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22 out of 27 people found this review helpful
3.0 stars
"Be Wary of Panel Manufacturer"
Pros: Price/Performance
Features and Ease-of-UseCons: Colors
Summary: Be very careful when buying one of the a550 LCDs. Samsung notoriously uses different manufacturers for its panels, resulting in extreme variations of quality. "S" Panels are great, made by Samsung, and they conveniently land into the hands of early adopters and reviewers. Other panels, "A" and "C", are quite inconsistent in terms of quality. Mine, an "A" panel, was horrible. The colors were not the least bit vivid, even after many attempts at calibration. Contrast was good, but only when viewing the LCD at dead center. When viewing the screen even slightly off-angle, the contrast worsened significantly, and the image itself washed out. I was extremely dissatisfied with this LCD, eventually exchanging it for a Panasonic 46PZ85U, which I ABSOLUTELY love.
Viewing Angles
You may be lucky and get an "S" panel, but be wary of this game that Samsung plays.
- 30 replies to this review
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How is the panel type discovered?
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Have you checked out the energy use of this Panasonic? According to CNET (http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/panasonic-viera-th-46pz85u/4507-6482_7-32887121.html?tag=mncol;psum), it's a total power hog, using 628 watts of power. How can you sleep at night? A well-rated 46 inch LCD uses only 1/4 of that!
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I got mine from BB the other day and it has a C panel. I can't compare it to the floor model side by side, but I had very low expectations and was disappointed when I first saw the C when it came out of the box. These threads are all over the web and are very discouraging. Then I turned the set on....wow! It wasn't bad at all, in fact it looks pretty darn good.
I am not an average viewer. I've been doing computer graphics for the past 10 years and have a high end LCD monitor I use for work. I'm very anal about color and contrast.
The C panel delivered for me, maybe I got a good one. These are the general concerns people have with the 'cheaper' panels::
1. Backlight bleed - My unit has none
2. Washed out image at off center - Mine has slight, but not bad at all. Image overall like maybe 5% lighter and the contrast is slightly improved, but it doesn't ruin the experience at all.
3. Over saturation of blue or red - my unit has none. Plus, RGB can be adjusted. -
Doublelineman, no disrespect intended but please consumers...consider the source when reading his review. First question you must ask yourselves is why would Sony use Samsung panels and Samsung use other manufacturer's panels for their OWN BRAND NAME and subsequently raise doubts about their product. That doesn't make any sense at all. I have a LN37A450. I spoke with Samsung, that A that is set apart from the model # on sticker in the middle on the back represents sold in America. Version code does not give you an indication of where panel is made. The C or D after the model number on left rear tells you whether the panel was made in Korea or Mexico. But no matter what, it's still a Samsung panel. So consider the source when reading your reivews.
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I have just purchased a LN37A450 samsung. How can you tell if you have an "S" panel or and "A" or "C" panel. Does the 40" 550 have 120 HZ processing?
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i checked the info panel. here's what it reads:
Model/MODELE NO: LN46A550P3F S
Model Code: LN461550P3FXZA
Type no. LN46A550
MFD: July2008
Made in Tijuana Mexico
S/N: ALXK3CSQ7******
I found the letter "S" embossed on the center section, lower panel on the back of the TV, and there were 4 of them. With the above info, does this indicate that the TV is a "S" panel? -
How would someone know if they are getting an A, C or S panel?
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one would think you wouldnt have to go threw so much hassle to buy a tv, not the case want to thank for the info on the s c and a panel manufature.After a long time researching i decided to go ahead and purchase the samsung ln40a650 . I went to b and h popular store in manhattan with a good reputation atleast i though off till i went and they had me going in circles talking to 2 different sales rep then supervisor telling he understands i want to see which version im purchasing but cant open the box cause of warranty issues but have the sales rep contact customer service see what can be done but after 30 min of waiting runing in circles had enough and left. my question in general does anyone know if that model samsung ln40a650 known to come in different panels s c oh a cause all the models i saw in display of course had the s for samsung display on the back of the tv. I noticed some reviews here people mention 450 550 models with c and a panels but not 650 helpful info be appreciated
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How to find out what kind of panel had been assembled into a specific Samsung LN46A550 set? Any indication on the outside? Even better on the cardboard box?
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After a recent trip to a local electronics retailer, I can vouch for the existence of and sub-par quality of the A and C panels. The store had both the A450 and A550 models with S, A, and C panels on the shelf; from A650 on up, there were only S panels. The picture quality of the A450 with an S panel was clearly superior to another A450 with a C panel as well as that of the A550 with an A panel, although the pricier model should obviously have the superior picture. The panel manufacturer is designated in two places on the back of the panel. On the side where the connections are, there is a sticker showing the model#, serial#, and version#. The first letter of the version# will be an S, A, or C, and it corresponds to an identical letter about 1/8" tall which can be found in the middle of the panel in the top right corner of another info sticker, set apart from the rest of the text. There is no version# printed on the box, and thus no way of knowing without opening it. Buyer beware!
