Display Issue: New 2010 MBP 15 i5 HR anti-glare screen too bright?

[MrMark]

Hi,

I just got a new MBP 15 i5 2010 with a high-res anti-glare screen.

Manufacturer: 00000610
Model: 00009CBB
Serial Number: 00000000
Manufacture Date: 00000000

Unfortunately the display doesn't show very light colors. (compared to my old MBP15 2007)

If you look at the attached image (http://www.pptfaq.com/webcal.gif)
- at section 5 I can only see the Grey boxes from 235 to 247, and I CAN'T see any Grey box from 249 to 253.
- at section 3 I can't see the Grey box at 5 all the other from 10 to 50 are fine.


Changing the brightness, playing around with different color profiles and resetting the system didn't solve this problem.

I called Apple support and after some resets I was asked to compare my screen with the same make/year.


Does anybody has the same 2010 MBP15 high-res anti-glare display and experiencing the same issue?

Does your display work fine and is showing all the different Grey boxes?

Any idea of how to solve that problem?


Other MBP owners: Can you see all Grey boxes on your MBP screen?
(My brothers 2009 MBP15 is showing all light Grey boxes from 235 to 251. 253 can't be seen.)


Thanks for your help,
Mark

 

[NicktheNorse]

I've also got a 9CBB and no, I can't see the last three white boxes either.

I find colours tend to be a little washed out on this LCD, no matter what calibration profile is in use. But the yellow tinge is less noticeable on the 9CBB (I've had three 9CB7s and they've been horrible!).

 

[aross99]

I don't have any experience with this specific display, but did you try running the software calibration from the Display system preference? It's not as good as a hardware calibration, but it should give you pretty good results - maybe better than the default profiles.

My guess is you have too much contract, and it is clipping the whites and blacks...

 

[Sun Baked]

Maybe somebody has a profile they can send you, or you can try something like SuperCal.

Generally the display profiles included with machines tend to suck, and the included Apple Eyeball Calibrator isn't too good.

 

[TMRaven]

The picture itself is only a gif image, so I'm skeptical as to how many colors it can actually show. You said you can see the boxes on your older macbook pro, but not on the new one? I for one can't see the specified boxes on my i7 model iMac either.

Calibrating white and black point should be pretty easy.

 

[hmottestad]

Hey

I've just gotten a new mbp 15 with antiglare and I like the anti glare part, but the screen in general is pretty bad.

I find my screen overly bright too....it's actually the contrast that makes it so.

The picture you found for you screen test is in gif, which is why you cant see the last bright squares. Try this site instead.

http://www.footootjes.nl/Various/Monitor_test_charts.html

You should be able to see very faint squares inside every bigger box in this example. Try tilting your screen back if you cant see them.

http://www.footootjes.nl/Various/TestPattern16x16_centerPlus1.png

Cheers.

 

[MrMark]

@NicktheNorse: thanks for letting me know.


@aross99: I tried to calibrate myself and I used some other profile I found in this forum, which works much better then the default. but the problem isn't solved yet.


@Sun Baked: Great tip with the SuperCal, but both versions (1.1.4 & 1.2.0a51) seem not to be supported on my MBP. They run but I can't see and can't adjust any pattern/grid/color.
I still wonder if anybody has a profile that will do the job or if I should swap to the glossy instead?


@TMRaven: bummer you can't see it either. For me it actually is quite important as I do design related work using this display.
How to calibrate white and black point easily besides the Apple Eyeball Calibrator? Any other software?


@hmottestad: Thanks for sharing the links - very helpful.
I can't see the first 7 (dark grey) and the last 6 (light grey) boxes even when tilting my screen back. Can you see all of them? Do you have glossy or anti-glare?
Maybe I should return the MBP and get a glossy one instead?



Thanks!

 

[TMRaven]

I can definitely see all the values in the link hmottestad provided, so I'm definitely guessing the problems with the initial picture is due to its gif compression.

Do the macbook pros have IPS screens now? I know the previous iteration didn't, as my brother has one and the colors (especially whites and blacks) are off at angles.

 

[MrMark]

Problem solved!

Very easy and hopefully helpful for others!


To correct the brightness (contrast) issue:
1. Open the System Preferences and click on the Universal Access icon
2. Slide the "Enhance Contrast" slider to the very left ("Normal")

It wasn't set to normal by default.
I didn't know that the contrast can be changed within the Universal Access and wasn't told by the apple support line either.


@NicktheNorse & @ TMRaven: I hope this was helpful for you, too!


Thanks again for your replies.


Best,
Mark

 

[hmottestad]

I've had a closer look at my screen, and I've realized that the problem lies with the viewing angles.

When I have the laptop on my lap the bottom of the screen goes greenish and brighter, while the top half goes purple/red and darker. I've calibrated my screen with a Spyder2Pro and it's not getting much better.

I've compared my screen to my Samsung 24" with an S-PVA panel, and the difference is huge.

I'm probably going to have to return my macbook because I can't stand the screen, it makes my eyes tired. I can't send it back immediately though, cause I need it for the summer. So I'll post some pictures later comparing the screen to another macbook at an apple store and my 24" S-PVA screen.

 

[Prhymeate]

I'm probably going to have to return my macbook because I can't stand the screen, it makes my eyes tired. I can't send it back immediately though, cause I need it for the summer.

Can you use it for the summer and then just return it? I'd be surprised, it's not like you are renting it.

 

[hmottestad]

It took apple 2 weeks to send me my laptop, I can't return it and wait another 2 maybe even 3 weeks for another. Anyway laws in norway are very favorable to consumers.

Here is a slightly exagerated picture of the screen from about an arms length. You can clearly see the purple to green gradient.
UPDATE: Picture is actually completely accurate. I viewed it on my 24" calibrated screen.

 

[hmottestad]

And here is a side by side comparison of the dock of my mbp and the dock of my 24" Samsung screen. This is a crop from one single picture where both screens where set to the same brightness.

You can see how much brighter the dock from the mbp is compare to the 24".

Bottom:MBP
Top: 24" Samsung screen

 

[cryer]

hmottestad, have you tried what MrMark suggested below? Does it work?

Very easy and hopefully helpful for others!


To correct the brightness (contrast) issue:
1. Open the System Preferences and click on the Universal Access icon
2. Slide the "Enhance Contrast" slider to the very left ("Normal")

It wasn't set to normal by default.
I didn't know that the contrast can be changed within the Universal Access and wasn't told by the apple support line either.


@NicktheNorse & @ TMRaven: I hope this was helpful for you, too!


Thanks again for your replies.


Best,
Mark

 

[hmottestad]

Tried that yes, but my contrast was at it's lowest. I even tried upping the contrast and recalibrating so that i could lower the contrast more, but because of the intel graphics this didn't work. Intel graphics sucks when calibrating.

The problem is mainly a difference between the top and bottom of the screen. I placed a mail icon on the desktop near the top and compared it to the one in the dock. The one in the dock looked bright and washed out compared to the one at the top of the screen.

This difference in brightness and color from top to bottom is really annoying. Other than this I really love the machine. And I do love the fact that the screen is high-res and not glossy

 

[NicktheNorse]

Yup, the screen really is rubbish.

Not really owed any other laptops though so I'm not sure if this is just what we have to put up with when it comes to laptop TN panels.

 

[sarawr]

Sorry to post on a old thread, but is this screen issue a problem with all the AG screens or just isolated cases?

I ordered the AG 15" a few days ago, it's going to take 4-6 weeks to get shipped out here I don't want to get it and then realise the screens bad quality and need to swap for a glossy screen.

I'm also going to be using it for photography as well as graphic design so I need a good quality screen.