OLED TV burn-in is unavoidable... (Off-Topic)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Saturday, January 02, 2021, 09:39 (1201 days ago) @ cheapLEY

You said you only found it by using a test video that’s intended to find it? So why does it matter? If you can’t see it in normal conditions, who cares? Or had it gotten worse, or you could just see it now that you know it’s there?

I wrestled with this. You're right that I didn't notice it in normal viewing, and it's not even noticeable in the test video except on the red and yellow screens. Once I learned that LG had a one-time replacement policy I even thought about waiting until it got worse to have it replaced--my case is pretty mild. Then one night I was watching Killing Eve, and there on Villanelle's forearm I saw it, a discoloration where the Destiny super bar would be. I also worried that LG would end this policy, so I got the replacement.

In any case, I’m sorry to hear it. I couldn’t afford one anyway, but they’ve never seemed worth the extra cost. I know there’s just a different valuation happening because we’re different people, but I’ve never seen an OLED that looks $1000+ better than the next best thing.

For the record I bought the cheapest one at the lowest price I could find (a few hundred less than normal), and I still felt a little bit crazy at the time, but I love movies and like the idea of reference equipment--I want to get what the creator intended (I don't like bass-enhancement features in audio for the same reason). Blinding brightness wasn't what I was looking for. I was concerned about burn-in only because of Destiny. Most of what I read said burn-in shouldn't be a problem with the one red flag issue being if you play one game in particular a lot. (I think the youtube burn-in was avoidable. I thought my aversion to cable news, broadcast TV, and sports spared me from any logo issue. I was wrong.) I should also say that the tech said that some people don't get burn-in, implying that it might be panel-based and not behavior-based. I don't know what to make of that. I just know that I'm going to baby this sucker even more than I did before. I might even use my TCL LED in my bedroom for some daily grind Destiny gaming. We'll see. If you see me in the character menu, don't think of me as dicking around. Think of me as saving pixels. :)

EDIT: I didn’t mean that to be as dickish as it might come across. I’m not shitting on you purchasing decisions, and I am sorry it has that problem. It’s just that I’ve been looking into OLEDs over the past couple of months. My parents want a new TV but don’t want to spend a lot of money, and the 55” TCL I currently have would be a huge upgrade for them, and it would be enough justification for me to upgrade. Other than 120 Hz sets, which I’d love to try, I haven’t seen a set yet that looks so significantly better than my TV that it would be worth spending so much extra money on.

You weren't dickish. I knew the risk and hoped for the best. I don't have any regrets--this TV has blown my mind. If I were buying today, knowing what I know, I'd probably look at some of the higher-end Samsung models, with what they've been able to do with local dimming. They didn't exist when I bought the B7--now other screens are more competitive with OLED. I really like the cheap TCL I just bought (the tech also praised it, but said they didn't last. For $220, I don't care.) It's "smarter" in some ways, which is understandable, and the picture looks great (as long as you're not at an angle).