OLED panels are ubiquitous these days, as manufacturers increasingly use panel technologies for today's high-end TVs, and even high-end smartphones like the iPhone XS and iPhone. iPhone XS Max. But what is OLED and why should you care? Short for "Organic Light Emitting Diode," the acronym OLED describes a type of panel used by televisions, such as LCD LED displays, plasma or CRT displays. It differs from other types of panels that came before it, but the general idea is exactly the same: OLED panels help you bring images and videos to life. In short: OLED really is the next big thing in home entertainment. OLED TVs offer better picture quality (think darker blacks and whiter whites), lower power consumption, and faster response times than traditional LED TVs. So why doesn't everyone have one? Currently, its cost is prohibitive and for years, only a handful of companies have used the technology in their televisions. But that changes. Sony, an early developer of the technology, has brought the game back with last year's Bravia A1E OLED and Sony A8F OLED TVs. Philips threw its hat into the ring with the recent Philips OLED 803 and OLED+ 903; Panasonic has doubled down on its OLED lineup for 2019, led by the GZ2000 OLED, while LG acts as supplier and seller, making OLED screens for these TVs and creating its own line of B-Series C, E, W and Z TVs. Is OLED worth the hype? We've explained everything you need to know about the latest big screen buzzword in the article below.
What is the difference between OLED and LCD / LED?
All. They may look identical, but the processes are completely different. OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode, the word "organic" refers to the carbon film found inside the panel facing the glass display. OLED panels emit their own light when an electrical current flows, while LCD panel cells require an external light source, such as a giant backlight, for brightness.
This backlighting is what separates LCD screens from their LED variants. A traditional LCD screen has a backlight (called a cold cathode or CCFL fluorescent light) that is uniform across the entire back of the screen. This means that whether the image is white or black, it lights up with exactly the same brightness on the panel. This reduces what we call "hot spots" or areas of extremely bright light, because the light source illuminating them is uniform. It all started a few years ago, when engineers from companies like Samsung and Sony introduced a range of LEDs for backlighting. Therefore, if a part of the screen was black, the LEDs behind this part could be turned off to make it appear. more black It's a better solution than a CCFL backlight, but it still has its problems. Since there is a light behind the LCD that produces illumination instead of the LCD layer itself, the illumination is not quite in sync with the pixel that precedes it. The result is an effect called "bloom," whereby LED light from bright parts of the image enters dark areas. This is what separates OLEDs from LCD/LED displays. On an OLED television screen, the pixels are themselves the elements that produce light. So when they need to be black, they can be turned off completely, rather than relying on a backlight to turn it off.
(Image credit: Hisense)
What are the benefits of OLED television?
The result is remarkably dark black in an image, and when combined with white brightness, an OLED panel is capable of producing an incredibly vibrant image. LG and Panasonic, which are pretty much the biggest OLED TV makers on the planet, like to use the term "infinite contrast" to describe how the self-illuminating pixels turn off completely when playing back. black giving it an "absolute" color. a "relative" black that describes just how dark a pixel is in relation to the brightest pixel on the screen. For years, we wondered about the longevity of OLED panels, while production lines were impossible to monetize due to high failure rates. But companies like LG are pouring billions of dollars into OLED development, and companies like Philips and Sony are jumping into the fray, whose affordability is improving, even if it costs much more than competing technologies. The benefits of OLED go beyond mere static image quality, through to the responsiveness and smoothness of the screen, meaning gamers and home theater enthusiasts alike will love OLED TV.
OLED panels provide deeper blacks and vibrant color contrast (Credit: LG Display) (Image credit: LG Display) OLED displays can achieve a 0,001ms refresh rate, which is about 1000 times faster than a LCD screen with standard LED backlight, as well as being superior to the now abandoned plasma technology. And, since the light source used is very small, the screen size has decreased at the same rate. This means OLED TVs have incredibly deep blacks and vivid whites, improved color accuracy, and fluid-responsive motion, all from a form factor of just a few millimeters. Thicker and much lighter than standard TVs.
What OLED TVs are available now?
OLED TVs have been on the market since 2012, and many manufacturers have embraced this technology over the years. Previously, Samsung and LG only produced OLEDs, but Samsung has abandoned the technology relative to its cost and difficulty of producing it, and has no intention of resuming production any time soon. For its part, LG has regularly released OLED packs in recent years. In 2016, four easy-to-understand product lines, the G6, E6, C6, and B6, include OLED panels. LG continues with the 7 and 8 series TVs, while the 2019 LG TV lineup will include the 9 series: OLED B9 Economic, the mid-range OLED C9, the high-end OLED E9. Gamma and ultra-thin W9 OLED.
If you don't like LG TVs, you might like the 8 Sony Bravia A9F and A2018F OLED TVs, or the amazing Philips OLED 803 and OLED+ 903 TVs. Meanwhile, Panasonic will launch four new OLED models this year: the GZ2000, GZ1500, and GZ950/GZ1000. You can also check out our best guide on OLED TVs to see the top five OLEDs we've had the pleasure of seeing on the site.
How much do OLED TVs cost?
OLED TVs are certainly cheaper, but they are still far from affordable. Prices for LG devices start at US$1,600 in the US and GBP1,200 in the UK, while Panasonic's prices are even more expensive. The rarity of OLED TVs on the market means that this small number of market participants are more or less free to charge exactly what they want. We will not see prices drop before we have more competition. That being said, generally when one company starts taking it up front, the others pick up quickly. Prices should come down as manufacturers can fix the problems on the production line and demand will increase for these phenomenal technologies.What is the future of OLED television?
OLED is an expensive panel technology that has finally managed to gain traction, after spending so much we wrote an opinion piece in 2014 about the death of this technology. This obviously hasn't been the case, and we're seeing a slew of great OLED models on the market, even though prices are falling within the reach of regular consumers. < p class="bordeaux-image-check">
Panasonic TX-65CZ950 OLED (Image credit: Panasonic) But it's not because OLED's price is affordable, it doesn't stop it from getting better. A price tag of $1,600 / €1,200 isn't what we consider budget, but it's a lot cheaper than what OLED was selling to the market just a year ago. . This trend will always be good news for the consumer, although manufacturers may have other ideas in mind. Samsung is one of a number of TV makers looking to develop what's called QD-OLED: a new type of OLED panel that uses quantum dot emitters to enhance brightness. The technology is in full swing, but when it arrives, it could merge competing QLED and OLED technologies and make previous production methods obsolete. These are obviously big claims, and we haven't seen these new hypothetical panels in use yet, but we'll be sure to keep you posted as this does/doesn't happen. Original reporting in this article was done by Jamie Carter.
- Convinced? Visit our list of the best OLED TVs you can buy right now.