who has the s96j graininess problem POLL

this poll is about the problem of graininess on the s96j of asus (vbi) laptops discust here : http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=66204

who of you guys has this problem and how severe is it .
i dont want this thread to turn out in a mega posting thread around this problem, just want to know how many of the owners have this problem.

 

this is a surprise ,i tought that everyone had this problem but now we are on 50 /50prct
thx keep voting

 

its kinda odd, some people from different vendors have problems but other people dont. First day when I got the notebook, the graininess was non exisitient and has been like that since day one.

 

are there any people who are from europe who also have this problem ?
or does it only exsist in the usa .
mayby other screens where send to different parts of the world.so please say if you have the problem and from where you are or from where you got your laptop.

 

I think its very very possible most people especially less "expreienced" users will not see it. I cant call my self less experience but i can say that i noticed Nothing of the sort.

 

z96j video www.sretup.com/geared2play/z96j/z96j.avi
What do you see? Any grainyness? I dont not in the video not in person. The conclusion is that the problem is in you being a bit picky. You can return the unit for refund to your vendor but this is not a warranty issue, not at all. If the video doesnt satisfy then give me something else to shoot. My take on it is unless you are looking for it "kind of like dead pixels" it is not a bother. Hope you can prove me wrong but all i have noticed is the z96j and i have no doubt the s96j are just like most other lcd's, "awesome" as most people would think. I would imagine the same can be found on multiple other manufacturers and laptops. Guys you just have to come to the realization that lcd panels will not be perfect not in the near future. Try not to examine it frame by frame. I played 3dmark maybee 20 times over on the z96j and noticed nothing out of the ordinary then again i do this so many times on so many screens that it becomes kind of hard to distiguish. I think if you come to the realization that there is nothing wrong with your laptop (and there is not) you will be able to enjoy it just the same as the 99% of people that dont even realize their screens are "grainy"

 

the so called "problem" is on all of them and countless other laptops /without a doubt from different manufacturers. It has already been concluded that the screen is not responsible becuase this can be captured by a screen shot. If not inherent in certain chipsets and vga card then it is a driver or soft issue.

 

Can you see it in this?

edit: Oops. JPEG file was a bit rubbish. Uploaded again in 24bit bmp
http://rapidshare.de/files/26741071/untitled.bmp.html

 

Eddie- load up www.comcast.net and look at the blue on the right side. Tell me that it appears to be a solid color to your. Because it should. Then, click the "maximize" button to put it in window mode. Then scroll to the blue area and move the window around your screen. You will notice that the weird "grainy patches" stay fixed in place. I see this problem very easily playing games like Halo and HL2. It looks like the screen is covered in a film of dust.

I am still happy with this computer, and when programming I don't see anything wrong with the screen, and Doom 3 looks fine to me because nothing is ever on the screen very long. It is so dark and fast paced, with stuff flashing and exploding that it is hard to notice the graininess. Movies, however, is another story. Think of being in a movie theater and the lens of the projector is covered in specs of dust. The picture you look at doesn't look very nice at all. That is what this looks like. I picked up the problem immediately as soon as I starting web-browsing. I think I even saw it before I installed any graphics drivers.

Since I hate intel, I'm going to blame it on their chipset. But to make a non-biased decision, I would say that it is some sort of chipset, graphics card, or similar hardware issue, or a chipset driver or video BIOS. Not the VGA driver, and not the screen. Will be hooking up to an external monitor to play around with that.

~JPZ

 

No cigar. File invalid. Try using image shack or something. raoid share dont seem to work

 

Ok i see it. It can just as easily be removed as reproduced on another laptop with a different video card. Adjust the hue and saturation and what youy describe reduces or increases. Havent got a chance to play with it more but this is not the property of the screen nor the video card. Most likely this occurs on any x1600 powered mobile as a result of the stock driver calibration. As for movies. This plays a movie just as good as the z70va only alot brighter and crisper. Kind of like the z71v back in the day except the z71v screen was actually responsible for the effect. Everyone complained but the fatc remained the screen did exactly what it was posed to do. I doubt someone out there (unless very picky) is sitting and staring at a solid black or blue background.

