OLED TVs Offer Up Excellent Color, But Is That Enough?

Dateline: 03/14/2015
LG and Samsung both debuted the first large screen OLED TVs a couple of years ago with great fanfare, but since then, Samsung has dropped out, leaving LG as "the keeper of the flame" with regards to OLED TVs.

Not dissuaded, LG has not only held its ground, but at the 2015 CES debuted several new models and screen sizes, as well as adding 4K resolution capability its OLED TV mix.


That, along with lower pricing (compared to its first generation OLED TVs), is designed lure more consumers to the cool-looking and impressive performance sets. Also, with Plasma TVs now gone from the market, only OLED can deliver those deep black levels.

However, even though LG is putting up a positive front as the sole maker of OLED TVs, LCD TVs (which LG also makes) continue to dominate the consumer market by a vast margin (they have survived CRT, Rear-Projection, and Plasma) - which means that its manufacturing infrastructure is firmly in place, with no current plans to retreat.

In addition, even though OLED offers a superior TV viewing experience, LCD continues to surprise industry observers with the incorporation of new technologies to increase performance standards in an attempt to keep pace with any competing display platforms, such as OLED.

Two examples of new technologies that LCD TV makers are adopting to improve performance are Quantum Dots and HDR.

Quantum Dots brings improved color range to the LCD TV platform that not only approaches OLED color quality but at a much lower price.

In fact, what is ironic, is that LG is also employing Quantum Dots in select 2015 model 4K Ultra HD LCD TVs. For details on how Quantum Dots work and how they are implemented in an LCD TV platform, read my report: Using Quantum Dots To Enhance LCD TV Performance.

HDR (High Dynamic Range) is another technology that also ups that ante further by expanding the brightness/contrast range of the LCD TV platform significantly. Some analysts believe that HDR alone might put the brakes on OLED as OLED TV tech might not be able to attain the same brightness/contrast levels - which means that sometime in the near future, OLED TVs might look less impressive compared to their HDR-equipped LCD counterparts, just as Plasma (although providing deeper black levels)  failed to keep pace with LCD with regards to panel brightness.

For more on HDR, refer to the Dolby Vision Page (Dolby Vision is one HDR option that is being considered for widespread adoption).

On the other hand, LG has claimed that OLED not only surpasses LCD on the color front (despite Quantum Dots), but will also be able to incorporate its own version of HDR technology to increase OLED panel brightness levels.

In fact, to back up that claim, LG Display (the panel maker for LG and supplier of panels to several other manufacturers) presented a demo of a 65-inch HDR-equipped OLED TV prototype at the 2015 CES and also has a brief overview of OLED with HDR on its website.

However, despite the demonstration and the website overview, there are still some unanswered questions as to how HDR (at the same brightness levels planned for LCD TVs) can be accomplished within the OLED platform without sacrificing color performance and panel lifespan. For more on the challenge posed by HDR for the OLED TV platform, read the recent report from Forbes.

How long can the LCD-based TV platform remain "King of the Hill"? Also, with LG currently being the sole maker of OLED TVs, is OLED even a threat to LCD TV dominance, especially if LCD continues to pull out more surprises to improve performance? Definitely stay tuned...