E1405/640M: TrueBright or Matte?

I'm basically going to be using it for research as my study machine. With the occassional movie or whatever in sparetime.

Essentially, I'll be using this screen for hours on end, so eye strain etc is a consideration also.

I ask because of the bad stories of this screen.

 

While I have never used a laptop with a matte screen, I've used several desktop LCD monitors with matte finishes in the past, and I've found that they give me considerable eye strain after prolonged use. I'm comparing this to my roommate's LCD monitor with the glossy coating on it, and of course my own laptop, which is the 6400/e1505 with Trulife.

The only downside I've encountered with my Trulife screen is when I take it out on the deck in the sun, where it's pretty much unreadable due to its reflective nature. In all honesty though I'm not sure how much more readable a matte screen would be in sunlight anyways. Movies and graphics look incredible though on the Trulife screen.

Try going to a local computer store to see if they offer laptops with both types of screens, then you can get a general idea of each one. It all boils down to personal preference though!

 

I got the Truelife but I had to adjust the resolution to the next highest setting from the default, it just makes the text a a bit larger but the margins are still pretty good.

 

Well.. since I dont think the 1505 had those options I went with the better lcd which comes with truelife.

Question for you all. I have never used a screen with gloss. So would this mean using it in the car on the road would be now harder to see? Just daylight in general, not even if the sun is on it?

What about in a room at home? Would it be better to cover out the daylight?

Just wondering what to expect if I do go out with it.. if I can or not really.

I hear at night time tho.. this screen is top notch!

 

I'll take some pics of the Trulife screen indoors and outdoors tomorrow hopefully; I'm just about off to work and I'm going to a housewarming after that!

 

I am in the market for a notebook and have been debating the truebright (high gloss) vs matte finish too. At first when I saw all the notebooks with their bright shiny high gloss screens, I said "Wow!" However upon more use with the machines in various stores, I found myself constantly adjusting the angles of the screens to try and get rid of all the glare. Coupled with their limited vertical viewing angle would sometimes make it a task to get it "just right." I then noticed that pretty much all desktop LCD's use the matte finish. (All of our 19" LCDs at work are matte also. Don't even know if the stand alone LCD's come in high gloss). I also noticed that the Apple notebooks with their gorgeous screens are matte.

Anyway, for me I find the reflections to be too irritating and tend to annoy me. That's just my opinion as it seems like pretty much every notebook I see in the store has a high gloss screen. You'll just have to judge for yourself and see what type of conditions you'll be using the computer in. (BTW, I don't watch may DVDs on a computer!)

 

I've got the true life screen and compared it directly to my boss's matte screen... I'm so happy I got the screen I did! His looked so dull and washed out. Mine obviously had some reflections by comparison, but it wasn't anything the brightness of the display couldn't make up for, IMO...

 

I am seriously considering an e1705, but I am trying to decide which screen I want to get. My issue isn't so much the glossiness of the screen, but the extremely high resolution (1920 x 1200) of the WUXGA screen. I realize that this screen will look great for movies and photo editing, but I worry about other things like gaming framerates and web browsing. I plan on getting the 7800 GO videocard, but can I run at native resilution and expect a decent framerate? I'm also worried about web browsing. Most websites are optimized for 1024 or even 800 pixels wide. I'm afraid that most websites will look TINY on this screen. I realize that web browsers have settings for changing the font size, but this does not change the size of graphics, and will usually break the formatting of a page. Does anyone have any insight into these issues? Does the 1920 x 1200 screen look okay when interpolated to a lower resolution? Is there any software tool that can make web browsing not so tiny on such a high resolution screen?

Thanks!

 

I would definately go for the WUXGA screen if your eyes can take it - way more screen real estate than the WXGA+ screen. I run games like AoEIII at their native resolution with the 7800 Go no problem - just be sure to upgrade the amount of RAM you have. Reguarding lowering the resolution: I wouldn't do it, it makes everything look out of place and blurry - if you must, I would only raise the DPI setting to make the text larger.

 

Well, I actually work in a retailer who sells laptops part time while I study. I have looked all all the different brands of Glossy screens and I like them, but after having an OLD IBM with a matte finish, I have not used a gloss screen for an extended period of time.

My major concern is eye strain! And also the massive amount of complaints pertaining to light leakage/dark spots on the E1405.

 

Light Leakage.. is there any on the 1505?

Also... do you guys think a gloss finish will always need to be wiped down? Matte doesnt need you to wipe for dust or finger prints really.. however I am wondering about gloss if you will have to wipe it down alot like if it were reading glasses or something to get the glare, or smuges out etc?

 

THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!!

 

Well, I got the best screen for the I6400 and I have to say dust and fingerprints would remain on true life screens so much easier than old screens.

 

So means alot of wiping down then eh? =/ Only to get more smudges and so?

