The great panel Lottery? Does it affect you

[admin_exported]

Hey

Been reading a lot about panels, that are not made by the actual manufacturer.

For instance there as been pro's testers saying about the Samasung screens. like the le- C6500

Does this make a difference, I seen both screens, and I cant see a difference in colour. or blacks.

Has there been any solid 100% yes or no answer that one screen is better than the other

 

[The_Lhc]

Pardon?

 

[chudleighpaul]

the_lhc:Pardon?

Ditto

 

[nads]

chudleighpaul:
the_lhc:Pardon?

Ditto

+ Potato.

 

[Paul.]

Lower end Samsung LCD's aren't made by Samsung, but are bought in components. Surely its not a lottery as reviews and inspections will tell you if the product is good or not? Who cares where something is made as long as its good?

 

[Anonymous]

LCD Panels, Thats what I am talking about, they are not being made by the manufacturer, and some are.

EG: there is a screen on the LE46C650 samsung, and one has the screen mark, SQ which means its made by samsung.

But the other is listed AA which is not, and people are saying its infirior to the SQ screen.

Sorry though it was common knowledge, as its not just Samsung that are doing this, hence its a lottery if you get a samsung own panel, or a panel made by a company in siberia or even worse... Canadians... lol

Also I dont think the RRP of this TV of 1000.00 is low end, I would says its middle.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Who says those screen 'marks' mean something is or isn't made by a manufacturer? An official statement from that source, or internet lore

Manufacturers will often change the coding on the back of a set to indicate - for example - it's the second phase of lifecycle with updated firmware (so if/when service engineers coming to look at that set, they know the state it was shipped).

Also sets may be assembled in different territories with slightly different compoents (a Freeview HD tuner wouldn't be much use in the US, for example), which can yet again mean a different notation.

Nothing more sinister than that.

A key reason the Korean companies - Samsung and LG - are no1 and 2 respectively in the global TV market is they (with very little exception) don't have to run to other manufacturers for parts: they control the means of production at the majorty of parts along the chain. That can mean lower costs, which can get passed on to the consumer - making the sets more competitive.

And those companies (eg Sony) that do source LCD panels from elsewhere are typically doing so via well-publicised agreements with the likes of Sharp.

As Pioneer's engineers proved when they took Sharp panels and made excellent LCD TVs with their own latter engineering, the panel is just a building block to the eventual performance you view. Many more examples since then, too...

 

[Anonymous]

There is hundreds of pages of people saying the are made by a thirdparty company:Also some confirmation by Samsung themselves

1. We have the letters S,A, and C appearing on Samsung monitors and TV.

2. We have news releases of Samsung procuring panels from Chi Mei, AUO.

3. We have owners of monitors and TV complaining of performance issues.

4. We have pictures of various pixel geometries.

5. We have a picture of AU Optronics label through vents of a Samsung TV.

6. We have a Samsung Tech who won't deny it in the CNET forum

7. We have global reports of the same issues with Samsung product.
[edited by mods - link certainly isn't allowed, as it links to potentially defamatory material]

 

[Clare Newsome]

I'll ask Samsung for comment on this, but as they've been open about sourcing some products from a third-party I don't know what else they'll have to add.

Beware confusion, by the way, between monitors and televisions - and also the differences from country to country I mention in my post above.

 

[Anonymous]

I am surprised you did not know about this, I just found out, but seems to have been going on for about 3 years.

And some reviews I have seen, they will even state which screen they got and how it performed against the same model but different panel.

I might just spend the extra 80.00 and buy from costco at least I know what I am getting and safty of their customer service.

But gutted I have to do this, as they can be had for as low as 689.00 with 1 year warranty, or 720.00 with a 3 year.

But none will check the screen before they send out, just for my peace of mind,

 

[bigboss]

You can always return the TV if you have any problems with it. I think you're reading too much into this issue.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes but I have to pay for the postage back, so that would be around 20 to 30.00 as they wont refund that.

Seen a side by side pic, and one screen looked grey and the other was black like a kuro.

I am going out again today to check again just to make sure, as seen the non samsung screen in currys.

 

[bigboss]

The postage is still cheaper than £80 you know.

 

[Clare Newsome]

canada16:
I am surprised you did not know about this, I just found out, but seems to have been going on for about 3 years.

It's never been an issue that's come up in real-life - either for us testing or evidently for the many consumers using these Forums.

I agree with Big Boss - think you're reading way too much into this.

