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MacBook Pro Unibody glossy screen is pooh?

M

mrkgoo

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Aug 18, 2005
1,178
3
Ok, so I was at the store today, and was oogling the 15" MBP as I normally do.

Then I noticed it - the screen is really high contrast, but something was strange about it. It was TOO high. In fact, very light greys just showed up as white. In column view in Finder, if you highlight a series of folders, the path should be highlighted grey. For example:

HD->Applications->utilities->disk utility.

"Disk Utility" is highlighted Blue, and HD, Applications, and Utilities should be highlighted in grey.

Well, on the MBP, it was all white. Odd.

Try this: Open iTunes and go to a playlist, the tracks should be on an alternating background of bluish grey and white, right? Not on the MBP. Except when you hold a finder window over the itunes window - where you can see the shadow of the finder window, you can see the alternating stripes, but no in the actual window.

Ok, maybe it's the gamma? Nope. On 2.2, 1.8 still the same. Maybe if calibrated correctly? I tried using the inbuilt calibrator, and when you get near the end and you have to match the apple with the striped pattern in brightness, it seemed I couldn't get it within range - it was like the display just couldn't show the gradations when it was pale grey.

It was liek this on the MacBook Air as well, but not the MacBook, either unibody or white, or the iMacs.

So can anyone with a unibody MBP glossy confirm? What is the 17"MBP matte like? Can you see the highlighted background stripes in iTunes?
 
I can't confirm this with a UMBP 15", 2.53GHz.

The folders in column view are grey, when I'm in subfolders.

And my display isn't even calibrated yet, as I made a fresh install last week.

Maybe some customer calibrated the displays wrong.
 
spinnerlys said:
I can't confirm this with a UMBP 15", 2.53GHz.

The folders in column view are grey, when I'm in subfolders.

And my display isn't even calibrated yet, as I made a fresh install last week.

Maybe some customer calibrated the displays wrong.
Click to expand...


Ok, thanks. I knew it couldn't be that bad. I don't think anyone calibrated it incorrectly, as it was just using the default Color LCD profile. I'm curious about this now - these machines were running the 'demo' version of Mac OS X (you know, the one with the screen saver that advertises OSX features and a curled over corner to go to the desktop). The screen was a 9c84.

I tried calibrating it, and it didn't do anything reasonable. I'm going to go into another store tomorrow to see if it's the same thing. Maybe the demo versions have 'specific' color profiles to make the MBP look punchier? (and MBA).
 
Could the store lighting also be a contributing factor?

I bought a new 15" uMBP last week and cannot repeat what you saw.
 
harcosparky said:
Could the store lighting also be a contributing factor?

I bought a new 15" uMBP last week and cannot repeat what you saw.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure it wasn't lighting - the MacBook white and Unibody didn't show this effect. It was so noticeable that I was vowing to myself that I would never get one based on that. Good to know it was something up with the display ones. Still, like I said, I will go to another store tomorrow and take a look.

Wasn't JUST that MBP. The MacBook Air was like that too. We all know the MBA and MBP screens are quite different from teh others.
 
My 2.66 uMBP has the 9c84 and I haven't had any display issues. iTunes and Finder both have correct grays.

Must be those specific display models :confused:
 
I just tried these things on my uMBP and my dad's MBA. Both didn't have any of the issues you described. The colors pop more on my MBP though. Neither of the screens have ever been calibrated either.
 
It could be that someone was messing with the universal access settings, where there is a pane to control over-all display contrast. If you can get back to the afflicted machines, open up system preferences, universal access, and then note where the "enhance contrast" slider is. It should be all the way to the left, on "normal."
 
Mine doesn't do this either, I do have one of those fancy 9C85 displays but I changed the gamma or something to a TV level and that increased my contrast a little because I thought the original was not enough. It can definitely be changed though.
 
My MBP looks better than my Dell 2007FP which has a PVA panel. Other than the occasional gloss...
 
I have an explanation. Was this the background on the display?
 

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My screen colors are fine. The glare is obnoxious though. Here is to hoping maybe Apple reconsiders bringing back the pro-style matte screen for their, er, uh, pro-style laptop.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
My screen colors are fine. The glare is obnoxious though. Here is to hoping maybe Apple reconsiders bringing back the pro-style matte screen for their, er, uh, pro-style laptop.
Click to expand...

Apple has brought it back. You can buy a 17" model and pay them an extra $50 on top of that. I don't agree with the decision, but I have to admire their cunning in getting people to upscale their purchases.
 
Calibrate the screen. It makes a HUGE difference. I'm talking night and day here.
 
Kronie said:
Calibrate the screen. It makes a HUGE difference. I'm talking night and day here.
Click to expand...

I can never figure out how to calibrate my screen. Everytime I try to in the ColorSync utility, it just makes things look worse.

Dumbass of the year right here...
 
Mine is Fine

I can also testify that the screen of the MBP 15" is perfect. I have had it about 5 months now and no issues. Of all things i like how the grey looks. But it is not an "issue" as you say. The Grey's look grey and the blue's look blue. Amazing clarity on the screen .
 
Hannify said:
It could be that someone was messing with the universal access settings, where there is a pane to control over-all display contrast. If you can get back to the afflicted machines, open up system preferences, universal access, and then note where the "enhance contrast" slider is. It should be all the way to the left, on "normal."
Click to expand...

You are absolutely right. I just tried it and it made the screen look exactly like what the OP said.
 
uiop. said:
I can never figure out how to calibrate my screen. Everytime I try to in the ColorSync utility, it just makes things look worse.

Dumbass of the year right here...
Click to expand...

You need to buy something with a colorimeter, like spyder or pantone.
 
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