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MacBook Pro Grainy Display
- Thread starter pbmikez
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I have this same question. I switched my order to glossy before it ever came, and now i'm wondering if this was a mistake in lieu of this problem. if apple deems it a "personal" problem, then will they do anything about it? would they just try to repair it, or if I complain about it enough, or find it unusable, would they accept a return?
That's interesting - are you seeing something appear differently as you change your viewing distance from the screen? A couple of posts have mentioned "shimmery/ing," which sounds like a while 'nuther problem from the "graininess." If you see this type of distortion, that certainly sounds defective - are the two related?
iBorg
for me, the shimmering and graininess are the same thing... if the screen was only grainy, it wouldn't be too big of an issue. The fact that that this grain "shimmers" is what makes it hard on my eyes. I guess glittery might be a better way to describe the issue Im having. I called apple today about the issue, and the guy said he was going to ask his engineers if they wanted to dissasemble this computer to take a look at the problem, in which case theyd give me a new computer. Im hoping this is what happens.
My apologies .... you are quite right, my post was inappropriate. Perhaps the lateness of the hour, after a stressful day.
iBorg
This "shimmering/glittering" certainly sounds annoying! Is it present when you're changing distance or angle to the screen only, or even if you're not moving in relation to the screen? If it only occurs when the viewer is moving then it seems unlikely to be the GPU, doesn't it? If it's always visible then it could be either the GPU or the screen?
iBorg
Quality Issues with MacBook Pro LCDs?
There most be a problem with the displays of the new Macbook pro, why is there so many people complaining about this? It makes me wonder if I will have the same problem with my Macbook Pro coming soon. It seems like this issue was well known with the previous Macbook Pro Core Duo.
Check out this discution on the Apple site:
Topic: IMHO, MBP C2D displays are of suspect quality...
Also check out the MacCast Podcast
MacCast 2006.11.14
This was taken from the shownotes of this podcast:
You can check the model number of your screen in the SysPref/Displays/Color/Open profile/#13 "mmod". Model 9C57, 9C60 and 9C62(on 17 inches MBP CD) were affected with the MPB CD. And Apple knows it.
Check the old discussion about MBP CD. There was a similar issue.
Topic: Brighter bottom
There most be a problem with the displays of the new Macbook pro, why is there so many people complaining about this? It makes me wonder if I will have the same problem with my Macbook Pro coming soon.
It seems like this issue was well known with the previous Macbook Pro Core Duo.Check out this discution on the Apple site:
Topic: IMHO, MBP C2D displays are of suspect quality...
Also check out the MacCast Podcast
MacCast 2006.11.14
This was taken from the shownotes of this podcast:
You can check the model number of your screen in the SysPref/Displays/Color/Open profile/#13 "mmod". Model 9C57, 9C60 and 9C62(on 17 inches MBP CD) were affected with the MPB CD. And Apple knows it.
Check the old discussion about MBP CD. There was a similar issue.
Topic: Brighter bottom
My apologies .... you are quite right, my post was inappropriate. Perhaps the lateness of the hour, after a stressful day.
iBorg
haha its cool. Its pretty stressful where i'm at now also.
i just noticed something I thought id share... i was on the internet, and a page with a jet black background popped up. With a jet black background, i couldnt notice this sparkly/grainy effect... is everybody else's comp like this? Would this narrow anything down in terms of it being a hardware problem, or a software issue with the videocard?
I think its the coating/quality of the screen although I hope its the GPU and theres a quick fix. A black background hides the grain pretty good. Just try setting a really dark wallpaper and youll see the difference. The whites however...tend to look white and piss-yellow on my display...sparkly piss. Yup thats it. Glitterpiss.
I'm finding it hard to gauge from the above posts just how many people are actually experiencing this issue with their MBPs. I can understand that if you're experiencing this problem, you'd like there to be enough other folk with the same issue to make Apple sit up and take notice, but I don't think that warrants telling folk who say the don't have this problem that they do have it but just can't see it...
I got my MBP a week ago in the UK and the screen is fine - higher res, sharper, and brighter than the tibook 400MHz it's replacing, and no graininess compared to the older one. I'm shortsighted, so I work quite close to the screen and would notice if it were less clear. I'm only responding to this thread because someone over at the macminute forum posted a link to here saying 'there seems to be a problem with MBPs' - I suppose it's not that likely that many people who don't have this issue with their MBPs are going to notice this thread and respond to it in the first place, but I think it's useful for you to know it's not a universal issue - and useful for Apple as well, if it's limited to certain batches or whatever.
I hope that you get enough fault responses to make a clear case with Apple to get it resolved for those of you that have the problem.
- padmavyuha
I got my MBP a week ago in the UK and the screen is fine - higher res, sharper, and brighter than the tibook 400MHz it's replacing, and no graininess compared to the older one. I'm shortsighted, so I work quite close to the screen and would notice if it were less clear. I'm only responding to this thread because someone over at the macminute forum posted a link to here saying 'there seems to be a problem with MBPs' - I suppose it's not that likely that many people who don't have this issue with their MBPs are going to notice this thread and respond to it in the first place, but I think it's useful for you to know it's not a universal issue - and useful for Apple as well, if it's limited to certain batches or whatever.
I hope that you get enough fault responses to make a clear case with Apple to get it resolved for those of you that have the problem.
- padmavyuha
I agree, this is why I think its a problem with the display itself and not the GPU. Some displays seem to be better, I have yet to see one though.
Could someone elaborate on how to see this "shimmering"? There is grain on my MBP, but it's a static thing, I don't see any "movement" when I turn my head or move around while looking at the screen. I'm looking at mostly white backgrounds while trying to observe this.