 

The same is not replicated on an external display. Reducing the hue from alvivo properties gets rid of this effect completely. Frankly i cant see nothing wrong with the video or game output of the z96j. If anything it looks alot more vibrant and vivid then all previous wsxga displays integrated by asus.

 

Curious to know what hue/saturation settings your trying to remove it, no matter what combination i set it meering makes colours that wernt afected, afected.

Although i do agree the grainyness issue does look exactly like what happens when you faff about with those settings.

 

Set the hue to left most mark. Made the grain go away completely on comcast.net. Didnt affect anything else but the actual sides. Cant say it affected fotos or video then again i was diagnosed color blind however i doubt that would impact my ability to see grainyness or hues. Aslo this is on a wsxga+ screen not wxga

 

I sit in front of my laptop staring at solid colours as well as lots of greyscale dark images. I do 3d modelling, rendering, photoshop, video compositing and this problem is horrible. Every laptop I have ever used might have had a dead pixel here or there or perhaps some brightness problems but those I can deal with. I have never seen and LCD that looks this bad. If you work closely with digital images you need the colours to be displayed accurately. I don't care if an image on my screen matches something on another or a printed version exactly but I do care when two pixels that are meant to be identical don't match. There's a grainy cloud over all the work I do and anything in greyscale looks like its only using about 16 shades of grey. This is definitly a problem with some sort of low quality LCD screens and for high end computers we should expect something that works at least to as good as the average display. And if there are so many people out there who don't care or even notice this problem then at least offer a different type of screen (for a premium if it costs more to make) to those who do.

I love everything else about my new Asus but this screen problem just doesn't make sense. I've seen it in multiple Asus models and I don't want this sort of LCD to be the new standard.

Also, this problem is definitly hardward and not software. I've tried both the newest ATI, Omega and even booted into Knoppix and the problem is always there. Also, external displays work fine which means the video card is sending out the proper image. The only possibilities left are the LCD itself and the connections to it. I don't think this is an incompatibility problem that even a new driver can fix.

 

Very thorough diagnosis, DoubtfulGuest. Thanks for the info.

I hope that this problem is NOT present on Asus laptops other than the S/Z96J. I'm now considering other ~15" laptops, such as the V6J (less gaming power but hopefully better screen?).

Dan

 

I didn't think my screen had the graininess problem until I looked at the comcast website. However, I still think this is quite a good screen, and I only notice the slightest problems with in when I am specifically looking for them.

 

Its funny you feel that way becuase when i render videos and i do it quite often i only noticed that the z96j screen looks more vibrant if anything. So does every customer that has bought. Really the forums are the only places you fill find complaints about screens. If you dont like it just reduce the hue in alvivo panel control.

 

I gotta tell you I still cant' see this graininess you guys are all talking about. Maybe some of you guys are just trying to find something wrong >.<

 

Here is a bit of fact. In the history of asus laptops. EVERY single barebone popular with gamers had complaint on the screen. I do mean every. With one exception. The z70v/a. If there was no ghosting people loved it. When compared to the z71v or z96 the screen was simply DARK. If you are looking for a very inacurate oppinion of what a screen looks like go to the forum and talk to the gamers or linux users. I disagree. The screen on the z96j is better then every barebone asus had last year with a wsxga+. If you judge a screen by how solid color look then find a new screen. If you judge it by brightness, how vibrant the colors are, how vivid the pictures look then this is an A grade panel. But who cares i am reseller i should not have an oppinion. Tis also why i made the video before all this started. Because i knew eventually the picky analysts were going to complain about something. If it wasnt the light leekage then it would be something else

 

Its there. Thats usually the case though. People just like to look for negatives and there are always some to be found

 

Hey, I bought from you, and I see this issue with incredible ease. When I saw people were finding this with their S96's and said now it is a curse, but most people don't notice, I said to myself: Do not look at the screen looking for anything because it will annoy you to death forever. But then within 20 minutes of use, I see it immediately when trying NOT to look for it.

