Gene
Member
Since we talk about televisions here, a debate keeps coming up in the comments. This concerns screen technologies and aims to find out which OLED or QLED is best for playing. If you've read our previous dossier highlighting the differences between playing on a TV against a monitor , you may be wondering now what the differences are between QLED and OLED TVs.
Today, we will once again try to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of these two technologies, give pride of place to the dismantling of received ideas and arouse your curiosity about the real added value that each has to offer.
What is QLED?
The QLED, originally, is nothing other than a brand, and no, it is not “OLED from Samsung”. This mark was registered by the Korean to succeed the “SUHD” and to dust off a relatively old technology which had to be brought up to date with the arrival of the first OLED televisions.
We are therefore talking about QLED at Samsung, but also Triluminos at Sony or Nanocell at LG. Behind these 3 names hide LCD TVs that use the Quantum Dot. Quantum Dot technology (quantum dot or box in French) is used to improve TV backlighting systems by catching up with their colorimetric drift. An LED backlight now rests on blue diodes, covered with a phosphorescent substance making it possible to display more or less good white. The addition of a Quantum Dot filter allows, thanks to the quantum properties of the nanoparticles it contains, to add green and red to the backlight spectrum to obtain a whiter white and therefore a better controlled and more extensive colorimetry.
Like any LCD TV, QLED TVs need a backlight to function. The latter is “Full LED” on high-end LCD models, that is to say that it diffuses its light over the entire screen and embeds what is called a local dimming, an algorithm that partitions in several zones the backlight. This allows the latter to be managed locally and to go out completely in certain places of the image to provide an almost absolute black.
The higher the number of zones, the better the contrast. The big advantage of QLED necessarily lies in its ability to display very bright images thanks to its backlight without affecting the life of the product.
What is OLED?
OLED is a fairly young technology for the general public. What sets an OLED TV apart from an LCD TV is that the OLED does not need a backlight to function. Each pixel emits its own light and can therefore turn on and off independently of the others and produce incomparable contrast. The blacks are abysmal and we avoid light leaks and other disappointments related to the LCD backlights.
In addition, since no backlighting is necessary, the OLED panels are thinner than a smartphone and their energy consumption is also reduced. Today, LG Display is the only company to manufacture OLED panels and supplies Sony, Panasonic and even Philips to name a few of its main partners. Nevertheless, to think that the image quality is identical because they share the same slab is a mistake, each having their own image processing to promote.
OLED vs QLED - Performance with video games
What interests us mainly on Xboxygen is above all to know how these two technologies behave in game. Indeed, televisions are often subject to several disappointments when it comes to video games. If we have recently seen the differences between TVs and PC monitors, there are also differences in performance between OLED and QLED.
Input lag and response time
We have recently seen what the response time measures as well as those related to the input lag mean. Often confused by neophytes, we advise you to consult our article dedicated to latency in order to have all the cards in hand to understand the next lines.
Advantage of OLED
When the question of the reactivity of the panel comes, OLED technology takes advantage over the LCD. Indeed, the response time of an OLED panel is almost zero, we speak of 0.05 ms of response time, which means that the image is displayed clearly in all circumstances.
For the input lag, the values differ according to the brands and the signals but LG is among those who are capable of prowess on the OLED sector with an input lag in 4K / HDR at 60 Hz measured at 13ms on the LG C9 as well as the E9 that we tested last year.
Image quality and HDR
When it comes to image quality, there are definite differences between the many brands. Image processing, for example, is a bit like the signature of a manufacturer, and each has its own approach. A rather subjective affair therefore, some will prefer a very demonstrative image when others will have nothing to do with artifices and thus favor loyalty.
Over time, we also see the arrival of new features like HDR and on this subject, our two screen technologies present marked differences.
The demonstration of QLED…
Thanks to the backlight support, QLED TVs offer a dynamic and very bright image. In addition, Samsung treatments are very “aggressive” when it comes to accentuating the depth and the sharpness of a scene.
For HDR, the backlight achieves stunning light peaks without the need to sacrifice the overall brightness required to keep the image vibrant. If technology is doing less well in dark scenes than OLED, it does however manage to give daytime scenes a rather remarkable richness with beautiful nuances in the highlights.
… Against the precision of OLED
Conversely, the OLED excels when we are in dark scenes. Due to the self-emitting nature of its small organic diodes, it is possible to provide a complete black and keep only a small lantern at full power on the neighboring pixel. All without light leakage, with unequaled precision.
