stop using porsche screensaver!!!

the downloadable porsche screensaver on the official porsche site where a 911 morphs from early to late model burned my screen. i see an outline of the pic on light colored backgrounds.

Yep, I always wondered why these animations were called screen "savers." The only way to save the screen is to display no image.

Aside: I use a flat panel display myself, so I don't need to worry about this burnout problem. I highly recomend flat panels for anyone who uses their cmptr for more than 1hr/day.
These things are like porsches in that the initial investment seems a bit high until you have one.

Island: Tell me more about the flat panel screens.... are they LCD's? What's the biggest advantage? Thanks.
jlex.

A flat panel (LCD) has no CRT ie., no cathode, gun, phosphor(except in the fluorescent back-light), shadow-mask, etc. The reason a flat-panel does not need a screen-saver is that it's backlight is always on. The panel can be imagined as a bunch of tiny doors that let varying amounts of light through depending on their position. So, when the screen is dark (flat-panels do not present black as well as CRT's), all the doors are closed, but the backlights are still on.

On a CRT, screen savers are intended to prevent "burning" the phosphor (the light-sensetive coating that is painted on the inside of the tube). Some phosphors are more resistant to burning than others but, all will burn (or yellow) eventually. Especially the high efficient phospors (P4) that are common on low cost COTS monitors.

I tried the Porsche saver also and immediately removed it because it does not move. Also, a black screen is not good for the cathode in a CRT because the electrons have to go somewhere. . .essentially the e- cloud at the cathode will cause a build-up of barium that will eventually impede the overall performance and may even cause intermittent "flashing" that could take-out the signal board. The best screen saver is the "shooting stars" saver that comes standard with Windows.

FPD's (flat panel displays) are smaller, thinner, lighter, and cooler looking but come at a price. They will not likely outlast a decent CRT and will also degrade over time due to phosphor degredation inside the backlights. Backlights can be replaced in a clean-room under careful and costly conditions. Also, COTS FPD's typically have no glass over the soft screen (see your laptop). The screen can easily be damaged by touching with a pen, for ex.

For now, CRT's are a much better value in terms of contrast ratio (300:1 typical in a COTS CRT, 100:1 in a COTS FPD), resolution, color accuracy, etc. . .unless you're willing to part with 5 or 6K for a high-end display (which will cost 1 or 2K next year this time). Although FPD's offer better luminance uniformity, you'll get substantially better overall performance for the buck from a plain old CRT display. FPD technology is still young and will improve vastly over the next 3-5 years (I've seen the future of this stuff and it's worth waiting for). For now at least, it's kind of like buying a VCR in 1979.

Hey, I do this **** for a living. . .sorry for getting long winded.

Mike 94 C2 cab

[This message has been edited by Mike Feinstein (edited 04-10-2001).]

Not all LCDs avoid burn. We have several in our office that have the windows icon burned into the upper right corner from Internet Explorer even when the program is closed.

Originally posted by jlex:
Island: Tell me more about the flat panel screens.... are they LCD's? What's the biggest advantage? Thanks.
jlex.

Mr. Feinstein really nailed a lot of the technical aspects. I do however, disagree on his price/performance numbers. SGI has a 1600x1024 flat panel with a 350: 1 contrast ratio for $1000-$1500 depending on which video card you need. I've been using one of these for while now and it's been great. (WWW.SGI.com)
Like many of us, I spend a lot of my time at the computer. Eye strain is of particular concern to me. First of all there is flicker with CRTs that you do not get with an LCD. (The LCD pixels will display a color solid until told otherwise) I understand that the human eye can refocus within one 60th of a second. Most CRTs repaint the screen between 60 to 100 times per second. While most people do not notice this flicker, I do and I believe this contributes to fatigue.
The other eye strain/fatigue issue comes from the pixels of the CRT. The CRT as inherently fuzzy pixels, which never allow your eye to find a good focus. The LCD has very sharp pixels.
The biggest motivator for me, is that at the end of the day I can get my 911 and be able to see beyond the dashboard. When I was using the CRT it took 15 to 30 minutes for me to get my distant focus back.
Eyes - a terrible thing to waste.

Some other peripheral advantages of an LCD are:
They don't overwhelm my desk.
They are much more power efficient (great for Californians).
When the sun comes in the window I can still see my screen (again great for Californians)
They are not "dust magnets," like CRTs.
And, at least here in the Northwest, CRTs are considered hazardous waste! . . .you have to pay to get rid of it!

oh yeah, always choose digital input LCD's
------------------
'81 Platinum Metalic SC Coupe

[This message has been edited by island911 (edited 04-10-2001).]

Thanks for the info on the flat panel displays, guys. My sister just emailed me that she bought a 22" for her desk. I'll have to check it out....maybe if I sell the Porsche!
regards,
jlex.