Now comes the chance factor.

I’ve ordered a replacement tv. (And, needless to say, an extended warranty.) When it arrives, a sticker on the side of the box will reveal which lcd panel it was manufactured with.

SQ02 <- the best SS03 <- good C___ <-not as good A___ <-bad Amazon reportedly has a lot of the "A___"s, so I am hoping against likelihood, in favor of a chance at one of the better panels. Update: I got a "C" panel. I didn't like it. I returned it to Amazon, for a $34 shipping charge. Since my "broken" tv still works as a monitor, I will carry on using it instead of replacing it at this time. This was ultimately an exercise in experimenting.