Grainy Samsung WSXGA+ replaced with LG = Perfect!

I posted a thread on a similar topic but thought I might as well add to this one instead.

I had a grainy WXGA+ Truelife screen made by AUO on my Vostro 1500. This morning it has been replaced with a grainy Samsung WSXGA+ Truelife. If anything it is worse despite being 'Ultrasharp'!!! Not only does it have grain but the colours are really washed out and look very dull.

Dell called me this afternoon aware that I was not happy with this latest screen. I went on and on about not being satisfied until I have tried the LG screen.

I offered to quote part numbers and hardware id's but the Tech supervisor said that there was no stock of LG screens. That there is a shortage.

He then said they would contact me when they had a screen that would not have the problems I have been experiencing. I have a case number and the guys name.

I mentioned that I do not want to be forgotten about on this issue. He stated that this problem would be followed through until I was satisfied.

I don't know if I really trust this to be the case.

I am UK based. Has anyone had a WSXGA+ Truelife LG screen recently from Dell.

More importantly if anyone gets one after this date and time could they post the details here as I can then go back to Dell and say that the LG screens being out of stock is not true and I can then voice my displeasure!!!!!

Many Thanks

 

lots of people have recently got the lg screens

 

Are you referring to the UK here?

If so are Dell spinning me a load of cr*p with this out of stock line???

 

yeah I was quite surprised when I received an LG screen on my FIRST shot. I was worrying to no end that I would probably get a grainy LCD. (based in Australia btw)

anyway, zfactor and ukclaret, I hope you get the same success as I have.

good luck

 

like i said before. maybe this concers Dells 15" (vostro 1500), on other Dell laptops example m1710, 9400, M90 .......Samung have one of the best True life sceens. i had a LG who was good, but it also had bleeding which the Samsung didnt have.

so once again, it depends which screen size we talk about.

 

LG make decent screens, but back to the topic, for the Inspiron 1520/Vostro 1500 models, they supply the best screens for the WSXGA+ resolution. Samsung screens could be the best for other resolutions. So for anyone who has an Inspiron or Vostro on order, don't fret about getting an LG or Samsung, unless it's the WSXGA+ resolution. My replacement to a LG screen was necessary due to the grain actually hurting my eyes. And it was customer CARE that approved my LG replacement. Tech department wouldn't even consider changing it for me. In the end I got what i wanted, but I won't say the firmest way to get a replacement screen is through Tech support, Care actually worked better for me.

 

ukclaret: yeah i did! i'm in malaysia though. i posted pics of my screen replacement change a few pages back. I actually requested a change last friday (14/9/2007) and got the replacement (LG) in the following monday (17/9/2007).

it seems that the screen issue has been blown out of proportion. seems similiar to the 'i got the dell travel remote and you didn't' scenario a while ago. don't change for the sake of changing. if it really affects your reading, like me, then by all means do so, if not save yourself the hassle and frustration, and learn to appreciate the laptop in other ways. not aiming this at anyone in particular. just my thoughts.

 

I don't mean to disagree too strongly, but if I pay the amount of money I did for my laptop I want to get exactly what is advertised, and that means a perfect screen. I appreciate that it affects most manufacturers (even today I saw what was a moderately grainy MacBook screen), but I don't want a single imperfection on my screen....that means dead pixels, graininess, viewing angles and colour clarity. Part of it is me being anal, but I am going to have this laptop for several years to come to use heavily each day, I am sure as hell not going to settle for anything less then what should be provided.

Having said that, if i see another "is my screen grainy?" thread - I'll start shooting.

 

So, I got the replacement (full order replaced) after 10 days and the screen has the same graininess issue. I mean why would they invest so much effort in giving the customers the same bad screen when they know that it will heading back soon after? Why can't they fix this problem? All they had to do was to send me a laptop with the LG screen.

This also confirms that the new laptops are not coming with better screens, the issue is not fixed.

I am off to talking to technical support for screen replacement.

