# Gray bars?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 10, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-bars/167674 "2003-04-10T00:28:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malaflam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@Malaflam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malaflam)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-bars/167674/1 "2003-04-10T00:28:11Z")
Ive had this HD ready TV for a while…but not until today did I finally get and HD box for it. After hooking it up I notice that for tv shows it knocks the size of the actual image down considerably but thats no big deal the problem is instead of the black bars it gives me gray ones. They gray is terribly distracting. I’m sure I’ll get used to it but does anyone know if this is just something that Hitachi put in to their televisions or is it the cable box and can it be changed? Or should I just read the manual? ---
**Author:** ![ladydisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@ladydisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladydisco)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-bars/167674/2 "2003-04-10T00:34:24Z")
Ha! I thought this thread was asking about a bar where people weren’t sure if they were gay or straight…you know…in a ‘gray area’ in regards to their sexuality. Clever idea, maybe. Carry on then. ---
**Author:** ![Malaflam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@Malaflam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malaflam)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-bars/167674/3 "2003-04-10T00:36:24Z")
sicko ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-bars/167674/4 "2003-04-10T02:14:27Z")
Hey big fella, I want some of this action. Oh, _g **r** ay_ bars. Sorry. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-bars/167674/5 "2003-04-10T02:19:45Z")
Here’s a serious guess; Black uses up bandwidth, grey doesn’t. ??? ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-bars/167674/6 "2003-04-10T02:21:26Z")
Go to your on-screen menu and see if there is are brightness and contrast adjustments. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-bars/167674/7 "2003-04-10T03:01:12Z")
Gray is less likely to cause ‘burn in’ over time. Black is going to cause burn in alot faster. Gray is a compromise…a softer border to prevent bars from being burned into the screen after extensive watching. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-bars/167674/8 "2003-04-10T03:12:53Z")
Actually, it’s the opposite: the black areas would get no burn in whereas the area with the picture would (just from normal use). The grey bars are an attempt to prevent this from occurring by making the burn in more even. ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-bars/167674/9 "2003-04-10T07:02:10Z")
I actually thought the OP might be about watering holes that catered to senior citizens (over 50). I hoped someone might know of some. No, really! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-bars/167674/10 "2003-04-10T12:43:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobot \* > \*\*Actually, it’s the opposite: the black areas would get no burn in whereas the area with the picture would (just from normal use). The grey bars are an attempt to prevent this from occurring by making the burn in more even. \*\* Thanks for clearing up what I said. One of the most prominent warning in big screen TV manuals is about the use of letterbox formats and ‘black bars’. They usually explain that viewing should be mixed, and that black bars from TV, movies and games be limited to x % of total viewing time to allow the screen to age, more or less, at the same rate. The areas without picture will start to look different than areas that get random images. The gray bars are a compromise. Black = no aging of the screen while bright white = excessive aging… (it’s all relative) While gray isn’t the final answer, it keeps the contrast between frequently viewed areas of the screen and the bar area of the screen from having a stark contrast over time. ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-bars/167674/11 "2003-04-10T12:45:50Z")
I thought he “Gray Bars” referred to a place that catered to aliens. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-bars/167674/12 "2003-04-10T12:56:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Malaflam \* > \*\*Or should I just read the manual? \*\* I would suggest you read the manual. Sort of a requirement that you do your homework before tying up the boards. ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-bars/167674/13 "2003-04-10T13:04:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Philster \* > \*\*I would suggest you read the manual. Sort of a requirement that you do your homework before tying up the boards. \*\* Pfff! Real men don’t read manuals! We are natural tech-Gods! although we may sneak a look when no women are looking ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gray-bars/167674/14 "2003-04-10T13:56:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DreadCthulhu \* > \*\*I thought he “Gray Bars” referred to a place that catered to aliens. 🙂 \*\* …damn Elder Gods…always beatin’ me to the punchline…\…