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More News on Panel Switching: Sony TVs

Pierre-Jean Alzieu / Vincent Alzieu
Translator: Sam McGeever
August 31, 2010 6:02 PM

After our discovery that Samsung ships different panels in different versions of the same TV, we asked everybody we knew—resellers, consumers, friends—to take a look at just what panel was included in the TVs they had. And lots of them got in touch to say they didn't have a Samsung, but had news about other manufacturers.

According to illico, a forum member on our French sister site, a letter is shown next to the serial number of Sony TVs that identifies the source of the panel.

And if you can't spot it, a few taps on the remote control will show you the panel type on screen.

The easy way: look at the label

According to what we've heard so far, the following letters correspond to panels from different manufacturers:

K = Samsung (S-PVA panel)
S = Sharp (ASV panel)
A = AUO (A-MVA panel)
C = CMO (S-MVA panel)
L = LG (S-IPS panel)
H = Hitachi? (IPS Alpha panel)
No label? Use the service menu

If you can't find one of these letters next to the serial number, then you can access the service menu on the TV, which provides the information directly. It's hidden, and Sony recommends that you don't use it as it is designed only for its own technicians. Be warned: you can completely alter the settings of your whole TV with one false move. But as long as you're careful and only look at what's shown and then leave it behind (switching the TV closes the menu), what can go wrong?

According to lyris-lite.net, to find it, you need to press the following sequence of buttons. Whether you do so one after the other or all at once, or with the TV turned on or off can depend on your model.

( I+, 5, Vol +, Power )

The number of the panel should clearly be shown on screen, as forum member kariboo92 found on their 37EX503:

Here's what we've found so far:

EX302

32" (32EX302) : PVA (Samsung, panel number: LTY 320AP04 SLCD)

EX402

32" (32EX402) : PVA (Samsung, panel number: LTY 320HM01 SLCD)
37" (37EX402) : MVA (AUO, panel number: T37HW03 AUO)
46" (46EX402) : PVA (Samsung, panel number: LTY 460HM01 SLCD)

EX501

32" (32EX501) : PVA (Samsung, panel number: LTY 320HF01 SLCD)
40" (40EX501) : PVA (Samsung, panel number: LTY 400HF06 SLCD)
46" (46EX501) : PVA (Samsung, panel number: LTY 460HJ01)

EX503

32" (32EX503) : PVA (Samsung, panel number: LTY 320HF01 SLCD) + MVA (AUO, ref. T315HW04 V1)
37" (37EX503) : MVA (AUO, panel number: T370HW03 AUO)
40" (40EX503) : PVA (Samsung, panel number: LTY 400HF06 SLCD)
46" (46EX503) : PVA (Samsung, panel number: LTY 460HJ01 SLCD)
55" (55EX503) : PVA (Samsung, panel number: LTY 550HJ01 SLCD)

EX700 (on its way out; to be replaced by the EX710 with PVA panels)

32" (32EX700) : ASV (Sharp; ASV is related to MVA, panel number: LK315D3LA4S)
40" (40EX700) : ASV (Sharp, panel number: LK400D3LA4B)
46" (46EX700) : ASV (Sharp, panel number: LK460D3LA8S) + PVA (Samsung, LTY 460HJ02)
60" (60EX700) : ASV (Sharp, panel number: LK600D3LA5S)

HX700