 

i am on the phone as well... so pissed right now.. was promised the lg even from escalations dept and it was not delivered i got the same sec3350 again and now i have this nasty cpu whine which i have never had before on any systems ... so now i got stuck worse off.. im shopping elsewhere at this moment looking to see what i can get

 

just got off the phone with dell tech support they can not send out the part ... they told me simply call back and get customer support and get a refund

 

Just wanted to say that i JUST recieved the replacement laptop (screen #3) and this one has a perfect screen, also a LG (i believe that is the manufacturer anyways) It says lpldf00 in the device manager.

 

man you are lucky i got 3 sec3350's ... i have crap luck i guess... good luck man

 

Oh no! What rotten luck.
This is laptop number 5 or 6 isn't it?
I hope you can get your refund and aren't stuck with a whiny laptop.

 

number 5 and yeah they are taking it back for a full refund.. and just fyi cust service unlike sales does not charge the 15% restock fees...

 

yup i got lucky, but i havent had time to use the laptop with school and all. Atleast hockey starts up in a week so you will have something to distract you (i know i've been counting down the days).

 

So the tech came to my dorm yesterday to replace my crappy AUO. He saw it and thought it looked like ****. I told Dell I would only take an SEC or LG. So he pulls the new screen out of the box and it's an AUO. I refused the replacement as it was an AUO and the tech agreed to not go about replacing it with the same crappy screen.

The Dell person that setup the replacement has been calling me to see what's up but I've been out. I can waste as much of Dell's time and money getting a good screen.

 

Some people have posted that they got good AUO screens. But I'm not sure if they were on 15" laptops.

 

Zfactor, I still don't understand why Dell has been treating you like this when I know that others like me have got replacement LG's so very easily.

 

Must say that I am currently waiting for an LG replacement screen from Dell and they have been pretty helpful at Tech support.

I live in the UK and they told me that Dell have had a problem with sub standard screens and are currently waiting on LG screens being restocked. They have a database of people with these problems and I have been assured that when there is an update to the situation I will be contacted.

I have various names of supervisors and they were more than willing to give me their details. The tactic is to be polite and courteous whilst telling them exactly what it is you expect from Dell in order to resolve your problem.

Hopefully I will have some news shortly.

I will update when I get it.

 

zfactor, what were the reasons they gave for not sending out the part?

Which country are you in?

 

I finally got my 1520 and have spent all afternoon playing around with it.

I got a SEC3350 (1680x1050)... It's grainy.

It doesn't really bother me much, and could barely tell when I got it, but I have asked two different people what they think about the screen and they have both said it looks like it has to be cleaned. One of them said described it as sparkly, and the other as oily.

I'm gonna try and get it replaced, but I'm not going to send it back. It's not really that big a deal for me...

Viewing angles aren't great, but they aren't bad. No dead or stuck pixels, and very little light bleed, only visible on pure black backgrounds.

bleh

 

I've already ordered the basic matte WSXGA (1280 x 800) without TrueLife. I'll keep ya'll posted.

 

Please don't accept substandard products. If more people like you start accepting defective products, companies like Dell will never try to improve. I would advise you to go to the nearest Costco or Circuit City and have a look at the screens on HP/Sony/Apple. You will be astonished how substandard this screen really is. This is a humble request!

 

^^^^^^^^^^ 100% agreed....

 

Yeh, definately try to get Dell to replace it. You wont be sorry. I am very glad that I got mine replaced with the LG model. You wont be sorry.

 

haha... we are all trying to get dell to replace our SEC3350s. that is why it's getting much harder to do it. they know damn well these LCDs are cheap pieces of junk, and they don't want to lose a bunch of money putting decent LCDs in our laptops.

to be honest, i hope dell suffers a loss for putting in these SEC3350 LCDs. that is the only way they will wise up and put decent components in.

i think i'm going to get this story into the local papers/local news. the more people that know about this, the better.

i wish the dell forum guys would chime in on this. hello, dell?

