OLED iMac Panel Could Include Extra Layer to Fight Screen Burn-In

[Spock]

For Apple the $1299 pricing was part of the brand from the 90s. It was iconic. I know it’s a great computer

I think it will come back down to that price point again, it has been there before. Pretty sure the first 21.5 4k iMac had a starting price of $1499

 

[Agent007]

iMac pricing has always kind of fluctuated, $1499 for essentially a Mac mini, 4.5k display, mouse and keyboard really isn't that bad.

"Essentially" being the key word. Because, should the computer die, the display is useless. Presumably, if the display dies, the computer is usable but you have a monstrosity of a machine with the same computing power as a Mac Mini.

 

[code-m]

Have a M4 iMac not sure it’s time to upgrade to an OLED one with an M6 or M7. Apple seems to have a two year upgrade cycle for the iMac which means it’s has lower appeal compared to MBP/A and Neo.

 

[code-m]

LG Display has already demonstrated a 27-inch 5K panel at 220 PPI with an RGB stripe subpixel layout. Given it uses the four-stack structure, it is likely not destined for an iMac

😞

Well if the scales of production favour a 27” then 24” will be sunset. No point paying extra to produce a 24”.

 

[seek3r]

iMac displays are already bright enough (ran mine at a fraction of what it could do).

Need better contrast not more brightness.

Good thing the biggest single selling point of OLED displays is contrast

 

[Mr_Ed]

It doesn’t, at least not in professional hardware. It’s mainly a matter of price, not technology.

My 32” LG OLED has zero burn-in after 5 years of professional and personal usage. Sometimes up to 16hr-days with menu bar always visible. Mostly static elements during photo/video editing, and coding. Not an issue, at all.

Again, burn-in has been solved years ago. However, my screen was $3k MSRP, unlike a cheap gaming OLED that can be had for less than $1k. - You get what you pay for.

OLED panel manufacturer LG disagrees with your assessment.

LG Display is developing a five-layer OLED panel structure that could end up in a future iMac, with an extra layer added to prevent screen burn-in and increase brightness …

 

[drunkaviator]

An OLED iMac will not be worth it, if it pushes the price beyond that which people are willing to pay. Especially with the RAM crisis. High mac prices are going to push the product line back into the bad old days, where only an elite could afford them, which will drive the user base down. Scrap demanding on device AI software, which needs a ton of RAM, and keep the displays mini LED.

 

[Wrangle]

"Essentially" being the key word. Because, should the computer die, the display is useless. Presumably, if the display dies, the computer is usable but you have a monstrosity of a machine with the same computing power as a Mac Mini.

That scenario is cited constantly on these forums as a reason to buy a separate cpu and monitor, but I wonder how often it actually happens irl that the either the display or cpu in someone’s iMac fails while there’s still several years of useful life left in the working component. I’m sure it happens, but I bet it’s pretty rare.

 

[svish]

Want to see a bigger iMac and would be great if it can launch along with an OLED version. With OLED display, price of 24" iMac could easily increase by $200 at least. Also possible that iMac update, after the possible update later this year, might happen only in 2028.

 

[TigerNike23]

I'd love an iMac with an AOD for when it's locked like with iPhone. However, as has been mentioned before... idk how you do that without burn-in risks.

 

[dredlew]

OLED panel manufacturer LG disagrees with your assessment.

None of that statement disagrees with what I said. You might want to read my post again...

The point is price, not technology. The issue has been solved years ago, the question is at what price point. They may now have new technology that also works in low price screens.

 

[lotones]

Saying "OLED burn-in isn't a thing anymore because my OLED doesn't have it..." is like saying "cancer isn't a thing anymore because I don't have it". Your specific use case doesn't dismiss the thousands of documented cases of burn-in, and the fact that OLED manufacturers themselves still warn about having static images on their products.

Sure burn-in isn't as much an issue as it use to be, but it's still an issue. And how about that Automatic Brightness Limiting and fuzzy text? There are some use cases where OLED is just totally inappropriate.

 

[Mr_Ed]

None of that statement disagrees with what I said. You might want to read my post again...

The point is price, not technology. The issue has been solved years ago, the question is at what price point. They may now have new technology that also works in low price screens.

I did see that, but there is no way to completely eliminate degradation and burn-in risk in any type of OLED panel, regardless of cost. The most effective way to ensure longevity is simply to not have static images or elements on the screen. Outside of that, the impacts can only be mitigated, or more to the point, delayed through various schemes that sometimes constitute performance trade-offs. As an example, look at the 2021 LG UltraFine 32EP950, which was aimed at pro users and had a MSRP of $3999 in the US. Would you agree this is the sort of price point you are talking about?

Its panel (not actually manufactured by LG) was susceptible to burn-in and degradation just as much as any other OLED panel. It had great color gamut and was great for some professional workflows. It implemented auto brightness leveling, pixel shifting, and I believe, screen saver modes, just like every other OLED monitor or TV. Why? Because it was necessary to achieve some longevity in the OLED panel. Its brightness was limited for the sake of longevity and it doesn’t keep up even with regular consumer gaming OLED monitors or TVs, which beat it by a significant margin.

Maybe for an expensive pro monitor, trading longevity for other specs makes sense, but it comes with a performance cost (peak brightness, for example) and the particular implementations of those trade-offs don’t mean the OLED burn-in issue was actually solved. Successive generations of OLED products have continued to improve on the problem, making the performance trade-offs less impactful but the situation fundamentally still remains: OLED = burn-in.

 

[uacd]

That's what burn in is. A CRT would experience burn in due to uneven wear of the phosphor.

View attachment 2651515

Here's a white image on my relative's 10 year old TV. Shows traces of every news channel in L.A. Newer panels are obviously better, but I would personally still prefer an LCD panel for longevity.

Wow these old monitors got some free memory, kind of a luxury these days when RAM and SSD prices go wild😀

 

[headlessmike]

Wow these old monitors got some free memory, kind of a luxury these days when RAM and SSD prices go wild😀

Soon an OLED TV will be the cheapest form of storage!