I exchanged my G73JW for backlight bleed - replacement is worse - with pictures.

Here are a couple of pictures of my two G73JWs. I ordered a replacement to the first because of the backlight bleed and the replacement is different but arguably worse. These pictures are pretty accurate when the screens are viewed in the dark with an all black screen.

Both screens look fantastic 90% of the time. It is only when watching movies with black bars or when playing a dark game that it is a problem. My 17" MacBook Pro however doesn't have this problem. I also worry about resale value.

If you have a G73 could you please check it in a dark room with an all black screen and let me know if yours is similar. I love this laptop enough to live with the bleed if I have to. I'm afraid Amazon is going to get upset if I exchange again.

Thanks in advance for any feedback from fellow G73 owners.

 

I own an ASUS U30Jc and I can tell you, watching the U-series, that ASUS (and many other manufacturers) typically use poorer quality TN panel screens with sub-standard (that's become the standard!) poor contrast levels that include lots of light bleed. See THIS AnandTech review's section on the U30Jc's LCD screen compared to the pack. They nearly ALL have light bleed issues.

Not so with the MBP which has consistently had quality screen with great contrast levels that show very little, if any, light bleed issues.

So I'm not surprised at your light bleed problems with your 2 G73Jw's and your lack of it with your MBP. Like you, my screen is great 90% of the time if I am doing daily office work.Very sharp & crisp colors. Excellent brightness. It only really becomes annoying when I watch HULU or a movie at full screen. Then the washed-out gray-blacks become very noticeable . . . to the point of irritating.

 

True. The MBP has an excellent screen. Also, it doubles as a toaster.

 

HAha, right you are DCx.

I just got my G73JW this week and I have to agree with the back-light bleed. Mines not that bad, but you really notice it on a black screen in the dark. My old MBP had none that I ever noticed. But yeah, after about 2 hours of running the laptop you can barely touch the thing because it's so hot. The only part of the G73JW that gets hot is right below the screen and the exhaust ports. I'm pretty sure you could roast a hot dog by these things after running a stress test, but the rest of the comp is ice cold compared to the MBP.

But the G73 back light isn't bad enough for me the complain. Most of the time I'm in a well lit room and I havn't noticed it any other time besides loading games. I think it's just a way of life with the components in the system.

 

GuardianAero,
Is your JW similar to the pictures I posted if you are displaying an all black screen in a dark room. Thanks.

I also wanted to mention that other that the bleeding areas the blacks are very good. Maybe even blacker than my 2010 MacBook Pro. Overall I really love this laptop, it is nearly perfect. I can easier live with some backlight bleed than the many other issues that it could be suffering from compared to the many laptops I've owned in the past.

 

John,
I just turned my background to black and checked it out. Yours looks alittle more noticeable than mine does, but its definitely still there on mine too. Its hard to tell because of the pictures. I tried but all I have is a phone camera and you couldn't see a thing.

Its up to you what your going to do with it, but I would guess theres no guarantee what the next one would be like. I think it may just be a fact of life. That being said, it is amazing how good these screens look even with backlight bleed

 

Ha! My wife has a MB and my students (several) have MBP's. They really do get hot. My ASUS, by comparison, is extremely cool. I'd forgotten how cool until I needed to format and set up my older Dell Vostro for a friend to use and I found myself sweating due to how hot the bottom got on my lap.

I'm liking this new cool of my ASUS.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like apple products plenty ... but you *have* to know what you're buying - it isn't high performance hardware! (In most cases. And when it is, you can always do much better going elsewhere...).

But Apple laptops serve a great purpose, and I recommend them for the technically illiterate wholeheartedly.

Also, they're good for developers ... because that's the way apple has made their system. And the unix-like structure is nice, another plus if you're a non-apple developer. Like I said, apple has a lot of things going for them - just nothing *I* care about. Give me a higher spec'd, better warranty asus at the same price as a MBP and I'll need to replace it much less frequently. Not to mention the horrible warranty support if you don't have applecare...

 

DCx, how is the backlight bleed on your JH?

 

I also want to make it clear that I'm not an Apple advocate in any way. I love tech (especially laptops) and I don't care who makes them.

 

Dude.... What screen model you have??? you got the hannstar 1080P? sometimes hannstar shows this on very very dark environments, but if you are in a normal lit environment you shouldn't be seeing this. I will be replacing my g73 screen with the 1080p AUO screen they put in hp Envys(i have 1080 hannstar) Ultra Bright model, witch is way better. I haven't done so because screencountry.com is out of stock now.

It hould be rather easy to do the replacement process

BTW imo, by the pictures you show, the bleed is worse on the one.

 

cotolay,

I have the Hannstar.

The AUO sounds very interesting. How sure are you that the AUO model is the high end Ultra Bright used in the HP Envys? How do you know that they fit the G73? Can you provide me a model # for that screen on screencountry.com. I saw a 1080p screen on screencountry but it was only $109 so I'm guessing this is the wrong one since it is so cheap.

