Comprehensive testing highlights burn-in vulnerability in OLED TVs, warning for LCDs and...

[midian182]

In brief: While it's certainly true that the issue of OLED burn-in has improved over the years thanks to technological advances and new monitor/TV features, the problem hasn't disappeared entirely. A new test that simulates years of usage confirms that every OLED will eventually start showing signs of burn-in, but the good news is that the severity of the issue does vary greatly, and monitors are less prone to image retention than TVs.

RTINGS.com's longevity test involves over 100 TVs and three OLED monitors running a CNN 24/7 news feed at maximum brightness. The test has run for ten months, or 6,000 hours, simulating 4 years and two months of approximate real-world usage.

While some form of permanent burn is present in every OLED tested, the severity varies greatly based on the particular model. Some TVs improved in months eight and ten due to RTINGS forcing a short compensation cycle on these TVs before taking pictures and brightness measurements. The process is supposed to run automatically on all OLEDs, but some manufacturers didn't implement the process very well.

Even the LCD TVs are showing uniformity issues, which the publication says can be more distracting than burn-in. These zebra-stripe patterns of alternating bright and dark bands are nearly the same across all affected LCD TVs (below).

Seven of the TVs failed or have shown signs of failure during the course of testing, though some have been repaired and are now working without issue: the Hisense U7G, Samsung S95B OLED, Sony X95J, LG 27GR95QE-B, Sony A80K OLED, LG G2 OLED, and Samsung QN900A.

Moving onto the OLED monitors, it was interesting to discover that the two ultrawide (21:9) products, Alienware's AW3423DWF and Samsung's Odyssey G8, were originally running the CNN news feed in 16:9. However, Samsung Display confirmed that running content with black bars on the left and right side of screen makes the center area brighter than the unused areas.

The test shows that the two ultrawides are displaying "heavy differential wear" after 700 hours of playing the 16:9 feed. The areas where the bars had been were brighter than the central area. If the testing wasn't changed, the monitors would likely have experienced irreversible and noticeable damage.

The OLED monitors have been undergoing testing for six months (3,600 hours), slightly less time than the TVs. The good news for owners or anyone considering buying one is that they have shown minimal OLED degradation and expected aging so far.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/100939-comprehensive-testing-confirms-burn-vulnerability-oled-tvs-warning.html

 

[yRaz]

The only way I will not be concerned about OLED burn in is if they get cheap enough that I can replace them once it starts. My 2017 Samsung TV is starting to die and it cost about $3500 at the time of purchase, now I see $500 TV's at Target with more dimming zones and 4k120. I've been considering getting the LG C3 OLED to replace it with because the 65" can be had for under $1500 if you're patient. Now can it survive 4+ years under my type of abuse?

 

[FaTaL]

While LG OLEDs have great picture, they burn in rather fast. Got my parents one for christmas and it now has fox news logo perma burned in

 

[umeng2002]

You guys must take the test parameters into context. They are using 100% brightness levels. Normally, in dim room, you should be using a monitor at like ten to 20 percent brightness. Maybe higher only in the day with all of your windows open.

 

[scavengerspc]

While LG OLEDs have great picture, they burn in rather fast. Got my parents one for christmas and it now has fox news logo perma burned in

I remember not long ago the networks would color cycle and slowly shift the locations of their logos, but nobody seems to do it anymore.

I'm lucky enough to remember when a 27" TV weighed over 100 lbs (45 kg).
But, also was cheap to replace and could easily last 20 years.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

You guys must take the test parameters into context. They are using 100% brightness levels. Normally, in dim room, you should be using a monitor at like ten to 20 percent brightness. Maybe higher only in the day with all of your windows open.

OLEDs will still burn out, and people use monitors during the day too.

 

[Trapped Nowhere]

Burn ins in 2023? lol

 

[godrilla]

I am using the 48 inch CX oled for 3+ years as a desktop display/TV and so far no burn-in. I do use aggressive mitigation measures though. I need it to last till 2025 till Blackwell, dp2.1 and 4k 240hz. Although my next display will likely be a monitor due to lack of display ports on TVs.

