Burn-in is partial image retention that results from a static image on screen over a long period. LG was embarrassed at SID 2018 when a 65-inch OLED display showed signs of burn-in, according to a ZDNet article. Nanosys reportedly purchased the OLED display just three weeks before the event in May. And the display was on for less than 60 hours total for before showing the burn-in.
Unfortunately, it was not the first time LG OLED displays have shown burn-in effects, the article pointed out. At Incheon International Airport an OLED display from LG showed burn-in effects after just three months of use, according to another ZDNet article.
The company said that it was a factory problem and that some displays were more prone than others. It is not clear at this point if this LG product issue is inherent in the technology, or just a problem in the factory as LG claims. Further muddying the issue, Sony also gets its OLED panels from LG, and according to ZDnet, since sourcing its OLED panels from LG, some large Sony OLED displays have suffered burn-in. It may be a sign of long-term reliability issues inherent in the technology and the way it is produced.
Burn-in is not expected to be an issue in micro or mini LED displays and so far has not been. However, several fabrication hurdles have to be overcome to make large, micro LED displays ready for market. The primary issue is the large-scale transfer of the micro LEDs. And some recent advances have shown progress on solving this issue (Ref. Coverage). The large ones currently on the market are technically mini LED-based models and not micro LED displays.