Here's a screenshot from my MBP:
![]()
No graininess at all. I'm wondering if the ones who say they have this issue are using themes that are changing the appearance.
No graininess at all. I'm wondering if the ones who say they have this issue are using themes that are changing the appearance.
Here's a screenshot from my MBP:
No graininess at all. I'm wondering if the ones who say they have this issue are using themes that are changing the appearance.
Well, the problem with taking a screenshot is that it takes an image of what should be displayed by the computer itself, rather than capture an image of what's physically being displayed on the panel. If my screen was broken, I'd still be able to take a screenshot and view it on any other computer as if nothing happened. If you want to post a picture of your screen, I suggest physically taking a picture of your screen and then we can check it from there.
I posted this in another thread but it is relevant to this one as well...
I was at my local apple store and compared the MBP 15" C2D screen to the MB CD screen and the MBP 17" CD screen. The 15" C2D screen was OBVIOUSLY grainy in comparison to both. I pointed it out to a few store employees and they were like, "oh yeah, look at that, something doesn't look right". We tried adjusting the settings but we weren't able to fix it. I noticed this grainy screen BEFORE I read anything about it online... so it is a noticeable problem.
I was at my local apple store and compared the MBP 15" C2D screen to the MB CD screen and the MBP 17" CD screen. The 15" C2D screen was OBVIOUSLY grainy in comparison to both. I pointed it out to a few store employees and they were like, "oh yeah, look at that, something doesn't look right". We tried adjusting the settings but we weren't able to fix it. I noticed this grainy screen BEFORE I read anything about it online... so it is a noticeable problem.
Do you think if I pointed this out and there was a noticable difference between the 15 and the 17 that I'd be able to return my BTO without paying the restocking fee? Also, there's some issues I'm having with my display aside from the grain issue and I was curious as to when I send it in to be fixed/replaced, would I receive a new panel on my current MBP, or would it be a refurbished one?
So how then exactly is the screencap by the original poster showing the difference between a MBP and a Powerbook display? Did he Photoshop it for effect?
Another shot without a lot of compression:
So how then exactly is the screencap by the original poster showing the difference between a MBP and a Powerbook display? Did he Photoshop it for effect?
Another shot without a lot of compression:
![]()
The original poster (me) posted an image that was modified in photoshop to simulate the effect that those that have this issue are experiencing.
Hello, I am the original poster of the MacNN thread as well as one of the threads at the Apple Discussion boards. It's definitely not the graphics card, it's clearly the coating on the display itself. As others have said, a lot of displays have SOME grain. It has never bothered me until I got my MacBook Pro where it was really bad. I compared it to a Core Duo 17" MacBook Pro and the regular MacBook and those look amazingly good. Why couldn't they use the same technology in the MacBook Pro 15"? I'm not saying that EVERYONE has this problem but, I certainly did and every 15" MBP I have looked at also displayed this problem. It's quite sad really. Anyways, to make this post long, I've included my recent observations at the Apple Store as best as I could possibly put into words.
I returned my MacBook Pro but, they insisted that I pay the restocking fee... Which is fine, I figured I would have to anyway.
The screens I looked at:
MacBook Pro 15" - Bad Grain, very visible (like my old MacBook Pro)
MacBook Pro 17" Glossy - Happens to be a Core Duo - Little or no grain
MacBook Pro 17" Matte - Also a Core Duo (for some reason) - Little or no grain
iMac 24" and 30" - Very impressed... Virtually no grain or sparkle at all (love it)
iMac 17" - Not so much... more like the MacBook Pro 17 as far as grain goes.
20" Apple Cinema Display - Little grainy but, the bigger pixels make it look better - Not bad, I wouldn't mind it
24" Apple Cinema - Same as 20"
30" Apple Cinema - Same as 20"
MacBook - Pixel perfect - Whites are pure white - No grain that I could see
The 17" MBPs looked great. I'd recommend people to get those instead of the 15". It actually doesn't really look that much bigger. It's nice.
I'll be getting a Mac Pro with some sort of LCD screen (not sure what yet). I've started a post at Apple about any visually annoyances on Apple's Cinema Displays... You can read it here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=736179
PS: I can't believe how much internet coverage this has already gotten. I also can't believe how many people don't notice it or are not bothered by it.
I returned my MacBook Pro but, they insisted that I pay the restocking fee... Which is fine, I figured I would have to anyway.
The screens I looked at:
MacBook Pro 15" - Bad Grain, very visible (like my old MacBook Pro)
MacBook Pro 17" Glossy - Happens to be a Core Duo - Little or no grain
MacBook Pro 17" Matte - Also a Core Duo (for some reason) - Little or no grain
iMac 24" and 30" - Very impressed... Virtually no grain or sparkle at all (love it)
iMac 17" - Not so much... more like the MacBook Pro 17 as far as grain goes.
20" Apple Cinema Display - Little grainy but, the bigger pixels make it look better - Not bad, I wouldn't mind it
24" Apple Cinema - Same as 20"
30" Apple Cinema - Same as 20"
MacBook - Pixel perfect - Whites are pure white - No grain that I could see
The 17" MBPs looked great. I'd recommend people to get those instead of the 15". It actually doesn't really look that much bigger. It's nice.
I'll be getting a Mac Pro with some sort of LCD screen (not sure what yet). I've started a post at Apple about any visually annoyances on Apple's Cinema Displays... You can read it here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=736179
PS: I can't believe how much internet coverage this has already gotten. I also can't believe how many people don't notice it or are not bothered by it.
