Your experience with OLED burn-in

[SmartUsername]

The TV was picked up by Currys 4 days ago. Ill let you know how I get on.

 

[malachi]

Mine has some sort menu boxes burnt in at the bottom in the centre - I have no idea what from as the only menus I would load regularly would be netflix, prime or youtube to select content, and these boxes don't fit the bill. Then I have completely random staining directly in the centre which seems to be getting worse on a daily basis, a large proportion of the red pixels are obviously degrading all at once.

For others saying - I've never had burn in - I was in that group too a couple of weeks ago, then bam out of nowhere there it is! Be warned.

LG should be ashamed quite frankly, if many owners were made aware of the possibility of such rapid burn at the point of purchase - their buying choice would be different, mine would have been. A high end TV costing thousands should last at least 5 years, not be fit for the skip straight after the 1 year manufacturer warranty runs out. Could be a case for Watchdog to change LG's stance on fixing people's panels.

SmartUsername - please keep us posted with your experience with Currys! Cheers

Burn-in is not stated on my warranty but this is one of the reasons why I never buy such an expensive TV unless it comes with 5 or 6 years warranty.

 

[MOOGLEYS]

LG won’t care with individuals ringing up and complaining they will care if retailers start making complaints about high returns. The best thing to do is if you get issues is get in touch with your retailer and make a complaint and use your consumer rights if needed.

 

[Steampunk]

Burn-in is not stated on my warranty but this is one of the reasons why I never buy such an expensive TV unless it comes with 5 or 6 years warranty.

The problem is that most companies will exclude "misuse", so if you get burn-in because you watched a couple of hours of news, then you've misused your TV and warranty is void. There have been a few people that have taken it to court and instantly won because the judges don't think that ruining your TV by watching it is sufficient to deny a replacement/refund.

 

[Shac]

Hmm would be nice to have evidence of these people winning.

 

[jpaul]

just need to line up your ducks if you make a return, this had seemed logical approach ... LG's wording is interesting.

....
As for the alterations, I stated that the i-shift function had been activated since day one. That the tv was equipped with a screensaver that cuts in to protect the screen if a static image is left on screen. That it cuts in after 2 mins of no activity.

I copied and quoted in different colour text the statement from the LG website that runs over several paragraphs about the durability of the OLED screen:

OLED TV Reliability: Burn-In & Lifespan – Get The Facts | LG USA

I reiterated LG's statement that damage was rarely causable in a consumer environment and re-stated their statement on the conditions necessary for damage to be caused.

Then pointed out that as it was impossible to create the conditions required for screen damage as stated by LG by watching Youtube, by virtue of the fact the screen saver cuts in after 2 minutes to protect the screen. I explained that the only explanation for the damage given the screensaver protects the screen from those conditions stated by LG as necessary to cause damage, is the panel is suffering a manufacturing defect, a defect that has laid undiscovered.

I also mentioned how my warranty didn't exclude screen burn. Obviously this will depend on your warranty and it's terms - I downloaded a copy of my terms and conditions at the time od purchase. (Note this is additional to your rights under the Consumer Rights Act, not in place of).

 

[Steampunk]

Hmm would be nice to have evidence of these people winning.

There was quite an extensive thread I was following last year on the Sky forums, I would give you a link but now it appears you have to register to get access to their forums.

 

[hornetstinger]

How would screen burn void warranty? It's like saying if you scratch a car door, warranty on the engine is void. They're not related.

If the PSU or processing board dies on a LCD it has nothing to do with you even if you deliberately caused screenburn.

 

[Steampunk]

How would screen burn void warranty? It's like saying if you scratch a car door, warranty on the engine is void. They're not related.

If the PSU or processing board dies on a LCD it has nothing to do with you even if you deliberately caused screenburn.

Well it probably doesn't invalidate the whole warranty, just the part that relates to the screen. So if you complain the screen has burn in, you won't get it repaired under warranty. If you do get burn in, you obviously misused the TV. It's circular argument.

Obviously a TV's main purpose is its video/audio output, so most people would not be happy to have a faulty, unwarranteed display on their display device, regardless if the rest of the innards were still covered by the warranty.

 

[SmartUsername]

As promised here is an update on my issue.
Quick recap. Over short period of time, screen started to show discolouration and screen burn. It was a LG OLED 55B6 Oct 16 model. Just over 2year old with a currys 5 year warranty. Additionally just before pick up, it was having issue starting up from standby.
I contacted LG who were not interested. I got a 5yr warranty from Currys when purchased, so called up and started the process with Currys.

Currys picked up the TV last week. I checked my tracker number last night to say fix is complete and TV is due for delivery next week.
I phoned up the currys teamknowhow this afternoon for some details. It was explained over the phone that the cause of the dis-colouration etc was caused by screen burn in, and I am now expecting him to tell me therefore its not covered, but no.... they replaced my screen..... (and some power units that caused the other issue- LG quoted me £1200 repair bill alone for screen)
I asked about the causes of screen burn and he says its caused by TV being on too long.

