- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 25 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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20 out of 51 people found this review helpful
1.5 stars
"Burn-in CAVEAT!!!!!"
Pros: Great picture
Cons: Burn in danger, normal mode frowned up on!!!!!
Summary: I happily uncrated my new TV and hooked it up...then cracked the manual to find out that viewing in "normal" mode (which is almost ALL television is broadcast) is not suggested because of burn in on the side bars!!! The options are the hideous stretch and zoom modes that make you dizzy or turn people into fat blobs.
The only solution is to use the GREY side bars, which just look stupid. Using the black bars cause irreversible burn-in!!!! This completely ruined my buying experience.
Why hasn't this been mentioned more? I had thought this anomaly was conquered in the newer plasmas, but I guess not. EXTREMELY disappointed, am investigating returning this product for an LCD.
- 16 replies to this review
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You need to take some time to read the manual all the way through. You have an excellent piece of equipment.
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He should be thanking Panasonic for dealing with the issue in a forthright manner with advice and workarounds. Its a technology issue, not Panasonics.
AND, if vanstoons had actually RTFM, he/she would have found the JUSTIFY aspect setting, which pretty much fixes the other 'problem' mentioned.
SHEESH! -
I think vanstoon has not done enough research. before i buy any tv of the sort i do a ton of research. all tv's are prone to burn in, plasmas the most, as the gas filled cells are more prone to "remembering" permanently what color they display if that color is displayed for an extended period of time. burn in can be avoided by doing a few simple things, changing the aspect ratio, adjusting the color temperatures, and especially using low brightness etc for the first 100 or so hours of using the tv. with proper care these things rock. i personally think they kick the crap out of lcd's. Unless your a huge gamer plasma is the way to go. i think the colors are richer and it does way better with movies, but thats just my opinion. another thing to look at when researching is the fact that panasonic is a first tier plasma developer. this new 9th generation screen is top of the line. it has the best features, both quality and to prevent burn in. if for some reason you do happen to watch something for too long, such as the fox news channel which is horrible for plasmas you can white wash the screen. some plasmas even have an anti burn in program to run, although this one doesnt. i think it comes down to research and good judgement. if your spending that much money, spend a solid week or so reading all types of reviews and ratings, look at worthy sites and form a conclusion. Overall, i believe vanstoons opinion is highly inaccurate and should be diregarded.
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Wouldn't it be smarter to ***** about burn in after noticing ACTUAL burn in? The burn in clause is left more as a precaution in case you leave a static image for days on end.
The unit has the same resistance as a CRT for burn in. I use Just or Full for the limited 4:3 programming I watch and don?t see what the big deal is.
Besides, anyone that thinks LCD?s are immune to this should visit a electronics store, LCD?s that have been on with 4:3 programming for a long time show afterimage bars on each side. I saw this first hand a couple of weeks back at CompUSA which had a 32? LCD screen with image burn in.
If all you are watching is 4:3, then why get a 16:9 anyways? Just keep your CRT and go to the movies. -
Wouldn't it be smarter to ***** about burn in after noticing ACTUAL burn in?
The burn in clause is left more as a precaution in case you leave a static image for days on end.
The unit has the same resistance as a CRT for burn in. I use Just or Full for the limited 4:3 programming I watch and don?t see what the big deal is. Besides, anyone that thinks LCD?s are immune to this should visit an electronics store. LCD?s that have been on with 4:3 programming for a long time show afterimage bars on each side. I saw this first hand a couple of weeks back at CompUSA which had a 32? LCD screen with image burn in.
If all you are watching is 4:3, then why get a 16:9 anyways? Just keep your CRT and be happy. -
I few years back my friends big screen had the option of the middle 80% or so being normal and the left and right sides (remaining 20%) being gently stretched to fit the screen. The results were amazing when viewing normal television, the 10% on each end of the normal viewing screen are hardly valuable real-estate - i found it to be the best solution - bypassing rediculous Grey or Black bars on a television costing more then $3000, where did this great technology go? Without a doubt it was 350% better then side bars. I think the industry is hoping that normal 4:3 viewing will disappear magically, we all know it won't. I'm looking at the $7000 Pioneer Elite, guess what - Grey bars when viewing 4:3 material, what crap.
Sean
San Francisco -
Original post seems to ignore the basic realities of plasma technology. Plasma burn-in does not occur as easily as it used to, especially if you avoid static images in the first 100 of the display's life. Also, the aspect ratio issue with this display is easily resolved using the zoom and stretch modes of most set-top boxes.
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vanstoon shouldn't waste his money on a plasma........maybe a black and white tv would be more suitable
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vanstoon shouldn't waste his money on a plasma........maybe a black and white tv would be more suitable
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Maybe you got a different model because I haven't had this problem
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I think the original poster realized he couldn't afford this monitor and is making excuses for going with LCD.
lol, laughable. -
Ever play an old 80's videogame at a pizza place? Find one old enough and it's likely that the title screen or other static graphics have burned into the image.
My current set, an internal projection widescreen warns about burn ins and offers the same "grey" bar siding by default. Yeah, it's not as cool and crisp as the black, but its a safety precaution taken on all widescreens to prevent the black from burning in, offer a more neutral color.
Plasma's and projection TVs are just more easily burnt than the old tube TVs, which is why precautions like this must be taken.
Don't give a poor review because you didn't do your homework. -
I have the 42" version of this set. I knew exactly what I was getting when I purchased it. Best practices for plasma owners include a 100 hour (at least) break-in period where you don't allow bars (side or top/bottom) or static images. Also, keep the picture settings very low.
If you do this for over 100 hours, your risk of burn in drops dramatically.
Don't buy any plasma if you don't like stretched standard definition content. -
I have to agree with the previous comment. All plasmas have risk of burn in, and Panasonic has addressed that problem the best of any manufacturer. I believe they are rated to be as long lasting as a tube TV, although I'm not sure I'd put that to the test. To poorly rate this unit because the buyer didn't do their research on Plasmas in general, is unfair to others reading user reviews. I have an older generation Panasonic Plasma and after 4 years, there's no burn in.
Here are some suggestions to maximize your enjoyment of your screen while minimizing the risk of any ghosting or burn in. First, try using the JUST setting, which stretches the image at the edges, leaving the center part of the screen normal. It can take a few days for you to adjust to it, but I found it is the best. If you do use black bars, then run the roll-bar screen saver for a few minutes at the end of your viewing. It will help minimize any residual image. Finally, adjust the "picture" or brightness setting to something less over-the-top dynamic. The factory settings are way to saturated and give an unnatural color. The "cinema" setting is a good place to start, then try dialing up the brightness until you're happy. By reducing the brightness just by a small amount, you'll reduce risk of burn in dramatically. -
if the "stupidness" of gray bars bugs you so much, stretch the image. problem solved. you can't change the way technology works and i doubt under normal viewing using black bars would do much damage. but don't give this great tv a low score because you're ignorant and hate gray. Does the tv really deserve a score of 3 ???? Give me a break.
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100% of Plasma TVs run the risk of burn-in from a sustained image on the screen. Panasonic probably has the best resistance of all makes on the market today.
If you plan to do most of your viewing of standard-definition TV, you should stick with a standard set or live with one of the stretch modes that are available from pretty much all vendors.
You've got a great set--now sign up for that HD cable service, get yourself an HD-DVD player and enjoy!
Where to buy
Panasonic TH-50PH9UK:
$1,949.00
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$1,949.00 | Yes |
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