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Macbook Pro Anti-Glare Screen

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Pezmc

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 1, 2008
6
0
So it's getting near summer and now I can only see my face in the reflection on my MacBook Pro's glossy screen, can anyone recommend a anti-glare reflector?

The main problem I have is when I am lit up I just see myself, sun on the laptop itself doesn't seem too bad!

What would you recommend?
 
Hi, thanks for the hints, I had tried a search bus as you gather I want entirely sure what such a product would be called!
 
Anti-glare films vary greatly in quality and price. Some films introduce color shifts and artifacts which detract from the user experience.

I have the $35 Power Support anti-glare film on an iPad and 13" MBP. It isn't the cheapest but it is high quality. When I compared my 13" MBP to my 15" MBP with Apple's matte display I could not see a difference between the two displays.

http://www.powersupportusa.com/accessories/macbook-pro-13/anti-glare-film.html

http://www.powersupportusa.com/accessories/macbook-pro-15/anti-glare-film.html
 
Mojo1 said:
Anti-glare films vary greatly in quality and price. Some films introduce color shifts and artifacts which detract from the user experience.

I have the $35 Power Support anti-glare film on an iPad and 13" MBP. It isn't the cheapest but it is high quality. When I compared my 13" MBP to my 15" MBP with Apple's matte display I could not see a difference between the two displays.

http://www.powersupportusa.com/accessories/macbook-pro-13/anti-glare-film.html

http://www.powersupportusa.com/accessories/macbook-pro-15/anti-glare-film.html
Click to expand...

Hmm, i am too intrested in antiglare screen.
I want to purchase a new 17 inch Macbook pro for my music production when the new model will come but it might not be that easy to get it with apple atiglare screen because in most places where Macs are sold it can be considered as a custom order and therefor might not be possible to get, but unfortionaly i don't want to order so expansive Mac online so i can buy it only with cash in the store withing my city where i live...

So my question is are u saying that that film which u gave a link is as good as Apple stock antiglare screen?

Thank u :)
 
chilly7 said:
So my question is are u saying that that film which u gave a link is as good as Apple stock antiglare screen?
Click to expand...

Unlikely. Every time I read about those anti-glare films, there are a list of problems.
 
Generally the accepted philosophy is that the films are not as good as the native screen (see other posters comments about artifacts, color separation, etc). Lots will boil down to the user's perspective. Just like in the way audio is perceived, some users are not as discerning, i.e. their eyesight isn't sharp enough to tell a difference (this really only applies on the high end stuff as most of the low end stuff can be like looking through a cheap pair of shades). SO each user will have different experiences.
 
chilly7 said:
So my question is are u saying that that film which u gave a link is as good as Apple stock antiglare screen?

Thank u :)
Click to expand...

My background: I'm a pro photographer with over thirty years experience. I wear glasses that have been fine-tuned for computer use; otherwise I don't need reading glasses. I am very particular about the quality of my displays. My images are published in a wide variety of formats, some of which are quite demanding when it comes to image quality. I'm not just posting images online or making 4x6 prints.

All I am saying is that when I compared the displays I could not see a marked difference in how images were rendered on the them.

I have also read myriad anti-glare film reviews and user reports. Some films have relatively poor reputations; they also tend to be the less expensive options, natch. I went with a relatively expensive film that had some very good reviews. I have used it on both my iPad and MBP and I am quite satisfied with the quality.

Having said that, none of the portable Mac displays are great for color-critical work. There are inherent limitations in the type of LCD panels Apple uses and that includes the high-res anti-glare panels. But after calibrating and some experience using a portable display it is reasonably easy to obtain very good results. But for really critical work I use a high-end NEC display. Doing a lot of image editing on even a 15" is not much fun... I've never considered a 17" because of its size, cost and the quality of its display. For the same money you can get a 15" MBP and a very nice LCD display that will beat the pants off the 17" screen.

Like someone mentioned display preferences and what is "good enough" is very subjective. The only way that you will know for sure if a particular film will work for you is to buy it and try it.

In my case I wanted a more portable MBP with an anti-glare display and I wanted to try a less expensive option before I sent the MBP to Tech Restore for a matte display replacement, which costs around $200 for a 13" MBP. Spending $35 was a small amount of money to see if the Power Support film would meet my needs. It has and I saved some money.
 
