LG Issues Statement On OLED Gaming Monitor Warranty And If It Covers Burn-In
OLED display panel technology delivers a host of attractive inherent qualities. However, it has long had a reputation for having burn-in issues, where an image that stays stationary on screen for too long in the same place can persist, to some degree. Now LG, one of the biggest manufacturers and promoters of OLED display panels, has cleared up its two-year warranty terms, which were previously a little off-putting for its monitor users.
On a TV, OLED monitors might suffer from burn-in due largely to ever-present channel logos, like AMC, CNN, or whatever. With a TV tuned to the same channel for hours and hours, particularly at high-brightness levels, the OLEDs displaying these static logos get permanently 'worn'. Thus, changing channels will make it apparent that images are affected by the 'ghost' of the channel logo.
On a PC, tablet, or smartphone there can be similar or worse burn-in due to user interface elements. If you were using an OLED monitor in Windows, for example, potential burn-in problems could be caused by your desktop icons, and the start menu / task bar.
One of LG's desirable OLED Gaming monitors was recently reviewed by The Verge, and the reviewer was perturbed by a warranty warning. The LG two-year warranty stated that the OLED monitor would not be covered for "burned-in images resulting from improper usage." This vague language raised concerns, so the consumer tech site asked LG for some clarification.
So, it looks like LG's warranty with regard to OLED burn-in and improper usage is actually going to be pretty reassuring and useful to regular PC users and gamers.
