[Mr.B]

i keep hearing about "common" problems such as screen burn, degassing, colour fading on plasmas
flies and dust getting in between LCD panels, dead pixels and nicotine destroying both types of TV (electronics and fans)
and can sunlight hitting the back of a TV go through the air vents and affect the panel

i know they exist, but just how common are they?

[Nigel Goodwin]

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Originally Posted by Mr.B

i keep hearing about "common" problems such as screen burn

Plasma only, but as long as you exercise a little care for the first few months it's not a problem on modern panels - but it's specifically NOT covered by the guarantee!.

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degassing

Fairy tale - no gas to degas - plasma panels consist of two sheets of glass with a partial vacuum in between.

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colour fading on plasmas

Just like a flourescent tube it starts to fade as soon as you use it - the rapid fading from new is what causes screen burn in it's early life. Eventually it will fade till it's not bright enough, but those old ones I've seen all looked fine. Wearing out isn't much of a problem, it's normally failure of the panel (or rest of the set) that scraps them.

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flies and dust getting in between LCD panels

I've replaced LCD panels under guarantee for dust inside, it's DOES happen - it's bad news!.

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dead pixels

Common to both LCD and Plasma, any reasonably bad problem should be replaced under warranty.

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nicotine destroying both types of TV (electronics and fans)

Don't smoke, and don't let anyone else smoke! - it's dirty, it's disgusting, and it kills LCD's, Plasma, CRT's, CD players, DVD players etc. (and not forgetting it kills people as well - in particularly horrible ways!)

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and can sunlight hitting the back of a TV go through the air vents and affect the panel

Never seen it, or even heard of it?.

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i know they exist, but just how common are they?

With a little care (and by not smoking) really pretty rare!.

[xdaorbit]

my parents have a 50" samsung plasma its about 6 weeks old and has screen burn one of the anoying tags from a discovery channel this can be avoided by not watching the same channel all day or just changing channel over now and again
i also have a 50" plasma an lg had it for bout 3 months no problems so far you do get a bit of retention now and agin from watching the same thing for long periods from logos etc but they fade after a few seconds or a minute

as for lifespan they last longer than lcd picture quality wise and shouldnt fade for years experts predict 15-60 years depending on how long its on a day i did a lot of research on tv screen types before i decieded to buy plasma

[Nigel Goodwin]

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Originally Posted by xdaorbit

as for lifespan they last longer than lcd picture quality wise and shouldnt fade for years experts predict 15-60 years depending on how long its on a day i did a lot of research on tv screen types before i decieded to buy plasma

Interesting prediction - all the manufacturers predictions I've seen suggest that CRT, LCD and Plasma all have a similar expected life (7+ years).

However, like I said above, the main problem isn't the panel (either LCD or Plasma) actually wearing out, but failing.

So far I've scrapped four Plasma TV's for panel failure, plus a couple for being smashed! - I've scrapped NO LCD's yet! for panel failure, but probably four for being smashed (one with a pool cue!). To put it in perspective, we've probably sold over 95% LCD as well!.