it comes to plasmas, but it's overall worth it. Here are some tips:

- keep contrast and brightness down a bit, moreso than normal. Some would say keep them around half, so 50 on a 100 scale. Some would say in the 30/100 range.
- stay away from static images for too long. Some would say stay away from 4:3 or letterboxed movies altogether. Some suggest putting the TV into "wide" mode so the picture covers the entire screen.
- do this for at least 100 hours, although 300 hours is often suggested by some, and 500 hours isn't out of the question.

Yeah, all silliness. Here's my tip: just be mindful of what you have on your screen for a lengthy period of time. Calibrate your television and have fun with it.

I recently got a new plasma as well and played a letterboxed movie on it. I kept factory settings on to see what kind of image retention it would give me. And yeah, there was some image retention, because Samsungs -- like many TVs -- come preset in Torch Mode. I ran some anti-burn-in screens that can be found in my Samsung's menu, and within a minute the images that were retained were gone.

Heck, I once read a Panasonic manual that said avoid watching letterboxed movies for more than 2 hours on an LCD, and 1 hour on a plasma. Yeah... right.

You'll be fine. No worries. I think everyone reads into this too much.

[PoorSignal]

So, the letterbox is a problem too?
I plan to start by watch season 1-4 of "Lost" from Netflix, that should be quite a lot of hours there and it's full screen, no NBC logo also.

[skatalite]

Originally Posted by PoorSignal

So, the letterbox is a problem too?
I plan to start by watch season 1-4 of "Lost" from Netflix, that should be quite a lot of hours there and it's full screen, no NBC logo also.

Yeah, letterbox COULD be a problem. Emphasis on could cause it depends on your settings and how much time you spend with those seasons in one sitting.

[Kryptonic]

Watching something like Lost on DVD or BD is perfect for break-in. It's 1.78:1, it's bright and colorful, and four seasons is about 70-80 hours of content. Once your done with that, you should be set. Basically, just use common sense with your new plasma. After the first hundred or so hours, don't worry. Just leave the pixel orbiter on all the time and use reasonable settings. Have fun.

[neos_peace]

IMO. There is no ned to do a major break in deal. All I woiuld do is just tune down your settings then after awhile re-adjust your settings to your desired spot.

[BergerForLife]

Originally Posted by Kryptonic

Watching something like Lost on DVD or BD is perfect for break-in. It's 1.78:1, it's bright and colorful, and four seasons is about 70-80 hours of content. Once your done with that, you should be set. Basically, just use common sense with your new plasma. After the first hundred or so hours, don't worry. Just leave the pixel orbiter on all the time and use reasonable settings. Have fun.

I just have to say this is the greatest post EVER!!! I will so be watching Lost when my Panny Plasma comes in a few days. Thanks!

[Raibeaux]

I used the break-in procedure on my Pioneer Elite, and I'm glad I did. I also had it calibrated by an ISF calibrator afterwards, and it's so good I can't describe it.

I downloaded the break-in onto a thumb drive, and ran it while I was at work during the day, let it rest, and watched a few 1:78 movies (no bars). I also let it run all night a couple of times.

After about 135 hours, I started watching anything I wanted, and I run the scrubber bar every couple of months. No burn in at all.

You can download the break-in disc on AVS Forums, which is the best place to learn about all this stuff.

Raibeaux

[picture_shooter]

My manual never mentioned anything about break in period. All good here

[BLUCanadian]

Originally Posted by Raibeaux

I used the break-in procedure on my Pioneer Elite, and I'm glad I did. I also had it calibrated by an ISF calibrator afterwards, and it's so good I can't describe it.

I downloaded the break-in onto a thumb drive, and ran it while I was at work during the day, let it rest, and watched a few 1:78 movies (no bars). I also let it run all night a couple of times.

After about 135 hours, I started watching anything I wanted, and I run the scrubber bar every couple of months. No burn in at all.

You can download the break-in disc on AVS Forums, which is the best place to learn about all this stuff.

Raibeaux

That break in disc is only necessary if you will be applying the settings provided by D-Nice (AVS Forums). Otherwise, there is no real point to running it. That breakin disc is specifically used to attempt to get Pioneer Plasmas as close to being ISF Calibrated, without actually paying a professional.

Just stick to Full Screen programming (1.78:1) for the first few weeks and you will be OK.
I suppose that just running the disc will help in this regard (by speeding up the process), but who knows if this is even necessary...

[Pelican170]

Like some of the others said, people get paranoid about the break in period. Just stay away from black bars and static logos and keep your settings on normal for a couple weeks and you'll be fine. I think i did this for like 30 hrs tops, if that and ive never had a problem with all the gaming i do...

[repete66211]

Those who have broken in their TVs are glad they did because they haven't experienced any image retention. The problem with this thinking (correlation=causation) is the lack of an experimental control. If you break in your TV and you don't get IR, how do you know it's because you broke it in? Unless you compare two identical TVs (one broken in and one not broken in) with identical programming for a long period of time you can't conclude the break in procedure is beneficial.

I did the research when I bought my plasma and was unable to find any data justifying the break-in ritual. All I found was an old White Paper from Panasonic and a plethora of theoretical (rather than practical) explanations of why breaking in a plasma TV is necessary. My conclusion is that you should treat a new TV exactly how you treat an older TV--calibrate it and avoid long term (i.e. 12+ hours) exposure to static images.

