I agree with Lej... I've had my Panasonic plasma for over 2 years now, and have had no issues with ghosting or burn-in. I use the "justified" aspect to stretch 4:3 images. At first it was weird, but you quickly forget about it.
I also watch movies "as intended" with letterboxing if the aspect does't match the 16:9 of the plasma. After watching a movie, I use the built-in screen saver for about 5 or 10 minutes as a "just in case" to prevent burn in or ghosting.
The other thing that I don't think anyone mentioned is to tune your plasma carefully. Out of the box the units are dialed way too bright and saturated. This helps sell units in brightly lit stores, but is just too unnatural in a properly lit HT or living room. By dialing down the "picture" setting, you will extend the life of your unit and get a much more realistic image.
Also, even in older plasmas, the half-life of the unit is something like 80,000 hours -- 10 years if you run it 24/7.
I also watch movies "as intended" with letterboxing if the aspect does't match the 16:9 of the plasma. After watching a movie, I use the built-in screen saver for about 5 or 10 minutes as a "just in case" to prevent burn in or ghosting.
The other thing that I don't think anyone mentioned is to tune your plasma carefully. Out of the box the units are dialed way too bright and saturated. This helps sell units in brightly lit stores, but is just too unnatural in a properly lit HT or living room. By dialing down the "picture" setting, you will extend the life of your unit and get a much more realistic image.
Also, even in older plasmas, the half-life of the unit is something like 80,000 hours -- 10 years if you run it 24/7.