TV "Screen Burn-In" Versus "Dirty Screen Effect"

[Judge]

Damn. I spent so much time and effort to curb my tv over randomly turning off and on again.

Now into the tenth year of my Samsung LCD tv I have just encountered "dirty screen effect". A dark grey horizontal banding from the bottom left of the screen to halfway across. Something similar to my first widescreen LCD tv, a very expensive Sony XBR. That one lasted only five years before it began showing the "dirty screen effect". but randomly all over the screen.

I used to associate such things with only "image burn-in". Usually involving something that is repeatedly showing on the screen in the same place over time. But "dirty screen effect" is really quite something different. And more importantly, something not likely to go away compared to forms of screen burn-in.

Worse to run into some knowledgeable articles online that emphasize that this is something to catch when you first purchase a tv within the warranty period so you can return it. Otherwise manufacturers just chalk it up to one of those problems "within acceptable parameters". Translation: There's nothing they can do for you. Kindly buy another!

Interesting to learn a number of experts consider OLED technology much more resistant to "dirty screen effect". But that means advancing to 4K technology and essentially kissing goodbye to my 300 to 400 DVDs as they won't render properly beyond 1080p. And the selection of existing 1080p televisions is quite limited now, since the industry wants everyone to upgrade, upgrade, upgrade. And that the odds of finding one that won't have the possibility/probability of dirty screen effect may not be very high.

But then unlike the 20th century, it seems acceptable to consumers that very little lasts very long, and that you are expected to replace anything and everything you purchase with a much shorter duration of time.

And yes, I've run all kinds of alleged "fixes" for such a problem to no avail. Even ran a white screen for 8 hours. Solutions that might work for screen burn-in, but not dirty screen effect. The worst of it all is that the picture itself at 1080p remains well....fabulous IMO. All spoiled by the darker lower left quadrant which some might not even notice.

This is not my tv, but displays the problem similar to my own:

 

[Shamar]

Damn. I spent so much time and effort to curb my tv over randomly turning off and on again.

Now into the tenth year of my Samsung LCD tv I have just encountered "dirty screen effect". A dark grey horizontal banding from the bottom left of the screen to halfway across. Something similar to my first widescreen LCD tv, a very expensive Sony XBR. That one lasted only five years before it began showing the "dirty screen effect". but randomly all over the screen.

I used to associate such things with only "image burn-in". Usually involving something that is repeatedly showing on the screen in the same place over time. But "dirty screen effect" is really quite something different. And more importantly, something not likely to go away compared to forms of screen burn-in.

Worse to run into some knowledgeable articles online that emphasize that this is something to catch when you first purchase a tv within the warranty period so you can return it. Otherwise manufacturers just chalk it up to one of those problems "within acceptable parameters". Translation: There's nothing they can do for you. Kindly buy another!

Interesting to learn a number of experts consider OLED technology much more resistant to "dirty screen effect". But that means advancing to 4K technology and essentially kissing goodbye to my 300 to 400 DVDs as they won't render properly beyond 1080p. And the selection of existing 1080p televisions is quite limited now, since the industry wants everyone to upgrade, upgrade, upgrade. And that the odds of finding one that won't have the possibility/probability of dirty screen effect may not be very high.

But then unlike the 20th century, it seems acceptable to consumers that very little lasts very long, and that you are expected to replace anything and everything you purchase with a much shorter duration of time.

And yes, I've run all kinds of alleged "fixes" for such a problem to no avail. Even ran a white screen for 8 hours. Solutions that might work for screen burn-in, but not dirty screen effect. The worst of it all is that the picture itself at 1080p remains well....fabulous IMO. All spoiled by the darker lower left quadrant which some might not even notice.

This is not my tv, but displays the problem similar to my own:

I Am Not An Expert, but it looks like maybe the backlight is getting dimmer in that area. When a backlight goes out completely, it causes a very dark area, usually a vertical band. Different manufacturers may use different configurations of backlight. Replacing a backlight is not really a DIY project, although I probably would not hesitate if I were sure that was the problem (I'm kind of stupid that way). I HAVE gone into monitors before to repair the power supply, and changing the backlight would not be much more involved. Fluorescent tubes were/are common as backlights, and dim areas can develop. LEDs are becoming the standard now. Good luck.

