A8JS - is the screen really that bad? (Owners)

I'm pretty much sold on the A8JS, aside from the screen. I hear it is pretty terrible from more than a few sources, but how is it really?

I generally play in the dark without my screen at full brightness so if the level of brightness contributes to any problems, I would like to know.

How is it bad, and why? Is it bad enough to not purchase this system? I would prefer if only owners would reply because from previous posts I've noticed that people like to chime in with what they have heard. I would like to know about this from strictly first hand experience, if at all possible.

Thanks again!

 

Screen is great but has terrible viewing angles.

The worst viewing angles Ive seen.

 

it's bad
i have an A8Jm, and just sold it.
it might be fine if you're in the dark, but IMO the screen is really important

 

I own the A8Js.
The brightness is perfect, its just that the viewing angles are extremely bad, and there is some grainness in the screen.
You wont notice the grains while playing games.
Still, Im in love with this machine, given its size and battery life.even with the 7700.

 

The W7 series is also a smaller laptop (13.3"), at a comparable price, if you wanted to check that out. The Dell XPS M1210 is another option at 12.1". The VAIO C-series is smaller too, as well as the V1 or V2 (can't remember which) by Asus, albeit more expensive.

 

Dell xps 1330 is upcoming.

 

The W7s look really nice, but the graphics are rather limited, and I have heard of heating problems, unfortunately.

 

Out of the 14" screens that i ve seen this one is in the same class. Its not really that bad. its not great. Given other options on the market for the same 14" screen you probably will not find many options that are better or worse. i see nothing wrong with it other then the view angles. Not the best screen for presentations

 

How bad are we talking in terms of viewing angle... Would it be bad for a (somewhat) stationary single user? I don't need more than one person to see the screen at a time, but I would prefer it not to look bad if I turn my head, you know?

 

absolutely NOT!
I wish i would have made a video of this model. Why did i skip the a8js all together? i guess the a8jm video suficed. Put it this way. if a dead pixel will make you shrivel up and die and launch you into a state of depression forcing you to return and cancel your notebook then the a8js screen is not for you. If you are not completely anal then most of the discussions about this screen are simply poinless mainly because its the same thing with most 14" lcds

 

Its great for one single person looking straight at it.

I personally am most annoyed by it when I am sitting at a desk trying to show something on my screen to someone who is standing.

Thats where this shortcoming comes up in real life, two eyes trying to see the screen from a different vertical plane.

 

All current 14" LCD have the same viewing angles. The Current AUO LCD on the A8Js is one of the best 14'' glossy screens out there. So just look at the screen of any 14'' notebook, and if you like it, just buy the A8Js

 

why buy the a8js?
a8sc is out.

 

Ya its way better than the one they use on the hp dv 2000 which is a lg screen I think.

It looks twice as bright. Someone here bought that screen wholesale and put it in their a8js though and they like that better because it has a better viewing angle.
So I cant really tell you, its like you tell me what do you like in a screen? Viewing angle? No stay away.
If its brightness this is the best one I think.

 

I am not all that concerned with DX10... and aside from that the a8sc is less powerful (correct me if im wrong!) Better screen?

 

Going back to a previous post, the A8jm has a different screen, doesn't it? Cause syxbit is the only one who has really slammed the screen so far.

 

I've had my A8Js for less than a week and the viewing angle thing isn't a huge deal to me (never noticed it.) But I've noticed that the screen is indeed quite grainy....is this normal for glossy LCD screens? Or just for the type of screen that the A8Js uses?

 

anyone have a picture of the screen or anything? How easy would it be to swap out for another screen (say, the HP one)? What about a 1280x800?

 

Ya the a8jm has an auo screen 1280. I would actually say its viewing angle is better but its much fuzzier

the a8js has an auo or a cmo screen.

Cmo should be the best one.

swapping it out would not be a major operation

more difficult in this particular model than most though because the wires are going to each side.

 

The viewing angles are not that bad. Theres a link to a lcd review on my sig.
The only concern i see is the overall contrast ration of the screen is a lil muddy. With a low contrast ratio (230:1) everything else will be muddy.
Even thou it has a less than desirable contrast ratio the AJ8s's calibrated color accuracy is much better than the Dell XPS M1710. That says a lot considering the Dell is a gaming machine

 

Argh! I don't know what to do! Is there a reasonably powerful alternative that runs cool enough to use as a LAPtop with a nice screen? For about the same price?

 

unfortunately, there really is no equivalent to the a8js, hence its popularity....unless you are willing to look around for the w3j with lower resolution and weaker specs

 

Heres an interesting article:
http://www.tomshardware.com/2004/02/26/lcd_technicalities/

Basically what it says is that contrast ratio doesn't really matter, because its also tied to the measurement of brightness.

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The A8JS screen's white has a value of 131.8 cd/sq. m. which is rather low, but the recommended intensity from the article is only 110 cd/sq. m.

Now the black on this screen is not great, but it isn't on the G2, either. (0.57 and 0.48, respectively) If the A8JS could be as bright as the G2, which I think (Correct me if I'm wrong) doesn't really matter that much, then the contrast ratio would be (252.07-0.57)/0.5 = 503:1 contrast ratio... just shy of the G2's 525.126:1.

So from my research it seems the the contrast ratio is a non-factor. But I cannot verify this from experience. Anyone agree/disagree?

 

i havent read that article yet but contrast ratio does indeed matter
Contrast ratio is the luminosity between the brightest color to the darkest color

 

my answer is: yes, its that bad

 

just get a 15.4 or a 13''. The 14'' LCD suck... if you dont mind a little less portability go for the 15.4. If you care more about portability then sacrifice a little power, and go for the 13". Now... if you really dont mind about the screen then just get the A8.

 

I like the screen, apart from the viewing angles. It's fairly bright, pretty nice colours, no graininess, minimal light leakage. All in all, I say that if you're not gonna move around while using the laptop (constantly moving your head), it'll be quite nice.