Samsung may end production of 226BW A & C panels

[jaguarskx]

According to Behardware (who compared the S, A & C panels):

The SyncMaster 226BW continues on its way with just one change. Samsung now assures us that supplies arriving in stores are all with Samsung panels. So, the A and C versions are finished.

http://www.behardware.com/html/news/cat22/page2.html#8900

I'm sure there's still a large supply of 'A' & 'C' panels still sitting in warehouses though.

 

[Yoduh]

I just went to circuit city looking for an S panel expecting to find none with all the talk of the A & C panels floating around everywhere. but when I asked the helper guy i wanted specifically an S panel he told me "we ONLY get S panels" and i was like 8O so i went to the customer service desk to pick up the monitor, and though they couldnt look inside the box, i crossed my fingers and made the purchase. when i got home i was overjoyed to see the "226BW S" after opening the box.

so if anyones looking for an S panel right now, go to circuit city. i might have gotten lucky and its only that this local circuit city store in my town gets S panels, while elsewhere it could be different, but who knows.

it cost me $50 more than newegg, and that made me but i think its well worth it to make sure that little S is on the back of the monitor.

 

[trex_2010]

now do the menu test to make sure you didnt get duped and its really an S! =p

 

[Yoduh]

well it seems all new 226bw monitors coming out now have the panel info from the menu test deleted 8O

but the monitor has an S, and was made in tianjin China, which from other screenshots of actual S monitors i've seen, have originated from there.

 

[jsgiv]

but the monitor has an S, and was made in tianjin China, which from other screenshots of actual S monitors i've seen, have originated from there.

Hmmm.. Well - my "C" panel was made in Tianjin, China as well - maybe it's an "S" Panel in disguse then?

On another note - I've had this C Panel for about a month now and I'm happy with it. I did have to trade the first panel I bought (also a C) in due to a couple of bad pixels. They opened the box in the store and did a dead pixel check with me right there. No dead pixels.

Once I got it home - yes the colors are pretty bad out of the box. However, I found several ICC profiles out on the web - and with a little tweaking, etc., the monitor is truly awesome. Maybe it's me - but it seems to get better as I use it more (burn in anyone?).

With regards to backlight bleed - I have a little across the bottom (dark room / black background - not noticeable at all in a well-lit room). I do NOT have the magical "H" bleed that some people have with other C panels.

Yes there are minor annoyances that I have with the monitor (compared to the CRT that I used to use). The one true problem I did have with the monitor is that it does flicker with the VGA connection to both of my laptops. However, once I used the DVI cable instead - the flicker goes away.

In either case - Overall I believe that this whole S/A/C panel debate is really stupid.

Yes - if you placed the monitor variants side-by-side and pointed out the minute differences, then you'd probably say the S is the king of the bunch - maybe...

Bottom Line - if you're interested in the 226BW - buy it from a store that's willing to take it back if you're unhappy with it. Take it home - hook it up - and take it for a test drive.

Try to calibrate it - take some time to try and adjust it to your liking and ignore all of these posts on the 'net regarding which is the "better" panel.

Even by the individual reviews of the A/C/S panel I've seen that were calibrated and compared side-by-side - if you take into consideration that while there is a difference between the 3 versions of the monitors, each of the monitors are *STILL* better overall compared to the rest of the competing 22" monitors out there with regards to the measured results (Color Delta, True Color, etc.). If you're the type of person that's going to let the panel debate affect your view of your monitor - then don't even bother with it.

BTW - to add fuel to the fire - I just read another post on another forum stating that the S Panels *only* come from a manufacturing plant in Slovakia - so let the debate continue...

-jsgiv

 

[Yoduh]

you can definetly see the "Ti" in this photo where its more than likely for Tianjin. i didn't mean to say that S panels were only made in Tianjin, but without any other method to determine if mine is really S (theres no panel info in the secret menu on newer models), the only thing i have to go by is the sticker on the back of my monitor.

does your monitor say C on its sticker or S like mine? if you think your monitor is like mine, then please tell how you were able to find out how your panel was a C.

samsung says they started shipping only S panels not too long ago.

 

[jsgiv]

you can definetly see the "Ti" in this photo where its more than likely for Tianjin. i didn't mean to say that S panels were only made in Tianjin, but without any other method to determine if mine is really S (theres no panel info in the secret menu on newer models), the only thing i have to go by is the sticker on the back of my monitor.

does your monitor say C on its sticker or S like mine? if you think your monitor is like mine, then please tell how you were able to find out how your panel was a C.

samsung says they started shipping only S panels not too long ago.

