New test suggests OLED burn-in could set in far earlier than advertised
Far from the 10 years of use that LG says you can get out of its OLEDs without burn-in becoming a problem, a new test has suggested that the problem could set in after just 4,000 hours of use − or after just over two years with five hours of viewing a day.
The test, which was performed by TV review site Rtings, was a pretty extreme use case, but it’s one that isn’t completely outside of the realms of possibility.
Related: Best TVs 2018
In its test, the site played content in five-hour chunks on 2017 LG C7s, with a one hour rest in between. This led to the TVs being on for around 20 hours a day.
The test saw a variety of different content, including gaming content, news, general TV and sport, played on TVs at a number of different brightnesses.
Gaming content and news suffered the worst from burn-in when the TVs were set to maximum brightness. The problem here is that both feature static logos that appear on the screen most, if not all, of the time. After 4,000 hours, both TVs faintly displayed these logos constantly, no matter what was watched.
This is significantly shorter than LG’s claimed 30,000 hours of use before burn-in sets in.
An extreme use case
Watching content that has a permanent logo or user interface on it for five hours a day is extreme, but it’s not outside of the realms of possibility if you’re someone that plays a single game exclusively, or if you watch just one channel consistently that has a watermark on the image.
However, for most people, these latest findings probably won’t be an issue, and you’ll probably need to upgrade your TV for a host of other reasons before any kind of burn-in sets in.
Related: OLED vs QLED
But if you’re someone who could be affected by these findings, then an OLED might not be for you. If you need a high-end TV, then why not consider a QLED instead? The Samsung QLED Q9F is a great choice.
How close do you think someone will get to the kinds of use the test TVs were put through? Let us know @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
