How do I fix my m1530 Grainy Screen?

Dell has done absolutely nothing to fix this problem in spite of what the techs keep saying. If you search the SEC3350 screens, you will find problems that go all of the way back to July 2007 regarding the different models using this screen and the problems it has with graininess and the limited viewing angles.

In my opinion, they will continue unloading these screens on customers in their apparent willingness to accept a limited complaint percentage of return on these screens from unsuspecting customers, because many do not realize that they could have had a better product.

Personally, I say, shame on Dell.

 

Got my XK 309 today - amazing - such a vast difference over the samsung. Looking back now it was like using a screen with a fine grid mesh on it. The LG has really opened my eyes on the laptop now.

R

Mehul

 

I have a blu ray on my 1530 and I watched a movie on it last night. The DW306, LG screen is great. Very nice picture.

 

I just got of the phone with dell australia, and apparently theres no chance i can change the my samsung monitor to the lg one. Anyone know how i can squeeze it out of them??

 

are you in the 21 return period? if so, send the laptop back for an exchange and hope for the best. if you don't get an lg then, buy elsewhere.........

 

i got my laptop yesterday im expecting a call back soon, as i also queried about upgrading to the penryn processor, which came out a couple days after my order here.

 

Be polite and but persistent. Make your case and let them know you're informed that you've seen other displays and know yours is not as sharp or bright. I also reminded them that I'm a repeat customer and I upgrade every year or two and what kind of resale value will this laptop have if the buyer is aware of the Samsung display issue.

Waiting on the tech right now. On his way with my LG. I'll keep you posted after I evaluate the new display.

 

You guys rock for being so persistent. I just gave up after two tries. After living with my E1505 for a bit over two years I just got my new Lenovo T61. Never buying a Dell ever again.

My sister will live with it though, grainy screen and all. Its still got 2 years accidental damage left.

 

Well the tech just finished in under 30 minutes I'm typing this on my laptop with my new screen (LPLF300) and I have to say this display is so much brighter, sharper and 'whiter' than the Samsung.
I just want to say 'THANKS' to all the forum members for posting advice on how to pursue this issue with Dell. Had it not been for you folks I wouldn't have thought I had any recourse as I purchased this from the Dell Outlet.

 

Finally the tech finished install my new LG screen took him just 10mins to do it, everything went as planned, few tiny lilttle scratch which I don't really mind
After all really satisfy with this new screen, eventhough it my thrid time calling them. So I agree that persistent and patient is the key here.

Btw I kinda get a free upgrade to LG Phillipe 1440x900 resolution from my old samsung 1280x854. they didn't even ask LOL

Of course many THANKS to all members who post advice and tips on this problems, really really appriciated so much!

-Australia satisfy customer

 

yeah in my call this morning i kept saying how the screen was really bad, and they said there was nothing they can do, if they dont call me back soon with the information on the CPU then i will be calling them back and i wont be as calm about it.

 

RE: the UK script being "all the Samsungs have been fixed"

is this actually true? Is there a new model out.
Because I'm up against a dead end now trying to get a screen, and hell, if they're fixed, I'll just ask for a fixed one then.

 

As I said in an earlier post, I just had my old Samsung WXGA screen replaced, poor viewing angles, uneven backlighting , backlight buzz etc, with a new Samsung screen and it's now perfectly acceptable. Incidentally neither screen had/has any graininess issues.

 

Whats your model number mate? I may ask them for this Samsung... may as well give it a try. Esp with the AU Optromics seemingly having a really poor grain rating at 1440 res.

 

Dont want to be ruin your laptop enjoyment, but I too, had one of the 'good' Samsungs, and I got it replaced with an LG yesterday - the difference is like day and night.

If you really want to keep your Samsung, at least go and see an LG model. If you are still happy fine, if not . . . . . . you have 100pages of this thread to read !

 

Why in the hell would I want too. I'm more than happy with the display I've now got, couldn't care less that it's not an LG.