So I take that as basically its my fault, for watching it too much, he also used the term screen burn a few times... and they still changed my screen. My experience certainly seems to differ from most with similar issues.

So obviously very happy with the outcome. Unexpected. I was starting to read up on small claims court process, fully expecting to have to take this further.

Hope this has proved useful to some. Never thought I would be so happy to have bought something from Currys.

 

[snarloas1982]

As promised here is an update on my issue.
Quick recap. Over short period of time, screen started to show discolouration and screen burn. It was a LG OLED 55B6 Oct 16 model. Just over 2year old with a currys 5 year warranty. Additionally just before pick up, it was having issue starting up from standby.
I contacted LG who were not interested. I got a 5yr warranty from Currys when purchased, so called up and started the process with Currys.

Currys picked up the TV last week. I checked my tracker number last night to say fix is complete and TV is due for delivery next week.
I phoned up the currys teamknowhow this afternoon for some details. It was explained over the phone that the cause of the dis-colouration etc was caused by screen burn in, and I am now expecting him to tell me therefore its not covered, but no.... they replaced my screen..... (and some power units that caused the other issue- LG quoted me £1200 repair bill alone for screen)
I asked about the causes of screen burn and he says its caused by TV being on too long.

So I take that as basically its my fault, for watching it too much, he also used the term screen burn a few times... and they still changed my screen. My experience certainly seems to differ from most with similar issues.

So obviously very happy with the outcome. Unexpected. I was starting to read up on small claims court process, fully expecting to have to take this further.

Hope this has proved useful to some. Never thought I would be so happy to have bought something from Currys.

Out of curiosity, did you leave the oled light setting at its default? i know on my e7 it was to high out of the box with a setting of 85. I believe i have it at around 45 which is much better for me.

 

[SmartUsername]

I have never adjusted the OLED setting. It may have been higher than 85. I will certainly review it when setting up the TV on its return

 

[snarloas1982]

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/lg/b6-oled/settings use this as a guide and tweak to suit your setup. It says around 40 for your panel but not everyone's room or tv is exactly the same.

 

[SmartUsername]

Thanks for the link

 

[joewm18]

That's a great result. Thanks for updating us. Please let us know how you get on when they drop it back to you - ie if they've actually replaced the panel and it all works as it should.

I'll begin the process myself soon.

As other have said, definitely tweak your settings for a better picture and prolonged panel life.

 

[pioneer2000]

I asked about the causes of screen burn and he says its caused by TV being on too long.

So I take that as basically its my fault, for watching it too much, he also used the term screen burn a few times... and they still changed my screen. My experience certainly seems to differ from most with similar issues.

So obviously very happy with the outcome. Unexpected. I was starting to read up on small claims court process, fully expecting to have to take this further.

Hope this has proved useful to some. Never thought I would be so happy to have bought something from Currys.

Lol, you’re happy that they’ve told you “you’ve watched your tv too much”...

Ridiculous.

Turning down the OLED light setting especially when using HDR is missing the point. These panels barely get bright enough for the HDR spec anyway, so running at anything less than 100 (which iirc is the default for HDR) is simply compromising for the flaw inherent in the panels design.

 

[joewm18]

It's a very good point. Compromises with settings shouldn't have to be made at all! Oled is clearly flawed and probably shouldn't be for the mass consumer market as it's not ready / suitable due to lifespan.

 

[Steampunk]

That's a great result. Thanks for updating us. Please let us know how you get on when they drop it back to you - ie if they've actually replaced the panel and it all works as it should.

I'll begin the process myself soon.

As other have said, definitely tweak your settings for a better picture and prolonged panel life.

How long is prolonged? We've already seen LG redesign the panel elements to try and prolong the panel life, and now people need to turn down the light setting further from the defaults to try and make the panel last. It seems it's more an exercise in LG getting the panels to last past the warranty period, and the retailers having to deal with it (or argue with the customer) when it doesn't.

TV's are not like tyres that are expected to wear away in use and be replaced when they are done, yet we seem to be told we're watching them too much, or to make adjustments to make them last longer ie drive more slowly, don't drive so far, etc. Have they finally turned TV's into consumables?

 

[SmartUsername]

Lol, you’re happy that they’ve told you “you’ve watched your tv too much”...

Ridiculous.

Turning down the OLED light setting especially when using HDR is missing the point. These panels barely get bright enough for the HDR spec anyway, so running at anything less than 100 (which iirc is the default for HDR) is simply compromising for the flaw inherent in the panels design.

I'm not happy with the explanation of why I had screen burn, I'm happy it's getting resolved.
I shared because I think it's a stupid reason as well. I'm just fortunate to get a positive result (although I don't have the TV back so maybe too early to say) Hopefully this is a change of policy from high Street retailers and others start getting more help when issues arise.

 

[SmartUsername]

.... Cont... And to me, its obvious Oled is inherently flawed. Great picture quality but limited lifespan. Totally unacceptable for such an expensive item.
I won't spend any more money on LG products, how many more are thinking the same. LG should wisen up and support their customer base before it is too late.