Glossy vs Matte LCD

I can't seem to make up my mind on this topic. I plan to purchase a laptop to mainly do work at school such as word/excel and internet. I would do occasional dvd viewing. I read that matte lcd is more for office work and glossy for photo/movie viewing pleasure. I took a look at a m140 at school with the glossy and it was really pretty but the reflection... Doesn't that annoy anybody!? OR its just a matter of personal preference. Is there any issue using glossy lcd outdoor with the sun outside? Too bad we can't look at the sample glossy lcd outside the store , from reading around I really can't get a consensus.

 

It's a matter of personal preference, and also please search the forums as you will find MANY, MANY threads on this topic.

 

A search won't hurt you man

 

I love it when people reply and use the word "search". I've done that, I didn't get an answer. Hence this thread.

 

Glossy is annoying under certain lighting conditions. When the room is dark however, the pictures are definitely vivid.

 

Outside Glossy will reflect the sun so badly that you'll barely be able to see, so...

I prefer matte myself, and in my opinion would be better for school work as you'll be doing a lot of Microsoft Office tasks and such that matte will help it be easier on the eyes.

 

Go to a Circuit City if you're near one. All they carry are glossy screen notebooks, and if you take a moment to look at them you'll notice they ALL reflect the lights in the ceiling and makes viewing very hard. That is with flourescent lights... think about what would happen with the sun! The better choice would obviously be matte... why spend the extra money to get a portable computer if it won't be viewable outside? Matte is also cheaper, so you could spend money on more memory, bigger hard drive, or if you're gaming a better video card (that would make more of a difference in video quality than a glossy screen).

 

I'd only get glossy on a >15.4", the ones I'd bring outside are <14".

 

Reize, thing is some glossy screens are more reflective than others so it all depends. I would say the better, brighter glossy screens like the one on the Asus W3(Z63) series notebooks have a great screen and is actually better than matte screens for outside use.

The reason being, these matte screens are pretty dull compared to glossy screens so outside or in bright lit rooms they just don't seem bright enough and are hard to see sometimes.

My Z70Va's screen is fantastic, but in bright lit rooms or during the day in my school's library it just doesn't seem as vivid as in dark situations.

Cheers,
Mike

 

I will always get a matte screen no matter what. The reflections and glare aren't just annoying but they irritate my eyes. If you wear eye glasses, you can kind of compare it to reflective lenses.

 

im also a matte guy. while the glossy are attractive at times, i can't stand the glare that they have. Like others have said, matte is easier on the eyes for long times.

 

I would get a glossy, I like it shiny and my reflection in it
Though its irritating in the sun..but not much.

 

Thing is guys, if you're a fan of mattes, try the W3/Z63 series screens out. They don't reflect as much and I found them pleasantly nice on the reflections and eyes.

That screen is beautiful. I love it.

Cheers,
Mike

 

I've seen only two glossy screens. One was a Toshiba Truelife, and it was alright. Another one was HP Brightview and it reflected as hell and was annoying.

 

the gloss gets annoying if you have a light source behind you or even above your head in certain angles.

but pic quality is awesome...

 

Wasn't any better where I looked.

 

Notebook News: Add a High-Gloss Screen to Your Laptop

http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,124200,pg,2,00.asp

 

While the Glossy can get annoying at first, you get used to it after a while...

 

How do i know if the screen is glossy or matte when i buy a laptop?
For example, what screen type is Lenovo T60 and X60?

Regards
Raptor

 

You could check it at Lenovo website, or just email them to ask about the screen. I think for Lenovo T and X series both are matte.

 

Just saw a review saying Matte screen on the T60. But how about other notebook makers, do they say Matte or Glossy ?

Regards
Raptor

 

Other notebook makers usually state what kind of their LCD, you can know it from the name, ie. Tosh.Trubrite,Fujistu ClrystalClear, Asus ColorShine, HP BrightView and so on. They are all glossy screen

 

Under detailed specs they usually list anti-glare for matte or many euphemistic marketing tradenames for glossy like BriteView (HP) or TrueLife (Dell) etc. Sometimes they will say glossy-glaretype when they want to be more direct or haven't trademarked some marketing name that tries to make them sound unique in an attempt at further product differentiation.

They won't say will reflect ambient lightsources annoyingly into your visual field thus obstructing view..

It seems the matte % votes are going up lately, perhaps as the days grow longer here in the Northern Hemisphere.

 

AHAH good one!

Matte for me because light reflection is killing me. Had to almost wear sunglasses in classes with my sister toshiba.

