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Other than entertainment, is there a real reason to use a screen saver? Does it somehow "save your screen"?
Jeffrey
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 2 600
Is there a real reason to use a screen saver?
Answers
30
It used to, when screens used to suffer from burn-in. Nowadays they're mainly used for fun, and to lock the computer when you're away from it.
The Apple TV includes a screen saver (photos from the photo album) and periodic changes to the music playing interface to prevent burn-in of plasma TVs.
Kyle Cronin
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 7 169
19
Burn in
There is a myth out there that LCD displays do not suffer from burn in. This myth is false. I have personally witnessed LCD displays suffer from burn in on multiple occasions.
The big one that comes to mind was a client of ours with a display that need to be visible 24 hours a day. This is a trucking company that needs the display to be visible when drivers would come in to check their assignments, even in the middle of the night. The window manager artifacts from the screen shown in that app soon burned into the screen; it was a matter of just two or three weeks.
But this was an exceptional situation. LCDs are generally less susceptible (though, as I hope I've shown, not immune) to the phenomenon. In most situations, this just isn't an issue.
Power consumption
If you want to save a few bucks, you can use the blank screen option to lower your power use. Just make sure you have it set up right so that the backlight is actually off, and not just obscured with blackened pixels, otherwise you're not really doing anything.
Security
You can set up your computer to lock automatically when the screen saver kicks on. It's not a big deal at home, but in a lot of businesses it's required.
Joel Coehoorn
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 26 787
I'm getting a ghost image around the edges of my LCD screens at home, but they are well over 6 years old. – ChrisF – 2010-01-27T17:32:50.343
2I can also confirm that LCDs are susceptible to a form of burn-in, but not in the traditional sense of the word. What tends to happen is the individual pixels get 'stuck' (i.e. light always comes through). – Sam – 2009-08-15T11:24:43.117
@Sam if the pixel is not black (dead) but colored (stuck), much of the time you can stimulate it with the end of a pencil eraser and a lint free cloth, put pressure on the pixel, maintain pressure and power cycle the monitor, just need to work that little bugger out – MetaGuru – 2012-08-01T14:30:44.670
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Yes, it used to be a feature to prevent images being "burnt" into CRT screens:
Before the advent of LCD screens, most computer screens were based on cathode ray tubes (CRTs). When the same image is displayed on a CRT screen for long periods of time, the properties of the exposed areas of phosphor coating on the inside of the screen gradually and permanently change, eventually leading to a darkened shadow or "ghost" image on the screen.
Therefore, providing a moving image worked around this. Now they are really only for entertainment.
Alex Rozanski
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 483
6
I find the screensaver useful for privacy:
- They conceal the programs/documents left open on the screen
- Most can be configured to lock the computer, requiring a password to gain access to the session.
Doug
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 161
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When I worked in IT, we would set the screensaver to blank to save power. If you want to do something useful, there are screensavers that can defrag your hard drive or perform scientific calculations for things like Folding@home or SETI@home.
Scott
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 1 143
3
My screensaver is a selection of pictures of my smiling children. They remind me why I'm here working so hard so, yes, there is at least one very good reason for a screensaver.
Bob Cross
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 389
1Not to take anything away from you "working so hard", but normally when I see my screen saver pop it, it's time for me to pretend to get back to work. – Jeffrey – 2009-07-15T19:14:33.157
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@Jeffrey, that's pretty funny. In my own defense, I'm a bit overloaded with computer hardware right now: http://superuser.com/questions/1127/which-layout-is-best-for-4-monitors/1516#1516 With my job, I have a lot of people coming in to talk to me all day and they think it's very funny to see me with a mouse in each hand while my kids scroll by on the other screens.
– Bob Cross – 2009-07-15T20:13:52.3603
I don't generally have any purpose for them because I always have my power settings turn off my monitor in 15 minutes. So, there's really no time to enjoy the SS. :)
JP Alioto
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 6 278
+1 Exactly, most likely in the screen saver era the power saving options weren't that common or functional. These days it's just way better to just have the screen TURN OFF instead ^^ – Oskar Duveborn – 2009-07-15T20:44:29.557
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As others have said, it's to prevent burn in. However, it's not just for CRTs. If you have a computer hooked up to a plasma TV, you'll want to have your screen saver come on early and often.
