On today's You Asked: Can you have an OLED if you live in a high-humidity environment?
Table of Contents Table of Contents Too steamy for my TV? Possible light projector damage? Remote wrangling for two too-close TVs New brand for better picture? Washed-out watching Too steamy for my TV? Sean, our island nit nerd ohana, writes: I recently purchased a G4, but I didn't consider humidity. Like a lot of older homes on O'ahu, my house doesn't have A/C. Should I be very concerned about the humid air in my house for my OLED's longevity and would it be worth buying a dehumidifier for it? First off, and I suppose anyone who saw my Golden Ear T66 speaker review may know a little about this, but I have a lot of family ties to O'ahu. My father's parents served at Pearl Harbor, my grandmother was one of the military's first female aircraft mechanics, my dad was born there, and my grandfather is resting at Punchbowl Cemetery, more properly known as the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. I've spent a good amount of time in the islands and on cruise ships in high-humidity environments and I can tell you: If you haven't experienced real humidity or have even been away from it for just two years, you forget. You might have memories, but your body forgets. Humidity can be a problem — not just for people, but for all organic things — and that includes organic light emitting diodes, which is what OLED TVs use to make a picture. Humidity is not great for electronics in general, so already we're starting at a disadvantage. OLED compounds are organic and they degrade faster in high humidity environments, not just because of the moisture but because of the accelerated oxidation. However, an OLED TV isn't going to die right away. You likely won't notice a problem within a year, and perhaps two. After that, there are no guarantees because although you may not see the issues right away, the chemical breakdown is happening at a faster level than in lower humidity. There are scientific papers published on this subject. Three Indian scientists published an…