lcd screen lifespan for sale

How long will your LED display last? In nearly every industry, from retail businesses to concert halls to corporate centers, decision makers need to evaluate the return on investment (ROI) of their LED signage. In most cases, potential buyers go straight to the obvious place: the LED manufacturer’s spec sheet. The industry standard for LED lifespan is 100,000 hours, or about 10 years, and most people assume that’s how long their display will last. But it’s not quite that simple.

The 100,000-hour figure assumes that every diode will be running at full brightness, consistently — which, on an LED screen, is virtually never the case. The lifespan figure can also be misleading because it indicates when a diode degrades to half-brightness, not completely dark. Many other variables affect an LED display’s lifespan; you can’t rely solely on the number on the diode spec sheet.

“The reality is, your screen can often last significantly longer than 100,000 hours,” says Kevin Izatt, a senior product manager in Samsung’s Display division. “We’ve had displays that have been up for 15-plus years with more than adequate brightness. Because the diode is actually only one factor in the lifespan of your LED display.”

The quality of your display’s power supply — and how hard it drives the diodes — can have a significant impact on your screen’s lifespan. The other components being powered, such as fans and electrical components, have their own lifespans as well, which are also impacted by the power supply.

“Fans are mechanical; they break down,” explains Izatt. “And similar to your computer, the electrical components don’t last forever. Together, these factors all contribute to the lifespan of an LED display. Looking at just the diode lifespan doesn’t give you the complete story — almost always, another part will go out first.”

“Something like airflow is very important,” says Izatt. “You need a screen that has good cooling, and a design that allows heat to flow out of the back through vents.”

To help businesses transition from LCD to longer-lasting LED signage, Samsung has launched a trade-in program. Samsung will come on site to remove your existing display and provide a discount on a new LED bundle kit.

Traded-in LCD displays that are still operating will be refurbished and resold, and your business will receive a cash rebate. Nonworking displays will be recycled and their parts reused.

You can’t rely on the number on the diode spec sheet; the lifespan of your LED display depends on many more factors. “Overall quality has a tremendous impact on the life of the display that diode specs just don’t take into account,” says Izatt. Your best bet is to look at the purchase holistically and invest in a top-tier product.

As you plan your LED signage rollout — or an upgrade — learn how to configure and tailor your screens’ real-time messaging with an integrated CMS in thisfree guide. And if you haven’t decided what kind of display is best suited to your current project, compare all ofSamsung’s LED displays.

Perhaps you’ve wondered how long a digital display lasts. It’s a great question. One quick search on Google will tell you that an LCD panel has a lifespan of about 60,000 hours, which is equivalent to almost seven years.

Of course, LCDs aren’t the only kind of displays. You also have LED, OLED, QLED, ELD, PDP, and MicroLED, plus many other variations. Obviously, that 7-year estimation will not apply across the board. For the sake of ease, let’s just focus on some of the common types of displays that most of us are familiar with.

Here’s some LCD alphabet soup: There are LED LCD displays, CFFL LCD displays, LED displays, and more. With all these acronyms, it can get a bit confusing. What"s important to note is whether or not the display uses an LCD panel, and how the LCD panel is illuminated. You can read more about thedifferences between types of LCD and LED signage, but these are the most common types:

LCD displaysgenerate images and colors via a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel, which is not self-emitting and requires an external light source to illuminate the image, typically an LED backlight. Their full name "LED-backlit LCD display" is commonly shortened to "LED displays", which is why they"re often confused with the true LED displays we"ve identified above.

Unfortunately, LED backlights used in LCD displays burn out over time. If used at high or maximum brightness, which is necessary for outdoor applications,an LED backlight will last between 40,000 to 60,000 hours. Or, about 4.5 to 7 years.

OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. OLED displays differ from common LCD displays in that their pixels are self-illuminating. In other words, there is no LED backlight required to illuminate the the display image; everything occurs within the OLED pixels themselves. According to onearticle from the US Department of Energy,OLED screens have a life expectancy of about 40,000 hours at 25% brightness, and 10,000 hours at full brightness. That equates to about 1 to 4.5 years, which is a much shorter (albeit, brilliant) lifetime than an LCD display.

