Summary
- OLED panels are prone to degrading faster than other technologies, but you can minimize this by controlling heat. Above all, turn off your TV (or put it to sleep) when it isn’t in use.
- Take advantage of any longevity-focused software features, such as refresh cycles, logo luminance adjustments, and auto-shutdown timers. Some may already be on in the background.
- Keep ambient heat and moisture under control, for instance by using fans and curtains. Clean ports, vents, and your screen every few months to prevent an insulating dust layer.
For now, OLED remains the gold standard in TV display technology. Formats like RGB mini-LED and micro-LED are poised to take over eventually, but not anytime soon — not when you can spend as much on them as you might on a car. It’s going to take a while to scale up production and refine the underlying technology, much in the same way it took years to turn PEVs from a novelty into something people rely on to commute.
Part of the rush to replace OLED is due to the “O” part. Organic compounds break down faster than synthetic ones, so even without any abuse, an OLED panel is likely to degrade faster than its counterparts. Thankfully, it is possible to own an OLED TV for many years without seeing any serious burn-in or other forms of pixel damage. It’s just a question of developing the right habits.
Turn off the TV whenever you’re not using it
Screensavers are the enemy
This tip might be obvious, but it’s worth repeating anyway. Pixel degradation is accelerated by heat, and there’s no better way to eliminate heat than by cutting power entirely. Turn off your TV the moment everyone’s done watching or playing something. Ideally, you might even turn the TV off whenever you expect to be away longer than it takes to get a snack. This shouldn’t be a big deal. Most streaming services can remember where you left off, and game consoles can be paused if you’re not in a cutscene or online multiplayer match.
Screensavers are better than leaving the same frame onscreen indefinitely, but they’re not a true alternative. Indeed some screensavers are terrible for OLED panels, leaving static artwork in place for minutes at a time. What’s better is to check your TV’s Settings app/menu for options that will automatically turn off your TV or put it to sleep after a set period of inactivity. Keep that time limit as low as you can reasonably live with.
Turn on any longevity extension features
Some may be running silent
Manufacturers have developed three main software tools for keeping an OLED TV healthy: pixel-shifting, logo luminance adjustment, and pixel refresh cycles. The first occasionally displaces images by a few pixels in a way you won’t notice, while logo luminance detects static objects and automatically decreases their brightness. Refresh cycles are perhaps the most aggressive feature, periodically recalibrating your TV to make wear less visible. Unfortunately, you can’t actually rejuvenate an OLED panel without replacing it — blame entropy for that one.
There’s a high likelihood that all of these features will be on by default, and you may not even have any control over them. But it’s worth double-checking that in Settings, as well as keeping an eye out for any other longevity-related options. Many TVs should have those auto-sleep or auto-shutdown features I mentioned in the last section, for example. Hopefully, you should be able to save some time learning these things by checking a manufacturer’s online help guide.
Turn down your brightness
You can leave HDR on
Brighter pixels consume more power, generating more heat, leading to faster pixel degradation. If your TV has an auto-brightness feature linked to an ambient light sensor, turning that on should at least lower brightness as your room becomes dimmer. If you have to adjust brightness manually, your best bet is to put on a favorite movie or TV show, then drop brightness as far as it will go without making dark scenes impossible to see clearly. Do this in typical viewing conditions, however — a scene will naturally be harder to see in full daylight than it is with low lamp power at night.
It’s worth making a note on HDR (high dynamic range) here. In some circumstances, it can potentially make degradation worse, owing to near-blinding highlights over and above your normal brightness settings. I’d suggest leaving HDR on, though, especially if your TV offers some way of dialing down its intensity. HDR is one of the main attractions of buying an OLED TV, and its effects can be offset (to a degree) if they allow you to lower overall brightness.
Keep ambient temperature and moisture levels under control
Think beyond air conditioning
There’s no denying that ambient heat is bad for your TV, since it only intensifies what’s going on inside. You’ll be fine for the most part as long as your space is between 32 and 104F (0 and 40C) — that said, it’s best to keep things around standard room temperature (68 to 72F/20 to 22C), or even on the cooler side. An 80F room is going to be uncomfortable anyway, regardless of whether you’re used to a climate like Texas or Arizona.
The ideal is dialing in central air conditioning via a thermostat, but you do of course have other options for lowering heat that don’t involve a noisy window cooler or plugging in a floor fan. A small and quiet fan aimed at your TV may be sufficient. Always keep your TV out of direct sunlight, drawing curtains or blinds if necessary, and pull your TV away from the wall to increase airflow.
Moisture isn’t much of a threat to OLED TVs, but do keep it regulated. If a room feels too humid, make sure you’re running fans and/or AC units often enough. When that’s inadequate, it might be time to buy a dehumidifier.
Dust your TV on a regular basis
Another obvious move
A light amount of dust isn’t going to have much impact. Under a heavy layer, though, internal heat can become trapped. Add high ambient heat and you’ve got a recipe for problems, maybe even static shock. It isn’t the dust itself that’s at fault if you get zapped, mind — dust just tends to gather when there’s enough static buildup. You may actually need to increase the humidity in a room if static discharge is an issue.
You don’t need to dust your TV every week, but you should clean it every few months. Turn off your TV, then wipe down the ports and vents with a microfiber cloth. A compressed air can may help remove dust as well as long as you don’t tilt it up or down too far while you spray. That risks liquid, which you’ll want to wipe off as soon as possible if it lands on a port or cable.
As for the screen itself, use a microfiber cloth and a gentle cleaning fluid — you shouldn’t use conventional window cleaner or anything with alcohol. In some cases, pure water may be enough as long as it doesn’t leave streaks.
