OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode)

OLEDs: High contrast at the expense of brightness

In general, televisions manufactured on this platform have – at least on paper – an infinitely high contrast range. In practice, however, this advantage is limited due to the heat generated by the self-luminous pixels. Especially when displaying large, bright content, there is a risk of overheating. 

To prevent this disadvantage, manufacturers regulate the luminance via the so-called Automatic Brightness Limiter, or ABL for short. Depending on the device, this protective feature intervenes to a greater or lesser extent into the control of the screen and readjusts it. If bright content is displayed over a longer period of time, the display is therefore increasingly dimmed to avoid permanent damage to the TV. 

Disadvantage compared to LED TVs

Even comparatively inexpensive backlit televisions are therefore capable of outperforming OLEDs in the premium segment in this point. That’s why you should always consider your usage behaviour before buying a TV. During daylight, generally bright lighting conditions and sunlight, we therefore do not recommend using those devices, or only with restrictions.

In addition to RGB OLEDs, there are also so-called WOLEDs on the market, which work with an additional white pixel and colour filters. The second generation is called OLED.EX. The latest and most advanced variant was launched in 2023 and is labelled with the suffix MLA. An additional modification is the so-called QD OLED.

Advantages and disadvantages of OLED TVs: