Envy 17 3D Defects and Other Concerns

Ohhh, I really didn't want to be the one who made this thread, but after reading posts by a couple members who have received their Envy 17 3D laptops and noted this one issue, I thought it best to make a thread on the issue, and hopefully others will be helped by it, at least made aware of it.

Ok, as far as I'm aware two Envy 17 3D consumers Jose Polanco and tdur, mentioned they found warping of the dispaly panel below and near the HP logo, or to the right of the power button. I will receive mine on 12/7 and will be sure to pay extra close attention to this....

Also, if anyone has noted this same problem please feel free to mention it here, and also, take a picture!!!!! Post a pic of the defect so we cann all see where it really is at. My hope is that we won't have too many new findings here, but we need to keep our eyes open. Hp does give us a window to return defects and we should all use that if and when the time comes. I do hope everyone gets a wonderful laptop and enjoys it fully! (Wow, you think I'm working for HP or something? lol)

KJ

 

I just got my 17 3D last friday and here is what I found on mine.
So far, there's a tiny little dust size ding (not that I am bothered by it) on the top left corner ~1 inche from keyboard.
No bending on hinges (whew...)
Haven't examine dead pixels in scrutiny, but so far, haven't seen any dead or always on lixels.
However... When I first booted up my laptop, there were lots and lots of pinkish pixels on my screen as I was going through first boot registration. And those pinkish pixels change location as screen changes. There were lots and lots of them, almost like looking up @ the sky @ night and see all those stars shining down. I was cursing and in denial while I was going through the registration cause I have never ever seen any laptop first boot like that.
But... strangely... those pinkish pixels all went away after I rebooted. Don't know what caused them in the first place and don't know if or what I did that made it go away.
So, the moral of the experience: If you see the same as I did on your first boot, don't panic. Patiently go through the registration steps and reboot and pray that they disappear.

 

I have a slight warping of the area above the keyboard. However, I don't think it is a defect - instead, it may be a design flaw or an over-tightening of the screws from behind the battery.

 

Got mine in today, and sure enough I also got mine with the dent issue, on two areas!!! To the right of the power button and below and right of the HP logo. I have a pic here with one finger showing a dent, and a pen to show the other. Sorry if you can't see it too well, but you have to have the right angle and lighting, but if you run yoru finger/hand on it, you can't miss it. I'm sending it back, but I need to find out with Jose (sent pm) how he managed to get a bluray burner upgrade with his exchange since HP told me they don't even offer it...hmmm Jose, help, lol.

Update: The rep that helped Jose made an error, they cannot offer a Bluray burner....but offered him an additional $50, nice.
Here is it...

P.S. Also, to the right of the keyboard the metal panel has a bit of space that if you push with finger it closes up..sheesh, HP really?



KJ

 

wow we almost posted at the same time! lol you gonna return like Jose and me...?

jwang...oh good idea about over tightening the screws. I will try to untighten...but we'll see... otherwise its going back.

 

I think every1 have the dent issue, dont think it bothers me too much, as long as the laptop itself is good I can accept some small flaws. One thing that kind of concerns me is that when the laptop lid been closed for a while and I lift it, there is like squzzy sound. But after it got opened even when I close it again and reopen there is no sound. So is that a problem? Also the hinge on the left side seems to be indented to the right somewhat, is that normal?

 

I have the same cosmetic denting/warping issues near the hinges like you guys, but it doesnt bother me at all. I dont know if I can bear to not have this laptop for a couple weeks or more just to fix that.
However I did read that you guys were getting free upgrades upon recieving your repaired laptops? ---that might be worth losing my Envy for a while especially if its a processor upgrade.
I was encoding video last night and noticed how the processors where pushed to more than 80 percent- even with ATI GPU assist (Cyberlink Powerdirector v8).

There is one thing bothering me, whenver I get done using the Tridef 3d software to play a game. I lose my brightness controls so the display remains at maximum brightness- even if I go into system settings/display/ and manually try to set it the brightness wont change.
I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the Tridef software locking in the brightness and not terminating that function.

Other than that, I,ve had the occasional lock-up during COD Black Ops gameplay but I cant blame the system because I have other things in the background running at the same time (browser, P2P download, Fraps, File transfers).

One thing I would really like to solve is calibrating the screens color and contrast, so if anybody has good calibration settings Please post.

 

1. We are not getting them repaired. Heck no! lol and I do not suggest you do either! This is a new, premium product. They will build you a new one from scratch... repairs will only cause more problems and headaches.

2. Jose, pmd back, they made a mistake, no bluray burner, but you can ask for another upgrade. I can't since I have the maxed out specs with the 840...but I'll try to squeeze some more money out of them.

KJ

 

Mine has this too.

So did the Non-3D envy I had before.

Nothing wrong with it...

Not sure if it's been pointed out but I'll go ahead and say it: some of the reasons some of these laptops are being returned for (NOT POINTING ANY FINGERS HERE) are ludicrous and only make manufacturers drive the cost of production up.

That "warping" is not an issue.

I returned my first Envy because it wouldn't boot at all into the OS and even after I restored it I would get multiple BSoDs a day. Now that's a valid reason for a return. A bent hinge is also a valid reason, in my opinion. Small cosmetic flaws are not really worth stressing over.

My current 3D also exhibits some of the traits yours do. It's a mass produced item of pretty good quality, not a handcrafted premium piece of jewelry or a a laser cut diamond. Sure, it's an expensive computer but nothing more, and some of you got it HEAVILY discounted at that. A few years from now they're all going to be in the trash when you move on to a new one to obsess over.

My advice to you guys with minor cosmetic flaws is to relax and enjoy them and not be so obsessive over minor flaws. I've read of people going through multiple of these machines because of minor "issues" that don't affect functionality what so ever.

I just think the whole thing is a bit silly. Again, not pointing any fingers. Just though I'd throw in some perspective on it. God knows I need some at times being OCD as I am.

 

Upon further inspection...
I DO have a dent like KillaJoe where his finger points in his posted picture.
Hmmm... Do I return or do I not...
Also... My screen seem to be screwed rather tight... Need to use 2 hands to pry it open. Won't be able to do it with 1 hand cause the whole laptop will follow the lid of screen. Is that normal?
I've had other HP laptops before, some are tighter, but not as tight as this one. Is there anyway to loosen it ourselves?

 

2 handed lid lift is common. I have to do it with my macbook pro sometimes. I've noticed it depends on what surface your laptop is on. It's easier if it's on something solid like a desk.

 

Same with me, very stiff hinges- but I guess stiff is better than loose.

 

Has the ripples between the hinges, albeit slight.

 

In my case the reasons for the return:

-A dent in the hinge (the one below the HP logo in the screen's back panel, really noticeable).

-Dead blue pixel/s (first seen in one of many 1st time boot screens, and then later by using a complete black color as a background, really annoying).

I think if i would just had the unnoticeable "warps" that KJ and others mention I would stick to my sexy babe (only if that was the only cosmetic defect).

Another thing I want to share is that I will 100% order the extended 9-cell battery for various purposes: less heat, more battery life and more laptop life in the long-term.

I will post my "unboxing" pictures later when I use my laptop.

 

hey guys can any1 try this real quick for me?

press the number pad 5 quickly and see if it makes a clicking sound, it feels like the base under the number pad is not very stable. I was playing nba 2k11 and pressed the number pad pretty hard so I wonder if its a disign issue or I broke the number pad?

Thanks

 

noodle responded to your post in the other thread. no clicking on num 5 from pad.

 

i meant like hitting the key hard,fast and release it, then I hear the clicking sounds from the whole number pad medal surface. It also makes the sound when I hit on the medal surface. one possible reason I can think of is that the blue ray drive is under it so it is not as solid as other parts of keyboard.

So any1 have this or is it just me? Its like a medal vibrating sound and its clealy from the medal panel. I saw on youtube one guy had some flex on this keyboard number pad too. is that the problem?

 

Btw I called the tech support (they have really good service, much better than the hp home and office ones), and they tried their 3d model there for me and told me that it is not making any sound that mine have, so Im thinking exchanging it....

 

noodle, good luck with that. I almost wish I am not sending mine back since I believe a screw driver is all that is needed to fix those warps by loosening the scews in the battery compartement. But this was not the only issue, I had some seperation from top metal to bottom base on right side, and slow as heck performance from a system thst is maxed at 8gb ram and an i7-840qm. Not sure if it was HP software that or something fried, or what...I'll give this is thing another go when I should get the next one on Jan 15ish.... :/

 

I had a slow as heck performance too on the first day for some reason if u read my other post. So u send urs back already? I think they had two option one being that you can keep using the old one until the new one gets here, its like ordering a new one and then return the old one instead of exchange but they make up the price difference anyways. Im thinking to do that

 

I recall some odd performance on the first day that I have yet to notice since then. I also had heat problems at the beginning so I'm thinking maybe the processor slowed down to avoid burning itself while the heat paste cured properly. I'm purely speculating here...

 

Thing is when it slowed everthing down, even the cursor lagged and the cpu usage was at like 99% which is weird. I had to restore it to factory condition to get it working normal again, but again this problem never occured again.

Btw any1 else tried the number pad pressing i mentioned? Im still thinking whether it is worth it to return it.

 

Yeah, I sent mine today. got it only yesterday and gone today.... I will miss her.... she was beatiful, true....but I am hoping her sister is even more so

Anyway, they did offer me to pay again....which of course i did not not want, plus I'm not into maxing out my credit card, so no. I will have to do with a an old emachine desktop at home for now, ha. Noodle, my advice is, if you realy really enjoy your lap and its not a big deal, then keep it. If its gonna drive you nuts everyday, change it.

My replacement better be perfect is all I'm gonna say. If its a its a bit warped again, and only if that is the issue, I will simply loosen the screws a bit and keep her. Otherwise I might ask for a full refund and look for something else....

KJ

 

WickedYeti and noodle, thanks guys. Next Envy I will be aware to let it run for a couple days if I notice a performance issue/slowdowns... I'm just saying its so darn odd, having bought several computers in my life...and whenever I boot a computer up for the first time ever, besides the startup time of registeration, bla bla bla...once all that is done, all the time the previous comps once on the desktop, things opened quick...with the Envy which I only had 1 day...the icons would open slow, when floating my arrow to the start and seeing all programs they slowly appeared..just annoying, but I will be open to letting run a few days. Also maybe a disk defrag might help.

Just to leave it on a good note..... What everyone was saying about the screen, OMG! its very true. so so bright, it was the first laptop I had to turn down the brightness a couple notches down...wow. Amazing... and the 3D demos worked perfectly out of the box...nicer in a dark room just to let you know. Have a cold drink ready. lol, I need my Envy now, with a good Bluray 3D movie...ha....

KJ

 

I loosened the 3 screws behind the battery by 1/4 turn and it seems to have helped. You can visually see the slight warping as you loosen and tighten the screws. I think the flaw is that the cover isn't rigid enough and there isn't a backing for the screw to draw the cover towards.

 

I noticed an oddity last night where I was watching 1080p avatar which is quite resource intensive but was playing perfectly. Then I unplugged it to take it to another room and all of a sudden it started skipping. It seems the power profiles that take effect when you are on battery power can really kill the performance if you're doing something intense. I will be experimenting with it to see if I can come up with a happy medium or just disable the power saving outright since I'm rarely in a battery powered situation. The advanced power settings in the control panel show TONS of things that happen different when on batt.

Also, I tried that numpad thing and I don't get a clicky sound. It sounds like any other key though I will admit that it has an ever so slight bend effect on its neighbor keys that only the G, H, and J keys can equal.

 

yea exactly how mine slowed down at the first place, I put it on power saver mode and unplugged to see the screen brightness. Then everthing slowed down, but whats worse on mine is that the system's speed didnt go back up even when i restarted it couple times, only way was to restore the system to fix it.

And thx for trying the keyboard, I probably exchange it in the near future if it annoys me too much.

 

...why are days passing so slow (at least until 27th)?

@KJ: Maybe her cousin Sandy will perform better... LOL

 

Wow! I actualliy dig that humor, LMFAO, thanks. Yeah, but I doubt I'll wait for the SB edition whenever that will be built. If there are no real issues with my new model/exchange in January...I will keep it. I think I've watched all the Envy 13, 14, 15, 17 videos on unboxing, reviews, gaming, etc.... I think I might have to work for HP...lol if not a tester, maybe as a consultant to improve their quality assurance so all their Envy laps are sent out 100% in functionality and good looks (no defects)

KJ

 

I was watching the Avatar Bluray last night (not 3d), and about 30 minutes into the movie, it skipped a couple of times, about 15 minutes later, I got a ton of graphic corruption for a few minutes. Five minutes later, the corruption came back, and I exited the HP player. I went back in, and played through all the corrupt parts without any issues. It was on AC power the entire time. Not sure what happened, but if it continues, it will be heading back to HP. I must say, though, it was looking really great when it was playing. It was not taking any processor horsepower to run it at all, either. Half-Life 2 looks really good in 3D, too!

 

You know power save mode can throttle back the CPU. Under advanced power settings, you can change that. Otherwise you have to plug it back into A/C power before it will speed up again.

 

yea I know that, but with mine the problem was it did not speed after I plugged it back into A/C. And even when I restarted it the cpu usage is still at like 90%.

 

Did you check task manager? And show all programs for all users to see what was eating the cpu cycles?

I've had wmpnetwk.exe eat cpu cycles like crazy for example. Probably not the case here.

 

For what it's worth, I've been using mine since I got it as a desktop replacement, rarely do I even open the lid, it sits flat on my desk, connected to a 24" display, powered on 24x7 and it's been handling everything I've thrown at it like a champ.

The only thing that sucks about this laptop is when I unplug it to take it downstairs to my living room or to my bedroom to continue working, the battery is honestly pathetic. It dies within 45 minutes at the most.

Aside from that, I'm very happy with it.

Have read that the extended battery isn't that much improvement either.

May have to pick up one or two extra power adapters to have a source of juice handy where I roam the most. Having to unplug the one in the office and haul it around is annoying.

 

yea there was some weird program eating up the cpu somewhat but i cant figure out which, even restarting doesnt help. And I didnt have any software on running when i did the check

 

OK, problem came AGAIN!! def exchanging this for sure now.

So I took the laptop out to use it on battery for like 40 minutes, came back, plugged it back in and screen went bright again, after it settle down a while I played some black ops, and guess what, the computer cant handle it!!! It just laggs and stops the game totally, this is what I got as a screenshot. The wrost thing is when you add up the cpu usage, they dont even match!!!



Hope the next one is good or else I might have to move on, there must be some problem with the battery options.

 

noodle, sorry to hear you are having such issues. Before you return your new Envy, I'd suggest you give Envy support a call. It can't hurt. If they can't fix it by phone, and conclude its an internal issue, then yeah, return it for a new build. Its just that you'll end up waiting at least a month to 5 weeks like the few of us that did the return too.

If you do return, do not forget to ask for your $50 credit return to your credit card, and you are entitled to ask for a free upgrade (I shouldn't say you are entitled, but that is what others have done so the pattern continues since we are sharing our experiences and that empowers us!!!! Love NBR) although they want you to keep it to a minimum. I heard someone even got upgraded from the 720 to the 740, but I imagine you need to be really lucky with the sales/return agent you get. I myself was not too hard on HP because I realize my issue was not as bad as most since my warped metal case could have been fixed if I loosed the screws, but it did have a seperation on the right side of keyboard and base, so that became the reason I also returned it, oh and it was slow like molases, but you guys said I should let it run a bit...

Besides the $50 I asked them to throw in a free restore kit...which is around $8 to $13...they initially were gonna charge me for it~~~ I said, NO WAY! and they waived the fee. Can't be too much of a nice guy I guess. LOL.

noodle, good luck, I do hope you end up getting your Envy or another one to do as you wish. It is a sexy beast.

KJ

 

thx man, I called tech support when this happened the first time and they couldnt fix the issue so I had to restore it. Its just painful to know that something you paid this much have some hidden problems in it that might bite anytime.
And Im not sure whether I can get the credit back anymore because I got 530$ discount on this model already and thats pretty low, maybe id ask for an upgrade to 8gb with reduced fees like 50 bucks I would do it. Maybe I would go with the keep the old one and order a new one option cuz I wanna watch some movies with family over the christmas break and only this computer has hdmi.
kinda disappointed to see a high end notebook have so many issues. Mine has the dint, keyboard cracking sound(found out wasnt my fault, just was there before), this slowing down problem(really a pain if u are playing a game, and some idention with the hindge. Some problems I can bear but the slowing down and keyboard is just too annoying.

 

noodle, I hear ya...but trust me on this...its almost a given. When you call for the return/exchange, and mentioned the $50 credit, they don't argue with you...they know.... as to 8 gb upgrade, that is a brilliant idea. Look at it this way, they can say yes, or no. You have nothing to lose except a bit of wait till they build you a new one. I would bet those clicking issues, cracking and so forth will not be there.... and like you and others including myself have stated we might look for another system if the second one is not 100% perfect ... so its cool. You win either way. Good luck. Hope we all can enjoy a great Envy soon, or at least some great system...lol

KJ

 

I'm getting around 2 hours on the 9 cell...

 

Has anyone noticed the lid is painted? I have 3 spots where it has chipped. Seriously, will try to post pics later. Not happy.....,

 

HUH??? and WHAAA???@@!# yeah, I am waiting for those pics auburnmk....this is good to keep an eye out for these things...thanks...

P.S. I'll be honest here.... I was bit surprised when I first opened the box of my Envy 3D.... from the previous professional shots and vid reviews the Envy 17 3D looks "brighter" silvery with hints of gold.... but mine was a darker metal, not shiney.... I'm thinking it must be lighting...and I assume everyone's Envy 17 3D is a darker metal color too? But yeah, I think maybe if I had a bright light on it, it would not look so dark.

Second issue, for some reason, I didn't think the lid would be so soft and able to have give when I pressed my finger into it...lol, for some reason I thought it would really be harder, more solid... but that is not a complaint, just an observation....

To end on a postitive note, the 3D glasses were awesome! I loved the fact they give you 3 different nose pieces for the proper size adjustment. Also the fact there is no on/off button is a great idea. The battery shuts off once the IR signal is off. I had the impression that once the batter is gone, you need to buy a whole new glasses... NOPE!!! you simply change the battery yourself. Its an inexpensive battery CR2032 I believe used in watches, calculators...anyway, and its supposed to last 180 hours! So... if you watch 2hr movies...it shold theoretically last you 90 movies! lol



KJ

 

Interesting post about Envy casing...
HP Envy 15 Paint
While this applies to Envy 15, I'm sure it also applies to 17 and 17 3D, but our 17 is probably not 100% Magnesium like 15 was. I'm thinking that 17's LCD lid is 100% magnesium, but bottom (silvery part) is aluminum.
In short, due to magnesium's property, its surface can't be smoothed like aluminum, so a layer of paint is needed if you want that shiny look.
In retrospect, I have an old HP OmniBook 550 and it is 100% magnesium casing which has a sandier textured shell unlike our 17's glossy lid.

 

Also of note: If you look at the bottom of your Envy 17 3D notebook, it will say Envy 17, not Envy 17 3D printed in white. so.... I guess with the Envy 17 3D's they took the 3D display and attached it to the base of Envy 17's...which I supposes makes sense since the 17 3D is the same as the 17 regular but with a 3D display...hmmmm

 

To all the people that returned because of the "warps". What was HP's reaction to this when you told them? Did they say they never heard of it before or did they say "yes alot of people are complaining"? Are the apologetic? Do they guarantee the next one will be fine? If not, what response did they give you?

 

you have a legitimate question. HP was apologetic of course.... but they never admitted that others have called about the warps. There is no guarantee on the next build of course, the only option you have is a 21 day return from date of delivery. So...if you find anymore defects in your new one...you can send it back for exchange, or jsut ask for a full refund...that is sort of a gaurntee that you won't be stuck with a lap you don't want...but of course that does not help if you really need a laptop soon, that looks and works great. frankie, don't worry about. Hope yours is great....you have options otherwise.

KJ

 

jerry this is a legit complaint, and a real concern. If you don't mind I'm going to copy and paste your post in the concerns and defects thread I made a while back. I'd like see who else is having this issue while playing 3D blurays. Sounds like HP needs to be notified ASAP!!! I'm sure thie bluray 3D movie thing is so no, not many have had a chance to purchase and view this media on their Envy 17 3D. Let's hope this is resolved soon... But I'm wondering if again, it is isolated to your Envy, or all Envy 17 3Ds are giving this message....
KJ

 

Ok, after jerry's post I did a little bit of googling..... and I think their might be hope/explination? Well... Here is one link...

Polar Express 3D ghosting is unacceptable! - Blu-ray Forum

Here they talk about the Polar Express 3D and how the ghosting is so horrible, and its most of the comments! They say Warner just did not translate it well to 3D....

So... perhaps the poor translation into 3D, and inferior tech to make it 3D per the company, is that causes the ghosting, rather than our Envy 17 3D? This is rather good news if it pans out to be true. I'm not saying new drivers for our 3D won't help in the future, but the major is seems to be in how the movie in 3D is made.... I will see if I can find more links. Hope this helps


A reviewer talking about ghosting in Cats & Dogs : The Revenge of Kitty Galore 3D.."Ghosting, ah ghosting, I really hate you. It would be nice to sit through a Blu-ray 3D review and not see fragments of effects off to the side, or inside the effect, but that hasn't happened to me yet, and this release doesn't change that. Some of the ghosting can be near impossible to miss, as early on, any vertical object in quite a few shots would have a ghost nearly matching its thickness. Heck, get past that first shot, and check out the security guard's shoulder patch. Ghost-a-riffic. It doesn't let up, either, as just random scenes suffer. The credits for the film, even, have what looks more like a ghost than an intentionally layered look. Much like the depth of the 3D effects themselves, ghosting is hit or miss, and can really pull you out of the experience. As if talking spy cats and dogs already didn't do that to you already..

This release is not a catastrophe, but doggone it, I still do demand a bit more than this when shelling out the extra money for 3D content."

So...it seems key to read reviews of 3D movies before buying them. I sure our Envy's are great since I did not recal any ghosting in the 3D demos that came with our system, since I am sure they took care to make it right. I only hope future 3D movies will focus not only on the story line, but the 3D effects, the WOW factor... speaking of which I hear that Avatar 3D's effects are amazing...I'll have to read more about it.

Update! People are selling their copies of Avatar 3D that came with their Panasonic 3D Bluray players on Ebay for $350!!! What I want to know is, who and why is someone paying so much for just one 3D bluray movie? Wow, either just buy the whole package with the player, or wait until Avatar 3D gets released on its own soon...sheesh... lol

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/eBay/Avatar/Avatar_3D_is_Selling_for_Over_$300_on_eBay!/5926

KJ

 

I think I will give that a try as well. Which three screws did you loosen, the ones at the outside edge? There are several screws in the compartment and I want to be sure I'm working with the correct three. I don't want to risk loosening something else and introducing any problems

 

tdur, the screws in the battery compartment...and those screws that are causing the warping are basically the one(s) directly under the warp(s). Lol, you don't have to worry. Just turn it slightly counter clockwise....you are not taking it out, so nothing to lose...just a slight loosening of the screw. Good luck.

KJ