X200 Tablet panel manufacturer?

PC wizard shows my panel mfg as LTN121AP03001. Does anyone know who this manufacturer is? The same number has been reported for a number of X200T configurations, including my Multitouch/ Multiview, and jonlumpkin's Multiview w/ no frame. Makes sense they would use the same panel, and add digitizer/ bezel as requested. Googling the number turns up nothing. Hydis Tech is making the panels again, after coming out of bankruptcy in July 2008, and the technology was still licensed to Hitachi and Sanyo during the time that BOE was not making them. Dell sued Hitachi for antitrust over affs technology, so I guess they were supplying Dell also. Parts lookup does not list the panel, or much of anything (seems to be broken for X200T's). Any one know anything about this part?

 

Try this program. It identifies your panel more accurately than PC Wizard.

http://www.entechtaiwan.com/util/moninfo.shtm

I believe that the panel should be made by BOE-Hydis.

 

Thanks for the help zephir. I tried moninfo, and it provided exactly the same information as PC wizard, listing the mfg as Lenovo. Probably is Hydis Tech, just wanted to check...

 

I'm 90% sure that it is BOE Hydis. So you don't have to worry too much about it

 

LTN should be Samsung.

 

I've the same panel and the same question. I asked it over at the official Lenovo X Tablet forum but haven't yet received an answer. Based on one of jonlumpkin's posts, my panel ID yields the same information as his, so I'm assuming AFFS+ LED backlit Hydis. Then again, who the hell knows? It'd be nice if Lenovo parts lookup wasn't broken garbage for particular systems.

My panel information:

Installed in a 7448-CTO system:

Manufacturer: LTN121AP03001
Product ID: LEN4011
Manufacture: Week 45 of 2008
Video Input Type : Digital in 0.7/0.3v
Max. Horiz./Vert. Size : 26 cm / 16 cm
Monitor Size : 12 inches (estimated)
Aspect Ratio : 16:10
Gamma Factor : 2.2
DPMS Active-Off : Yes
DPMS Suspend : Yes
DPMS Standby : Yes
EDID version : 1.3 ​

 

There are only 3 possible panels that can be used in the X200 tablet, so I can even tell you the model number of the LCD if I know whether it has LED backlit or not.

 

Zephir,

Since my panel data is the same as jonlumpkin's, I'm going to assume it's LED backlit. I bought the system from the Lenovo Outlet, and they're useless in providing details about installed components. Had I configured the system as new, I'd not have this question.

Cheers,
~tdr.

edit:

based upon the extremely informed opinion of thinkpads.com and lenovo forum member ajkula66, it's a Hydis panel. Thus ends my quest for the manufacturer of this poorly publicized panel.

Cheers,
~tdr.

 

lol I always thought LTN was Lite-On.. but for no real reason..

 

The 'LTN' is what got me thinking about this - if you google 'LTN121', every single panel that it turns up is Samsung. And Samsung is NOT licensed to produce AFFS panels. Also, it is not 'Flexview' - Flexview was IPS technology, which no one makes for notebooks anymore. Flexview uses 2 transistors per pixel, which consumes more power. AFFS was a big breakthrough using only 1 transistor per pixel. Another note, BOE no longer ownes Hydis - they lost it during the bankruptcy proceedings. It is now called Hydis Technology, and is owned by a capital management consortium in Taiwan, who bought it at fire-sale prices from the bankruptcy court. They will probably resell to an IT company in the near future - hopefully Lenovo? Why not - Hitachi makes their own AFFS panels...

 

Tabook says that only the display with CCFL backlight is FFS, the other two are listed as IPS.

You can see the Everest reports in this thread, the CCFL one is indeed a Hydis panel, the other two should be Samsung. ( LTN is Samsung).

