Apple Reportedly Planning 32- and 42-Inch OLED Displays for 2027 Amid Switch to New Panel Technology

[RalfTheDog]

OLEDs already implement compensation cycles which are designed to detect pixel degradation and attempt to compensate it. These cycles are performed when the display goes in standby after a set amount of hours of activity.

These cycles are not a silver bullet though: they can only compensate degradation up to a point before permanent damage becomes visible.

From what I understand, the current leveling strategies mostly involve burning the screen with random pixels, not trying to detect what pixels have the most burn. I guess you might be able to do so by looking at the resistance of each subpixel. That would be a lot of circuitry.

 

[alexandr]

Can't wait!

 

[bsolar]

From what I understand, the current leveling strategies mostly involve burning the screen with random pixels, not trying to detect what pixels have the most burn. I guess you might be able to do so by looking at the resistance of each subpixel. That would be a lot of circuitry.

At least on OLED TVs the compensation cycle definitely operates specifically on individual pixels.

the compensation cycle is a process that is done in all OLED televisions and that consists of adjusting the pixels so that they offer uniform lighting.

This technology is very simple: periodically scans pixels to detect deterioration and compensate for pixel degradation through different mechanisms.

Also from LG:

The Pixel Refresher feature, built into LG OLED TVs, automatically detects pixel deterioration through periodic scanning, compensating for it as needed.
It also senses any TFT (Thin Film Transistor) voltage changes during power off to detect and correct pixel degradation by comparing it with a set reference value.

 

[asus389]

meh the PWM... :/

 

[Eggtastic]

I have a 65" LG OLED tv and it was worth the price especially when watching content that takes advantage of it.

I am still on the fence for getting a 42" LG C2 to compliment my MacBook pro (unfortunately its the M1 with the 60 hz limitation so not sure its worth it at this point). It is on sale though constantly.

However, as mentioned before the ppi is low compared to others when using it as a monitor so not sure that would be welcome.

The studio display is nice but I don't think it's worth the price.

I assume mainstream micro-LED is still years away with this news?

 

[mimeArtist]

I could be dead by then!

 

[RalfTheDog]

At least on OLED TVs the compensation cycle definitely operates specifically on individual pixels.



Also from LG:

That sounds like it is testing for capacitance not resistance. Either way that would work, but it would add quite a bit of complexity. The big issue with this is, you would compensate by overdriving the dimmed subpixels. That would work, but it would cause those pixels to burn out much faster. You would get a fantastic picture for a while, then it would rapidly degrade.

 

[RalfTheDog]

I have a 65" LG OLED tv and it was worth the price especially when watching content that takes advantage of it.

I am still on the fence for getting a 42" LG C2 to compliment my MacBook pro (unfortunately its the M1 with the 60 hz limitation so not sure its worth it at this point). It is on sale though constantly.

However, as mentioned before the ppi is low compared to others when using it as a monitor so not sure that would be welcome.

The studio display is nice but I don't think it's worth the price.

I assume mainstream micro-LED is still years away with this news?

It would involve printing three very small LED bulbs for each and every pixel. Then, it would involve having wiring that could address each and every one of those bulbs. It would be almost impossible to get a single small panel that did not have any dead subpixels. As long as the dead pixels were not too close together, the screen could probably compensate by using the ones around it. If the red element is dead on one pixel, you could compensate by driving the red element harder on one of the surrounding elements. They could make this work better by changing the way the elements are arranged in each pixel. This would quite likely greatly complicate the wiring under each screen.

 

[bsolar]

That sounds like it is testing for capacitance not resistance. Either way that would work, but it would add quite a bit of complexity. The big issue with this is, you would compensate by overdriving the dimmed subpixels. That would work, but it would cause those pixels to burn out much faster. You would get a fantastic picture for a while, then it would rapidly degrade.

Well, it also depends on how much margin is available. Modern OLEDs are limited by software compared to what the panel can deliver at peak power to make sure the panel does not degrade too fast. I assume part of the equation is having enough margin to handle compensation for enough years.

As example, LG gives 5 years warranty against all panel faults including persistent burn-in damage with their OLED TV models as long as the TV was subject to "normal consumer usage". They must have run some numbers and decided they have enough compensation margin built into their panels to offer that.

Said that, the point is that there is definitely need for quite sophisticated technology to ensure an OLED panel does not suffer from permanent visible damage due to degradation, which is quite a clear testament of how fragile this technology is compared to e.g. miniLED. The kind of content typical in a desktop GUI tends to be very problematic for OLEDs, compounding on their inherent fragility issues.

 

[darngooddesign]

This is TC’s dirty way of doing things…

People: We want OLED
Apple: OLED has issues, here’s Mini-LED
People: We want OLED
Apple: Ok, here’s really nice OLED which reduces those issues.
People: TC sucks.

Predictable as clockwork.

 

[nuckinfutz]

I better keep my kidneys in good shape and hope the price for them is high by the time these come out.

