suggested algorithms to prevent "image persistence" on an LCD screen [closed] - kiosk

Question

Closed. This question does not meet Stack Overflow guidelines. It is not currently accepting answers.
This question does not appear to be about a specific programming problem, a software algorithm, or software tools primarily used by programmers. If you believe the question would be on-topic on another Stack Exchange site, you can leave a comment to explain where the question may be able to be answered.
Closed 9 years ago.
Improve this question
I have a Windows application which is displayed on kiosk machines and often runs continuously for weeks. The application is full screen. For reference imagine a screen divided into 2 panels, the left one uses about 30% and the right fills the rest. The left panel is completely static and informational, the right panel has video, image and text slides rotate, animations, etc.
No surprise, the left panel can cause some "image persistence" (screen burn) issues. I am looking for suggested remedies on how to prevent the image persistence issue. I'm only concerned about LCD not CRT.
Check out this "wiper" style solution, give it a few seconds you'll see the line wipe across.
http://tinyurl.com/lprt6tr
I like this idea, simple and just overlay it on top, it will work anywhere.
But, my question is how much pixel color change is actually required to avoid the image persistence? Do you need to make sure the pixel changes color at least once every minute, 10 minutes, hour? Does it need to rotate through a range of colors? Does it need to hold a state for a period of time?
Any insight about how often and what kind of color change is needed to actually prevent the problem is what I'm looking for.
Thanks.

Answer 1

Though I agree to Ken White, I guess a double wiper, with a white trail on the left and a black one on the right, would be sufficient, since it would do a hard set on the pixels.
As for the update frequency, you don't need to set it as frequent as you have in your fiddle. See this fiddle: http://jsfiddle.net/4w2K3/83/
Notice I added a border to the sweeper element and changed the way your code works a bit.
var $burnGuard = $('<div>').attr('id','burnGuard').css({
'background-color':'#000',
'width':'1px',
'height':$(document).height()+'px',
'position':'absolute',
'top':'0px',
'left':'0px',
'border-left':'solid 1px',
'border-color':'#FFF',
'display':'none'
}).appendTo('body');
var delay = 10000, scrollDelay = 1000;
function burnGuardAnimate()
{
$burnGuard.css({
'left':'0px'
}).show().animate({
'left':$(window).width()+'px'
},scrollDelay,function(){
$(this).hide();
});
setTimeout(burnGuardAnimate,delay);
}
setTimeout(burnGuardAnimate,delay);
Since screens are basically a giant array of coloured lights (simplified) organised in sets of 3 (red, green and blue), according to colour composition, white would activate all three lights at once, while black is no light at all. So, sweeping this strong-contrast line across the screen would help. Though the timing is much more dependant on the hardware you're using and how often your screen changes naturally (ads, user interaction, etc) I don't know much about the hardware part, but I would suggest from personal experience with CRT monitors, running this every 15 minutes or so, it also depends how long you plan to maintain the same screen for the kiosk.