Perhaps you noticed that the acronym QLED closely resembles the acronym OLED. This is not accidental. QLED is basically Samsung’s original design built to compete with OLED technology. However, the two are not the same. QLED stands for Quantum Light Emitting Diode. While QLED is similar to a regular LED design, it in fact differs by using nanoparticles called “Quantum dots” to achieve its unique brightness and color. Samsung approximates that the lifespan ofQLED panels are likely to last 7-10 years. After that, a user is likely to notice traces of degradation.

MicroLED is an emerging display technology, consisting of small LEDs in tiny arrays within each pixel. This technology goes beyond the offerings of the formerly frontrunning OLEDs, with much darker blacks and more radiant contrast levels. And, unlike OLEDs, MicroLEDs are not organic. They are not as subject to burn-in, and thus, have a longer lifespan than OLEDs. However, they are significantly more expensive - so much, in fact, that they aren’t considered a viable option for the majority of consumers.According to Samsung, the lifespan of its MicroLED panels should last about 100,000 hours, or, roughly 11 years.

PDP stands for Plasma Display Panel, and it refers to displays that use small cells full of plasma. The atoms within the plasma emit light upon being charged by electricity. While PDP is generally considered to offer better colors than LCDs, they consume a lot more power and usually cannot be battery-operated.The average lifespan of the newest generation of PDPs is approximated to be 100,000 hours, or 11 years of continual use.

In some ways,reflective LCD panelsoperate similarly to other LCDs, only they have one key difference - they do not require a backlight. Instead, they rely on ambient light (or sunlight) in order to produce images. This opens the door to some groundbreaking possibilities. The first (and most appreciable) is low power consumption. Reflective displays use up to 95% less energy. Not bad - especially in a world that is continually looking for new ways to go green. Take into consideration the financial implications of this. Lower power means less money spent on operating costs.

Being that reflective displays do not require a backlight (a component that is particularly subject to degradation), and since they do not generate as much heat, it is safe to say that the lifespan of these displays should far exceed that of backlit LCD panels (which was 7 years at the high end). However, being that thisinnovative technologyis relatively new, its actual lifespan is therefore more difficult to estimate -- simply because it has yet to be reached.

One company at the front lines of this research isAzumo. Azumo has created a light guide that laminates to the front of a display. It requires 90% less energy than the backlight of a traditional LCD display. This greatly improves the problem of low light visibility otherwise encountered, and keeps reflective displays in the same low energy consumption ballpark. One issue, however, is that Azumo currently only offers its light guides for smaller-sized units. If you happen to want this feature applied to a display that is over 10” diagonally, then you’re still on the search for a solution.

Other “pioneer companies” are at the frontier of this research as well, and many are already innovating new solutions to increase the viability of reflective technology - both in their low light visibility and in the screen sizes they are available in. Due to the huge potential offered by reflective technology, it is fair to assume that we will see even greater enhancements to it in the very near future.

One other factor to consider regarding reflective technology is its cost. That reflective layer is more costly to manufacture than many of the backlights it replaces, creating a seemingly greater upfront cost for those who are interested in investing in energy-efficient signage. However, these initial price points are quickly justified as buyers will recognize the significantly lower operating costs and increased longevity (not even including replacement costs of other “expired” displays) that comes with their purchase of reflective display signage. If a backlit LCD panel only lasts 7 years, for example, you’ll have paid for that LCD twice in the period of ten years. A very valid question arises… is that “cheaper” backlight really cheaper? Probably not. It only feels that way at first.

• Perform highly diversified duties to install and maintain electrical apparatus on production machines and any other facility equipment (Screen Print, Punch Press, Steel Rule Die, Automated Machines, Turret, Laser Cutting Machines, etc.).

Early flat-screen TVs, especially plasmas, were notorious for their limited lifespan. This has improved dramatically with the latest technology, however. You can rest assured that any new TV you buy now should last you until you decide to change it.

A screen"s lifespan is measured as "half life", which is the time it takes for the internal lamp to fade to half its original brightness. Your old CRT set has an average half life of around 25,000 hours, but the latest flat screens claim to last up to twice as long.

