MBP Matte display "hazy", vs. Powerbook display?

I'm having some wierdness with my new (and great!) MBP. It seems like the matte coating on the display is "too matte" or something like that. Solid colors aren't uniform, but seem "shimmery," as if there was a very thin oil slick (or fingerprint layer) over the screen. This is not the case with my old TiBook matte screen. The MBP display is unquestionably brighter, with richer colors - but with less color consistency. I would almost say that I prefer the TiBook display over the MacBooks, because it is sharper and more regular. The fogging effect on the macbook screen is strong enough to hide image details that are apparent on the older screen, such as slight color shifts and banding in gradients.
Has anyone else noticed an issue like this with their MBP matte display? Especially someone who has an older apple laptop screen to compare? I'm really hoping that this is a "bad screen" issue that I can get fixed, and not just the product of crappier (but brighter) screens in the MBP line. Note: i'm not talking about moving visual noise or flicker in the screen - it is perfectly stable, just a bit ugly :/
Thanks,
transwave
MacBook Pro 15" Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Excellent catch, Jayson Allyson1. The 18-bit thing is simple. Each "pixel" on your LCD screen is actually made up of 3 subpixels: red, green, and blue, very close together. In "millions of colors" mode, each of these subpixels should have 256 possible values, from 0 (off) to 255 (full bright). This is 8 bits per subpixel (2^8 = 256) also known as 24-bit color, for a total of 2^24 = 16,777,216 displayable colors.
Some cheaper/faster desktop LCD displays (and, apparently, notebook displays) are only capable of displaying 6 bits per subpixel, or 18-bit color, totalling 2^18 = 262,144 colors. I didn't know the MBP had one of these unfortunate displays, but apparently it's common.
Dithering is placing a lower number of colors in a certain pattern to trick your eye into seeing a higher number of colors. This is done by the video card automatically. So, -if- this theory is correct, the speckled pattern is coming from normal dithering.
Now apparently the x1600 is supposed to do "temporal dithering" which involves altering the color of -the same pixel-, quickly enough to mitigate the pattern effect you're going to get from dithering. From what I can tell from the message board threads, this is stuck in freeze-frame (or the dithering is just really bad) due to a video BIOS bug.
The problem is, who knows if this is the actual issue, and if it is, it was apparently fixed a while ago, so why would they ship like this? Also, it means everyone should be seeing this issue, unless some people got 24-bit displays (unlikely).
Regardless, this gives some cause for hope. Thanks!

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15" MBP Matte Display...Pixel Death!

Hey all,
I had a problem last year with my display experiencing pixel death (black lines) in the middle of the right side of the screen. Computer was still under warrenty at that time, so I got a new display put on. No problem, or so I thought. Last week the exact same thing happend on this new screen in almost the exact same place! What is the problem here? What is the best solution? Thanks for your help.
-JT

Call Applecare and get it fixed again under the warranty.

Are there any new 17 " MBPs with matte display out which run properly?

Hallo,
I am about to buy one 17 MBP with matte display. But now I ve read all these posts and
I hesitate to order one. I don't want to have all the trouble to send it back and then wait
again. So, are there any guys who can not report these graphic issues?
Yours
Matthias

CD = Core Duo, the 1st generation of 17" MBP from way back in 2006. It was flawless when I got it. It's still running perfectly 3 years later. Only issue was a bad battery, and that was a known manufacturing problem at Sony that affected Macs as well as PC laptops. Apple extended the warranty to cover the issue, and replaced mine for free ~3 months after my one-year warranty expired. Two colleagues have the new 17" unibody MBP, one with glossy and one with matte, both are flawless.

MacBook Pro 15" Grainy Matte Display

The matte display on my new MacBook Pro has a grainy look to it. It's very noticeable. I'm curious if this is a defect or if all MacBook Pro displays are like this. To better describe the look... it looks like someone took a screenshot and applied the noise filter to it. It also looks like as if there's a lot of dust on the screen. Please let me know if anyone else sees this because if it's not right, I need to return it and get a replacement. Thanks.