(And PS - I could set two screens up in seconds to make one look totally different to the other; doesn't prove a thing unless you watched them being calibrated).

 

[Anonymous]

Yeh maybe, I just went back to costco, and seen a 40" screen that had the AA panel, and the 46" which had the SQ samsung panel, but I could not see a huge difference, but then again they were not side by side. I had to walk from one isle to the other.

719.00 with a free 3 year warranty, I dont think I can complain to much.

But I am sure if the Panasonic VT series, had one screen made by Sharp and the other by panasonic themselves, I would prefer the Pansasonic one, But then again, people are complaining about their top of the line stuff, but What Hi-Fi cant see what they are talking about.

Maybe its like Chinese Whispers, one person doesnt like something and points something out, and then the other person looks for the same problem, and then the next, and so on.

I am sure if there was that huge of a issue with the G20 and the new V series, they would not still fetch a premium, I cant find a 46" VT for less that 1500.00.

Forums can be a dangerous thing I agree, you see hundreds of comments about something and everyone jumps on the bandwagon.

 

[Clare Newsome]

canada16:
Forums can be a dangerous thing I agree, you see hundreds of comments about something and everyone jumps on the bandwagon.

Bingo.

You've done exactly the right thing by looking for yourself. You haven't seen any difference, so can now (I hope!) buy with confidence.

 

[Anonymous]

I feel like another forum member, LOL, I really need to stop, buy a TV and shut up.

I never went through all this hassle when I bought my amp and speakers. It seems Tv'S are a touchy forum subject.

Still trying to get the LG 47LE8900 but cant see it around for 1100.00, thats my max budget, for a very very special screen.

I love it, its amazing, best picture I have ever seen in my life, better than the Kuro, I dare say.

But I cant understand why they are not available.

Going to finally pull the trigger when I get back to work. tomoz

 

[Anonymous]

canada, have you ever seen a kuro in action, properly set up in a dimmed room? you'd wet your pants

if i was buying an lcd right now i'd buy the le8900. it's a rare beast in the sense that every review that ive found on it has said it is excellent. reflective screen though iirc..

 

[Clare Newsome]

Max, Canada has been out and seen the LG in action

, and is not basing his opinions on the speculative reviews of others

(I agree re the Kuro comment, though - you'd need a side-by-side comparison to truly express that opinion

Though the LG would probably win out for detail)

 

[Anonymous]

I have seen the kuro when dixons was in town about 5ish years ago, and it was amazing. I agree, Like I say... Dare I say, Its a close call.

Seen the New flagship Full LED 47" from LG today, and the day before and I got to say, that was special as well.

I cant understand why Pioneer stopped making TV's, they are envied to this day, and when one does come up for sale, people jump on it like free T-Bone steak.

Beats me, but they must have their reasons.

 

[Clare Newsome]

The main one being that they lost money on every single set sold; the Kuro cost more to develop/make than Pioneer could ever make a return on. Simple economics...

The Kuro's already been replaced as our main reference set, as it can't compete on detail - or of course other features many buyers want to know about (3D; internet services; HD tuner etc) - with today's top TVs.

But it's still on site and wheeled out for comparison/curiosity sake on issues like black levels and motion-handling. Otherwise it's a favourite with the lunchtime gaming brigade

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:
Max, Canada has been out and seen the LG in action

, and is not basing his opinions on the speculative reviews of others

(I agree re the Kuro comment, though - you'd need a side-by-side comparison to truly express that opinion

Though the LG would probably win out for detail)

ok ok

, i've never seen one myself to be honest

..

 

[Clare Newsome]

The Kuro's already been replaced as our main reference set, as it can't compete on detail - or of course other features many buyers want to know about (3D; internet services; HD tuner etc) - with today's top TVs.

But it's still on site and wheeled out for comparison/curiosity sake on issues like black levels and motion-handling. Otherwise it's a favourite with the lunchtime gaming brigade

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:
The Kuro's already been replaced as our main reference set, as it can't compete on detail - or of course other features many buyers want to know about (3D; internet services; HD tuner etc) - with today's top TVs.

But it's still on site and wheeled out for comparison/curiosity sake on issues like black levels and motion-handling. Otherwise it's a favourite with the lunchtime gaming brigade

that's blasphemous

 

[Clare Newsome]

Certainly not: it's one of the things the Pioneer was made to do incredibly well - especially in a dark room with no windows