This issue has already been in discussion earlier at BeoWorld Forum: /forum/general-discussion-and-questions/beovision-10-picture-problem#post-1894685

However, now that there are more BeoVision 10 televisions in circulation, I think this warrants another, closer look.

"Clouding" -- which means an uneven panel backlight that shows up as lighter areas or "blotches", visible especially during darker scenes and at lower ambient lighting conditions -- has been an issue with quite a few Samsung EdgeLED TV's using the same panel as BeoVision 10.

It seems we have a case of the feared "panel lottery" with BeoVision 10:

Panel lottery means that there are issues with panel quality control, and you either get a good panel (no backlight problems such as clouding), a "tolerable" panel (insignificant backlight un-evenness, not visible under normal viewing conditions) or a bad panel (clearly visible lighter areas in the backlight, which can be seen under normal viewing conditions in black or dark images as whiter blotches or flares of light).

I'm sad to say that my personal experience, and a couple of other cases, point to un-isolated backlight issues with BeoVision 10:

Case 1: 
Of the first 4 BeoVision 10s that my dealer got in January, at least 2 that I know of had bad panels: my BeoVision 10 (quite terrible in dim evening lighting) and the BV10 of someone else who I personally know. This would mean a 50% "bad panel" rate -- at least 2 out of 4 had bad panels in this case.

Case 2: 
The BeoVision 10 reviewer at flatpanelshd.com confirmed that he had seen 4-5 BeoVision 10s, 2 of which had significant backlight clouding (bad panels), 1 had insignificant clouding (tolerable panel) and 2 were perfect (good panels including his review sample). This has been discussed by myself and the reviewer at: http://www.flatpanelshd.com/flatforums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=655&start=10

Case 3:
the earlier "BeoVision 10 picture problem" thread at this Forum.

I find it very hard to comprehend that B&O, for a television that costs 3 times as much as the Samsung equivalent panel-wise, allows bad panels to reach their client's homes.

If quality control is done properly, this could be easily avoided: B&O could simply check the panel batches by feeding them video black in a dim room, pick out the bad ones, and return them to the supplier, and not let them go to the assembly line. Obviously this isn't being done, although this level of QC is what I'd expect from B&O.

To my understanding, B&O televisions undergo individual calibration at the factory, which results in superb colours. With EdgeLED technology, they should add a step to the process to check the backlight of the panels, as it’s crucial to dark image quality.

A few words about Samsung (the panel supplier): prior to getting the BeoVision 10, I owned Samsung 40B7070 EdgeLED television. I had it exchanged 3 times by Samsung's Prestige Service, before I got a good panel. However, the "bad" panels I had were nowhere near as bad as the panel in my new BeoVision 10.

Recent reports suggest that Samsung has taken a different position with their EdgeLED TVs, including the 8000 series, which has the same panel as BeoVision 10: Samsung no longer exchanges them as easily as they did when the model was introduced to market. Why? Probably because they want to sell out the stock before bringing the next generation panels to market, or because the number of exchanges has proven to be cost-prohibitive. This has caused an increasing number of bad EdgeLED models to end up -- and stay -- at people's homes.

Are we seeing the same with BeoVision 10? Bad panels supplied by Samsung to B&O, and B&O accepting them?

I wonder what is the course to take as a customer? I am hesitant to have the panel serviced (changed) by the local B&O service for two reasons:

1) In light of the (seemingly alarming) percentage of bad panels out there, I might end up getting even a worse one, or a panel that is no improvement.

2) B&O service centers do not have the same instruments to individually calibrate the panel's picture to perfection (to B&O standards) as the factory does. Different batches of the same panel have some variation between them, and without factory-standard calibration equipment, picture reproduction of a serviced panel may fall short of B&O's standards (where my TV currently shines, apart from the backlight issue). Case in point: I had a BeoVision 3 tube changed a few years back, and it was never as good as the factory fitted & calibrated one.

Taking the TV back to my dealer is not an option, as I don't think my dealer would go for it, and -- moreover -- BeoVision 10 is the television I like most in the B&O range, so going for another model does not suit me. Exchanging the television for a new one from the factory is a risky option for both me and my dealer: there are no guarantees that the new one would be better, and going down this road might be cost-prohibitive for the dealer.

What are your experiences with your panels? I think there are a few BeoVision 10 owners here. How does your television's backlight (dark images, such as night scenes in a movie) look in the evening or dimmed lighting often preferred for enjoying movies? Evenly black, or with blotches of light shining through?

I've never seen backlight issues with other B&O LCD television models (such as BeoVision 7 which I’ve owned), and I do think they are unacceptable with BeoVision 10, given the brand and the price.

This is a long post, but I'm very perplexed by the situation.