 

I just wanted to add that the SEC3350 screen is a great screen - unless you get a grainy defective one. They arent grainy by design. Mine is great.
The 1520 review here:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3846

had an SEC3350, and the reviewer also noticed no grain. I can't detect any difference between my SEC screen and my coworker's LG screen.

I am started to think that this is more to do with the glossy coating again, and now we have a group-panic of people talking like SEC3350 screens themselves are bad or cheap pieces of crap. They aren't.

 

i'm glad you have a great SEC3350. actually, i think out of hundreds of comments i have seen, you are the only one to say the SEC3350 is great.

many, many, more have grainy SEC3350s. dell can and should do better than this. that is the bottom line. the AUO also sucks at wsxga+ resolution. look for a thread where somebody complains about the grain in an LG panel at wsxga+ resolution. you will not find it, in comparison the the hundreds of complaints about the SEC3350 and AUO.

again, if you have to get like an inch away from your screen to detect any grain, you probably don't have a grainy screen. i can see the grain in mine from practically any distance. it is easily apparent at arm's length, for example.

i really like my 1520, in fact, i tried for 2 weeks to convince myself that the screen is NOT grainy. i did not assume that the brand name would matter, in fact, i didn't even know how to find it until after i had already called dell about the problem.

now i know better.

do you work for dell? lol!

 

No, I don't work for Dell

I think I'm on their problem customer list as it is.

1] I complained about getting DDR2 when they promised me DDR3
2] I complained about the Delays, until they gave me a $125 credit
3] I complained about my missing remote (No luck, I had to buy a refurbished one)
4] I complained about my nonfunctioning IR port (They sent a technician to replace it, only to find out that the original refurbished remote was the problem)

5] I complained about them shipping my Lojack to the wrong address (They sent a replacement)

6] I complained about them transferring me to the wrong department, and then running a credit check on me against my will (still unresolved)

So they probably have a large file on me.

But of all these problems, the screen isnt one of them. I have been amazed at how crisp my SEC3350 screen is. It is WSXGA+, but even when I run it in 1280x800 or 1440x900 the text is super crisp, with no fuzziness. Nothing at all like the pictures shown in the thread.

There is a some light leakage on the bottom with all black screens in dark rooms, but the crispness and clearness is amazing. And I need it to be crisp and clear since I am a software engineer and use it for coding, and I wouldnt tolerate grainy or blurry text.

 

I just setup a tech to come to my house and replace my LCD. Hopefully I get an LG or I will be refusing it. I don't want to waste his time or mine.

 

i was confused between dell vostro1500 and hp dv6500t!
now i know what should i buy after grain screen issue!
but someone told me that 15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Display with TrueLife™ out of these problem!
is this prob. only stuck to wxga only?

 

heheh... funny. you have had more problems than me! glad you have it all straightened out, though. i hope i can do so as well.

woOT!

 

Well ive got a matte 1280x800 without truelife ,and it has brilliant colour and no graniyness atall. Im totally satisfied...

 

My replacement laptop also had sec3350 and it was grainy (was promptly sent back). So, its not one-off kinda thing. I have a feeling that most glossy WSXGA+ SEC3350 coming from Dell are grainy.

 

i'm sorry.. what is "grainy screen"?
and how do you detect them?
i'm planning to buy vostro1400 and 1500..
I currently have E1710/9400.. My screen seems fine.. though i may have missing something out o.o;;

 

If you like how your screen looks then don't worry about perceived graininess

-J.

 

well said joshin. that's how it should be. don't go looking for imperfections.

 

wats the verdict on the sec-3157 wxga+?

 

Dunno about the 3157 but I have a 3155 and it seems fine to me.

 

3350 here, looks awesome.

 

We have been listening to the conversations regarding "grainy" screens and have some new info to share. It's been posted on the Dell Community Forums - http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_video&thread.id=167802

 

That's what I suspected.

Grainy = intended coating, and what makes the screen look so good, and people who are complaining are just not that familiar with LCD screens.

