How To Check For Screen Burn.

Sometimes a factor in spoiling a Plasma or LCD TV with screen burn is that it creeps up on us. That is we get a minor removable burn but don't realise its there. This is sometimes reffered to as residual image retention. If we don't realise it is there we don't take action and of course the problem gets worse and we trash our expensive screen.

There are a few ways to check. The most convenient is to check your TVs menu for a 'white screen' option. This as the name suggests displays a still white screen. The other option is to find a DVD with a plain white picture (often at the very end or start) and pause it. Another way is to plug in the PC and set the background to white. Basically any very light (preferably white) background will emphasize screen burn and reveal problems in the making.

Usually the results will be so clear that you can see exactly which channels, DVDs, games or TV guides are going to cause a problem. For example after my son has done 2 hours Command & Conquer on the Xbox 360 I can see the controls and even the score and 'mini map' using any of these methods.

Try our PC fix trick to remove residual screen burn but it is more suited for specific or severe screen burn. PixelProtector has a 'color wash' for residual image retention.