Television Manuals & Owner Guides

OLED, QLED and LED LCD explained

OLED

Self-emissive pixels that switch off completely for true black. Power use depends on picture content; bright full-screen images draw the most.

QLED (quantum-dot LED)

An LCD panel with a quantum-dot layer for wider color, lit by an LED backlight. Very bright; power depends mostly on the backlight setting.

LED LCD

An LCD panel lit by LEDs either along the edges (edge-lit, thinner) or directly behind the panel (direct-lit, usually more uniform).

Choosing screen size and seating distance

For 4K TVs, a seating distance of about 1 to 1.5 times the screen diagonal gives an immersive picture without visible pixels — roughly 5.5 to 8 ft for a 65-inch class set. For 1080p and HD sets, sit about 1.5 to 2.5 times the diagonal away.

TV "class" sizes are rounded; the viewable diagonal on the certification record is usually a little smaller (for example 64.5 in. for a 65-inch class model).

Reading TV energy numbers

The annual kWh figure comes from the DOE test procedure and assumes 5 hours of viewing a day plus 19 hours in standby. Multiply by your electricity rate to estimate cost, and scale it if you watch more or less. ENERGY STAR sets a maximum on-mode power that grows with screen area, so compare the measured watts with the limit to see how much headroom a model has.

Settings that cut power use

• Choose Home mode during setup, never Store or Demo mode.
• Lower the backlight or OLED light to a comfortable level for your room.
• Turn on automatic brightness control if your TV has it.
• Disable Quick Start and networked standby features you do not use.
• Use the sleep timer and "no signal" auto-off settings.

Television FAQ