Aspect ratio question

[Jeffhs]

Will pillarboxed (i. e. 4:3 on a 16:9 screen) images or content damage a flat screen TV under normal use? I spoke over the phone the other day with a Spectrum cable customer service representative and asked him that question. He answered no, the pillars will not damage a flat panel under normal TV usage; however, he also mentioned that these pillars could damage the screen if the TV were to be left on one channel, say ESPN, for extended periods of time, say days on end (as might occur with TVs used in sports bars, and the TVs were left on around the clock--even when the place was closed). How is this possible, since the pillars are black?

Is there any danger in leaving a 4:3 image on a 16:9 screen, with the pillars at either side of the picture? I cannot see how these black pillars could possibly damage any HDTV panel unless, as I mentioned, the TV were to be left on one channel for hours or days on end. The Spectrum CSR with whom I spoke regarding this issue told me there is no information in those pillars anyway, so there would be little if any chance of the pillars actually burning into the screen. I cannot see how these pillars can burn any HDTV screen, since they are black; the only types of images that might damage the screen, of course, would be bright white, stationary ones, such as TV station ID images, network logos, et al. as was possible with CRT TVs if the vertical sweep failed, leaving a bright horizontal line across the width of the tube.