While I do agree that this is a very nice screen, that is sharp, clear, and beatiful(not to mention the amazing viewing angles) I must say that there is still this "graininess" to it.

REDUCING THE HUE MAKES THIS ISSUE MORE VISIBLE. While it may cause the specific shade of blue on comcast's homepage to look better, just about everything else gets worse.

Leaving the HUE in the middle creates the least noticeable visual disturbance. It is hard to notice in 3D mark 05 because the framerate is so low and everything is moving so fast. This is most visible in static images or a solid color, or in applications that have a very high framerate with most objects moving minimally. It is very hard to notice in games like Doom 3 and Quake 4, and it is thankfully not noticeable while doing office work(or in my case programming), however it is noteable while watching movies and while playing certain games such as Halo and Half-Life 2.

 

Changing the Hue or any other setting in the alvivo panel does absolutely nothing for the graininess problem. Geared2play.com, I think your display must not have the same problem if that type of change can make it go away. And of course you're only going to find complaints about the screens in the forums... where else would you find them?

 

I will agree to disagree. Nothing wrong with this screen infact its better then what i expected. End of story. ANyone not liking it return it to your vendor for a refund or exchange. I am done with a topic that will lead nowhere. You cant fix it you cant change it you cant warranty it. If you want to see what the screen looks like then take a look at this video z96j www.sretup.com/geared2play/z96j/z96j.avi

 

I am surprized by the numbers. I have had 3 S96J's and all of them have had the issue. In fact, if I could vote more than once, I would have spread my 3 votes between can live with it and can't live with it, but . . . . At this point I am seriously considering the HEL80, does anyone know if it has the same issue? I know this can't be on all laptops or even on all cheap laptops. I have probably had 4 or 5 different "cheap" laptops (emachines, gateway, and averatec) and when I put them side by side, the Asus's look terrible. However, since I have only had 3, I can only assume that all of the rest of them are the same.

My lcd properties in AIDA show:
Monitor Name: AUO1974
Monitor ID: B154EW01 V9

 

Why would you buy 3 machines you hate? Again this reminds me of the time the z71v came out. Had a "shiny sheen". For a whole month it got awesome reviews. Then someone made a thread "i hate my z71v shiny sheen" then all of a sudden people started hating. Its like screaming fire in complete darkness. Everyone will smell smoke and run.

 

I agree. Everyone raved about how awesome and how much they loved their s96's. And then someone brought up the grainy screen and now everyone's speaking up. I still don't notice this grainy screen, but i guess it does exist since that is the consensus. I would think a more serious problem is the keys that some people have popped off, though i think only about 3 people have had this problem compared to the XXXX number of people who own s96's and post on the forum.

 

Out on this website, there have been maybe one or two people (no names) that have stated about this grainyness problem. I say the truth that there is no such thing on my screen and even when running 3Dmark05, the visuals didnt even look odd at all.

 

Just wanted to note that this grainyness happens on the Asus W3J as well.

 

It seems that Eddie is refering to the Z96j while the poll refers to the S96j. I'm not sure if this is merely a typographical error or if he might have forgotten that they have different screens. The problem is quite visible on my s96j and seems like the screen is covered in a layer of dust. However, the problem is not serious enough to warrant any actions to replace my notebook.

 

people are getting confused with this.

This issue is not the sparkle effect we have seen in the past. the sparkle like seen on a w3j or z71v and dells is different its a shimmer to the pixels. what you see on the s96 seems to be partly software related it isnt shown all the time. doesnt seem to be the display itsself.

 

I don't have any problems with mine. I got my s96j the week after it came out.

 

the first day i never noticed it but now i notice it alot.

