StreamingDisplay SetupHow-to

Setup Guide: Using a 65" OLED as a Second Monitor for Streamers Without Compromising Latency

hheadsets

2026-01-27

11 min read

Step-by-step 2026 guide to using a 65" LG Evo C5 OLED as a second monitor—reduce input lag, calibrate color, avoid burn‑in, and optimize OBS multiview.

Hook: Why your 65" OLED should not wreck your stream

Streamers love big, beautiful displays—but large OLEDs like the 65" LG Evo C5 can bring headaches: confusing spec sheets, unexpected input lag, color mismatches between your game and OBS, and the long-term risk of OLED burn‑in. This guide gives a hands‑on, step‑by‑step setup so you can use a 65" OLED as a second monitor for chat, alerts, and full‑room previews without compromising latency or stream quality in 2026.

Quick summary — the core decisions

Use-case: Best as a second display for chat, scenes, donor alerts, and room preview. OK as a primary gaming display for relaxed/couch play if you accept burn‑in precautions.
Latency: Modern C‑series OLEDs are low-latency when you enable Game Mode + proper HDMI settings; expect competitive-level latency only on a high refresh dedicated monitor.
Color: Use a calibrated ISF/Expert profile or Filmmaker/ISF mode for accurate color in OBS preview; disable dynamic contrast and motion processing.
Burn‑in: Mitigate with screen shift, pixel refresher, lower brightness, and avoiding static UI at max contrast for long durations.

Why 2026 matters: what changed recently

By late 2025 and into 2026, TV manufacturers—LG included—improved HDMI 2.1 handling, reduced VRR handshake overhead, and shipped firmware updates to lower post‑processing latency in gaming modes. That means the gap between TVs and monitors for raw input lag is smaller than it was in 2020–2022. Still, dedicated PC monitors remain superior for ultra‑competitive FPS due to higher native refresh rates, lower pixel persistence tuning, and no burn‑in concerns.

Step 1 — Physical placement and expectations

Decide how you’ll use the 65" OLED. The two typical setups:

Across-room second monitor: Couch or presenter view for chat/sidebar/alerts—sit ~6–10 ft back for comfortable legibility at 4K.
Near-desk second monitor: Large workspace for OBS multiview and scene switching—sit closer (3–4 ft), increase scaling, and be conscious of pixel density (4K at 65" reads large UI).

Tip: For desktop placement, HD scaling and mouse pointer size must be adjusted—use Windows scaling 100–125% depending on distance.

Step 2 — cables, ports, and performance basics

Get these right first:

Use certified HDMI 2.1 cables (48 Gbps) for 4K@120Hz and best VRR performance. Cheap, non‑certified cables cause handshake issues that look like input lag or dropped HDR.
Connect the OLED to your GPU (not the motherboard). Use the HDMI port labelled HDMI 1/2 with ALLM/VRR support on LG C5 models.
If you use a console + PC, run both to separate HDMI inputs and set the correct input label (Game/PC) in the TV menu for each.

Step 3 — LG C5 TV settings (fast, tested configuration)

Open Settings > All Settings > Picture. Apply this checklist—each item reduces lag or improves accuracy:

Picture Mode: Set to Game or Game Optimizer. This disables many post‑processing effects.
Low Latency/ALLM: Enable ALLM if available; it triggers Game Mode automatically when the PC/console signals it.
VRR: Turn on VRR if you’re gaming on the TV and your GPU supports it. In 2026 VRR implementations are more stable; it usually reduces perceived stutter without adding latency. Test both on/off for your pipeline.
TruMotion / Motion Smoothing: Disable. This adds processing and can introduce micro‑stutter and unnatural frames.
Black Stabilizer / Dynamic Contrast: Turn off—dynamic contrast can shift brightness and affect OBS color matching.
AI Picture/Noise Reduction: Disable. These run expensive processing that increases frame delay.
RGB Range / Color Profile: Set HDMI Input > Input Signal Format to Enhanced Format or Deep Color, then use the GPU to output RGB Full 0–255 at 10‑bit/8‑bit depending on your capability.
OLED Care: Enable Screen Shift and keep Pixel Refresher on automatic. Use Logo Luminance Adjustment if you show static UI elements for long periods.

Step 4 — PC & GPU configuration

Make sure the OS and GPU are sending the right signal.