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Thanks Mojo1 for the responce
I have 4000$ ready for a computer but i want to buy it with cash and i can buy either a desctop or laptop,I cannot buy both so then because laptop can be used anywere i decided to buy laptop but with a biggest screen i can get which is currently 17 inch and then upgrade to 512 Solid State drive and get as bigger memmory as i can. ofcause if i could buy a fully loaded macbook at a loocal store at my city i would happely do it even thought that to buy Solid State Drive and mamory from 3rd party resellers will be much more cheaper.

As i seid i am going to buy 17inch macbook pro maily for a music production so 100% RGB color acuracy is not my main cuncern but I want to buy antiglare creen screen because for the following reasons:

1)I will be spending alot of time with my laptop so i don't want my eyes to fatigue
2)Get ride of anoying reflections
3)To be able to use it outdoors

Also it seems here they say http://www.powersupportusa.com/accessories/macbook-pro-17/anti-glare-film.html that that film protects agains ultraviolet radiation which should be really good, but i just wounder does apple atiglare screen does the same?
 
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Unless your music production needs require quad-core processors, etc. for $4000 you can purchase a 13" MBP, a dual-core Mac Mini and an excellent display such as NEC. Or get the Mac Mini server model for the quad-core CPU. You would wind up spending less than $4000. All these Macs will accept up to 16GB RAM.

I think that the 17" MBP is too large to be a true portable. If you need more processing power than the 13" MBP and Mac Mini then the 15" MBP is a good option.
 
Mojo1 said:
Unless your music production needs require quad-core processors, etc. for $4000 you can purchase a 13" MBP, a dual-core Mac Mini and an excellent display such as NEC. Or get the Mac Mini server model for the quad-core CPU. You would wind up spending less than $4000. All these Macs will accept up to 16GB RAM.

I think that the 17" MBP is too large to be a true portable. If you need more processing power than the 13" MBP and Mac Mini then the 15" MBP is a good option.
Click to expand...

Thanks for taking ur time to advice me

But year i think my music will benifit from quade core alot, because i want to do a heavy my music production at high defenition stereo audio
(32bit/48 khz)which is greater then cd audio(16bit/44.1khz) so it will load system much more, so yes i think i need as festes cpu as possible which will be awailable for a laptop and also i want my new laptop last for at list couple of years so i want to be my laptop be fine for music production even in 3-4 years

speaking about display, yes i guess 17 inch should be fine for me, because i was at apple store one day and i liked the 17 inch resolution and i like to have a big screen awrywere and even outdoors and in the same time dispite some other people opinion i think 17 inch is still very portable too me

p.s. i might be playing games on it and it would be nice if it will handle them good but games are not my main cencern i need it for a music production
 
quetion for those with the powersupport antiglar film, im interested in geting this but currently I do not use my MBP with the brightness at more than half way, does this film dim the screen at all? Id rather not have to up the brigtness to compensate if it does effect the image
 
you shouldn't have gotten the glossy screen, anti-glare screen on my 15" pro is awesome to use outside.
 
I use the Power Support film on two devices. It is relatively thick i.e. it isn't flimsy so it is easy to install. No problems with air bubbles.

In both cases I applied the film as soon as the device was removed from its box, so I didn't need to clean the display. My MBP display had a few tiny dust specks that I removed with the tip of a dry microfiber cloth before I applied the film.

I keep the displays clean using Radtech OmniCleanz. I use it for eyeglasses, cameras and lenses, keyboards... you name it. Since it does not conduct electricity OmniCleanz is safe to use on electronics.

The Power Support film looks like new on both my iPad and MBP. When it comes to display film you definitely get what you pay for...
 
Keniutek said:
Moshi iVisor FTW!!! Reusable, bubble free, awesome :)
Click to expand...

azentropy said:
+1
Much easier to install/reinstall than typical film.
Click to expand...

Simplicated said:
Oh no. It severely degrades the clarity, and looking at the screen with it applied is like looking through a misty window. But the easy installation is highly commendable.
Click to expand...

Sorry to bump from the dead but how are you able to take off the screen protector, clean it, and reinstall it? What is your process?
 
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