If you’ve ever owned a TV, you’ll likely have grown tired of all of the various warnings and pieces of cautionary advice that have promised to protect your screen. There are so many that it can be nearly impossible to try and tell which advice is genuine, and which advice is simply urban legend.

If you’re reading this now, it’s likely that you’ve heard about the dangers of leaving your TV on pause. Will leaving your TV on pause actually cause damage to the screen? Join us down below to finally sort the fact from the fiction!

Does Leaving A TV Paused Damage The Screen?

Unfortunately, leaving your TV on pause for too long can very easily damage the screen. This is why it is best not to leave your TV idle. If you know you are done using it, be sure to switch it off!

Leaving your TV paused can damage it in a number of ways, depending on the type of TV you are working with.

Leaving most TVs paused for extended periods will cause damage to the TV’s backlight. While TV backlights are certainly hardy, they don’t last forever. TV backlights tend to last anywhere between 40,000 to 60,000 hours of frequent use. Thus, leaving your TV paused for hours at a time will see that number quickly counting down! Replacing a TV backlight is never a cheap procedure, so turning your TV off ensures it will last you for a number of years to come.

Leaving a TV screen idle with a paused image is very detrimental. If left paused too long, a TV’s screen would quickly be damaged. Be sure to turn your TV off whenever it’s not in use!

OLED TVs in particular, are put at great risk when left idle with a static image on-screen. This is because of how OLED TVs operate. The pixels that make up an OLED display not only produce an image but also provide their own light.

When you leave a static image up on an OLED TV, the pixels need to work extra hard to keep the image up. Pixels that are particularly bright will thus burn out at a much faster rate than other pixels. This can result in an image looking as though it has burned into the screen.

Generally, no matter the kind of TV you have, it’s best to turn the screen off whenever you know it’s going to be left idle.

How Long Is “Too Long” To Leave Your TV Paused?

Generally, it’s advised to never leave a TV on pause for more than 2 hours at a time. At the 2-hour mark, your screen is incredibly susceptible to screen burn. However, you should still aim to not leave your TV on for more than 2 hours. Certain content may have more of an impact on your TV screen than others. A brighter image would be likely to cause screen burn quicker than a darker image.

You should aim to never leave your TV screen on pause for more than 2 hours. Leaving your TV screen on for more than 2 hours would use a lot of electricity. Damaging your TV and ramping up your bills!

To help protect against screen burn, most smart TVs are equipped with screen savers that kick in automatically after time has elapsed. You can set your TV’s screen saver to kick in after a certain amount of time has passed. This helps to ensure that, if you do accidentally leave your TV on, it won’t be under significant strain for hours at a time.

Can You Fix Screen Burn?

Unfortunately, once screen burn has occurred, it cannot easily be remedied. There are no quick fixes for screen burn, so it’s strongly recommended to take good care of your TV at all times. It’s possible to get the pixels of your OLED TV replaced, but this is very costly. In some cases, it might be more cost-effective to simply buy a new TV.

You can help prevent screen burn from occurring by being sure to turn your TV off whenever it’s not in use. As well as that, we also recommend making use of some of your TV’s protective measures. Make use of pixel shift, which shifts the energy use of pixels intermittently, to ensure they’re never overloaded. Or even auto-shutoff timers that will turn your screen off if left idle for too long!

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Leaving A TV On Pause Damage The Screen?

Absolutely. It’s best to never leave your TV paused if you can help it. If you need to get up from the sofa for even a bit, we’d recommend turning the screen off. Doing this will ensure you don’t accidentally leave the screen on. Leaving your TV paused causes it to continue using power even when out of use. This is dangerous, and a significant waste of power.

Is It Bad To Leave Your TV On All Night?

Yes. Not only would leaving your TV on all night cause damage to the screen, but it would also be a significant waste of electricity. After all, when you’re asleep, you’re not going to be making active use of the TV! Leaving your TV on overnight is bad for your energy bills and the environment!

What Happens If You Leave A Smart TV On All Night?

If you were to leave your TV on all night, you would be putting it at great risk. Leaving a TV on with a static image on-screen, puts it at risk of suffering screen burn. When your TV is displaying moving images, there is less of a concern of screen burn. However, it would still be wasting a lot of electricity.

Do Smart TVs Use A Lot Of Electricity?

Smart TVs do use slightly more electricity than their non-smart counterparts. But not a significant amount more. The same rules apply when reducing the energy usage of a smart TV. Simply be sure to turn it off whenever it’s not in use, and lower the brightness as you enjoy your favourite content.