LCDs are said to have a slightly longer lifespan to plasmas, but the difference is not particularly significant. Plasma"s half life ranges between 30,000 to 50,000 hours, while LCD offers around 60,000 hours.

In real terms, if you watch the TV for an average of 4-6 hours a day, then a screen with a half life of 30,000 hours will last you over 16 years -- by which time we"ll probably all be watching holograms!

It"s possible to change the lamp for both plasmas and LCDs, but not all manufacturers offer this service and the cost is usually greater than the expense of simply buying a new TV.

There are several technical problems that can afflict flat screens during their lifespan, including dead pixels, backlights and, in plasmas, screen burn -- where a lasting image leaves an imprint on the screen. But manufacturers don"t usually offer repairs and it"s best to find a screen with a good guarantee.

Equally important to extending the lifespan of a flat-screen TV is finding a model with a future-proof specification. This includes features such as integrated Freeview, high-definition compatibility and multiple HDMI connections.

Sony claims the model you mentioned, the KDL-40W2000, has a half life of around 60,000 hours -- more than enough in this day and age. The screen also features a future-proof specification and comes with a free three-year warranty from good suppliers.

Much has been made of the longevity of LCD displays, at least compared to plasma monitors. The conventional wisdom is that LCD televisions last longer than their plasma TV counterparts, which is true. The problem is, a lot of people extrapolate from this that either (a) LCD displays last forever or (b) LCD monitors suffer no picture "wear" over time. Neither of these suppositions is correct.

Flat-panel LCD screen displays have a lifespan approaching 60,000 hours. The lifespan of an LCD display is generally longer than that of similar-sized plasma displays. Some manufacturers even claim that their LCDs can last upwards of 80,000 hours when used continuously under controlled conditions (e.g., in a room with "standard" lighting conditions and 77° temperatures throughout). Just how realistic such claims are is debatable. After all, whose living room has no windows and remains at a perfectly comfortable 77 degrees year-round?

In any case, the pictures on LCD displays will show some "wear" because they are generated by powerful lamps, which, like any lighting appliance, will dim over time and with use. The picture you see will dim ever so slightly as the lamp itself dims.

Therefore, the most important thing to consider when it comes to the lifespan of your LCD TV is the actual lifespan of the light source in your LCD. LCD TVs last as long as their lightsources do. So, the lightsource in your LCD monitor is the critical component of your LCD display unit.

The quality of your lightsource is particularly important for maintaining a proper white balance on your TV. As these florescent bulbs age, colors can become unbalanced, which could result in too much red, for example, in your picture. So, it pays to buy name-brand displays. You will definitely pay more for better LCD display brands like Sharp, Toshiba, JVC, or Sony than you will for cheap Chinese or Korean variety knock-offs, but you"ll get a backlighting bulb of higher quality and, in the end, a TV whose colors will stay truer longer.

To ensure the integrity of your lightsource for the duration of your LCD display"s lifespan, you will definitely want to adjust the CONTRAST setting of your LCD TV. Too high of a CONTRAST level will prematurely age your lightsource because it will have to work harder to maintain such light intensities. Your best bet is to keep your CONTRAST set appropriately for the conditions under which your view your LCD display. Higher light levels require slightly higher CONTRAST levels, while lower ambient light levels demand less CONTRAST.

You will also want to pay attention to the warranty for this particular feature, since it can be shorter than for the display as a whole. This means you might have to buy a whole new LCD monitor because the coverage on its backlight has expired. Moreover, some bulbs can be replaced, while others are built in to the unit itself. You should definitely do some research on the backlighting system, how it"s configured, and how it"s warranted.

Note: Sharp is currently the only manufacturer that makes LCD displays whose lamps can be changed out. This is definitely something to consider, given that LCD monitors dim as their lightsources do, so being able to replace its lamp will restore your picture to "like new" levels.

From a component standpoint, this TV features a lot of parts, but generally, the LEDs in its backlight are probably going to fail first. The average lifespan of an LED at maximum or close-to-maximum brightness is 40,000 to 60,000 hours, or roughly 4.5 to 6.8 years. If you aren’t watching TV for 24 hours a day (which I hope you’re not), an LED TV like the 6-Series could last around 13 years, provided none of the other components fail beforehand.

