T61p 15.4 WSXGA+ LCD Panel Survey

Hey--I'm confused as to how to get my parts list for my shipped laptop. SN is L3-CXXXX and the type is 6465-CTO. I entered in 6465 as the type and the sn as listed, and the info couldn't be found. What gives?

 

My screen uses the LG-Phillips brand.

 

Ordered: 10-23-07
Shipped: 10-28-07
Screen: LG-Philips

 

T61p shipped on 10/23 with Samsung screen. The screen is great! I brought up the NVidia Control Panel and increased the contrast, decreased the brightness, to my taste. There is a little light leakage at the bottom, but not nearly as much as my 5-year-old ThinkPad A31. Videos really look great.

 

T61, shipped on 10/26 Samsung... very nice screen.. at least i like it.. no dead pixels..some leakage at the bottom, but its ok for me.. as i don't use at max cotrast & brightness

 

T61p - shipped 10/28
LG screen

The screen looks great. Very slight bleeding on the bottom of the screen, but that seems pretty par for the course. Nice overall thus far.

 

Order date: 11/03
Ship/Invoice date: 11/05
LCD Type: Samsung 15.4" (FRU# 42T0329, Mfg# 42T0328)

I've attached pictures of the display, side by side with my old T43 (T61p on the left, T43 on the right). While the general quality/viewing angle of the T61p's Samsung LCD is superior to the T43's, I'm disappointed with the amount of light leakage at the bottom (which my T43 doesn't seem to have). Is that amount of leakage normal? Do other T61p owners with Samsung panels see similar leakage? How about owners with LG-manufactured displays? I'm happy with the laptop so far, this would be my only complaint (other than no on-board DVI/HDMI output). Is there any point to sending it back to request a replacement LCD, or would they just likely replace it with an LCD with similar leakage? Thanks for any responses!

 

Fignuts, these pictures are very interesting... Right now i am with two laptops: a T61 and a Tecra S2. I used PC Wizard on both and both have Samsung displays.

The interesting thing is that my T61's display seems like your T43 and my Tecra S2 seems like your T61p, not kidding.

The Tecra has the light leakage at the bottom and seems a mix of black dark with some light spots. The T61, on the other hand, seems like a more homogeneous blue dark.

The T61, although has a samsung display, don't have any leakage at the bottom. It has some kind of noticeable leakage at the right side if you are looking from the right (you can't notice it if you are looking from the front or left).

My main concern is that the side views on the T61 deforms the colors more than on the Tecra. It is perfect looking straight, but not from the sides. Is it the same with you people?

 

Ship Date: 11/20/2007
Monitor Part Numbers: 42T0422 42T0423

Looks like I got an LG, awesome! It should arrive in a couple of days, but it is going to sit under the tree until Christmas, so I will have to wait until then to post my review.

 

I just ordered mine and I got model #: 42V8287. Is this LG or Samsung?

 

How can i actually tell if mine is Samsung or LG ?? Where i have to look ?

 

Try reading the FIRST POST in this thread???.... :confused2:

 

I just checked and I got the samsung monitor I will be getting the laptop tomorrow. For those of you who got the samsung LCD screen have you guys had any luck having Lenovo replace it with the LG? Hopefully its not as unbarable as some of the people on this forum made it out to be. I shall see tomorrow

 

Looks like I'm getting the Samsung. However, also looks like I'm getting the NMB keyboard, sweet Not definite yet, gotta actually see tomorrow. Excited either way.

 

Why replace the monitor ??? I also have the Samsung one and i really love it.

 

Objectref that makes me feel a lot better, especially since you are a Software Engineer like me . I'm going to be using the laptop mostly for software development... I just checked and my laptop is delivered! Waiting for me at home... can't wait to get home and delete Vista and install Linux I'll let you guys know how my screen turns out, hopefully another rare Samsung success story? I also go the Chicony keyboard.. will post a comment about that as well.

 

I'm also interested to hear what you think of it (I'm a software developer too).

 

I think that you simply LOVE this machine!
As for the screen matter, here is the funny part: i wasn't aware at all that there are some issues on some T61 with the samsung LCDs.
I delivered normally my T61 and guess what was the first thing i did when it booted: I was just staring at the screen!! Indeed it is great, i have uses 6 laptops in my life and this is th best by far.
After some days i watched here the topic with the samsung/LG LCDs.

