OLED Experiences - 2 years in

[J7SC_Orion]

Back in June 2021, I picked up my C1 48 OLED to serve as a work monitor, as a gaming display and even as a secondary 4K TV. Here are some of my thoughts on the long-term use:

 

 

I use the C1 in tandem with a Philips 40 inch VA workstation panel. First conclusion: It is quite amazing how quickly one gets used to the 48 inch size --- I used to think that 40 inch was 'big', but when viewed right next to the 48 inch OLED, it looks kind of puny...that said, for now I figure 48 inch is the upper limit for a multi-use (including work) monitor...

 

 

There are two separate PC systems powering the C1 OLED, one with a 6900XT, the other with a RTX 4090, though the RTX 4090 is the primary source for the C1. It can easily 'max' the 4K 120 Hz even in more complex apps, such as CP 2077 (= average fps at 4K Ultra/max > 135) or FS 2020 (= average fps at 4K Ultra/max > 135). Even with 'just' 430W (out of 670W max) with the RTX 4090, fps still average at 120+, often even 1% lows are > 120, what with DLSS3/FI/NVReflex etc

 

That said, the 6900XT also gives a brilliant picture experience with the C1, it is just not as fast as the RTX4090. The aforementioned Philips 40 inch VA panel usually is the 'daily driver' for more regular work-oriented tasks on the 6900XT, but it is nice to have the option to switch over - or use both monitors at the same time (great for some more complex work projects).

 

  

 

 

As with most OLED panels, there always is the question of 'burn-in' of pixels when exposed to the same image segment for longer periods (such as game overlays). Because I was aware of that before I purchased the C1 OLED, I have taken appropriate precautions (in addition to LG's attention via software on this)...this includes moving the Windows taskbar position when doing multiple hours of desktop work on the C1. In any case, I have ZERO burn in on the C1 since I got it in June 2021. 

 

I also read that some folks think the HDR nits are lowish in the C1. I actually tried the 'EVO panel hack mod', but either way actually turned down HDR brightness. I do have sensitive eyesight to begin with and love the picture the way I set it (below max nits) - and a key for max enjoyment of any OLED panel is, IMO, positioning - I have zero light sources anywhere facing the OLED screen, and all the non-monitor light sources are at the back.

 

Complaints about the C1 ?  My biggest one is the LG software and also remote control - it is unnecessarily 'pushy' and also a source of 'big data' collection.  Also, because it is a TV as well and connected to a 4K tv-over-internet, one can get quite easily distracted with the TV option while working, but that is not really a fault of the C1.

 

Likes ? Well, that picture quality...perfect blacks, brilliant colours, ultra-fast response times - what is not to like ? It even serves as a sort of 'ersatz' VR because for gaming, I sit quite close and am quite immersed already in the goings-on. Still, I might try a VR set down the line... 

 

For now, I am well beyond 'content', what with all the extra headroom I get with the 4090 / C1 4k/120 combo. To get me to upgrade , it would probably have to be a 48 inch OLED 4K / 240 or 8K 120, but that's is quite a ways off, IMO. Currently, I am in that perfect zone where the RTX4090 with all the latest pic generation tech basically both matches and 'maxes' the C1 capabilities with a bit of extra headroom above and beyond.

 

But who knows - I used to think that 21 inch CRT was a giant (and it did weigh close to 100 pounds...), then, 27 inch monitors had the 'wow - that's big' factor. I wonder what I think about the C1 in 5 years time when I unwrap my 88 inch 8K / 360 Hz 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2023 by J7SC_Orion
typo

[bonami2]

Great review  I love my cx48 even tho i find it a tad too big for some game. No burn in either but my taskbar set to hide. And my wallpaper are swapping automaticly between like 10 of them and i change them often to new one. 

[Sir Beregond]

I have been really happy with my 48" C1 as well. My main complaint is the auto-dimming which gets obnoxiously bad on some web pages. But otherwise, I don't hide taskbar or anything like that, similarly, no burn in, but I haven't had it for a year yet so we will see.

 

As for the size, I find it slightly too big. I think I might feel better with a 42".

