This is something I’ve wanted to put together for awhile now. This might scare you at first but keep in mind this is just to educate you on some of the problems out there. It doesn’t mean that you will have any of these problems when you get home. Consider this more of a check list after you’ve unloaded your LCD and have it setup. Hope this helps you out. Feel free to comment or ask questions. Also if you find any errors or updates let me know.
Alright the first thing I’m going to start off with is Banding. The term banding is most commonly referred to Sharp TVs. It’s not that other sets haven’t had this issue but Sharp is the main company that most people find this issue with. What happens is the backlight has a problem with a particular problem with a certain area. It ends up creating a band like bar on the screen that is a different tint or tone where you can notice. There is no real fix to this problem and most people just try their luck with a new set. Once you notice it you’ll never stop looking for it. It’s best to see the images to understand what banding is.
The next problem is VERY common and happens more than you’d think. Dead pixels plague almost every brand out there. It can happen to even small computer LCD monitors. Ultimately what a dead pixel is a small pixel that makes up the picture freeze on a solid color usually red, green, or blue. The pixel will be lit up this color no matter what. Even if you have a black screen the pixel will be lit up and stand out on the screen. This is one of the most annoying problems that can happen to your set. It is always recommended to check for dead pixels once you buy a new LCD or monitor. Sometimes it can be difficult to notice. My recommendation is to get software to check for dead pixels or get real close to the screen and roll credits of a movie. This is one reason to consider buying warranties. The catch is that you need to read the fine print of all the warranties because sometimes they may cover dead pixels but need a minimum of 3 to 10 dead pixels for them to replace the screen. This is what a dead pixel usually looks like.
Next on the line up is a problem most people don’t realize yet their set has the problem. It’s called clouding or mura. This has plagued some of the top named LCD manufactures from Samsung to especially Sony. This is complete uneven backlighting that results in a image that contain lots of black to seem as if there is a bunch of clouds on the screen and not solid black throughout the picture. One of the most popular sets from Sony the XBR 4 and 5 are prone to this issue as well as the entire Samsung LNT line up. This is something you should check when first purchasing a set. Some sets have the issue where it is extremely noticeable to others where it’s not a big deal. Here are some images to help you understand what clouding/mura is.
One issue that plagues almost ALL of the 120 Hz set is called the Tri Ball Effect (TBE). Ultimately what happens is when a set is 120 Hz. This happens when the video processor trys to interpolate frames that don’t exist. The original idea of 120 Hz is to fix the jutter of fast video on 60 Hz. The result was to create 120 Hz yet created a new artifact. The 120 Hz doesn’t create the issue exactly but some of the motion enhancers. Here is what happens and is reason why sometimes you see a shadow following an image.
The next issue we going to cover is pillaring. Pillaring is another problem that is extremely similar to clouding but not exactly it. It is still related to the backlight of the LCD not being even. Pillaring is when you have the complete left and right side of the screen being lit up a lot more than the center of the screen. Hence the word pillaring because it’s as if there is a pillar of light on each side of the screen. This image shows exactly what it looks like.
One issue that can be quite annoying is HDMI handshaking. This is when mainly using HDMI cables the signal will drop. This is a hard problem to diagnose if you’ve never heard of this problem. Ultimately what happens is when using an HDMI cable you’ll be watching a DVD or Cable box and suddenly the Not Support Signal screen shows up or you lose signal of that input. It can happen randomly when you are first using the input or even after a few hours. I’ll never forget this issue because it kept happening to the display model of the Samsung LNTXX65F. The image would be amazing and we’d be demoing the set and all of a sudden the signal would drop. The problem is when it first happens you don’t know if your DVD player, PS3, cable/sat box, blu-ray player, etc… or if it’s the TV. Samsungs have been known to suffer from this but have heard of this happening with many sets.
Next up is a problem that a lot of people associate Toshiba’s with, Green push. Green push is when a coat of green is on the screen where objects that are supposed to be grey or black have a greenish tone to it. I’ve personally not seen it in person but always notice how the Toshiba’s colors couldn’t compare to some of the higher end color reproduction. I’ve found a picture of the supposed problem. The rocks are suppose to be grey but if you notice they look greenish.
The purple haze issue is also very similar to the Green push but is mostly only noticeable when viewing the set at a large angle. This issue only has attacked the Samsung 650 line. Majority of people haven’t had the problem and is being considered as maybe a batch of the set that carries this problem. It seems like something I’d worry about too much but definitely test the set if you purchase a new one. To see how it looks like view below.
The next problem is something that actually happened with my Samsung 40” 71 series. After having the set for about 8 months I noticed that a line developed on the screen. It’s as if a line of dead pixels had formed. I was a bit surprised for this to happen so long after my initial purchase. Yet I wasn’t completely surprised because I had actually seen a set with the problem when it first came out while I worked at Circuit City. Luckily I purchased the set with warranty because I got it so cheap while working at CC. Within a week they showed up with a new panel. Once they replaced it everything was as good as new. Now my only problem is a jutter problem (TBE) that annoys while watching football. Have to call Circuit City back. Word on the street is Samsung replacing the 71 series with the 650 or 750. Here’s a photo of what a line of dead pixels can look like. The guy who replaced my panel ended up telling me the cost of the panel cost around $1,000 if you had to get it replaced on your own without warranty and also mentioned that this problem has been the main issue he’s seen with most new LCDs.
Last but not least is a new issue that comes from Sony. The new Sony V, W, and Z series have been plagued by the sparkle issue as it has been named. The reason it has been called the sparkle issue it because what happens is a random pixel will all of a sudden light up on the screen. Hence little white pixels lighting up randomly look like stars randomly sparkling. A YouTube video has been uploaded and shows you what the problem looks like.
In the end Televisions suffer from many issues. Ultimately these problems shouldn’t scare you off from buying a set. This is for informational purposes so you don’t get stuck with a set that has any of these issues. You don’t want to end up buying a brand new set and end up not realizing the problem too late. I will also say that you’ve noticed Samsung and Sony mentioned a lot. Well here’s the deal and the way I’ve always looked at it. When you are the leaders in the market and take up a HUGE chunk of the pie you’re going to end up with defects. Samsung and Sony produce so many LCDs and the main two brands recommended when looking for an LCD. This means you are going to have more of a chance to find errors. Hope this helps and let me know if any changes or additions need to be made.
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Comments
This entry was posted on Monday, September 8th, 2008 at 11:29 pm and is filed under Home Theater, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
What is the best LCD? The KDL-52W4100 or the KDL-52WL135?
Thanks,
Scott
The best LCD?! Thats tough but if I had to pick it’d be either the Samsung 950 or the Sony XBR 8. I haven’t seen any in person but seen pictures of the PQ.
As for the W question. I would definitely go with the W4100. I had never even heard of the WL till you mentioned it but wasn’t surprised to do a bit of research and realize its a Costco or Walmart version of the Sony W. Definitely stick with the W4100.
Thanks for your questions. Feel free to ask more.
As far as the Sony site goes both the video processor and panel are 10 bit: http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665116628
Wow, a great post, and now I got to know more item to check on when bought a new set of it! LOL
There is another technology call SRT, where it stretch (or interpolate) low resolution picture to output to higher resolution screen. like 720p source to 1080p.
Enjoy reading your posts.
As far as the SRT goes I’ve never been sold on it because it deals with resolution. But yes you are right the scaler on the set can be important especially if it doesn’t scale properly but most people can’t even notice if its working or not.
Also the 3:2 pulldown on sets is always mentioned but doesn’t always work. I’ve seen test done on sets and majority of them fail the test.
As far as scaler goes, I let me receiver take care of all that work =)