LG C7, Pixel Refresher, OLED Burn-In. I'm getting more and more convinced the pixel refresher is causing the burn-in.

Avery_Yates · December 5, 2022

My C7 is getting old. It's time for a new TV/display for gaming. It's seen some action over the years and recently I've been playing quite a bit of the same game.

My suspicion:

LG's Pixel refresher causes burn in by using the current display signal as a source to do it's pixel refresher voodoo instead of using a blank/white internally conjured up source for the refreshing.

Why do I think that?

Over the years the addition of more artifacts has been something that happens in waves, suddenly whole regions showing added burnt in bits and bobs.

I have suspected this happening for a while now but this morning was a milestone.

I had left my character information screen on before going to bed, turning off the display but leaving the game on. This screen has a distinct tilted square with a plus sign at the bottom.

This morning it was burnt in quite distinctly. It's a screen one switches to in game fairly often for a few seconds at a time then one goes back to the main screen, like the quest screen or the map screen. It's not something that's on for hours on end like the actual gameplay, it was however in the signal which was sent all night with the display being off.

If there is a correlation between what is displayed by the computer/any other device when the display is off and what gets burnt-in this would be a scandal for LG.

I would like to hear what others who own C7 C8 displays from LG have encountered regarding this.

I would like to see this investigated by other users or even a lab.. Leaving a distinct pattern on only when running the pixel refresher and seeing if it ends op burnt in on the screen over time without it being displayed in other circumstances.

Friendly regards

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Stahlmann · December 5, 2022

43 minutes ago, Avery_Yates said:

My suspicion:

LG's Pixel refresher causes burn in by using the current display signal as a source to do it's pixel refresher voodoo instead of using a blank/white internally conjured up source for the refreshing.

The pixel refresher has nothing to do with any input or video signal. If anything it makes burn-in less noticeable, not more noticeable.

43 minutes ago, Avery_Yates said:

Why do I think that?

Over the years the addition of more artifacts has been something that happens in waves, suddenly whole regions showing added burnt in bits and bobs.

It's not suddenly, but gradually. There is just a certain point when you start to notice. Burn in doesn't just happen over night when you forget to turn the TV off. It's accumulated wear on the same pixels that results in lower brightness when showing certain shades or colors. And this accumulated wear doesn't happen over a few hours. It happens over hundreds or thousands of hours.

43 minutes ago, Avery_Yates said:

I have suspected this happening for a while now but this morning was a milestone.

I had left my character information screen on before going to bed, turning off the display but leaving the game on. This screen has a distinct tilted square with a plus sign at the bottom.

This morning it was burnt in quite distinctly. It's a screen one switches to in game fairly often for a few seconds at a time then one goes back to the main screen, like the quest screen or the map screen. It's not something that's on for hours on end like the actual gameplay, it was however in the signal which was sent all night with the display being off.

You could also be looking at temporary image retention, which is not the same as burn-in. Or you just spent hundreds of hours staring at your character.

Also, why don't you close games when you go to sleep? Even if it's not outputting to a display, the PC will still consume power like when you're playing the game.

43 minutes ago, Avery_Yates said:

If there is a correlation between what is displayed by the computer/any other device when the display is off and what gets burnt-in this would be a scandal for LG.

I would like to hear what others who own C7 C8 displays from LG have encountered regarding this.

I would like to see this investigated by other users or even a lab.. Leaving a distinct pattern on only when running the pixel refresher and seeing if it ends op burnt in on the screen over time without it being displayed in other circumstances.

Burn-in is physical wear of a pixel. If the display is off, the pixel is also off. When an OLED pixel is back there is no current. And without current there is no wear. For that reason your display will not accumulate burn-in when it's turned off. Even when the game is still running and you GPU is outputting to the TV.

Avery_Yates · December 5, 2022

Yes I know what a pixel refresher is supposed to do and how it is supposed to work.

I know what temporary retention is and how it's different from burn in.

Yes, suddenly as opposed to the expected "gradually" else I wouldn't be indicating this as an outlier but as expected behavior.

Quote

When an OLED pixel is back there is no current.

When pixel refresher is at work per cell voltage and current is measured and compared to the stored value for that pixel. I am proposing something might be off with that. As to why this is happening, this is something to be concluded after testing or after putting cases side by side not by spouting dogma and summing up obvious facts about expected behavior.

I am proposing just that, results (IE burn in) are not correlating with expectations. I should not be getting a burn in artefact from a character screen that's displayed sporadically but not getting artefacts from the game screen that's being displayed hours on end every day.

With all due respect, and I mean that, how about assuming the people you are replying to know what they are talking about instead of 'splaining that 1+1 = 2 dear mr Stahlmann. Though, thank you for taking the time.