Fight for the Envy 14 radiance display.

OK guys. I am super disappointed by HP. I tried to order the Envy 14 with radiance display in Germany for months and I did not succeed (constant shortage) and now they downgraded it. I am writing negative reviews and anyhow try to let them understand that they annoyed a lot of people with this action. Does anyone try to do the same ? I mean they are a company and should be customer oriented right? Thus if there are enough people that demand the radiance display they might bring it back ? Does anyone have the email of the guy in this video YouTube - HP Envy 14.
I'd write him to at least get some information about the whole issue.

Greetings
Polluxus

 

Haha, thats funny, I did the same... Also informed notebookcheck.com about the issue and they posted it in the news.

Obviously, HP is not very interested in the german market as they do have constant shortage of the Envy 14, with or without Radiance... Its not possible to order any Envy at this time. The 1101eg is still not in stock.

Apart from that, I dont know how one could influence HP. The guy from the video/HP probably knows about the superiority of the Radiance Display. HP should also be smart enough to know about the strong demand for MBP competitive NB with great screens. I don't know what you could do. By telling them "Hey, we are 500 people who want an Envy with Radiance screen", you are probably not telling them anything new.

Of course, there has to be a reason for HP not to sell it at the moment. There are different explanations: 1. If the reason is a supply shortage of the radiance screen: HP's manufactories constantly build all the other parts (case, mainboards, keyboards etc.) so its the smartest thing for HP to keep selling the Envy with a BrightView only. 2. manufacturer went out of business. Same as in 1., while they are looking for a new supplier for premium screens. 3. they wanted to push the reviews. in this case they will just keep producing the BrightView Envy, hoping that still enough people are going to buy it.

I appreciate your initiative. But on the other hand, if we spend 20 hours for this campaign, we could also actually go to work, earn money and go for a Sony Vaio Z or EliteBook with Dream Color 2 display instead... This is not politics, but free market economy. You don't exert influence by running initiatives, but by buying from a competitor. If Envy 14 BrightView sales drop by 90%, some executive might kick someones at HP... rightly so.

 

Yeah that makes sense.
I disagree with point 3 though because they would shoot them self in the foot with that strategy if they pull that trick more then 2 times.
I think I'm just frustrated about the company policy of HP. Development should point upwards and not downwards.

Guess i'm just gonna wait for the second generation of the Envy 14 and in the meanwhile keep poking HP so that they get the things right next time.

There just one thing that puzzles me about the radiance display. We have a 2 year warranty in Germany and the screen is included. They must have quite some displays in stock just to back up any repair demands. It should still be possible to order it as replacement part. I'm considering buying the "nerfed" version and replacing the brightview display myself with the radiance display.

 

HP told me they don't have any radiance displays for sale as a spare part any more, but it isn't even worth the effort and expense.

The radiance screen actually wasn't as good as they hyped it to be, same with the rest of the laptop, here is the hype deconstructed:

"7hr battery life, 14 with the slice"... nope! its closer to 3 or 4hr and 7.5 with slice, and that's for dualcore it gets worse for quad. this was no big surprise though, everyone lies about battery life. plus the slice weighs more than just carrying a spare, and puts the overall weight to 7lbs which is as much as a 16" desktop replacement weighs.

"350nit radiance display".... nope! it measures out to be only 300nit max, with 263nit on average, and only 247nit when on battery power. not even close to the claimed average of 350nit. a vaioZ is actually brighter if you adjust it in the control panel. So basically, the brightness of a radiance is good but not spectacular, a lot of others are just as bright or brighter.

"high resolution, high contrast, high color gamut, best in class"... vaioZ, macbook pro, dell studio, elitebook, etc. all have a good screen too, some are even better than the radiance, so its not special, its not the best.

"envy will start at $1000 and comes standard with core i5 and the really good radiance screen"... hahaha! +$300(or more soon?) option, either due to greed or low supply/demand. instead of an i5 they gave everyone an i3 when it launched, upgradable to an i5 that actually ran slower, hilarious! people were real mad to find out they paid extra to downgrade their cpu, it took HP a week to remove that false upgrade from the list.

"premium and precision design, special envy concierge service for support"... yeah right, if you google CPU whine its amazing how many times you see envy14 pop up compared to other laptops. misfitting aluminum parts with gaps, logo backlight off center, rubber feet and screen gaskets falling off after 3 months and having to fight with HP to replace them for free even though the computer is under warranty. Since when do people with a premium laptop have to RMA it multiple times in order to get a good one, the macintosh buyers don't I am sure.

