Break in: Preparing the display for calibration

[Richard]

If you have a new TV then the first step is to break it in for 160 hours to get everything stable and confirm you will not have a future service problem. Tune the TV to some source that will be available at all times for the break in period. Run the TV like this continuously for the next 7 days and you will have 160 hours under your belt. If you want to watch something then do so but when you are done return it to this setup. Once this phase is completed then simply use the TV as you normally would for another 7 days. This will put it through hot and cold cycles to further confirm you will not have a potential service issue. Once you have completed this 2 week phase you are ready for calibration. It is assumed that you will not be moving the TV to another area. If you are then schedule the calibration after the display is in it�s permanent location.

If you have a plasma based display then you MUST follow these additional instructions.

Use a source that does not have static images such as station logos or stock market tickers on the screen because these can burn into the plasma panel. For more protection also adjust the image formatting that changes the way the picture looks on a 16:9 screen and set it for zoom where all the sides are knocked off the screen and just the center of the picture is being displayed.

[Sergio Rivera]

Just a side note that this might prove an "expensive" process for digital-based units that rely on an expensive bulb with a limited life span. Rather than breaking-in these sets I usually recommend users to view them as they would normally for 50-100 hours in order to let the bulb reach a more stable condition (from a colorimetry/brightness perspective). Bulb aging will shift your results with time, but no where as dramatically as during the first 5-10% of the bulb's projected life span.