How involved is a screen replacement? I saw a G73 dis-assembly video and it looked like it required pulling most of the laptop apart to get the screen out. I've completely dis-assembley a couple Sony laptops and gotten them back together ok but the G73 looks a little more involved.

 

To replace the screen wont take much work at all and you wont need to take apart the whole machine to do so...

Here is a thread dedicated to doing just that ... It is for the Bestbuy model but yeah they are all the same..

http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...84-upgrading-g73jh-best-buy-screen-guide.html

 

I will check that out! Thanks Quadzilla.

 

Mine has slight backlight bleed, not distracting at all though.

 

Apple aside, I DO wish ASUS & others would begin to use panels with better contrast ratios, especially when said notebook is getting up close to $1K.

HP's Envy 14 got accolades for its "radiance" screen. Apparently good contrast/low light bleed ... and a higher res (1600x900). Dell's Studio XPS 16 has an awesome screen (color & contrast-wise), but I'd like to see better screens offered in the 13-14" range. And I don't mind the 1366x768. I more wish the contrast was higher and the light bleed less.

Even Apple's "cheaper" white MB 13" screen, which was quite inferior to their 13" MBP unibody's, has now changed. Apple began to put the same screen in both the 13" MBO & MB. A welcome move. Come on PC-makers, catch up (screen-wise any way.)

 

I have only a smidge of bleed at the top and the Hannstar panel is rated amongst the highest for laptop screens for contrast at 1000:1 so the blacks are black but of course if you have a bad screen well thats a different story...

ASUS G73Jh: Today's Top Gaming Laptop - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News


You can see how they tested the contrast and rated it amongst the highest .. The black on the Hannstar screen are inky black but the brightness suffers overall...


The screen in Johns machine looks bad but having owned 4 machines all with the same Hannstar screen his is the first i have seen like that and all mine have either been perfect or just a smidge..

 

I think I might take the display apart and see if I can improve the bleed with some electrical tape. I saw a post somewhere where someone did this with a desktop LCD with decent results. Other than the bleed I really like the Hannstar and mine seems plenty bright. I also agree that the blacks are great other than the bleed.

 

I would have said just ask for another exchange but i think that is probably asking for to much since you already did it once ..

The AUO screen is supposed to be very nice and showed up in a couple G73JH-B1 machines but not in the JWs .. Hannstar has been the screen for about 99.99999% of all G73s..

 

Is the AUO 1080P better than the Hannstar? Do you think this the one cotolay mentioned from the HP Envy Ultra Bright? Do you know the model # and/or where I can buy one. Thank you.

 

Honestly i dont know any of the specifics so i would just follow his progress is your best bet..

 

I took my screen apart today hoping I could improve the backlight bleed and it didn't look do-able. At least not with out taking apart the display itself. Oh well.

 

This could be an issue if you are always computing in the dark. Are you in the dark a lot?

 

It is definitely worse in a pitch black room but it is noticeable even in a room with the blinds open.

I just called Amazon to see if they would send me one more to try because my replacement's bleed was worse than the first (replacement also had 4 bright pixels). They won't, but they did offer to take 20% off of the price of the laptop. I couldn't believe it. I won't feel the least bit bad when I see the bleed now and know that it saved me $359. That more than makes up for a screen upgrade if I can find one. I sure love Amazon.

 

That's pretty damn awesome. Congrats :*)

 

Now that you got your 20% off couldn't you send it to asus because of the 30 perfect display thing they offer... best of both worlds i say..

 

Thats only for a stuck pixel..

30 day bright dot guarantee ..

 

Even if ASUS would take it back for the back-light bleed I'm afraid I'd get it back in worse shape. It is much easier to live with it now that it saved me $359.

 

Hey Guys, I have the backlight bleed problem too. I took this picture with my webcam though so things look a little brighter than they actually are. I'm thinking of returning it because it makes me angry when watching movies and working on design stuff. You see how it's got like this ring of black in the middle, it's interesting. Let me know what you guys think. Remember it's actually a little darker than what the picture displays.

 

Was going to buy the JW but this is starting to scare me off of it.

 

John.

Screen country sells the cheapest.

Part No. For AUO is: B173HW01

Its by far better. You can search that par no around the forums and you will find out they are used in dells and HP Ultra bright.

Brightness is way better (Night and Day better), also viewing angles. The hannstar has good viewing angles, but if you shift it a bit horizontally the screen dims dramatically.

I've changed the screens on almost all the laptops i've had. I am very anal about screens, and i have never voided the warranty, there is no warranty strip in the bezel. Just have in mind that if your going to RMA it try to put back in your Hannstar just in case they send you a new laptop or a new screen you dont loose your AUO.

Changing the screen is very easy on this model 2, not many screws. Just 2 on the bezel.

For the other guys: if you have the lower res screen version you will have an awful bleed. I would recommend just swapping the screen instead of returning your laptop. It is a great laptop.