 

I think you are correct - it is probably a Samsung panel. The interesting thing about Tabook info is that Samsung does not make an IPS panel for notebooks. The only panels they have in 12.1 WXGA are TN/PVA panels (Patterned Vertical Alignment). PVA is a Samsung technology that provides a panel that is better than TFT, but not quite as good as IPS - probably close to AFFS, which is why they invented it. There is no IPS monitor listed below 20", and they are all desktop monitors. I think the tabook author is a little behind on the technologies. Advantages of PVA include deeper blacks, excellent color contrast, and very fast response times. The CCFL may be a Hydis panel - I haven't seen anyone report a model number for it yet. Hydis also does not make IPS (they invented AFFS), so we know that the IPS part of the tabook is an error, even if it isn't Samsung

 

Let me say this once, and for all. There is no Samsung panel with side viewing angle. The panel in your machine is BOE-Hydis. Your model number is either HV121WX5 or HV121WX6. You are welcome to open up your tablet to confirm this. The CCFL variant of the screen for the X200t is HV121WX4. I'm 90% sure of this.

 

There is no IPS notebook panels on the Samsung site but I don't know if they make or not (LG/Philips did before along with IDTech and BOE-Hydis). However, if they really don't and if tabook is wrong about the IPS and if D) the displays IDs are wrong for some reason, then the 12.1" AFFS displays with LED backlighting on the Hydis site seem like a more believable option at this point.

Has anyone ever used PVA in notebooks? I haven't heard, I know Fujitsu used their own MVA in some of their notebooks but that's about it.

 

Nobody nowadays make IPS screen anymore except BOE-Hydis. Most manufacturers move on to producing panels for LCD-TV because it is much more profitable.

 

OK - I am not obsessed enough about it to open the bezel up - been there done that - not fun. The "LTN" part of the panel number looks like Samsung, but the "121" part matches the product numbers of the Hydis panels. I like the screen either way, and zephir seems to be pretty sure (maybe he has taken them apart). Hydis Tech it is! Also, note that the link dreamer provided to the Hydis products indicates that they are all Viewiz screens. From the same website:

"What is Viewiz®?
All HYDIS products applied with AFFS bear the brand name Viewiz®--a high-quality brand created for consumers who are well-acquainted with the functions of LCD and expect only premium display quality."

So they are definitely AFFS - not IPS as the tabook said. But the tabook is not a sales document - no statement of type is made on the sales site.

 

Someone at the Lenovo Forums responded to my thread about this and seems to think the panel is made by Samsung.

I don't think this will be definitively settled until someone opens their X200T and photographs their panel that reports the same information as mine, jonlumpkins, and another poster in this thread. I'm determined enough to send out my X200T to have this done if the cost isn't exorbitant.

Thread at Lenovo Forums.

What do you all think about that thread? I still think the panel is Hydis, but that poster @ the Lenovo forums provides new and mysterious material.

Cheers,
~tdr.

 

Well,

The LTN121AP02-001 that is all over the Chinese sites seems to be a Samsung, IPS panel, with CCFL backlight, for tablets, here are the specs and a picture:
http://lcd.eechain.com/datasheet_detail.asp?bg_key=A&sk_nub=LTN121AP02-001
http://www.taobao.com/view_image.ph...&shopId=35617127&sellerRate=165&dbId=db1&fv=9

Now back to the original question, the LTN121AP0 2-001 obviously exists, so logically the LTN121AP0 3-001, which you report, is probably just the next Samsung model, upgraded with LED backlighting.

On the other hand, the CCFL backlight option is reported as the HV121WX4, which is a Hydis AFFS panel as I said earlier.
http://www.thinkpad.cn/forum/thread-792809-1-7.html
http://www.small-laptops.com/2008/08/25/lenovo-x200t-tablet-at-the-fcc-with-uwb/
http://www.hydis.com/eng/03_product...Name=TabletPC&openBox=1&subBox=1&openSubBox=0

That's basically means that Tabook is accurate about FFS and IPS panels used in the X200T.


Now I have to point out that we don't have any evidence linking the LED backlight displays in the X200T with Hydis. Everything was based on a speculation that the displays must be from Hydis and any evidence (Tabook, Part Numbers) saying otherwise must be ignored for no apparent reason. That's what we have so far.

