W/S TV problem?

[pompeyfan]

I have a (nearly) 3 year old Philips 24" Widescreen TV and have noticed a strange thing with the W/S picture.

When stretching the picture into Widescreen mode (for anamorphic discs/Sky Premier W/S) I notice that the middle of the screen is slightly darker than the edges, and this darker patch takes up an area about the size and position of a 4:3 image, with clearly defined edges. I haven't noticed it in other modes, but then I only use 4:3 and 16:9 zoom, as well as Widescreen.

I first thought it may have been the menu screen (start-up screen?) from the DVD player, superimposing itself on the TV screen, but tonight I have noticed it on Premier Widescreen films with the DVD player off!

Is the TV on the way out? Is this normal? Is it a fixable problem? Unfortunately the main guarantee runs out on the 28th or 29th of this month:( although the tube is insured for another 3 years.

[John Nelson]

Sounds like your TV is suffering from phosphor burn-in. Lots of horror stories about this from the US, where 16:9 TVs typically spend 99.9% of the time displaying broadcast 4:3 material. This is why 16:9 TVs for the US market use grey bars at the sides of the 4:3 image, rather than black, to ensure that the whole screen is illuminated evenly.

You could try claiming on the guarantee, based on the fact that the tube/screen has developed a defect through being used in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations (after all, they provided the 4:3 mode in the first place!). But have a look at the small print in your manual - TV mfrs usually warn about video games causing phosphor burn-in when used for long periods of time, and they might say something similar about 4:3 mode.

-- J.

[pompeyfan]

Cheers for the reply John:clap:

Unfortunately I don't have the manual to hand:( to check the details, but it has never been used for video/console gaming, but I do use the 4:3 mode most of the time - thats what it's there for.

If it is phosper-burn is that definately a problem with the tube? As the guarantee on the tube still has another 3 years to run (£20 for six years when I bought the TV), but the extended warranty only runs till the day after Boxing Day:(

Thanks