I was using my MacBook Pro last night and I decided just to use it without staring at the bumps and I started to forget they were there. I think that if I just give it time, I won't even care or notice anymore. It's just weird for me right now because I upgraded from a 12" PowerBook and it just looks different now. I also noticed that the same effect is on my Samsung LCD monitor here at work but, the pixels are large enough that it doesn't diffuse as much. That's the main problem on the MacBook Pros. The pixels are so small that it doesn't take much to distort them such as a scratch or a fingerprint and obviously the matte finish.

MBP glossy display & viewing angle

I wonder whether the glossy display on a MBP is actually the same LCD with just another film on it or a totally different screen.
I'd like to know because today I saw one of those CrystalView screens on an Fujitsu Siemens Amilo of a friend. The viewing angle and sharpnesss is amazing, on almost 180 degrees I could read the screen. much better I guess than the screen we get from apple or... is there any chance the glossy display option would bring us a better viewing angle?
Personally I don't like the glossy screens but if they're better I might order my MBP with the glossy option.
The store didn't have any on display, so i could not compare.
Anyone with a MBP with glossy screen?

Glossy vs. matte is an individual decision so do your own comparison. Probably most clients will actually prefer the look of images on the glossy display, however they may then wonder why the same pix in print or on a pro display have less "pop."
IMO buy the 17" MBP rather than the 15" MBP. My reasons:
• More screen real estate, a very big deal when in the field and no external display is connected.
• Much higher pixel count, a very big deal when in the field and no external display is connected.
• Available matte display, a very big deal (to many pro photogs, including me) when in the field and no external display is connected.
• Faster; the added size and easier heat dissipation of the 17" apparently allow Apple to make less engineering compromises.
• Twice the available RAM, a very big deal moving forward as app vendors evolve apps to better utilize available cheap RAM, OS 10.6 and boxes with more RAM access. Under OS X Photoshop (and probably Aperture as well) can already take advantage of up to 32 GB installed RAM, maybe more.
• Longer battery life is alleged, which matters not to me but some folks care.
• After years of using 15" and smaller, starting with the Duo, I now use a 2.33 GHz 17" and far prefer the larger size.
• All the above benefits and it only weighs 1.1 pound more than the 15" MBP.
-Allen Wicks

Display Option: "anti-glare" or real matte display?

I just learned about the new option for an "anti-glare" display on 15" MBP. Haven't yet seen one with this option.
Is the option actually a different display, like the matte displays of previous MBP generations - or - a glossy display with some kind of anti-glare feature added to it?
TIA

Seriously, I don't understand the post about the silver-bezel being ugly. First off, as important as aesthetics are, in the price range of the Macbook Pros, functionality should come first. Plus, all Apple's computers are of the highest build quality. Secondly, the pictures online do the silver-bezel no justice. I just bought a 15" 2.8 anti-glare Macbook Pro this Saturday, and let me tell you, it rocks! And honestly, I can say I like the silver-bezel more. It matches the body nicely, and looks very, very professional.
The color is amazing on these anti-glare screens. I have used nothing but anti-glare screens in the past, and this one is that much better. Seriously! I think the fact that it is also a LED LCD helps tremendously. The colors are rich and vibrant. They just don't "pop" like the glossy screens. It's much more realistic as well, in the comparisons I did at the Apple Store.
Whatever you do, don't get too sucked into the "cool" factor, or what everyone else has. Most people have the glossy screens because:
a) They weren't available for the 15" models until August.
AND
b) The 13" (the most popular Macbook Pro) doesn't have the option.
So of course, most will tell you it looks better, it is better, yada, yada, yada. Some probably really do like them a lot, and others probably have no idea or are just commenting on what they have. If you check the two out side-by-side, I doubt you will still think that the anti-glare is ugly, nor inferior.
And, the anti-glare is actually usable at dimmed settings, which will help you take advantage of battery life! Seriously, if you get the glossy be prepared to have the lighting at almost full with every use. Unless of course, you enjoy gazing at yourself while computing.
Either computer will serve you well, I'm sure. I am new to Macs, and thoroughly impressed! As I said before, this computer rocks!
-Bud

Is there a mbpro 15 retina with matte display?

I wanted to know if the new MBPro 15 retina are arriving also with matte display.....?

