Samsung LNS3251D - dark smudges and image retention

[gomfedj]

Greetings, would love some feedback from experienced tv "repair" or "handymen". I have a samsung lsn3251d that is about 6~ years old and according to the TV's service menu about 14,000 hours on it.

I noticed about two month ago these dark patches on the screen they are mainly in the upper right and curve towards the right side till about the middle then seem to almost curve back in towards the TV. You barely notice most of the dark patches except the spots at the top where it starts and even then it is only on solid colors that are "mixed" if i put up a solid 255 red or blue or green you can't see the dark patches at all! The colors that like to show it the 'best' are grey or purple.

After doing some research on-line i heard it could be anything from a burnt/dirty light diffuser to something called the 'mura' affect, to a bad/failing tcon, and finally to a bad/failing lcd panel itself.

That was the first issue, but just recently (past week or so) i sometimes use the TV as a second monitor for my computer and i left a webpage up there for 5~ hours without changing it often, there were some advertisements on the web page on the left/right hand side, well i noticed that night they had created image retention on the panel, which i had NEVER experienced before, after trying LOTS of solutions, leaving TV off unplugged for 24+ hours flashing red/green/blue rapidly and a black/white and colored snow pattern. They have faded out but are still noticeable if i put on a solid color background on the screen, and BEYOND that i have noticed my TV is getting EXTREMELY rapid image retention, if i leave something on the screen just a few seconds even there is an after image now and it isn't just a ghost image where i can swipe a new window over that area to clear it, or change colors and it vanishes it is a permanent/semi permanent image until the TV is off for an extended period.

I have attached a image but it does not do it much justice, you can see the dark patches, but seeing the image retention on the right hand/left hand side and any more recent image retention is impossible to make out.

I know samsungs suffered from badcaps often and i did disassemble the TV and checked the caps and caps CM858, CM860 and CM 861 were slightly swollen (were not leaking yet just domed on top) i have never had an issue turning it on though, and i can't believe this is causing the image issues. I tried while the back was off tapping the Tcon board and mainboard and also wiggling the LVSD (i think that is the name of the cable between the mainboard and tcon board) to see if it affected anything.. zero change...

I just wanted some feedback on what others thought/experienced if anyone has had this image retention issue, i can live with the dark spots, but the image retention issue makes me wonder if the Tcon is going out or if the lcd panel itself it just on it's last legs. I THINK recently i have noticed a change in the colors too on the TV, they just seem too bright now almost blurred, this could simply me being overly "sensitive" to anything possibly going wrong and/or looking for more symptoms.

Thanks for any feedback yall can offer (even if it is taking it out back and shoot it )

[tom66]

Re: Samsung LNS3251D - dark smudges and image retention

Unfortunately it looks like a permanent flaw with the LCD panel.

When making these TVs, Samsung decided to use poor quality CHIMEI or CHUNGWHA panels, which are also found in cheaper TVs, instead of

It's very common to see this after a few years.

One quick way you can tell if the TV has a poor panel is to lightly press on it with your finger. A Samsung panel will leave very little mark which will rapidly fade away. A cheaper panel will make a large patch (typically as big as your palm.) This is because the panel is made of thinner material and is not supported well inside the frame.

As far as image retention, this is typical of older LCD panels. It's rarely ever permanent, but it can be annoying.

[gomfedj]

Re: Samsung LNS3251D - dark smudges and image retention

Interesting.. bought this lcd tv years ago thinking samsung used some of the highest quality panels in it, and was only 1 step under sony in quality at the time for LCD tv's


Just tried pushing on the TV like that (fairly hard) the black mark it made was about the size of my fingertip, but when i released the pressure the black mark stayed about the same but there was a flash/distortion in a large circle a good 3-4 inch in diameter around the center point i pushed at..

If i can't fix/improve the tv i am not too concerned, frustrated i will say (considering the original cost, TV cost me about 200$ a year for use ), but the nephew/niece will be happy and get a fancy lcd tv in the guest room!

[tom66]

Re: Samsung LNS3251D - dark smudges and image retention

That pretty much confirms it. You don't have a Samsung panel in your Samsung TV.

I call Samsung out on their Reality Distortion Field; it seems to work more or less the same way as Apple's, but has less hype behind it. Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba and Sony are top tier at the moment, LG are a close sixth, and Samsung ranks a far seventh, in my opinion. Though Sharp, Toshiba and LG have started selling their name out to cheaper manufacturers for their cheaper models... grr...

[gomfedj]

Re: Samsung LNS3251D - dark smudges and image retention

That pretty much confirms it. You don't have a Samsung panel in your Samsung TV.

I call Samsung out on their Reality Distortion Field; it seems to work more or less the same way as Apple's, but has less hype behind it. Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba and Sony are top tier at the moment, LG are a close sixth, and Samsung ranks a far seventh, in my opinion. Though Sharp, Toshiba and LG have started selling their name out to cheaper manufacturers for their cheaper models... grr...

Damn thats too bad, was really hoping i could do something (or anything) to improve the picture quality of the TV, from everything i have read, if your panel is bad the TV is not worth fixing due to the fact you can't really GET replacement panels that are not already heavily aged, and panel is 90% of the cost of a new set already

Thank ya for the info, i will have to try that pushing thing on other lcd screens, is it a common/good test to know quality lcd panels?? i also have a Samsung T240HD that i use for my computer monitor, i tried that same push thing on it, it reacted about the same way but the quick distortion after i let the pressure up seemed less and faster to clear..

Ordered a Panasonic TC-L37E5 to replace my Samsung LNS3251D (which is going in the guest room), will have to try that test on it too when it comes in!

[tom66]

Re: Samsung LNS3251D - dark smudges and image retention

If you have a Samsung LCD monitor, I think they used decent screens in them (either Samsung or AUO.) Though they do have lots of other issues, main one is capacitor failure rate is excessive on them.

Nice replacement choice, though Panasonic really lead the field on plasma tech, so I'd expect the LCD to be well built and reliable (maybe using IPS Alpha panel, Panasonic's own) but nothing special.