 

Wow, lots of software engineers in the forum... I to am a software guy.

I got my Thinkpad T61p with the LG screen... one word to describe it: AWESOME. The machine is awesome, the display is awesome, this is easily the best laptop I have ever had the privilege to use.

It is the 15.4 WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) screen. It is very bright, crisp, clear and the perfect size in my opinion. Lots of real estate, yet it is really easy to read everything (I have good eye sight FYI.) I don't see any light leakage at all.

My in-laws are visiting for the holiday and my father in law is a big Mac fanatic. The Thinkpad's screen blows his Macbook's screen away, he is very impressed by the screen, clarity, etc. I also have a Dell Latitude D620 from my employer, and its screen can't even come close to comparing to the Thinkpad.

I am extremely happy with my purchase!!!

 

i have a samsung screen and the so called graininess just does not exist on my screen....i put my notebook up side by side with a thinkpad at CDW with a LG Screen and i asked a few employees which one they thought looked better...and they said my samsung did...

i think that samsung just had a bad batch a while ago and the people complaining about it are the ones with the bad batch

I also must admit that before i got my 14 in...i ordered a 15 in wxga+ t61 which also came with samsung and that panel was crap...it felt like there was sand behind the screen....and after 30 mins of use...your eyes would strain

 

This illustrates part of the problem with word of mouth and non-empirical testing. You mention you're comparing a 14" Samsung panel to an LG panel, whereas this thread is intended only for 15.4" WSXGA+ panels. Yet, unless someone reads your post very carefully, they wouldn't even know. Your post doesn't mention whether or not both screens were properly calibrated, either. You also compare it to a 15" WXGA+ panel, which is either a typo or also outside the intended scope of this thread. These anecdotes might still be useful for comparing Samsung to LG in general production quality, but in the context of this thread (15.4" WSXGA+ panels only), they doesn't really apply. Additionally, there are enough of them in the thread to really muddle up the debate...people comparing apples to oranges everywhere, leaving people with the general impression that Samsung is worse than LG, where that might only be the case for certain panels, or not at all.

 

You are right...I wasn't comparing a 15" wsxga+....I was comparing 2 14inch wxga panels...mine being samsung...the other being LG...samsung was slightly superior from my opinion, as well as a few CDW employees....all settings where the same.....and both were uncalibrated. Both on AC power with both turned up to the same brightness

I originally had a wxga+ samsung panel that was really bad

One conclusion I have made is that samsung panels tend to lack in quality with higher resolutions, while LG succeeds in higher resolution

On the other hand, samsung tends to exceed in quality with standard resolutions, while LG lacks quality

 

I think this would be an interesting hypothesis to test, and it might even be true or have some truth to it. However, testing it would be exceedingly difficult/expensive, given the number of screens that would need to be compared to each other. It's *so* much easier just to keep the debate to two specific panels.

 

Ship Date: 11/20
Make: LG

 

Mine is a ship date of 11/20 and has the Samsung screen. I have some light leakage along the bottom edge of the screen that's about 1/4" high along the entire bottom.

One thing I really don't like is that I have a small area down by the right hand lower side where the clock is and this area is DARKER than the rest of the screen. If you put your mouse over this area your mouse pointer changes from the bright white color it normall is, to a dirty white or almost light gray color. This area is about the size of an eraser on a pencil and shows up right in the lower right hand corner by the clock where it says "AM" or "PM".
anybody else besides Fignuts have this problem? is this something ONLY specific to the Samsung panel?

is it possible or even worth it to return your t61p and request the "LG" panel which seems that most people agree is the better display?

thanks

 

I started another thread in which I'll be posting pictures of the two panels side-by-side--this weekend, hopefully. If the LG is actually significantly better than my Samsung, I'll probably try to work with Lenovo customer support to get mine replaced. I'd use the same thread to relay my experience with that. I think I've read that it's pretty difficult to get them to swap out a part for a different part, though. If it is easy to show that the Samsung panel is lower quality, I'd be tempted to return the laptop entirely, with the recently announced Dell XPS 1530 coming out. I think Dell uses Samsung panels even more often than Lenovo, though, but at least the XPS would have HDMI out built in.