 

Sorry mate, although I had it confirmed that it was a Samsung replacement I still can't access the model number, only get Default_monitor. BTW mine's a WXGA (1280x800) screen, not 1440.

 

mah... cheers anyway, dunno what to do next really. They'll only offer me a refund and I don't really want to have to send this thing back and buy another.

 

Part 2

The Dell contractor that was due to stop by my office yesterday called to confirm our appointment. I asked him to check which screen he was bringing, Samsung or LG. Unfortunately, it was a Samsung. I told him not to bother coming, and to ask dell to send over the LG instead. He attempted to place the order, but now they're telling him it's Backordered for a month. I smell BS on Dell's side, but I've decided to let the tech come anyway. I'll let him install the samsuck and if it's still not up to my liking, I'm calling dell and they can have this laptop back.

Anyone else hear the Backordered LG story?

 

Sounds like they want your 21 days to expire...I would either:

Get confirmation that an LG is on the way

OR

Send it back

I ended up getting the LG about 5 days before my 21 were up, and it is flippin sweet. If they had not got the LG to me in time it would have been sent back and I would of spent my money elsewhere.

 

I just got my Samsung replaced with the LG, and it really is a significant difference. The whites are white and everything seems more vibrant. My advice for getting the LG is to just not bother with people who won't order you the replacement part. If they won't order XK309 (or whatever the new LG part number is) then just say "Thanks, but no thanks," and go on to the next rep. I went through about five reps before I simply asked one - "Can you order a specific part number for me?" And he said yes. It's not worth the time and frustration of trying to coax an unwilling rep to do something that they're not experienced enough or willing to do. Just keep trying until you find a rep that will agree to give you what you want. Good luck!

By the way, from the time I had the order put in until the time it was shipped was about two weeks, so there may be some truth to the "out of stock" bit that some people are getting.

 

My Story--> What I had to do......

USA

I got the ****_ty Samsung 15.4 screen, 1680x1050. I was still within my 21day return window. I called tech support- I jumped through the hoops but he said He did not have authority to replace it, forwarded me to Customer Service. I talked with a CS rep(foreign accent) and told him I had a bad screen, explained in detail, etc. He said I would have to return the laptop for a replacement. I said I would if he could guarantee that I would get a LG on the replacement. He said it was not in their control, yada yada yada- script. I told him I am a repeat customer and that I didn't want to return the laptop without getting the LG. I gave him the part number, #XK309. He looked it up and said that was what was in the laptop I have- HE LIED TO ME. I gave him the information from the device manager, etc., showing it was a Samsung. He then went away for a few minutes and when he came back he said he consulted with their tech rep and apologized for his mistake. I told him he flat out lied to me and that I wanted an LG screen, #XK309. He finally said, OK, that he would ship it, but I would have to install it-- hmm, what's going on. He said I should contact Tech. Support again after it was the shipment was confirmed. 2 days later I got the screen- it is beautiful LG XK309, the box plainly marked, new in plastic wrap, not refurbed.

This time I contacted XPS TECH SUPPORT by phone. I talked with KAREN and she actually spoke plain, fluent English. I told her I had an LG screen for my XPS laptop and I needed it installed. She looked up my account, checked my information and said great, you have the part, so now we need to install it for you....... She did a dispatch and also asked if I was positive it was just the screen. I said no..... So she said she would send a mobo to the tech in case their was a problem with it also.

Bottom line, I got the LG, the tech installed it today and the difference is incredible- even he noticed the difference. He said that what was probably going on was that Dell wants to keep the replacements to a minimum and that unless Tech Supports actually believes the LCD is defective, they can not authorize a replacement. But Customer Service wants to make us happy and THEY can authorize a replacement. I made it plain to CS that if I returned the laptop, I would be buying a MBP and yes, I was completely serious. So my tech said that once someone authorizes the replacement and you have the part, Tech Support can authorize a dispatch. In my case, XPS support also sent an extra part to make it look good. My tech said it was a game they have to play.........

Hope this helps someone else...........

