The festival time is probably the right occasion to purchase the much-cherished high-end 4K TV to adorn your drawing-room. As you venture into the market, you get bombarded with funny acronyms like OLED, QLED, and so on. Are OLED and QLED just acronyms or names to confuse people, or do they have something different to offer? We shall explore these terminologies in detail and understand the mechanism behind them.
To begin with, OLED and QLED are not just names to contend. They are as diverse as cats and dogs. Each of these technologies has its strengths and weaknesses. Without wasting too much time, we shall quickly go through what these technologies have to offer.
This comparison table should make things easy for you.
Before jumping to any conclusions on the basis of the comparison table, let us understand the terminologies well.
What is QLED?
According to vsbytes.com, QLED represents Quantum Light-Emitting Diode. Before it becomes too confusing, let us clarify that QLED TV is like a regular LED TV but with quantum dots embedded in the LCD panel. Quantum dots are nanoparticles that help to improve the picture quality, colour, and brightness. Samsung is the pioneer in this field.
The source of lighting in a QLED TV is a series of LEDs placed behind an LCD panel. The light emitted by LEDs passes through an LCD matrix before reaching our eyes. In the case of QLED TVs, the light has to pass through the quantum dots, as well. The LCD matrix and quantum dots act as shutters that open and close to let the light in accordingly. They create the picture by letting in the right amount of light. Thus, QLED TV works by dimming the LED backlights and using the shutters to produce true blacks. As the light is transmitted through various layers before reaching our eyes, QLED is a transmissive technology.
What is OLED?
OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode. Though the name appears similar, OLED does not have anything to do with the LED backlighting that we have discussed above. Each pixel in an OLED TV is a tiny LED by itself. It can produce both light and colour. Therefore, the OLED TVs do not need any backlighting.
The advantage of OLED over QLED is that there is no need to dim the lights for producing true blacks. An OLED TV can simply turn off the pixel to create absolute darkness. As on date, only LG manufactures OLED panels. The Sony OLED TVs work on the panels produced by LG. As this technology involves the emission of light by the OLEDs, it is known as emissive technology.
Now, with the definition of OLED and QLED out of the way, let us compare the individual parameters to judge which of the two technologies is the better one.
Contrast and Black Levels
In simple terms, TV contrast is the difference between the brightest part of an image and its darkest part. Thus, if a TV can deliver high-quality darkness, it can achieve an excellent contrast. In this context, the OLED TVs have an edge because they can shut off the pixels and do not produce any light at all, thereby achieving perfect darkness.
On the other hand, QLED TVs rely on dimming the LED backlights to achieve darkness levels. Despite their best efforts, some amount of ‘Light Bleed’ can occur, whereby it can spill over to the black portion of the screen. Though it is not easily noticeable in isolation, one can sense the difference if they place both QLED and OLED TVs side-by-side.
Brightness Levels
QLED TVs use separate backlights for producing brightness, as compared to OLEDs that rely on each pixel to create their own light. Therefore, QLED TVs perform better in this aspect. The difference is easily observed in a brightly lit room. However, in a darkened environment, it should not cause any problems at all.
Colours
Both OLED and QLED TVs produce magnificent colours. Hence, there is not much to compare these technologies in the colour space aspect.
Refresh Rate, Response Time, and Input lag
Under normal circumstances, a refresh rate of 60Hz or 120Hz should be ideal for a TV. Both QLED and OLED TVs come with Variable Refresh Rate that allows you to play games with ease. Similarly, input lag is not much of a concern, as these TVs produce low levels of input lag.
The response time is a crucial factor. Response time is the quantum of time taken by a pixel to switch from one state to another. Naturally, a quicker response time ensures a higher degree of clarity. OLED TVs come with a response time of 0.1 milliseconds, as compared to QLED response times of 2 to 8 milliseconds.
Viewing Angles
Ideally, the perfect angle to watch a TV is to sit right in front of it. As you move towards the sides, the colours, brightness, and contrast can diminish. OLED TVs allow you to go up to 84 degrees without affecting the picture quality, whereas QLED TVs provide the best output if you sit right at the centre.
Screen Size
Despite the odd 88-inch OLED TV, OLED screens have maxed out at 55 inches. On the other hand, you have a better range with QLED TVs. Some of the latest Samsung TVs have a screen size exceeding 100 inches, as well.
Lifespan
LED backlighting has a proven track record in this aspect, as compared to OLEDs.
Screen Burn-In
Screen burn-in should not be an issue, especially if you keep watching different channels. It can happen in some OLED TVs if you continuously watch a particular channel. QLED TVs are not susceptible to screen burn-in.
Power Consumption
OLED panels are thinner in comparison and do not have any backlighting. Thus, they are better when it comes to issues like power consumption.
Pricing
The prices of OLED TVs have come down in recent times. Nevertheless, QLED TVs are better off in this aspect.
Verdict
Since we have explained every aspect in detail, we leave the decision to the audience. You can decide which is the best one for your drawing room.
