PLASMA IMAGE RETENTION ISSUES

[3937edwards]

i i really hope someone can help me i have had my samsung plasma for 3 months now but have been suffering from image retention problems to the exstent that i am having to use the scolling feature every night to get rid of it which i think is not right i therefore rang up my retailer comet and told them i want an engineer out to look at it as having to use this function every night is unacepptable i told them that i have never had the settings to high during the run in period and always used the pixel shift funtion as well and my settings are not high now . they are sending a engineer out this wednsday to look at it but have said that if its screen burn then its not covered by the warranty. they also told me that using the scrolling function every night can damage the screen as well because they say all it is doing is burning the images out i said that if it was sceen burn then the scrolling feature wouldent get rid of it but it does so even though i have followed all the manufacturers guidlines on running the tv in using pixel shift e.t.c if there engineer says its screen burn i have a £1400 3 month old tv thats no good anymore as its not covered by warranty,and i thought all latest plasmas are less prone to screen burn even following guidlines on running in are useless as the engineers can turn around say its screen burn even if its not and get away with a repair or replacement how life sucks sometimes any help or suggestions also contacted samsung and basically said they could send there engineer out but if they say its screenburn i would have to pay these manufacturers and retailers are a joke anyway sorry for my rant any help or suggestions please

 

[Jammoe]

Wow, have you even had a single second's enjoyment out of this TV yet?

If you post your full picture settings (all picture menus and sub menus), it may give a clue to whats causing the retention.

 

[Oldboy]

Andrew,

Very sorry to hear about your issues

but as you know i have been in this exact position myself with my Panny G20. If that was me i would get BOTH engineers out to look at the tv because if there is some concensous of opinion ie both agree it's the same fault then you at least know what the issue is but it also gives you some ammunition if they both come up with a different diagnosis. If you look in the manual of your tv you will find a disclaimer against screen burn but not against image retention which is pretty standard with plasma tv's but as you know i got around this and you can too! If it does turn out to be screen burn you can pursue the problem in another way....after 3 months use you can comfortably say that the tv is not fit for purpose and pusue Comet and/or Samsung on that basis rather than saying screen burn ruiuned my tv.

I was advised when i contacted Consumer Direct that this would be my next course of action if my retailer decided not to replace my tv so i know it is a potential avenue of attack for you, don't worry all is not lost and you won't be left with a £1400 picture frame, but you will require patience as i would be surprised if they don't take the tv away to be tested. First thing to do is get it checked by both engineers and once you have a clear idea of what the issue is tackle it from there, it may even turn out to be something related is causing the issue such as the refresh rate and that it can be fixed so don't tear your hair out just yet as no matter what you have options.

Best wishes.

 

[3937edwards]

hi oldboy it beggars believe how manufacturers can get away with sub standard equipment and poor customer service there quiet willing to take your money but once any problems arise they make up any excuse to get out of reparing or replacing them first problems with my led so changed to plasma and now possible problems with that its just a farce anyway i will keep you informed on what the engineer says regards

 

[3937edwards]

hi jammoe my settings are on standard cell light 13 contrast 65 brightness 45 colour 45 sharpness 20 black tone and dynamic contrast of mpeg and dnr off motion judder tech off pixel shift on 4 4 1

 

[Oldboy]

Agreed...your experience has been shocking so far. It's perhaps going a little too far to say that about sub standard equipment when this is your 1st plasma, don't forget i have been in this position and it's just one of those things...you've been unlucky for sure (as i was) for getting problems from your 1st plasma but a little clarity is required here i think. Don't think i can't understand your frustration because i most certainly can but it's a fact of life that some faulty tv's will make their way into the distribution chain and therefore to us customers.

The tv is obviously faulty though so don't worry just wait for an engineers report then take it from there, i know that doesn't help atall in the short term but these are the steps you must take in the first instance when your tv develops a fault. Comet have been known on these forums for creating problems when trying to get an electrical item repaired so i would keep the pressure on them as much as you can but at the moment they seem to be taking the correct steps by getting an engineer out to look at the tv. You must remember that the retailer has every right in UK law to seek to repair the tv before offering a replacement of any sort so there simply isn't anything else you can do for the moment, i know that doesn't help much but those are the facts.