Windows Display Settings: Set resolution to 4K (3840×2160). Set refresh rate to 60Hz or 120Hz depending on how you want to use the TV. For desktop/multiview 60Hz is fine; for gaming, 120Hz reduces motion blur and input latency if you’ll use the TV for gameplay.
Scaling: Use 100%–125% scaling to make UI legible at typical viewing distances; avoid non‑integer scaling if possible to reduce blurring.
NVIDIA Control Panel / AMD Radeon Settings:
- Set Output Color Format to RGB and Output Dynamic Range to Full (0–255) for accurate desktop colors.
- Match output color depth (8/10/12‑bit) with the TV’s capability and the cable. If HDR is on, check Windows HDR settings to avoid double tone mapping.
- Set power management to Prefer Maximum Performance for stable frame delivery during long streams.
Disable Windows Auto HDR or enable it depending on your pipeline. If you use HDR for gaming on TV while streaming in SDR, you’ll need HDR to SDR conversion in capture—this adds complexity, so many streamers choose SDR on the TV while streaming.

Step 5 — OBS & multimonitor workflow

Use OBS to intelligently route previews/controls to the OLED without adding capture latency.

Preview and Projector: In OBS, right‑click the preview > Fullscreen Projector (Preview) > select the LG OLED. This sends the OBS canvas to the TV without re‑encoding; it's effectively a second screen output and has negligible latency.
Display Capture vs Window Capture: Use Window Capture for chat apps (Discord, Twitch Studio) and Browser Source for alerts. Display Capture mirrors the whole desktop and can be heavier; Window/Browser sources are lighter and avoid accidental spoiling of other windows.
Multiview: Use OBS Multiview on the OLED for a real-time view of scenes. Enable low resolution downscale for the multiview canvas to reduce GPU overhead; see local live setup guides for multiview best practices in pop-up streams: Local Pop-Up Live Streaming Playbook.
OBS GPU Usage: Ensure OBS uses the dedicated GPU for rendering (Settings > Advanced > Video) to avoid bottlenecks that increase frame latency.
Canvas Scaling: Keep the OBS Base (Canvas) Resolution matched to your gameplay display. Use the OLED as a monitoring surface rather than as the primary capture source to keep your capture consistent.

Step 6 — Audio routing and mic placement (short)

Using the OLED’s speakers as your stream’s audio source is not recommended. For lowest latency and best mic clarity:

Keep game audio output to your gaming monitor/headset or to an audio interface.
Use the OLED only for chat/visual monitoring. Mute its speakers in Windows and route the audio to your streamer's local headphones/monitoring chain (interface/DAW/OBS monitoring).
Place your mic 6–12 inches from your mouth with a pop filter and use a cardioid pattern to minimize room reflections — this prevents the OLED audio from being picked up and creating feedback loops.

Step 7 — Test inputs and measure latency

Quick tests to validate your setup:

Use a high‑FPS pointer test or the built‑in Windows pointer visibility test to check lag qualitatively.
Run a frame counter overlay (RTSS/CapFrameX) on your primary gaming monitor and compare to the OLED preview of game footage—if the OLED lags by more than a frame or two, recheck Game Mode and HDMI cable/port.
For precise measurement, use a hardware input lag tester (Leo Bodnar) or a camera with known frame rate to compare timestamps between source and TV.

Step 8 — Color calibration for accurate previews

Because viewers see the stream in SDR and many monitoring devices are different, calibrating the OLED ensures your OBS preview matches the output.

Start with Filmmaker Mode or ISF Expert picture modes—these provide a neutral baseline by disabling aggressive processing.
If you have a colorimeter (Calibrite, Datacolor), run a basic sRGB/Rec.709 calibration on the TV at the brightness you stream with—this stabilizes white point and gamma for OBS preview accuracy.
Turn off HDR unless you plan to stream in HDR and have an HDR path to the stream platform (rare). HDR adds complexity because many viewers can't view HDR correctly and OBS needs tone mapping.

Step 9 — Burn‑in and longevity best practices

OLED burn‑in is a real risk if you use a 65" TV as a daily desktop with static elements (taskbars, chat windows, HUDs). Use these practical mitigations:

Lower overall brightness—stay below 50% for long streaming sessions.
Enable Screen Shift and Logo Luminance Adjustment on the LG C5 to subtly move and lower static highlights.
Use a screensaver or rotate content (move browser windows) during long idle periods.
Run Pixel Refresher monthly if you stream daily more than 4–6 hours.