You guys must take the test parameters into context. They are using 100% brightness levels. Normally, in dim room, you should be using a monitor at like ten to 20 percent brightness. Maybe higher only in the day with all of your windows open.

I am using it at 100% brightness ( the only mitigation I don't do) for the 3+ years when I game in an almost complete dark room and no problems even after almost 1000 hours in Vermitide 2. FYI

 

[Johnnyblaze1957]

My 55inch BX OLED is going fine I use for gaming as I don't watch free to air crap TV anymore so it's for gaming streaming and YouTube. If I'm gaming and go make a coffee or anything that takes a while I always turn the TV off so I can not keep anything in one spot for any length of time I love OLED.

 

[godrilla]

My 55inch BX OLED is going fine I use for gaming as I don't watch free to air crap TV anymore so it's for gaming streaming and YouTube. If I'm gaming and go make a coffee or anything that takes a while I always turn the TV off so I can not keep anything in one spot for any length of time I love OLED.

Same here the crazy part is I play with the fire mage Sienna unchianned hero who literally has a fire sword, fire staff and ults wait for it fire (bright red, yellow and orange) . X1000 hours of gameplay and still no Burn-in.

 

[LimyG]

This reminds me of burn in with the now obselete PLASMA tvs. It also improved near the end due to various technologies for example moving the image by a few pixels. Not enough for the viewer to notice. But a big CNN banner is more than a few pixels. It's easily preventable as I explain below:

I bought, and still own and love the very last and best iteration of plasma tv,. 42" Pioneer Kuro. I was given a guide to prevent burn in totally, For the first 100 hours of view (or leaving on overnight) medium brightness for the first sensitive 20 hours, then 80 hours max brightness. But not just that. -

The image has to be moving and changing color and brigtness on the whole screen, the whole time so each individual pixel frequently changes colour and brightness. I used a monitor conditioning program made for calibrating PCs, but I found it was excellent for this too, So for instance: 6 seconds white, three seconds max darkness, 3 seconds red, 3 sceconds blue, 3 seconds green then it looped over and over. I changed to flashing and other loops aswell. (White is the most important as it essentially turns on all pixels fully.). It worked excellently never in it's 16 years has their been burn in, or even lessening of picture quality.

Such a shame - the forgotten tech that became far superiour to any other TV tech near the end. Sadly they use a lot of electricity, are thicker in size and rather heavy. (about 3 or 4 inches depth of whole TV). At that time LCD panels were getting thinner and thinner, not heavy to move, and relatively low power consumption. The very nature of Plasma made it impossible to be "paper thin," Oh, they get hot at the back too.

I'll add one more thing about Plasma. Although it produced very natural colors, and really deep blacks the pixels couldn't be shrunk in size any more, The max resolution was 1080p, but almost always 720p, The nature of plasma made even 720p across 42 inches and higher look natural and flowing, zero pixellation appararent, and to my eye looked massively better than any LCD in 2007, I settled on plasma because LCD of the day looked awful after comparing to Plasma.

My Question: So obviously you can see from above that it is only the first 100 hours where it is suceptable to burn in. After that can watch CNN or similar banner all day.

With OLED is it ALWAYS going to be at risk of burn in? Or is it like the latest and best plasma TVs so that after the first 100 hours all pixels have changed to every level of brightness, and every primary color 100,000s times.
Funnily it's said after this the Plasma is "burnt in," and then it is no more likely to get burn in than any other tech.

Curious if OLED always has a potential to get burn in, or is it just the first 100 hours or any length of time before OLED becomes no more likely (like 1%) of burn in than LCD and old CRT??


There were never any plasma monitors. Not even sure if a 24 inch display could squiss in enough pixels for 720p. Plus weight, height and heat. Perfect for large screen TVs though. I read somewhere a while ago, and the writer said that we have already had OLED!! - PLASMA. I don't agree with that, but I know what he's getting at.