I calibrated my TV but didn't break it in. Just like those who broke in their TVs, I have had no problem with image retention.

[cjpitt80]

This is the absolute best answer or insight anyone has given thus far. Being a biologist I'm intimately aware of the scientific process and this is a perfect example of it. Bottom line is like he said, only way to see if there is a difference is to buy 2 identical TVs set them up with the same source material. Watch normal TV for 100hrs on one and break the TV in on the other some way, THEN see if there is a difference. I would surmise that if the manufacturer doesn't mention it, it's probably not critical. Pioneer goes as far as to say "hey don't drop your expensive plasma" so if it were crucially important, they probably would mention it. On another note, it doesn't seem like there is any detrimental effect to breaking in you tv. Basically, aside from wasting electricity playing a DVD for 6 days straight when no one is watching it, you can't really hurt your TV. So I guess its up to each individual owner

Originally Posted by repete66211

Those who have broken in their TVs are glad they did because they haven't experienced any image retention. The problem with this thinking (correlation=causation) is the lack of an experimental control. If you break in your TV and you don't get IR, how do you know it's because you broke it in? Unless you compare two identical TVs (one broken in and one not broken in) with identical programming for a long period of time you can't conclude the break in procedure is beneficial.

I did the research when I bought my plasma and was unable to find any data justifying the break-in ritual. All I found was an old White Paper from Panasonic and a plethora of theoretical (rather than practical) explanations of why breaking in a plasma TV is necessary. My conclusion is that you should treat a new TV exactly how you treat an older TV--calibrate it and avoid long term (i.e. 12+ hours) exposure to static images.

I calibrated my TV but didn't break it in. Just like those who broke in their TVs, I have had no problem with image retention.

[Raibeaux]

Don't know if you've bought your tv yet, but I went to AVS Forums and downloaded the break-in onto a thumb drive.

Ran it 10 hours a day for three days, 16 hours a day until reached 120 hours.
I did, however, watch some 1:78 movies while I was at it, and they are included in the 120 hours. I've noticed some people ran the break-in 24/7, but I didn't think I should. I wanted some "rest" time for my new set.

That was a year ago...still no image retention. I've used the scrubber (white strip) about four times just for the hell of it. So I think the effort was well worth the time.

FWIW, I'm glad I went to the trouble

r

[HAMP]

Originally Posted by Raibeaux

Don't know if you've bought your tv yet, but I went to AVS Forums and downloaded the break-in onto a thumb drive.

Ran it 10 hours a day for three days, 16 hours a day until reached 120 hours.
I did, however, watch some 1:78 movies while I was at it, and they are included in the 120 hours. I've noticed some people ran the break-in 24/7, but I didn't think I should. I wanted some "rest" time for my new set.

That was a year ago...still no image retention. I've used the scrubber (white strip) about four times just for the hell of it. So I think the effort was well worth the time.

FWIW, I'm glad I went to the trouble

r

What is the link for the download?

[Drew664]

Originally Posted by HAMP

What is the link for the download?

http://www.eaprogramming.com/

Click on the 'Downloads' tab near the top. I used a SD card on a PS3 with mine and got the corresponding file for it. Ran it for ~150 hours. No regrets doing it, just peace of mind.

[repete66211]

Originally Posted by Raibeaux

Don't know if you've bought your tv yet, but I went to AVS Forums and downloaded the break-in onto a thumb drive.

Ran it 10 hours a day for three days, 16 hours a day until reached 120 hours.
I did, however, watch some 1:78 movies while I was at it, and they are included in the 120 hours. I've noticed some people ran the break-in 24/7, but I didn't think I should. I wanted some "rest" time for my new set.

That was a year ago...still no image retention. I've used the scrubber (white strip) about four times just for the hell of it. So I think the effort was well worth the time.

FWIW, I'm glad I went to the trouble

r

You aren't experiencing image retention? How do you know this is due to your break-in procedure? Is it possible you would not be experiencing image retention had you not done all of this?

[ShaRayz]

this thread has eased my mind a bit, I just set up my TV 3 days ago and have most the settings close to 0 lol looks like crap but I was so worried after spending such a huge chunk of cash, Wife wanted to watch some Blu Rays but I been stalling her worried about the black bars burning in etc....I've been running my Tv 15-16 hrs per day so the break in process should be quick but I can't lie I just want to enjoy my damn TV and not worry lol.

Sha

[repete66211]

Originally Posted by ShaRayz

this thread has eased my mind a bit, I just set up my TV 3 days ago and have most the settings close to 0 lol looks like crap but I was so worried after spending such a huge chunk of cash, Wife wanted to watch some Blu Rays but I been stalling her worried about the black bars burning in etc....I've been running my Tv 15-16 hrs per day so the break in process should be quick but I can't lie I just want to enjoy my damn TV and not worry lol.

Sha

I did nothing to break in my plasma. After almost 2 years of watching 4:3, 16:9 and even video games for hours I have zero burn-in. Just relax and enjoy your new TV.

[oppopioneer]

All you got to do is watch lots of movies that fill up the entire screen, I believe 1.78:1 Aspect ratio movies and tv shows fills the entire screen. Stay away from Aspect Ratios that are 4:3, 1.85:1. 2.35:1, 2.39:1 and 2.40 and 2.41:1 content which all have black bars.

The Oppo bd players I believe have features to remove the black bars and adjust the aspect ratios and how they are displayed too.