Home Theater Deep Dive: LED vs. OLED - What does that mean?

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There are really only two types of TV; you have LED and OLED. That one letter can make a whole lot of difference. We're going to talk about what those differences are, the pros and cons of each kind, and determine what might be the best TV for you.

LED TVs are actually LCD TVs with LED backlights. LCD panels can't produce their own light; they simply filter lights through a series of different layers to create color combinations for the color you see. LED backlights sit behind LCD screens and produce the light they need.

Recent advancements to LED TVs include the use of quantum dots: a material that helps LEDs produce a more perfect white light, thereby allowing an LCD panel to do a better job reproducing a wide range of colors and even brighter images.

OLED, which stands for "Organic Light Emitting Diode", have LEDs that produce their own lights and colors; that's why you will sometimes hear OLED referred to as an admissive display.

So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each? LED TVs can get extremely bright--some can get almost twice as bright as an OLED TV, which makes them ideal for daytime viewing or when there's a lot of ambient light in the room. LED TVs are also less expensive, so you'll have multiple levels to choose from. On the downside, LED TVs tend to make halos around bright objects on dark backgrounds and struggle to make good black levels. The viewing angle is usually poor--sit off to the side and the contrast and colors fade.

With OLED TVs, the black levels are perfect, which is a great foundation for contrast. OLED TVs are also remarkably thin, produce excellent color, and have an almost unlimited viewing angle. On the downside, OLED TVs are premium, so they tend to be more expensive. They can't get quite as bright as an LED TV, but will be bright enough for most people.

Right now, to get picture quality on par with OLED, you have to get a premium LED TV. So, if picture quality is the number one concern, then price will be negligible. However, if you want to buy under $2,000, LED is the only way to go, and know that you're still going to get outstanding picture quality.

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[sudhanpoudel]

It's good to see something very well explained with honesty, right and concise info in layman's term, which is greatly missing in most YouTube videos in recent years.

[danram]

Basically an OLED tv will be a better fit for a dark theatre room or just night viewing. And a LED tv for bright rooms like a living room with a lot of windows.

[bayodaman]

Crazy how price can drop so much just in a couple years I love Tech!!

[potentyogurt]

Lots of comments spiting the burn in susceptibility of OLED displays. I wonder how many of these critics formed their opinion from reading one review online. I noticed one below stating "any display thats OLED WILL experience burn in."

Well my Vita (OLED model) has been owned for 8 years and has been used for countless hours and hours and has no burn in or image degradation of any kind. Even then, 8 years is a good run for any display and I tend to replace TVs way before such a length of time considering how quick the technology improves

[ahmadqaffaf]

I can't believe he didn't mention OLEDs burn in issue...

[pepepepepe]

Jesus Christ, everyone is an expert on everything in this chat.

[JunkAccount-igst]

OLED is great but the cost benefit ratio just isn't there. Most people will be happier saving the money and just making sure their LED tv inputs and streaming are at full 4k.

[anutaNYC]

what about burn ins and worrying about the logos on the screens?

[stp]

The left tv is not sitting properly on table

[anandapriyadarshan]

there are only two types of diplays - LCD & OLED (LCD with an LED backlit setup is called an LED display)

[juneru]

id say use OLED for a home theater/phone and LED for a livingroom/monitor.

[SnipeYouFromMars]

Got moved to electronic sales at costco so time to do research lol

[SDGRTX]

Why didn´t you choose the best lcd led tv of Sony of 2017? The worst lcd led tv you can choose was the Qled lmao.
I have the Sony X930E and the blacks are just perfect. The most brightness tv of the market today, and i have no one light issues of halo. Beware too much brightness it can give you some halo. But still i found the sweetspot and i have still plenty of brightness to hurt your eyes. Oled is too risky. but buy one later in the future.

[andy-]

I went from LED 4K 65" to OLED 4K 65" and will NEVER go back. Day and Night in every aspect. And if your a fan of 3D, like me, you haven't seen 3D like this before - INCREDIBLE. I fu.... love my OLED.

[e.sanoop]

Great vdo. How long does an OLED TV last before it starts giving major problems such as display not working etc? I have a 2 year old Thomson LED TV and few days back it stopped working because of backlight issues, if OLED TVs doesn't have backlight, then can it last for 7-8 years properly?

[giddler]

I have to say the image quality ive seen is usually better on OLEDs but i have a hard time believing i would spend all that money to have the HIGH risk of image burn.

[joejones]

Can I get a damn side by side comparison???

[meld.]

OLED = what God’s home theatre looks like

[kaisankamal]

Which one is best for your eyes? I know the LCDs are the worst and CRT as well. But which is better. And which is a good buy when money is not an option? Also which gives more defined projection rather than looking faded?

[aussie]

I am pretty sure there’s more OLED cons than just those 2.