[Fluxmaven]

I am currently at 1743 hours on my CX 48. Prior to this I had an Asus Strix 42" 4K VA panel. I can confidently say that I LOVE OLED and don't see myself using anything else on my primary workstation for the foreseeable future. I would definitely go back to 42" because I think that's the sweet spot for 100% scaling. Also It would be nice to go back to a "monitor" and not a TV. The auto-dimming is really only a minor inconvenience to me. I can open a new browser tab to kick the brightness back up if it manages to dim before I get through whatever I'm looking at. 

[J7SC_Orion]

...I have gotten used to the 48 inch size, though I wouldn't want to go any bigger for multi-use that includes 'desktop' work. Per below, I have an older 3xGPU productivity system for rendering and some base ML that is hooked up to a LG IPS HDR 55 inch, but that is just too hard to do any extended typing on, apart from a few program commands. ...Got to like LG quality, though - that 55 inch is 5+ years old and used a lot.

 

Once one has had some extended playtime with OLED, it is really hard to go back to something else (without wanting to sound 'snobbish' about it)....never mind some Dolby Vision HLG HDR native high-res vids I often browse on YT.

 

 

 

[Sir Beregond]

10 hours ago, Fluxmaven said:

I am currently at 1743 hours on my CX 48. Prior to this I had an Asus Strix 42" 4K VA panel. I can confidently say that I LOVE OLED and don't see myself using anything else on my primary workstation for the foreseeable future. I would definitely go back to 42" because I think that's the sweet spot for 100% scaling. Also It would be nice to go back to a "monitor" and not a TV. The auto-dimming is really only a minor inconvenience to me. I can open a new browser tab to kick the brightness back up if it manages to dim before I get through whatever I'm looking at. 

Yeah, I had a 1440p VA LG panel and its night and day difference.

 

Is there a spot you can see hours used with these LG OLED's?

 

Yeah I am a believer in OLED for sure. I could see QD-OLED or some of those other types being good as well. I for one could use something with higher brightness. But really no complaints otherwise except the auto-dimming like you say.

 

Yeah I agree about 42". I was thinking of picking up a 42" C2 whenever they hit closeout prices when the C3's hit and then putting the C1 in the living room or my wife's office.

Edited April 3, 2023 by Sir Beregond

[Snakecharmed]

Early tests with QD-OLED have not been promising on the burn-in front. If this matters to you, stick with LG.

 

Longevity Burn-In Investigative Paths After 3 Months: QD-OLED vs. WOLED, LG vs. Sony, And More - RTINGS.com

WWW.RTINGS.COM

---

Our accelerated longevity test has been running for over three months, and we've already encountered some very interesting results. We've...

 

I'm waiting it out for microLED. It'll probably be another 5-10 years, but what I do with my monitors would amount to abuse for OLED because I have them in work mode for most of the day. It's worse than letting a CNN news ticker scroll persist all day.

 

I've been wanting a 65" LG C-series OLED for my family room for years now, but I've put it off indefinitely knowing that I almost never just "watch TV" anymore.

[Fluxmaven]

14 minutes ago, Sir Beregond said:

Yeah, I had a 1440p VA LG panel and its night and day difference.

 

Is there a spot you can see hours used with these LG OLED's?

 

Yeah I am a believer in OLED for sure. I could see QD-OLED or some of those other types being good as well. I for one could use something with higher brightness. But really no complaints otherwise except the auto-dimming like you say.

 

Yeah I agree about 42". I was thinking of picking up a 42" C2 whenever they hit closeout prices when the C3's hit and then putting the C1 in the living room or my wife's office.

 

I forget the exact path when I don't have it in front of me, but the power on hours are in the menu. It's probably in a different spot on the C1 vs CX because LG just likes making things inconvenient 

 

I have the 48 wall mounted behind the desk it's awesome for productivity, but it's still just a touch too big for serious full screen gaming. If the 42" version had been around back when I bought it, I would have gotten one. Once the monitors with the 42" panel are more common/cheaper I'll swap to one of those. I've seen some decent deals on the LG 42, but if I bother to swap it out, I don't want to go with a TV again. 

[Sir Beregond]

22 minutes ago, Fluxmaven said:

 

I forget the exact path when I don't have it in front of me, but the power on hours are in the menu. It's probably in a different spot on the C1 vs CX because LG just likes making things inconvenient 

 

I have the 48 wall mounted behind the desk it's awesome for productivity, but it's still just a touch too big for serious full screen gaming. If the 42" version had been around back when I bought it, I would have gotten one. Once the monitors with the 42" panel are more common/cheaper I'll swap to one of those. I've seen some decent deals on the LG 42, but if I bother to swap it out, I don't want to go with a TV again. 

