New Plasma TV - wear-in/burn-in and calibration question...

[HC22]

It is me again and I am, once again, seeking the help of some of the experts on this forum.

I did buy the Panasonic 58”VT25 and I am about to set it up in the next few days. I have done some (lots actually) research and I am getting significantly conflicting points of view on wear-in/burn-in for the first 100 hours (run only slides for 100 hours before you watch anything else, keep contrast high, keep contrast low, no video games etc) and on calibration (use settings listed ona forum, use a calibration disk, have an ISF calibrator do the calibration, do nothing and use the THX settings on the TV). I have probably been reading forums (mainly AVS forum) for hours and hours and it seems for every proposed solution, there is someone suggesting that using said solution can damage your TV.

This seems to be the most comprehensive post (first page), but some suggest following this is risky;

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1232441

Is there any direction someone can point me in or advice someone can give me on these two controversial topics? If so, I would GREATLY appreciate it.

Thanks so much. HC22

[Mike Osadciw]

<sigh>

First, HC22, I'd like to congratulate you on your purchase. You have a wonderful television!

Now to explain my sigh...

There is too much going on at AVS. Too many people with different points of view - and most who aren't qualified to make such statements. Word spreads because someone read something that someone else read somewhere else based on what someone said. A lot of is misinformation and as you know you can spend hours on it and be no further from where you started.

Some advice from the field:

1. Forget the burn in slides. If you are that concerned, leave your TV on a station that plays a wide range of programming for the first 24/7. You'll get the TV through 100hrs in the first few days. Your TV will not look more colourful and last longer if you frequently play burn in slides.


2. The 100-150 hours was a recommended time before CRT calibration, when CRTs were the only display technology on the market. The image changed quite a bit in that period before it "stabilized" for a while. What I believe has happened is that some people have latched on to the old philosophy and believe it applies to new televisions. It doesn't.

To back up my claim, I use a Konica-Minolta CS-1000A spectroradiometer. It's an extremely accurate lab instrument to take measurements and assist with the design of TVs, not a run of the mill i1PRO meter/pod meter or the like. When I bought my Samsung PN58C6400, I calibrated it "out of the box" and took some very specific measurements. I took the same specific measurements at 100hrs, 150hrs, and 200hrs under the same conditions, and the measurable differences were negligible to none which translates to no visible difference when considering human vision. Now taking the same measurements after 2000hrs...and we've got what we know as a significant "drift" which is completely normal for any TV.

Most professional calibrators will agree with my assessment, although there are a few who believe otherwise.

Just know that all technologies have "drift". Depending on how much you watch it, it will slowly get out of calibration like any other technology out there. Good ol' wear and tear. The amount of drift depends on the amount of hours you put on it. We, representing THX, recommend about 16 months for a recalibration "touch up" just to keep the TV in spec before it drifts too far...but again, that depends on how much you watch it and if you are one who wants to make sure it keeps in spec all of the time.


3. Settings used on one TV is not applicable on another. This is one bit of misinformation that's currently getting out of control. People are posting settings everywhere for the same TV yet all the numbers are very different. This is not a calibration. This is not customized for your room environment, the rest of the equipment in your system, the production run of your television, and poor parts tolerances inside of the consumer TV. I commonly calibrate televisions where people started with some "recommended" settings and the image was worse than how they started!


4. Don't use the THX mode without touching it. It's far too dark and warm.


5. Get a set-up disc at a minimum. You can learn a bit about brightness, contrast, colour, tint and sharpness, but that's about as far as you can go on your own. There is no mystery to it or special club to be a part of, but video calibration needs very specialized equipment and the know-how to do it and what to do when running into problems. It's video science, really, and those of us who have studied it and stuck with it have specialized in it since it first started breaking out in 1994 (I got into it in 1999). Video calibration was once a thing done ONLY in reference film studios and production companies. It somehow never crossed over into the consumer world until the ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) started the ball rolling.

The earliest comprehensive attempt that I can think of started when video scientist Joe Kane released "A Video Standard" on laserdisc (from Reference Recordings) back in 1989. I still have my copy I purchased in 1996 from Sam the Record man. The thing cost me $140 back then.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Video-Standard-89...item20b7dd3993

Today you may learn a lot with official sources such as a Spears & Munsil setup Blu-ray disc of Joe Kane's Digital Video Essentials, but it will not get you nearly all the way there. That's when you'd hire a professional video calibrator to do the advanced work. Make sure that whoever you hire teaches you as they do the work and that they are able explain to you every step of the way. You should be able to see the beginning and after and how your TV got there. Usually the session is about 3 hours minimum, and make sure all components (Blu-ray player, receiver) is checked/calibrated/verified to be passing a signal with as little alteration as possible.