This is really simple: The LEDs last five to seven years at maximum brightness, so if you want to increase that lifespan, just turn the backlight down!

Image retention refers to any image that "sticks" on a screen, even after the content changes. It usually appears as a faint ghost, and with most TVs, this fades after a moment or two. Burn-in, on the other hand, is a form of image retention that lasts much longer, typically visible even after switching over to a different movie or TV show. It’s caused by leaving a static image on a screen for a long period of time.

Even right out of the box, long-term burn-in is not likely if you"re using your OLED TV like a normal TV. To get permanent damage, you"d need to keep an image on the screen for well over 24 hours straight. This might be a concern for airports or sports bars, but otherwise there"s nothing to worry about. In any case, most OLEDs have a shut-off timer to protect them, and most source devices use screensavers or dimming functions to reduce the damage.

The act of selecting the television screen that suits your needs can be difficult enough, but when you consider all the different technologies available out there, it can become downright confusing. If you aren’t into buying a new set every couple of years, you’ll want to take the TV lifespan into consideration. Thankfully, we’re going to cover

Many of us are unaware of the technical aspects regarding televisions, which often leads to blindly purchasing products with a short shelf life. In fact, the more people shift their shopping habits into the online world, many consumers never even see the screen until it’s up in their living rooms. It doesn’t always work out the way they’d hoped.Selecting a set in person will allow you to see the differences in the different technologies, and you won’t find any surprises when you mount it in your home. It can make or break a purchase in regards to how one wants their favorite show or film presented, so knowing what you’re looking for can be incredibly helpful.

In many cases, the location where the television is being used in the household/building can change opinions regarding a purchase. For example, a room full of windows will cause glare on the screen. If the television is at an angle or mounted up high, the picture may not be visible at all. Since these factors have a huge impact on the usage of the televisions, here’s what the most popularscreensoffer:

LED & LCD –LED and LCD televisions are the big players in the market today. They are basically the same backlit setup and each technology has similar perk/setbacks. LED and LCD televisions work excellent in bright rooms, they’ve outsold plasma televisions (and they have taken over the market). They consume less power, they’re thin/light to transport, and they’re bright. However, both LCD and LED televisions fall short when it comes to motion blur (on lower-end models), they sometimes have backlight issues, and they offer limited viewing angles.

Plasma –Although the plasma screen market has been declared “dead”, some still floating around on the market for a decent price. Plasma screens are known for working the best in dark/dimly lit areas, they have no motion blur, and they have the best black coloring in their picture. Unfortunately, plasma screens fall short when it comes to performing in rooms with lots of windows, so this might be a good purchase on the second-hand market for the basement. They’re bulkier than the competition, and they sometimes have image retention issues. Also, they consume more power and can make a buzzing noise.

People generally want to know the lifespan of a TV in years. The average life of LED TVs and LCD sets is typically somewhere from 4 to 7 years of active use. Most of us don’t watch our TVs twenty-four hours a day, so a simple calculation on your watching habits can give you a good estimate. If you watched for 6 hours a day, you could theoretically multiply that lifespan by 4 (6×4=24), giving you 16 to 28 years.

Considering the regular defects and issues that occur over time, LCD and LED televisions basically have the same lifespan. With each of these technologies, the likely failure will come in the form of a worn-out backlight, so decreasing your backlight levels can significantly extend your set’s lifespan. A higher-quality set with a better backlight can also net you a few more years of use.

Plasma screens look great, but are much more sensitive and have little warranty as they have ceased production. The added bulk also means it will be a little tougher to move around if you’re prone to rearranging rooms. If you choose to purchase a plasma screen, chances are it’s a second set, and you shouldn’t expect it to last forever. If longevity is a big factor, opt for newer technology.

Whenever an OLED TV displays a black scene, the individual pixels shut off completely. Since these pixels emit no light in their off state, the screen appears black as if the TV is powered off. Black levels cannot get better than this.

