Question regarding OLED smearing

Phixsator · 12 Apr 2025 at 06:41

So, I'm running a Samsung OLED G8 3440x1440 175hz "smart" monitor. Thing is I get dark smearing, sorta like VA trailling, on desktop that is very very noticeable. I can also get the monitor to show an effect like overshoot but that much less noticeable. Now this is not what I pictured owning an OLED would be like

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Symptom: drag any window on desktop with darker shades of grey into an area with black and see heavy black trailing in the grey.

My setup on desktop: Black background, hidden taskbar, 1 minute screensaver with a blackscreen. Everything is dark mode themed. Mainly for my eyes sake but also for the monitors.

Monitor is setup to use all its anti burnin features but is otherwise stock in its settings outside of brightness being turned down from 50(max) to 25.

Now to the question: Do OLED pixels need to "warm up" to perform their best? I remember having an IPS a long time ago that didn't perform that great until like 20 minutes after I've turned it on.
If that is the case then I guess I've set the panel up for "failure".

Things I've tried: Using HDMI, using DP, increasing the brightness, resetting the monitor(several times), looking for a inf download on samsungs site(no luck), tried windows, tried linux, tried 60hz, 120hz, 175hz, tried game mode(on monitor) off and on.

Minstadave · 12 Apr 2025 at 07:00

This sounds very wrong, OLED pixel response is almost instant compared with IPS/VA. There shouldn't be smearing or warm up time.

Phixsator · 12 Apr 2025 at 08:26

Minstadave said:
This sounds very wrong, OLED pixel response is almost instant compared with IPS/VA. There shouldn't be smearing or warm up time.

That is my understanding of OLED as well. I've noticed however, that I can get the same thing to happen on all of my phones that have an AMOLED display. My samsung A50 did it and so my current Nothing Phone. Makes me wonder if it is a "feature" in samsung oleds

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Rroff · 12 Apr 2025 at 08:50

Is there a response speed option in the OSD? If so check reviews for the best setting - sometimes the fastest or default setting can actually be worse than normal or standard, etc.

Phixsator · 12 Apr 2025 at 09:03

Rroff said:
Is there a response speed option in the OSD? If so check reviews for the best setting - sometimes the fastest or default setting can actually be worse than normal or standard, etc.

Never seen a response option on an oled. It usually just switch as fast as possible all the time. My current panel certainly don't have one.

Rroff · 12 Apr 2025 at 12:37

Phixsator said:
Never seen a response option on an oled. It usually just switch as fast as possible all the time. My current panel certainly don't have one.

Are you running it at 120Hz or above - looking at the reviews they mention smearing at 60Hz but it goes away at higher refresh rates. EDIT: Oh I see you mentioned trying that.

Phixsator · 12 Apr 2025 at 13:10

Rroff said:
Are you running it at 120Hz or above - looking at the reviews they mention smearing at 60Hz but it goes away at higher refresh rates. EDIT: Oh I see you mentioned trying that.

There is a difference between the smearing you are mentioning, which I think is just regular blurring due to refresh rate, and the dark smearing I'm having issues with due to slow pixel response. But I appreciate your attempt at helping regardless.

Meddling-Monk · 12 Apr 2025 at 13:46

Hmmm... There is no smearing unless if the cables being used isn't certified for the rating needed for the display and GPU. But you've already tried HDMI and DP so unless if they're both out of date versions, that should be OK.

Is VRR enabled (as I see you have an AMD card in your sig)? And have you tried with a different GPU?

Phixsator · 12 Apr 2025 at 14:46

Meddling-Monk said:
Hmmm... There is no smearing unless if the cables being used isn't certified for the rating needed for the display and GPU. But you've already tried HDMI and DP so unless if they're both out of date versions, that should be OK.

Is VRR enabled (as I see you have an AMD card in your sig)? And have you tried with a different GPU?

the DP cable came with the monitor. I've bought a certified HDMI cable which didn't change anything. It is mini connections going into the monitor, so a pain to find correct cables. It has been the same on my RX 6950XT and my temporary 980ti(max 120hz over DP).

EDIT: VRR has been both on and off. VRR has its own set of problem with the 9070 however.

Kirby Wurm · 12 Apr 2025 at 20:51

Hmm, this sounds odd. I have the same panel in my MAG 341CQP (also 175Hz) and haven't noticed anything like this (I also run a black background due to paranoia around burn in, though I do wonder if that will actually accentuate it).

I'll have a play around later and confirm. Currently using a 5080 but didn't notice anything with the 6800 XT I had prior.

Kirby Wurm · 13 Apr 2025 at 11:24

I checked this and definitely not occurring on my screen. Are there any additional "smart" features turned on?

Personality+ · 13 Apr 2025 at 17:26

Something is wrong with display drivers or colour bitrate?

Phixsator · 14 Apr 2025 at 17:03

Kirby Wurm said:
I checked this and definitely not occurring on my screen. Are there any additional "smart" features turned on?

I've tried running the monitor without any smart features at all, no apps no nothing. Still does it.

Personality+ said:
Something is wrong with display drivers or colour bitrate?

Bitrate is set to 10bit automatically. Haven't touched it. Can't be display drivers as it happens in windows and linux and on every GPU I've tried including a 980ti.

EDIT: I have tried a custom resolution, 3440x1440 @ 175hz so what the monitor ships with, but using reduced blanking and it seems to reduce the problem massively.