When to pick a 65" LG Evo C5 vs a dedicated monitor

Use the OLED if:

You want a large room monitor for chat/alerts and an immersive preview.
You stream couch‑play, console titles, or creative content where color and contrast make a visual impact.
You’re willing to implement burn‑in precautions and use Game Mode for latency control.

Choose a dedicated monitor if:

You play ultra‑competitive games and need the lowest possible pixel‑response and highest refresh (240Hz+).
You require pixel‑perfect predictability and no risk of burn‑in.
You want desk‑level pixel density for text-heavy tasks and close viewing distances.

Advanced strategies for pro streamers (2026 trends)

As of 2026, several advanced workflows help push OLEDs into pro streaming stacks:

Hybrid pipeline: Primary high‑refresh monitor for gameplay, OLED for multiview & audience-facing visuals. Use NVENC/AMD VCE to offload encoding so the GPU isn’t overloaded by rendering to two displays.
Dedicated capture pass‑through: For console streamers, capture device pass‑through to the OLED keeps latency minimal while feeding the capture card the same frames to OBS.
External scaler/AV receiver: Use an AV receiver or HDMI 2.1 switch with DSC to handle multiple 4K120 sources without repeated HDMI handshake issues.

Checklist: Final pre‑stream routine

Confirm HDMI cable and GPU port are correct; check ALLM/Game Mode auto trigger.
Set TV to Game Mode, disable motion smoothing and dynamic processing.
Match Windows/GPU resolution + color format to the TV and set refresh rate.
Route OBS preview to the OLED with Fullscreen Projector (Preview) and verify sync visually.
Lower TV brightness, enable Screen Shift, and ensure Pixel Refresher is scheduled.

Real-world case study: Our lab test (summary)

In our 2025–2026 lab evaluations, C‑series OLEDs like the LG Evo C5 consistently offered a great second‑screen experience after enabling Game Mode and using HDMI 2.1. For multiview and talk‑show style streams, creators reported zero measurable added encoding latency when the OLED was used strictly as a monitoring surface (OBS projector). Competitive players still preferred 360–240Hz monitors for primary play, but hybrid setups (monitor + OLED) were common among top streamers for audience comfort and production value. For compact, mobile and field-friendly setups that use big displays for previews, see compact streaming rig field reviews and mobile DJ kit tests.

Pro tip: Use the OLED for the audience-facing look (alerts, scene transitions, chat), and keep the competitive action on a dedicated monitor. It gives you the best of both worlds.

Troubleshooting common problems

No Game Mode or high lag

Confirm HDMI cable bandwidth and try another HDMI input labeled for gaming.
Update TV firmware — LG released numerous low‑latency patches in late 2025; keep firmware current.
Force the GPU to 120Hz and re-enable Game Mode if the TV reverted to 60Hz when HDR was active.

Colors look different in OBS

Set Windows and GPU output to RGB Full and match color depth to the TV.
Use Filmmaker/ISF as a neutral baseline. Calibrate with a colorimeter for best match.

Burn‑in concerns

Turn down OLED brightness and activate Screen Shift/Pixel Refresher. Avoid persistent HUD at max brightness.

Actionable takeaways

Enable Game Mode and use HDMI 2.1 cables. These two steps eliminate most input lag sources on the C5.
Use the OLED as a monitoring canvas, not the primary competitive display. It’s perfect for chat, alerts, and cinematic content.
Calibrate color and disable HDR for predictable streaming output. HDR complicates conversion to SDR for most viewers.
Proactively mitigate burn‑in. Screen Shift, lower brightness, Pixel Refresher, and rotating UI elements are non‑negotiable if you use an OLED daily.

Final word and next steps

The 65" LG Evo C5 is an excellent, high‑value second monitor option in 2026—especially for creators who value immersive audience visuals and room preview. With the steps above you can keep latency low, colors accurate, and the panel healthy for years. If you want a compact competitive edge, pair the C5 with a high‑refresh monitor for gameplay and use the OLED exclusively for stream management and viewer experience.

Call to action

Ready to try it? Test the settings in this guide, schedule a Pixel Refresher after your first week of heavy use, and join our streamer community for tested OBS scene templates optimized for multimonitor OLED setups. Sign up for firmware and deal alerts—we track LG Evo C5 promotions and critical firmware updates so you don’t have to.

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