READERS' FEEDBACK

The Editors and Readers of COMPUTE!

Can Your Computer Tattoo A TV?

I am considering purchasing a VIC or 64, and I plan to use the family TV with the computer. Do the images from a computer damage a TV by leaving imprints on the screen?

Timothy J. Prusinski

The problem you are describing is known as image burn-in. It usually affects a video unit on which the same message is displayed continuously in the same place on the screen. This practice causes uneven wear in the screen's phosphor coating, which eventually results in the message being visible on the screen even when the unit is turned off. Using your TV with a computer will not cause image burn-in, unless you leave your computer on and continually display the same pattern on your TV for a very long time—several days, at least.