Whats everyone using to clean them?

 

I took a couple of pics of my WXGA Trulife screen out on my deck. The contrast/brightness on the screen is at maximum. The first one is in the shade, the second one is in direct sunlight. As you can see, in the shade reflections are more pronounced, and in sunlight dust is more pronounced. The photos don't tell the whole picture however. I found browsing websites quite easy in both scenarios.

*Note to moderators: I'm not sure if i'm allowed to be posting large pics in a thread, if not let me know and i'll just post links to the images instead

 

Wow..the screen looks really hard to read in both of those pictures. Is it completely different inside?

 

Here is one from my desk, with the camera flash on. All my attempts at a clear non-flash photo failed horribly

I use the laptop all over the house (bedroom, office, livingroom, bathroom ), and I do not notice any glare whatsoever inside. As I mentioned in the post above, the screen is quite readable outdoors, I guess my eyes have more megapixels than my camera does.

 

Has anyone got a 640m with a matte screen? I'm getting put off the glossy screen the more I hear about it.

 

I purchased an e1405 with the matte screen but ended up returning it after a couple of days (because of the screen and a constant buzzing sound actually coming from the screen/lid).

My screen had light leakage along the bottom, making the bottom 1/4 screen appear washed out. Also, I found the vertical viewing angle to be not so great. Also, for some reason, I found the screen tough to read even though I thought it was bright enough. I'm not exactly sure why, perhaps poor contrast? (Unfortunately, I didn't check the manufacturer before I returned it.)

BTW, I went with the matte screen because I didn't want the higher resolution of WXGA+. I mainly need a computer for word processing and web surfing, and I don't think my eyes could handle the WXGA+.

 

Replying to AlexMcIver:

Why is that? The glossy screen is actually pretty nice. The glare looks horribe in those pictures, but if you read what he typed, he said that he gets virtually no glare inside, and outside it is still perfectly usable. I can confirm the inside results on my wife's e1405 with the glossy screen. I thought I would hate them (I have a matte screen on my Asus), but it really makes things much more crisp, and is actually a lot better on the eyes.

A lot of people worry about glare from things behind them like windows and lights. While that certainly happens, what a lot of people don't realize is that you are sitting close enough to the screen that your body blocks out 90% of those things.

And finally, Dell sells a screen protector that supposedly cuts down on glare. So if you get the glossy and decide that the glare is too much, you can spend the $10 and get one of those.

I have a got a couple of years before I get a new book, but after having some hands-on with my wife's book, I would say that I would strongly consider a glossy screen on my next book.

 

As to the gaming fps, the game will most likely be set to a standard 4:3 resolution e.g. I run games at 1024x800 on my WSXGA.

For websites, true the 1920X1200 is small, but on a 17" screen it's bearable.

 

Onedeep: It was more a concern about this particular screen. I was just wondering if the matte screens used on the e1405 had the same light leakage problems or if the problems were specific to the glossy screens used. I agree that the advantages of a glossy screen outweigh the downsides.

 

I received my E1405 with Truelife two days ago. I honestly don't think there's that much light leakage on it. The only time you notice the leakage is at boot up or when the all black screen saver goes on. Unless you will often be staring at pure black screens, you won't see the light leakage on your screen except for those two times. The glossy screen makes everything look so vivid and sharp. The only downside is the glare, which I have to admit, is a bummer, but I'm looking at buying a cover which goes over my screen and stops the glare. The glare is only bad outside or if you're window is in line with the screen. Other than that though, the screen is amazing.

 

I agree.. the leakage is ONLY if you use BLACK as the BOTTOM of the screen.. dont even notice it when it has a color on it.. now for WS DVDs however.. where the bottom would be black.. I could see your issues here...

However fullscreen movies.. wont have any issues.

 

" truelife = 1440x900"

Ehhm , isnt truelife like from resolution 1900x... ? I was planning on ordering the inspiron 9400 with 1440x900 and it isnt truelife ...

 

Light leakage and/or Shiny screens .... isn't the annoyance magnified when watching a DVD movie? I was looking forward to watching movies when on the road, but it seems like it may be like someone in the front row of a movie theater shinning a flash light onto the very bottom of the screen.

How is the movie watching experience?

 

l've got the Trulife and at first l thought the screen sucked, but now l don't really notice any issues and l have no problems with it.

 

truelife is the glossy coating and does not refer to the screen resolution at all. it can come in a variety of screen resolutions. it's just that on the e1405 at the moment, truelife only comes in combination with 1440x900.

 

I can now say that the glossy all depends on the book. I just replaced my wife's e1405 TrueLife with a Lenovo N100 VibrantView, and the screen on the Lenovo is much better. Colors are more rich, not as much glare, and not nearly as much light leakage.