Yeah, I agree. Problem is a lot of the monitors still seem to be matte screens and I gotta say this OLED really converted me to the glossy. 

 

Yeah as for the 42" C2, I am seeing deals for it here too, down to $899+tax, but that's still more than I spent for this 48" C1 ($796+tax), so it's not quite where I'd want to buy it yet.

 

31 minutes ago, Snakecharmed said:

Early tests with QD-OLED have not been promising on the burn-in front. If this matters to you, stick with LG.

 

Longevity Burn-In Investigative Paths After 3 Months: QD-OLED vs. WOLED, LG vs. Sony, And More - RTINGS.com

WWW.RTINGS.COM

---

Our accelerated longevity test has been running for over three months, and we've already encountered some very interesting results. We've...

 

I'm waiting it out for microLED. It'll probably be another 5-10 years, but what I do with my monitors would amount to abuse for OLED because I have them in work mode for most of the day. It's worse than letting a CNN news ticker scroll persist all day.

 

I've been wanting a 65" LG C-series OLED for my family room for years now, but I've put it off indefinitely knowing that I almost never just "watch TV" anymore.

Well that's good to know, thanks for sharing.

Edited April 3, 2023 by Sir Beregond

[J7SC_Orion]

39 minutes ago, Sir Beregond said:

Yeah, I agree. Problem is a lot of the monitors still seem to be matte screens and I gotta say this OLED really converted me to the glossy. 

 

Yeah as for the 42" C2, I am seeing deals for it here too, down to $899+tax, but that's still more than I spent for this 48" C1 ($796+tax), so it's not quite where I'd want to buy it yet.

 

Well that's good to know, thanks for sharing.

 

On the 'glossy' bit, I prefer those 10:1 over the matte finish as long as you can control other lighting sources that could reflect --- in a large-scale open office with a ceiling full of those ugly neon lights, it might be a different story...  

 

On size, I saw the 42 inch and 48 inch C2s side-by-side in a store display recently....given my particular home office setup and multi-use case, I still prefer the 48 inch as an 'allrounder'. As posted earlier, I plan to keep the C1 48 OLED until they come out with a 240Hz+ version. The 5+ year old 55 IPS HDR on the other setup (primary GPU for display is the 3090) would be upgraded first, but not until it goes 'kaput'. It has been solid for all these years, even when running for much of any given day.

[Fluxmaven]

+1 for glossy. I have all sorts of other lights reflecting in the room and still prefer it over matte. 

 

 

The whole office is actually surrounded by RGB lighting as well as all the PCs that are lit up like a disco 

I got used to the reflections pretty quick and the much nicer image quality vs a matte screen is worth it. 

[Sir Beregond]

48" would be fine if I could have it slightly further back like how you have it Flux. Where I have it now, it's just slightly too big I feel. Not by much, but enough I'd feel better with a 42" I think.

[Fluxmaven]

I have it mounted on the wall to get it as far back as possible. It's really just FPS games where it feels too big. For everything else it's awesome.  I gave my roommate the 42" Strix which is setup just to the right of my setup so I can still compare them back to back. Which is how I know a 42" OLED would be perfect 

[bonami2]

Glossy display can make a crappy panel look good.

 

Just got a 1440p display for my laptop and a tempered glass cover to go over it.

[Sir Beregond]

3 hours ago, bonami2 said:

Glossy display can make a crappy panel look good.

 

Just got a 1440p display for my laptop and a tempered glass cover to go over it.

The glossy really does allow colors to pop. Combined with it being OLED, it really is just fantastic. No contest to my old 1440p VA panel.

