Tough call, but probably not. There is nothing magical about the Xbox - or any game console - as far as screen burn-in is concerned. The problem rests with the fixed graphics that most games have on-screen: Health meters, scores, timers, etc. These fixed objects are no more or less dangerous than the CNN logo or the ESPN score box in a football game. Anything that sits in the same place on the screen for a long time *might* cause burn-in.
Burn-in is typically more of a risk to rear-projection TV's than it is to regular direct-view TV's.
How you can lower your risk of burn-in:
READ YOUR TV OWNER'S GUIDE for information or warnings.
Lower the contrast and brightness of your TV. Most TV's come from the factory with contrast and brightness near 100%. Lower yours as far as you can without degrading picture quality beyond what you consider acceptible.
Better yet, calibrate your TV (especially HDTV's) with a DVD like Avia's Guide to Home Theater or Video Essentials.
Don't play the same game for hours and hours on end. Mix up your games a bit so the fixed elements are different.
Don't leave a game paused for extended periods. Turn off the TV if you need to pause for a long time.
Be especially careful with a new TV. For the first one or two hundred hours, the screen is more vulnerable. Kind of like a new car engine.
Comments (11)
Write Comment
Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article.
Personal verbal attacks will be deleted.
Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed.
Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button.
Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.