Is this screen defective - AUO B173ZAN01.0

I have a brand new 17.3" with the UHD panel, it is model AUO B173ZAN01.0.

It has appeared to me that when I look at it head on there is more brightness in the centre than at the edges. However if I move to the left or to the right, a very small change in viewing angles, then the brightness shifts.

I attach some photos as caught by the camera.

 

The question I am asking is do you think it is faulty? Do you have an IPS UHD screen and does it also do that?

I have a ew more days window in which to return the laptop if the screen is indeed defective. Your comments will be greatly appreciated.

 

Brightness always shifts when you move. Its due to the polarisation of all those screen layers within the panel.

 

Thanks rinneh, is that shift acceptable though? Considering I only moved half the width of the laptop on either side off of the centre?

 

@doofus99 - this thread came up in a search. Hope it isn't too old to be considered a necro. I do NOT notice that in my ChiMei Innolux screen that I just upgraded to. But I am returning it and getting a refurb AUO from China, because I can't live without the G-Sync (really need it when framerate drops below 60 - whereas at 100+, doesn't seem quite as important, funny how that works out, the 4k screen needs it the most). So I cannot confirm if the OEM AUO is supposed to look like that, but I would hope not.

Now like Rinneh says, if I am looking and centered on the left third of my screen, and I move my eyes to the right, yes, that part looks different than what's in front of me; but the brightness difference does not occur in my direct field of vision like it appears to in your photos. What I can see in front of me, 6-9" from the screen, all looks uniform.

Without your explanation, I would almost think you were twisting the screen to make the backlight do that pattern or something, it is pretty noticeable.

 

That's too close. I think I took the photos while 15" away ? Also, use a camera to do this, it will show you the differences much better. Need a dark-ish room too.

 

No this is not defective, but it could be SLIGHTLY warped or not plane level flat anymore and that might be causing the brightness in some area's. You get this all the time when replacing panels yourself, it's hard to not make certain mistakes when changing the panels, when you have less experience, maybe thats what happened here, someone changed your panel maybe at factory or whatever, and didn't place it down on a flat surface and let it hang from one screw in the corner etc.. even when placing them into the laptop, it's best the have the empty panel lying down flat. Many of us simply skip that and replace the panel while its hanging and the laptop as if it's being used is sitting there opened up, just the front panel exposed with the hinges and such. That can lead to more tension in some area's causing slight warping, it can even break the little electronics board on the panels in time too.

By lying the panels flat when replacing them, theres more of an even distribution instead of a downward force etc..

 

This is some interesting thinking. I don't think the torsion on the screen would be great enough to break it (but maybe!), but I can concur that when I first mounted my first UHD screen replacement (returned due to being non-GSync and some dead pixels), the backlight bleed was really crazy, but then I remounted it and took care to tighten the screws diagonally and sort of made sure the edges weren't being flexed unduly, and it did improve. (I tightened them up with black image on screen so I could see what was going on as I did it - the bleed was actually best without the screws in, which I guess shows that mounting it in general flexes it, and I suppose could be why tours is always brighter in center.)

The other thing I noticed - on my #2 replacement (returned because max brightness was only 170 nits, looked like what 30% on a functional screen would look like), I thought I DID see the center brighter than the edges like you are saying. It was so dim I wasn't about to leave it in long though so I didn't really get to analyze much more than that. Now I wish I had run some colorimeter tests all around the screen to see if it was different, or just my angle of vision on it causing it.

Anyway when my third UHD arrives, I will try mounting flat with the top lid on bottom, if possible. (at least for the screw tightening part).

 

I did not say that. The brightness is max as you are looking dead straight on, and diminishes on either side. I have taken photos to show that the brightness is max where the camera is pointing at, regardless if that is on the centre or the edge of the screen. I think it is a feature of the IPS panel. They do say that IPS panels have wider viewing angles than TN panels, but they are not that great overall. At work I had NEC (Multisync ?) IPS monitors back in 2004-ish and they were fantastic you could read my screen from any sides of my desk. I suppose the AUO IPS UHD panel is not up to the same standards?

Regarding flexing, I am now observing that my screen-lid combination is curved outwards in the middle, as I look at its side edges from the front to the back (hinges)! Not by a great deal, but visible when you line it up thus. Not sure if it's affecting my screen in anyway.

 

Heh, I think it's semantics, we are saying the same thing. The center of where you looks is brighter than the edges of where you look.

"The brightness is max as you are looking dead straight on, and diminishes on either side"
=
"I thought I DID see the center brighter than the edges like you are saying."

...in my book...

NEC is a very high end monitor used by digital artists, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't exhibit the issue.

Try mounting the screen with the lid flat on the work surface, instead of hanging it... the other gent in one of these threads was absolutely right, it really helps to make sure it mounts flush without any flex as you tighten the screws.

 

Ermm, I have not opened up my screen and have no intentions of doing so for the foreseeable future

 

Ah yes, that is exactly it.

 

Ok, just mentioning it in case it's binding somewhat. It's VERY easy to open it up, I don't know what you're so worried about.... (I have opened mine up and changed screens a total of 12 times now I believe) You don't even have to remove/undo cable, just pop bezel, loosen screws, re-tighten...

 

I watched a youtube video where a guy replaced the panel sitting on the floor with the monitor on his lap, and the way he tried to reach and remove some very hard to reach connectors made me think "no way am I going to be yanking at wire connectors blind and in that fashion".