Re: Red bar on lcd screen
sounds like an actual problem with the TV.
todays TV's are very good, and screen burn is practically a thing of the past with the newer technology. i would be calling the retailer or manufacturer if it's under warranty.
Re: Red bar on lcd screen
Probably a fault with the monitor like I have. My computer monitor has a red/pink line running top to bottom just off centre which is only visible when the screen is dark. I assume mines a broken resistor, yours may be something a bit more complicated as it's a band...
Re: Red bar on lcd screen
Sounds like a physical fault. (take a snap for us if you can!)
If the screen is less than a year old, the retailer should swap out immediately with no fuss (sale of goods act). If it's older than a year but less than say, three, then you still reasonably expect the goods to perform adequately (again, a clause in the sale of goods act which makes provision for the goods to reasonably perform for a 'fair' amount of time after purchase), so if they get arsey and start trying to charge you for repairs or whatnot, just consult Consumer Direct for specific advice and wording and then write them a scary letter if they refuse to budge.
Best of luck :)
Re: Red bar on lcd screen
LCD screens generally don't suffer from burn-in but they can get image persistence which is similar but nearly always completely reversible. It doesn't really sound like it in this case as it should have cleared up by now but try displaying a pure white image for about the same amount of time that the problem image was displayed for: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2807?viewlocale=en_US
Alternatively, leaving your TV off for a few hours should also clear it, but since your TV is probably off at night...
Anyway, if you can't sort it then get it repaired/replaced if under warranty.
For more info on image persistence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_persistence