Late 2008 MBP Black level test

[PDE]

Ok, I just bought a brand new 2.5 mbp from Amazon. I plan on it replacing my iMac but so far I'm a little upset about the display.

I have the 9C84 display and I'm comparing it to my late 07 iMac display. Unless, I'm missing something, the MBP's screen is ridiculously inferior to the iMac's. No matter how many times I try to calibrate or load another MBP owners calibration profile, I can't get it to match the iMac's.

The biggest difference I notice is the brightness of the colors on the iMac vs the MBP. The colors are so much more vibrant on the iMac while the MBP just seems washed out. Should this be the case? Are the iMac's displays just naturally superior to a laptop's display like the MBP? If they are not, I'm afraid I have received one of the "crappy" displays I've been hearing so much around here.

If I do have to return it, do I go through Apple or through Amazon? Should I just take it to a local Apple store and ask for a replacement (I could also compare it to the other MBP screens on display)?

Any help or hints on how to help my display would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

Here are some pictures comparing the two, I think the first pic illustrates what I'm talking about best.

Desktop displays are always infinitely better than their laptop brethren. Power requirements, underlying technology etc make laptop displays inferior in every respect. it's just the state of current technology. The MBP displays are also 6-bit TN displays whereas your imac has an 8-bit display that uses a IPS panel. Huge difference.

 

[djrobx]

Is it possible that the ICC display profile that everyone is using to identify the maker of their displays doesn't actually match the hardware?

I had two brand new Aluminum Macbooks. One had a 9c89 screen, the other a 9c8c. They were absolutely identical in every respect. I had them side by side - they had identical issues with blacks off-angle.

Some of the pictures you guys are posting of a "bad" MBP look exactly like the crappy displays in aluminum MacBooks that people are complaining about.

 

[jjahshik32]

Ok, I just bought a brand new 2.5 mbp from Amazon. I plan on it replacing my iMac but so far I'm a little upset about the display.

I have the 9C84 display and I'm comparing it to my late 07 iMac display. Unless, I'm missing something, the MBP's screen is ridiculously inferior to the iMac's. No matter how many times I try to calibrate or load another MBP owners calibration profile, I can't get it to match the iMac's.

The biggest difference I notice is the brightness of the colors on the iMac vs the MBP. The colors are so much more vibrant on the iMac while the MBP just seems washed out. Should this be the case? Are the iMac's displays just naturally superior to a laptop's display like the MBP? If they are not, I'm afraid I have received one of the "crappy" displays I've been hearing so much around here.

If I do have to return it, do I go through Apple or through Amazon? Should I just take it to a local Apple store and ask for a replacement (I could also compare it to the other MBP screens on display)?

Any help or hints on how to help my display would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

Here are some pictures comparing the two, I think the first pic illustrates what I'm talking about best.

Of course the mbp's screen is inferior, the mbp's screen is a TN panel as the imac is an h-ips panel.

 

[Scottsdale]

Just received the replacement for my 'overheating' (another story) bto mbp. The original unit has a 9c85 and this new one has a 9c84. I placed them side-by-side and saw the exact same thing as in the OP's photo. I also briefly owned another mbp with a 9c84 which I also had the opportunity to compare against the 9c85 and the difference in quality was there as well. This leads me to believe that most 9c84 panels will be washed out and lack deep blacks. Now I'm stuck as to what to do since the machine with the 9c85 has problems with heat management but I don't want to have to live with the washed out colors of the 9c84.

Why not swap the displays between the two. Send the overheating MBP back with the 9C84 display. Surely Apple wouldn't know. And it is all their junk anyways. Why should they mind if they get back their whole working MBP that is overheating yet terrible display. Then, you will be happy with overheating problem solved yet 9C85 display.

Good luck

 

[gbeloev]

I made a display gamut comparison yesterday. Here is the link:

http://www.beloev.net/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=macbook-gammut:macbook-gamut

The ICC profiles are also there for download. I just updated the page with info about the black level as recorded in the ICC profiles.

Cheers,
-- Georgi