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I think most of the panels are now made in Mexico due to shipping costs. The LN40A550s were made in Mexico and have the S panels. Inregards to the LN46A550 I took back - bought the LG 47LG70. Blows the Samsung out of the water!! At $1439, 1080P, 120 Hz, 47" and matte finish - beatiful!
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We have a 3year old ln3250n designated with "A" and love it. I made adjustments in the "Custom" picture setting area and use them most of the time. For older B&W sometimes I think I prefer the stock "Movie" setting.
My "A" is made in Mexico. I'm guessing and "S" panel is made in Korea. Somewhere on the box it should say "Made in..." Is that not a good indication of which panel is inside? -
How do you find out the panel is S versus A or C?
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If the set is that bad - one of two things - either you actually got a bad panel or secondly, you didn't notice a stand alone C or A? If you look on the back of all Sonys, you'll see the S. (Made by Samsung)
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how can one tell what panel the set is mfg with?
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I noticed a S standing by itself after the Model # in the back of that sticker label. Is that the S indication?
Regardless, I do notice a really horrible quality on the picture. Def not HDTV, not even on the channels/programs that are HD-recorded. Is it possible that Samsung caught on and just put a S on every TV even if it's inferior parts? Any recommendations? Thanks -
On the back info panel on the system, you'll see a S, C or A sitting all by itself. This will disignate who made the panel. You want the S. Took my LN46S550 back and have now purchased the 47LG70 that was on sale, online, this weekend at futureshop.ca. Will post review once received and setup. Definitely has to be better than this A unit LN46A550 I received!
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Can someone explain to me where the "A, C, or S" panels are listed? The comment here has not been helpful, at least to me. I did find a sticker with the Model#, Serial#, and Version#. The Version# said "SS03"; is that the "S" panel or something different. Any help is appreciated.
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Sorry, my son's and daughters Samsung LN40A550s. (Not computers)
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Further to my previous summaries, after seeing for myself, my son's and daughters computers, the S C or A will be anywhere on the back info plate, standing by itself. Have had an automated reply from Samsung that they'd forward my complaint to the marketing department and so far that's it. Have not seen a C panel to verify. Definitely the A panels are the worse. On your C panel, just go off center and see if the colours start to fade out. At Future Shop, they open the panel while you're there to inspect that there's no panel damage! (To protect themselves incase you bring it back saying the panel is damaged. Surprised BB was not doing the same since they are owned by the same company!)
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Just bought of these today and were disappointed to see we have the C model. We got it from BB, and of course they wouldn't open the box for us to check to see if it was the S model. However, after setup everything looks decent and no complaints yet!
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Panel diesignation re: S A and C. Found on the back info panel, dead center between the model # and serial #. Inch down in the middle.
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Thank you very much for this review, I had my heart set on this TV, now I'm not so sure. If I can find one with the S panel, I'll stll go for it. Can anyone quote the numbers on the back of theire panel as an example of what to look out for? Like if the S is at the beginning or end of the sequence of numbers or whatever? Thanks :)
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Further to my last reply, I've checked with my son and daughter on the LN40A550s I purchased for them - they both have S panels - blacker blacks - vivid colours and well deserve the Best Buy and #1 rating in the latest Consumer's Reports. The LN46A550 was rated #1 in it's size catagory as well. I assume they got to test a S panel LCD to test! Sent a complaint notice to Samsung here in Canada. Don't know whether I'll receive a reply from Samsung or will be totally ignored! Both models had made in Mexico stickers on them so I assume that Samsung and AU Optronics both have manufacturing facilities in Mexico. Future Shop employees appear to know that the A panel systems suck but sell them anyways to the unwary public, and say most of the Samsung product, in the future, will be coming from the same factory!
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Purchased the LN46A550 after seeing how great the 2 LN40A550s were that I purchased for my 2 kids. My LN46A550 (Made in Mexico) had the A and the terrible picture. Took it back to Future Shop and got a refund. Will wait for the review on the new 47LG90
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How do you recognize what panel you are being sold on a Samsung LN46A550?? (A,C or S)
Thanks
paullody -
Samsung sources only panels 32" and under from either AU Optronics or Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO)
Source:
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20050720PR205.html -
Check the back of the panel:
"A" for AUO, "C" for CMO, and "S" for Samsung
I think on a a550 is precedes a larger string of characters. -
Can you tell me where to look for the S or A?thanks
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Where do I look to see if I'm getting an "A" or other panel? Thx, BF
Samsung LN46A550:
