• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

226BW and the dreaded "C" panel

O

Owls

Senior member
I finally decide to upgrade from my 20" 2001FP that I got years ago to a shiny new 226BW from Staples that has it on sale for $300 after rebate. I read up all that I could on the monitor and found out that I should hope for the best and try to get the S panel or at least an A.

I bring it home and I don't look at the back yet to find out what panel it is so I don't get any preconceived notions. I plug it all in and fire up COD4. Much to my dismay there is a very bad blue tint. Even with adjustments the whites were not pure white, I could not get rid of the blue tint. It was much better once calibrated but the sand in COD4 didn't look natural. The monitor was very smooth in games and as far as ghosting was concerned there wasn't any. The other issue was backlighting. It was pretty horrendous. There was noticeable bleeding at the top and bottom of the panel and the H pattern right in the middle of the screen.

I would have kept this monitor if I could get rid of the awful blue tint but my mind was made up when I needed to make height and tilt adjustments on the monitor. Instead I got the 245BW. It's not as smooth as the 226 but the colors are spot on and it looks fantastic. I would prefer to have the 22" because it's so much smoother in games but I don't want to return monitors over and over due to defects.

update: I've been looking around and I'm getting the impression that the 245BW is NOT an 8bit panel. Dithering/banding bothers me a lot, is this actually the case? I cannot get the right info from any reputable source regarding this.
 
Thats why I like th LG 226WTQ model. No panel lottery to deal with and a bit better than the Samsung 226bw IMO. CompUSA is carrying both now so people can go in and compare them.
 
I dont know what Samsung has done about this other than make it more difficult for buyers to know which panel they're getting, ie, no more obvious codes indicating the panel origin. We've seen panel lotteries with Dell too, so I hope this doesnt become a trend with other manufacturers.
 
Best Buy is going to have a sale on the Samsung monitor, but I was hesitant because of the panel lottery and some other bad things I heard about it. Instead, I ordered the Acer 22" from NewEgg for $229 with free shipping. Hope I made the right choice!
 
Originally posted by: Owls
can anyone help me find out if the 245BW an 8bit panel or 6bit?
Click to expand...

6-bit TN.
Stay away.

There are lots of good 8-bit *VA 24"ers you could get instead.
 
Was in Best Buy yesterday (while getting shut out of the BFG 8800GT deal) and saw all three of the monitors mentioned for the first time. I also agree that the LG 226WTQ had a nicer look than the Sammy 226BW right next to it, plus the LG had a less annoying matte bezel vs a shiny bezel on the Sammy.

The 24" Sammy 245BW is a 6-bit TN panel. However, it "appeared" to be significantly nicer than either of the 226BW and LG226 with better contrast and viewing angles, and the shiny bezel of the 245BW was less annoying b/c of the bigger screen real estate.

The 245BW will be selling for ~ $330 at Circuit City on black Friday AFAIK.
 
Just a quick piece of info for those that are really considering the 226BW but are concerned about the ACS panel lottery; check out the 226CW.

It?s the same as the 226BW minus the panel lottery, it?s guaranteed to have a Samsung-manufactured panel and WCM @ 97%.

Google 226CW for more info.
 
Originally posted by: Blitz KriegeR
Just a quick piece of info for those that are really considering the 226BW but are concerned about the ACS panel lottery; check out the 226CW.
Click to expand...
Actually things may not be as they seem. Check out the LCD Thread and look for a post by xtknight dated 11/11/07. The 226CW is NOT recommended for gaming. Here is why...

Digitalversus 226CW vs 226BW
 
Originally posted by: n7
Originally posted by: Owls
can anyone help me find out if the 245BW an 8bit panel or 6bit?
Click to expand...

6-bit TN.
Stay away.

There are lots of good 8-bit *VA 24"ers you could get instead.
Click to expand...

can you recommend any? I don't think I can deal with the banding issues.
 
Originally posted by: brencat
Originally posted by: Blitz KriegeR
Just a quick piece of info for those that are really considering the 226BW but are concerned about the ACS panel lottery; check out the 226CW.
Click to expand...
Actually things may not be as they seem. Check out the LCD Thread and look for a post by xtknight dated 11/11/07. The 226CW is NOT recommended for gaming. Here is why...

Digitalversus 226CW vs 226BW
Click to expand...

I own a 226cw and all I do is game.

I have not had any ghosting problems
 
It is unbelievable how difficult it is to choose a good 22" LCD for both multimedia and gaming.

I have two top contenders for my next LCD; Samsung 226BW and LG L226WTQ. The Samsung has the dreaded panel lottery and mixed reviews. Some like the xbit labs review says there is little difference between the three panels, while most seems to suggest the C panel should be avoided if possible. There's just no way of knowing which panel you get until you open the box. The L226WTQ while not having any panel lottery, seems to be a mixed bag with various firmware revisions and RTC-errors.

I still don't know what to get. Some have suggested to wait for L227WT-series, but have hinted it will cost considerably more. *sigh*
 
I dont think a samsung 245B is bad for its PRICE. Of course theres better 24inch LCDs out there like, Dell 2407, samsung 245T, etc etc but these cost an arm and a leg. (Well some VA's are cheaper but not as cheap as the 24 inch TNs).
 
Originally posted by: The Keeper
It is unbelievable how difficult it is to choose a good 22" LCD for both multimedia and gaming.

I have two top contenders for my next LCD; Samsung 226BW and LG L226WTQ. The Samsung has the dreaded panel lottery and mixed reviews. Some like the xbit labs review says there is little difference between the three panels, while most seems to suggest the C panel should be avoided it possible. There's just no way of knowing which panel you get until you open the box. The L226WTQ while not having any panel lottery, seems to be a mixed bag with various firmware revisions and RTC-errors.

I still don't know what to get. Some have suggested to wait for L227WT-series, but have hinted it will cost considerably more. *sigh*
Click to expand...

I'm in the same situation & just can't decide on a LCD. There is so much good and bad with whatever you decide on. I narrowed it down to 3 panels and will wait and see which I can get for the best price.

My current choices are:

SAMSUNG 226BW
SAMSUNG 226CW
Dell UltraSharp 2208WFP
 
if you get a bad 226bw you can fill out an online RMA through Samsung and they'll send you a new one manufactured within the past month or so that should have a good panel. Stores like Staples probably don't sell very many lcds to begin with so they might still have old stock from when the C panels were being mass produced.
 
Originally posted by: Cookie Monster
I dont think a samsung 245B is bad for its PRICE. Of course theres better 24inch LCDs out there like, Dell 2407, samsung 245T, etc etc but these cost an arm and a leg. (Well some VA's are cheaper but not as cheap as the 24 inch TNs).
Click to expand...

It is bad for any price, TN is useful up to 20" and after that you have to deal with viewing angles even when sitting on desktop.
 
Originally posted by: Cookie Monster
I dont think a samsung 245B is bad for its PRICE. Of course theres better 24inch LCDs out there like, Dell 2407, samsung 245T, etc etc but these cost an arm and a leg. (Well some VA's are cheaper but not as cheap as the 24 inch TNs).
Click to expand...

Would the 245BW for $330 make it more palatable? It looks like I can buy the 245T from CDW for $689. How big of a difference is there between the two?
 
My .02 for the visual laymen out there.

Had a Dell 2001FP. Loved it. Got a 226bw off newegg for $270 after MIR. I have no idea what panel it came with. I love it. There's slight backlight bleed on the bottom edge. I only see that when the screen is black though so I don't really care. Viewing angles are obviously a lot more narrow than the 2001fp, but if you are sitting in front of the screen it's not an issue. Games look awesome to me. You can talk about 6 bit or 8 bit or slight tints but I can't tell the difference. HD quicktime trailers look great, which is nice, but I don't watch movies on my monitor. Overall I'm extremely happy with it. I sorely miss the Dell's 4 USB ports though 🙁
 
I've decided to give the 226BW another try by returning my unit and hoping for either an A or an S. I'm not sure it will work but if it doesn't I will probably stop with thee 245T. CDW has it for $689.
 
Originally posted by: Cookie Monster
I dont think a samsung 245B is bad for its PRICE. Of course theres better 24inch LCDs out there like, Dell 2407, samsung 245T, etc etc but these cost an arm and a leg. (Well some VA's are cheaper but not as cheap as the 24 inch TNs).
Click to expand...

I saw the 245B up close and it looked very pixelated. I played a few games on a HP W2207 at the store and then went to the 245B and I couldn't stand it.
 
Originally posted by: Glavinsolo
Originally posted by: Cookie Monster
I dont think a samsung 245B is bad for its PRICE. Of course theres better 24inch LCDs out there like, Dell 2407, samsung 245T, etc etc but these cost an arm and a leg. (Well some VA's are cheaper but not as cheap as the 24 inch TNs).
Click to expand...

I saw the 245B up close and it looked very pixelated. I played a few games on a HP W2207 at the store and then went to the 245B and I couldn't stand it.
Click to expand...

the 245BW is just fine. Not sure what the difference is between the 245B and the BW.

I just got back from staples and guess what, another C panel! The bad news, only some backlight bleeding at the top but otherwise the rest of the panel is uniform. No blue tint either. This unit was produced in June 2007, I remember reading that all 226BW units after April will only have the S panel but I guess that really isn't the case.

I also called CDW and they said that the 245T won't be available till mid December at the earliest. Does anyone have experience with the Benq FP241W versus the 226BW? Is the reactivity comparable to the 226BW or better? That's the only thing that I like about it.
 
I've placed an order for the Benq FP241W from NCIXUS.com. I was going to order from newegg but their price was higher and the tax is a killer.

I chose the Benq because it came closest to reproducing the 226BW's reactivity which I find absolutely stunning. In fact the new 226BW I have right now is pretty dang good so I will do a comparison test and see which one I'm going to keep.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top