 

I just got my T61p with a Samsung screen. This was actually a replacement for a T61p I had previously that had an LG Screen, though it had a lot of other issues with 4GB Ram and the mobo issue, I sent that back and got this. NIGHT AND DAY. This Samsung monitor is such a piece of crap. I am sorry but Vista's default theme is not light gray, ITS BLACK! This Samsung monitor is such garbage, OKAY.. I can live with the 2 inches of light leakage? BUT I can't beleive how far off the colors are on the monitor... Everything is washed out. I'm using this laptop for web development so this is really unacceptable, I would understand if I paid 300$ at a day after thanksgiving sale for this thing and it came with such a poor monitor. But on such a reputable brand as Lenovo, I don't know... Lenovo must not be checking out their systems before picking LCD screens or maybe they have a contract with Samsung and are royally screwed. Either way, I am sending this back and giving Lenovo one more chance to make it right, If I don't get the LG on the replacement for this new one coming, I'm done with Lenovo.

 

lol sakogti, well said. I'm sorry your screen sucks, though...are you able to post a few pictures of it, particularly compared to another LCD (for reference)? I suspect that with the ratio of LG to Samsung panels (7 LG for every 3 Samsung), perhaps Lenovo is using Samsung panels to compensate for shortages of LG panels, to fill orders? Another, more paranoid theory, is that they might be using Samsung panels because they cost less than LG ones? I'm not sure if that's actually true, but if it were, that'd be a pretty scummy way of taking advantage of customer confusion. Anyone who didn't have an LG panel already, or didn't have one to compare to, wouldn't even know if the Samsung was much worse. That's why I'm going to try to find out for myself (and everyone) this weekend, with a side-by-side comparison.

 

I can't wait for Fignuts's side by side comparison, truth will be told and I am going to mass mail the link to every Lenovo executive's email that I can find. This is ridiculous, how can two people who paid the same amount of money for the same damn computer get such a drastic difference in the quality of the product.. I can't beleive that this has not got to the right person by now, I was just talking to a Customer Relations Manager and she tells me this is a problem she has seen many times, and they have no control over what monitor goes out unless its a business that orders 500 laptops and requests the LG screen. What is that saying about Lenovo? They dont give a crap about the single end user? I hope they shape up, they are already losing customers like crazy to their poor CS based in Atlanta.. not Georgia... Atlanta,India. I recently had a chance to speak to Christopher Smith (he really claimed that is his name) who has the HEAVIEST indian accent I have ever heard. Anyway, I'm sorry to those of you that received the Samsung screen, please call and tell Lenovo you are upset with their choice of screen. Maybe if enough of us voice our opinion they *might* do something.

 

i sympathize with your plight...however...lenovo really doesn't give a crap about single users. their primary customer base is large corporations that buy in bulk

regarding the christopher smith...you probably ended up being transferred to south india, which has a heavy christian population...so yes..even Indian's have american names

 

well I am calling Lenovo tomorrow about my new t61p. When I am at full brightness (15 of 15) my screen brightness is comparable to the LOWEST setting on my dell laptop sitting side by side. It really strains my eyes to look at the t61p for a while because the brightness is so low, I have the Samsung lcd. I just am so very disappointed in this screen. Everything else about the laptop is great, but why put such a terrible looking lcd on such a powerful and well built laptop?

 

cheaper prices...are you willing to pay $700 more for an IPS screen? I wouldn't be

 

I think the frustration comes from Lenovo using LCD panels that may not offer the same display quality, without giving us an option of which one they install. I would compare it to a car manufacturer selling you a car, but not telling you if it will come with glass or plastic windows, and hoping you don't question it if you get plastic.

Anyone ordering a single laptop for themselves is not likely to notice that they have a substandard LCD panel, if it works and they don't have anything to compare it to. I would gladly have waited any extra couple of weeks or paid a little more for an LCD panel that is noticeably better than the Samsung I was given. I think we can all relate, as we all paid for the upgrade to WSXGA+, which means we all know something of the importance of the quality of the visual interface.

