burn-in

Samsung plasma wins CNET's accidental burn-in test

It's 2012, and while many thought plasma TV technology would have died out by now, it's still going strong. Meanwhile, burn-in, the No. 1 perceived problem with the technology, is all gone, right? Well, not exactly.

What is burn-in? While it's possible to test for many aspects of a TV's performance here at CNET, one thing we have never been able to test for is burn-in. The reason? Any meaningful test of burn-in could potentially harm the television, and we currently we don't have the budget to go around intentionally destroying review samples.

Burn-in, also … Read more

Does my TV have a break-in period? (Morrison's Mailbag)

CNET reader Joe writes:

I recently purchased a Samsung PN59D8000. My question is what is the best procedure for the break-in period? I've read different things online talking about leaving contrast and brightness levels down. I looked through the PDF manuals for this model and didn't see anything mentioning a break-in period. Is this something that was only required on older plasmas? Thanks for any help.

Thanks, Joe

… Read more

Is plasma HDTV burn-in a problem?

Based on some comments in my recent article on LCD brightness uniformity, it seems fair to do a piece on that big bugaboo of plasma HDTVs: burn-in.

So what is it? Is it something to be concerned about? Can you fix it?

Cutting through the hype and fearmongering in 3...2...1...… Read more

Headphone 'burn-in': Fact or fantasy?

Most of my audiophile friends believe that headphones (and speakers and electronics) sound better after the first 100 hours of use than they do when they're brand-new. When I'm doing high-end product reviews I leave the "burn-in, break-in" question up to the manufacturer. If the company's reps claim their product won't sound its best until it has a solid month of use, I'll request a unit with enough hours on it that I can start working on the review right away. If the manufacturer scoffs at the very idea of burn-in, I start … Read more