How do I fix my m1530 Grainy Screen?

well if i dont i can just send back the unit that doesnt have it. it appears most of the new orders (US atleast) all seem to be getting the DW306 LG which is what i got but the backlight was broke.

 

I'm going through Dell support to get my SEC screen replaced (garbage) BUT it is NOT a TrueLife screen - meaning its the regular matte finish which is the whole reason why I purchased this laptop - an Inspiron 1525.

I did receive the laptop with the matte screen but with that comes the grainy whites, dim brightness, blueish tint etc. Of course I only find that out now!

The Dell support has been OK, despite taking an incredible 3 hours of being on hold, I'm now waiting for my support lady to return my call.

So far there are many people who have replied with great success in getting their SEC or AUO replaced to a LG, but I dont think anyone mentioned if it was a TrueLife (mirror/gloss) or Matte.

So my question is, is it possible to get a screen replaced that is LG and matte finish? If so, what do I tell the Dell lady? She is very willing to order me a specific screen if I supply the part number (suprisingly), so a part number would really help!

 

I don't know of any LG screen that is matte. As far as I know, all LG's are mirror finish.

My part number is XK309 (15.4") and there's another one, DW306 as far as I know.

If you request a matte one, you'll probably get a SEC or AUO.

 

yeah the M1530 only comes with a gloss screen. Are you sure you did not buy a latitude or a vostro?

 

Can you post your review here?

I know it's Dell's site, but that's crazy if they kick out the 'bad' reviews and only keep the good ones.

 

Unfortunately I didn't think that Dell wouldn't post my review until after I submitted it. I didn't copy it before sending. (

 

Sorry I probably didn't make it clear enough that I was using an Inspiron 1525.

I just checked the Dell Australia website and its different! They no longer offer the matte screen as default, if you want it there is a warning in blue saying please expect 3-4 weeks delivery if you want matte. So it seems everyone's receiving a free upgrade to TrueLife-becuase only 2 days ago the price included only a matte screen, now its the TrueLife as default for the same price, or wait a month for matte.

Lucky I got in before the months wait - but still the screen is poor and I hate glossy screens. Sigh what else can I do? HP/Compaq dont offer anything close the specs of my dell for the price, or even a matte screen.

 

OK, I confirmed my order for a Midnight Blue m1530 with 1440x900 screen, and the order quotation that was returned to me before I put my order states the lcd part as,
M809C -15.4" Widescreen WXGA+ (1440x900) TFT Display with TrueLife(TM)

I hope this one is an LGP. Please comment if my hopes are futile.

 

How can you tell if it's grainy or not?

 

M809C -15.4" Widescreen WXGA+ (1440x900) TFT Display with TrueLife(TM)
This is the generic part number for all of the panels. Ask for the invoice, the part number for your LCD should be specified there.

 

Yesterday I've make a call to Limerick, Irland, it's the biggest DELL factory in europe I think. So I ask them are still comming out XPS M1530's notebooks with grainy screens. They sad that the problem is fixed, no more grainy screens comming out. Can someone confirm this? Most users here are from USA, and their notebooks are builded in USA probably. Can someone form Germany, UK or other europe countries confirm that after 02.2008 have not screen problems?

 

I got a M1530 earlier in March sent to the UK, and I've now arranged to return it because of the screen. Personally the grain I could live with (so maybe it is better than it was), but the uneven backlighting was the killer for me.

Pity - Great laptop apart from that tho.. and quite impressed with Dell support too. Always rung back when they said they would and at least attempted to sort me out as quickly as they could.

 

Here's an image of what the screen looks like. You can really see the horizontal lines that make any sort of gradient on screen seem 'grainy'. It's a hard thing to capture with a camera, but this image seemed to do best.

The only alteration made to this image was a resize.



Higher res version (~ 1 MB

The full quality photo can be seen here (as long as I still have bandwidth...) Warning: 5 MB File! Click at your own risk.

 

@timbatec; I can only vouch for myself and tell you that I got a non grainy LG screen. It was delivered March 31st.

 

Good shot, that's pretty much what mine looked like.

For all of you planning on giving up on trying to get an LG, DON'T!!! That's what they want you to do, that's why they give you all of those B.S. lines from a script. They keep a record of how many times you complain, keep doing it until they either agree OR give it back to them and go somewhere else. I know if I had to suffer through the s*** viewing angles of the Samsung for more than a month I would kill myself. Having to hold my head completely still to work is too annoying, that's all fixed with the LG.

 

Oh my god, it's terrible. My XPS M1530 is comming next week, I told them about this issue and that I want an LG screen, I've sent them links from a lot of forums about this problem, if there is grainy screen, I want my money back!!! NO repairing (and waithing another 4 weeks) NO discounts, DELL tickets or other ****s!

 

Thank's god one xps m1530 user with positive answer, I am feeling nervous, i hope will have luck to get non grainy screen )

 

Contact Dell Customer Support and get your service tag. Then logon to your Dell account and go to My Systems & Peripherals under Support. Enter your service tag and you should be able to see the components they put in your system.

