You have to give Apple credit in one area here... they fixed enough of the old problems to make us notice the backlighting issue now haha!
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Does the uneven brightness issue affect glossy screens?
- Thread starter daneoni
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You have to give Apple credit in one area here... they fixed enough of the old problems to make us notice the backlighting issue now haha!
Uneven brightness caused by viewing angles??
Could some of the "uneven brightness" on the edges not simply be caused by the fact, that when viewing your screen from dead center, your viewing angle towards the edges will be slightly higher, thus causing the screen to seem slightly darker?
On my old Acer laptop - which I have always considered having an ok lcd - I sense that the edges are also slightly darker; but when I move my head slowly to the left, the darkness on the left side slowly fades, while it increases in the right side and vice versa.
Conclusion: i think some of it is simply caused by viewing angle. Dark patches is a different matter though...
Could some of the "uneven brightness" on the edges not simply be caused by the fact, that when viewing your screen from dead center, your viewing angle towards the edges will be slightly higher, thus causing the screen to seem slightly darker?
On my old Acer laptop - which I have always considered having an ok lcd - I sense that the edges are also slightly darker; but when I move my head slowly to the left, the darkness on the left side slowly fades, while it increases in the right side and vice versa.
Conclusion: i think some of it is simply caused by viewing angle. Dark patches is a different matter though...
I think that's what it is in my case..... as I've mentioned before, I only have a slight degree of this (the bottom right hand corner of my screen looks a shade darker than the rest when I'm looking at my display with a normal viewing angle, and put a solid white or grey across the whole screen). I have to make it solid across the board because that's the only way I can notice the difference (i.e. when I can compare it to the rest).
But what I've noticed is that when I do this and look straight on at the bottom right hand corner of my screen, it is just as brightly lit as the rest. And I've further noticed that with dark scenes, my entire screen is perfectly evenly lit, which makes it a big improvement over my Dell 2005fpw and Samsung 23" LCD HDTV, both of which have significant backlight bleeding and have a hard time reproducing actual "blacks" in a dark scene.
So at least in my case, it really looks more like a viewing angle thing than anything, and it isn't severe enough for me to be bothered by it. Again, comparing my MBP display to my desktop Dell 2005fpw and my Samsung 23" LCD HDTV (both of which are great overall), I will gladly take a slightly dark corner that I can only notice when displaying a solid grey or solid white across the entire screen (something I essentially never do), compared to backlight bleeding that makes it hard to enjoy watching any sort of movie or TV show with dark scenes, which is an annoyance much more often.
But also, I don't think my problem is as severe as some of the photos people have posted, where whole areas of the screen just look physically darker, not just with certain colors, but in general.
-Zadillo
I'm on my second 15-inch Merom MBP (matte).
Both this machine and my previous one had 9C60 model displays, and both exhibited the uneven brightness issue. The left side is noticeably brighter than the right, at most viewing angles, even when I tried to look at the display head-on from the right side.
Also, I didn't find these screen issues because MacRumors made me paranoid enough to look for them. It was pretty obvious that there was something wrong with my screens on both MBPs the moment I first turned them on.
Both this machine and my previous one had 9C60 model displays, and both exhibited the uneven brightness issue. The left side is noticeably brighter than the right, at most viewing angles, even when I tried to look at the display head-on from the right side.
Also, I didn't find these screen issues because MacRumors made me paranoid enough to look for them. It was pretty obvious that there was something wrong with my screens on both MBPs the moment I first turned them on.
OK, yeah, that's definitely interesting. This definitely reinforces the idea that there are two different things going on here. One is stuff like what I've seen on my monitor, where there is a part of the screen that looks darker, but only at certain viewing angles, and the other like you've described, where the right side as a whole is noticeable darker and it doesn't seem to have anything to do with viewing angles, as it is darker no matter how you look at it.
Just to ask, what do you notice when you display a full black screen? Is there some sort of backlight bleeding or brightness on the left side in that case, or is it an even black?
-Zadillo
Surprisingly, when I have the entire MBP display set to black using a screen utility, it is pure black, with no backlight bleeding whatsoever. The right side seems somewhat darker than the left, but it's harder to tell since the entire display is set to black.
The Macbook Pro's have bad screens
I had 4 MBPs, 3 2.16 and one 2.33, all had bad back lighting among other problems. I gave up.
