What panel types are in TVs?

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brucek2

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My main computer monitor for the past couple years has been a Samsung 40B6000, which is a 40" "LED" TV.

While I always see panel types discussed for computer monitors, I rarely see it for TVs beyond generic "LCD" or "LED".

Does anyone know anything more specific about the panel I have? Which of the computer panel types would this be closest to?

I'm getting ready to buy new monitors and trying to figure out what I'm used to and/or care about. I use it for casual MMO type gaming, videos, some web or productivity work, etc. I've been happy with the picture, have never noticed ghosting or other motion problems (although I bet a more critical user would have), and viewing angle seems fine.

I'm starting to do more programming now and am thinking of switching to a 2560x1600 or two and having it closer to me (although I'll miss all the open desk space which may have been my favorite feature of all of the 40".)
 
There is a good chance it is an IPS, or in many cases with Samsung, a PVA panel which is similiar to IPS but has some darker blacks IIRC..My 42" Panasonic LED I have used as my main screen for the last few years uses an S-IPS Panel, which has been wonderful, especially calibrated.
 
Well to clarify, LCD's are a panel technology type. LED simply means it is backlit by LED's and not CCFL bulbs.
 
brucek2 said:
My main computer monitor for the past couple years has been a Samsung 40B6000, which is a 40" "LED" TV.

While I always see panel types discussed for computer monitors, I rarely see it for TVs beyond generic "LCD" or "LED".

Does anyone know anything more specific about the panel I have? Which of the computer panel types would this be closest to?

I'm getting ready to buy new monitors and trying to figure out what I'm used to and/or care about. I use it for casual MMO type gaming, videos, some web or productivity work, etc. I've been happy with the picture, have never noticed ghosting or other motion problems (although I bet a more critical user would have), and viewing angle seems fine.

I'm starting to do more programming now and am thinking of switching to a 2560x1600 or two and having it closer to me (although I'll miss all the open desk space which may have been my favorite feature of all of the 40".)
Click to expand...

Majority of TV's have a variation of VA panels in them. Some exclusions are usually LG's which tend to have IPS panels. It varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and even set to set. Some may have VA some may have IPS. It's honestly a pain in the ass when searching for a TV to buy.
 
It's hard to tell since there was a Panel-Lottery going on at Samsung a few years back.
http://www.digitalversus.com/panel-switching-samsung-tvs-we-know-so-far-n15170.html
And even now it's hard to be certain unless the type is specifically advertised (like Panasonic did with some IPS models).
Generally unless the TV is known to only use one panel type or the manufacturer somewhere encoded in the model number, getting a USB microscope is the easiest way to find out for sure what it is.

But using IPS and VA panels in a lottery would be rather noticeable, your TV is likely S-PVA or MVA.
as listed in the linked page the known lottery for your model is:
40" (40B6000) : PVA (SQ01 - Samsung) + MVA (BN02 - CMO)

There are no mainstream VA 2560x1600 monitors available at the moment.
So your choices are limited to IPS/PLS panels.
 
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Thanks guys those were links were very helpful, and interesting.

The depth and commentary on these forums is amazing. Although part of me is feeling maybe I should stop reading now. I've enjoyed my previous monitors without noticing any of the half-dozen problems which it seems most folks here hate about most current monitors.

I'm left with the impression there's nothing really to buy because everything is missing at least one should-have although I'm sure there must be more productive monitor setups than what I'm using now, from increased pixel count if nothing else.

Kind of like how I envy some of my friends who can listen to really crappy sound systems, or drink terrible beer, and not notice in the slightest. Maybe I lost the sound and beer lottery but did well on the monitor lottery ;-)
 
If there is no protective glass on the screen, you can check the panel type following way:
Press lightly and move your finger on the screen:
- If it leaves a trail, it is a VA-panel.
- If it doesn't leave a trail, it is an IPS panel

- TN panels (used in some smaller TV:s) can easily detected by looking the screen from the bottom up: if colours get much darker, its an TN-panel
 
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Here's a really interesting article with a bunch of close-up pictures of the pixels on a variety of panel types:

http://www.digitalversus.com/tv-television/screen-technology-sub-pixels-up-close-a1547.html

They make it clear that there aren't just three shapes of LCD pixels. That being said, it seems like if you can use a magnifying glass and see chevrons, it's almost certainly one of the many forms of IPS and if it's something else it's probably one of the many forms of VA panels, though some of the non-chevron IPS pixels look a lot like VA pixels.
 
brucek2 said:
I'm starting to do more programming now and am thinking of switching to a 2560x1600 or two and having it closer to me (although I'll miss all the open desk space which may have been my favorite feature of all of the 40".)
Click to expand...

get a good stand(s) and you'll have the entire desk to work with
 
Thanks again for all the replies. Here's my thinking so far.

- I expect to eventually have 3 or at least 2 monitors. I'm going to reserve one slot for a fast monitor with G-sync capability so I can eventually experience what the fuss is about. That's not what I'm buying right now though.

- I think I would have gotten real extra productivity benefit with 1600p over 1440p but am giving up on it for lack of good options at that resolution.

- I'm leaning towards the BenQ BL2710PT as having a decent trade off of image quality, responsiveness for casual gaming, and absence of pain points. Bonus points for me being able to get it from Amazon who I've had good service from in the past when I ended up not liking something and they ship free to me (prime, a super great deal when you live in the middle of the pacific ocean like I do.)

I have neither calibration equipment nor experience (nor need for professional color accuracy), so I hope it arrives in decent shape.

My budget could support a higher cost display but I'm not sure I'm seeing anything that would be better for me at higher cost anyway.

Any problems/issues I should consider before pulling the trigger?
 
Just the standard warning to buy it from a place you can return it or exchange it without losing money. The 2710PT doesn't always show up like it should, apparently. Kinda par for the course these days, tbh.
 
I went from Dell 2713HM, to Asus PB278q, to the BenQ you reference. Out of the 3, it has the highest contrast ratio (deepest blacks @ about .11 cd/m2 @ 120 nits... very good for IPS-type), least backlight bleed, but also least uniform in terms of white point. One side of the screen is a bit cooler than the other. It's noticeable and annoying on white backgrounds, but fine for gaming/movies.

As you've gathered, there's no perfect monitor unfortunately and they all seem to have their own QC issues.
 
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