 

[godrilla]

This reminds me of burn in with the now obselete PLASMA tvs. It also improved near the end due to various technologies for example moving the image by a few pixels. Not enough for the viewer to notice. But a big CNN banner is more than a few pixels. It's easily preventable as I explain below:

I bought, and still own and love the very last and best iteration of plasma tv,. 42" Pioneer Kuro. I was given a guide to prevent burn in totally, For the first 100 hours of view (or leaving on overnight) medium brightness for the first sensitive 20 hours, then 80 hours max brightness. But not just that. -

The image has to be moving and changing color and brigtness on the whole screen, the whole time so each individual pixel frequently changes colour and brightness. I used a monitor conditioning program made for calibrating PCs, but I found it was excellent for this too, So for instance: 6 seconds white, three seconds max darkness, 3 seconds red, 3 sceconds blue, 3 seconds green then it looped over and over. I changed to flashing and other loops aswell. (White is the most important as it essentially turns on all pixels fully.). It worked excellently never in it's 16 years has their been burn in, or even lessening of picture quality.

Such a shame - the forgotten tech that became far superiour to any other TV tech near the end. Sadly they use a lot of electricity, are thicker in size and rather heavy. (about 3 or 4 inches depth of whole TV). At that time LCD panels were getting thinner and thinner, not heavy to move, and relatively low power consumption. The very nature of Plasma made it impossible to be "paper thin," Oh, they get hot at the back too.

I'll add one more thing about Plasma. Although it produced very natural colors, and really deep blacks the pixels couldn't be shrunk in size any more, The max resolution was 1080p, but almost always 720p, The nature of plasma made even 720p across 42 inches and higher look natural and flowing, zero pixellation appararent, and to my eye looked massively better than any LCD in 2007, I settled on plasma because LCD of the day looked awful after comparing to Plasma.

My Question: So obviously you can see from above that it is only the first 100 hours where it is suceptable to burn in. After that can watch CNN or similar banner all day.

With OLED is it ALWAYS going to be at risk of burn in? Or is it like the latest and best plasma TVs so that after the first 100 hours all pixels have changed to every level of brightness, and every primary color 100,000s times.
Funnily it's said after this the Plasma is "burnt in," and then it is no more likely to get burn in than any other tech.

Curious if OLED always has a potential to get burn in, or is it just the first 100 hours or any length of time before OLED becomes no more likely (like 1%) of burn in than LCD and old CRT??


There were never any plasma monitors. Not even sure if a 24 inch display could squiss in enough pixels for 720p. Plus weight, height and heat. Perfect for large screen TVs though. I read somewhere a while ago, and the writer said that we have already had OLED!! - PLASMA. I don't agree with that, but I know what he's getting at.

Yes the organic light-emitting diode oled is inevitable to burn in due the the organic component of each pixel. The back end mitigation compensation cycles that are done by the manufacturer was previously long cycles (1000 hours ) and now updated to short cycles ( 10 hours) from what I recall. Oled also seems to be more like beginning or mid innovation life span. We still have 8k oleds, 240hz 4k ones already available and higher brightness ones with around to 2k nits. Ces 2024 might bring even better improvements on both the quality and mitigation front, so we can look out for that soon. The current contender alternative display technology is minileds for professional use for those who want even better colors and higher brightness with no burn in risk in comparison to oled.

 

[wiyosaya]

OLED continues to improve. For example - https://www.oled-info.com/japan-dis...lans-produce-eleap-amoleds-china-also-looking but even this shows degradation after a while.

The only thing on the horizon that does not suffer burn-in is microLED which, IMO, has much more potential than Plasma ever had and is far better than current OLED tech. Lets hope that the prices come down to Earth more quickly than previous cutting edge technologies. https://www.microled-info.com/

 

[bondflavor]

You guys must take the test parameters into context. They are using 100% brightness levels. Normally, in dim room, you should be using a monitor at like ten to 20 percent brightness. Maybe higher only in the day with all of your windows open.

This. So much this. People in general seem to keep the brightness WAY too high. If you have to use dark mode or dark themes because a white screen is "blinding," then your monitor backlight is probably about 5-10x brighter than it should be.