So pretty much never use an OLED to play videogames?
That’s a concern, but only on something you play for hundreds of hours like a MMO.
Granted, I didn’t generally leave my TV on a news channel or any channel with one static logo in the corner, nor do I put 200+ hours into a single game with a static HUD, but my 2017 OLED (not only indicating how long I’ve had it, but that OLED TVs since then have improved on tools/measures to prevent burn-in) has no burn-in after 14,791 hours and I didn’t change my viewing or gameplaying habits at all.
Maybe I won a panel lottery instead of a real lottery (I wouldn’t say so, as I’ve consistently have a discoloration along one specific edge out-of-the-box and is only visible on pure white screen), but just giving a Works On My Machine anecdata that you might not have to worry about burn-in as much as you think.
…and nothing else. I’ve played lots of games for hundreds of hours on my C7 (ASBL disabled) and had no problem at all. But it’s not the only thing I did during those periods. Even when a single game with a HUD consumed my attention, I was also using my TV for computing work, web browsing, and videos.
The key to avoiding burn-in is to not have the TV’s pixels on in the same configuration, without interruption, for significantly* long periods of time. Doing other stuff on your screen is your best burn in protection. All of the non-brightness focused tricks manufacturers are putting into their TVs to prevent burn-in (pixel shifting, logo detection, etc.) are basically doing the same thing: changing what the individual pixels are displaying, even if it’s only by a little bit.
*There are differing opinions/experiences about how long is “a long time”. In general, though, you don’t have to worry about an all day session of Halo causing burn in.
That’s not quite right. OLEDs don’t “burn in” the same way plasma TVs did back in the day. They actually don’t burn-in at all. What happens behind the scenes is the individual OLEDs themselves, each individual pixel, they are consumable, degrading over time. As they’re used they simply get dimmer. Uneven use leads to image retention.
The difference between plasma burn-in and OLED is that it doesn’t matter if you switch content. Playing CNN with its chevron on the bottom right for only 10 minutes per day over 100 days is just as bad as 1000 minutes in a single day.
Nonsense. They are glorious for gaming. I have 2 and one is a 2017. No issues.
Oh I know, I am using mine for lots of gaming also. :)
Hundreds of hours of Antihero.
Just don’t expect them to last as long as your previous TVs, I guess. (For context, my current TV is a model from 2007. When it dies, I will likely either get miniLED or OLED).
Yeah I am fine with 4-5 years, I understand the tech and its downside.
I’m ok with that. I think I tend to give them away for a new shiney one after about sixish years anyhow. I’ll take 6 years of awesome over 10 years of good but that’s just me.
I’ll admit, I’m no TV expert, but this goes against everything I’ve ever read about OLED burn-in. Every article I can remember says some version of “watch a lot of different content, and you’ll be fine,” which certainly seems to be the case with me. I’ve easily watched ten minutes of YouTube a day over 100 days (and much longer) with no problems with image retention–much less burn-in–on the logo on the upper left of the screen. And that’s just one example.
I’m “only” five years in with this set, so maybe things are about to get dicey. But that old saw about variety being the spice of avoiding burn-in has been true so far.
As I think was mentioned earlier, burn-in/image retention is not something you physically see on OLED TVs.
This is because every now and again most of them ‘equalise’ the life of all the pixels, basically by burning the fresher ones down to match the brightness of the dimmer ones.
Exactly right, that’s how it works. OLEDs are inherently degradable, like batteries. I guess in a sense everything is, just a matter of degree.
I have an OLED TV myself. Nothing else looks comparable. It won’t last forever, but hey neither will I.
OLED is a transitional technology until microled gets cheap. From what I’ve heard that won’t be tomorrow.
I get what you’re both saying and grok the degradable organic materials. Where I have the disconnect is when you say that you don’t see actual “burn-in” on the TV, and then I see articles like this, this, and this, where it’s all “Watch out for/take a look at the BURRRRRRRRN INNNNNNN!” Then the same sage advice is given: “Switch up your viewing content to help prolong the life of your TV!”
Stupid media getting it wrong? Stupid forum poster missing the nuance? Both? Who knows?
What I’ll say is what I’ve already said: “Burn-in” is real, but, based on my own experience, at least, I think most people don’t need to worry about it and can use OLEDs in any manner they wish short of putting one up in airport lounge and showing the news 24/7.
Now, watch: I’ve cursed myself. Here comes the burn-in, and I’ll be praying for microled to descend from the heavens sooner than later.
So what happens then? Your tv just gets less dynamic and duller?
They don’t last forever? Honest question. I thought they did.
Yes, it just gets dimmer. LCD displays do the same thing, but they wear more evenly because the pixels themselves don’t light up, they’re backlit by LEDs. The LED backlights do indeed degrade too, just much more slowly than OLEds.
Apparently these new OLED TV’s aren’t built very well. My 65" LG C1 would no longer display anything and needed a whole new OLED panel, which would cost more than the TV itself. Repair guy said this is a common problem with OLED TV’s. Thank goodness I bought the extended warranty. New replacement TV should be here next week.
So lesson learned: always buy the ext. warranty.
Well that sucks, sorry! I haven’t (yet) run into a situation where the extended warranty would have paid for itself with this (or any) equipment. But I also don’t have kids and am very gentle with stuff. Might feel very differently otherwise…