Understanding Pixel Cleaning and Refresh on OLED Displays

Key Concepts

• Pixel Cleaning/Refresh: A feature on OLED TVs and monitors designed to mitigate image retention and burn-in, not to clean the screen literally.

• Image Retention: Often mislabeled as burn-in, this occurs when static images leave ghostly artifacts on the screen. There are two types:

  1. Temporary Image Retention: Caused by varying reactions of transistors driving the pixels due to voltage changes, often a result of extended display usage or overheating. Resolution usually occurs automatically or by allowing the display to cool.
  2. Permanent Image Retention: Caused by uneven degradation of the organic LEDs over time, particularly when static images are displayed too frequently.

Mitigating Image Retention

• Temporary Image Retention:

  • OLED displays sometimes automatically execute short pixel cleaning cycles post-usage to recalibrate transistors.
  • Turning off the display to cool down may help resolve temporary retention.

• Permanent Image Retention:

  • Long pixel cleaning cycles assess pixel degradation and recalibrate brightness by adjusting current flow. This usually happens after extensive use (e.g., thousands of hours).
  • Avoid running long refresh cycles manually unless necessary to prevent premature pixel wear.

Tips for OLED Display Care

• Follow product manuals to understand short and long pixel cleaning features as terminologies vary by manufacturer.
• Allow modern displays to manage retention cycles automatically to avoid unnecessary stress on pixels.
• Limit viewing of static content for prolonged periods to minimize the risk of retention.
• Manually trigger long compensation cycles only when visible problems are evident.

Sponsor Acknowledgment

• Circuit Specialists: Provides competitive tools and supplies for the STEM community. Explore their range for educational and professional needs at a discount using code LMG.

Engagement

• Viewers are encouraged to interact with the video content by liking, commenting on suggestions, and subscribing for more content.