People thinking of getting a Truelife monitor please read!!!

Ok so i'm sure there's a few threads deep in this place with images of truelife screens but so far this is the best comparison between truelife-glossy and matte-non glossy monitors I could find in terms of the dell laptops.

http://www.matbennett.com/tech/dell-truelife-screen.php

Have a look before thinking about getting a truelife monitor for your laptop.

 

I have used both, in my extensive laptop ownership experience, and I prefer the Trulife/Glossy in almost all circumstances.

 

i dont know mine just came with the truelife and i think its really nice. i dont find it to be toreflective or glossy .. yes it is a bit reflective but not as much as some say.. those pics he posted had to be in the right light to get them to look like that imo

 

My grandpa has a laptop with Truelife, and it looks fine to me. It is reflective, but only in strong light.

 

That was posted in June of 2006, on a previous model Inspiron.

You might also want to consider that for laptops like the Inspiron 1520, the Up/Down viewing angle is horribly crippled on the 1280x800 screen (the only NON glossy resolution) and so if you opt for the matte screen, you sacrifice being able to see the whole screen at the same brightness.

You can compare the viewing angles here:
http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/l...en_inspn_nb?c=uk&l=en&s=bsd&~lt=popup&ref=CFG

(click on Compare side-by-side)

Horizontal Viewing
WSXGA+ +60/-60
WXGA+ +40/-40
WXGA +40/-40

Vertical Viewing Angle
WSXGA+ +40/-50
WXGA+ +30/-30
WXGA +15/-30

That ridiculously poor 45 degree vertical viewing angle (compared to the so-so 60 for WXGA+ and the great 90 for the WSXGA+) means that with the anti-glare screen, unless you are across the room, either the top or bottom will appear washed out, or "blanched" as the people who have bought them describe it - and that watcing video or gaming is terrible.

 

Truelife is not too bad with a bright-enough screen. Given that most screens today are reasonably bright, the "problem" as illustrated in the OP's post is not that big of an issue anymore. For reference, the latest MacBooks are as "dim" as I would take for a Truelife display.

That said, my particular application still dictates a matte display. If it's not the sunshine, it's that insane amount of overhead flourescents at the office.

Regards,
P

 

your gramps has a laptop? wow he must be mad cool. i can't even begin to teach my grams how to surf the net. haha

 

Agreed. I doubt mine would even try and get behind one of these things.

 

I used to prefer matte screens for less specular reflections, until I saw matte and glossy side-by-side.

The significantly better colour reproduction of the glossy, for me, far outweighs any negative impact the extra reflections make, so I went and got a glossy. Haven't regretted it since, considering how damn nice the image quality is

Sure there are some reflections if you're in a bright room trying to watch a dark movie, but I generally use office and engineering apps which aren't dark .. and I don't sit in the sun as there is an increased chance of a bird pooing on my laptop (animal accidents aren't covered by CompleteCare in .au).

 

okay i hate to say i was wrong... but i will i would have been happier with the matte on this one guys.. the glossy ois not as reflective as the review says but its not even from top to bottom depending on the viewing angle... and location of the screen, very annoying when watching a dvd or on a all black screen