How to repair plasma screen burn in

If you own a plasma TV you run the risk of suffering from screen burn in. Fortunately their are a few steps you can take to try and fix your plasma screen burn in.

What is plasma screen burn in?

When a static image remains on your plasma tv screen for a long period of time, a “ghost” image of the picture may remain on the screen and appear even when you are watching a new program. Plasma TVs are uniquely prone to this problem due to the way they are manufactured. This ghosting commonly occurs following long periods of video game play, from cable news scrolling bars left on the screen for hours or if a DVD is left paused on the same scene for prolonged periods of time.

How can I avoid plasma screen burn in?

First, avoid displaying the same static images for long periods of time on your plasma TV. This include still images and static images from video games or a network logo display. It is best not to display content in the 4:3 aspect ratio where black or gray bars show on the left and right side of the screen,  or letterbox content, where black or gray bars show above and below content, for extended periods of time. Instead you should use one of your TV’s wide-screen modes to completely fill the screen with content.

How can plasma screen burn in be fixed?

First, often the burn in is temporary and will disappear after you watch other channels for a few hours. Modern plasma TV sets often will include a burn in repair feature. It typically consists of alternating scrolling bars of black and white that will help wipe the “ghost” image from your screen. If you notice any burn in or “ghosting” on your plasma TV screen, attempt to run this repair feature.

If your TV does not has a self-repair feature, you can use black and white video noise to remove the burn in. Simply find a station where you see off-air static. You may need to remove your cable or satellite feed or tune to over-the-air TV and find an empty channel to find the appropriate “noise” channel. Once there, simply leave your TV set to that channel for several hours or overnight. Basically the channel is alternating black and white dots across your screen and should reduce or completely remove the burn in.