On the other hand, the light scenes are less demonstrative because the OLED is limited in light. To keep the dynamics of a scene in HDR, the TV will reduce the overall brightness (APL) because it can only display a small portion of the image at full light power.
Lifespan and marking
This is probably the point that is the most debated and for good reason, everything opposes these two technologies on this subject. The question of lifespan is indeed an important element, not only as a player but above all as a consumer. When you buy a TV, you usually want it to last as long as possible and you have to look at the investment in time you make of it.
On the QLED side, there is not really a risk on the life of the product. LCD is a technology that has not only proven itself, but it is also mastered by everyone and on this issue, it has an indisputable advantage over OLED.
OLED and marking / burn-in
The question of marking is the number one argument of people defending tooth and nail LCD TVs and for good reason, OLED, like Plasma in its time, is actually subject to marking. That is, an image, if displayed statically in high brightness and over an extended period, can “burn” the tile. This burn is usually irreversible, so a black imprint may be visible in some cases and interfere with your viewing experience.
Measures to counter marking
Fortunately, the problem of marking, the brands know it perfectly and all propose measures aiming at reducing the risk. LG Display, the only supplier of OLED panels, offers in particular quick panel maintenance when the television is switched off, as well as extended maintenance of 80 minutes throughout the product's lifespan.
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No risk 0, but progress!
If marking is an inherent problem with OLED technology, it is still very young for the general public and it is evolving at a remarkable speed. Today, the latest OLED TVs are much less subject to labeling than the first LG OLED 4K released in 2016, for example. If risk 0 does not exist, and we insist on this, by knowingly buying and having a responsible use of the product, you should not be bothered with the marking on the latest models.
With this information in mind, you should be able to find your way more clearly in front of the multitude of references that are flooding the market. If there are notable differences with undeniable advantages and disadvantages in the two camps, once again, the search for a product which meets above all your needs is essential. The arrival of new generation consoles such as the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 will also be an opportunity to encourage brands to adopt HDMI 2.1. LG since 2019 and Samsung this year are the two main manufacturers to offer HDMI 2.1 on their 4K HDR products and this is another fact that should not be overlooked when considering the renewal of your equipment.
Today, we will once again try to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of these two technologies, give pride of place to the dismantling of received ideas and arouse your curiosity about the real added value that each has to offer.
What is QLED?
The QLED, originally, is nothing other than a brand, and no, it is not “OLED from Samsung”. This mark was registered by the Korean to succeed the “SUHD” and to dust off a relatively old technology which had to be brought up to date with the arrival of the first OLED televisions.
We are therefore talking about QLED at Samsung, but also Triluminos at Sony or Nanocell at LG. Behind these 3 names hide LCD TVs that use the Quantum Dot. Quantum Dot technology (quantum dot or box in French) is used to improve TV backlighting systems by catching up with their colorimetric drift. An LED backlight now rests on blue diodes, covered with a phosphorescent substance making it possible to display more or less good white. The addition of a Quantum Dot filter allows, thanks to the quantum properties of the nanoparticles it contains, to add green and red to the backlight spectrum to obtain a whiter white and therefore a better controlled and more extensive colorimetry.
Like any LCD TV, QLED TVs need a backlight to function. The latter is “Full LED” on high-end LCD models, that is to say that it diffuses its light over the entire screen and embeds what is called a local dimming, an algorithm that partitions in several zones the backlight. This allows the latter to be managed locally and to go out completely in certain places of the image to provide an almost absolute black.
The higher the number of zones, the better the contrast. The big advantage of QLED necessarily lies in its ability to display very bright images thanks to its backlight without affecting the life of the product.
What is OLED?
OLED is a fairly young technology for the general public. What sets an OLED TV apart from an LCD TV is that the OLED does not need a backlight to function. Each pixel emits its own light and can therefore turn on and off independently of the others and produce incomparable contrast. The blacks are abysmal and we avoid light leaks and other disappointments related to the LCD backlights.
In addition, since no backlighting is necessary, the OLED panels are thinner than a smartphone and their energy consumption is also reduced. Today, LG Display is the only company to manufacture OLED panels and supplies Sony, Panasonic and even Philips to name a few of its main partners. Nevertheless, to think that the image quality is identical because they share the same slab is a mistake, each having their own image processing to promote.