There is another thread around here with someone that swapped it for a FHD LG Phillips. The LP Phillips is better than the HannStar, and the AUO is better than the LG and The HannStar. So i would just go for the AUO.

I am just waiting for them to go in stock so i can make the swap. I was gonna make a new thread with pics or possibly a video of the comparison and disassemble.

 

Thanks cololay. Very useful information. I might get one on Amazon (East Coast LCDS) for $177. It is a bit more but screencountry's website seems a little disorganized. They list different versions of the B173HW01 some of which are not 1080P. It makes me a little nervous.

Do you have a link to anyone successfully installing a B173HW01 in a G73? How did you find out that this screen fits?

Thanks again for your help.

 

Wow. That's terrible. I've got a hannstar screen, and it's one of the nicest LCDs I've had on a laptop. Ever. The only thing that was nicer was the RGB screen from dell, and that screen upgrade (nevermind building the computer) was way more expensive than my current g73.

 

I'm really happy with the 1080p Hannstar other than the backlight bleed.

 

John:

This is my first post here. I ordered my machine from Amazon LLC and am assuming that you did the same, since you are getting a 20% discount and expedited shipping as opposed to one of the retailers/resellers that sell through them. My shipment is in transit and is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. However, after reading your post, I may just send it back to Amazon, unopened. My shipment originated fron Newberry, PA and could most likely belong to the same batch from which you received your two orders.

 

I'd at least check it out. If it has bad backlight bleed you can always get a refund, replacement or discount. Amazon has never charged me a restocking fee if I have a problem with a product. I love Amazon. There customer service is right up there with Costco.

 

I also got a 20% refund my GTX480 which should have had a Deathadder inside but was missing or miss advertised, so ended up paying for $400 for GTX480, i really like how amazon handles issues, and one of the reasons to continue to be my first site to look for almost anything, including the G73 i just ordered.

 

Amazon gave me a huge discount off their g51jx, because they claimed to include a backpack/mouse and it didn't show up. No fuss, I just sent an email and they sent me some money.

 

Screens with poor viewing angles and backlight bleed are standard in all Asus laptops. You just have to deal with it.

 

I just received what was supposed to be my AUO B173HW01 from the Amazon reseller (East Coast LCDS). I'm very disappointed and a bit worried about the fact that they sent me an LG 1600 x 900 screen instead of the AUO 1080p screen that is listed on the Amazon page I ordered from. The packing list in their box even lists the AUO 1080p screen. I would imagine it was an honest mistake on their part but it still makes me nervous that they will claim they sent me the right one. I even paid $30 for overnight shipping. Very frustrating, now I'll be without my G73 until they get me the proper screen. I'm not going to rebuild it with the old screen because it is too easy to break the little tabs on the G73 every time I take it apart and put it back together.

I will follow up and let everyone know how they handle their mistake.

 

That is some bad luck. Hopefully they will pay for the return shipping and overnight you a new one, rather than argue with you.

 

To be more accurate, it's got a high contrast ratio because of it's poor white levels. The hannstar display is really crap if you look at it as a whole. If people want beautiful laptop displays, then they can choose one of the following:

1. HP 8740 with 10 bit IPS
2. Alienware M17x-R2 with 8 bit RGB LED and >100% color gamut
3. Dell M6500 with 8 bit RGB LED and >100% color gamut
4. MacBook Pro (though their displays are not as good as the first 3).


The LG display in the studio xps 16 I'm using is actually pretty nice too. It's 1600x900 and has no backlight bleed and very nice contrast ratio. It's BRIGHT too.

 

I got my machine yesterday and am really happy with it. No backlight bleeding discerned.

 

5150Joker,
Will any of these screens work in the G73? If not, what do you think is the best screen that will? Any recommendations on where to source it? Thanks.

 

Currently you only have a couple choices for the G73 and it seems the AUO might be your best option..

All the screens he mentions above are 16:10 not 16:9 ...

The Hannstar is not crap as he said but yeah im not going to get into a argument lol..

I have owned WAY to many laptops and have seen some seriously bad screens and the Hannstar does not fit into that category..

 

Look for the AUO B173HW01 V0/V4 on ebay. Make sure you ask your seller to make sure it's compatible.

 

LOL While the MBP has a good screen, it has garbage internals (For the price). You're paying for a status symbol. If you want a good screen (and I *HATE* to say this), the Dell RGBLED screen is beautiful.

 

Isn't there a LG 1900x1080 16:9 that may be the best screen for the G73?

 

It appears as if the LG LP173WF1 is both a 1600 x 900 and a 1080p panel depending on what version you choose. East Coast LCDS sent me the 1600x900 version of this panel when they were supposed to be sending me the AUO 1080p panel. I'm wondering if they were to get me the 1080p LG LP173WF1 if that would be as good or better than the 1080p AUO.

 

The LG 1080p pannel is as good or better than the AUO one.. so what happened? Are they sending you the LG full HD one or what?