 

[Forest Cat]

So that's what happened to my tv, I had a 10 year old Panasonic tv that suddenly had dark streaks across the screen. I thought it was odd. But I guess a tv lasting 10 years is unusual these days. Bought a new Samsung tv recently, that will probably last 6 months or so. It was nice back when they built things to last.

 

[MildredHubble]

This looks quite a lot like my dad's Samsung TV did before it lost an entire row of blacklight LEDs. Well, it's more that one goes bad and it drags the others with it.

The good news is that it took about a year for the problem to fully manifest. His TV is getting towards 10 years old too. I suspect that they know you will get approximately 10 years out of it.

It wouldn't surprise me if they cheap out a little and to save a few cents, drive the LEDs a bit on the hot side and have refined the manufacturing process so the lifespan will be quite predictable.

You can get LED array kits from eBay. It's not a super easy process to replace them but as long as you follow a few safety precautions it can be done. I've heard some mixed stories about the quality of the arrays, and the aftermarket kits may have a different white point so you are best off replacing the every one of the arrays together.

I'm probably going to do this for my dad's TV soon, unless he decides to get a new one.

 

[Judge]

The backlighting on my tv appears as functional as it was the first time I turned it on. Runs the whole gamut from lowest to highest setting. Though adjusting it downward did little to alter the dirty screen effect. And I never used backlighting beyond the halfway setting. Contrast and brightness also never used to an extreme.

I can tolerate the dirty screen effect as long as whatever is showing isn't a large amount of a single light to medium color. But I enjoy visual perfection, and it's going at this point. I expect such a condition to get worse rather than better.

Still, I'm grateful that I know understand the difference between burn-in and dirty screen effects. That the former might be fixed in various ways, while the latter is something different which likely cannot be fixed. Though I've tried at least a half dozen methods pertinent to burn-in that didn't do a thing. And trying to create or reduce pressure on the LCD screen itself from the inside, nope...I think there's too much chance of making things worse to mess around with those suggestions usually from techs more familiar with such solutions.

The one thing that really bugs me is my own sense of time urgency if I am to purchase another 1080p tv. They're getting harder to find since everyone wants you to buy a 4K tv instead. I could do that, pay much more and not be able to watch my DVDs using an upscaling DVD player.

My only other alternative is based on something I cannot verify. Whether or not a standard DVD will play surprisingly well on a Blu-Ray DVD player that upscales to 4K. And whether or not to my eyes it does in fact look "surprisingly well", or just tolerable at best. Not to mention a good 4K Optical disc player ain't cheap.

I'll probably just break down and buy one of the very few 1080p Samsung sets available. Whether I encounter this problem or the dreaded on/off problem is anyone's guess. Pouring comparable amounts of money into parts to be replaced and installed just doesn't make sense to me over a ten-year old device. Now if it was made back in the 20th century, I might have rethought that! (I have other electronics that are much older and still function just great.)

 

[MildredHubble]

The backlighting on my tv appears as functional as it was the first time I turned it on. Runs the whole gamut from lowest to highest setting. Though adjusting it downward did little to alter the dirty screen effect. And I never used backlighting beyond the halfway setting. Contrast and brightness also never used to an extreme.

I can tolerate the dirty screen effect as long as whatever is showing isn't a large amount of a single light to medium color. But I enjoy visual perfection, and it's going at this point. I expect such a condition to get worse rather than better.

Still, I'm grateful that I know understand the difference between burn-in and dirty screen effects. That the former might be fixed in various ways, while the latter is something different which likely cannot be fixed. Though I've tried at least a half dozen methods pertinent to burn-in that didn't do a thing. And trying to create or reduce pressure on the LCD screen itself from the inside, nope...I think there's too much chance of making things worse to mess around with those suggestions usually from techs more familiar with such solutions.

The one thing that really bugs me is my own sense of time urgency if I am to purchase another 1080p tv. They're getting harder to find since everyone wants you to buy a 4K tv instead. I could do that, pay much more and not be able to watch my DVDs using an upscaling DVD player.

