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To maintain the screen quality of a monitor what is recommended screensaver type ?

I would have though it should be just a blank black screen as its keeping the pixels in the 'off state'. Is this correct ?

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Note that LCD screens are backlit, so to create a “blank” screen that’s solid black it has to apply power to all the pixels to make them opaque. At the same time, the backlight is still on, so a “blank” LCD screen is arguably one of the worst displays in terms of energy consumption and wear, although at least it won’t leave obvious lines or images burned in. Depending on your OS and hardware, there are options to have displays power off when the computer goes to sleep, or even to power down displays while keeping the computer awake. – Chris Page Jul 14 '12 at 14:45
@ChrisPage Whether white or black requires the most power depends on the type of TFT screen. – Daniel Beck♦ Jul 14 '12 at 19:56

closed as not constructive by soandos, Mokubai, techie007, Nifle, Simon Sheehan Jul 15 '12 at 2:24

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4 Answers

up vote 9 down vote accepted

The simple answer (as you alluded) is to have your screen saver turn the monitor off instead. This of course provides the least chance of burn-in and also saves a bit of power.

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up vote 4 down vote

If your monitor is an LCD display, you don't need a screensaver. The Wikipedia page on screensavers says:

Modern CRTs are much less susceptible to burn-in than older models due to improvements in phosphor coatings, and because modern computer images are generally lower contrast than the stark green- or white-on-black text and graphics of earlier machines. LCD computer monitors, including the display panels used in laptop computers, are not susceptible to burn-in because the image is not directly produced by phosphors (although they can suffer from a less extreme and usually non-permanent form of image persistence). For these reasons, screensavers today are primarily for decorative/entertainment purposes, or for password protection.

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up vote 2 down vote

I have seen persistence on LCD displays. It can be a problem after some years. Blank is the best screen saver. Also, if you can set the "power" button, have it turn off the monitor. This saves energy. Older LCD displays have a flourescent bulb for illumination and is susceptible to failure.

As a side note, I have known people to use "Beziers" screen saver on a test server, and wonder why the server is running so slowly. ;-)

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up vote 2 down vote

If you like to watch the pretty animations, a good compromise is to configure a screensaver and have it blank the screen after 5 or 10 minutes.

It's also a good idea to cultivate the habit of turning the monitor off when you leave your desk. Even with the screen blanked, I presume it consumes more power when powered on.

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