Choosing the Right OLED TV

If you’re buying a new TV and haven’t kept up with the technology over the past few years, new terms like OLED, HDR, UHD, VRR, and others can seem like indecipherable gibberish. My goal with this guide is to explain what OLED is, how it differs from other technologies on the market, and what you should look for when shopping for one.

OLED Picture Quality

Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology is, as its name implies, an organic-based display technology in which each individual pixel has the capability to light itself; in cases where it’s supposed to be black, the pixel will then not light up at all. As you might suspect, this self-illuminating characteristic means that OLED panels can achieve very deep black levels, leading to high contrast ratios and more vibrant color. Individual pixel illumination also eliminates the light bleed inherent in some LED-backlit displays, so on an otherwise all-black screen, bright images won’t exhibit any “halo” effect. Since OLED is not LED-backlit, these detriments that LED users have dealt with will be absent. Additionally, OLED TVs generally have wider viewing angles than LED TVs, making them a better choice for events you may have a viewing party for, such as major sporting events.

OLED (right) vs. LCD / LED (left)

These characteristics make OLED panels highly sought after by home theater enthusiasts, particularly those still mourning the obsoletion of plasma technology.