How should i leave my LCD monitor when its turned on and not in use?

[xMax]

Im buying a 3000$ LCD monitor, and i want to take care of it as much as i can. I know i can use powermanagement to keep turning it off, but i hear that this is not always very healthy for LCDs.

But the real concern has to do with what to do with my LCD when i turn it on to warm it up for an hour before using it. During this idle time, should i leave the screen in a static state, or should i instead have a screensaver running? And if i use a screensaver, then what type should i use?

Thanks

xMax

 

[phaxmohdem]

wow warm up time for an LCD? Granted I don't have a $3000 LCd panel, but I leave all my LCD monitors in my computer room on 24/7. 2x19" 1x 17" and 2x 15" and they all just turn off with power management. In close to four years now ownling LCD's, I"ve never had one go bad on me yet, not even a dead pixel or backlight.

 

[ITPaladin]

Screensavers were made for back when old crts would have burn-in issues. Newer ones don't have that problem anymore. Screensavers now are just fun things to look at and CPU cycle wasters.

 

[Griswold]

LCD's can indeed suffer from something similar to a burned in image. The effect seems to be the same as seen on CRT's but its not. And if you're lucky, it will go away again if you "train" your screen by offering it a bright image.

I've personally seen this on some LCD's, not sure if that still happens with latest panels.

Old forum post at Ars

 

[jiffylube1024]

You don't need to warm up LCD monitors. Just turn it on when you want to use it, and keep it off when you won't be using it for awhile. I usually shut off my LCD's when I will be away for an hour or more. Even for half hour breaks I will just shut them off. The on/off cycle is much less strenuous than on CRT's; there's no degaussing, no need to heat up the phosphors like in CRT's, and (obviously) no electron guns that need to warm up.

 

[xMax]

Your all giving me somewhat different responses.

You can understand my concern.

More advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[videoclone]

xMax what these guys are saying ... is .. just dont drop the thing and it will last you a long time.... AND If someone does go wrong then its out of your control and was probably a faulty capacitor or something and is why we have warranty.

 

[Kogan]

Turn off all computer parts when not using them. They're not made to last forever and have a manufacturer-rated expected lifetime that only counts down when the part is turned on.

Check the part manual and it should have a MTBF time (mean time before failure) - usually rated in hours.

I checked average LCD backlight lifetimes and it's about 30,000 hours or 3.5 years of continuous use before they're expected to fail. If your lcd is on for only 12 hours a day, it will last 7 years, and if only 6 hours a day, then 14 years. These lifetimes are estimated of course, so there will be some variation in when your specific part actually dies.

There is no need to warm up an lcd screen, or even modern crt screens (made within the last 15 years).

 

[jiffylube1024]

Originally posted by: Kogan
Turn off all computer parts when not using them. They're not made to last forever and have a manufacturer-rated expected lifetime that only counts down when the part is turned on.

Check the part manual and it should have a MTBF time (mean time before failure) - usually rated in hours.

I checked average LCD backlight lifetimes and it's about 30,000 hours or 3.5 years of continuous use before they're expected to fail. If your lcd is on for only 12 hours a day, it will last 7 years, and if only 6 hours a day, then 14 years. These lifetimes are estimated of course, so there will be some variation in when your specific part actually dies.

There is no need to warm up an lcd screen, or even modern crt screens (made within the last 15 years).

Yup, very true. Backlights are what go in LCD's, which is another reason to just turn it off when you're not using it. Save those hours, because if it's on all the time, you will be kicking yourself 3-5 years later!

 

[xtknight]

Turn it off when you don't use it. It's not that hard, is it? Or, at least enable standby mode. That will still save the backlight.

 

[kmmatney]

I've always turned off LCDs overnight and when I'm going to be away for a few hours. Never had any problems doing that.

CCFL Backlights can be replaced in most LCDs, and cost around $60. I repaired a notebook backlight once - it wasn't very difficult.

If you have a $3000 LCD, then it may be a professional type, with an LED backlight. An LED backlight will have a life expectancy of 50,000 hours. I would still trun it off overnight, though.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Just let it go into standby after a short period of inactivity. Simple.

 

[themroc27]

Originally posted by: Kogan
I checked average LCD backlight lifetimes and it's about 30,000 hours or 3.5 years of continuous use before they're expected to fail. If your lcd is on for only 12 hours a day, it will last 7 years, and if only 6 hours a day, then 14 years.

3.5 years? By that time we'll have screens twice as big for half the price
think I might just leave the monitor on all the time, now, with an attractive screensaver for eye candy.

 

[imported_Amuro]

Yeah, 3.5 to 4 years is about right. My first LCD, Samsung Syncmaster 180T bought in May 2001, started to show random orange and blue artifacts/noise on dark background little while back.

 

[akugami]

LCD's can indeed suffer burn in but the period is much longer than on a projection screen or older CRT. It litterally takes days before burn in occurs on an LCD. That said, you don't need a fancy screensaver. Just have the power savings setting for your monitor to put your monitor into sleep mode after about 10min of no use. As other said, when a screensaver is going, it may not contribute to screen burn in but it's shortening the life of the backlight.

 

[themroc27]

Originally posted by: akugami
when a screensaver is going, it may not contribute to screen burn in but it's shortening the life of the backlight.

of course, it is also serving as artwork in the room, providing mood or ambience, etc.