OLED subpixels. How do they work?

[c9f5fdda06]

eh, that’s actually what I’m getting at – sorry if I wasn’t clear. Each pixel for OLED WRGB has 4 subpixels. The RGBW has a single pixel that includes RGB subpixels next to a pixel that is pure white. This reduces the resolution.

RGB

A TV screen is actually a grid that’s made up of a fixed number of pixels per resolution. A 4K screen is 3,840 pixels high and 2,160 pixel wide, for example. In total, this numbers of 8 million pixels. An RGB television fills this grid with rows that consist of 3 pixel colors: red, green, and blue. These rows are repeated until the entire screen is filled. Because each pixel produces a color, the color representation is sharp and realistic.

RGBW

With a RGBW screen, each row of 3 colored pixels is alternated with a white pixel. This means that 25% of the screen isn’t made up of color, but of white light. If you exclude all of these white pixels, the television actually has a resolution of 2,880 by 2,160 pixels. This results in a less realistic color representation and less sharp screen, compared to an RGB television.

WRGB

An OLED screen features its own pixel structure, called WRGB. Instead of utilizing rows of different pixels, like RGBW, each pixel is identical. These pixels can independently produce color and white light. This is possible because each pixel consists of red, green, blue, and white sub pixels stacked on top of each other. With help of a filter, only the desired colors are shown. This technology helps ensure an extra accurate color representation.

[Cyber]

@c9f5fdda06

Each pixel for OLED WRGB has 4 subpixels.

This is not my interpretation based on my research of the original WOLED technology. I would have to do some more research but my current interpretation is that WRGB OLED Technology uses the white OLEDs like a backlight together with a regular RGB subpixel arrangement colour filter. RGBW OLED uses this same arrangement plus adds another adjacent white OLED subpixel to assist with brightness and to lessen wear on the other white OLED subpixels.

I suggest you read up on the original Kodak Patents and technology which LG Display now owns and they will have all of the correct answers.

I’ll stop here for now since I don’t want to detract from the topic any further.

[Nesguy]

The last 7 posts or so should be split into a new topic IMO, it’s a valuable discussion but it’s getting off topic for the thread

@hunterk

[Cyber]

QD-OLED TVs are coming soon, and they're going to be pretty special

LG C2 OLED TV: everything we know so far

[Cyber]

Here are some macro shots of Wii Sports running on an LG 55OLEDE6P using CyberLab Mega Bezel Death To Pixels Shader Preset Pack.

The first ones are using CyberLab Wii, which uses Mask 6 at size 2, while the others use Mask 7 and 8 at different sizes.

The last set uses Mask 6 size 2 with aperture grille layout followed by Mask 7 and 8 at various sizes.

This could be the final verdict on the accuracy and capability of WOLED TVs to depict RGB phosphor triad emulation properly.

So far it doesn’t seem like they can. However this doesn’t mean that WOLED TVs aren’t exceptional at displaying my shader presets because at normal viewing distances they are the best I’ve ever seen.

My experience though is limited to a 4K IPS TV that can only display YCbCr 4:2:0 colour at 60Hz and a 1080p VA TV that can display RGB 4:4:4.

All three do a decent job in its own way and each of them has its shortcomings.

I know the pics aren’t properly labeled. I’ll try to do that when I get a chance.

So it’s quite possible that the best TV to use with my presets might be a 4K IPS or QLED/Neo QNED with MiniLED Full Array backlight and as many dimming zones as possible to minimize blooming.

Dual Layer seems to be dead on arrival as Hisense can’t get the main and backlight control panel synchronization tight enough while WOLED also suffers from sub-optimal subpixel layout.

Too bad no one seems to have one of those shiny new MiniLED QDLED/IPS TVs to share there experience so far.

I’ve also heard that some of the newer Samsung TVs (could be MiniLED, I’ll have to confirm) are having some severe issues with their auto dimming algorithms.

Sonic The Hedgehog Sega Logo, White Background

Mask 6, Size 1

Sony Megatron CVM SDR

Apparently not all WOLED (RGBW) TV’s subpixels are the same after all. From the 2018 models, LG Display increased the size of the red subpixel by 80% as a burn-in reduction feature.

