how to bed/break in a new plasma tv?

Asoe209

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Hi I have just ordered my self a samsung PS51D550 And I was hoping you you could advise on how to bed this tv in as i have never had a plasma tv before.

i have seen some say 100 hours some say 200 hours and other have said they have not done any kind of bed in.

would really like the advise on and what sort of setting use on the tv
after how long will it be safe to play games on the tv
and is it safe to use it as a pc monitor .

thanks
 
This probably won't be much help but I am under the impression that the "break in time" is about 200 hours. I've done mine for about 150 hours so far so not long to go before I turn the contrast and cell up a bit! :)
I've played games on it (not as long as usual tho) and have suffered no IR.

As for using it as a PC monitor, I did read somewhere that Plasma's shouldn't be used for that purpose. Don't remember where, so I can't give a link. Someone else will probably help you further tho.
 
cool thanks for the response through.

How long was it until you played games on yours i was thinking that i would not play any for at least 100 hours, and prob play for hour max to start with in the...
 
Only maybe about 20 hours or so until I played. I have my cell light at 10 and contrast at 50 to help with the "break in" and as I say i've had no IR issues so far.
I didn't play for long tho. I think the longest iv'e played for is about 2 1/2 hours in one go but lately it has only been about an hour.
 
cool, nice one...

so is it the brightness you need to turn down when breaking in?

cant wait to get it... cant wait to game on it even more.
 
It's the contrast you want to turn down.

Easiest way I found was to put on a film, and set up a loop. You should be able to do this on most DVD players, and I know you can on Xbox.
Then set the aspect ratio to zoom. So that you don't have widescreen bars.
Then leave it alone...
Or some people suggest putting on a full screen music visualisation on Xbox or ps3. Just make sure the image changes.

I started gaming on mine after about 100 hrs, but I made sure that if I had a proper session, I would set a DVD running afterwards.
 
yeah ill go down the music option as well. I dont really want to leave my set on while its not really in use like over night or during the day. Ill do it naturally should take about 4 weeks for 100hours... that's at 4 hours a day.

is there a thread any where with break in settings for contrast etc?...
 
If your not watching the tv, set it to whatever - but around the middle would be good.
If you are watching the tv, but there aren't any static images, again it doesn't really matter.
If your gaming, keep it low. If you see any IR, lower it some more.

Ps if your tv has some sort of pixel shift in The advanced settings, turn it on
 
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defo for 100 hours ill just be watching normal TV and streaming for love film or what ever. will play music through PS3
 
Cool. Just watch out for dog tags (channel names in the top corner) and avoid things like 24h news.
And if you want something with the widescreen bars, stretch the image so you can't see them. Looks a bit odd, but its worth it
 
If you have a THX picture preset then put it on that and you really wont need to worry about it at all until you see fit.

All that said though im not entirely convinced its as necessary as the old days, plasma tech has improved alot in that time and as such its barely a problem at all anymore.

I gamed from day one with my last 2 plasmas and their was no ill effects, aslong as your sensible you can use it anyway you want with todays modern plasma screens.
 
Yep contrast is the main thing, most default modes will be fine(avoid dynamic), but if you notice any IR just drop the contrast a bit. You can game from day one, just take breaks every half hour-hour and alter the content on screen( normal TV,DVD etc).

If just using the set for music there should be an option to turn the screen off, most sets have them I think.
 
If you have a THX picture preset then put it on that and you really wont need to worry about it at all until you see fit.

All that said though im not entirely convinced its as necessary as the old days, plasma tech has improved alot in that time and as such its barely a problem at all anymore.

I gamed from day one with my last 2 plasmas and their was no ill effects, aslong as your sensible you can use it anyway you want with todays modern plasma screens.
Dont quote me but on my vt using thx i think disables the pixel orbitor not reccomened for gaming imho.
 
just got my tv this morning. and i have set the brightness and contrast down to 45. watching dark knight now got it in zoom to fill the whole screen...
 
Just set your DVD on a loop and leave it alone.
And if you game on it, or display static images, then set the off time up for 45mins and turn the screen saver on
 
watched dark night 4 times now lol. now playing some music while i chill....
 
Given it only costs about 5p/hour to run a plasma, why not take the advice of the ppl on here, set a dvd on loop whilst in zoom, and run it for 7-10 days full time.

That way your all done with the settling in within a week and then you don't have to worry about it.

It will cost you a tenner in electricity but perhaps its worth it.
 
In addition to the suggestions above, I would
suggest giving all the three primary colours
(red, green & blue) a good workout. I.e., avoid
watching too much material of predominantly
one colour (football -> green).

The main thing I think is to view a good mixture
of content during this initial period.
 
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Anyone got a link to results of research into this, ie. Is it proven that plasmas really do require running in/bedding/settling time? I remain sceptical until I read some evidence from controlled experiments! Do the plasma tv manufacturers actually recommend a running in period(I'll have a look at my manual when I get home!). I certainly didn't treat my plasmas any differently day one compared to day 100.. but maybe I was lucky though I don't like dynamic modes!
 
i played games on my st30 from day 1.

I used game picture mode setting at default values except i knocked the contrast down to 50%. Is this ok?

I also turn off the power save option cause the picture was 2 dark out of the box. Is this ok as well?

Does game mode handle ir better than cinema mode? Does game mode tells the tv that its playing games so the tv takes extra caution to prevent ir?
 
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Does game mode handle ir better than cinema mode? Does game mode tells the tv that its playing games so the tv takes extra caution to prevent ir?
no, its low input lag only
 
yeah is it okay to use game mode but all the picture values are halved like brightness, contrast at 50%etc.?
 
martinthorn1 said:
Anyone got a link to results of research into this, ie. Is it proven that plasmas really do require running in/bedding/settling time? I remain sceptical until I read some evidence from controlled experiments! Do the plasma tv manufacturers actually recommend a running in period(I'll have a look at my manual when I get home!). I certainly didn't treat my plasmas any differently day one compared to day 100.. but maybe I was lucky though I don't like dynamic modes!

During the bedding process the gray scale of the tv will shift. When it starts to settle this is when the set is bedded in. Thus the reason why calibrations are done after this this period.
This is why no calibrater will do a set which hasn't clocked up enough hours.
Not only this but when the cells are aged there is a reduction in image retention.
I will try and find the info out later.
 
Not only this but when the cells are aged there is a reduction in image retention.

If this is the case why don't the manufacturers:

a) age the phosphor cells a bit before delivery (I suppose a bit like car supplier running in the engine and/or new tyres)?
b) give some warning or guidance about how to go about 'running-in/bedding in' the TV?

The fact that the Samsung manual gives no specific warning about running/bedding in the tv either means they don't know about it (unlikely as this is at least a 4th gen panel), or they don't want to publicise the fact it happens or it's not a significant concern(to the majority that don't go for ISF calibration?).. which one is it I wonder? Note that the manual does have plenty of warning about still images at high contrast causing IR and that IR is not covered by warranty (which I think it should be if the TV has been used reasonably)..
 

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