 

Well.. This is getting interesting. So the LTN121AP02-001 is definitely made by Samsung, yet we are led to believe that the LTN121AP03-001 is Hydis? Well, maybe it is - I really have no clue how these product numbers are assigned - but could they make it any more confusing? Dreamer: I see nothing in those links that would indicate that the tabook is right about IPS panels in the X200T. I cannot find any IPS panels on the Hydis website, and in fact, they constantly show comparisons of AFFS to IPS, indicating that AFFS is clearly superior. Also, the data showing AFFS - Hydis panels used in X200T are all from the prerelease - FCC certification phase. As all of us T61 owners know, Lenovo is fond of multi-sourcing its panels when they get into full production, and you have absolutely no control over which panel you actually get (see endless threads on LG vs Samsung...). Hydis panels are stated on the website to be AFFS, and Samsung panels are stated on the website to be PVA. Both Hitachi and Sanyo make AFFS panels under license from Hydis. I cannot find any 12.1" notebook panel on any manufacturer's website that says that it definitely is IPS...Please post if you can find it. Until then I will assume that 1) The tabook is wrong, but it doesn't really matter since AFFS is about as good as IPS and uses much less power. and 2) The X200T LED panel is probably from Hydis, but we cannot be 100% sure given Lenovo's penchant for multi-sourcing, and the confusing and somewhat suspicious manufacturer's numbers... I mean really, if you were Hydis wouldn't you probably want to put a MFG number in your panel that differed in more than one digit from the much-maligned Samsung line? And Hydis is the one actually burning that number into the bios. And in the end, I really like the panel, so whoever did it did a good job.

 

This site, Solar Technologies, sells panels from all manufacturers:
http://www.lcdsolar.com/search/ProductOverview_list.asp?Page=1&partnumber=&p_size=12.1&p_resolution=1280%20x%20800%20WXGA&p_manufacturer=&m_partnumber=

Note that every part number in the 12.1 wxga list that starts with LTN is a Samsung part, and every Hydis panel begins with H. This is not a Hydis panel. The first production models of the X200T probably used Hydis AFFS, but now they have switched to Samsung PVA.

 

Though none of these part numbers matches what's reported by everest and pc wizard to be in the X200T, this is extremely disappointing news. What was widely thought to be a Hydis panel may indeed be a @!&^! Samsung Thanks for your efforts, bsodder.

 

Hmm, it seems that I may be wrong after all. In the second picture for the Samsung screen, you can see the Wacom symbol, which means that it is indeed a screen used for tablet PC's. However, compared to the BOE-Hydis's Flexview screen with contrast of 500:1, the Samsung's screen with contrast 1000:1 comes out as the better screen. Sure, the viewing angle is 170 vs 180, but it's not like you ever go to that extreme anyway.

 

I queried Mark Hopkins of Lenovo about this--I linked to this discussion and provided all available panel data. While I'm not entirely expecting a complete answer, he may be able to call upon someone who'll have an idea what's in these machines. Mark's a very kind and helpful person. Perhaps he can put an end to the guesswork and speculation (or he may end up adding to it ).

Cheers,
~tdr.

 

At the same time, even though he's nice, you may not want to bug him too much. Let the poor man live his life

 

Really. Mark is already buried under keyboard replacements and real problems. Asking him questions out of idle curiosity is not really a good use of his time.

 

zephir,

True enough. I'll certainly not repeatedly bother Mr. Hopkins and only asked him about this because there seem to be no other answers. Clearly, by the content of this thread, I'm not the only person who has this question. I'd think anyone purchasing an X200T would want to know what LCD they have--it kind of matters.

Perhaps it's not important to anyone else, but I fail to see how obtaining precise information about an important system part is "idle curiosity." There is no information about the LCD panel available via a parts lookup, through any Lenovo support channel, and forums, valuable though they are, can provide only inconclusive conjecture and guesswork in this case. The specifications and capabilities of an LCD matter, and determining manufacturer information enables one to determine specifications.