I am trying the Macbook 2.0 GHz core 2. So far so good. Screen is 100% better.
Good luck if you buy a MBP until they get the screen uneven brightness resolved. It made me go cross eyed a bit, and having an iradecent glow.
Apple, wake up and get some quality control!!
I had 4 MBPs, 3 2.16 and one 2.33, all had bad back lighting among other problems. I gave up.
I am trying the Macbook 2.0 GHz core 2. So far so good. Screen is 100% better.
Good luck if you buy a MBP until they get the screen uneven brightness resolved. It made me go cross eyed a bit, and having an iradecent glow.
Apple, wake up and get some quality control!!
Thanks for that. So this explains the grain problem. Gives me hope that there can be a fix, but since this has been a problem since earlier this year and Apple have not issued one I'm not holding my breath.
This does not explain uneven backlighting and/or crappy viewing angles though. I think these are things one just has to live with.
I for one has disabled sleeping for the display under energy saver. Hopefully my display will die prematurely. Hopefully.
When I brought my C2D matte 2.33 GHz 15" MBP in today (to have them fix a squeaky spacebar), I also asked the Mac Genius about the screen unevenness, and he did agree that it was noticeable (I demonstrated it by opening two finder windows, putting one in the upper left hand corner and the other in the bottom right hand corner........ this is the most obvious way to see that the right hand bottom corner is a shade or two darker).
He said that I had a few options, which included having Apple take it and see if it was within spec (but he couldn't guarantee anything), exchanging it for another matte MBP, exchanging it for a glossy MBP, or just returning it (he said they would agree that it was considered returnable if it was a problem, and wouldn't incur a restocking fee).
So, I've got until the 19th, so will be thinking about it as I use it for the next week.
-Zadillo
He said that I had a few options, which included having Apple take it and see if it was within spec (but he couldn't guarantee anything), exchanging it for another matte MBP, exchanging it for a glossy MBP, or just returning it (he said they would agree that it was considered returnable if it was a problem, and wouldn't incur a restocking fee).
So, I've got until the 19th, so will be thinking about it as I use it for the next week.
-Zadillo
if Apple says any of these monitors posted here are within spec, then Apple's benchmark for quality has been lowered. The fact that most (if not all) of the display models at stores exhibit this LCD behavior is not a good sign. Is that what they consider to be their best foot forward?
Geez Apple, if you are going to start skimping on parts, don't skimp on the thing we stare at 24/7.
Geez Apple, if you are going to start skimping on parts, don't skimp on the thing we stare at 24/7.
Aren't you jumping to conclusions? You started off your statement with "if", but the rest of it seemed to play on the assumption that Apple has said they consider all of these to be within spec.
Not to say that they won't ultimately say that, but until they do, I don't think it makes sense to jump to conclusions.
All I can tell you is that when I asked the Mac genius about it (and my own problem is not nearly as severe as what others have posted), he agreed that it would be something they would consider DOA (essentially they said that as long as it was enough to bother me as a user, they would agree it was returnable). And he didn't try to tell me it was normal, he said he agreed that it was pretty clear that from a normal viewing angle, the bottom right hand corner was darker than the rest.
-Zadillo
I've posted this in another thread before, but I'd thought I'd post here since it seems relevent.
The previous Yonah Core Duo MBPs used displays from CMO and Samsung. The models are:
Chi Mei Optoelectronics
Model Name N154C1
Screen 15.4"(Wide)
Resolution(H x V) 1440x900
Support Color 262K
Schedule now
Brightness(nits) 300
Contrast Ratio 500:1
Viewing Angle(U/D/R/L) 60/60/70/70
Power Consumption(w/o Inv) 5
Outlines(W x H x D mm) 344x 222x6
Weight(g) 500
Response Time (ms) 25
Electrical Interface LVDS
Samsung
SIZE 15.4"
RESOLUTION WXGA+
NUMBER OF PIXELS 1,440 x 900
ACTIVE AREA(mm²) 331.6 x 207.2
PIXEL PITCH(mm) 0.259
NUMBER OF COLORS 262K
Color Gamut(%) 45
CONTRAST RATIO 500:1
BRIGHTNESS(cd/m²) 300
RESPONSE TIME(ms at 25 °C) 25
VIEWING ANGLE(U/D/L/R) 50/50/65/65
INTERFACE LVDS(2ch)
OUTLINE DIMENSION(mm) 344.0 x 222.0 x 6.5
WEIGHT(g) 520
PRODUCTION Mass Production
Between the 2, the CMO is the better product since it's lighter and has better viewing angles.
