Is it a true samsung or something else??

[admin_exported]

The 37" LCD reviews in this months what hi;fi were great reading and glad to see the affordable Samsung B550 winning out. I was just wondering if the Samsung panel you tested was indeed a Samsung panel or an alternative panel that was outsourced from one of samsungs partner companies? The reason i ask is because i am interested in this model and there has been a big debate on several forums regarding Samsung panels in this particular set (37" model) with people stating Samsung dont make a 37" panel and the alternatives that are put in there sets have very bad viewing angles and can suffer from blur and significant input lag. 'The panel lottery' it is being called. I dont mind what the panel is as long as it is NOT an inferior screen to the one reviewed and the specifications match what Samsung says ie wide viewing angle etc. Does anybody know if this is the case as at present it is putting myself (and many others from what iv been reading) off purchasing this model?

On a seperate note does anybody rate this for gaming on, ie low input lag and motion blur?

Thanks in advance

 

[landzw]

Well this is the problem with independent reviews like here , each review is done with different equipment , different environment , different reviewers with different views .

Not to mention a lot of people are now using a better digital tuner than the one that comes with the Tv like sky or freesat so this can make a difference straight away from a poor quality freeview tuner

At the end of the day there isn't a bad Tv out of the main manufacturers , i tend to look at other places were the consumer makes there own mind up on things and its surprising what people come up with there views can be a little different than here

As for the 37" B550 i can't comment , i own the 40" B550 which is slightly lower spec @ 50hz which it handles most stuff well , i get some motion blur when using my 360 with video scenes but thats it with gaming @ 1080P, its nothing much . Also when the picture pans across watching HD content i get some picture stuttering . But thats all i can fault it for

So the 37" is 100hz and should be able to handle things alot better , I know if i change to 1080i then things improve with motion

 

[Andrew Everard]

In common with other companies, Samsung sources TV display panels both from its own factories and those of suppliers.

This has included companies in Taiwan, home of some of the world's biggest producers of LCD displays, and Samsung and LG signed a deal 18 months back to cross-supply displays - LG selling 37in panels to Samsung, and Samsung delivering 52in models to LG.

However, it's not clear how that deal has progressed, rather like a more recent one involving smaller monitor-size panels between the two companies.

I would think it unlikely for there to be so much variation in panel supply between samples of the same model of TV, though of course it's possible that different models of the same size may have panels supplied from different sources.

 

[Anonymous]

If only there is a batch number on every screen that we can see then one can trace the origins and identify the quality of the Panel. I don't know why this system isn't in place. How is quality control and consistency maintained and recorded? And how do we know an LCD batch is less than average but are put in use in the TV production and not binned?

Are there any regulatory bodies that look into QA issues?

 

[Anonymous]

Yes i think its poor as well. A panel in a TV is a VERY important component and i personally think we are being misled regarding these items. An example is you go into a high street store with some background knowledge of what you are after ie. you have checked up on different TV's pros and cons like viewing angles and blacks and after a while viewing several TV's decide on 1 model because you like the picture and it appears to match what you have researched. You order it and take it home only to find it doesn't look as good as in the shop and the qualities you bought it for are now seamingly absent, and you have no idea why cos you dont expect to find an alternative panel in your TV set. Its like buying an audi 2.0 TDI expecting to find an audi engine inside only to find they have put an 'alternative' in but it is just as good as the original version.
Its very poor quality control it seems as the 'alternative panels' seem to have different qualities like narrower viewing angles but better blacks or more prone to clouding but stronger red etc,ÿessentiallyÿyou have no idea what kind of TV you are going to get. Very Very poor im afraid!!!!

 

[Andrew Everard]

And don't forget power supplies - they can affect performance.

Oh, and the brand of tubes or LEDs used to light the screen.

Then there's the choice of capacitors.

Which factory the product is made in.

Whether Juan who did the QA in the Tijuana factory was having a rougher day than the guy doing the same job in the one just outside Prague.

And so on...

It would be very unusual for the screen on display in the shop to come from a different factory from the ones in the stockroom; after all, TV companies use panels in their millions, and ship to large retailer operations by the containerload, not to mention using particular factories to service entire territories.

 

[Anonymous]

I suppose i was just taking it for granted that the panel they normally use/or state they use (S-PVA panel which is a very good allrounder) in the 550 series upwards would be in there and not another panel which may be of inferior quality as in my eyes its not the same TV! I suppose ignorance can sometimes be bliss and the majority of people wont care as long as it looks ok. I like to do a bit of background work, know what im buying and get the best value for my money which is the case if the Samsung 550 is the case if the highly rated S-PVA is in the TV but isnt if a replacement is in there (S or C series panel) of inferior quality and used on some of there lower range LCD's.

 

[ear]

this I can say for sure,the 37 has more vivid colors and contrats and less blurr than the 40 inch version(both b550 serries)

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks ear, how do you know about the difference have you got the 37" model?

 

[ear]

comparing different sizes on shops.displaying same images of course

 

[landzw]

yep the 37" is slightly better spec than the 40' not only that it doesn't have to work as hard being a smaller screen so things will run more smoothly

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the information lads, if i do decide to go for one i will be mithering the shop assistant to show me the serial no on the box to make sure its a S series panel though and not one of the cheaper alternatives!!

PS. Landwz - the 37" model is 50hzÿlikeÿthe 40" and not 100hz unfortunately.

 

[landzw]

i thought i read it was 100hz , well it still gets a good review

Would the info on the panel be under the version numbers and letters or under the serial code or model number ?

 

[Anonymous]

samsung 5 series tvs dont have 100hz , you need 6 , 7 series for that , the 8 series has 200hz....

 

[landzw]

yep i know that now , So if the 37" is £550 how much is the 40"?

 

[Anonymous]

i dont think its alot more , and a few reviews ive read say that the 5 series doesnt suffer much for its lack of 100hz , in fact , one well known site , that doesnt rate lcds as much as plasmas , rates the 550 as excellent , no other lcd achieves more than above average on that site , although it achieves that rating for its value vs performance ...

 

[ear]

I always notice blurr on the 5 series, but no so much on the 37 inch. for example the LG LH3000 has no blurr at all, but a bit of judder