Drop your blood type so we can all check compatibility and start the bidding. lol

 

[Mr. Dee]

You all just pray that I win the Mega Millions or Power Ball so I can afford all this.

Dream setup: Three 42 inch XDR 8K displays with my with my maxed out M8 Ultra Mac Pro so I can read Macrumors in hi-def using my Reality Pro Max.

 

[JcxaL]

If it takes x years to move from 24 to 27, it will take 2x years to move from 27 to 32 and further

 

[RalfTheDog]

Well, it also depends on how much margin is available. Modern OLEDs are limited by software compared to what the panel can deliver at peak power to make sure the panel does not degrade too fast. I assume part of the equation is having enough margin to handle compensation for enough years.

As example, LG gives 5 years warranty against all panel faults including persistent burn-in damage with their OLED TV models as long as the TV was subject to "normal consumer usage". They must have run some numbers and decided they have enough compensation margin built into their panels to offer that.

Said that, the point is that there is definitely need for quite sophisticated technology to ensure an OLED panel does not suffer from permanent visible damage due to degradation, which is quite a clear testament of how fragile this technology is compared to e.g. miniLED. The kind of content typical in a desktop GUI tends to be very problematic for OLEDs, compounding on their inherent fragility issues.

It's a cool scam. We will replace it if it has any problems in five years, as long as it is only exposed to normal consumer use. How do you know it was exposed to more than normal consumer use? It has issues before the five years are up.

 

[satchmo]

32" imac i bet a lot of people will buy it

Agree. But many people would just be happy if there was a 27” iMac.

 

[Schnegg]

Meanwhile, mini-LED displays are great. None of the image retention issues and still nice contrast ratio. Just give me a Studio Display with MacBook Pro display quality.

 

[emmab2006]

With Respect, you cant Predict whats happening in 6 months let alone 4 years !

 

[bsolar]

It's a cool scam. We will replace it if it has any problems in five years, as long as it is only exposed to normal consumer use. How do you know it was exposed to more than normal consumer use? It has issues before the five years are up.

Basically if you have purchased the TV for personal use. It doesn't matter how "intensive" said use is as long as it's not linked to business. Since the vast majority of people are not going to put the TV under excessive stress during their personal use it checks out even if a few users do.

On the other side, they want to avoid having to replace e.g. panels of TVs left 24/7 on the same news channel forever, or displaying the same promotional videos non-stop. Business use of TVs typically involves those kind of scenarios which are much more likely to lead to damage.

 

[BobSc]

Meanwhile, mini-LED displays are great. None of the image retention issues and still nice contrast ratio. Just give me a Studio Display with MacBook Pro display quality.

I don't know what more you could want in the Studio Display regarding display quality. I have two and they are simply gorgeous. No burn in concerns. Deep blacks with good tonal separation in the shadows. Superb colors. I don't use them for gaming, so can't comment on any issues that might exist for gamers.

My Sony 75" Sony Z9K is mini LED and is also gorgeous with NO burn in concerns. I will never have an OLED TV or OLED computer display. I have no faith in any OLED burn in mitigating measures.

 

[klasma]

42” would be awesome… not so interested in OLED on the desktop though. If it’s that far out, why not target micro-led?

Apple is working on micro-LED for the next Apple Watch Ultra (https://www.macrumors.com/2023/03/13/apple-watch-ultra-microled-by-2025/). If that pans out (smaller display means less problems with manufacturing yield), they might go to bigger displays, though I would expect the iPhone to be the next target, not large monitors. Seeing how long it took (and still takes) for Apple to have OLED on displays other than Watch and iPhone, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

 

[RalfTheDog]

Basically if you have purchased the TV for personal use. It doesn't matter how "intensive" said use is as long as it's not linked to business. Since the vast majority of people are not going to put the TV under excessive stress during their personal use it checks out even if a few users do.

On the other side, they want to avoid having to replace e.g. panels of TVs left 24/7 on the same news channel forever, or displaying the same promotional videos non-stop. Business use of TVs typically involves those kind of scenarios which are much more likely to lead to damage.

It's not for consumer use, it's for "NORMAL consumer use." They can define Normal any way they want.

 

[redbeard331]

I was just looking at the iMacs yesterday, my Mac mini is tired and needs to be replaced and I’ve always wanted an iMac but they only have them in the 24” size. 32” would be perfect, 42” would be better but will probably start at 15k.

 

[Warped9]

If you’re expecting a 32 or bigger iMac you’re hallucinating in 6k.

 

[redbeard331]

If you’re expecting a 32 or bigger iMac you’re hallucinating in 6k.

32” seems entirely doable, why not? 2027 is too far off though.

 

[ericwn]

This is TC’s dirty way of doing things. They will increase cost of Apple Care+ and repairing. More people will buy the extended warranty. Due to burn in, more people will change their computers in shorter period of time. More profit for the company.

Assumption time! TC’s dirty way of doing this? What nonsense for a product you know zero about that might materialise in four years. By the time you have any long term experience with the tech they use at that time, you’re looking at 2032.