Sir Random said:
wow, that side-tracked me for much longer than i wanted! Here's my reply to the whole thread over there, some very sweeping statements being made and a lot of mis-informed people it seems. The pic above doesn't really show anything, both connected to different machines, differences most probably due to graphics card set ups (one is a laptop even)...also, my comments below should help clear up some of the mess. Let's not get too dragged down with all this here!:
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wow, what a massive thread! Just read through most of this, and there are a few things which bother me, and i think more people need to be aware of.
Firstly, there is NO AOC panel! AOC are a small screen manufacturer, they do not make their own LCD panels. There are two panels:
So that's the main confusion which seems to have started quite early on in the thread, with statements about an "AOC" panel. Anyway, it's not uncommon for manufacturers to utilise different panels in their screens, depending on availability, release dates, stock, price etc. Samsung and LG do it quite often, and accessing factory menus on their models often reveals configurations for various different options. In this particular case, Samsung have shipped the SM226BW with either their own Samsung panel (shown in factory menu by the 220M1 reference as above, and seemingly by an "S on the sticker on the back). Or they have shipped the screen with an AU Optronics panel, again shown by it's reference in the OSD, and by an "A" on the back.
What worries me though, is that from a very early point in this thread, it was mentioned there was an "A" version of the screen, and immediately, a lot of people started jumping on the bandwagon and saying it was inferior, and that somehow the AUO version was much much worse. "How could Samsung do this to us?"...."I won't settle for an "A" version...i want my "better S version"!! This person said one of the more informed and sensible things I think:
AU Optronics are one of the main, if not THE main, manufacturers of LCD displays in the monitor market. They don't normally make duff panels, let's just say that. Those who immediately started moaning about the AUO version should probably be a little more reserved before jumping to conclusions imo. This isn't the same as Dell's panel lottery, something which I know is almost a sore spot for people it seems. There are big talks about it on here, and elsewhere. However, what Dell have done with their S-PVA vs S-IPS lottery in the 2007 models is quite different. Yes, they are different. I think a large part of the 'hysteria' about it is out of proportion myself, but that is more of a significant change than we are seeing here with the Samsung SM226BW. Don't let what Dell have done make you immediately draw conclusions about other manufacturers. This has been done for a long time by many display providers
AUO are a reputable and very highly regarded panel manufacturer. the panel being used is an extension of that used also in the Iiyama E2200WS and Belinea 2225S1W, which are quite popular as well. Samsung have very likely supplied the screen with the intent of using their own TN Film panel, but probably due to availability, have had to use a very similar panel from AU Optronics. If demand is high, they will do that, but it doesn't automaitcally mean one is better than the other by the extent some people seem to be thinking here!
I think that's a very good point too. It seems people are siting two problems with the AUO version:
- backlight bleeding / panel uniformity issues
- colour banding and over-saturation of colours
If you read through this thread there are also many many people who are very happy with their screens. Panel uniformity is down to manufacturing processes more than anything. Different panels being used should have very limited / no impact on this issue, and i'd imagine any differences are probably coincidental. You can see bad bleeding on many different panels. For instance, the S-IPS panel (S-IPS being the "favourite" round here it seems for one reason or another) had some very bad and notorious issues on the Dell 2005FPW. That didn't mean that everyone started saying all S-IPS panels from LG.Philips were rubbish though
Colour banding and accuracy also is a bit of a hard one to gauge. One user said they had both versions, and says the colours looked better on the Samsung panel. However, they also admit that they never calibrated the screen and just plugged it in and played. Colour accuracy out of the box CAN and WILL vary greatly from one panel to another. Samsung are actually pretty good with their out-of-the-box calibration and so this might well explain the issue here. Yes, The Samsung version might well be more accurately and evenly set up from the outset, but that doesn't mean the AUO panel is crap! If you calibrated the screen properly, or even with software methods, i would suggest results would be somewhat improved. Colour banding can also be accentuated by poor set up and calibration. Poor initial factory settings might well be to blame for the apparent perceived differences people are seeing here, and for those who have managed to try both versions. I would be very surprised if this could not be corrected though with the right methods.
there's too much elite-ism going on here....far too much talk of S >>>> A!
Has anyone tried claibrating the AUO version properly? Does this help eliminate the brightness issues and colour inaccuracies?
Remember, there are still a lot of positive comments here and elsewhere about both versions....
Ah, answers my question then (while I'm compiling this reply!)....seems to confirm my suspicions. Hope you get the backlight bleed sorted soon!
Like I posted earlier, I dont think there is a difference between the AUO and the Samsung panel, they have the same specs. People here are just freaking out and making assumptions about which is better.
My S panel has very uneven lighting. When I display a beautiful girl (clothed)as my desktop, her skin tones at the bottom are much brighter compared to the top. I didn't do any sort of obsessive compulsive testing to determine this, it was just something that caught my attention and annoyed me. Do I jump to rash conclusions that ALL S panels are bad??
No.
I just need to go back to CircuitCity and replace me monitor.
Exactly!!
Where does that come from?
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So which panel would I get? - I would imagine that Samsung started shipping the screen with their Samsung panel as intended. High demand, and limited stock of the panels (I've seen this before with other models, for example the Hyundai N91W was in high demand, but later withdrawn due to a lack of the Samsung panel being available) probably led them to seek panels from elsewhere. AUO make very good panels, and are one of the main manufacturers. I would imagine certain shipments (maybe even continuing now?) are using the AUO panel. Before you jump on the bandwagon, please consider my comments above about A vs S!!
