It’s funny how I often give advice to readers in my blogs about what gadgets to buy, but I end up not doing any research when I buy something for myself. This happened recently when I got a new Samsung Frame QLED TV.
I saw it on my relative’s wall and thought it was a great deal compared to my LG CX that I got a couple of years ago. I have to say, I watched it during the day and it looked awesome. The colors were good, and the blacks were really black. Plus, the way it was perfectly flush with the wall got me excited. But my excitement turned into disappointment when I got the same TV at home and tried to watch a movie at night with the lights off.
So, what happened? Let the pictures below explain.
Looking at these photos, you’ll see the screen shouldn’t look like that. It’s not because the screen is dirty or because I live in a dusty place. And in case you haven’t seen a TV before, trust me, this is not how a good TV should look when it’s showing something dark.
If you compare the same scene on another type of TV called OLED in a similar situation, the problem doesn’t exist. Even my old cheap LED TV, which is 5 years old, doesn’t have this issue like my new Frame TV.
It took me a while to figure out what was going on. It’s called the “Dirty Screen Effect” or what Samsung calls the Mura effect. It’s because of how the light shines through the screen. Sometimes, parts of the screen are a little brighter or darker than they should be, even when they’re supposed to show the same color. This is most noticeable when the camera moves across a smooth background like a field or the sky. These uneven patches can be distracting and make the picture less smooth. Surprisingly, the issue is only visible during the night when the ambient light is minimal. In the daytime, it’s barely noticeable and the TV looks as good as an OLED.
This Dirty Screen Effect happens to different kinds of LED panels, whether it’s a regular LED, a QLED, or even a Neo QLED. That’s because they all use similar technology. The main reason for this effect is how the panels are made and the limits of the technology. Some pixels shine brighter than others, causing this problem, even on expensive TVs.
The bad thing is that not all TVs have this problem to the same degree. You might be lucky and get a TV with less of this issue. Or you might get a TV where this effect is really bad. And the worst part is, the warranty usually doesn’t cover it. So, if you can’t easily return the TV, you’re stuck with a TV that doesn’t look great even though you paid a lot for it.
But that’s not all the bad news. This Dirty Screen Effect can’t usually be fixed. Changing some settings or using software won’t make it go away completely. You might be able to make it a little less noticeable by adjusting the brightness, but it won’t completely disappear.
I’m frustrated with Samsung because the Frame TV, in particular, seems to have this problem. I found this out from reading posts on Reddit’s r/SamsungFrameTV community where many others are complaining about the same thing. I’ve tried to get Samsung to fix the TV, but they say it’s not a problem.
Luckily, it’s not very obvious during the day, so that’s a bit of a relief. But if I had the choice, I’d pick a different TV without a second thought.
Not reading about this issue beforehand led me to a bunch of Frame TV reviews. That’s when I realized that this TV isn’t great for picture quality even aside from this problem. Let’s talk about QLEDs and how to choose a good one if you’re considering it (especially because big OLED TVs are really expensive). Here are some tips:
How to pick a QLED TV
Know the different Kinds of Backlighting: Edge Lighting vs. Array Lighting
When LED TVs light up, they do it in two main ways: edge lighting and array lighting. These methods decide how the light behind the screen works, which affects how bright and colorful the picture looks.
Edge Lighting:
Imagine the TV screen is like a big canvas, and the light behind it is like a light bulb. With edge lighting, the lights are around the edges of the TV. They shine towards the middle. This makes TVs thin and light. But sometimes, the light doesn’t spread evenly, so parts of the screen can be brighter or darker.
Array Lighting (Full Array or Direct Backlighting):
Think of the screen like a grid with lots of little sections, each with its own light. Array lighting puts these lights in a grid behind the screen. They can be controlled separately, so they can be brighter or dimmer depending on what’s on the screen. This helps the TV show better colors and darker blacks. When there’s a mix of bright and dark parts in a scene, array lighting makes sure they look good.
In short, edge lighting has lights around the edges, and array lighting has lots of lights behind the whole screen in a grid. Array lighting is better for making the picture look great, especially with contrast and colors. But remember, array lighting might make the TV a bit thicker than edge lighting.
Local Dimming Zones: Making Things Darker
Imagine your TV has 100 zones behind it that can change the brightness and colors. If a scene has dark edges and a bright center (like the moon in a dark sky), using just 30 out of these 100 zones for the moon can make the dark parts even darker and create a better picture.
Local dimming is usually in TVs with array lighting. More zones usually mean better dark parts and better contrasts. There are some downsides, like the bright parts sometimes leaking into dark parts. But usually, local dimming is a good thing.
Now, there are new mini LED TVs with even more zones, like thousands of them. These are better than regular QLEDs and fix some of the problems. LG’s QNED is an example of this.
Which QLED to Choose: The Simple Version
If all of this is too much, here’s an easy way to think about it: if you can afford it, go for an OLED TV. They have the best picture quality. The blacks are true blacks and better than anything that a QLED or even Neo QLED or QNED produces. The downside is that OLEDs are the most expensive of the lot.
If OLED is too expensive (especially for bigger size TVs), then go for a mini LED QLED or a full array QLED with lots of zones. Only pick an edge-lit QLED if looks are the most important thing and you want a really thin TV, even if the picture quality isn’t perfect.
I hope this helps you choose a good TV next time you’re looking for one.
