In the modern world of TVs, there are two main types of panels to choose from: OLED and LCD. The first contains no lighting mechanism; instead, all pixels are individually self-emitting, which is part of the reason why an OLED TV can display such deep black levels. As for LCD displays, LED backlighting is used instead of self-emitting. Some LCD TVs use LEDs along the edges of the screen to generate an image, while others use a full array of LEDs along the back of the entire screen. A mini LED TV uses grouped, smaller LEDs (and more) to deliver higher peak brightness and improved colors.
There are pros and cons to owning both types of TVs, and one of the biggest drawbacks for OLED fans is a panel phenomenon called burn-in. This is what happens when a static image is displayed on screen for too long, whether it’s a station emblem in the bottom corner or a centered crosshair in one of your favorite FPS shooter games. But if you opt for a Mini LED TV, you can rest assured that burn-in will not be a problem.
How, you may ask? Because a mini LED TV is actually just an LCD screen with an optimized LED lighting system. Yes, there are pixels embedded in this LCD layer, but they are not self-emissive; they need LEDs to create brightness and color. This “non-organic” imaging approach allows LCD pixels to age more evenly, as opposed to the uneven aging that OLEDs tend to experience.
Image retention can occur on just about any screen, but it is not burn-in.
If you’ve researched burn-in, you may also have encountered a panel phenomenon called image retention. Let’s say it loud and clear: all TVs and monitors are susceptible to image retention, regardless of the panel technology used and/or the price you paid. Personally, I own an old Samsung LCD TV that is regularly plagued by these pesky pixels. Fortunately, image retention is only temporary, and in recent years manufacturers have achieved path best to nip the problem in the bud.
But even if you have an older TV like me, once those cluttered pixels calm down, the image retention you see should disappear. You can also try reducing the contrast and turning off the TV regularly to prevent image retention from recurring. Another positive side of Mini LED TVs is that they are often “premium” or “upper mid-range” when it comes to brand model hierarchies. This means that LG, Samsung, and other Mini LED manufacturers are likely reserving their best picture features for their “pumped” LED models.
We would also like to point out that OLED TV manufacturers have also cracked down on burn-in. I own an LG C5 Series 4K OLED, which has a comprehensive pixel cleaning tool to reduce retention and burn-in. I don’t even need to activate a cleaning cycle, as the TV is smart enough to do that automatically (although the manual cleaning option is also built into the settings).
