What is OLED TV?
- What is OLED TV?
- What are the benefits of OLED TV?
- What are downsides to OLED TV?
OLED TVs are said by some to be the future of TV viewing. In this video we ask what OLED is and how it compares to LCD, plasma and LED TV technology.
What is OLED TV?
OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. Both Samsung and LG have launched OLED TVs to market in the UK, however they were only 11- and 15-inch models respectively.
Sony, since showing off a 27-inch OLED prototype a few years ago, seems to have withdrawn itself from the OLED race, and it’s Samsung and LG that has taken up the baton.
Read the latest TV reviews from the Which? labs.
Please enable JavaScript to access this content.
Find out how we test TVs in our rigorous tests.
What are the benefits of OLED TVs?
OLED TVs were a major story at the CES 2012 technology show
OLED TVs offer superior picture quality. The colours are brighter and richer, and blacks are deeper. This is due to the improved localisation of light emission, as each organic cell that sits behind the TV’s panel can create its own light source, or none at all – depending on what the overall image requires of it.
What this means is that light doesn’t spread into unwanted areas and either lighten spots that should be dark or interfere with other colours.
Motion also seems to be handled better and power consumption is claimed to be lower, although our definitive verdict on picture quality and energy use will be reserved until we’ve had an OLED TV into our labs for a closer inspection.
Other benefits of OLED are that the panels can be made very slim and light. The 55-inch LG model on show at CES is just 4mm thick and weighs 7.5kg.
What are the downsides to OLED TV?
OLED TVs that have launched in the UK have been very expensive, and the 55-inch models coming to our shores later this year are likely to be priced nearer to £10,000 than to £5,000.
The initial pricing will put most consumers off, however LG believes that by 2016 the prices will be inline with that of LED TVs. One other concern about OLED TV panels is their lifespan, which has always been thought to be much shorter than that of today’s TVs.
- LED, LCD and plasma TV reviews - See how the latest models compare
- Buying a new TV - Advice guide on getting the best TV for you
- How we test TVs - Find out about the rigorous tests we put TVs through