My only other alternative is based on something I cannot verify. Whether or not a standard DVD will play surprisingly well on a Blu-Ray DVD player that upscales to 4K. And whether or not to my eyes it does in fact look "surprisingly well", or just tolerable at best. Not to mention a good 4K Optical disc player ain't cheap.

I'll probably just break down and buy one of the very few 1080p Samsung sets available. Whether I encounter this problem or the dreaded on/off problem is anyone's guess. Pouring comparable amounts of money into parts to be replaced and installed just doesn't make sense to me over a ten-year old device. Now if it was made back in the 20th century, I might have rethought that! (I have other electronics that are much older and still function just great.)

You could try looking at some generics perhaps? There are a lot of decent 1080p sets around made by "no name" or "own name" brands. I have a TV branded Technika, it's the in house brand for Tesco supermarkets. You can do a secret little code using the remote and it will reveal who made the panel etc. Mine is an LG if memory serves.

I have a really small 1080p TV also Technika that serves as a handy retro gaming/test monitor. Doing the code on that revealed it was a rebranded Toshiba.

Sure there may be some image processing features that are missing or a bit lack luster. However, if you just want it to match the quality of your old set, you might find that one of these off brand TVs actually succeeds at doing that. The tech filtres down over time and companies like Samsung and LG want to offload their stocks of older, but once premium components, so they can end up basically recasing what was essentially your current TV in a different frame.

It's worth a bit of research. You can grab the service codes off the internet for a lot of TVs so you could even have a look around a big retailer and get the real specs by inputting the codes. Usually power cycling reverses it, as long as you don't mess with the settings you are good!

You may even be able to get to the service/engineers menu on your Samsung to do some in depth tests that usually aren't available. But as I said before, best not to change any setting until you are confident of what will happen. I guess even if you mess something up you could always input the original settings if you get some pictures or note them down

 

[Judge]

You could try looking at some generics perhaps? There are a lot of decent 1080p sets around made by "no name" or "own name" brands. I have a TV branded Technika, it's the in house brand for Tesco supermarkets. You can do a secret little code using the remote and it will reveal who made the panel etc. Mine is an LG if memory serves.

I have a really small 1080p TV also Technika that serves as a handy retro gaming/test monitor. Doing the code on that revealed it was a rebranded Toshiba.

Sure there may be some image processing features that are missing or a bit lack luster. However, if you just want it to match the quality of your old set, you might find that one of these off brand TVs actually succeeds at doing that. The tech filtres down over time and companies like Samsung and LG want to offload their stocks of older, but once premium components, so they can end up basically recasing what was essentially your current TV in a different frame.

It's worth a bit of research. You can grab the service codes off the internet for a lot of TVs so you could even have a look around a big retailer and get the real specs by inputting the codes. Usually power cycling reverses it, as long as you don't mess with the settings you are good!

You may even be able to get to the service/engineers menu on your Samsung to do some in depth tests that usually aren't available. But as I said before, best not to change any setting until you are confident of what will happen. I guess even if you mess something up you could always input the original settings if you get some pictures or note them down

For approximately $269 + tax I can simply replace it with a newer 1080p Samsung tv. The only drawback is that it has only two HDMI ports and not three. Not sure that a 60Hz refresh rate would be worse than the 120Hz I presently have which frankly doesn't show motion in a particularly attractive manner either at 24 fps or 30 fps in "soap opera mode". The newer tv does have component ports so I can watch my DVDs at 720p which isn't an issue to me. And my DVD player uses coxial connection that goes directly to my home theater audio system.

However all that said, now I'm toying with the idea of keeping this tv, but moving it 90 degrees to another wall. Where I can use my leather chair that swivels to comfortably watch an occasional DVD. Allowing me to make a considerable upgrade for cable and Roku that upconverts from 1080p to 4k with a much bigger screen that I've wanted for some time. Which might come closest to "having my cake and eat it too" under the circumstances.

Then again I could spend some time pitting my ability to tolerate such visual imperfections and try pick a fight with my OCD. Of course in nearly every bout, my OCD wins. But using the tv as a secondary one might be the most my silly brain can accommodate and compromise with.

