Samsung TVs in Panel Switching Saga?

Investigations carried out by our French sister site have confirmed that different sized televisions in one product range aren't necessarily fitted with the same display panel. In fact, one range can feature screen panels made by several manufacturers. But can different panels also be found in one sole model of TV? While our sister site's investigations haven't uncovered a full-scale panel lottery, other sites, it seems, have already highlighted this kind of problem ...

A 'panel lottery' is when one same product sold under the same model number is fitted with a selection of different screen panels.

This can be particularly annoying for consumers, as buying a TV basically becomes a complete gamble.

• Winners get a good-quality panel.
• But for losers it'll be a different story, as everything from the colours, responsiveness and viewing angles to the power consumption and more can be totally different.

In a panel lottery, a TV may have the same name, an identical design and be sold at the same price, but its quality will actually vary (sometimes considerably) from one batch to another. And yet, the different products still come covered in stickers and labels supposedly guaranteeing quality ...

Several sites have already highlighted cases of panel switching.

HDTVtest and the 'Panel Lottery'

In a recent test of the Samsung 40C580, HDTVtest.co.uk discovered this TV was available with several different panels. Note that this particular TV is only available in the UK, but it looks very similar to the 40C550 recently launched in mainland Europe. In fact, with such similar physical design and spec, could it actually be the same?

UK: Samsung 40C580	Europe: Samsung 40C550
Find the best price

The HDTVtest reviewer claims to have seen two 40C580 TVs fitted with PVA panels of different generations (versions 1009 and 1012, manufactured in China and Slovakia respectively). He even thinks it's possible that C580 TVs could exist with panels manufactured by AU Optronics and CMO. Although he reassures readers that those who happen to buy an AUO model will have no problems at all (these panels are known for offering better pixel response than PVA panels), he then warns that CMO panels could prove more problematic.

The reviewer then highlights an interesting issue, as he says these products are not technically designed for sale on the UK market, and that the chance of you actually buying one from a reputable UK retailer is very slim. We've already seen this when investigating similar problems in monitors, when we found that batches with CMO panels were not intended for sale in Europe. The few models that do slip through the net will undoubtedly be grey imports that some unscrupulous resellers and wholesalers pick up as cut-price jot lots in Asia and then sell on in Europe under the same name as their more expensive counterparts.

The main culprits in such cases are the resellers, who usually defend their actions (and we've heard it first-hand) with two main arguments: that there aren't enough European models available over here (which can often be true, supplies can dry up, even for the most popular ranges); and their need for higher profit margins. The manufacturer is still not entirely innocent in all this, however. How can a manufacturer justify marketing products with such variable characteristics under one same name, even if they are intended for sale in different countries? How can this still be possible?

iXBT Confirms: CMO panels on the C550 in Russia

Major Russian tech review site iXBT has also been investigating a panel lottery, which has got them just about as riled as us.

They specifically target the Samsung C530/C550 and C570 series TVs which, in Russia, seem to be randomly equipped with PVA panels, MVA panels by AUO or MVA panels by CMO.

AVSforum Panel Lottery List 2009

The question of different panels appearing in one same model of TV seems to have been around for a while. Last year, AVSforum grouped together all the information they had on the subject into an impressive and stunningly long list of panels used in various models of Samsung TV.

They focused mainly on the B650 and B750 series (one of which we tested back in 2009).

Here's what they found inside:

B650

• 32": MVA (AUO)
• 37": MVA (AUO)
• 40": PVA (Samsung), MVA (AUO)
• 46": PVA (Samsung)
• 55": MVA (CMO)

B750

• 40": 2 different PVA (Samsung), MVA (CMO - suspected grey market import)
• 46": PVA (Samsung), MVA (AUO - suspected grey market import)
• 52": PVA (Samsung)

A list of panels found in other models of Samsung TV was then published, this time featuring the B55, B65, B62, B75, B7000 and B8000 series.

Current Situation

We will be investigating this problem in further detail next week, and we'll keep you updated when we find out more.

In the meantime, why not see the potential problems panel switching could cause by comparing the Samsung 46C630 (MVA) to the Sony 40EX500 (PVA) in our product face-off.



> TV Panel Switching: Findings from 2010, Hopes for 2011 : See all news

> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products