They have infinite contrast ratios for the very same reason. The contrast ratio is simply the difference between the brightest and darkest points on a screen. Since the black levels are 0 nits of brightness for an OLED TV and you cannot divide anything by zero, it has an infinite contrast ratio.

OLED displays have a near-instant pixel response time of 0.2ms on average. These numbers put the conventional LCD and QLED panels to shame, with a response time of roughly 3.5ms. This is unlike any other display technology in the market right now, and the main reason OLEDs can achieve this is that the pixels turn on and off individually.

While OLED displays can deliver unmatched picture quality, the technology has its fair share of downsides. Here, we"ll discuss the areas where OLED TVs lose the upper hand when pitted against competing LCD TVs.

Since its introduction, one major issue that has plagued OLED technology is screen burn-in or image retention. An OLED TV that you"ve been using for a long time may start to retain static images displayed on the screen for hours, like channel logos, for example. This occurs due to uneven degradation of pixels over a long period.

The individual pixels that turn on to display static images on your TV degrade faster than the pixels surrounding them. This image retention is permanent, and you"ll notice it the most when your screen is white. Although manufacturers claim to prevent burn-in with features like pixel shift, you still have to be extra careful with your usage, especially if you plan to keep your OLED TV for years.

MicroLED technology also addresses one major flaw of OLEDs: screen burn-in. As it uses inorganic materials, like gallium nitride, screen burn-in is not an issue with microLED TVs, meaning you don"t have to worry about their lifespan.

But the best part about microLED TVs is their modularity. Samsung"s microLED TVs use modular panels that you put together to form one giant screen; therefore, you can customize them to fit your room according to your needs.

You may still remember the first TV that came into your home, probably fitted with a cathode ray tube. At the time, the idea of flat screens was almost a science fiction thing, and probably none of the people in the house thought that the appliance had an expiry date. Today, however, we know from experience that this is not the case, and that any gadget is designed to last, at most, as long as the technology on which it is based. So that you don’t have to replace your monitor prematurely, we would like to offer these tips to increase your LED display’s lifespan.

These recommendations are especially useful for professionals and organizations that decide to include outdoor advertising in their business strategy, either by using giant LED screens, digital sign boards, LED Smart City panels or other similar products. By following some small guidelines, not only will the initial investment be more profitable, but this also helps to improve the technical quality of the campaign and, ultimately, the company’s corporate image.

However, before getting into the subject, it is important to point out that we are dealing with a technology that is too recent to talk about complete life cycles. Even so, it is estimated that the average lifespan of an LED display is between 60,000 and 100,000 hours, depending on the use of the screen. Thus, in the best-case scenario, this would be equivalent to using an LED screen for six hours a day for 45 years.

Another aspect that must be made clear is that, when referring to lifespan, we always think of the main component of the screen: the panel, despite the fact that there are other elements that can negatively affect the operation of an LED display. Without going any further, it is much more likely that a circuit will be damaged before the panel is (ignoring, of course, the logical loss of brightness due to the passage of time and the appearance of dead pixels).

This recommendation is another of the most important tips to extend the life of your screen. If the screen is not going to be hung on the wall, itshould be placed on a surface that is resistant and not tilted. To select the ideal distance for users, multiply the size of the TV by four and place it at the user’s eye level, as it can make them lose interest if they have to force their neck to view the screen properly. Otherwise, it could cause discomfort.

To extend your LED display’s lifespan, it is essential to always use products with a suitable formulation for the external components of the display. In saying this, we are not just referring to chemical products, but also to other products commonly used at home to polish televisions, such as vinegar. When you buy your screen, Visual Led will tell you which products are best suited to remove dirt from your LED display.

The second question that I get from friends or family when discussing plasma TVs is, "Plasmas don"t last as long right, they burn out faster (than other television technologies)? The short answer to this question among top tier brands is, "No, plasma is the equivalent of LCD/LED in lifespan as a technology, though there is variation among brands and models".

