[highdefray]

So I recently heard a buyer at Fry's mention to a friend of mine - "There are over 67 brands of LCDs out there!"


I almost fell out of my chair!! Can it be - I thought that only three screen manufacturers were out there!!! It seems that there's a whole new crop of bad boys out there trying to leverage themselves as the next best thing. I went to Cnet and saw a number of them reviewed - they consider Dell, Syntax, Kreisen, Panasonic etc... all as manufacturers.


If all the screens are made by LG, SamSung and ??Hitachi?? then - WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? Do the electronics inside really make that much difference in contrast? Black Levels? Color temprature??? etc.... if they do - then by God, TWEAK THEM so they're the same as the $6000 Sony!


What's the deal?

 

[rogo]

Screens that are in TVs you can commonly buy are made by LG.Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Chi Mei, AU Optronics, Chungwa, Hannstar, and some captive Japanese production (the likes of Hitachi, Panasonic, etc.) So that's on the order of 10 primary producers.


And, yes, electronics can make a ton of difference.

 

[Mike53]

THere are more "brands" than that. At last count I had 89 but they fade as quickly as they start out. There are far fewer manufacturers. A lot of major brands that didn't believe in LCD are scrambling to get in the business.