"powerful ati 5650 graphics"... nope! they use low binned chips that are underclocked by 100MHZ and undervolted, so its probably about as fast as an ati 3870 or nvidia 335 GT. the full speed 5650 isn't too good for gaming to begin with, so this kills gaming performance and will force you to play on lowest settings for new games coming out since it can barely play the current games at the native res of 1600x900. the budget priced acer timeline laptops give you a full speed 5650, and they're the same size as the envy, so there's no excuse for this.


I am probably going to get a 13" vaioZ or a 15" macbook pro now, because I am getting really sick of the games that HP has been playing. They have no respect for their customers at all, the least they could do is issue a press release or even a memo to their sales staff so that they can tell us what is going on and why the radiance screen is once again not available.

 

You forgot to mention how much more expensive the Vaio Z and Macbook Pro are compared to the Envy, even with Radiance.

 

Honestly, I'm with e14 here.

I love the design, but I'll be waiting for the next 14" or 15" refresh before I plump down money on old internals. Until HP fixes the display issue (c'mon, a high res screen should be standard here... my freaking 10" netbook runs 1366x768), upgrades the graphics, adds a Blu-ray option, and perhaps even ships Sandy Bridge processors (if it takes that long to fix the other deficiencies), then the sub-17" Envy line just isn't worth it to me. Sucks to wait longer, since I'm in need of a machine now, but it sucks more to plop down so much money on something that is already outdated (compared to competitor's hardware offerings) at the time of purchase.

Here's to hoping the 15" makes a comeback, since I'm not sure HP can fit all that in a 14" shell.

 

underpowered 5650 , read this for the first time

 

yeah as much as it is nice to see another great gaming noteook come to light like the envy14, pritty much everything e14 said is hiting it directlly on the nail. Do I still like the envy14, with radiance display, yes but there are many notebooks to choose from also, one being the new asus g53.

Also there is no excuse for having to wait for anything even in germany. Thats complete nonsence. Id be supa pissed If I was you and would write some nasty letters and chew some idiots up, and rip some heads! bah!

 

I contacted HP about the Beats Edition with a Radiance Screen about a week ago and I was told that the original supplier for the Radiance Display went out of business. So I am guessing they are looking right now.

 

I think that omission was by design if I remember previous posts from e14 correctly (i.e. my boyfriends mbp is better in every way to my envy 15, mbp is better, I wish I had a mbp, I love the mbp blah blah).

However, without the screen there are better options for the money. For now. If the situation stays the same with the next iteration of the envy 14, then we will know it is more serious.


As it stands, all I see is a case of the envy 14 with the nicer screen being more popular than HP expected, and they got caught off balance on the supply issue, which is possible to fix with time.


For the moment, if anyone needs a good screen with OK graphics, then the vaio z and mbp 15 are the main options if battery life is needed.

if battery life is not as large an issue, the elitebook 8540w beats all of them by a country mile with the screen option it comes with, as well as graphics power. Though that may actually be more expensive.

 

You need to consider price too..unless that is no a factor for YOU

 

Ok i'm not gonna rip off some heads but I have to admit that I don't really know how to deal with HP in the future. They for sure release great products but their policy is total crap. It would have been enough just to add in the press release that their supplier went out off business like HTC did with the Super AMOLED displays. I'm from East Germany and it reminds me about "good old" times when disinformation was key.

And concerning MBP and Vaio Z ... Awesome laptops for sure but not even slightly suitable for casual gaming. The Envy 14 was just a nice compromise between work and fun.

*Sigh* ... Envy 14 2.Gen it is ..... ( i guess)

 

This is probably why there is no more Radiance... Notebook Makers Reportedly Giving HP the Cold Shoulder on Small Orders | Maximum PC

HP needs to sack up and order a ton.

 

Whats the battery on the Elitebook? HP says 5.5-6.5 hours so whats that 3 hours?

And thanks for the info I was about to get the Vaio F for $1349, but for an extra $100 I can get the 8540w. I hope I can do bill me later

 

Where did you get 7 and 14? All the ratings I've seen state *up to* 6 and 13.5 w/slice. It's also clearly stated that those times are for optimal conditions and if you upgrade the processor or really put a load on the CPU those times do drop (they say average of 3.5hrs), but that is true for any notebook so I hardly see how that is a detractor from any single machine. Furthermore if you take the time to go check the battery life log there are plenty of people seeing the upper end of those ratings, one guy even saw 7+ hrs with basic web browsing and note taking during class.