However, its so good in dark room watching a movie.

 

Been using my 1st laptop which has glossy screen but I really don't like it..

I use it at work and on my desk, it's annoying to look at the screen which reflect like a mirror.

Can I do something something about this ?

 

http://www.screentekinc.com/

you can send your notebook to this place and get it with a matte finish.

that is, if you are in the states.

 

Doesnt the matte screen have bad reflection if u are outside in the sun also? I wouldnt know but im assuming if the sun is hitting it, it will still be bad.

 

HaHa-ROFL! I like how you put that! Now why would NB manufacturers want to tell the truth about their "Bright-GLARE-View" screens?

I prefer matte also, BUT in all fairness to the glossy screens, I find the glossy screens to have more even lighting across the screen, as it seems the anti-glare coating on matte screens diffuses the light so when you move from side to side, or tilt the screen up or down the lighting becomes uneven, while the glossy screens don't.

If you can control the lighting as in your own home office than the glossy would be fine, but in a true mobility world where you can't control the lighting such as in an airport, library, classroom, coffee shop, airplane, etc., then I believe matte is the better option.

Recently, I spent some time comparing the Contrast and Brightness of HP's business class SXGA+ notebooks; these specs on their matte versus "HP BrightView" are the same.

Your best bet is to actually see the screen with your own eyes and decide for yourself what you prefer.

 

Good points to remember, dforion. Thanks.

 

I have a glossy DTR, which means it doesn't go outside much. I believe the only public place it's been is a Starbucks. Anyway, I didn't notice any glare, and I certainly don't at home even with one of those bright torch lamps in one of the rooms. I have regular halogen (?) lighting at the office, where I used it a couple of times, and I also didn't notice any glare. I didn't use it in any of these environments (except the torch lamp at home) extensively, but I'm quite sure I'd notice anything annoying that can't be overlooked. Also, the fact that it's a DTR means that when I do word processing, I magnify the text to 150% (and it STILL doesn't take up the whole screen!) so it's much easier to see, hence harder to notice any problems - so I suppose that's the grain of salt to my otherwise glowing experience.

I have a Fujitsu, and they have amazing screens. I haven't compared them with Sony's, but I can say that it's at least AS nice if not better. (The overall configuration available from Fujitsu made more sense for me, and still does.) You can see so much better from side to side than anything else I compared it to, including other glossy screens side-by-side in-store. Side viewing = you can have 2 people watching a movie on different ends of the couch without one of them being able to only listen to the movie. If I was getting a real portable laptop, i.e. not a DTR, I'd be hard pressed to consider anything other than Fujitsu, just because it's so awesome and beautiful. The first day or two, I thought the maximum brightness setting was too much, but I quickly got used to it, so even with the lights off now I can't help but want more. It's so beautiful, can't get enough. ::air kiss::

Malia

P.S. hope I didn't sound like some Fujitsu fanatic there... but seriously, I'm very, very, very, very, very happy with the screen

 

Will using a Glare or Privacy filter reduce glare outside with a glossy screen?

 

I have surrounding windows so it's very noticeable & annoying so I don't think I'd go for it even for a DTR. I simply want notebooks that are comfortable to use in any lighting condition.

I might change my mind as I get even more notebooks (currently have 3) & specialize notebook uses like media editing but if I had to choose only one notebook screen finish it would have to be anti-glare matte as it is more versatile regardless of lighting. I can use mine even in the direct sun without issues.

Right now I'm looking at my Dell Axim X51v indoors which is glossy-glaretype & it not as annoying since I can move it in my hand away from the sun but this is very difficult & annoying to do outside at noon.

I have seen/used the Sony's & Toshiba Qosmio & HP's notebooks & think the glossy glaretype looks cheesy & annoying but have not yet seen Fujitsu which is supposed to be the best glossy glaretype LCDs around (300+ nit). Where could one see a Fujitsu in a store?

Lastly did you compare it to an IPS matte screen (e.g. ThinkPads) that are supposed to have the best angles out there for an LCD?

 

I have some experience with matte monitors and I like my glossy laptop better.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=1395797&postcount=30

 

you should go for glossy. It makes everything look sweet! I had the same worry bout the reflection, but seriosuly you get used to it and it doesnt bother me whatsoever. The glare is not a problem for me, even when I'm taking notes in class with the laptop when all the lights in the classroom are on.

