One of the biggest concerns of a plasma television buyer is burn in. Everyone has heard horror stories about plasma burn in ruining a display long before its expiration date. Nobody wants that to happen, and while many think it just happens, that is not quite the case. There are steps any plasma owner can take to prevent burn in.

Plasma TVs and any phosphor based display can be affected by burn in. Burn in is sometimes referred to as ghosting or shadowing, but burn in seems to be the phrase that makes plasma owners shudder. However, as much as this used to be a major problem for plasma owners, newer models and displays are becoming more adaptive and have built-in technology to prevent most shadows.

One such technique, motion adaptive technology, focuses on continuously moving the image while it is being displayed in such a way that it is not visible to the naked eye. This means that your picture is constantly moving while you are watching it instead of being stuck in the same place. If you fall asleep on the sofa and forget to turn off your plasma, you can rest assured that the picture will not burn in over time. Motion adaptive technology moves the picture by continuously forcing color changes in each pixel display. The phosphor gas in plasma displays is also being tweaked to help prevent burn in. This also adds to increasing the lifespan and phosphor use of plasma displays and some CRT models.

Burn in, when it comes down to it, is simply a damaged pixel that no longer functions with the same intensity it did when it came out of the box. The phosphors have aged prematurely, causing them to glow less and the surrounding pixels appear to be brighter. Since those damaged pixels have repeated the same color spectrum time and time again, they remember the color and since it sits idle in that spot, it "burns in" to only display that single color. In essence, it almost forgets it is capable of displaying any other color schemes, and due to setting there so long, etches itself into the glass display.

Burn in does not occur to a single pixel but instead a range of pixels, usually in the shape or shadow of the image being constantly displayed on screen. Network logos that display in the bottom right or left corner of TV screens used to be a problem when plasmas first hit the market, but now networks have developed dynamic logos that reduce the problem significantly.

Every plasma owner can prevent burn in by taking a few simple steps. Never leave your television on if you are not watching it, even if you are watching something that constantly moves. Make sure to turn off the TV when it is not in use, and make sure to not pause DVDs or videos for more than 15 minutes at a time.

Plasmas are prone to burn in even more than usual during their first 200 hours of life. Since the phosphors are fresh and are getting used to being used, they burn more intensely and this will cause problems if you leave your television sitting on for too long. Ghosting can occur when these phosphors pop, so to speak, from being ignited and then washes out the image on screen by displaying a bright image in its wake. Most home theater professionals advise that you wash out your screen with your television's anti-burn in calibration after the first 100 hours.

Contrast can play a big part on a new plasma to prevent burn in. Set the contrast below 50% during the first 200 hours to help eliminate the phosphors from displaying at their peak intensity. Remember: The more intense your phosphors display, the more susceptible your plasma is to burn in.

Many newer plasmas have anti-burn in settings, make yourself familiar with them and find the right settings for how you use your TV. This is the easiest way for you to prevent burn in on your own. Video games that have a lot of static images and loading screens can create problems, and these anti-burn in settings can help reduce that. Make sure to utilize your owner's manual to learn how to adjust each setting for your plasma.

Good scaling, especially in relation to widescreen movies and television programs, will come in handy. You never want to display static black bars on your plasma display, this will cause some of the worst burn-in problems you will run into. Make sure your plasma displays widescreen comfortably as well as allowing you to watch things in fullscreen display for the first 200 hours to avoid those black bars.

Burn in should not be feared. It is preventable and as long as you take care of your plasma display, it should not be a problem. When purchasing your plasma, pay attention to reviews and other information relating to burn in. Some TVs are more susceptible to others when it comes to burn in, but most newer models come with anti-burn in features that will help keep it safe from shadowing, ghosting and other display artifacts. By doing your part, your plasma display will not suffer from burn-in, saving you money down the line.