Burning questions for OLED TVs

Consumers have more choices on TVs, thanks to the latest innovations.

OLED television sets remain popular among consumers, thanks to a price point that's still fairly reasonable and features that have been well-accepted.
There is, however, scepticism for some time now, thanks to burn-in issues with TVs bearing this technology.
Burn-in is, to be clear, different from image retention: the former won't go away, while the latter will dissipate after a certain period of time.
Then there's the issue of the advancement of QLED, plus the entry of more, newer TV tech, such as MicroLED and QD-OLED, that is challenging the OLED market not just in terms of performance, but as well as in pricing. There are consumers that wouldn't mind paying more for something that'll last longer and better, anyway.
All is not lost, however. The issue of burn-ins can definitely be resolved, but firmware updates to TVs are not enough - it is at the manufacturing level where critical changes must be made. From there, the benefits trickle on.
Burn-ins are actually happening right now. Tests have also shown that running the same content - especially over a prolonged period of time - causes this to happen a lot more quicker. This is an issue that would mostly be seen in TVs that are installed in areas that display static content, such as restaurants, malls and airports.
The issue is becoming a problem for certain manufacturers. As a piece on ZDNet noted, LG had taken huge bets on large-sized OLED panels since 2012, and it's costing them today.
Samsung, meanwhile, pulled the plug on using OLED in 2014 - moving to QD-LCD panels - with the logic at that time being was one influenced by technology and profits. As the article noted, the leadership had ultimately concluded the "blue pixel problem" - OLED pixels have a shorter light span than others that cause the infamous permanent image retention, or burn-in - couldn't be solved in the short-term. Samsung believed OLED was deemed more suitable for smartphones, which have smaller screens, shorter product life-cycles and consume less power, as it did not face the same issues faced by TVs.
Ultimately, it turned out Samsung made the right decision.
They needed an edge to surpass rival Samsung Electronics, which has topped TV sales since they beat Sony in 2007. LG, shamefully, has been labelled as the perpetual number two. So when Samsung pulled out of using OLED in 2014, moving to using QD-LCD panels instead for its flagship TVs, LG was eager to win applause for holding its ground and having aspirations to make the technological breakthroughs its biggest rival had failed to do.
The issue is not limited to a certain set of manufacturers; rather, it's a problem that could and should be handled by helping one another.
Knowledge-sharing is one component that can be implemented: If a certain manufacturer has a technology that eliminates the problems of a certain innovation, then it's important that this should be studied and used, even at the risk of being accused of copying. It can also be a reason to be inspired by trying to surpass what is already existing and come up with something even better.
- business@khaleejtimes.com