30" ACD Ridiculously grainy/sparkly??

[ventro]

I bought a 30" Apple Cinema HD Display 2-3 weeks ago and have been using it. I can't get over how grainy/sparkly this thing is.

It is WAY more grainy than my 9C60 Macbook Pro C2D's matte display, my iMac G5's display, or my Dell 2405fpw. In fact, on those 3 displays I just listed, I can get over the grain in about 10seconds (in that I just stop noticing it).

But on the 30", it's just ALWAYS THERE, I can't shake it. It looks like a thin film of dirt covering the screen, like when you get fingerprints on a cellphone screen or something. It is mostly visible with pure white or green screens, and almost invisible with blue or black screens. When I go back to my MBP it kills me how smooth the screen is on the MBP compared to the ACD, and I thought the MBP was grainy before I started using the ACD.

I was hoping that after a couple weeks I would stop noticing it but if anything, it's gotten more annoying.

It's a hindrance to me because it sort of kills the definition between whites and slightly off-whites, (which are used a lot in web-design) because the grain overpowers the difference in between two colours. For example, I can't see the repeating wavy pattern here: http://macheist.com/img/bundle_back.png unless I enlarge it). Also I am completely unable to evaluate JPEG or film noise unless I zoom up.

I went to the local Apple Store, and there 30" ACD looked about as bad as mine. So I guess, with my sample size of 2 units, every display has this issue. I just was wondering if my display had it to an abnormally high degree.

Does anyone have this problem with their 30" ACD, or any ACD for that matter??

 

[xfiftyfour]

I dont have an ACD, but viewing the image you linked to, I see the wavy pattern on my MBP as well...

 

[BornAgainMac]

Make sure you are at the highest resolution. I noticed a CompUSA setup with a grainy monitor and it was hooked up to a under powered graphics card in a G5 at a much lower resolution. It made the monitor look terrible.

 

[ventro]

Make sure you are at the highest resolution. I noticed a CompUSA setup with a grainy monitor and it was hooked up to a under powered graphics card in a G5 at a much lower resolution. It made the monitor look terrible.

Yeah I am on 2560x1600. But on all other resolutions, the grain pattern is there, and the grain pattern stays exactly the same regardless of what resolution I'm on. For example, even on 1280x800, even though the text and pixels and interface are much larger, the grain layer is the same resolution. Most likely, the grain layer is a result of some kind of coating of the LCD screen itself. It doesn't whatsoever look like a videocard artifact.

 

[shellbryson]

Yeah I am on 2560x1600. But on all other resolutions, the grain pattern is there, and the grain pattern stays exactly the same regardless of what resolution I'm on. For example, even on 1280x800, even though the text and pixels and interface are much larger, the grain layer is the same resolution. Most likely, the grain layer is a result of some kind of coating of the LCD screen itself. It doesn't whatsoever look like a videocard artifact.

I'm sat here in front of a brand new 30" ACD and it's the clearest screen I've ever used. Sounds like yours in poorly... You did remember to take the protective cover off, right? *cheeky*

 

[ventro]

yours in poorly...

Sorry, come again?

You did remember to take the protective cover off, right?

There's just the translucent grey cover, correct? No film to peel off or anything?

Also, open up a blank safari window and move it around the screen. Are you sure you don't see a faint grain pattern that stays static as you move the window around the screen?

 

[shellbryson]

Sorry, come again?


There's just the translucent grey cover, correct? No film to peel off or anything?

Also, open up a blank safari window and move it around the screen. Are you sure you don't see a faint grain pattern that stays static as you move the window around the screen?

Never mind, my attempt at low-level humor was tripped up by my awful typing.

Honestly, I dont know why your screen is grainy.

 

[2contagious]

I actually like the grainy anti-glare coating. Although I agree.. they could have put a little less on it.

Other question: Did your 30" ACD have ANY scratches/imperfections/marks/dirt that could be rubbed off on it? I bought an ACD 30" 2 months ago and exchanged it 3 times.. they were all scratched and dirty

 

[ProxiVCD]

I bought 2 x Dell U2711's. The grainy anti-glare on these is worse than the 30" ACD (saw one yesterday), but I did notice the ACD in the store had a fair amount of grain but not so much less that it validated the huge price differnce. I am now looking at the NEC's. If you can put up with the gloss and reflections the new 24" and 27" displays are very good. I don't think I can tollerate the reflections. I have an iMac and I find myself moving my head around to try and avoid the reflections.

 

[mcpryon2]

I can relate. To me, that's just the look of a matte display. After using my unibody MBP, with it's glassy screen, I've really noticed how my matte displays at work look.

When I look at a matte display now all I see is the diffusion, it's like a million little sparkling dots covering the screen, and sometimes they're color.

I think the "matte look" of the 30" ACD is pretty pronounced and I don't like using it anymore. It's kind of funny, Apple's glassy displays have ruined me for matte displays, something I never thought would happen.

But I have to live with it at work.

 

[Rt&Dzine]

I had to exchange a refurb 30" ACD because the screen coating was too sparkly. The coating on the replacement they sent me is nice and smooth.

 

[blackmtn]

I've only seen the 30" ACD in stores and the coating turned me right off. Way to "sparkly" - the AR coating seems a bit too liberal, way worse than my 20" iMac.

 

[mangrove]

I have absolutely no graininess with my 30" HP ZR30w, but it is a new 2010 product not a 7 year old product like the 30" Apple.

It was for that reason I mainly went for the matte screen HP available from their Small Business Division-3 year warranty extendable to 5 years with every cable you need including a dual-link DVI.