 

[MildredHubble]

For approximately $269 + tax I can simply replace it with a newer 1080p Samsung tv. The only drawback is that it has only two HDMI ports and not three. Not sure that a 60Hz refresh rate would be worse than the 120Hz I presently have which frankly doesn't show motion in a particularly attractive manner either at 24 fps or 30 fps in "soap opera mode". The newer tv does have component ports so I can watch my DVDs at 720p which isn't an issue to me.

However all that said, now I'm toying with the idea of keeping this tv, but moving it 90 degrees to another wall. Where I can use my leather chair that swivels to comfortably watch an occasional DVD. Allowing me to make a considerable upgrade for cable and Roku that upconverts from 1080p to 4k with a much bigger screen that I've wanted for some time.

Which might come closest to "having my cake and eat it too" under the circumstances.

Then again I could spend some time pitting my ability to tolerate such visual imperfections and try pick a fight with my OCD. Of course in nearly every bout, my OCD wins. But using the tv as a secondary one might be the most my silly brain can accommodate.

That's pretty decent value on the face of it You could use an HDMI switcher, even cheap ones auto switch to the device as it powers up, it can be a bit annoying if you have say an Xbox and it decides to power up and perform an update. If you figure out a strategy to keep things like that on a different input it can prevent such irritation.

Unfortunately I know what you mean about things annoying the old OCD. I have a shelf below my TV that is mounted to the wall and the TV on an arm. The weight of the TV makes it twist slightly and if makes the shelf look like it's not level, even though it is. It can take a lot of effort to ignore it

Indeed, things like that causes me to see the dark patch on my dad's TV before the whole array was affected. Only I could see it apparently, even when the whole array went wrong, I was the first to notice.

I think having two screens is a perfectly acceptable solution and it has the benefit of preventing your current TV from becoming e-waste.

I actually picked up a 22" Samsung TV from a charity shop for the equivalent of $12 US. It's fine for what I want to use it for, almost like new, but it's stand was missing. I made some legs for it in about 10mins in SketchUp and had them 3D printed an hour later (though the printer hadn't been calibrated, they work ok though!). Samsung definitely make good quality sets!

So basically I have different screens for different scenarios. Some are CRT some are LCD. I also have a pretty convoluted method of routing all video sources to all screens. Wires bother my OCD a little so I need to tidy up the connections and cable manage better. But it works!

 

[Judge]

That's pretty decent value on the face of it You could use an HDMI switcher, even cheap ones auto switch to the device as it powers up, it can be a bit annoying if you have say an Xbox and it decides to power up and perform an update. If you figure out a strategy to keep things like that on a different input it can prevent such irritation.

Thought of an HDMI switcher, but then it would mean one more freaking remote for a total of seven.

Some time back I figured out how to adapt my cable remote to replace my proprietary tv remote when switching HDMI and other tv ports, so I have one less remote to deal with than six presently.

Luckily I have a dual recliner with a compartment in between in which I can store most of my remotes.

Too bad someone can't invent a system that integrates television, optical disk player, home theater, a cable box and a phone modem all into the same unit. Then it would save me a lot of grief...lol.

 

[Judge]

Just buy a new one already. TVs are dirt cheap these days.

The most plausible alternative, having been to the store just yesterday. $269...while my existing tv cost $600. And the one that replaced the one I have cost $1200 and lasted only five years.

Plus if I get another Samsung or TCL all the ports are on the left side, making it far easier to reconnect them without having to alter my entertainment center which has a nightmare of cables going in multiple directions.

 

[Au Naturel]

But then unlike the 20th century, it seems acceptable to consumers that very little lasts very long, and that you are expected to replace anything and everything you purchase with a much shorter duration of time.

Bingo! And that's how the economy rolls. Unless you are under warranty, buying a new unit and disposing of the old one is usually cheaper. Unless you can find a repair shop or have the electronic expertise and can find the parts, that's the only course of action.

 

[Judge]

Bingo! And that's how the economy rolls. Unless you are under warranty, buying a new unit and disposing of the old one is usually cheaper. Unless you can find a repair shop or have the electronic expertise and can find the parts, that's the only course of action.

