FAQs for LCD TVs

1. Are LCD TVs susceptible to burn-in?
LCD technology is not susceptible to burn-in, which is actually uneven aging of a display's phosphor. LCD TVs are liquid crystal-based, not phosphor-based, so there is no surface to burn-in. LCD TVs do exhibit a phenomenon known as "image retention" that occurs when bright objects have been left onscreen for an extended period of time, but this effect is not permanent.

2. What's the difference between an EDTV (Enhanced Definition TV) and HDTV (High Definition TV)?
A display's ability to fully resolve all the details in a broadcast is dependent upon its resolution. An HDTV-capable LCD TV has higher resolution capability than an EDTV model, which allows it to display more of the detail in an HDTV broadcast. EDTV LCD TVs must convert HDTV signals into a lower resolution that's compatible with the display capability of the LCD panel.

3. Do I need any additional equipment to watch HDTV broadcasts on my HDTV-compatible LCD TV?
In order to view over-the-air (OTA) HDTV broadcasts, you need to be within the reception area of a TV station broadcasting HDTV signals. Your LCD TV requires a set-top HDTV tuner and an external antenna to receive the broadcasts. Your cable or satellite provider may also offer HDTV channels as a part of their service, eliminating the need for a separate tuner.

5. What is HDMI? Is it compatible with DVI?
HDMI, which stands for "High-Definition Multimedia Interface", is the consumer electronic industry's first connection capable of transmitting uncompressed digital audio/video signals. Components featuring HDMI can transmit both digital audio and video over one convenient cable, replacing the tangled mess that resides behind many home theater components. HDMI also offers improved quality over traditional analog connections thanks to all-digital transmission. Digital sources like DVDs and HDTV programming can now be transferred digitally from source to display without analog conversions that can degrade the original signal.

Unlike the HDMI interface, DVI only handles digital video. Through the use of an adapter, a DVI device can be connected to an HDMI device, but only video content can be transmitted. The audio signal would have to be transmitted through other methods such as analog RCA outputs or an optical digital output.

6. Why do I still see black bars on my widescreen TV when viewing certain widescreen DVDs and HDTV broadcasts?
Your widescreen TV has an aspect ratio of 16:9 (1.78:1), which is the aspect ratio of HDTV. However, movies are filmed at several different aspect ratios, including 2.35:1. Also referred to as "scope", 2.35:1 is a very panoramic aspect ratio that provides a wide field of view in the theater. Scope is much wider than your widescreen TV, so it still requires the use of letterboxing ("black bars") to fit the entire image on screen. Some TVs and DVD players have a zoom function that allows you to blow up the image so it fills the screen, but the sides of the image must be cropped in order to do so.

7. What will 4:3 broadcasts and DVDs look like on a widescreen TV?
There are multiple settings for adjusting the appearance of 4:3 material on Panasonic widescreen TVs. It can be viewed with black bars on the sides, preserving the way it was originally intended to be viewed. Some viewers find the black bars distracting, so they might prefer one of the stretch modes that lets you fill the entire TV screen with the image. One such mode is the JUST (justify) mode, which stretches only the outer portion of the picture while leaving the center untouched.