Keep in mind they can make mistakes. My last M1530 arrived last Friday, even though the service tag shows a Samsung RW985 it's a LG that's in it.

 

is that the only way to check?

my fear is that because I've never owned a laptop before, I wouldn't know whether or not I'm looking at a grainy screen

 

Hi guys,

Been a member here for a while. Don't think I've ever posted. First bought the m1530 in January. Got the Samsung screen and was grainy/sparkly. Was really horrible on pure white backgrounds like NBR's pages and this forum. Would cause a headache if I looked at the screen for more than 10 minutes. Returned that one not because of the screen but laptop base was warped and was not sitting level with any surface. Got a replacement for that and guess what? Video card issues. Random black lines all over the screen. That one had the Samsung screen too and when it was working had the same grain/sparkle issue.

Last week saw a good deal on the m1530 and decided to jump on it. Got it today with the LG DW306 screen. Let me tell you it is a dream. Pure flat whites, bright and nice viewing angles. I thought the grain issue was something I had tagged along with reading this thread but the LG screen puts that to rest. Perfect screen and for once I am 100% satisfied with Dell.

 

That's the fastest way of finding out which LCD was installed in your laptop. If you have one of the poor quality Samsung you will know. The viewing angles are so bad you will know.

 

Man alive, I was all set to buy my Dell M1530 because I got an awesome deal (1200 for 3gb ram, t7500, 120hd, 1440x900, etc.) but, this has scared me. I am buying through the military website and rather concerned that it may be more difficult for me to get things fixed should something go wrong.

States versus abroad, is there better luck getting better manufacture in the US? Or, is the tech better to deal with in the US?

Thanks, E

 

they are always closed when i get off work to call. GRRRR!

what phone process do you go through in the phone menu?

place an order?

then they ask if its a new order i said no.

the phone system seems to be a bit confusing for someone trying to exchange a unit.

 

I am from UK got my 1530 yesterday. I changed my screen spec to a 1440 screen at the last minute as this appears to be the least affected with grainy screen & poor viewing angles.

Luckily booted up and the screen seemed fine & upon checking the monitor is a LPLD00 (LG)

Although it still didnt stop Dell / Welsh Western mucking up the delivery and telling me porkies on the phone. Was due to be an AM delivery and eventually turned up at 3.30 pm just as I was about to go out after being told it would not be delivered at all and the local depot could not locate it . Talk about left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing...

Guess I should be thankfull though, my sympathy goes out to all still struggling to get a decent screen for what is supposedly Dell's premier consumer laptop.

 

So what is the verdict on the WSXGA+ XR860?

Havent heard that many people talk about this and I actually went through the entire 143pages of this thread and couldnt find an answer.

 

I'm quite sure XR860 is the same as RW985. In fact 2 two first units I got had both XR860 and RW985 has part numbers and both were bad.

 

Dell changed the part number to throw you off.

 

alright, thanks for clarifying this, will have to call a dell rep and get a new lcd once my new replacement comes in

 

I got the XR860 and it's bovine excrement. I'm on the march for a proper screen amongst a slew of other issues this lemon came with.

 

How did you manage to order a screen at that res? When I visit the Dell site in the UK it shows the only option available as 1280x800.

 

I know! Those dirty cheats

 

I'm going to try and mail the Tech Support guy I know and see what joy I can stir up...

 

A recent experience:

Got an M1530 with the WSXGA+ screen and it arrived (I'm in the UK) on Saturday.

Sadly it shipped with the SEC3350 screen which is grainy, and the viewing angle is awful. Not terribly surprised as manuf. date was 18/1/2008 (I got it from the outlet at a nice price, knowing the risk with the 1650 screen).

Called tech support on Tuesday and after 40 mins finally got to the 'we're sending a replacement' point and asked the part number of the replacement - RW985. My heart sank. I asked for XK309 (dell part number for LG), but this was 'not recognised' (assume it's not in stock). Said I really would prefer the LG, not Samsung. The helpful tech guy put me on hold for another 5mins and came back with C930C (the whole assembly).

I just had a engineer in to replace it. Sadly, still a Samsung SEC3530, still grainy, still really awful viewing angle.

The helpful engineer phoned the mothership, and passed them to me. They towed the company line 'working as intended', I retorted with 'not working as expected, and not fit for purpose - I'm a designer'. More discussion about the problem and said there are no LG's in stock and they have no idea when, or if, they will come back into stock (ever). As far as they were concerned it was working OK and I should speak to customer service if I still have an issue.

I still have an issue, but TBH, I think I'll keep it. It's the viewing angle which annoys the most after you get used to the grain.

TLDR:
M1530 is a nice piece of kit, but to anyone considering the WSXGA+ screen, I would suggest you wait until this [SEC3350] issue is just a dim and grainy memory ;-)

For anyone getting the Samsung part replaced, the C930C part is the whole screen assembly, not the panel, and which panel you get within this is still a lottery. At this time in UK (EU) it's likely to be the sammy

 

It would be nice if we all could find out first hand from someone as their stories change from one rep to the next...that is what makes it worse ..rather than all being on the same page and sticking to "one story"...some people get lucky the first time and others get the run around...just my .02c...cheers!

