{"video_id":"Z9uj2q0Ladc","title":"What Happened To Screensavers?","channel":"Techquickie","show":"Techquickie","published_at":"2023-05-05T14:58:16Z","duration_s":261,"segments":[{"start_s":0.0,"end_s":4.0,"text":"Remember the days when it seemed like every office computer on the planet endlessly played","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":4.0,"end_s":8.4,"text":"those mystify your mind or 3D pipes screensavers when the workday was over?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":8.4,"end_s":13.44,"text":"Oh, that's good times. But today, you barely see anyone using a screensaver anymore.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":13.44,"end_s":17.2,"text":"I mean, you even have to work a little bit to find the setting to enable it in Windows","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":17.2,"end_s":20.24,"text":"11. So, why were they so common back in the day?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":20.24,"end_s":24.88,"text":"Well, the reason they were called screensavers is that they literally helped save your monitor","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":24.88,"end_s":29.08,"text":"from an early death. It's rough out there for monitors.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":29.08,"end_s":34.16,"text":"Those bulky monitors that everyone used to use called CRTs worked by blasting electrons","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":34.16,"end_s":38.88,"text":"at the inside of the screen, which was coated with chemicals called phosphors.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":38.88,"end_s":43.6,"text":"When electrons hit the phosphors, they'd light up, producing an image.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":43.6,"end_s":47.64,"text":"But this process also wore down the phosphors over time.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":47.64,"end_s":51.92,"text":"So if you had the screen showing the same thing for long periods of time, such as text","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":51.92,"end_s":56.92,"text":"or logos, the phosphors in those areas would wear down more quickly, creating a problem","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":56.92,"end_s":64.96,"text":"called burn-in, where you'd see the ghost of those screen elements permanently, ooh.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":64.96,"end_s":69.36,"text":"Older CRTs that mostly just displayed text were more susceptible to this than what we","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":69.36,"end_s":77.0,"text":"used in the days of, say, Windows 98. But all CRTs have the potential to suffer from burn-in, making the screensaver popular","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":77.0,"end_s":83.76,"text":"well into the 2000s. By showing a continually moving image, screensavers prevented phosphors in one area from wearing","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":83.76,"end_s":89.48,"text":"down. It didn't hurt their popularity that they also looked, uh, pretty cool.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":89.48,"end_s":93.76,"text":"And even though you could just turn the monitor off instead, screensavers provided a good","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":93.76,"end_s":98.0,"text":"solution for folks who frequently had to walk away from their systems, or who didn't want","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":98.0,"end_s":102.04,"text":"to wait for their monitor to warm back up after it had been powered off.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":102.04,"end_s":108.36,"text":"Once LCD displays started coming down in price, they quickly displaced the older CRTs and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":108.36,"end_s":113.4,"text":"with them, the need for a screensaver. LCDs work completely differently than CRTs.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":113.4,"end_s":119.52,"text":"They don't have phosphors. And while the liquid crystals can get temporarily stuck in one orientation, if you leave the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":119.52,"end_s":123.88,"text":"same image on the screen for a long time, this effect usually isn't permanent like","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":123.88,"end_s":130.12,"text":"it was on CRTs. So you simply don't need a screensaver on most modern flat panels, except in extreme","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":130.12,"end_s":135.16,"text":"cases. So why are screensavers still around then? Do they even serve a purpose anymore?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":135.16,"end_s":139.64,"text":"So besides looking cool, screensavers are still kind of useful as a screen lock.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":139.64,"end_s":143.64,"text":"You can apply a screensaver and set it to return your computer to the login screen once","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":143.64,"end_s":147.6,"text":"someone moves the mouse or presses a key so that your system won't just be completely","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":147.6,"end_s":155.08,"text":"unsecured if you step away and forget to lock it manually. But you can also set your PC to lock after a certain period of inactivity without involving","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":155.08,"end_s":160.32,"text":"a screensaver at all. So are they anything more than purely decorative?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":160.32,"end_s":165.24,"text":"It turns out that the answer is actually yes, particularly for OLED screens.