[DISPLAY 101] #8 Refresh Rate

The refresh rate is a number that indicates how many images can be displayed on a screen per second as measured in Hertz (Hz). For example, a 60Hz monitor can display 60 different images each second. The higher the refresh rate, the more images are displayed per second, showing smoother movement.

So, is a higher refresh rate always better?

For games or videos that require quick screen transitions, the higher the refresh rate, the more natural and smoother the viewing experience. However, when displaying video with relatively few changes per second, like displaying static images or text, there isn’t much visible difference between high or low refresh rates. In this case, the higher refresh rate just consumes more electricity.

Therefore, it is best to use a higher refresh rate when displaying video and a lower refresh rate when displaying static images or text. The term that describes this optimal strategy is Variable Refresh Rate, or VRR. This concept is very important when describing how reliably a display can reproduce rapidly changing video. Game video is very dynamic and can run at anywhere from 40Hz to 120Hz depending on how quickly the displayed video changes. When the frame rate of the game video changes, the display also needs to change its screen refresh rate to keep up. A display with this capability can show stable video and maximize the video game’s effects.

This is another difference between OLED and LCD displays. OLED displays always provide a natural picture quality with no jitter or stuttering when varying the refresh rate. On the other hand, LCD displays can face some problems that make it harder to stably display video when the refresh rate changes, such as flickering or stuttering.

LG Display’s Gaming OLED TV panels received the High Gaming Performance Gold certification from German inspection service TÜV Rheinland in October 2021 thanks to their superior refresh rate, Gray-to-Gray response time, lack of motion blur, and color gamut.