One practical example I will cite here is the Panasonic Tau units being used by video rental company, In Motion Pictures at major airports around the country. Most of the earlier Tau models have now been replaced by a newer model, but these plasma displays were used for 5 years and were the first generation of plasma displays to go a considerable distance. In Motion displays images on them from 6AM until 10PM daily (16 hours). By my estimates, these early plasma displays by Panasonic were in use by In Motion for around 30,000 hours or more. They never fail to catch my eye as I pass by in one airport or another to see if they are still in use. If they have lost some of their brightness level its hard to tell. This use equates to 18 years for a home owner that watches 3 hours television per day. So a 100,000 hour lifespan for a plasma TV will mean triple that to 54 years at 3 hours per day.

1) Never leave static images on the unit. Plasma phosphors have become more resilient to burn in and there are many technologies now incorporated to prevent it, but still its better to be safe. Do not leave a static image on the plasma screen for more than 15 minutes during the first month of use. This can cause a ghosting effect which will "wash" out by use over time. Watch the unit in full widescreen format as much as possible to avoid differentiation between the side bars of the unit. While this does not actually decrease the longevity of the phosphors it does cause an annoyance to have to play a gray static image to "erase" the temporary burn in.

2) Use Brightness and Contrast levels that are necessary for viewing - not excessive. In a brightly lit room you may need to view the plasma TV or LCD at a higher contrast and brightness, which will decrease the life of the unit. However, there are memory setting adjustments available on most recent plasma displays that allow the user to choose a memory setting to suit viewing needs. At night, or in a lower light room use lower contrast levels and extend the life. Do not use your plasma or LCD TV on 100% contrast (often designated as the picture option in the menu). In rooms with normal lighting you should not need to use the contrast setting on more than 60% of contrast.

NOTE: Plasma and LCD TV manufacturers routinely ship plasma TVs with the contrast (picture) setting tweaked to 100% of contrast. Therefore, you will need to make this necessary adjustment yourself. See our article titled How to Calibrate your TV.

Plasma TV production ended in 2015. However, they are still being used and sold in the secondary market. As a result, it"s helpful to understand how a Plasma TV works and how it compares to an LCD TV.

When a Plasma TV is in use, the gas is electrically charged at specific intervals. The charged gas then strikes red, green, and blue phosphors, creating an image on the screen.

Plasma TVs can be made thin. However, even though the need for the bulky picture tube and electron beam scanning of those older CRT TVs is not required, Plasma TVs still employ burning phosphors to generate an image. As a result, Plasma TVs suffer from some of the drawbacks of CRT TVs, such as heat generation and possible screen burn-in of static images.

LCD crystals do not produce light, so they need an external source, such as fluorescent (CCFL/​HCFL) or LEDs, for the picture created by the LCD to become visible to the viewer.

Unlike a Plasma TV, since there are no phosphors that light up, less power is needed for operation, and the light source in an LCD TV generates less heat than a Plasma TV. There is no radiation emitted from the screen.

Potentially shorter display lifespan. Early models had 30,000 hours or 8 hours of viewing a day for nine years, which was less than LCD. However, screen lifespan improved and 60,000-hour lifespan rating became the standard, with some sets rated as high as 100,000 hours, due to technology improvements.

Not as good at tracking motion (fast-moving objects may exhibit lag artifacts). However, this has with the implementation of 120Hz screen refresh rates and 240Hz processing in most LCD sets, but that can result in the "Soap Opera Effect," in which film-based content sources look more like a videotape than film.

Narrower effective side-to-side viewing angle than Plasma. On LCD TVs, it is common to notice color fading or color shifting as you move your viewing position further to either side of the center point.

Although LCD TVs do not suffer from burn-in susceptibility, single pixels can burn out, causing small but visible, black or white dots to appear on the screen. Individual pixels are not fixable. Replacing the whole screen is the sole option if the pixel burnout becomes unbearable.

An LCD TV was typically more expensive than an equivalent-sized (and equivalent featured) Plasma TV. However, that is no longer a factor, since companies have ceased manufacturing Plasma TVs.

Manufacturers chose to incorporate 4K resolution only in LCD TVs, using LED back and edge-lighting, and, in the case of LG and Sony, incorporating 4K into TVs using OLED technology.

