Here's another reason to think twice about plopping down thousands of dollars for a plasma-screen TV: those pesky network logos could cause screen burn-in under certain conditions, at least according to an irate group of consumers in Australia.
Aussie views complain that those long days of cricket and tennis coverage on Channels 7 and 9 are leaving the stations' logos burned into expensive receivers long after the games have ended.
Viewers are threatening legal action against the stations, saying their delicate screens have been ruined by the stations' negligence.
The stations haven't had much to say about the problem so far, although a Seven spokesman was quoted as saying that turning down the contrast could help avoid the problem.
Australia's Daily Telegraph quoted avid sports fan Wayne Spiers, who said he bought a $3,000 plasma screen on Christmas Eve. It now bears Nine's logo in the right-hand corner, a legacy of the Boxing Day games, which his family watched on and off for five days.
Spiers said a day of tennis-watching last week resulted in a matching Channel 7 logo.