Oh - I don't doubt that your monitor is possibly an S panel - and that it's was possibly made in Tianjin as well. My point is simply *nobody knows*, except for Samsung, where the panels were made, what the differences are, etc. Heck, there might even be 2-3 varieties of the much coveted S panel. Who knows?


As for my Panel - it states "226BW C" on the back (it doesn't have the [R]) between the monitor version and the panel type (I'm not sure what the [R] means). Underneath - it states "Made in Tianjin China" and "Manufactured April 2007" respectively.

Overall - just be happy with your purchase. I know I am. It's a very good monitor - even though some people on these and other boards will tell you that it's (C Panels) the worst of the bunch.

-jsg

 

[Holmesy]

I just purchased this lcd from CC and it was manuf. 5-8-07. I first got an A panel but it had some scratches on it and I returned it. On this one there is nothing after the Model 226BW on the label on the back of the panel. No letter at all. Plus the menu option to see the panel manufacturer apparently was disabled. The monitor display looks great, but I have no idea which one I have. I would like to use the A or C calibrations sent out by behardware if possible (or needed). Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[jaguarskx]

Yeah, Samsung seems to have decided to hide the panel info from their customers.

The only thing I can tell you is to turn on the monitor in a dark room and look at a white background with the default settings. The A and C panel both have a bluish hue which can be seen in the following Behardware articles:

http://www.behardware.com/articles/667-2/samsung-226bw-a-and-s-series-the-verdict.html

http://www.behardware.com/articles/673-1/samsung-syncmaster-226bw-c.html

If you do have a hint of blue, then you have either an 'A' or 'C' panel. The 'S' panel would show a grayish white. You may need to lower the brightness to determine the hue of the monitor.

The only way that I know of to tell if you have the 'A' or 'C' panel is by displaying a completely black background in a dark room. According Behardware's article, the 'C' panel is display a large ghostly horizontal 'H' on the screen.

Hope that helps.

 

[Holmesy]

Well, it looks to be an S. I saw grayish/white and pulled up some photos and the colors seem to be dead on. I am not a pro but looks good to me. I have not changed any settings. It might even be a tad bit bright.

I heard that Samsung might be sending out there own manuf. panels, so I was hoping that the 5-8-07 date was when they started

Thanks for all the help. Any additional infomration on how to determine the true panel type would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Eric

 

[petevsdrm]

After hearing so many good things(even from people who got "c" panels), I decided to go ahead and get one myself. I got it home (from bb) yesterday and sure enough, it was a "c". Now this was not enough to put me off, I figured I would calibrate it and be on my way.

I downloaded a profile for it, and the colors were spot-on, BUT the light bleed is horrible. I mean it is so bad that you can see it with the lights on and my desktop up. Not only bleeding from the edges like shown in some pictures, but also there is a big light splotch right in the middle of my screen.

Of course the one they had on display was an "s" panel. *sigh* So I am going to return it today and see if they have any "s" panels hiding in the back. If not I am going over to CC.

I just went to circuit city looking for an S panel expecting to find none with all the talk of the A & C panels floating around everywhere. but when I asked the helper guy i wanted specifically an S panel he told me "we ONLY get S panels"

I hope you're right.

 

[crazyfreakid]

PETEvsDRM, I'm about to order a 226bw from best buy, could you tell us what luck you had searching for an S there? My local best buy actually has had a C on display and it does look terrible side-by-side with an acer right next to it, even after I fiddle with the settings for awhile.

 

[petevsdrm]

I would say don't bother. I even returned my first C panel and got another C panel from them. :roll:

The 2nd C panel is not not nearly as bad as the first, but I am sure it doesn't compare to an actual S panel.

Good Luck

 

[jaguarskx]

I would say don't bother.

Yeah, there are other 22" LCD out there in the world you know. They may not be as good as the 'S' panel, but they should be better than the 'C' panel.

http://www.behardware.com/articles/662-6/22-inch-lcd-monitors-the-second-coming.html

 

[crazyfreakid]

I would say don't bother.

Yeah, there are other 22" LCD out there in the world you know. They may not be as good as the 'S' panel, but they should be better than the 'C' panel.

http://www.behardware.com/articles/662-6/22-inch-lcd-monitors-the-second-coming.html

That article actually highlights one of the problems: The 226bw was the only monitor to get 5 stars in the Gaming category. All others got three stars. This is, perhaps, the primary use of the monitor for me. I understand your point about them probably being better than a C panel, though.

I think I'm gonna roll the dice and get one in the July 4th sales... if it's a C and I'm not happy, I'll just return it and go back to being patient for this whole thing to get straightened out or for a comparable or better monitor to come along.

