5 Mistakes That Are Shortening Your TV’s Life (And How to Fix Them)

Summary

Learn how to extend the lifespan of your TV with these five essential tips! From adjusting your TV's backlight to ensuring it's clean and well-maintained, these steps can help your TV perform better for longer. Key recommendations include keeping your software updated, avoiding eco settings, and using a surge protector. For OLED TV owners, enabling pixel shift and using pixel refresh occasionally can prevent burn-in. Follow these easy tips to maximize the longevity and performance of your TV!

Takeaways

• 😀 Lower your TV's backlight to preserve its lifespan—don’t run it at peak brightness all the time.
• 😀 Avoid using the eco setting as it adjusts brightness based on room light, which may not be ideal for your viewing preferences.
• 😀 For HDR content (HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision), you can crank up the brightness to 100% to enjoy the full capabilities of your TV.
• 😀 Keep your TV’s firmware and software up to date for security, new features, and efficiency improvements.
• 😀 Regularly clean the back of your TV to prevent dust from clogging vents that dissipate heat and can cause damage.
• 😀 Use canned air or a microfiber cloth to clean the dust off the TV without damaging the screen or the components.
• 😀 Keep the front of your TV clean to maintain optimal brightness and avoid having to increase brightness due to accumulated dust.
• 😀 Always use a surge protector to prevent power fluctuations from damaging your TV over time.
• 😀 Power fluctuations, like lightning surges or brownouts, can slowly degrade the electronics inside your TV, even if the TV still works.
• 😀 For OLED TVs, enable the pixel shift feature to prevent burn-in by ensuring that the pixels display varying content over time.
• 😀 Use pixel cleaning features occasionally, but don’t overdo it, as they can be aggressive and may harm the display if done too often.

Q & A

Why is it important to lower the backlight of your TV?

Lowering the backlight helps prevent excessive wear on your TV. Running the TV at maximum brightness continuously can be likened to driving a car at full speed all the time, which stresses the components and reduces their lifespan. Dialing it back to around 80-90% balances good brightness with better energy efficiency.

What are the benefits of avoiding the eco mode on a TV?

The eco mode automatically adjusts the TV's brightness based on ambient light, but it takes control away from you. By manually adjusting the brightness, you can set it to your preferred level without relying on the TV to decide for you. This ensures a more consistent and optimized viewing experience.

Is it always okay to run the TV at 100% brightness?

Running the TV at full brightness should only be done when watching HDR content like HDR10, HDR10+, or Dolby Vision. These formats benefit from maximum brightness, but for regular content, it's better to reduce the brightness to preserve the TV's lifespan.

Why should I update my TV’s software and firmware?

Updating your TV's software and firmware is crucial for keeping the TV running efficiently, ensuring compatibility with new features, and maintaining security. Manufacturers design updates to prevent slowdowns, even on older models, and offer improvements that enhance the TV’s performance.

Will updating my TV firmware slow it down if it's an older model?

While some people worry about updates slowing down older TVs, most manufacturers design firmware updates to be compatible with older models without causing lag or performance issues. The benefits of updates—like improved security and new features—typically outweigh any minor performance hits.

Why is cleaning the dust off my TV so important?

Dust buildup can block the vents on the back of your TV, preventing heat from dissipating properly. Excessive heat can damage the internal electronics over time. Regular cleaning with a microfiber cloth and canned air helps maintain the TV's cooling efficiency and extends its lifespan.

How can dust on the front of the screen affect my TV's performance?

Dust on the front of the screen dims the image by blocking light from getting through to your eyes. This makes you more likely to increase the brightness, which strains the TV and reduces its lifespan. Keeping the screen clean ensures optimal brightness without overworking the TV.

What are the risks of not using a surge protector with my TV?

Without a surge protector, your TV is vulnerable to electrical fluctuations like power surges, brownouts, and lightning strikes. Even if these events don’t immediately damage the TV, they can gradually reduce its lifespan by causing small, cumulative damage to the internal electronics.

How does a surge protector help protect my TV?

A surge protector acts as a barrier between your TV and power fluctuations, ensuring that only stable and clean electricity reaches your device. This helps prevent long-term damage from voltage spikes, which can shorten the TV’s lifespan.

What is burn-in on an OLED TV, and how can I prevent it?

Burn-in occurs when a static image remains on an OLED screen for too long, leaving a ghostly shadow on the display. To prevent this, enable the TV's pixel-shifting feature, which automatically shifts the image slightly to prevent pixels from being overstressed. Also, avoid frequent use of the pixel refresh feature, as it can be too aggressive if done too often.

What does the pixel-shifting feature do on an OLED TV?

The pixel-shifting feature on OLED TVs subtly shifts the image on the screen to prevent static images from burning into the pixels. This is a continuous process that you don’t notice but helps protect your TV from long-term damage caused by burn-in.