Buying a TV is not an easy task and the saddest thing is that it is often the manufacturers themselves who do not make it easy for us. Samsung, for example, offers you such a large number of digital TVs that acquiring the right one for your needs sometimes seems an impossible task. For example, what differentiates an UE55f8500SL from a PS51F5500AW? At first glance it seems a very complex task to get to know it, but in that jumble of letters, a lot of information is collected that can help you not to get caught up in a hare.
Samsung names code for models since 2008
From this year Samsung in its models uses the following codes ordered from left to right:
Technology. It is indicated with the first letter, U for an LED TV , P for Plasma , L if it is LCD, H if it is DLP and K if it is OLED . Click on the links to learn more about each of the technologies.
Size. Measured in inches, it is the distance from one corner to the opposite of the screen. To pass it to centimeters you just have to multiply by 2.54 cm. In this way a 50-inch TV has a diagonal of 127 cm.
Region. It is encoded in the second letter of the model. N is for America, E for Europe and A you can find for Asian models.
Year of creation. The alphabet is used increasingly since 2008. A is for 2008, B is for 2009, C for 2010, D is 2011, E is 2012 and F for 2013. For 2014, they skip G and use H. In 2015 it is the J and in 2016 the K.
There are a number of exceptions for the 2012 and 2013 models. If you find:
HEY. Hybrid LED acronym, has still part lcd and is from 2012.
IS. Acronym of Slim LED, they are thinner since they only have LEDs from 2012.
FH. It is also a hybrid model but from 2013.
The F alone is for the Slim LED of 2013.
In 2014 you have:
HU. If we are facing televisions with 4K resolution .
H. The single letter is left for the most basic TV sets. In this case it is important that you look at the series since there will be Full HD models and others that are not.
In 2015 you have:
JS. SUHD HDR support , the new fashion technology.
JU UHD or what is the same 4K resolution.
J. Basic model and as with the H there are some models that are not Full HD in the lower series.
In 2016:
K. Full HD, in principle all the models that have appeared have at least this resolution.
KS. SUHD incorporates HDR. There are several implementations of this feature.
KU Indicates 4K resolution.
The Serie. They are identified by numbers ranging from 4 to 9. You can now acquire:
9. Stratospheric prices, this is where the models with the highest performance are found.
7 and 8. High-end models. You have at your disposal large screens and all technologies, from voice recognition to watching TV on your tablet or recommending programs according to your tastes.
6. They are offered to the general public and less demanding. You have many of the features but without reaching the image quality that the higher series.
5.4. Smaller sizes and lower prices. Samsung uses other types of panels in these models, thus achieving a great price reduction at the expense of quality.
It happens as in cars, what a year is in a higher series is added to the lower ones in later ones, such as for example the support for Wifi or Smart TV . Luckily, the manufacturer is not usually raucous when it comes to adopting new technologies in cheaper models.
If you know the year and the series, you can know what technologies it has in place. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to know what type of panels and real features television has since no manufacturer advertises it. So the only solution is the same as always, see it working before buying it.
Samsung names code for old models
For models before 2008 we had:
Technology . In this case FP or HP for Plasma, LN for LCD, HL for DLP and TX for CRT heads.
Year of production. The T is used for 2007, the S for 2006, R for 2005, P for 2004, N for 2003 and M for 2002.
Size. It is indicated in inches.
Series As with the current versions.
Resolution. For example F is Full HD.
And what is the use of knowing the year in which the television was built?
The models of previous years are cheaper than the current ones. Many times there is no substantial change that justifies this price increase. So knowing when a certain model is factory will serve you in two circumstances, if you are looking for something economical choose a team a year or two ago and you will save, in case you look for the latter, get used to the idea that you will have to pay an extra price and buy a team this year.