 

This is what I've been told as well.

 

I have finally gave in...

Bought XPS M1530 had the crappy SEC3350 got it swapped for an LG LPLF300 only to find laptop no longer shut down when i closed the lid even though all settings are correct.

Dell then sent me a replacement which had the SEC3350 again even though id said id be sending it back if it came with that screen.

so after 2hrs on the phone being told that :-
they don't use LG screens
the replacement screen wasnt an LG
no LG are in stock
SEC3350 is working as intended blah blah
and some other outrageous lies

i just said ok f&*% this Ill have my thousand pounds back thank you very much

but the silver lining is can now buy an XPS m1530 with a better penryn chip for less money than i paid originally.

just gonna get the 1440x900 resolution screen. can any1 confirm this screen is ok and not grainy? im sure ive read it somewhere but cant remember where.

p.s. Dell wont do anything about the samsung screen, for every 1 person who complains there are probably a thousand who dont know the difference. theyre making money either way so they dont care

 

yes with the 1440x900 you will have a better chance of getting the LG...

 

The reason the laptop may not have shut down, is if the tech did not assemble the laptop correctly after changing the screen. There's a magnet in the top, to the left of the webcam (put a paper clip up to it, and you'll see) that activates a reed switch to tell the computer the lid is closed.

If you want to have some fun with it, run your iPod headphones along the front edge of the palm rest, just to the left of the trackpad. It will usually trip the switch and put your computer to sleep!

Either way, I'm sure you'll be better off with a better and cheaper laptop.

 

I've just got the Sales invoice I cant tell which LCD will be on my M1530 but i have the Item No. Whcih is 230-10152 is this the grainy screen?

 

Hello, I called dell today about my purchase and asked if they new what screen I would be getting on my 1530. Of course the guy I talked to said every thing in the computer was made by Dell. (must be new to computers) So after 20min of waiting to talk to someone I gave up! I ordered it with the 1440 x 900 screen does anyone know if that will be an LG or how do I tell. Thanks in advance.

M1530
2.4mhz 3mb cache
navidia 256 8600gt
x-fi sound card
320gb HDD

 

You can call and request your service tag and enter it on Dell Support "my systems" and it will list the guts of the laptop.

 

Hoo boy. I just got dumped from a chat with a support tech who dared try to tell me that "The grainy screen is seen across all LCD panels including both notebooks and desktop monitors and is not specific to any one brand of LCD or computer.Moreover, this is not a manufacturing defect; it is inherent to the way LCDs are designed."

OMFG!!! I went OFF on the moron. He said he'd order a LG screen but that it could be subbed with a Samsuck and that this would be a one-time only fix. He was going to send almost half a laptop's worth of plastics and parts and I suggested it would be easier to send a new laptop and swap the hard drives. He didn't see the humor of it and then we got "cut off." Argh!!!

I've been fairly happy with my personal Dell purchases in the past but am rapidly about to reverse course and become a sworn enemy. When will corporations realize that while they spend fortunes in getting people to like them, when wronged the people will hate them for free and tell others how badly they've been mistreated?

 

The old saying..."word of mouth is the cheapest form of advertising" ..good or bad....

 

From the service call summary...

We'll have to wait and make sure that that's the part that gets here (although I believe it will be, because they most likely scanned the product at the warehouse where it ships from.)

If a dell rep tells you that the part is not available, insist on speaking/chatting with their manager, and if their manager can't do anything, insist that they escalate the issue. Tell them that other people have been told the part was not available, yet they have received it. Ask them at the very least if they can request the part, even if you may end up with a Samsung... The reps don't know for sure what will be sent out when they request XK309, but they also don't know for sure that they won't be in stock. They also may be claiming that they're not available because Dell doesn't want them to get out.

Either way, even if they are out of the XK309, escalating your complaint will let Dell know that you're serious about the issue.

 

Yup just keep hammering away. My XK309 arrived yesterday ... after a month of nasty letters and frustrating phone calls

 

What res screens are usually the samsung ones? I got the 1440x900 res screen, what are the chances I'll get an LG?

 

33% chance

You either get a Samsung, LG, AUO

It does not matter what resolution or whether they promise, you get whatever they have on hand.

 

First time poster, just giving you my experience with the m1530, I purchased from the Dell outlet. When i first got it, it had a SEC3350 screen it was dull looking. I called Dell told them my screen looked dull, they setup a replacement screen and 2 days later I luckly received a Phillips LG screen. "Big Difference". By the way I Love my XPS M1530.

 

as my machine is in order processing stage and the call i got from the directors office yesterday said the lead time on the processors is 15days i dont think a service tag would've be generated for my machine yet or do they issue them as soon as order is placed?

 

Not until it is built and ready to ship