 

Hello,

I just had my last ditch replacement for my m1530 sent to me before my return period ran out here in Canada. By luck, I got a non-Samsung LCD. It looks brighter and whiter (I understand the grain thing now). I haven't really had a chance to really check it out to give a good review.

However, I found that the hardware ID under Device Manager says LPL010F.

Can anyone tell me more about this LCD? How does this compare to the other LG screen people have been raving about (LPF300 or something like that?).

 

That's LG Philips. You got it right. I got LPL0301.

 

just rang dell back as they were meant to ring me back. it seemed like they didnt even have a record of what i said yesterday on the phone, regarding both my monitor and cpu. They were quite rude on the phone (yesterday they were very good) they also kept sending me back and forth between departments, when i just gave up.

 

Support with almost any company is hit or miss. You may get the person who is genuinely interested in helping you, and likes what they do, or you may get the person who hates their job, and wants to get you off the phone as quickly as possible.

I my experiences, the thing to do is to be nice and courteous, yet stern. Explain what you want without getting angry, and if they can't help you, do as said above and move on to the next person. Get the names (and I believe Dell has some sort of employee ID system or something) of the people you talk to in case you have to reference anything they told you.

It really sucks trying to deal with some of these people, but if you're nice to everyone you talk to, you may get someone who will want to help you.

My 1530 comes in today, and I'm hoping for the best. I really don't want to go through the process of replacing the screen, but I will if it isn't up to par. I went through the same issue with my PowerBook 2 and a half years ago, with a vertical line issue that nobody at Apple seemed to care about. After 3 laptops, I was able to send it in to get the screen replaced. Why companies cheap out on screens on high end laptops is beyond me.

 

I've been reading on here that people are looking at their system details through the service tag. How can you obtain your service tag if it isn't on the email they send you with your order?

 

Request an invoice from your account. That's how I did.

 

I called Dell and via my order# they were able to give me that on the phone...cheers!!!

 

just had the Techie round, swapped my screen out for a new one which thankfully is an LG LPLF300 and he also swapped the motherboard as was having sound problems. only thing is he forgot to put a screw back into the back of the laptop ><

also the laptop now won't turn off when i close the lid even though i got all the power options set right, anyone know why this might be?

 

Sounds like the field engineer failed to put the magnet back into the bezel on your laptop. This magnet determines whether your lid is opened or closed.

 

ahh ok thanks.

also there is no sleep option now in the power options. don't really wanna kick off too much with Dell, the guy did a good job apart from the screw and it the lid thing didn't scratch anything etc.

just got through to xps suport then it hung up on me after i waited on hold for 20mins.....

 

I think you need to reinstall the chipset driver. Probably because the motherboard was replaced. I bet this will fix both problems.

 

already tried the drivers didn't change anything

even did a full re-install as was new board but that didn't sort it out either><

its got the latest BIOS too Tech is coming here again on monday. i'll just keep on at them til its all sorted and perfect. speaking of which cpu fan seems to be working kinda hard now.....

 

shouldnt your service tag be on the bottom of your laptop??

 

Yes you're correct. I was just talking about the people who are getting their service tags before the unit ships so that you can check the part number of the lcd you are getting.

I've ordered 5 Dell laptops in the past year. 2 were for family and they liked it. of the 3 that were for me, 2 had terribly grainy screens and sent them back. The one LG I received was beautiful - so if my new system doesn't have an LG, I'll tell them to replace it before sending.

Thanks for the advice - I'll give Dell a call!

 

Just got my 1530, I knew it had the Samsung screen before, and I can really tell that something's wrong with this screen. It seems as if the equipment making the screen is oh-so-slightly miscalibrated, and all the layers aren't exactly lining up or something, but it's pretty bad. I can also notice horizontal lines (very faint) every other row of pixels, much like my 15" PowerBook had.

Time to start the repair process...

 

Update: This screen has the EXACT SAME PROBLEM Apple had with their 15" PowerBooks in November 2005. The graininess is there, but if you look closely, I'll bet that you'll see that every other row of pixels is slightly darker.