Not to be found. The retinas are not as glossy as the glossy MBPs but are not as 'matte' as the as the glare MBPs. Neither chicken nor fowl.
Ciao.

MBP antiglare display

Hi,
I am purchasing a MBP by the end of this month. Regarding the display i wanted to clarify 'Glossy' vs 'Antiglare'.
Currently, i am using MBP 2.33Ghz. When i purchased this model 3 years back, i choose Display to be "Standard". I don't see any reflections on the screen and the display is absolutely perfect. That time i didn't pay any extra money for this display.
But currently, i see that Apple is charging extra money for the Antiglare display. I am a graphics artist and so i can never settle for a glossy display.
I just wanted to be sure is the new "15-inch Hi-Res Antiglare Widescreen Display" same as the "Standard" display that we used to get before.
Thanks
-Amstos

tjk wrote:
(Personally, I cannot bear to work on a glossy display, but I believe they outsell "matte" displays these days.)
That's exactly my point. Other than the original computer display, i can see all my environment reflection displayed on the 'Glossy screen'. I understand because of the high contrast, the quality will be good, but i wonder how people look at the display while they work.
Can any user post here whether the new "15-inch Hi-Res Antiglare Widescreen Display" is the one with "Matte" finish. Or should we order it separately.
sirfaba wrote:
You got it. That new screen is beautiful!
Hi 'sirfaba', please understand my question. Ofcourse the new beautiful will be definitely beautiful. My question is regarding 'Glossy' and 'Matte' display.

Who has a good MBP C2D display?

Sincerely, I need to know from people of have a good MBP Core 2 Duo display.
Because I just went to a Best Buy (sadly, we don't have Apple Stores over here) and had a look at a MBP Core 2 Duo matte display. I could see the uneven illumination and the white brighter stripe at the bottom of the screen. And there seem to have lots of discussion concerning the display issues!
And comparing to an iMac 20"inch C2D display, the MBP C2D had nothing to envy.
Please post your comments and recommendations! (I'm hesitating for an MBP replacement between a new MBP C2D or iMac 20" inch. I'd be ready to give up portability to avoid big issues like uneven illumination.)

I know you were asking if anyone does have a good MBP C2D screen.. but mine is pretty horrible. 17", uneven backlighting all over the place, and a very definite brighter bar along the bottom. also there are lots of 'pinched' areas around the edges where it seems like the display is fastened together, and there very bright patches in these areas.
I get used to it and mostly ignore it while working, but when you start up the machine and it's all grey, it's always a sudden reminder that this screen is awful. it's actually a bit embarrassing given that my machine is the absolute flagship laptop that apple are currently shipping. a director/3D animator friend who saw my machine for the first time the other day was impressed by everything about it, the design, the power, the silent performance.. but when I started it up again and he saw the restart grey screen, his jaw dropped.. 'omg, take it back, that is appalling' is what he said..

Screen real-estate on the 15" MBP Retina display

The 15" MacBook Pro Retina Display has a remarkable 2880x1800 pixel resolution, compared to the 27" LED display's 2560x1440. Normally, screen real-estate is defined as how much stuff (windows, menu bar items, bookmark lists, etc) you can fit on the screen, with a larger (that is, more pixels) screen being able to show more stuff using its native resolution.
With the MBP's Retina display, the pixels are so small that using its native resolution in the same way as with the 27" monitor should result in, say, really small menu bar items, etc. As a result, the default monitor setting involves scaling, so that something which might normally take up one pixel might get four or eight devoted to it, making it larger and easier to see. Its monitor control panel allows changing that relationship so that everything could be made to appear even larger, resulting in less screen real-estate, or smaller, resulting in more screen real-estate; i.e., lots more stuff can fit on the screen.
My question is whether, at the smallest setting offered, the screen real-estate is the equivalent of, say, a 32" monitor which also has 2880x1800 pixel resolution but is spread over a much smaller physical area, or is the Retina's display still scaled to some smaller equivalent resolution because straight 1 to 1 would simply be too small to be practical? If that's the case, what does the effective resolution work out to be at the smallest setting?
I'm aware that's not a simple question because, for example, I understand that an HD Movie could be displayed pixel for pixel even if everything else outside that window is scaled. Moreover, the use of vector graphics complicates the matter further. But for things like menu lists and word processing documents, can the MBP's Retina display be set to what we understand to be 1 to 1?

