Deliberately Burning In My QD-OLED Monitor - One Year Update

Summary

In this one-year update on the MSI MPG 321URX 4K OLED monitor, the focus is on testing its burn-in durability under intense productivity use. After 12 months of displaying static content daily, the monitor shows minor burn-in, primarily in dark gray areas, but remains functional for everyday tasks. Despite the expected deterioration of sub-pixels, especially the green one, the display’s brightness and overall performance have held steady. The results suggest OLED longevity can be managed with proper usage habits, with 2-3 years of use expected before significant degradation occurs.

Takeaways

• 😀 The presenter has been using an MSI MPG 321 URX QD OLED monitor exclusively for productivity tasks for one year, without consuming content or gaming on it, to test OLED longevity.
• 😀 After one year of usage, the monitor has accumulated between 2,700 and 3,000 hours of use, making it a stress test for OLED burn-in.
• 😀 The monitor is used at a relatively high brightness of 200 nits, and no software mitigations (like sleep mode or dark mode) are used, simulating a worst-case scenario for burn-in.
• 😀 Burn-in has occurred, but it’s isolated to darker, gray test patterns and has not spread significantly across the screen, with the most noticeable burn being a vertical line down the center.
• 😀 The green subpixel is the main contributor to the burn-in, with noticeable degradation in the green subpixel but almost none in the red subpixel.
• 😀 The taskbar burn-in hasn't progressed much, and it's difficult to spot in real-world usage because the taskbar itself obscures the burnt area.
• 😀 Despite some visible burn-in (like the vertical line in dark gray backgrounds), it remains mostly unnoticeable in everyday usage, and the monitor is still considered usable.
• 😀 The monitor's brightness has remained stable at 243 nits after 12 months, showing that burn-in has not caused significant degradation in brightness so far.
• 😀 The monitor has developed a slight redder hue over time, likely due to the uneven aging of subpixels, resulting in a decrease in white balance from 6450K to 6350K.
• 😀 Based on the current rate of burn-in, the presenter predicts that the monitor will still be usable with minor burn-in after 2 years, which is better than expected given the worst-case usage scenario.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the video in terms of OLED monitor usage?

The video focuses on testing the longevity and burn-in effects of a 4K OLED monitor used for static content productivity work over the course of 12 months.

What kind of tasks did the user perform on the OLED monitor?

The user primarily used the monitor for static content such as writing scripts, browsing the web, and editing videos, with little to no gaming or content consumption.

Why is the test setup considered a 'worst-case scenario' for OLED longevity?

The test setup is considered a worst-case scenario because the OLED monitor was used for extended periods with static content, high brightness, and without any burn-in mitigation features like dark mode or screen savers.

How much usage did the monitor undergo by the end of the 12-month test period?

By the end of 12 months, the monitor had undergone between 2,700 to 3,000 hours of usage, equating to approximately 8 hours a day of use at 200 nits of brightness.

What were the results regarding burn-in after 12 months of usage?

After 12 months, the burn-in was still present, particularly affecting mid-to-dark gray test patterns. However, it was not very noticeable in regular usage and remained isolated to specific areas like the vertical line and taskbar.

How did the panel compensation cycles impact the burn-in over time?

The panel compensation cycles helped reduce the visibility of the burn-in, but they did not entirely eliminate it. The burn-in in certain areas, like the vertical line, was still noticeable after 12 months.

What changes were observed in the subpixel colors after 12 months?

After 12 months, there was a noticeable shift in the color balance of the panel, with the display becoming slightly redder. This was caused by uneven aging in the subpixels, with the green subpixel suffering more burn-in than the red and blue subpixels.

What was the effect of the burn-in on everyday use of the monitor?

In everyday use, the burn-in did not have a significant impact. The vertical line was occasionally visible in dark applications, but it was not distracting. The taskbar burn-in was hard to notice due to the constant presence of the taskbar.

What were the expected lifespan and usability predictions for the monitor based on this test?

Based on the test, the monitor is expected to remain usable for at least 2 years without significant burn-in issues, especially with more realistic usage patterns. However, its performance over 4 to 5 years remains uncertain.

What recommendations were given to extend the lifespan of an OLED monitor?

To extend the lifespan, it is recommended to use the monitor at lower brightness levels, run compensation cycles more frequently, use dark mode, and frequently turn off the display during inactivity. Using the monitor for dynamic content rather than static content also helps reduce burn-in.