 

Who said I hated them???? Anyways, I didn't buy all three of them, I just returned the "one" I bought twice. I gave the S96J 3 chances, and I am debating on giving up or living with it. It is not a problem that is easy for me to ignore, but honestly I love almost everything else about the S96J. I may even keep it. It does seem to be getting better with time, but I might just be getting used to it. I have to say though that this is not a software issue. The problem I see does not come and go. It is always there. I have tried most if not all of the methods that people have suggested, but it is always there.

 

I put down no. I have seen some graininess when I get my face 6 inches from screen with some solid colors but I have determined that must not be what everyone is complaining about. I think the screen is fantastic. I was with a group of friends this weekend showing them a picture slideshow and there were many comments on how awesome the screen was.

I believe that only one person of the 4 who voted "no" made any comments (TheDoubtfulGuest). Could the other 3 that voted "no" please make comments? These are the 3:

dejacky
LocLoc
nick m

Do the 3 of you really own a S96j? By looking at your posts it does not look like you have one. If you do have a S96j please describe your issues. nick-m also voted negative on the S96j satisfaction pole.

TheDoubtfulGuest and/or Dunktank, are there any images and/or videos that you can post where you see this graininess? If you would rather e-mail them please PM me. I would like to look at them on my notebook and see if I have same issue. I have looked at thousands of images on my S96j and have not noticed it. They were not grayscale though.

 

see s96j owner's lounge

I strongly believe it is part software because as I said, when I launch and quit warcraft, the graininess goes away.

 

This whole issue is non existant. I polled 7 different people in the last few days locals non forum goers pros and noobs. Every single one said the screen is awesome after watching a video and using it for a bit. The conclusion is as it was. You are being overly picky. The pictures, games and videos look great at any angle. I dont care about anything else neither should you unless you are in the art of designing one color textures.

 

Eddie,

If you are done discussing this, stop. There is no reason to keep posting that there isn't a problem. We know your opinion.

 

I agree.
This problem exists whether it hurts your sales or not. I think people have the right to know that there is a problem with the S96J, even if it is only a small percentage of the units. People that are discussing the LCD issue are here to find a solution to the problem, and you don't seem to be helping much.

 

Here are some screenshots I took of screens that really showed this issue. I was running Windows Vista, and these were 2 of the solid color backgrounds you could choose.



NOTE: You don't have to be running Vista to see this. I also did a slideshow of the screenshots in Windows XP. They look the same.

 

Am i blind or sumthin im 2 inches from screen and dont see it.....

 

I am confused now. The pics above show a very normal screen shot. What should people be looking for. This doesnt hurt anyones sales. I am only here to state the very obvious. Picky people will always find something very wrong. and btw the s96j or the z96j, all the screens look the same. Also is it me or are the images above looking very good? If you were trying to show a poor quality of the screen you have not done it. To the poster above. You are not blind. You just see what most everyone else does.

 

On all three of mine, the gray background was very "grainy." It should be a solid color. If you don't see it, would you mind finding out what lcd you have?

 

I have an ibm t30 so whatever screen that is. Im still looking and I can't see anything wrong.

 

LOL, This is a problem with the Asus S96J. I have actually had a T30, and it definitely wouldn't have shown the problem.

 

I thought you had captured the grainy effect in the pic, not as like a reference for s96j owners

 

No, it would be impossible to capture the problem in a screenshot. I tried taking pictures with my digital camera, but they didn't turn out very well.

 

does that prove that the problem is with the lcd? because i can see the graininess.

 

Ok so this got extremely annoying becuase a perfectly great lcd was getting neg reps for no reason what so ever. So i opened a w3j. Took a look at the screen on comcast.net. Guess what? Same thing! The funny thing? Not a single complaint from any w3j buyer being a more popular notebook i would think otherwise. Can any one guess why not a single complaint on a w3j for the same issue. I can. The w3j was mostly purchased by happy people.

 

what does the w3j have to do with the s96j may i ask?