[Cyber]

New CRT shader from Guest + CRT Guest Advanced updates

I think the real advantage is that the triads simply look more like triads using Mask 12 on an OLED TV. Besides the seemingly unavoidable extra black vertical line, what really kills the effect for me is the almost overlapping appearance between the rightmost blue subpixel stripe and the leftmost red subpixel stripe. It makes the blue subpixel appear a bit undernourished compared to the red and green ones. The improved separation created by Mask 12 allows the Blue subpixel to finally flex its …

[Cyber]

Sony Megatron Colour Video Monitor

Sony Megatron Color Video Monitor, Aperture Grill - RRBBGGX LG 55OLEDE6P [20220813_202609] [20220813_202930] [20220813_203008] Any questions?

[Cyber]

https://www.reddit.com/r/OLED_Gaming/comments/15zyj1v/4k_240hz_qdoled_subpixel_structure_for_those_who/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=1

[Cyber]

New Subpixel Layout/Order confirmed for 2025 LG Display RGB Tandem OLED display panels. Might also apply to other RGB Tandem OLED displays already on the market.

LG also changed the subpixel layout. Instead of the RWBG layout they’ve been using since they first introduced their OLED panels, the G5 is different. It looks to be an RGBW layout, but the first subpixel is blue, so we’re classifying it as a BWRG layout. If you want to see a closer look at this new subpixel arrangement, we took a video.

https://www.rtings.com/videos/pages/dKYx9vCH/pixel-video.mpd?autoplay=false&autoload=false

https://www.rtings.com/videos/pages/dKYx9vCH/pixel-video.mpd?autoplay=false&autoload=false

@guest.r, @Azurfel, @hyllian, @hunterk, @MajorPaintheCactus

This could be another game changer alongside with its extra brightness. Can you make note of these improvements and do you have a better understanding now of how and why it’s possible for the current OLED and BGR mask layouts of Sony Megatron Color Video Monitor and CRT-Guest-Advanced to seemingly map properly with LG’s WOLED display subpixel layouts?

I.e. I’d like an analysis as to how the special OLED mask in Sony Megatron and the BGR (RBG) mask in CRT-Guest-Advanced happens to line up seemingly correctly on the previous WOLED displays.

I have long suspected that there’s some offset taking place and the subpixels are being lined up as if the first subpixel was the one after the white subpixel, therefore making one emulated phosphor triad consist of subpixels from A and B pixels of the screen as opposed to subpixel being able to map 1:1 on other display technologies.

I’m hoping that this can be explained, for scientific, documentation and preservation purposes and to make it easier to implement any required update to support the new subpixel layout in the tandem OLED panels.

[beans]

I don’t have answers to your questions, I just wanted to point out that, as far as I know, this is the third subpixel layout from LG.

1. The RWBG layout they’ve been using in their TV panels. (And some older monitor panels?)
2. The RGWB layout in some of the new monitor panels.
3. Now this BWRG layout in the G5 panel.

They are supposedly working on RGB (no white) layout panels for future monitors (source here, all the way at the bottom).

Is this summary missing anything?

[Cyber]

This is how bad things can look when the subpixel layouts in the CRT Shader and the Display don’t align:

New CRT shader from Guest + CRT Guest Advanced updates

Please don’t get upset and unload a wall of text on me just because I disagree with your suggestion. The solution is to just use the regular layout and accept that it’s not quite as good as it would be on a display with a regular structure. Or for the people developing the shaders to get access to multiple displays with which to develop the shaders on. Presumably for those LCDs that for whatever reason have a rotated panel. Certainly not for RWBG OLEDs, as that would require its own layout…

[Cyber]

Not One, But 𝗧𝗪𝗢 RGB-Stripe OLED Monitor (QD-OLED & WOLED) from ASUS!

WOLED Gets Better in 2026 - Hands-On With RGB Stripe 4K 240Hz Monitor from Asus

OLED vs RGB-Mini LED TV Side-by-Side Demo — Which is Better?

https://www.oled-info.com/oled-tv

[Cyber]

@markydoodah

Hi, could I try out the tests you’ve developed? I have an LG G5.

