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Tell me about the LED screen, please...

S

Sal Collaziano

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 7, 2007
331
24
Royal Palm Beach, FL
I did a quick search and didn't find anything in regards. If I missed something, please point me in the right direction.

I'm hearing that the MBP 15" screen is LED backlit. I'm not quite sure what that means.. How is it better than the 17" screen that is NOT LED backlit?

Thank you in advance...
 
The main advantage of the LED-backlit screen is that they are supposed to be more reliable and last longer than the fluorescent-backlight screens of the 17-inch MBP.

However, there have been complaints that the LED-backlight screens have a yellowish cast to them. I know this was true when they first came out. I'm not sure about current models though (can anyone else chime in?).
 
Its still an issue, I went through 2 of them before deciding to downgrade from 2.4 mbp to macbook
 
Hmm.... It sounds to me like maybe this isn't a 100% ready technology just yet.. I really can't imagine the LED looking that much better anyway. I guess I'll go take a look at my local Apple store when I purchase the MBP.

Thank you!
 
LED backlights aren't supposed to last longer. Instead they retain the same brightness throughout their life, while CCFL gains brightness for a short period of time, then loses it gradually.

LEDs are cooler, and consume less power.
 
nikiski said:
LED backlights aren't supposed to last longer. Instead they retain the same brightness throughout their life, while CCFL gains brightness for a short period of time, then loses it gradually.

LEDs are cooler, and consume less power.
Click to expand...

They are also supposed to last longer.
 
I love my LED screen. I had to color calibrate it at first to make it look right. It is so bright. All the guys with 17s look at my lowly 15 with envious stares at work. I have the LG panel.

One guy has a 3 year old 17 powerbook and it was crazy how much brighter my display is.
 
Sal Collaziano said:
Hmm.... It sounds to me like maybe this isn't a 100% ready technology just yet.. I really can't imagine the LED looking that much better anyway. I guess I'll go take a look at my local Apple store when I purchase the MBP.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

The technology is 100% ready. Don't listen to the minority which has had screen problems. Most mbp buyers don't go onto a forum and complain about their perfect screen;)

The LED is much brighter and uses less power. The image won't change in any other way because the screen is still LCD.

Trust me, the lower power usage and brighter output are well worth it. :)
 
They are brighter, and are supposedly better on battery life. I have no experience with yellow tint on my screen,

How do you calibrate your monitor?
 
CalBoy said:
The technology is 100% ready. Don't listen to the minority which has had screen problems. Most mbp buyers don't go onto a forum and complain about their perfect screen;)

The LED is much brighter and uses less power. The image won't change in any other way because the screen is still LCD.

Trust me, the lower power usage and brighter output are well worth it. :)
Click to expand...

I'll have to go compare my CD 15" with the newer models to see the difference.

Lower power consumption and cooler temps would be a nice thing.
 
Hmm. I managed to calbrate it, but I find the default settings the best.
I wonder what the best settings to do photo editing are.
 
JAT said:
They are also supposed to last longer.
Click to expand...

May be I should clear it up, while individual LED could have a life expectancy of up to 100,000 hours, individual diodes do have different life. It could range from 20 to 40,000 hours, so in average it's more or less than same as existing CCFLs.

But, a good thing is, if one LED fails, you still can see the screen. If the CCFL is gone, you're toasted. :p

LEDs also don't contain mercury. So if you're a environmentalist or environment-aware, LED's the way to go. LEDs also have a wider color gamut when compared with CCFL (although it still depends on the screen though).
 
I recently did a lot of research at work into using ultra-hi power LEDs as an illumination source. (in excess of 15 watts OPTICAL energy)

One thing I did find, was that LEDs DO experience intensity degradation and color shift over their operational lifetime. They also vary intensity and color over a temperature range. (which, also greatly determines their useful lifetime - higher temps obviously having a negative effect)

So to think that a CFL will lose intensity and color shift, but a LED will not - is a misunderstanding.

That said - I'm confident that LEDs will continue to progress by leaps and bounds and will eclipse CFLs.
 
marclapierre13 said:
I wonder what the best settings to do photo editing are.
Click to expand...

Here are the settings my team uses. This is reasonably standard in the industry and pretty close to the ISO spec for viewing conditions...

D65 white point
2.2 gamma
140 cd/m2 brightness (in an "average" lighting environment. tweak slightly to match your lightbox)

Calibrate using a hardware colorimeter or spectrophotometer to these standards then create a profile. Recalibrate as needed to keep the profile accurate. Consider saving the measurement data for long term analysis of the state of your monitor.
 
Well, back in the day CRT tv's used to flicker horribly and look how far we have come? circular flicker box to 16:9 1080P HDTV. Technology is moving faster then ever. I give it a year before all the LED issues are resolved.
 
While I have no doubts about technology moving forward by orders of magnitude - I don't think the issues will be resolved in 1 year, maybe 10 - but that is also exceedingly optimistic.