Daniel Auger
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 185
1
A screensaver is used to prevent burn-in, or having pixels stay the same color due to being exposed to a particular color too long.
Although, this really is not needed any longer, as most people do not use CRT's anymore.
There's a pretty good description on the Wiki page for screensaver.
AlbertoPL
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 500
Nope, only CRT. – AlbertoPL – 2009-07-15T18:54:11.257
2I have seen LCD monitors suffer from burn in, but it's not typical. – Joel Coehoorn – 2009-07-15T18:55:02.177
Actually, the biggest problem I've seen with LCD's are dead pixels, but that's a whole other matter. – AlbertoPL – 2009-07-15T18:55:44.263
@JoelCoehoorn It's also not permanent. Display just white on the screen as bright as you can for as long as you can, and it should go away. Some TVs had a mode that would do this for you, IIRC. – Rob – 2012-08-01T15:25:25.780
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Screensavers used to server a "real" purpose by preventing screen-burn, "a permanent disfigurement of areas on a CRT display caused by non-moving text or graphics being displayed continuously for long periods of time". On modern monitors though they don't serve any purpose except entertainment.
silent__thought
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 891
1
Screensavers were primarily useful to prevent burn-in when using a CRT monitor (the big heavy ones). Today, with the popularity of LCD screens, this necessity no longer exists. Today, they are more aesthetic, and serve as a proxy to locking your computer when you're away for too long.
Sampson
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 7 244
1
The only compelling reason nowadays is probably that your companies IT policy demands it. Don't laugh I have seen this more than once.
Ludwig Weinzierl
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 7 695
1It's true. I've seen it too. – Mercer Traieste – 2009-07-15T22:14:00.420
1Whenever I have seen this IT policy, it has been combined with the policy that the screensavers are password protected. That makes it about security, not about burn-in. – Oddthinking – 2009-08-15T00:48:53.020
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Yes, I use http://community.electricsheep.org/. It impressed my girlfriend.
Mercer Traieste
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 2 112
Fixed. – Mercer Traieste – 2009-08-15T11:00:03.040
0
I find screen savers entertaining and I use it to secure my machine while I am away.
I always turn on "Require password to wake this computer from sleep or screen saver" in the Security Preference Pane.
If you use it as a security measure be sure that you don't get the warning about the display going to sleep before the screen saver activates. If you get this warning the screen won't lock once the display is asleep.
I also set hot corners to activate the screen saver immediately. From my old days running "After Dark" Upper Left to disable the screen saver and upper right to activate it immediately.
Plus, screen savers are fun to write.
Mark Thalman
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 990
0
Best screensaver is black screen, just set the password lock in your office. If you leave office or home pc for a while, switch off manually the monitor to save power.
Drake
Posted 2009-07-15T18:50:59.517
Reputation: 5 104
1Some systems implement the black screen poorly (the back light is still on). – Joel Coehoorn – 2009-07-16T13:45:29.043
how does a music playing interface prevent burn-in? What does it do? – Svish – 2009-07-15T20:02:29.267
@Svish: Maybe he means the Music Player User Interface, to prevent it from being static and 'burning in' – Jorge Israel Peña – 2009-07-15T20:05:05.643
But a phot slide show wouldn't be static, would it? – Svish – 2009-07-15T20:26:23.407
2Sorry, I should have been clearer. The music player interface on the Apple TV displays the album art on one side, song name, progress bar, etc. About every 30 seconds or so, it flips around and shows the album art on another side. This is so that if you spend lots of time listening to music through your Apple TV your screen won't suffer burn-in. There's also a screen saver that displays your photos when the unit is idle. – Kyle Cronin – 2009-07-15T21:03:56.610
LCD/Plasma screens STILL suffers from burn-in. For different reasons than CRT, but it's still a problem. I see it every single day on our system monitor screens. – Axeman – 2012-01-18T15:43:11.833