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How good is the standard 17'' display?

DDar

DDar

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 9, 2007
293
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I ask because the 1920x1200 screen with LED lighting is unavailable to me. I plan on using this mainly for digital painting, so I was just wondering how well the standard screen displays colors and stuff like that, despite not havin LED backlighting.
 
It's an average 17" TFT LCD that will display about 260,000 colors and has a relatively limited viewing angle with color-shifting occurring as you view it off-angle.

HP just launched their new 16-million color laptop LCD in 17" format in their latest portable workstation as a $400 option, so hopefully Apple will license it (if possible) and add it to the MacBook Pro because current TFT LCDs are the biggest weakness for any laptop intended for color work.
 
CWallace said:
It's an average 17" TFT LCD that will display about 260,000 colors and has a relatively limited viewing angle with color-shifting occurring as you view it off-angle.

HP just launched their new 16-million color laptop LCD in 17" format in their latest portable workstation as a $400 option, so hopefully Apple will license it (if possible) and add it to the MacBook Pro because current TFT LCDs are the biggest weakness for any laptop intended for color work.
Click to expand...

So, do you think I should go for the high-end 15 inch instead since it's an LED, or would the 17'' still be the better option?
 
the LED screen everyone talks about is just referring to the backlighting. the lamp behind the screen used to be a flourescent tube which is dimmer and takes logner to turn on and uses more power. the new ones use LED strips which are brighter and use less power.

this does not alter the color representation or the viewing angle!
 
GUILTIE said:
The 15" isn't the same technology. It has an LED screen, but not a Hi Res one. It would be better than the non LED 17" screen.
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So,for digital painting work, which would you recommend I get? The standard 17'' or a 15'' with exactly the same tech specs?
 
Zel said:
the LED screen everyone talks about is just referring to the backlighting. the lamp behind the screen used to be a flourescent tube which is dimmer and takes logner to turn on and uses more power. the new ones use LED strips which are brighter and use less power.

this does not alter the color representation or the viewing angle!
Click to expand...

So both screens will give off equal color displays and are thus equally good for color work?
 
I think you want the 17" one; you not only get a bigger screen, you get a higher (1680x1050) resolution.

Both displays are 18-bit.

The HP display CWallace is talking about is a true 24-bit display, with 16.77 million colors (vs. the 262,000 the MacBook Pro is capable of). It's mostly only noticeable with gradients, not pictures.
 
For digital painting I recommend either an external monitor with tablet or an external Wacom monitor.
 
alphaod said:
For digital painting I recommend either an external monitor with tablet or an external Wacom monitor.
Click to expand...

I already have a tablet, but I'm afraid I really cannot afford an external display at the moment. <=/
 
nephilim7 said:
the difference between the 15" and 17" should net you a monitor
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking originally once I heard a 1920x1200 screen would be unavailable to me, but unfortunately, upon some researching I found out that down here a 15'' MBP with an external cinema display comes to about 40,000 pesos, whereas the 17'' MBP is 35,000 (around 37,000 with the 1920x1200 screen). Soooo, yeah... :(
Unless there are other, better options?

Anyways, apparently there may be a 1920x1200 screen 17'' MBP coming at the end of the month... That's only 2 weeks from now, so I decided to wait... Unless you guys have other suggestions...
 
DDar said:
That's what I was thinking originally once I heard a 1920x1200 screen would be unavailable to me, but unfortunately, upon some researching I found out that down here a 15'' MBP with an external cinema display comes to about 40,000 pesos, whereas the 17'' MBP is 35,000 (around 37,000 with the 1920x1200 screen). Soooo, yeah... :(
Unless there are other, better options?

Anyways, apparently there may be a 1920x1200 screen 17'' MBP coming at the end of the month... That's only 2 weeks from now, so I decided to wait... Unless you guys have other suggestions...
Click to expand...

the cinema displays are nice, but other manufacturers offer cheaper options, this isn't my area, perhaps others can point out some alternatives.

best
 
DDar said:
I already have a tablet, but I'm afraid I really cannot afford an external display at the moment. <=/
Click to expand...

I know a few people who use the built-in display for their artwork, so I don't think you'll have any issues.
 
alphaod said:
I know a few people who use the built-in display for their artwork, so I don't think you'll have any issues.
Click to expand...

Oh really? :D
Would you happen to know what MBPs they have? Just wondering... :)
 
I have the standard screen, it is pretty good but my one has some issues and I've heard of allot of problems.
On my one there is slight darkness at the edges and a light line along the bottom. This is pretty subtle, but you notice it if you put a white background up, and could pose a problem if you are doing graphic design and want to assess color transitions across the screen.
It was taken into an apple store last week and they did recognize the issue but one of them said it was a common issue with the older model and something to do with the way the backlight is lite, from the bottom by tubes or something. I was willing to pay for to have it replaced with the hi res LED screen, but they said that on this model 2.5 GHz they couldn't connect the high-res screen.
On reflection when I have any images up it is really not that noticeable, it is a nice display, but if the darkening of the edges becomes any more apparent I will probably get it replaced.
 
Hey guys, how bad is the CCFL lighting compared to LED? And how bad would you say it's full-brightness lifespan is with constant use?

Also, about external monitors... Can anybody recommend a few good ones that aren't too expensive?
 
DDar said:
Hey guys, how bad is the CCFL lighting compared to LED? And how bad would you say it's full-brightness lifespan is with constant use?

Also, about external monitors... Can anybody recommend a few good ones that aren't too expensive?
Click to expand...

LED screens will never lose brightness over time. When the LED's go out, they will just go out without much of a sign. Where CCFL's will get dimmer overtime.
 
I would personally purchase the baseline Macbook Pro and a 20" Cinema display. You wont find a better screen for less.
 
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