The era of calibrating only the video display is over. With all of the "digital" technologies in the system with image controls on them, you need to make sure that they aren't taking away anything from the awesome picture your Panasonic is capable of reproducing.

[Suave]

And there you have it HC22! Mike thank you for this awesomely detailed explaination - there is a lot to be learned by everyone from reading this

[HC22]

Mike,

Thank you so much for providing such a detailed, logical and balanced response to my question. You are clearly an expert in your field and that fact that you are willing to take the time and effort to share that knowledge with us is incredible. I consider myself an expert in my field as well, but unfortunately in this case, my expertise in not related to AV (unless you consider making content for these great TVs relater - I am in advertising). As in information junkie, it has been incredibly frustrating reading through hundreds of pages of posts with radically different and opposing points of view, with no basis on which to base a decision. Your thorough, and insightful post, has cut through the clutter and I am sure will help many of us out. Again, I really appreciate it. I will be in touch via PM to chat with you about professional calibration. Again, Thanks!

[Mike Osadciw]

you are very welcome! I'm happy to cut through the clutter and get right to the point!

[wicklowboy]

Hi,
in the next few days I'm about to buy a new TV. I decided on a Panasonic TCP55ST50. I had been looking at 50" sets but Mike O. made a compelling arguement to go bigger. This purchase almost didn't happen. I'm still a bit leary of the newer sets after a bad experience with my previous set.
Then there was the internet. A world of horror stories about flucuating brightness, reliability, and srtict break in protocols. It almost drove me back to my trusty little Goldstar tv.
Then I found Mike's article here. He cuts through a lot of the B.S. and explains things in plain english.
I didn't want to buy a new set and watch slides for a hundred hours.
I do have a couple questions, the ST50 will be a budget stretcher so I will have to wait a while for a professional calibration. In the interim what can I do to get the best out of the set? In all honesty even set up discs such as Avia or DVE look complicated.
I know enough to get it out of its Vivid mode and into Cinema and how to adjust a view of the more obvious setting but thats about it. Can I do more?
Image retention- although we won't play video games on the set, the kids seem to like the program guide on the Rogers 4642 STB as much as the actual program (guide set to Roller Rink vivid pink).
On the Samsung I could sometimes see a faint out line of the shape of the guide. Running the screen wiper (scroller) over night took care of the problem do I need to be more careful with a new set or just sell the kids and elimate the source.
After all the research I've found the process very tiring and in some ways off putting. Glad you are here to help, it is very much appreciated. I think I can put away the asprins now.
Thank You.
Wicklowboy

[Suave]

I just made some suggestions in another thread releated to this... but it sounds like you've already made your decision.

Here is the best, most consumer friendly disc for calibrating a TV by yourself: http://canadahifi.com/index.php/spea...ray-edition-2/ Well worth the $25

Forget AVIA or DVE... they are both too complicated for most people to use.

I wouldn't worry about image retention at all with the Panasonic. The Samsung plasmas had a bit of a problem with this in the last few generations (which sounds like your experience), although this is no longer an issue. My Samsung plasma from 2 years ago doesn't deal well with IR but it's never been a long term thing... it always goes away after watching a different program. All of the latest sets I've seen from Panasonic and Samsung are very good at making sure that things don't get burnt into the screen.

[wicklowboy]

Thanks for the advice. Never new about the Spears-Muncil disc.

[Mike Osadciw]

The Spears & Muncil disc is your best bet. AVIA is DVD - there is no BD so don't bother. SD and HD disc are two different formats. You cannot optomize for HD with an SD disc. I hardly pull it out unless I want to verify SD performance.

DVE is too complicated to navigate and frustrating even for myself. I use it only to verification by looking at the redhead "Jennifer" just to make sure that colours aren't out of whack. Too low = pale. Too high = burning up. You'll know what I mean if you have access to it.

For the most part, the S&M disc will suit your needs. It's got some basic contrast/brightness etc. adjustments, with a page tutorial on how to use the pattern...then most of the disc dives into the advanced stuff. Fun to fool around with. Mind-bending for beginners.

I'm glad you decided on the larger screen size! How far are you sitting from it?

[wicklowboy]

I sit approx 12-13 feet away. On an unrelated note I still can't watch tv. I had a DVI alert show up on the screen and that was it. I tried everything suggested by Rogers tech people to no avail. Now they believe it may be an issue with the box. All I get now is a no signal message. So back it goes.
Although not the TV's fault this has been absolutley frustrating.
I tried to save a few bucks by doing the pick up and set up and now I may have to get the stores set up guy to do it.
As I said frustrating !!