LEDs have been around (practically) since the late 50s / early 60s. Blue LEDs weren't mass manufactured until the mid 90s (which allowed the creation of white LEDs). Given the pace - we've got a good way to go. Look how long LCDs have been around - they've come a long way in 10 years. -- But I still see my fair share of dead pixels and degrading lamps.
 
i was ready to get a new macbook but was discouraged after i found they didn't stick the LED backlighting in it. looks like i'll be waiting some more... bleh.
 
orijinal said:
i was ready to get a new macbook but was discouraged after i found they didn't stick the LED backlighting in it. looks like i'll be waiting some more... bleh.
Click to expand...

Why? If you need a new notebook, go for it. The macbook is still an all-around great machine. LEDs are still expensive; you can't expect Apple to put them in a lower-margin laptop like a macbook.
 
CalBoy said:
Why? If you need a new notebook, go for it. The macbook is still an all-around great machine. LEDs are still expensive; you can't expect Apple to put them in a lower-margin laptop like a macbook.
Click to expand...

i've got a 3 year old (going on 4) powerbook g4 12" right now and have been itching for a macbook for a year or so now. with all the rumors and whatnot going around regarding the LEDs dropping in the macbook (specifically that the macbook + 15" mbp will be upgraded first because of their smaller size... and the 15" has indeed been upgraded)... and also the macworld expo coming up in january, i figure i've waited this long i can wait a couple months more.

the latest update on the macbook is really pleasing though, but it's just the LED omission that hasn't sealed the deal. i'm trying to futureproof as much as i can and pick my spot correctly. now, i know people say that if one waits, he/she will wait forever, and i'm not planning on doing that. i have my criteria set and when its fulfilled i'll jump.

my powerbook's screen has already gotten quite dull, and it wasn't all that bright in the first place when i got it, and after doing all this recent research on CCFL and LEDs, it seems like a no-brainer to wait, i guess (oxymoron there, haha!). i plan on keeping the next 'book i get for around 3-4 years (just like this powerbook has run its course with me so far).

finally, it's a little more conflicting because i don't generally like purchasing first gen/rev A hardware. software can be patched easily, but hardware's "patches" don't come for months (ie. new revisions). if a new macbook replacement or macbook pro replacement comes in january, you'd figure it wouldn't be updated for another 5-6 months (around summer-ish) to get to a second or 2.5 rev, as well, right? that's why i'm scared i might be waiting another year (until summer) to get the macbook that i really want.

i wasn't even planning on going out Black Friday waiting this year (nothing major to buy), but when i saw some nice deals on 2gig ram that may be showing up, and if i do decide to get the macbook.. i may be changing my plans again. argh.
 
^^^You have many things to sort out I see. :p

I say you keep going for as long as your Powerbook lets you. I assume that you're going to look for something small like the 12" PB? You might get your (and many others' as well-including mine) wish granted in January, but it's really a stretch.

I think that we won't see LED macbooks until May of 08, so if that's what you're waiting for, you'll have to wait until then.
 
Type121 said:
Here are the settings my team uses. This is reasonably standard in the industry and pretty close to the ISO spec for viewing conditions...

D65 white point
2.2 gamma
140 cd/m2 brightness (in an "average" lighting environment. tweak slightly to match your lightbox)

Calibrate using a hardware colorimeter or spectrophotometer to these standards then create a profile. Recalibrate as needed to keep the profile accurate. Consider saving the measurement data for long term analysis of the state of your monitor.
Click to expand...

Hehehe. Thats what I had on my calibration for my #2.
I like the colour better, its a bit darker and less faded than default. The only reason I was hesitant about using it for photos is because I wanted it to be true colour, and not be decieved by the monitor.

I just have to adjust my brightness now

edit: how do I adjust brightness to become 140 cd ol?
 
CalBoy said:
^^^You have many things to sort out I see. :p

I say you keep going for as long as your Powerbook lets you. I assume that you're going to look for something small like the 12" PB? You might get your (and many others' as well-including mine) wish granted in January, but it's really a stretch.

I think that we won't see LED macbooks until May of 08, so if that's what you're waiting for, you'll have to wait until then.
Click to expand...

lol, well i was just laying out my dilemma and why it was a problem for me, and the way that i see it and its options.

i am indeed waiting to see if that ultraportable gets released by apple, but i would've been perfectly happy with the current rev of the macbooks, if they had LED screens. so, yup it might be until may or so that i might be waiting, but this may change greatly before then! we'll see, i guess...
 
Big-TDI-Guy said:
I recently did a lot of research at work into using ultra-hi power LEDs as an illumination source. (in excess of 15 watts OPTICAL energy)

One thing I did find, was that LEDs DO experience intensity degradation and color shift over their operational lifetime. They also vary intensity and color over a temperature range. (which, also greatly determines their useful lifetime - higher temps obviously having a negative effect)

So to think that a CFL will lose intensity and color shift, but a LED will not - is a misunderstanding.

That said - I'm confident that LEDs will continue to progress by leaps and bounds and will eclipse CFLs.
Click to expand...
That's a great post. Thumbs up. :)
 
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