The Samsung S95B is our favorite OLED TV for 2022 because its QD-OLED design, which combines quantum dots with an OLED panel, makes it the brightest, most flexible OLED TV we’ve ever tested. Most OLED TVs excel in perfect darkness and struggle as more ambient light is introduced. While the S95B looks best in total darkness, it maintains its excellence in brighter rooms and really excels with HDR content that takes advantage of its unparalleled brightness and color production. The S95B supports the HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG high dynamic range formats (but not Dolby Vision) and has Filmmaker Mode to automatically show movies as the director intended. It’s also a very gaming-friendly TV, with a 120 Hz refresh rate and four HDMI 2.1 inputs. The S95B is only available in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes, but if one of those sizes works for you, this TV is an easy recommendation for any viewing environment.

When OLED hit the market a decade ago, it revolutionized our collective idea of what a top-tier TV could look like, due primarily to its deep black levels and high contrast. Its main performance weakness compared with LCD TVs has been its lower light output: For years, we’ve seen improvements in luminance only by inches, with 2021’s best models doing their best to hit 800 nits of brightness. Meanwhile, the best LCD TVs have soared to well beyond 1,000 nits.

The S95B’s ability to overcome that hurdle is one of the primary reasons it’s our new top pick. The QD-OLED panel keeps everything that’s great about OLED and closes the brightness gap with quantum-dot LCDs, cresting to over 1,000 nits of brightness without any of the potential downsides we see from LED backlights in LCD TVs—like blooming or glow around bright objects in a dark scene.

My living room is often awash with an amount of sunlight that most OLED TVs struggle to overcome, so the S95B’s improved brightness was immediately appreciable. OLED TVs generally limit their full-screen brightness when most of the on-screen content is bright (such as during daytime sporting events)—but the S95B’s high brightness means it has more overall luminance to work with, so this limitation is much less noticeable. Especially if you’re watching HDR content with Samsung’s Intelligent Mode enabled (which is not at all color accurate, but makes for a very punchy image), the S95B tends to go at full power, raising luminance uniformly across the spectrum so that everything looks brighter—and very bright objects look brilliantly intense. At times I found myself marveling at details like the glow of a computer monitor on a character’s face, or wincing as the camera shifted to show a sunny window over someone’s shoulder. It’s not a treatment videophiles may wholly relish, but most folks will love how it looks in their living room at midday.

Samsung’s Tizen smart TV platform has had a big change this year. In 2021, the interface primarily existed as a row of apps along the bottom of the screen, though you could set it to full-screen mode if you wanted. In 2022, it’s mostly a full-screen experience, and that has made it a little more sluggish than it used to be (more on this below). While the new design has a bit more of a learning curve to get used to, it’s easy enough to find all the usual streaming suspects (Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video) in the Media menu, but you may have to install your favorites.

It’s a shame that the S95B is only available in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes. Many gamers may be angling for a smaller size (42 or 48 inches) for desktop gaming, while folks with home theaters may be acclimated to a 77-inch OLED screen and don’t want to downsize. If you’re in that camp, we’d direct you to the LG C2 Series.

Every OLED TV uses a process called ABL (auto brightness limiting) to stave off issues with panel damage and burn-in, and to extend the life of the panel. This is a sudden on-screen adjustment where viewers might see the whole screen get a little brighter or darker. It can be distracting; fortunately, it’s a minor problem with the S95B. I only saw it occur occasionally, and the TV’s high brightness actually made the effect less noticeable most of the time—so most folks probably won’t see it happening.

Speaking of burn-in, we’ve seen questions and concerns about the Samsung’s potential for burn-in—which is a form of permanent image retention that can afflict any display, but OLED displays in particular. We can’t make any definitive statements about the S95B’s burn-in vulnerability without longer-term use and testing, but it’s been postulated that burn-in is less of a risk for QD-OLED models. We continue to believe that burn-in is not a major concern if you’re using your OLED TV with varied types of entertainment content. But if you’re someone who plays the same video game for hours per day, weeks on end, or you plan to use the TV as a more static computer monitor, LCD might be the safer choice. The S95B does include tools to mitigate burn-in, including a pixel refresher, a cell-cleaning process, and a screensaver that turns on very quickly when content is paused—but it’s still a fact of the technology that prospective buyers and current owners should be aware of.