[J7SC_Orion]

Like other enthusiasts, I can get carried away by nice GPUs and a fast, healthy-oc main system, but at the end of the day, the monitor is the visual interface between 'man and machine' - no sense having a hi-po setup but a so-so screen, IMO.  And yes, glossy + OLED makes things pop even more. Then there is the very decent sound the C1 48 puts out on its own (at least if you sit close enough)...never mind connecting a sound-bar that takes advantage of the signal processing. Below are a vids from channels I often watch and use to calibrate things (best to watch directly on YT rather than windowed)...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2023 by J7SC_Orion

[pio]

  

On 03/04/2023 at 21:40, J7SC_Orion said:

Like other enthusiasts, I can get carried away by nice GPUs and a fast, healthy-oc main system, but at the end of the day, the monitor is the visual interface between 'man and machine' - no sense having a hi-po setup but a so-so screen, IMO.  And yes, glossy + OLED makes things pop even more. Then there is the very decent sound the C1 48 puts out on its own (at least if you sit close enough)...never mind connecting a sound-bar that takes advantage of the signal processing. Below are a vids from channels I often watch and use to calibrate things (best to watch directly on YT rather than windowed)...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those videos were fun at 1440p + good 2.1 too.  

Yeah, definitely agree.  Monitor is probably one of the most important upgrades somebody can make on a rig.  It is what you look at 99.99% of the time when interacting with your machine after all.  Sound upgrades should be a close 2nd in priority.  Keyboard and mouse 3rd IMO.  All 3 of those "upgrades" can last years or even decades if you find a really nice setup that you want to stick with.  Then rig, since new parts are constantly coming out.

 

Personally a giant 48" 16:9 just isn't it for me, I like having that extra width that only Surround / Eyefinity or Ultrawide can give.  Maybe one day for a dedicated non racing setup or something, then maybe I might step back into a bigger 16:9 setup.

I kinda want to try those videos out on my 4k TV though, and since I lack proper sound everywhere else in the house, maybe use my headphones to enjoy the spatial sound.

Edited April 5, 2023 by pioneerisloud

[J7SC_Orion]

25 minutes ago, pioneerisloud said:

  

Those videos were fun at 1440p + good 2.1 too.  

Yeah, definitely agree.  Monitor is probably one of the most important upgrades somebody can make on a rig.  It is what you look at 99.99% of the time when interacting with your machine after all.  Sound upgrades should be a close 2nd in priority.  Keyboard and mouse 3rd IMO.  All 3 of those "upgrades" can last years or even decades if you find a really nice setup that you want to stick with.  Then rig, since new parts are constantly coming out.

 

Personally a giant 48" 16:9 just isn't it for me, I like having that extra width that only Surround / Eyefinity or Ultrawide can give.  Maybe one day for a dedicated non racing setup or something, then maybe I might step back into a bigger 16:9 setup.

I kinda want to try those videos out on my 4k TV though, and since I lack proper sound everywhere else in the house, maybe use my headphones to enjoy the spatial sound.

 

...the beauty of the 48 inch LG OLED is that you can turn it into an Ultrawide screen setup, at least with recent-gen NVidia GPUs. I tried this, works flawlessly - and the sheer size of the 48 makes it 'affordable' in terms of screen real estate

 

source

 

 

 

[bonami2]

 

 

For amd user it seem to work fine with CRU

[J7SC_Orion]

16 hours ago, bonami2 said:

 

 

For amd user it seem to work fine with CRU

 

...yup - that also works on my 6900XT > C1 OLED 

[bonami2]

3 hours ago, J7SC_Orion said:

 

...yup - that also works on my 6900XT > C1 OLED 

I find it blurry a bit in beam ng sadly. Will try to emulate a higher res with amd driver

[pio]

2 hours ago, bonami2 said:

I find it blurry a bit in beam ng sadly. Will try to emulate a higher res with amd driver

Try 3840x1080.  That'd be 32:9 instead of whatever that is you're trying 21:9?  I know Beam supports 32:9 fine, I'd imagine it'd support that res fine too.  But 3840x1080 would be the same aspect ratio I run.

[bonami2]

12 hours ago, pioneerisloud said:

Try 3840x1080.  That'd be 32:9 instead of whatever that is you're trying 21:9?  I know Beam supports 32:9 fine, I'd imagine it'd support that res fine too.  But 3840x1080 would be the same aspect ratio I run.

I was running 3840x1600 no idea if 1080 would be better.

All i know is 21:9 was wqys easier to drive fast in traffic. Only issue my display to far now at 3ft

[bonami2]

3840x1620 work better for me on amd i can enable rgb 10 bit instead of 8bit for some reason at 120hz

[J7SC_Orion]

...some (original size) 3840 x 1620 UltraWide (10bit, y444, 120Hz) screenies for FS2020 and CP2077. HDR doesn't always work with this on the RTX but it is still gorgeous and interesting in certain scenes / apps.