Use this image to test: http://pds1.egloos.com/pds/2/200601/19/10/10002610_1546567.jpg

The images on the right have grey lines imposed over them, but the top and bottom images have the lines offset by one pixel. You should see the lines in one of them, and not in the other (the images on the left have no other 'doctoring', so you'll probably see faint lines on them anyways).

Now move the image up or down one pixel. The image on the right that had lines will be clean, and the image what didn't have them will have them.

There's a chance that only my screen could have this specific symptom, but as widespread as this issue was with the PowerBooks, I'd say that all of these grainy screens have the same issue as well. It took me about 4 months to get the issue resolved with Apple. Hopefully Dell will be much better.

I was told many many times by Apple employees that the screen was within spec, even when showing images that showed the defect so well. They finally replaced the screens quitely...

 

I ordered one xps m1330 on Tuesday, and I just checked the service tag:

"LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., 13.3 WXGA, VIDEO ELEC. STDS. ASSOC...., TLF, LGP, V2"

Hopefully, I get a nice screen. Even though this lappy is not for me

 

After reading trough this topic I don't dare to order the M1530. I really don't want to spend weeks on trying to get a nice LCD screen..

Do these problems occur to the WXGA+ and the WXGSA+ or just on one of these? 'Cause I'm planning to order it with a WXGA+ ( I find the WXGSA+ too expensive )

Thanks =)

 

I wish i looked at this forum before i ordered my dell xps 1530 like 3 days ago. Unfortunately i didn't. Oh well. I have a samsung desktop monitor and i like it. i don't know, maybe laptops are different. I am a desktop freak cuz i play graphics demanding games but i decided to give a laptop a try for once. I know that the new 8600m gt isnt all that good cuz the desktop review wasnt good for the 8600gt. But it is dx10 capable and it is a faster video decoder. but for gaming i guess the Go 7900gt would have been better. Oh well its not available anymore. I read through the whole thread almost lol (skipping a few here and there). It seems as though lots of ppl like the LG better i dont have a sig yet for my order so i dont know yet what i will get. I wont expect too much. I hope you guys get the panels you want.

BTW someone mentioned that asians are more pickier with their screen selection so more of them get the LG panels. That is not the reason why they get the LG panels. Just take a look at this link and it will tell you why they get the panels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LG.Philips_LCD good luck to you all and sorry for not having a system sig but i dont have time right now but i will be posting it on later posts

 

mostly the 1680x1050...

 

How come? Will I be safe taking the WXGA+ (1440x??)?

 

No, you will not be "safe" getting the wxga+ cuz those come with different panels to (including samsung) but you are "safer" than with the wxsga+ cuz odds are higher with the wxga+ that you get an LG

 

No, I got an SEC3157 1440x and it is the same thing. It is all just a crap shoot.

 

Hmm, but after I order Dell will send me an service tag and I will be able to see if I get an LG or a Samsung? I'm sorry I'm asking such stupid questions but I'm very affraid I'm gonna spend 1000 euro on a laptop with a bad screen.

 

Yes, you will see it on your service tag but your service tag wont be made until a week or so after you submitted the order.

 

So what if I make my order by call and say I definetely want a LG screen or else I won't buy? Will that help? Or do I have to wait until I get my tag and start calling, if needed, then?

 

Check this thread to see the part number for LG and see if the Dell guy allow you to specify that

 

My replacement has been shipped on Thursday and it's a Samsung panel. It will be sent back as well.

Today I went the the Dell kiosk with my 1530 1680x1050 Samsung panel to compare it to the demo unit.

Do Not Accept a Samsung panel no matter how good you think it looks. With the 2 laptops side by side I could cleary see the the angles on the Samsung are poor. The brightness and clarity of the screen are also poor on the Samsung.

Dell, you are screwing your customers who are paying a premium for your XPS laptops.

I am beyond mad on this issue. I strongly urge everybody to go to the Dell forums and post your story in the Samsung satisfaction 1680x1050 thread in the XPS Laptop section.