While OLED technology has been used in smartphone screens for a while now, it's a more recent development in the world of TVs. But OLED? It stands for 'Organic Light Emitting Diode.' The main difference is that the screen isn't back lit like a standard LED TV - instead each pixel is controlled separately by sending an electrical current to it.
At the moment, an OLED will cost a bit more than LED TVs, but prices have dropped dramatically over the last couple of years -so you could pick up an OLED bargain. In 2015, a 55 inch OLED TV would have cost at least £3000, but now you can pick up a brand new OLED TV for less than half that.
Let's find out why OLED TVs are here to stay.
What's best, OLED or LED?
It really comes down to what you prefer. Both technologies can offer super high resolution 4K images with great viewing angles, high refresh rates, and excellent contrast ratios. What does all this mean? A great viewing experience! But there are a few things that OLED TVs do just that little bit better:
Get true blacks
The more electrical current that's sent to the pixel, the brighter it gets. This means that the pixel can also be switched off altogether to create absolute blacks and a higher contrast ratio - and not even the best LED screens can do that.
Ultra thin screens
Because there's no need for the screen to be backlit using an LED panel, they can be very thin indeed. The LG OLED W for example, is just 4mm thick - that's thinner than a digestive biscuit!
Better viewing angles
Because of the way OLED works, it means the viewing angles are far better than LED screens, with almost no loss of colour or contrast at the widest angles.
More energy efficient
LED TVs need the backlight to be on all the time and the LCD pixels either let the light through, or block it - OLED screens do away with the backlight altogether. Instead, they just send power to the individual pixels to turn them on, which uses less energy.
How good are the colours on an OLED TV?
Rich, vibrant and true to life. OLED TVs can create millions of colours. Colour accuracy is another important feature when buying a new TV. You want the content the watch to look as good as it can - and OLED delivers.
Netflix HDR made for OLED
All of the above makes OLED TVs perfect for watching HDR content.
HDR, or high dynamic range, is a type of video pioneered by Netflix, Amazon and the BBC. It’s also found on 4K Blu-ray discs – the next-generation of Blu-ray.
HDR video delivers brighter whites and darker blacks and every shade in-between while also creating more natural colours.
You'll see added layers of detail in dark, shadowy movies while blue skies appear really blue and stars really shiny. Getting technical now! HDR can highlight tiny, nuanced changes in shade.
Are OLED TVs good for watching sports?
If you're not able to be at the match inperson, then watching it on an OLED TV is the next best thing. With such a great picture, you might forget you're not pitch side.
Sports can be fast-paced and packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it action, so your TV’s picture needs to be smooth. To do that your TV needs to be able to show moving objects clearly without blurring. Refresh rate is what keeps the action smooth, and OLED TVs are among the best performers.
What’s more the pitch will be free of dark patches too thanks to the excellent colour uniformity on OLED TVs. So you'll see everything in great detail.
To get the very best from your OLED 4K TV you want to combine it with 4K content. You can watch premiership matches in 4K on Sky and BT Sport. Or opt for Sky Q and watch in stunning UHD.
If you have a 4K TV but are unable to view the high-quality broadcasts, fear not. Thanks to clever upscaling technology, you’ll enjoy greater depth and more vibrant colours even when you’re watching SD and HD channels.
Looking good? Then what are you waiting for? Check our our wide range of OLED TVs
