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
LG
color series was The Marriage,
a situation comedy broadcast
live by NBC in 1954.
COSTCO
CONNECTION
Look for OLED TVs
and sound bars at your
local warehouse and on
Costco.com.
Marc Saltzman
is a leading high-tech
reporter and is the
author of more than 16
books. He’s on Twitter
@marc_saltzman.
Saltzman will answer
selected questions in
this column. He regrets
that unpublished
questions cannot be
answered individually.
Email
connection@costco.com
Please include
“Tech Connection”
in the subject line.
Mail
Q&A Marc Saltzman
Costco Connection
P.O. Box 34088
Seattle, WA
98124-1088
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