 

[petevsdrm]

I would say don't bother.

Yeah, there are other 22" LCD out there in the world you know. They may not be as good as the 'S' panel, but they should be better than the 'C' panel.

http://www.behardware.com/articles/662-6/22-inch-lcd-monitors-the-second-coming.html

That article actually highlights one of the problems: The 226bw was the only monitor to get 5 stars in the Gaming category. All others got three stars. This is, perhaps, the primary use of the monitor for me. I understand your point about them probably being better than a C panel, though.

I think I'm gonna roll the dice and get one in the July 4th sales... if it's a C and I'm not happy, I'll just return it and go back to being patient for this whole thing to get straightened out or for a comparable or better monitor to come along.

Yeah like I said, 2nd C was better than my first, so if your 1st one is terrible, you may try exchanging for a better one.

Good luck

 

[crazyfreakid]

Alright, I did some recon at my local best buy and discovered something interesting. They had three boxes of 226BW's on the floor, and the labels were actually different! Two of them said MADE IN CHINA and one said MADE IN MEXICO. Furthermore, the Chinese boxes had the Model Code of LS22MEWSFV/XAA, whereas the Mexican box had the Model Code LS22MEWSFJ/XAA. I checked the display model, which was a 'C', and on the label on the back of the monitor it shows LS22MEWSFV/XAA, the same as the Chinese boxes.

A google search for the Chinese code with the V gets over 1000 hits for the 226BW, but a search with the Mexican code with the J gets no hits, and google asks "Did you mean: LS22MEWSFV/XAA"

I'm intrigued. And I want to know more about this mysterious mexican 226BW with the J in the model code. PETEvsDRM, could you find out which code yours is? And could anybody else with this monitor do the same?[/b]

 

[petevsdrm]

Both Chinese and Mexican models are C panels - but the one from Mexico was the 2nd(better quality Panel) that I got.

As a side note, who would ever expect the better quality electronics to be manufactured in Mexico over China. 8O

But yeah I noticed the same thing when I went back to exchange, so since my original box said "Made in China" I figured I would go with the other one.

Someone said the Circuit City only gets S panels, try there if you have one nearby. 8)

 

[udontseeme]

And I want to know more about this mysterious mexican 226BW with the J in the model code.

I just received one of the units manufactured in Mexico directly from Samsung. It was a replacement for a 'C' unit that had a large blotch of slightly dimmer pixels on the screen. I thought the 'C' unit looked great other than the blotch and was excited to get my hands on another unit....

It took Samsung over 40 days to get me this replacement. Out of the box, the colors are a little washed out and there is a hazy blue palor over everything. I adjusted colors until my fingers cramped and got it a little better, but it's still bad. Not underwhelming, not average, bad. I'm not some picky videophile either. I had been working off of a three year old 17" envision LCD and its colors are much richer. The 'C' unit I originally had was very bright. I turned the brightness on that unit down to 68%, which was brighter than my current monitor at 100%.

If anyone gets one and comes up with a good callibration, please post it. I'll never touch Samsung again.

 

[petevsdrm]

http://www.behardware.com/articles/673-1/samsung-syncmaster-226bw-c.html

This guy has some good profiles for C panels, that's where I got mine from.

 

[udontseeme]

I tried that calibration first, as it worked wonders on my 'C' unit. It did nothing for this unit. Bringing the brightness down to 68% alone makes it too dim to be watchable. Adjusting the colors makes the entire screen pink.

This monitor isn't even in the same ballpark as my old C. I would perfer the blotch of discolored pixels to this.

 

[petevsdrm]

I tried that calibration first, as it worked wonders on my 'C' unit. It did nothing for this unit. Bringing the brightness down to 68% alone makes it too dim to be watchable. Adjusting the colors makes the entire screen pink.

This monitor isn't even in the same ballpark as my old C. I would perfer the blotch of discolored pixels to this.

I think the exact opposite happened to you that happened to me. My first C panel was Garbage(with a capital G). It had light bleed so bad you could see it with the lights in my room on and my desktop background up. When I got the next one it was immediately noticeable that the quality was much better.

They must have sent you my old one. :lol:

Just send the thing back again, I know it sucks to wait another 40 days, but that is a fraction of the time you will be staring at the sh|77y image quality if you don't.

Good luck pal. Maybe if you call samsung customer service you can complain bitterly enough to get them to overnight it. I don't know.

EDIT: heck I am sure that the customer service reps are aware of this manufacturing FUBAR situation. Tell them you got 2 C panels with horrible quality and that you will only be satisfied with an S panel, or else you need a full refund to buy an Acer.