OLED vs QLED - Performance with video games
What interests us mainly on Xboxygen is above all to know how these two technologies behave in game. Indeed, televisions are often subject to several disappointments when it comes to video games. If we have recently seen the differences between TVs and PC monitors, there are also differences in performance between OLED and QLED.
Input lag and response time
We have recently seen what the response time measures as well as those related to the input lag mean. Often confused by neophytes, we advise you to consult our article dedicated to latency in order to have all the cards in hand to understand the next lines.
Advantage of OLED
When the question of the reactivity of the panel comes, OLED technology takes advantage over the LCD. Indeed, the response time of an OLED panel is almost zero, we speak of 0.05 ms of response time, which means that the image is displayed clearly in all circumstances.
For the input lag, the values differ according to the brands and the signals but LG is among those who are capable of prowess on the OLED sector with an input lag in 4K / HDR at 60 Hz measured at 13ms on the LG C9 as well as the E9 that we tested last year.
Image quality and HDR
When it comes to image quality, there are definite differences between the many brands. Image processing, for example, is a bit like the signature of a manufacturer, and each has its own approach. A rather subjective affair therefore, some will prefer a very demonstrative image when others will have nothing to do with artifices and thus favor loyalty.
Over time, we also see the arrival of new features like HDR and on this subject, our two screen technologies present marked differences.
The demonstration of QLED…
Thanks to the backlight support, QLED TVs offer a dynamic and very bright image. In addition, Samsung treatments are very “aggressive” when it comes to accentuating the depth and the sharpness of a scene.
For HDR, the backlight achieves stunning light peaks without the need to sacrifice the overall brightness required to keep the image vibrant. If technology is doing less well in dark scenes than OLED, it does however manage to give daytime scenes a rather remarkable richness with beautiful nuances in the highlights.
… Against the precision of OLED
Conversely, the OLED excels when we are in dark scenes. Due to the self-emitting nature of its small organic diodes, it is possible to provide a complete black and keep only a small lantern at full power on the neighboring pixel. All without light leakage, with unequaled precision.
On the other hand, the light scenes are less demonstrative because the OLED is limited in light. To keep the dynamics of a scene in HDR, the TV will reduce the overall brightness (APL) because it can only display a small portion of the image at full light power.
Lifespan and marking
This is probably the point that is the most debated and for good reason, everything opposes these two technologies on this subject. The question of lifespan is indeed an important element, not only as a player but above all as a consumer. When you buy a TV, you usually want it to last as long as possible and you have to look at the investment in time you make of it.
On the QLED side, there is not really a risk on the life of the product. LCD is a technology that has not only proven itself, but it is also mastered by everyone and on this issue, it has an indisputable advantage over OLED.
OLED and marking / burn-in
The question of marking is the number one argument of people defending tooth and nail LCD TVs and for good reason, OLED, like Plasma in its time, is actually subject to marking. That is, an image, if displayed statically in high brightness and over an extended period, can “burn” the tile. This burn is usually irreversible, so a black imprint may be visible in some cases and interfere with your viewing experience.
Measures to counter marking
Fortunately, the problem of marking, the brands know it perfectly and all propose measures aiming at reducing the risk. LG Display, the only supplier of OLED panels, offers in particular quick panel maintenance when the television is switched off, as well as extended maintenance of 80 minutes throughout the product's lifespan.
TV vs PC monitors: what is the best gaming screen to play on Xbox?
What is the best gaming screen for Xbox? We often talk about TV, because it is the peripheral which accompanies for the majority of the players. Nevertheless, with each article where we praise the advantages of new standards supported by the last generations of televisions, numerous are those to...
No risk 0, but progress!
If marking is an inherent problem with OLED technology, it is still very young for the general public and it is evolving at a remarkable speed. Today, the latest OLED TVs are much less subject to labeling than the first LG OLED 4K released in 2016, for example. If risk 0 does not exist, and we insist on this, by knowingly buying and having a responsible use of the product, you should not be bothered with the marking on the latest models.
With this information in mind, you should be able to find your way more clearly in front of the multitude of references that are flooding the market. If there are notable differences with undeniable advantages and disadvantages in the two camps, once again, the search for a product which meets above all your needs is essential. The arrival of new generation consoles such as the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 will also be an opportunity to encourage brands to adopt HDMI 2.1. LG since 2019 and Samsung this year are the two main manufacturers to offer HDMI 2.1 on their 4K HDR products and this is another fact that should not be overlooked when considering the renewal of your equipment.
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