OLED TV owners can do this now to prevent burn-in later ‣ Diverse Daily

Imagine spending more than a thousand dollars on the most vibrant and sharpest picture that money can buy, only for the screen to become damaged. It’s a frustrating scenario that is enough to rouse any invested consumer. OLED TVs deliver incredible picture quality and are among the best TV technology in the business. As such, these TVs come at a premium cost that is far more substantial than the average 4K TV. Protecting this investment would be a rather high priority.

OLED offers some of the best advantages that you don’t get with LED. With movies and TV shows, OLED displays offer perfect blacks and vibrant contrast. Movement in images is far crisper with faster refresh rates and individual pixel control that helps eliminate problems such as motion blur. But despite the clear advantages, there’s one concern that might make some buyers hesitant before pulling the metaphorical trigger on such a pricey piece of hardware. Burn-in is a problem that can affect any OLED TV without the proper precautions. Thankfully, many newer models have defense mechanisms against this issue that could permanently damage OLED TV screens.

What is OLED Burn-in?

While it’s a real risk, it’s not something you should be persistently fretting over

Zack Snyder's Justice League banner in Black and white.

To put a definition to this issue, burn-in is when an image remains visible in the background no matter what appears on-screen. But what some assume is burn-in is actually a lesser and simpler problem. Actual burn-in is a risk, but a truly rare one for most OLED users. But regardless, if you’re an OLED owner, you should still familiarize yourself with the issue and be aware of the cause. Burn-in traditionally occurs when users leave a single static image on screen for a long period. Most OLED TVs mitigate this by quickly switching to a dark screen after a few seconds when you pause a show or movie. Essentially, individual pixels are receiving more wear, causing them to lose brightness. This uneven lighting leaves a shadowy pattern of the image or outline of an image on the screen. If you start to see the remnants of an image on screen while everything else is in motion, don’t immediately panic. This is most likely a case of “image retention,” which is when an image stays on screen but will go away in time. It’s a temporary problem that is not permanently damaging like burn-in. Think of burn-in as a more advanced case of image retention and is caused by leaving static images on screen for a very long time.

Image retention goes away as you watch other media. Burn-in may or may not go away, but will certainly last significantly longer. Naturally, the best fix is to ensure that your TV never remains on static images. If you have settings for a darkened screensaver to occupy the screen during movie and TV show pauses, be sure to enable them if they’re not already in place. My LG OLED came with this function already engaged. These inactivity timers can be adjusted, but I recommend that you leave them alone, as they’re set for a reason.

The video game problem

Video games present a somewhat higher risk

Miles Morales web wings flying in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 — Insomniac

While the threat of burn-in is extremely low, video games do present a higher risk than other forms of media. This is mostly because of the interface and how video games operate on screen. Games are designed with deep and bright colors in mind. Many times, there are static elements on screen such as life bars, icons in your player HUD, or other on-screen elements that stay put throughout play. Truthfully, you have to play video games for a significant amount of time, more than the average person, for the risk to even begin to emerge. But it’s important to be wary, as pixels will degrade as the TV ages with use. Some TVs also don’t detect a paused game the same way as they do a paused movie or TV show and may not engage an idle screensaver.

Many modern OLEDs are safer

Manufacturers have implemented protective measures

Thankfully, OLED isn’t a brand new technology anymore, and manufacturers have implemented preventative features to help avoid this problem. For instance, LG TVs offer a Pixel Refresher feature that automatically scans each of the pixels periodically and locates deteriorated pixels, refreshing them to the comparable reference value of the other pixels. These TVs also enact screen shifting during static pictures so that pixel brightness moves slightly to prevent retention. They also detect logos that are usually static on screen and dim the luminance of these areas.

All of these features are great and largely reduce the risk of true burn-in and image retention substantially. However, it’s never a substitute for good practices overall. Turn your TV off when away for a while, be mindful of extended periods of video game play, and make sure you’ve engaged automated settings such as power/screen savers that can prevent this issue. OLED TVs provide a vibrant, gorgeous way to consume entertainment media. Just be sure to protect your investment.