OLED televisions have stunningly beautiful picture, an infinite contrast ratio, and perfect blacks. What you usually don’t read about is that OLED technology is best suited for very dark rooms. If you have windows that otherwise cannot be shaded completely, you’re going to have a bad time watching content on a sunny afternoon. Because current OLED televisions cannot get as bright as their LED counterparts. Sports and gaming you can get away with, but for movies and serious TV shows, OLED may not be the best.
This past Sunday afternoon I decided to watch The Batman. Thanks to my homie with a full HBO Max subscription, I get to watch the latest rendition of the cape crusader in the comforts of my own home. But I made a huge mistake: I should have watched the movie during nighttime. The reflections of my windows off of the TV’s glass surface wrecked havoc on the picture quality. It was a struggle to make out the dark details clearly. And for a film that makes an homage to film noir, it was doubly not ideal.
Most new movies and TVs shows these days are mastered in HDR. Meaning, you can’t really adjust the brightness. However well your TV can fight through the glare and reflections during the daytime, you’re stuck with it. For a room with multiple windows, I really should have bought an LED TV instead. Alas, the inky true blacks of OLED got to me. Henceforth I just have to relegate any movie watching to the evening hours.
Lesson here is: if your room have windows that you cannot install black-out curtains for, do not get an OLED TV.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Batman. It’s a nice change of pace to see the character act out his title of the world’s greatest detective. Robert Pattinson offers a fantastic take on the emotions of a young Batman, while Paul Dano’s Riddler provides a mirroring counterpart that’s every bit as intriguing. I honestly don’t understand how the movie got its lukewarm reviews. Sure, it’s not paced like a typical super hero movie, but I greatly enjoyed the immense amount of substance crammed into the hefty runtime.
The cinematography and the score is top notch as well. The Batman theme is so simple yet hauntingly weaved throughout the film.
Waiting for tonight.