 

I hear ya... My 4 year old Compaq X1000 has a substantially better screen than my T61P (samsung)... Unfortunately I desparately needed the laptop and have been too busy to return it... They're letting me send it in to the depot, but I doubt that will result in a success story :-(

 

Just got shipment confirmation on a T60 15.4 wsxga+. Looks like it will be the Samsung display. Will be delivered next week. Should I return it? Will they except returns if it is unopened? How bad are these screens? From what I've read around here, they sound terrible.

 

I wouldn't jump the gun just yet, I think all we've got so far are a lot of unsubstantiated subjective opinions. Check out the Samsung vs. LG comparison thread, another user has posted his own informative side-by-side comparison. I'll be posting one with pictures this weekend.

 

Thanks. I'm looking forward to your comparison. I think I saw the post you're refering to. If it's the one I'm thinking of, his conclusion was that overall they were pretty even, each having pros and cons, and that he was not all that happy with either. He kept the Samsung, right?

Again, can't wait to see the comparison.

How's the brightness on your screen? The only Thinkpad I've used before was my wifes older 14 inch T41 which never seems very bright. Usable, but not nearly as bright as a lot of others I've seen.

 

well my dell 1505 with the truelife WSXGA screen is WAY brighter than this t61p samsung laptop.

 

Just FYI, the 15.4" WSXGA+ LG vs. Samsung comparison pictures are now up, in this thread.

 

For T60 with WSXGA+, anyone know what screen FRU part # 42T6590 would be?

 

I don't think that's the FRU number.

The FRU number would look something like this, Lp154w02.

Go here to find out the manufacturer of your system parts: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/s...=/partslookup/partsLookup.vm&sitestyle=lenovo

The numbers you need are in your email in the electronic receipt invoice. It looks something like this:


Of course I'm not going to totally expose my serial #.

 

Thanks,My order is still in process.

 

Mine's in.... LG

 

do you have the small darker area down by the clock on your lg display?

 

Small world.
Same here my idea was to replace my 4 year old Compaq X1000 with the T61P.
Both have same size and resolution LCD screen but the X1000 LCD is MUCH MUCH better.

The issues with the T61P are light leak, poor Dynamic Range, narrow angles of view, Posterization, LCD grid is visible and the Lower right corner is sunk, so it is darker.

The T61P WSXGA+ LCD is so crappy that it kills this otherwise fine Notebook for me.
UPDATE Mine is:
Mfg part #42T0328
FRU part #42T0329
So I guess this is a Samsung Panel.

I was not expecting this low quality screen in a Machine like the T series.
Oh well,not more Lenovo for me.

I'm so MAD !!!!!!!!!!

 

yeah, I love my t43 so much, I got a problem, I sent it in for the fan noise and vibration, they took good care of it. I thuoght T series is still hard rock laptop. Now I got two more t61(140m and 570m) with three more years to dream about it, the flagship of IBM laptop.
Merry Chrismas to every one in forum.:cry:

 

I dont know about samsung LCD but both of my LG LCD have all the problem you guy have it in here, back light leaks at the bottom, screem warpage, vertical dark line, poor DVD picture...

 

LG phillips here.

ship date. 12/10 approx.

IT's BEAUTIFUL

 

I sent it in, after calling the c omplaint in a matter of days after receiving it (I didn't want to return it and have to reorder...). I call them up when I see it's "on hold." They forwarded me straight to billing. Get on the phone with them and no explanation.. Straight away :

Billing: "Alright, let's see here. I'll just be needing your credit card for confirmation."
Me: "Oh, what for?"
Billing: "Well wee need your credit card to finish the repairs."
Me: "Um, ok..."
Billing: "Alright, the total comes to $750."
Me: "!?!?!?!??! What!??!?!?! Why am I having to pay anything!? It's a manufacturer's defect!!!"
Billing: "We have determined that it was a user inflicted problem."
Me: "The hell it was. You sent me a $%#@ screen! What you see is exactly how it came! And I barely paid that much for this thing in the first place!"

anyway... 2 days shy of a month after I sent it in and two "escalations" later, they've "repaired it"... I guess we'll see. I told them I don't want another Samsung screen, but I'm pretty sure that's what I'll be getting... Hopefully swapping out the screen fixes my major flicker problem... Stupid thing flickered worse than a 60Hz CRT when it was plugged in...

 

Samsung I believe.