OLED TV vs LCD TV

They are very different technologies. The technological differences between OLED and LCD TVs being more than those between OLED and plasma TVs. First of all, OLED displays produce light while LCD TVs block light. This fundamental difference determines many of the characteristics and performances of the two types of displays. LCD doesn’t offer the best picture quality being outrun by a mile by plasma TV. It does offer however more flexibility in how you can use it and it is available in small sizes too. OLED is already offering superb picture quality – much better than the one seen in an LCD – and at the same time it offers the flexibility of an LCD. In a way it seems to take the advantages from both plasma and LCD while trying to eliminate their disadvantages.

Lifespan

LCD TVs as well as plasma TVs have a lifespan of around 60,000 hours. At this point OLED TVs are way behind, offering a much shorter life of only a few thousand hours. The organic compounds used in OLED displays are to blame for this short life. Considering that at the beginning their lifespan was just a few seconds and that scientists are continuously working to improve it, we can expect that in the future the OLED TV lifespan will be just as long.

Refresh Rate

LCD TVs have always suffered from a poor refresh rate. Because of this, fast moving images like the ones in sports or action movies looked blurry on the edges, some people even pointing out that the phenomenon generates headaches after long periods of time. OLED on the other hand has exceptional refresh rates, such problems as the ones present in LCDs not making themselves seen on OLED. That means, no matter what content you watch, the picture will be crisp and clear.

Viewing Angle

Another aspect that affects the picture quality of LCD TVs is the narrow viewing angle. If you watch an LCD directly from its front side it will look good, but once you move and watch from an angle you will notice the colors changing and the overall picture quality being affected. This is not a problem with OLED which has very wide viewing angles, its picture not being altered when watching from a side.

Black Levels

LCD TVs have always suffered from poor black levels in contrast to plasma TVs that always lead in this area. OLED TVs are technologically very similar to plasma TVs. The black levels of OLED displays are exceptional. This makes the picture really pop, enhancing the colors and the overall picture quality. LCD TVs produce the picture by blocking or allowing light to pass from the light source behind the LCD display. No matter what manufacturers have done, some of that light still manages to pass through even when the pixels should be black. OLED on the other hand works by generating light (in a way similar to plasma). That means if a pixel has to be black it can be black, or at least close enough to black to seem absolutely black.

Picture Uniformity

OLED TVs have superb uniformity, colors, shades and gradients remaining uniform across the whole screen no matter what you are watching or from what angle. LCD flat-panels, suffering from narrower viewing angles and not only because of that, sometimes have less accurate uniformity, their picture presenting slight variations across the screen. Many high-end LCD models from top manufacturers manage to go around this problem and present very good uniformity, but once you look at middle-end or entry-level models, you will notice uniformity problems.

Power Consumption

One of the significant advantages of OLED vs. LCD and other types of televisions is their low power consumption. Moderns LCD TVs can consume over 500W of electrical power. OLED on the other hand, is a greener technology with much improved power consumption.

Burn-In

Burn-in was a problem with older plasma TVs. While latest plasma TV models are burn-in resistant, they still get burn-in if abused. LCD TVs have absolutely no burn-in problem. The LCD screen does not generate light and it isn’t using phosphors. Because of that there is no way that an LCD could develop burn-in. This resistance to burn-in makes LCD displays suitable for computer monitors as opposed to plasma TVs. OLED is in a way comparable to plasma. It actively generates light through its light emitting organic compounds. That means, theoretically OLED could develop burn-in. At this point, due to the fact there are very few OLED displays to test, we have no pertinent information to confirm or infirm the possibility of burn-in on OLED. Considering however that OLED has been used for quite a while for phone and PDA screens, we are inclined to think that OLED is much more resistant to burn-in than plasma displays. Maybe when OLED will become popular in a few years, and more OLED TV models will be available on the market, they will even prove themselves burn-in proof.

Sizes and Flexibility

Another area where OLED displays really shine. We expect them to be at least as flexible as LCD displays. LCD displays offer great flexibility being available in sizes from a few inches to as much as 60 inch for consumer models, and up to 100 inches for prototypes. At this point small OLED displays are common, scientists working on improving the technological process in order to be able to manufacture large screens without risking poor quality. We are sure they will succeed to come up with large OLED screens in a couple of years. OLED are also flexible in a literal way. They can be bent. There have been a few demonstrations where OLED displays ware bent without being damaged.