Severe LCD Gradient Banding on UMBP

[metroid87706]

I have what I believe (in my eyes) is a severe LCD banding issue with my Unibody MacBook Pro 2.4GHz with a 9C85 display. The black line on the attached image is where I see the large band. I do not have the flickering that some uses have complained about though. The reason I check for the banding is because some images looks bad (pixelated in darker gradients) on my display, so I thought there may be an issue. This is a big deal to me, as I am a graphic and web designer, and color is crucial. So, what do you think?

 

[Mark2000]

Join the party. Its a 6-bit display like every other laptop screen on earth. Only shows 256k colors, there rest is done with software dithering. Makes gradients look like poop.

Shouldn't matter, if your a graphic designer and you're relying heavily on gradients you need to find another line of work. Gradients are so early 90s shareware games (yay VGA!).

 

[metroid87706]

Join the party. Its a 6-bit display like every other laptop screen on earth. Only shows 256k colors, there rest is done with software dithering. Makes gradients look like poop.

Shouldn't matter, if your a graphic designer and you're relying heavily on gradients you need to find another line of work. Gradients are so early 90s shareware games (yay VGA!).

Well, my 2.2GHz "Classic" MacBook Pro didn't do that, and also, gradients are everywhere. They are NOT 90's, and they for sure have to do a lot with graphic design, so you don't need to be telling me to find something else to do for work.

 

[Bubba Satori]

Join the party. Its a 6-bit display like every other laptop screen on earth. Only shows 256k colors, there rest is done with software dithering. Makes gradients look like poop.

Shouldn't matter, if your a graphic designer and you're relying heavily on gradients you need to find another line of work. Gradients are so early 90s shareware games (yay VGA!).

 

[ZigZagLens]

I have what I believe (in my eyes) is a severe LCD banding issue with my Unibody MacBook Pro 2.4GHz with a 9C85 display. The black line on the attached image is where I see the large band. I do not have the flickering that some uses have complained about though. The reason I check for the banding is because some images looks bad (pixelated in darker gradients) on my display, so I thought there may be an issue. This is a big deal to me, as I am a graphic and web designer, and color is crucial. So, what do you think?

Has anyone found a good solution for this? Or we're just stuck with it and it's due to the dithering? I've got the same machine as you (basically) and this issue is really driving me bonkers.

 

[CaptainChunk]

I have what I believe (in my eyes) is a severe LCD banding issue with my Unibody MacBook Pro 2.4GHz with a 9C85 display. The black line on the attached image is where I see the large band. I do not have the flickering that some uses have complained about though. The reason I check for the banding is because some images looks bad (pixelated in darker gradients) on my display, so I thought there may be an issue. This is a big deal to me, as I am a graphic and web designer, and color is crucial. So, what do you think?

No offense, but if color accuracy is so crucial to you, you wouldn't be trusting graphic design work to 6-bit TN panels with glossy overlays (which makes up the majority of today's notebook computers). You're complaining about something that likely won't get any better. Very few laptops actually use 8-bit panels.

My suggestion would be to use a calibrated external display with a PVA or IPS panel.

 

[jjahshik32]

Wait.... didnt you post this already on another thread?!?!

 

[Stang68]

No offense, but if color accuracy is so crucial to you, you wouldn't be trusting graphic design work to 6-bit TN panels with glossy overlays (which makes up the majority of today's notebook computers). You're complaining about something that likely won't get any better. Very few laptops actually use 8-bit panels.

My suggestion would be to use a calibrated external display with a PVA or IPS panel.

Dude, he is just trying to find an answer to his current situation. No need to tell him what he SHOULD have done.

 

[winninganthem]

No offense, but if color accuracy is so crucial to you, you wouldn't be trusting graphic design work to 6-bit TN panels with glossy overlays (which makes up the majority of today's notebook computers). You're complaining about something that likely won't get any better. Very few laptops actually use 8-bit panels.

My suggestion would be to use a calibrated external display with a PVA or IPS panel.

Agreed 100%.
----
For a solution, if the banding is bad, it's probably a hardware issue, and the only people that can help you out are Apple. Take it in.

 

[maflynn]

Shouldn't matter, if your a graphic designer and you're relying heavily on gradients you need to find another line of work. Gradients are so early 90s shareware games (yay VGA!).

It matters to me, especially since apple advertised the display with millions of colors. I paid a lot of $$ for my MBP and it seems that apple cheaped out on this one.

While I really like my MBP, the display is one area that I think apple dropped the ball on.

 

[bcaslis]

I believe every single laptop display now available is 6 bit. It's not that Apple dropped the ball, it's that you can't get an 8 bit laptop display from anyone (the old Thinkpad displays don't count, you can't get them anymore).

For those that say the previous MBP didn't do it, well that's just not true. The previous one was a matte display with less contrast and the matte coating will diffuse the gradient so it's less visible. But it's still there, there's no getting around the issue without a greater color bit depth.

 

[maflynn]

So you're saying its ok for apple to follow the crowd? That had an opportunity to seize some serious ground with an 8bit display and didn't That sounds like they dropped the ball to me.

Just because every laptop maker is using an 6bit display means apple should. Images look like crap and in the past apple had focused their computers to graphic designers. That's a tough sell when you can't fully render an image on a MBP. I'm not a graphic designer and I hate the dithering it does.

 

[bcaslis]

So you're saying its ok for apple to follow the crowd? That had an opportunity to seize some serious ground with an 8bit display and didn't That sounds like they dropped the ball to me.

Just because every laptop maker is using an 6bit display means apple should. Images look like crap and in the past apple had focused their computers to graphic designers. That's a tough sell when you can't fully render an image on a MBP. I'm not a graphic designer and I hate the dithering it does.

I'm saying the technology isn't available. Apple could go to every LCD manufacturer (and may have) and if none have if they and are not willing to make any, what do you want Apple to do? Make it out of thin air?

I'd like a better laptop display also. I'd also like a 15" laptop that weighs one pound and costs $100. But I understand why they are offering what they are.