 

I went to the Dell store and looked at the E1505 and E1705 in a Glossy screen, they did NOT have the E1405 at all.

At first the screen looked pretty good, but then the Rep played a Media Player Demo and with the screen 2 thirds dark, BAM ! There was a perfect reflection of myself and the Rep watching the Demo.

I knew I couldn't live with that so I am taking my chances with the Matte screen.

The first thing that came into mind was this review by Hazel.

"Yes, the screen is a tad shiny, and if you set your Windows desktop to black, you can use the LCD to help you comb your hair, floss, brush your teeth or put on makeup..."

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2950&review=Dell+Inspiron+e1405

If you are trying to decide, please try and view one in person to make your own personel preference.

 

Again, I think depends on the background light you work in. If your like me who doesnt like to sit in sunshined areas of the room or high powered lights.. it works like a charm. =)

 

Well, luckily I didn't have to make this decision. The M90 I ordered doesn't come with a Truelife screen, just two different options of resolutions, but both are Ultrasharp. I ended up having to go with the WXGA+ for the deal I got, but if it comes down to it, I might end up having to call Dell and pay the extra price for the WUXGA if possible.

When it comes to glossy vs. matte, I'm torn. I like the look and everything that a glossy gives, it does look much more vibrant. But I don't like the viewing angles or the glare. I HATE glare. I usually turn all the lights off when I watch TV cause I hate glare so much. And I've used a matte screen for years, so it's not like I'll be downgrading or anything.

 

I think if Dell wouldve given us higher res options with Matte, we would have done it more, cause I agree, I like going out and not worrying about light and glare.. but I wanted res size. =p

Aside from that I have no complaints on my gloss. =)

 

matte, i can't stand the glare true life gives, try using one outside...it's a pain in the arse

 

Does anyone have a picture of the matte?
The Tru Life looks very bright

 

Tell me when you get the cover if it works? I am curious,on dells's site they have 10 upgrade option for the truelife screen that has like a anti-glare coating, does it help any??

I am looking at getting an e1405, and I am curious if I should get the glossy screen because I am going to law school, and will be using it in a class room/library setting most of the time. I am not sure if I want the gloss, but I initial reaction is to get the gloss, because I like the way it looks. Anyway, are there any law students out there with opinions on the matter. thx

 

bump. . . I went and looked at the glossy screen at the dell direct store, adn it seemed like it might get old after a while. I will be spending alot of time in well lit areas doing a ton of word processing and research. I am now leaning towards the matte screen. Any advice?

 

bump. . I could use any advice asap thnx also, should I get teh system restore cd?

 

Hey ArmyLaw
I just read this thread about the matte screen and thought you would be interested in reading it. I dont know how much it helps your decision making but hope it helps somewhat

 

which thread are you refering to?

 

Oh man, im so sorry. What was I doing when I wrote that lol
Here is the link that I was reffering to you about

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=68829

 

I ended up getting the matte screen, and it looks great. It is bright, and there is very little if avny light leakage. I wouldn't have ever seen it if I hadn't tried to look really hard for it. I am glad I went with the Matte because when i checked out the glossy one in the mall the glare was really bad, and I knew I would get sick of the glare in the bright classroom and library. I am very satisfied with the screen on my e1405.

 

I wish I could find this guys blog that I read when I was deciding between this---he had pictures that where he showed the difference between the screens...it was crazy! But a comment he made was "Unless you're going to be huddling in a dark cave looking at porn...don't get the glossy finish!" haha that convinced me to go for matte...

 

Just received my E1405 w/ Matte screen 3 days ago. After weeks of research and seeing all the Glossy screens in the stores, I was too concerned about glare and reflections to go that route. My purpose was for a notebook that I can use for the next few years as I go through Grad school and also use for some basic multimedia uses (DVD, Mp3's, light gaming, etc...).

I got the Matte screen LCD manufactured by Quanta (sp?) and I think it looks fantastic. Resolution is the perfect size (not too big...not too small)...the color and brightness is plenty good enough. On a pure black screen...I had to really try to see the leakage on the bottom, and it's barely there. If I hadn't known to look for it, I probably would never have realized it was there.

I am really happy with this system (so far). If you have any questions, let me know.

 

TRUE LIFE ROCKS!!!!! (y)

 

I have owned both Matte and True life/bright displays both on Dell laptops and by far I love the Glossy True Life. The matte to me seemed dull and not very sharp at times. The Glossy seems to jump out at me and is very sharp. I would go with True Life.

 

That's a great idea! I'll get the glossiest one I can find.

 

How can you tell the manufacturer of the LCD?

 

GO here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=71735
And read post #8

 

The truelife beautiful. Got mine last night and no dead pixels (YAY!). Resolution is a tad small if you have bad vision, so bare that in mind when buying.