Have you contacted Samsung then? I gather from your last post that if you did then it didn't go well, what did they say?

Best regards.

 

[3937edwards]

hi olboy comet engineer came out good start he thought tv was led not plasma how usless, anyway as i thought i dident get anywhere showed him the issue with retention only after a couple of minutes, all he said is this is an issue with plasmas which i said yes but not only after a couple of minutes and hve to use the scrolling function every day which i said is unacepptable,and i told him that the person i spoke to on the phone said that using the scrolling function everday is damaging the screen in which he replyed thats not true thats what its there for. he then said that samsung do not give any guidlines on how often it should be used and what is acceptable and what isnt convenient eh! any he said just continue using it to the point that the scrolling function doesent get rid then they will have to replace the screen. anyway one more question as the tv is only 3 months old is it possible the phosphors are still burning hot and bright and this image retention could ease or vanish over time only a thought and hope and yes contacted samsung they said they can send engineer out but be warned if its screenbun i will have to pay for repair anyway cheers oldboy for your help yet again

 

[professorhat]

Given that you've identified it's image retention and not screen burn (since the image can be removed using the scrolling feature), then I don't really understand why you are worried that it could be identified as screen burn?

 

[Oldboy]

Well then i would have to agree with Prof yet again! It does just sound like image retention although it does seem excessive imo. All i can say is follow the advice and just keep using the scrolling function...and if that stops solving the issue then it's time for a replacement! By the sounds of it Comet will be reticent to do anything about the issue untill the scrolling function no longer removes the IR simply because the tv itself can still remove the problem no matter how many times you use it, therfore blurring the lines as to if its a fault or not. My tv has no scrolling function or wipe so my case was that bit stronger when my issues occured and hense why i got action quickly.

I would still be tempted to get the Samsung engineer out especially as the Comet engineer stated it was IR and i think you could rest easy knowing you won't get charged for the appointment, but it's up to you. If the problem is serious enough for you to call Comet out then i would say the same is true of Samsung, no? If the scrolling function is removing it every day then it's IR but if the image is there permanantly then it's screen burn and there is a huge difference between the two.

It is entirely possible that the IR will calm down over time of course and most info available on the net supports this but it's not guaranteed so your theory may have some truth to it. From what i have read a plasma screen should have settled in this regard during the first 6 months on average but that can vary depending on manufaturer and size/type of screen used.

The Comet engineer was right that you should expect IR as i still get some from time to time but a few mins on another source clears it up in no time, for example during the 1st few months occasionally i would get IR from the black bars present on widescreen blurays and dvds which would clearly show on my bluray players home screen but 5-10 mins of tv cleared it up and now it simply doesn't happen.

Only you can decide what you do next eh.

 

[arashid]

What a nightmare.

I think there is a strong case to own LCD or LED tv instead.

Plasma just souds like too much trouble

 

[The_Lhc]

What a nightmare.

I think there is a strong case to own LCD or LED tv instead.

Plasma just souds like too much trouble

Nonsense I've had mine for nearly two years and I've never had any issues with it. You'll have far more trouble with LCD/LED sets and backlight bleed than you will with any plasma.

 

[bigboss]

Image retention is a temporary phenomenon, which quickly goes away. I haven't noticed any image retention or screen burn on my plasma. LCD & LED-lit LEDs have their own set of problems (backlight bleed etc.). Remember that plasmas inherently handle motion better & have a much faster refresh rate (making it ideal for games etc.) apart from more natural rendition of colours.

Look for a TV regardless of the technology.

 

[Anonymous]

Image retention is a temporary phenomenon, which quickly goes away. I haven't noticed any image retention or screen burn on my plasma. LCD & LED-lit LEDs have their own set of problems (backlight bleed etc.). Remember that plasmas inherently handle motion better & have a much faster refresh rate (making it ideal for games etc.) apart from more natural rendition of colours.

Look for a TV regardless of the technology.

BB does happen to have the best plasma TV (or should that just be TV-full stop) ever made lol! But seriously, I have the model down from the OP the C6900 and it does suffer from some image retention, but it disappears very quickly, and as BB and others say, all technologies have their flaws, you'll probably trade one problem for another.