 

do you guys truly believe this? i think there are obviously people that are looking for imperfections, asking what a grainy screen is just ludicrous. if your screen were grainy you would know right away.

however, if what anne says is true- then why are there hundreds of complaints about dell's screens, while there are very few about HP screens?

part of the reason these forums are here is to keep people informed by consumers. i am chiming in here with my explanation- wrong or right- i believe dell's screens are of a poorer quality than they were for their prior laptops and they are trying to cover their asses with this bull**** vodoo explanation. if i were them i would do the same thing!

all of that being said, at least dell knows of the problem. i can only hope they are trying to fix it, because if they are not these complaints will continue. note to dell- you need to kick your OEM LCD suppliers in the nuts.

 

Well yeah. Lots of people are buying "True-Life" aka glossy screens for the first time - and looking closely, and noticing the ever-present glossy texture.

Which looks awesome, I might add.

I think the reason people are complaining is that "anti-glare" wasnt an option for higher-res dell screens, and people were forced into getting glossy, and then being confused by how it was supposed to look, not knowing that the subtle texture was intended, normal, and necessary, because of a lack of previous experience with "True-Life" coating.

If you look at HP Screens (such as in circuit city, or costco) I think it is pretty obvious that the dell screens are as good, or better.

Im convinced that the whole issue was blown out of proportion by a few very vocal individuals, who caused a panic, causing people to stare as hard as they could at the texture, and wonder "omg, do I have the grains?"

My boss's 1520 has an LG screen. It has the same texture that my beautiful SEC screen has. We could both say the screens are beautiful, or we could both say they have grain - because thats how all these LCD screens are.

I think the LG screen does have slightly better viewing angles though. Thats the only difference I could see really. Not much of a difference - you'd have to be pretty OCD to notice.

Im glad dell finally explained that this coating is supposed to be there, so people will stop paying do much attention to the people who dont understand that.

 

I received my inspiron 1520 and I have the horrible grainy SEC3350 screen !
I've been on the phone with Dell for many hours requesting an exchange for a system with an LG screen. They told me they just can't do that, they have no control which screen will be on my exchange. I asked if it was possible to send me the LCD and have a technician replace it, I gave them the part number LPLF300. They said yes they can do that but the LG screen is not available in Canada, they can only send either another Samsung or a Sanyo...Is this true ?

Thanks
Nancy

 

This is plain wrong! Please don't do this. I have taken my laptop to circuit city and placed it right next to some HPs and Sony. The difference in screen quality is straightaway noticeable.

There is no grain, like the one seen by me in 2 Dell WSXGA+ screens, in any HP/Sony/Toshiba screens that I have seen. And I have seen many in last month or so, visiting various shops (Compusa, circuit city, fry's, costco, office depot).

The explanation given Dell rep on the dell forum is a bunch of crap, just trying to create an analogy that's not there. The screens can be glossy without being grainy. HP/Sony screens prove that already.

 

Most of the large notebook retailers order their LCD panels from other companies that share a common technology under a different name, but they [mostly] all buy from the same big manufacturers.

@nanscy : The Dell inventory list unfortunately says there is no stock for Samsung and LG monitors today, but the inventory should update every day with new numbers. Unfortunately most technicians don't actually know how to look up the inventory list, they are limited to a tool that only displays the part type and usually doesn't include the manufacturer. They would have to speak to somebody from the dispatching department to look up the proper part number, (unless sales has a different system).

For those who are worried they have a bad LCD but don't know how to tell, refer to the images in this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=154196

 

Just got off the phone with dell. They said the part number was not found and they do not have any LG's.

wtf?

I went back and forth from technical support to customer support and achieved nothing.

What should I do ?

 

that post by dell is simply bs.. i have seen so many lcd's of all sizes and resolutions.. simply put not all of them have this issue. even if you take a sec3350 and a lplf300 side by side which i have seen the lg does not have the same problems i have seen on the sec3350's i recieved which looked horrible. when 2 people i know sent theirs back and recieved the lg screens as replacements they were flawless no light bleed and def no grainy or "glint" as you put it.. def not true at all..