 

There are very few stores that carry Fujitsus. In New York, there's J&R and Datavision. (Datavision has horrible sales reps, though, keep them away!) On the west coast, I believe Fry's carries them. Last time I checked, there were 4 stores that carried Fujitsus, and these are 3 of them - don't remember what the 4th one was - so if you don't live on one of the coasts, I think you're out of luck.

Malia

 

Each type of screen has its own pros and cons. Glossy screens are brighter and sharper looking. Matte screens will not cause as much eye strain when there is a light source or moving people being reflected on the screen.

I have had one of each screens so far, but didn't really take the glossy around with me so I can't say a whole lot about outside use. It did look nice but reflections can be irritating.

 

I have matte on my HP and glossy on my Toshiba. Love the glossy!

 

This Is My First Glossy Screen and so far i love it, a lot for vivid!
there is minor glare in the house but not bad enough to bother me

 

Well, my first one too w/ e1705. It, I can safely say, is not at all horrific as users in this forum made it out to be. Any way, I am a home-body and gloss works best for indoor environments.

 

I'd say, if you haven't bought yet, go with matte if you're working with word-processing apps (like Word or Appleworks) rather than glossy, especially if you're going to be in a dingy dorm-room with flourescent lights or lecture hall most of the time. Otherwise, you'll end up with MASSIVE headaches from the glare (I'll reckon it would be almost as bad as a CRT monitor--glare wise, minus the "flicker"). Boy, I sure don't miss my old CRT
PMZ
PS--However, if your college has dim rooms with better lighting and you don't plan on taking it outside into the sun very often, you could buy glossy if you wanted to. I have always thought that glossy screens looked "sturdier" than matte, for some reason. That's the only reason I would buy one, myself. I don't do much gaming--not at all, at present, just papers and web surfing and such, so I wouldn't have any excuse to spend more money.

 

Can you say "polarized lenses"?

I love my glasses. And glossy screens. Who goes outside anyway?

 

Those really do work. You can pick up a pair pretty cheap too.

 

Some people that use there computers outdoors all day will want matte, because yes the glossys are sensitive to sun (you cant see them I mean). But comon its like watching cable tv on a 36inch cathoyde ray tube, or HDTV On a 60 Inch WEGA Engine Sony Widescreen, no comparason IMO. Get Glossy you will like it unless you go hiking and fishing with your laptop.

edit: Trekon86 does have a good point about dorm rooms/college clases, I would still stick to glossy though.

 

I thought I'd NEVER want a glossy screen until I played Quake 4 on my Sager 5720. My jaw dropped as I saw brilliant, vivid colors leap off the screen. From that point forward I was a glossy screen disciple. My Asus V6Va has an even better IPS screen. I wish there were a way to convert my Dell 2405 LCD to glossy.

 

After using my good old Matt Screen on my Inspiron 8100 for about 6 years, I couldn't bear the annoying reflections when I used my dad's HP Pavillon yesterday.

 

i really enjoy looking at clearer images but i cannot stand for the reflection and glare of the glossy screen, does this mean i'd be happier with a matte?

 

Yes. After playing with my friend's HP with a glossy screen, I opted for a matte screen on my new notebook. Looking at my ugly mug for an hour started to get annoying. Our office uses bright flourescent lights overhead, so it was really bothersome. otoh, If someone comes out with an anti-glare, anti-reflective screen...

 

you can decrease the glare on glossy screen by increasing the screen brightness and most of all AVOID using Dark background
works for me

 

Here is something to throw into the mix. This comes from the recent HEL80 review by Chaz. Sounds like matte screens are looking better and better.
Screen


(view large image)

My HEL80 has a matte WSXGA+ (1680x1050 pixels) resolution display. This is one of the best matte screens I have seen. It is evenly lit, and contrast is excellent. Colors are very vibrant, white is white and black is black. Horizontal viewing angles are very good, and the vertical viewing angles are considerably better than average. From the bottom of the display, there is a small amount of light leakage, but it is unnoticeable unless the screen is completely black.

The WSXGA+ screen on the HEL80 is special in that it uses LGP Prism technology. The light is projected from the outside to the center, rather than projecting from the middle out, allowing for a brighter display compared to a standard screen. Picture quality is also better because of this.


The viewing and color is good from even very awkward angles (view large image)

Screen specifications:

* Brightness - 185 cd/m2 (nits)
* Contrast ratio - 300-500
* Viewing angles - 130 degrees horizontal/100 degrees vertical
* Response time -- 25ms

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3060&review=Compal
(here is the link for the pictures and full review)