Sure! To keep things nice and tidy, we can post the results and further discussion here:

These tests require the SNES 240p Test Suite available here:

https://artemiourbina.itch.io/240p-test-suite

and CyberLab Megatron miniLED Death To Pixels 4K HDR Shader Prest Pack available here:

CyberLab Death To Pixels Shader Preset Packs

[CyberLab Mega Bezel Death To Pixels Preset Pack Title] [Screenshot_20220408-113722_Chrome] [Screenshot_20220408-114931_Chrome] [Screenshot_20220408-114949_Chrome] [Screenshot_20220408-115001_Chrome] [20220825_100739] Disclaimer: I present these to you without making any claims, representations, warranties nor acceptance of any liabilities including any arising out of the use of this software whatsoever. They are just my presets that I use and I’m sharing with you in the hope that y…

Instructions:

Load the 240p Test Suite, load one of the CyberLab Subpixel Layout Test presets, then take a few close/macro photos of some grey or white areas of the screen showing the individual red, green and blue subpixels (or whatever colour they appear to you) in the CRT Shader Mask clearly. Do not take a photo of the full screen or large sections of the screen.

Do not adjust the presets. Use as is.

Do this for all test presets, labelling screenshots accordingly.

Tips:

You can use Pro/Manual Mode on your camera/camera app. Stabilize camera/phone. Shutter Speed 1/60 or 1/30, ISO 50 to 250, Manual or Auto Focus, WB - Auto, 5,000K or whatever matches the screen output best.

Ideally, you want to do this in dark room with all lights off except the light emanating from the TV.

For further photography tips you can read this:

Calling all CRT owners: photos please!

As CRT’s are getting older and no new ones are being made, we are left facing a future of these fantastic displays dying out. As people on this forum well know, one avenue to help alleviate this issue is to reproduce them in the digital form. In order to do that we really need close up standardised shots of the CRTs that are still working. This is a call out to everybody who owns a CRT to post photo’s of their displays here so that we can attempt to reproduce them for the future. Instruction…

Click the link below to Download:

CyberLab Subpixel Layout Test for CyberLab Megatron miniLED Epic Preset Pack

These are what the photos of the screen should look like:

OLED subpixels. How do they work?

This below here is fine:

@PU786

Using the current Version 2 preset for the 27…40? Aperture Grille, RWGB, couldn’t find a Mask Accurate Mode setting.

300 TVL:

What Azurfel did here was excellent but we’re taking it one step at a time so just focusing on what’s in the test presets. Let’s see how the tandem OLED renders them, then I’ll try sending some alternative Subpixel Test presets with different Mask Layouts for you to test if necessary.

Sony Megatron Colour Video Monitor

Pictures to come when i have the time to get them properly sorted for posting. Edit: https://imgur.com/a/Kj9nR11 Taken using 2.8.0 as requested. The “8K” set got messed up somehow and wasn’t usable. I will have to retake those at a later date.

[Cyber]

Just to further consolidate what we’ve been observing and learning about OLED subpixels and how they work, I’ve zoomed in on some of Azurfel’s excellent photos of his RWBG/WOLED panel.

If we observe carefully, we can see a larger gap between the red and blue subpixels compared to the gap between the blue and green subpixels. This is due to the presence of the white subpixel which resides adjacent to the red subpixel.

[PU786]

OK here we go Cyber…I literally busted my ass to get these, I hope they’re satisfactory because it took me a couple hours and just eugh. x.x

I could not a single thing to get my shots to come out like the above post. @Azurfel

Panasonic Z95B (allegedly sourced from the LG G5)

===Megatron v2=== RGB 300:

RGB 600:

RWBG 300:

RWBW 600:

===Adamantiumtron=== BWRG 300:

BWRG 600:

===Guest Advanced===

And just because this mask actually works and looks good and natural… Mask 0 Size 3 Layout 0 Strength 0.98

Mask 0 Size 3 Layout 1 Strength 1 (doesn’t look as right color wise to me)

Mask 0 Size 3 Layout 1 Strength 1 (feels like I can see magenta/green fringing on white text)

[PU786]

Bad news Cyber. I missed your Test download above. x.x I think I had downloaded it before and forgot. eugh

I wish Libretro.com would let me format my posts as I write them.