joshcali wrote:
actually.... it doesn't.
the 1920 is simulated, and apple doesn't recommend it.
Apple doesn't offer the option of full resolution (2880x1800) and says everything other than 1440 x 900 won't look as good as 1440x900.
so while you can set the monitor to 17" resolution (1920x1080) it has to simulate it on a 2880x900 screen and has to blur and reinterpolate elements to make it work
they've really messed it up for anyone wanting true HD resolution for professional reasons.
Indeed. Everything except 2880x1800, which is unavailable without SwitchResX, and 1440x900, which comfortably fits one pixel of the image into a four pixel square of the Retina Display, must be simulated or scaled. However, while the scaling is real, the 17" "simulation" looks as good, to my eye at least, as my wife's MBP 17". Going smaller will test one's eyes probably as much as Apple's scaling algorithms so the tradeoff for greater screen real-estate may turn out not to be as bad as we'd think. All I need is a MBP Retina Display and SwitchResX to find out...

I want a matte display on a macbook?

HI there. I was planning on purchasing a black macbook but i want a matte display. I know it is only sold in glossy but is there a place where i can get the screen replaced?

Or, one of those privacy filter screens by 3M that limits the viewing angle, they are reversible with both glossy and matte sides. Here's some info on those options:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/ComputerFilter/Home/

Will there be a macbool pro with matte display ?

will there be a macbool pro with matte display ?
if not - how to change the exisiting display to a matte display ... ?
thx hl

Harry_L wrote:
will there be a macbool pro with matte display ?
No one but Apple would know that. Per the Terms of Use for these forums, we are discouraged from discussing possible new Apple products or changes.
if not - how to change the exisiting display to a matte display ... ?
None from a practical standpoint.
Ciao.

Audio issues with some full screen applications (game) and teamspeak with a 15" MBP retina display

While trying to play League of Legends in the lobby and loading screens i can hear everything but when i go in game i cant hear anything, and with teamspeak my teamspeak cant detect the input or output devices and i can hear everything else like skype and everything
Already reinstaled flash restored the system and took it to the apple store, this happened like for 2 days with youtube and they solved that but not the problem with the game or teamspeak

joshcali wrote:
actually.... it doesn't.
the 1920 is simulated, and apple doesn't recommend it.
Apple doesn't offer the option of full resolution (2880x1800) and says everything other than 1440 x 900 won't look as good as 1440x900.
so while you can set the monitor to 17" resolution (1920x1080) it has to simulate it on a 2880x900 screen and has to blur and reinterpolate elements to make it work
they've really messed it up for anyone wanting true HD resolution for professional reasons.
Indeed. Everything except 2880x1800, which is unavailable without SwitchResX, and 1440x900, which comfortably fits one pixel of the image into a four pixel square of the Retina Display, must be simulated or scaled. However, while the scaling is real, the 17" "simulation" looks as good, to my eye at least, as my wife's MBP 17". Going smaller will test one's eyes probably as much as Apple's scaling algorithms so the tradeoff for greater screen real-estate may turn out not to be as bad as we'd think. All I need is a MBP Retina Display and SwitchResX to find out...

IMac with Matte display?

I don't see any matte display options on the new iMacs and that makes me sad.
Is there any rumor that will get one in the near future or apple have turned it's back to matte displays for ever?
Are there other ways to have a matte display?

There are no iMacs with matte displays and per the terms and conditions of this forum we cannot speculate on future products or reasons for Apple's decisions. New iMacs were just released today so I doubt you will any changes for many months to come.
Someone may pipe up with options for a matte display but in the 4 years the aluminum Macs have been available I haven't seen a good option for one yet.

Where are imac apple computers available with the matt display?...

Where are imac apple computers available with the matt display?...

You would need to find a 3rd party authorized vender who may be installing some sort of matte display. Or there are kits on the market to apply a matte finish to your display. AFAIK, all Macs have glossy finished displays.
Dah•veed

MBP Matte display "hazy", vs. Powerbook display?

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