The Costco Connection - October 2018

between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks). Why? With LED TVs, the pixel shutter is closed to show black, but the backlight is never turned off, which sometimes allows some of the light to leak through. With each pixel illuminating independently, this isn’t the case with OLED televisions. We’re talking pure black, which adds more depth to movies, TV shows, sports and games.

• OLED TVs are incredibly thin, because each pixel is its own light source, and therefore no backlighting is required.

In fact, most OLED televisions are only a couple of millimeters thick, or about the same width as a few credit cards stacked one on top of another.

• Thanks to the lack of a shutter array, OLED TVs can show fast motion with less blurring and fewer ghosting issues.

What’s more, OLEDs offer an impressively wide viewing angle, so there’s not a bad seat in the room.

• If you like larger TVs, you’re in luck.

OLED televisions are only available in large sizes: ;; inches and more.

Reading about the benefits of OLED is fine, but it’s best to see the technology with your own eyes.

A new
view
The latest buzz in TVs
is OLED, and they’re
pretty cool

by MARC SALTZMAN

ou’ve finally decided to buy a ;K TV, one of those beautiful televisions that deliver four times the resolution of high-definition.

Perhaps you’ve even narrowed down your decision to the brand you want and even the screen size.

But wait! There’s one more thing you need to decide on: Should you go with an OLED TV?

Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with this exciting new panel technology for today’s big-screen televisions. I can bring you up to speed.

What’s an OLED TV?

Most ;K TV screens have backlighting technology courtesy of LEDs (light-emitting diodes), but some newer television panels layered with OLEDs—organic light-emitting diodes —are made from carbon-based materials that emit light when electricity is applied through them.

These televisions boast the following key benefits:

• OLED TVs deliver unprecedented contrast ratios (the luminance difference

Y
Sounding off

With so much attention given
to the television screen, it’s
easy to overlook the other
important element of your
home theater: sound. Oh
sure, your TV’s stereo audio
might be OK for watching
the evening news or a rerun
of an old sitcom, but you
can do much, much better.

A slender sound bar—which
typically sits just below the
television screen—might
be what you need. You’ll
hear dialogue better; many
include Bluetooth support
to wirelessly stream music
from your smartphone; and
some have advanced audio
codecs like Dolby Atmos to
bring movies alive in your
home.—MS