Now for the Merom Core 2 Duo MBP, both CMO and Samsung are manufactuers and Apple has also added a third manufacturer AUO. The likely model is this:
AUO
Model B154PW01
Resolution (pixel) WXGA+ (1440 x 900)
Aspect Ratio 16 : 10
Active Area (mm) 331.5 x 207.2
Pixel Pitch (mm) 0.23025
Mode TN
Number of Colors 262K
Color Saturation (NTSC%) 45
View Angle (H/V) 140 / 120
Brightness (cd/m²) (5 points average) 300
Contrast Ratio 400 : 1
Response Time (ms) (at 25°C) 16
Power Consumption (W) 6.5
Interface 2ch LVDS
Supply Voltage (V) 3.3
Backlight 1 CCFL
Outline Dimensions (mm) 344.0 x 222.0 x 5.8
Weight (g) 510
Production Now
The AUO model sacrifices contrast and power consumption, but you gain better response time.
Now if Apple were to be using lower quality screens than before, then it may be a problem with the AUO screens assuming that's the screen that people are having problems with. Although some previous Core Duo MBP users who complained before were using 9C56 screens which are supposedly made by Samsung. It seems like Samsung might be the most common screen (incidentally it's the one with worse viewing angles to the other 2, which may be part of the problem) so perhaps its a Samsung issue.
If people do complain, return, talk to technical support, etc. it would be nice if they could get a response from Apple to see who makes the 9C60, if they are indeed "better" or at least less likely to be "worse". Personally, I favour the CMO screen over the other 2, because of the light weight, good power characteristics, and wider viewing angles, so if people do talk to Apple, and if you agree that CMO is the preferred screen, you should point out to Apple that all MBPs should be using CMO screens.
The previous Yonah Core Duo MBPs used displays from CMO and Samsung. The models are:
Chi Mei Optoelectronics
Model Name N154C1
Screen 15.4"(Wide)
Resolution(H x V) 1440x900
Support Color 262K
Schedule now
Brightness(nits) 300
Contrast Ratio 500:1
Viewing Angle(U/D/R/L) 60/60/70/70
Power Consumption(w/o Inv) 5
Outlines(W x H x D mm) 344x 222x6
Weight(g) 500
Response Time (ms) 25
Electrical Interface LVDS
Samsung
SIZE 15.4"
RESOLUTION WXGA+
NUMBER OF PIXELS 1,440 x 900
ACTIVE AREA(mm²) 331.6 x 207.2
PIXEL PITCH(mm) 0.259
NUMBER OF COLORS 262K
Color Gamut(%) 45
CONTRAST RATIO 500:1
BRIGHTNESS(cd/m²) 300
RESPONSE TIME(ms at 25 °C) 25
VIEWING ANGLE(U/D/L/R) 50/50/65/65
INTERFACE LVDS(2ch)
OUTLINE DIMENSION(mm) 344.0 x 222.0 x 6.5
WEIGHT(g) 520
PRODUCTION Mass Production
Between the 2, the CMO is the better product since it's lighter and has better viewing angles.
Now for the Merom Core 2 Duo MBP, both CMO and Samsung are manufactuers and Apple has also added a third manufacturer AUO. The likely model is this:
AUO
Model B154PW01
Resolution (pixel) WXGA+ (1440 x 900)
Aspect Ratio 16 : 10
Active Area (mm) 331.5 x 207.2
Pixel Pitch (mm) 0.23025
Mode TN
Number of Colors 262K
Color Saturation (NTSC%) 45
View Angle (H/V) 140 / 120
Brightness (cd/m²) (5 points average) 300
Contrast Ratio 400 : 1
Response Time (ms) (at 25°C) 16
Power Consumption (W) 6.5
Interface 2ch LVDS
Supply Voltage (V) 3.3
Backlight 1 CCFL
Outline Dimensions (mm) 344.0 x 222.0 x 5.8
Weight (g) 510
Production Now
The AUO model sacrifices contrast and power consumption, but you gain better response time.
