Quote:
Originally Posted by Happs
I have a 60" Samsung LED TV that I learned has a Sharp HS01 panel. Apparently, Samsung uses different companies for the panels. Did I basically buy a Sharp LED TV in Samsung clothing or does Sharp produce panels for Samsung at a higher spec rate due to Samsung being higher priced?
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Yes and no...
First, pretty much all of the manufacturers are now outsourcing panels to some degree. In many cases up to 50% of the panels being put into a brands TV's are outsourced. In the case of Vizio, which is a competitive and recommended brand now, 100% of their panels are outsourced. However, this isn't really any different from most other products. Samsung is getting the most heat online over this because Samsung tends to charge a premium over competitors like Vizio, LG and Sony. Some people have also taken issue because they feel that certain panels may have a "better" picture than others. That point is highly debatable though. What I will say is that all of the panels are produced within "spec" according to Samsung regardless of who made the actual panel.
Second, even if the panel is made by another company, it is not the same as the TV made by that company. At the end of the day the panel is just a building block in the TV. What matters is the hardware/software behind the panel that is running it. In this case, whether your panel was made by Sharp, AUO, Chi Mei or Samsung it is backed by the Samsung hardware and software which is what makes it a Samsung and not a Sharp, LG, Vizio, etc.
Third, all panels have a variance when produced as all of them are unique. So, every panel made by Samsung is slightly different. There are "really good" Samsung panels and some "not so good" Samsung panels. This works very similar to how microchips are produced with "binning". Some are simply better than others. You can get a Samsung panel that isn't quite as good as a Sharp one. As long as they are within spec for the particular model there is a range of acceptable. Apple does the same thing with the iPhone. There are three panel suppliers for the iPhone; Samsung, LG and Sharp. All the screens are buit to the exact same Apple spec and follow Apple quality control. However, just do to the natural variance of production some screens are brighter or have more light bleed, etc. It's just the way it is.
Finally, we all play the "panel lottery" when we buy something with a screen. You may get a really good example of a particular product or a bad one. It doesn't really matter who made the panel as all panels have a natural variation. For the most part you can't really tell a difference between panels under any normal usage situation. If you can tell a major difference or are just generally unhappy, then return the product as there is something wrong with it.
Some manufacturers such as Sony are now trying to allay fears over this a little bit. At the same time Sony said they would increase to 50+% outsourced on their panels, they also said that they would be consistent within a single product range. So, if you buy "model x" all of the panels for all model x's come from the same supplier. Currently, you could have three or more different manufacturers making panels for a single model. At the end of the day, it all comes down to whether or not you think your panels picture looks good and/or acceptable to you.