I’ll still do the pictures from your test shaders if you need them.

@Cyber Double Bad News: none of the tests will load from the Shaders folder, tried to follow that readme but D: Oh, just test 2 and 3 no worky.

Test 2 had the word Screen instead of Layout. Fixed. Can at least say Test 2 looks the more color accurate out of the 3. (none of them look right to me)

[PU786]

I’m actually pretty convinced that the triads are supposed to be Layout 1 instead of Layout 0… It gives the distinct, tiny black gap in all colors for the TVL’s. But the colors just go so wrong.

Am I confused on the way TVLs are supposed to work? Like I look at the Vectorman story sequence, right after you press start at the title screen. The purple line in particular, doesn’t have distinct TVL’s without Layout 1. Many other places in every game are like this, so am I supposed to value distinct TVL’s or accurate color? I’m sure Cyber remembers my first screenshot where I valued solid colors in a single color background thinking TVL’s and Scanlines shouldn’t appear in that space. lol

Or, is this just a function of switching from Magenta/Green to Yellow/Blue?

Sorry to gum up the thread, but I suppose it’s pertinent to G5/Z95B’s. MG vs. YB at Size 3 really seems like our best bet.

[Cyber]

@PU786

I literally busted my ass to get these, I hope they’re satisfactory because it took me a couple hours and just eugh. x.x

Wow! Thanks for the effort. Are you using an iPhone or something? If so, I think folks have had better luck with third party apps.

@PU786

===Adamantiumtron=== BWRG 300:

@PU786

BWRG 600:

Did @Azurfel already release his update with the new experimental BWRG layout?

@PU786

Panasonic Z95B (allegedly sourced from the LG G5)

This is not alleged. It is fact that all WOLED displays are manufactured by LG Display.

@PU786

I could not a single thing to get my shots to come out like the above post. @Azurfel

That wasn’t necessarily expected because the idea was to test the display with the 3 existing Megatron Subpixel Layouts, then analyze the results. Then from there test the BBRRGGX, GGRRBBX, BRGX, GRBX, BRG and GRB Layouts which I would have provided to you.

The test was designed to be relatively simple to run and to remove anomalies like additional subpixels, including the white subpixel, which seems to be visible in most of the photos you shared.

Zoomed in the photos don’t look too shabby. It’s just that there’s a lot going on in terms of additional subpixels. My test presets use Mask Accurate Mode so only the Red, Green and Blue subpixels will be lit, no white subpixels at all and also no additional red or green subpixels outside of the ones specified in the mask layout would be lit in an attempt to colour the phosphor primaries as accurately as possible. Mask Accurate attempts to “draw” the Phosphors as accurately as possible.

Those photos look “Colour Accurate” and not “Mask Accurate” which is what I’m looking out for.

[PU786]

It was v2. There’s only Mask Accurate (as far as I understand v2). And furthermore, I made sure Mask Accurate was enabled for the BWRG ones because I know we don’t care about Color Accurate.

Any insight to my Mask Layout 0 vs 1 confusion? Here, have a test romp and see if on your side it does similar things. https://www.mediafire.com/file/70spt8di06mfi6o/CyberFork-Sega+Genesis.slangp/file

[Cyber]

Wouldn’t it be easier to just run my prepared tests? If the iPhone camera is the stumbling block then you can let us know so that we can understand and know what to expect. I already provided a controlled environment in order to gather the relevant data, why would I want to stray from that and go all around the place?

I’m not saying I won’t entertain running your tests but surely we are beating around the bush when all we need to confirm are some clean 300TVL or 600TVL close up photos of something white or grey running BBRRGGX, BRGX and BRG Mask Layouts and as a bonus, GGRRBBX, GRBX or GRB Mask Layouts.

That’s all. The photography instructions have been provided. I understand that not everything is as simple for everyone depending on whatever mitigating circumstances one might be faced with.