Now if Apple were to be using lower quality screens than before, then it may be a problem with the AUO screens assuming that's the screen that people are having problems with. Although some previous Core Duo MBP users who complained before were using 9C56 screens which are supposedly made by Samsung. It seems like Samsung might be the most common screen (incidentally it's the one with worse viewing angles to the other 2, which may be part of the problem) so perhaps its a Samsung issue.
If people do complain, return, talk to technical support, etc. it would be nice if they could get a response from Apple to see who makes the 9C60, if they are indeed "better" or at least less likely to be "worse". Personally, I favour the CMO screen over the other 2, because of the light weight, good power characteristics, and wider viewing angles, so if people do talk to Apple, and if you agree that CMO is the preferred screen, you should point out to Apple that all MBPs should be using CMO screens.
Thanks for the info commander, so Chi Mei actually makes the good screens? I always thought it is the Koreans that are better at QC, guess the Chinese won 
Which manufacturer makes the 9C60 screens?
Edit: Also noticed that none of the panels give "millions of colours"?
Scam! False advertising on Apple's part
Which manufacturer makes the 9C60 screens?
Edit: Also noticed that none of the panels give "millions of colours"?
Scam! False advertising on Apple's part
MBP came as estimated....
So i just came home to find the MBP waiting and i'm typing on it right now. The glossy screen is waaay better than the matte option for me anyways. No glare in my room, no grainyness. No eye strain. There is uneven backlighting but its not as bad as my previous machine. My screen model is 9C60 manufacture date BFF87B80...whatever that means.
Build quality seems solid, latch works fine and the gap is maximum 1mm most likely less i.e it flushed. There seems to be a tiny tiny whine under the right side of the base. You have to bury your head on the keyboard to here it so negligible IMHO.
What else, got a fujitsu drive which im not really happy about but i'll deal. My DVD burner model seems weird. Its a HL-DT-ST DVDRW GWA4080MA....whatever that means.
Overall, im satisfied. Will report any other stuff i notice out of the norm.
Pictures of the new screen:
Default Blue
Grey
White
So i just came home to find the MBP waiting and i'm typing on it right now. The glossy screen is waaay better than the matte option for me anyways. No glare in my room, no grainyness. No eye strain. There is uneven backlighting but its not as bad as my previous machine. My screen model is 9C60 manufacture date BFF87B80...whatever that means.
Build quality seems solid, latch works fine and the gap is maximum 1mm most likely less i.e it flushed. There seems to be a tiny tiny whine under the right side of the base. You have to bury your head on the keyboard to here it so negligible IMHO.
What else, got a fujitsu drive which im not really happy about but i'll deal. My DVD burner model seems weird. Its a HL-DT-ST DVDRW GWA4080MA....whatever that means.
Overall, im satisfied. Will report any other stuff i notice out of the norm.
Pictures of the new screen:
Default Blue
Grey
White
Is that just exaggerated, or is that how it appears to you too? if it isn't exaggerated, the dark areas look REALLY dark to me; it looks considerably darker relative to the rest of the screen than my own (which just looks slightly darker).
WHat the camera sees differs from what the human eye sees. In actuality, i can barely notice it. I have to somewhat look for dark areas. They are there but not as exaggerated as the pictures may be conveying.
Has anyone noticed a difference in unevenness based on the temperature of the screen/laptop?
When I got home today I woke MBP from sleep, and it was cold (45F) from outside. Noticed screen darkening on the *right*, bottom and left of screen. Usually I only see dark bits on the bottom and left, so was slightly alarmed.
Two hours later, when the laptop was all warmed up, the darkening is much much lessened. I would even call it negligible..it looks like Daverinfl's screen here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/245617/
When I got home today I woke MBP from sleep, and it was cold (45F) from outside. Noticed screen darkening on the *right*, bottom and left of screen. Usually I only see dark bits on the bottom and left, so was slightly alarmed.
Two hours later, when the laptop was all warmed up, the darkening is much much lessened. I would even call it negligible..it looks like Daverinfl's screen here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/245617/
That's right. The photos here show quite a bit of barrel distortion, so they were taken with the lens set to a fairly wide angle, which results in seeing the corners, edges, and center of the screen at different angles in one photo. Viewing LCD screens at different angles results in different brightness, so you can expect wide-angle photos of LCD screens to look pretty uneven.
I posted the following photo in another thread, but I used a telephoto lens to reduce barrel distortion as much as I could.
Attachments
HqsBud -- can you remind me ---are the pictures you showing of a matte or glossy screen. thanks!