Yep. Most of the time I suspect virtually no electronic devices are worth having repaired. Besides, the tv is 10 years old. No telling what else with that tv may fail in the near future. I still recall my most cherished tv was a monitor/tv with it's own audio amp with DBX noise reduction. It lasted 12 years from 1984 to 1996.

Nowadays? Everything is designed to fail earlier rather than later. Though I still have a few components made in the last century that will probably outlast me. Souvenirs of an era "gone with the wind".

Though it still angers me that this "dirty screen effect" is considered as an acceptable condition not worthy of being within a manufacturer's warranty beyond so many days of sale. In other words take it back to the retailer based on their return policy. But otherwise dealing with a manufacturer is just spinning your wheels.

 

[Luca]

Yep. Most of the time I suspect virtually no electronic devices are worth having repaired. Besides, the tv is 10 years old. No telling what else with that tv may fail in the near future. I still recall my most cherished tv was a monitor/tv with it's own audio amp with DBX noise reduction. It lasted 12 years from 1984 to 1996.

Nowadays? Everything is designed to fail earlier rather than later. Though I still have a few components made in the last century that will probably outlast me. Souvenirs of an era "gone with the wind".

Though it still angers me that this "dirty screen effect" is considered as an acceptable condition not worthy of being within a manufacturer's warranty beyond so many days of sale. In other words take it back to the retailer based on their return policy. But otherwise dealing with a manufacturer is just spinning your wheels.

Yeah, I would second that buying a new one is more cost-efficient in the long run.
My TV is also probably about ten years old but I haven't run into any serious issues with it (yet.)

I also tend to use things for years and years until I can't get any practical use out of them anymore. I have lots of things in my house that I have had since I was a child, and some things that I inherited or thrifted that are older than me lol

 

[Ken]

I just use a good lens / glass cleaner and soft cloth to clean my dirty screen effect.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

[Judge]

Why not just get a nas and store all your discs on there? You can do whatever prescaling you want that way.

I'm only interested in being able to occasionally play standard DVDs through my Sony DVD player that can properly upscale that is visually compatible with a 1080p television. Not trying to "reinvent the wheel".

Your first suggestion and others here reflects the best course of action. Just to replace one defective and old 1080p resolution tv with a newer one. I'll lose a few minor features, but they're ones I can live without. The most important thing is continuity in matching my excellent standard DVD player that upscales to a hopefully good, but technically outdated FHD television.

It's also by far the cheapest solution that allows me to continue enjoying my DVD collection through a larger screen and a decent picture. The only "wild card" in this equation is that the new tv I get will not have any obvious problems- during or beyond the warranty period. But that's something I would risk in purchasing just about everything these days.

Most of all, up to now I really enjoyed this television. Reminds me of a similar situation in 1996 when my monitor/tv died. That was a sad day too. And having to dump my vcrs and tapes in 2008. I had already begun collecting DVDs before then, but it's all the same lousy story. Being forced to upgrade technology even when I was content with what I have.

 

[Judge]

I just use a good lens / glass cleaner and soft cloth to clean my dirty screen effect.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

LOL. Ironically you're not far off in terms of having to fix this problem. I watched a YouTube video (below) involving a tv tech who took apart a widescreen LCD to fix a dirty screen. But it has to be done from the inside- not the outside. Which really does ultimately define "dirty screen effect" from screen burn-in.

The good news: All you have to do is to separate the layers of coverings on the LCD panel and simply use that soft cloth to clean away the mess on the screen.

The really bad news: Taking apart a widescreen tv to get at the actual LCD panel. In the case of my Samsung, they glue some kind of black tape/sealing all around the edges of the tv. I gave up the idea of attempting to remove it. Clearly they prefer for consumers to simply go out and buy another one.

I did buy the Samsung TV I mentioned in an earlier post for $270. Sure I lost a few bells & whistles, but now I have a clean screen again at 1080p so I can continue to view my DVD collection as it was meant to be seen.

No Thanks. It might be easy to remove the LCD panel from HIS tv, but I suspect he'd be a bit stymied with mine:

Here's the lowdown on Dirty Screen Effect: