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Screen Dimming, Pixel Shift and burn-in

3 minute read

A dashboard that stays on all evening is exactly what some televisions dislike. Screen Dimming fades the picture when you stop using the remote; two more settings back it up.

Why this matters

OLED and some other televisions can suffer "burn-in" if a bright, unchanging shape sits on the same spot for many hours. A clock in the corner is the classic case. Theatrium has three protections, and it is worth turning all three on.

Screen Dimming

After a period with no remote presses, the whole picture fades to a dimmer level. It is still readable, just quieter. Any press on the remote brings it straight back.

  1. Press Back on the dashboard to open Settings, then choose Appearance.
  2. Move down to the Screen Dimming card.
    Settings › Appearance. Screen Dimming and Pixel Shift are below the theme and text settings.
    Settings › Appearance. Screen Dimming and Pixel Shift are below the theme and text settings.
  3. Dim Screen After: how long to wait with no remote presses before dimming. A few minutes suits most rooms.
  4. Dim Level: Slight, Medium or Deep. Deep is best for an OLED television or a dark room; Slight if you like to keep reading the dashboard from across the room.
  5. Press Back. Leave the remote alone for the time you set and watch the picture fade; press anything to wake it.

Pixel Shift

Just below Screen Dimming, turn on Move the screen slightly. The whole picture shifts by a pixel or two every few minutes. You will not notice it, and it stops bright, unchanging shapes such as the clock from sitting on exactly the same spot all evening.

Screensaver

Below that again, set Start Screensaver After and choose a style. This is the strongest protection, because nothing bright is left on the screen at all. See Screensavers for the five styles and how to choose one.

How the three work together

Dimming comes first, after a few minutes. The screensaver comes later, after the time you set for it. Pixel Shift runs all the time underneath both. A sensible everyday setting is Dim after 3 minutes at Medium, screensaver after 15 minutes, Pixel Shift on.

Good to know