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Would you get the glossy or regular screen for the macbook pro?
- Thread starter pomegranateseed
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The regular for me. I hate the reflection the glossy can sometimes pick up from the lights around you. Where I live, it's not that easy for me to adjust where I use my MB Pro or the lights in the room.
The real answer is not to ask the question.
Your best bet is to find two people with notebooks, one matte one glossy.
Get them to let you try them in various situations and judge for yourself.
Each of the options have an advantage over the other. Both have a disadvantage too.
Your best bet is to find two people with notebooks, one matte one glossy.
Get them to let you try them in various situations and judge for yourself.
Each of the options have an advantage over the other. Both have a disadvantage too.
Taken from Monitors Blog:
Laptop manufacturers these days are popularizing LCD monitors with ClearView technology or other similarly-branded screens. This basically means that the screens are coated with shiny or glossy anti-reflective material instead of the usual matte anti-glare finish common among LCD monitors until recently.
Those who have been shopping for desktop LCD monitors may notice differences across brands and models, namely that some have glass screens, while others retain the soft, matte LCD membrane. In laptops, however, its a bit different since its not as easy to incorporate this coating or overlay onto the LCD screen.
Here are common marketing names for anti-reflective LCD screens used in laptops:
* Acer: CrystalBrite
* AG Neovo: NeoV Optical Filter
* ASUS: Color Shine, Crystal Shine
* Dell: TrueLife
* Fujitsu: Crystal View, SuperFine
* HP Compaq: BrightView
* Gateway: UltraBright
* Sony: XBRITE, X-black, Clear Bright, ErgoBright
* Toshiba: TruBrite, Clear SuperView
No matter how they call it, the underlying concept behind the anti-reflective screen is the same. Lets explore a bit of physics.
Traditional LCD Screens
Traditional LCD screens have matte surfaces resulting to reduced glare. The intensity of the reflected light is diffused. However, this is at the expense of the actual LCD image being a bit hazy especially when there is light reflected off the outside.
Anti-Reflective LCD Screens
Anti-reflective LCD screens have an anti-reflective polarizer coating or overlay that are usually glossy. Anti-reflective screens provide sharper images, better contrast and richer colors.
An added benefit of anti-reflective LCD screens is a wider viewing angle. This is either a pro or a con, depending on your preferences. Some would prefer to be able to view their laptop or monitor screens from only a right angle, so their privacy is protected when using the computer in public places. However, for multimedia viewing (such as DVDs and presentations), a wide viewing angle would be needed.
Uses, Prices and Preference
Most laptop and LCD screens today are still of the anti-glare (not anti-reflective) type, but anti-reflective screens are usually standard features in higher-end laptop and LCD monior models. Some manufacturers allow this as an optional add-on for a nominal amount (usually around $ 50 on top of the list price).
As mentioned above, not everyone might appreciate anti-reflective screens. For instance, in an office environment, where the use of computers would mainly be for documents, spreadsheets and email, the anti-reflective screens would not be necessary. In fact, given the fixed lighting in office environments (and sometimes positioning against windows), anti-reflective screens might put off too much glare.
In a situation where crystal clear images are better, though, such as when playing games or movies, anti-reflective LCDs would be best.
I believe a lot of that has been debated. It's not *fact* just because you found it on some blog. If it were such a clear-cut decision as that explanation makes it sound, there wouldn't be such a huge discussion about this always.
Here, the information was pulled from an LCD manufacture.
http://www.screentekinc.com/pixelbright-lcds.shtml
http://www.screentekinc.com/pixelbright-lcds.shtml
I recently bought a 17" C2D MBP - glossy. I had wondered, while I was waiting for my new purchase to arrive, if I had made the right decision. I've been in front of matte LCDs for 4 years now. Well, I don't get what all the fuss is about. I don't notice reflections when the screen is on. Otherwise, it's a bit sharper and brighter. I like it, but I don't think it's an overwhelming improvement over a matte screen. If I was making the choice again, I'd stick with the glossy screen.
Got a Black Macbook (C2D) last night, with of course, the glossy screen. My room is arranged in a way that puts a window directly behind me, a light directly above me, and another light facing me. While doing this, I've had to adjust the screen ONCE to suit the glare, and that was because I was lying to the point where I was looking up at the screen.
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