I hardly pressed Mr. Hopkins about this, and if he chooses to answer my question and can provide a beneficial answer, what is wasteful, disrespectful, or idle about that?

Cheers,
~tdr

 

I'd like to point those interested in this discussion to the following at the Lenovo forum:

http://forums.lenovo.com/lnv/board/message?board.id=X_Series_Tablet_ThinkPads&message.id=4284#M4284

I wholly trust in the knowledge of ajkula66 (George) when it comes to all things IPS/Flexview/AFFS and have accepted his answer as a solution. I'm going to call the panel a Hydis until definitive proof to the contrary, if any, ever surfaces.

Cheers,
~tdr.

 

You may do so, but I am going to wait until there is some proof coming from a disassembly, or the part number finally surfaces on the net. All of the evidence points to Samsung, in my opinion.

 

Here is my thread on X200T panel identification at the Lenovo forums. In it, there is a member, jwinn9154, who has this panel and needed it replaced. He can confirm, after Lenovo twice sent the wrong panel via onsite service, that the panel we have is made by Samsung.

For reference, here is the information reported on that panel by available software that does such things:

Manufacturer: LTN121AP03001
Product ID: LEN4011
Manufacture: Week 45 of 2008
Video Input Type : Digital in 0.7/0.3v
Max. Horiz./Vert. Size : 26 cm / 16 cm
Monitor Size : 12 inches (estimated)
Aspect Ratio : 16:10
Gamma Factor : 2.2
DPMS Active-Off : Yes
DPMS Suspend : Yes
DPMS Standby : Yes
EDID version : 1.3

I'm disappointed this isn't a Hydis panel, but it's very nice nonetheless.

Cheers,
~tdr.

 

The capital management consortium you're talking about must be Prime View Consortium, which consists of Taiwan-based TFT-LCD manufacturer Prime View International, and Hong-Kong-based ALCO Holdings and Varitronix International.

Prime View International makes the electrophoretic displays in the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader, and bought Hydis not in order to resell it, but in order to use its manufacturing plants for EPD production.

PVI will also make AFFS LCD panels.
http://www.plasmavslcdtv.info/1216/pvi-to-bring-hydis-affs-and-hffs-lcd-technologies-to-production-digi-times/

I can't find any announcements that PVI will continue to make notebook-sized panels specifically.

 

it has to be better than the utterly crap toshiba panel they are using in these and the clevo 722 models. i have 3 clevo's and one has the auo, the other two have the toshiba panel a lot of people get in these model lenovo's and this toshiba panel is just pure crap one of the worst panels i have ever seen, i wish i had this panel over the toshiba version

 

The x200T panel is VERY GOOD and will destroy the junk TN panels on almost all other notebooks. The concern people have expressed is simply that it appears to be a Samsung PVA panel rather than a Hydis FFS display (the Tabook says IPS which is neither).

 

@Igor = looks like you are right, although I don't know what they mean by "small and medium sized panels". Depends on your frame of reference, but I would think that 12.1 tablet size would be at least medium. Regardless, I think the Samsung PVA panels are as good, if not better. My X200T has as good a screen as I have seen anywhere, lately. The Samsung S-PVA LCD TV's are considered by most video-geeks to be the best LCD panels on the market, even better than the Alpha IPS panels used by Panasonic. I have been shopping for the last month, and the Samsung S-PVA B-6 series look incredibly good...

 

My relative recently bought an X200t, and he wasn't very happy with the screen. I gave him the Hv121wx6 panel from my failed experiment with X200, and he was able to put it into the X200t. If you think that the Samsung PVA panel is good, wait until you see the BOE-Hydis AFFS+ panel. It's just gorgeous.

 

@zephir - would love to try that, but I just don't have the skillz to get it done...

 

anyone know where to get the hv panel from?? my supplier does not carry those

 

@zfactor
Google HV121WX4 and you will find a number of sources - here is one:
http://www.screentekinc.com/Hyundai-BOEhydis-HV121WX4-100.shtml