LCD vs OLED – Which TV Technology is Best?

How LCD & OLED Technology Works

With OLED TV’s, the panel does not require any backlighting, while a LCD TV has it’s own ‘backlight.

The way the backlight works will determine the picture quality of different brands of LED TV’s

OLED is also more expensive to manufacturer then LCD TVs.

This article will go through and break down the Pros and Cons of each TV technology type:

Brightness

LCD TV’s win here as some models can be extremely bright. This means you can easily watch TV with the windows open and the sun gazzing into your room. LCD TVs are great for outdoor patios, pool areas or generally very sunny rooms.

In fairness both TV’s can be very bright, but LCD’s are still technically better in rooms that get more light.

Black Levels

OLED TV’s win here, as they can simply turn off their pixcels and they will show 100% black. LCD TVs on the other hand can dim their backlighting, which will also show a black. Sometimes backlighting from other pixcels can ‘leak’ into the pixcels that are dimmed which cause the picture to be around 85% black.

Again, in fairness the level of blacks is close, but due to OLED technology – OLED wins this round.

Contrast Ratio

In layman’s terms a contrast ratio is the difference between full brightness and full back. OLED TV’s win as they can show 100% true black by turning off their pixels.

The better the contrast ratio, the better the picture quality on the TV as the pictures look more realistic.

Resolution

Both OLED and LCD are tied for the win here, as they are both available in 4K, and some in 8K.

When buying smaller TV’s LCD manufactures do make lower resolution models, like a full HD TV. Currently there are no low resolution OLED TVs on the market.

Motion Blur

Both LCD and OLED TV’s can suffer from minuscule motion blur, when looking up close. The higher the refresh rate of the TV, the less blur you will see. Most high end LCDs are 120Hz.

Viewing Angles

LCD’s do suffer problems when you try to view the TV from various angles. The picture will fad the further you view the TV off-center.

OLED’s do not have any issue with viewing angles, and the picture quality stays the same no matter what angle you are viewing the TV from.

High Dynamic Range (HDR)

HDR allows certain TV models to enhance picture quality by increasing the contrast between black and white, resulting in more life like imagery and video.

OLED TVs with HDR are able to control their color spectrum better, and HDR enabled movies look much better on a OLED TV vs a LCD TV.

Power Usage

Both OLED and LCD TVs use a similar amount of energy/power. The power usage of the TV is directly linked to the brightness of the TV.

Almost all new TVs are very energy efficient, especially when compared to older Plasma style TV’s from ten years ago.

Burn In

Burn in used to be a big issue with older Plasma TV’s. Plasma TVs suffered from this problem, especially if they showed the same image for long periods of time.

LCD’s don’t experience burn in, and on rare occasions OLED can suffer from burn in, but all the newest models of OLED have almost eliminated this problem, so it’s not an issue anymore.

Screen Size

OLED TVs come in a variety of sizes including 42 to 83 inches. LCD TVs now come in smaller and larger sizes. Sony currently has a 98 inch Mini LED TV.

There are even larger TVs called Micro LED and some manufacturers even make Micro-LED video walls. So size is not so much of an issue, but budget.

Price

LCD’s are still cheaper than OLED TVs and more manufacturers make them. If you have budget constraints then a LCD may be the best purchase for you.

Our Recommendation - OLED TV's

Due to the incredible contrast ratio and more life-like colors, we recommend OLED TV’s. They are exceptional for watching movies, their blacks are amazing and they are not as expensive as they used to be.