# Do plasma TVs fade over time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 27, 2018, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301 "2018-03-27T22:03:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/1 "2018-03-27T22:03:32Z")
I have a 50" Panasonic plasma TV that I purchased some years ago. I really don’t remember when, but it was when Best Buy had a sale on plasma HDTV with a Blu-ray player for about $1000. It was a heck of a deal and I jumped on it. Of course, the reason for the sale is BB wanted to get rid of plasmas and start carrying LCD displays. So, I like watching science fiction TV shows. Scenes set in space or in dimly-lit rooms are hard to see. This has really started to bother me in recent months. Does a plasma TV wear in such a way that dark scenes can become more difficult to see? My daughter has a much newer 4K LED screen at her house. The picture there seems to leap off the screen in a way that my TV simply doesn’t. Of course, my daughter probably has the screen set to “vivid”, and she is not the sort to really worry with such things and fiddle with the settings. So, to sum up – does the picture on a plasma TV tend to degrade over time (assuming normal wear and no burn-in)? Is ten years about the end of life for a plasma? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/2 "2018-03-27T22:09:03Z")
All TVs become less bright over time. LCD backlights have a similar lifespan. It may well be possible to adjust the settings on your TV to compensate. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/3 "2018-03-27T22:22:59Z")
Plasma burn-in occurs _because_ the phosphors degrade and become less bright as a rough proportion to intensity. Parts of the screen which have a statically brighter or dimmer image will degrade at a different rate compared to the rest, and this manifests as a lingering afterimage. But this applies to the screen as a whole as well; it’s just not as noticeable because the eye is good at compensating for overall changes in brightness. Still, over a long enough period the decrease becomes significant. In short, yes, your plasma has gotten dimmer over time. Also, new TVs have gotten brighter over time due to better backlight technology (LED over fluorescent, and general improvements in LED efficiency). Even if the plasma didn’t degrade, it would still look dim against the latest screens (particularly HDR). ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/4 "2018-03-27T22:58:28Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > All TVs become less bright over time. LCD backlights have a similar lifespan. > > It may well be possible to adjust the settings on your TV to compensate. There are 2 things that cause such degradation. The first is the plasma display itself, and yes it will degrade over time. The second is a fluorescent backlight will dim over time, this applies to both plasma and LCD’s which are backlit by fluorescent lamps (which may be replaceable). Many LCD’s have switched to LED backlight which does not really have that issue of becoming less bright over time. ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/5 "2018-03-27T23:51:29Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > All TVs become less bright over time. LCD backlights have a similar lifespan. > > It may well be possible to adjust the settings on your TV to compensate. The problem is that each individual plasma pixel decays _separately_ and it depends on the load (what you have on the screen) So if you are viewing a channel that has fixed elements in a part of the screen (say, for example, a green box in a corner), the pixels in that box lose their green brightness faster than the other colors, and you see a burnt in area when the screen goes to display something else. LCD screens do not have this problem at all. Unfortunately, OLEDs do. ---
**Author:** ![aethelred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@aethelred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aethelred)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/6 "2018-03-28T02:48:00Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > The second is a fluorescent backlight will dim over time, this applies to both plasma and LCD’s which are backlit by fluorescent lamps (which may be replaceable). I’m pretty sure a plasma display neither needs not has a backlight (given that the RGB light is coming from phosphors excited by the plasma). If you have information to the contrary I’m very interested to see a cite. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/7 "2018-03-28T03:43:16Z")
I don’t think anyone is making fluorescent-backlit LCDs anymore. ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/8 "2018-03-28T03:56:07Z")
I’ve got a Pioneer Elite 53" plasma. It’s at least 10’years old. Haven’t noticed any degradation. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/9 "2018-03-28T09:48:50Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Many LCD’s have switched to LED backlight which does not really have that issue of becoming less bright over time. LED’s have a slower initial brightness decay, longer rated lifetime, and are more likely to have failed completely before they get dim enough to require replacement. If they run too hot, they will get dim faster, but are also more likely to just fail faster. ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/10 "2018-03-28T11:17:16Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > LED’s have a slower initial brightness decay, longer rated lifetime, and are more likely to have failed completely before they get dim enough to require replacement. If they run too hot, they will get dim faster, but are also more likely to just fail faster. It’s 50k+ hours to burn out the LEDs, at least. Actually, at 50k hours, the ‘failure’ just means they are below 70% of initial brightness. Still totally usable as a TV if it ever got to that. Now, in practice, most LED sets, the few that people don’t toss because they are too low resolution/not OLEDs or some future display tech, will probably fail from a power supply failure, not their actual backlights quitting. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/11 "2018-03-28T13:46:41Z")