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":165.24,"end_s":171.16,"text":"The organic LEDs that make up the picture in OLED displays degrade unevenly over time","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":171.16,"end_s":175.72,"text":"if you're displaying a static image on one area, leaving them more susceptible to burn","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":175.72,"end_s":182.96,"text":"in than other flat panels. It's therefore quite common for OLED displays to have burn-in mitigation features with screensavers","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":182.96,"end_s":189.04,"text":"being one of them. If you've used an LG OLED TV, you've probably seen how a fireworks-like screensaver appears","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":189.04,"end_s":194.04,"text":"after a short period of inactivity, and these TVs also move the image very slightly ever","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":194.04,"end_s":199.24,"text":"so often, which prevents burn-in through the same principle as a screensaver, although","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":199.24,"end_s":205.6,"text":"with less fun pipes. And it's not at all a bad idea to set a screensaver if you have an OLED monitor for your PC, which","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":205.6,"end_s":211.88,"text":"are a little more common now than they used to be. Some screensavers are even interactive, like this one that allows you to play old-school","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":211.88,"end_s":217.24,"text":"NES games on the screensaver, but at that point, is it really a screensaver or are","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":217.24,"end_s":221.84,"text":"you just playing a game on your computer?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":221.84,"end_s":228.68,"text":"Let me know. And I'd like to let you know that I'm very thankful to you, and there's comments below","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":228.68,"end_s":231.28,"text":"you can talk about. Don't forget to subscribe and follow.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"Remember the days when it seemed like every office computer on the planet endlessly played those mystify your mind or 3D pipes screensavers when the workday was over? Oh, that's good times. But today, you barely see anyone using a screensaver anymore. I mean, you even have to work a little bit to find the setting to enable it in Windows 11. So, why were they so common back in the day? Well, the reason they were called screensavers is that they literally helped save your monitor from an early death. It's rough out there for monitors. Those bulky monitors that everyone used to use called CRTs worked by blasting electrons at the inside of the screen, which was coated with chemicals called phosphors. When electrons hit the phosphors, they'd light up, producing an image. But this process also wore down the phosphors over time. So if you had the screen showing the same thing for long periods of time, such as text or logos, the phosphors in those areas would wear down more quickly, creating a problem called burn-in, where you'd see the ghost of those screen elements permanently, ooh. Older CRTs that mostly just displayed text were more susceptible to this than what we used in the days of, say, Windows 98. But all CRTs have the potential to suffer from burn-in, making the screensaver popular well into the 2000s. By showing a continually moving image, screensavers prevented phosphors in one area from wearing down. It didn't hurt their popularity that they also looked, uh, pretty cool. And even though you could just turn the monitor off instead, screensavers provided a good solution for folks who frequently had to walk away from their systems, or who didn't want to wait for their monitor to warm back up after it had been powered off. Once LCD displays started coming down in price, they quickly displaced the older CRTs and with them, the need for a screensaver. LCDs work completely differently than CRTs. They don't have phosphors. And while the liquid crystals can get temporarily stuck in one orientation, if you leave the same image on the screen for a long time, this effect usually isn't permanent like it was on CRTs. So you simply don't need a screensaver on most modern flat panels, except in extreme cases. So why are screensavers still around then? Do they even serve a purpose anymore? So besides looking cool, screensavers are still kind of useful as a screen lock. You can apply a screensaver and set it to return your computer to the login screen once someone moves the mouse or presses a key so that your system won't just be completely unsecured if you step away and forget to lock it manually. But you can also set your PC to lock after a certain period of inactivity without involving a screensaver at all. So are they anything more than purely decorative? It turns out that the answer is actually yes, particularly for OLED screens. The organic LEDs that make up the picture in OLED displays degrade unevenly over time if you're displaying a static image on one area, leaving them more susceptible to burn in than other flat panels. It's therefore quite common for OLED displays to have burn-in mitigation features with screensavers being one of them. If you've used an LG OLED TV, you've probably seen how a fireworks-like screensaver appears after a short period of inactivity, and these TVs also move the image very slightly ever so often, which prevents burn-in through the same principle as a screensaver, although with less fun pipes. And it's not at all a bad idea to set a screensaver if you have an OLED monitor for your PC, which are a little more common now than they used to be. Some screensavers are even interactive, like this one that allows you to play old-school NES games on the screensaver, but at that point, is it really a screensaver or are you just playing a game on your computer? Let me know. And I'd like to let you know that I'm very thankful to you, and there's comments below you can talk about. Don't forget to subscribe and follow."}