Samsung: "Cheap LCDs = Cheap LCDs"
By Matt Burns 
posted Oct 20th 2005 2:35PM
posted Oct 20th 2005 2:35PM
Samsung attended this year’s FPD International 2005 where they were expressing concern that the gap between the high-end and low-end LCDs is widening. With the lowering of retail prices across the board it is hard for them to compete with new advances. Samsung is saying that their new lower cost LCDs are going to have a wider viewing angle, faster response times, and better color. (I hope that better color is achieved through better blacks!)
This is good for the consumer but bad for all those jobs across the Pacific. Some people will still buy the entry level Westinghouse or Norcent (check out the pic after that link, great way to show off the TV if you sit to the side of it), but most, at least I hope, will go for the slightly higher in price but a much better quality Samsung or Sharp.
I know that I would and hope that you would too. Right?
Sorry, I'm a little confused. You're saying you would be a Samsung/Sharp and you hope others would too? Because these brands are of a much higher quality for only a slight increase in price? I'm not saying a bottom-line Maxent can compete with a top-line Sharp, but you'll have to line up some very focused statistics to convince me that Samsung and Sharp are better than the little-known brands like Syntax, across the board. I'm sure you know that some LCD panel manufacturers supply screens for several different brands, and the differentiating factor is often the number and quality of inputs, image processor chips (etc), quality control, and the name on the box. And within a company's lineup are often some real winners and some real dogs.
I understand hoping people would get good tvs--no reason to hope they would get crappy ones. But you hope people buy sets from certain brands sounds similar to, you hope people would "buy American". Sure it costs a little more, but the quality's so much better. Show me how it's better, and I'll swipe my little crudit card. I'd say a blanket statement like this is somewhere between unhelpful and flamebait. And I hope you'd agree. (No, my screen doesn't display sarcasm.)
I do agree fishpatrol, some lower end brands do offer a budget minded consumer great options. But most of the time the ago old saying of you pay for what you get still aplies. Take this quick example of the Norcent I mentioned in the article and the cheapest Samsung in the same size range.
You will find after the link is a comparison between the two. The Samsung offers consumers a comb filter for better RF signals, stereo sound, VGA input, and a base that can double as a wall mount. All this for $143 more. Plus, I could put up a good argument that the Samsung warrenty would be better supported although they both offer a 1 year on parts and labor.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/compare.do?poids=92811,131929&prevPage=categorylist.do&catOid=-12869&nstr=20012866%2020012867%2020012869%20965%20524&Ns=net_price|0&link=ref
Sure, there are some great buys out there if someone is just a basic panel. But if you do want the options you mentioned like more inputs, better picture through a more effecient image processor, and higher quality control. Buy the name brands.