I remember in Disney Downtown over 10 years ago one of the stores had several setup continuously (supposedly) playing DVDs on a plasma screen. However I guess someone habitually failed to press play. The menus were badly burned into the screen, you could read them over the movie playing. That would have been 24-7 for a year or more… ---
**Author:** ![Lou\_O](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Lou\_O](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lou_O)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/12 "2018-03-28T17:18:43Z")
> [@SanDiegoTim](#): > > I’ve got a Pioneer Elite 53" plasma. It’s at least 10’years old. Haven’t noticed any degradation. Ditto. I also have a Pioneer Elite Plasma (53"). Over 10 years old. Plasma technology was superior to LED technology. The reason it fell out of favor is it is not energy efficient and the monitors are very heavy. Mine is over 100 lbs. (makes a thief think twice about lifting it though) I have been looking at a 65" LG Organic LED at Costco, which is breathtaking, but I’m having a hard time justifying the purchase due to the fact my Plasma still has such a great picture and sound. (The pioneer has a sound bar running vertical on each side of the display - really good sound.) Plasma is not ‘back lit’ like old LED technology. I have a back lit LED in a bedroom and you can clearly see the light coming out the air vent slots in the back when it is on. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/13 "2018-03-28T17:40:55Z")
> [@Lou\_O](#): > > Ditto. I also have a Pioneer Elite Plasma (53"). Over 10 years old. Plasma technology was superior to LED technology. The reason it fell out of favor is it is not energy efficient and the monitors are very heavy. Mine is over 100 lbs. (makes a thief think twice about lifting it though) We have a Panasonic 65" plasma. Together with the heavily-ballasted stand (sold separately :rolleyes:), it’s well over 200 pounds. I’m not worried about it getting stolen. Also, if it’s faded over the last nine years of service (several hours per day), I can’t say I’ve noticed. The picture is still great. It is, however, an energy hog. Since only the lit pixels consume power, the total power consumption is image-dependent. I’ve checked with a Kill-A-Watt meter, and observed the following: pure black screen being displayed: 100 watts pure white screen being displayed: 800 watts :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/14 "2018-03-28T18:32:33Z")
I have a 60" Samsung plasma also over 10 years old. The power supply went bad and I hemmed and hawed over wether I should replace it with an OLED. Had it repaired for $300 and it looks as bright as the day I bought it. Hopefully by the next time it dies the prices of OLEDs will have come down. ---
**Author:** ![pdhenry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pdhenry/32/5561_2.png) [@pdhenry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdhenry)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/15 "2018-03-28T22:05:49Z")
> [@Drum\_God](#): > > …My daughter has a much newer 4K LED screen at her house. The picture there seems to leap off the screen in a way that my TV simply doesn’t. Of course, my daughter probably has the screen set to “vivid”, and she is not the sort to really worry with such things and fiddle with the settings. Any chance your daughter’s 4K set has HDR? I believe that would make a discernable difference compared to even a new plasma set. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-plasma-tvs-fade-over-time/811301/16 "2018-03-28T23:41:40Z")
How To Check The Hours Used on Your Panasonic Plasma - Hold down the {VOL -} button ON THE PLASMA. - Press the {INFO} button on the remote control 3 times. - The Service Menu will be displayed with the following menus: o ADJUST o WD-ADJUST o OPTION o AGING (Red Screen) o RM-SET o SRV-TOOL The {1} & {2} buttons move through menus (up/down). - Press the {2} button once or press the {1} button six times to select “SRV-TOOL”. - Then press the {OK} button to access it. - Using the cursor keys, \* highlight \* the empty right side of the last option: PTCT :00.00.00.00.00 |----------------------|---------------------| | TD2Microde: 81c0000f | |----------------------|---------------------| | Flash ROM: 1 - 227 e | |----------------------|---------------------| | PTCT :00.00.00.00.00 | \* HIGHLIGHT HERE \* |----------------------|---------------------| - Then press and hold the {MUTE} button for 3 seconds. - Time and Count will be displayed in red color. TIME = Hours and minutes of operation. COUNT = Times the Plasma was powered on. - To exit, press and hold the {POWER} button on the Plasma for few seconds. \<\<\<\< WARNING - WARNING - WARNING \>\>\>\> The {VOL+} and {VOL -} buttons are used to change values in the Service Menu. Make sure not to touch those buttons anytime while checking the hours used.