Has the OLED burn-in issue been fixed?

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If you’ve been searching for the best TVs on the market with a focus on the best OLED TVs, you’ve probably noticed a trend regarding OLED burnout hazards. OLED burnout has historically been seen as a major problem for such screens, aka image retention, and it seems incredibly unbelievable if you’re looking to buy a high-end TV.

Burn-in is when an image or sequence plays so frequently and continuously on your TV that it leaves a permanent mark on the panel, ruining the look of whatever else you might end up watching.

But is it actually a problem? Several manufacturers including LG state that “it is rare for the average TV consumer to create an environment that can lead to burning” but the concern remains when the quick Google can still tell a lot of non-positive tidbits regarding the problem.

We’ve taken a deeper look into the history behind burning and image retention and checked whether it’s still a problem for the average user, and whether it’s a risk worth taking at all.

burning date

Screen burn-in is not a new phenomenon. They’ve been around for a long time with monitors even with old CRT computer monitors likely to suffer from persistent ghost-like images after spending a long time viewing the same image. It is issues like this that gave rise to the screensaver – a mainstay of computer monitors to this day.

Next came plasma screens, which were highly susceptible to burns at a time when LCD-based screens were less likely to suffer from this problem. However, LCD screens were more likely to fail pixels or become ‘stuck’ causing a different kind of problem to regular TV viewers.

For now, at least, the problem will never be 100% resolved – but manufacturers are working on mitigation practices to reduce the problem, and they’ve certainly been improved over the years.

OLED screens used for gaming are more likely to burn, due to persistent HUDs, although very few users test them (Image credit: LG) What are TV manufacturers doing to combat this problem?

TV manufacturers have made sure that people still want to buy OLED TVs and not worry about them burning out. LG has an entire section on its website that explains its approach to OLED TV reliability, reassuring customers that it’s not really an issue.

LG states that it has a screensaver feature on all of its TVs that turns on automatically if the TV detects that a static image is being displayed for about two minutes. There’s also a Clear Panel Noise feature that maintains image quality on the display panel by resetting the TV so that it clears pixels, and there’s a Logo Lighting Adjustment that can detect static logos on the screen and reduce brightness to help reduce the risk of image retention.

Most important of all is the Screen Shift feature, which moves the screen slightly at regular intervals to reduce the risk of burn-in as well.

Sony and Panasonic TVs also use LG-provided OLED panels, so the same principle applies here. Normally, all you need to know is that the latest OLEDs are less likely to burn out than ever and those odds only improve over time.

LG is not alone in working on new technologies. Philips recently unveiled new OLEDs for 2021 with standardized cross-band flame-retardant technology.

We don’t expect the Switch OLED to have any issues (Image credit: Nintendo)

It is also adopting other types of OLED screens with Nintendo’s launch of the Nintendo Switch OLED later this year. We spoke to an expert in the field – Michael Hellander CEO of OTI Lumionics – about what that might mean in terms of image burn-in and he wasn’t impressed with any potential issues. “Modern OLED display panels have active compensation that prevents the burn-in effect. This records the amount of time each individual pixel has been powered on and then in the back-end adjusts the output signal […] To ensure that the screen output remains homogeneous and to eliminate the effect of burn-in.”

He also noted that the PS Vita also offered an OLED panel in the past and there were few complaints about any burnouts at the time – and that’s still the case. The PS Vita is an old console that used an older form of OLED than we see now, so the latest OLED panels should be more reliable.

And what if you encounter a problem? Warranty policies are a bit vague about whether or not you are covered. While LG OLED TVs have a 5-year warranty for panel failures, a LG spokesperson recently noted that image retention is “not a product defect” but doesn’t fully imply whether that involves permanent screen burn-in, referring to it instead. Being a rare case. You may have a fight on your hands if you’re one of the unlucky ones because it’s often considered general wear.

In return, Samsung has a 10-year warranty on screen burn-in. Warranty isn’t an issue with Samsung, although Samsung uses LED or QLED technology in its TVs instead of OLED, which reduces potential image retention and screen burn-in issues in the first place.

Samsung TVs don’t use OLED, so warranties against burn-in are pretty much marketing fluff (Image credit: Samsung) Should I be concerned about this when buying an OLED TV?

Not right. Screen burn-in is more likely to occur on display units in retail stores, or if you’re viewing the same static image all the time.

Sure, this can be a minor problem if you watch a lot of news or sports and there’s always a bar displayed, but technology like Screen Shift should circumvent this problem quite easily. Crucially, it should take so long for it to become a noticeable problem that you end up upgrading your TV long before it becomes an issue. One study by LG believes that an OLED screen has a life expectancy of about 100,000 hours, compared to LED-backlit LCD panels that have a life expectancy of six to 10 years.

However, you should be aware of temporary image retention issues. This is not a permanent problem but you may notice it occasionally. It will probably go away on its own instead of turning into a permanent burner. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to fix this and to avoid image retention or the risk of burning in the future as well.

What can I do to avoid burning?

The best way to avoid burnout is to keep watching a variety of content. Never leave your TV on the same picture all the time and definitely never leave anything off for hours on end. It should take quite a number of hours for it to become an issue but you could end up with some temporary image retention issues and a bit of paranoia spoiled by it.

Alternatively, lower the brightness or choose a dimmed picture mode from your TV options such as Cinema instead of Vivid. You don’t need to do this all the time – only if you’ve been playing the same game for hours on end or watching the news rolling most of the day.

Also check your TV settings and enable features like LG’s Screen Shift – or Pixel Shift, in Sony’s case. Turn on Pixel Refresh or Panel Refresh to reset the pixels to avoid image retention.

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