I did some quick searches and could not come up with any of this information. I did however find a post you made a few months ago claiming the Radiance is a better display than even a MBP...

e14's post regarding the Radiance display: http://forum.notebookreview.com/6472933-post2.html
"The hardware is better than mbp, and cheaper, and the screen is better too. The only reason to get a mbp is if you want osx or a matte display, the envy14 radiance is extra bright so you don't notice reflections even though it is a all glass and glossy surface."

Seems like you have some conflicting opinions here?

The keyword there is best in class, which means in that price range you aren't going to find a better display. Sure if you can afford to spend more money you can get a better display, but not everyone can.

That statement is likely from it's initial release, when the radiance display was included in the price. Even when it became an option it was only +$100, and still <$1000. Even after it appeared they were having supplier issues the price remained right around $1000 and was still cheaper than other notebooks on the market.

Changes can't happen over night, there is a period of time where complaints roll in, are investigated, and then handled accordingly. I'd say if you're statement is true (I couldn't find any reports about it) a week response time is not unreasonable at all. That is even still within the 21 day return period, so if it was an issue for someone they would have more than enough time to replace the notebook without any penalties.

Out of curiosity I did google "CPU whine", the greater majority that were brought up (in the first 3 pages, most relevant searches) were Dells and *gasp* macbook pros... There were 2 articles related to excessively noisy apple CPU's on the first page alone:
Digg - OFFICIAL MacBook Pro CPU/Whine confession from Apple.
Red Sweater Blog – MacBook Pro Complaints

On top of that in the "searches related to CPU Whine" box at the bottom there was no mention of any HP laptop at all, but rather the Dell XPS M1330 and the MacBook...

I know a large number of people who's MacBooks have failed, I used to do tech support for a biomedical lab and the researchers were constantly having problems with their Macs. Naturally as I would be fixing it they would be droning on and on about how much better they are than PC's, even though I got much fewer calls from the researchers using PC's. No notebook is completely immune to problems and from the reviews I've read thus far the greater majority of people are very happy with their HP Envy's. I've owned multiple HP's over the years and have not had a single hardware issue with any of them, all operated flawlessly up until the point I upgraded to a newer notebook.

The only real info I found on this stated that it is common practice to use underclocked chips and most manufacturers do it, either to save on costs or increase battery life. Although I found very little info about E14's even being underclocked in the first place (not claiming they aren't, but if it was as big of an issue as you are making it out to be seems like people would be talking about it more).

In regard to gaming performance, there have been quite a few videos posted on youtube showing the E14's gaming ability. All of them were on medium to high settings with no issues to speak of. So regardless of what graphics card they are using performance seems to be just fine.





To me it seems like your major hangup here is price. You keep comparing the E14 to notebooks that are more expensive and then expect it to be better. In some respects it is better, in most it's comparable, in a couple worse, but this all needs to be kept in the context of a more affordable notebook. If money is no object to you that greatly increases your choices, but some people (most people) are forced to include price in their comparisons. It's kind of funny how nonchalant you are about moving to a MBP like there is no difference in cost whatsoever, like the only thing you factor into a decision are spec sheets.

 

Doesn't look like HP needs to "sack up" at all :

"So what of HP? The OEM found greener pastures at Flextronics, which accepted the company's low-gross margin orders at quotes lower than Quanta's, the Commercial Times reports."

If anything it seems like it worked out in HP's favor.

 

I don't recommend it... "bill me later" has a habit of being an awful company to work with. Also it's not "later" it's "right away"; it turns out "no payments and no interest" means "no payments on interest and no interest, but payments on the balance start right away".

Most importantly, and the #1 reason I didn't go with them, bill me later has an awful habit of not honoring returns: you return your product to hp, hp gives the money back to bill me later, bill me later keeps charging you even though you returned it.

 

pardon me but is the radiance really worth it to create such a commotion ?
i mean we can use the extra $300 to buy an external monitor right ?
what is the big difference ? how good is the screen compared to 1366x768 ?

 

Alright thanks aterimperator I will tread carefully with them.

I could careless that its a "radiance" display, I just wanted the 1600x900 resolution.

 

Heh...if buying an external monitor for your 14.5" laptop is an option, why are you wanting a 14.5" laptop anyway? Carrying around a full-blown HDX Dragon would be easier than carrying around a 14.5" laptop and a larger monitor, and a desktop will give you more power for less if you don't need to leave your desk. Of course, I'm glossing over the use case of only needing extra resolution at home, when 1366x768 is fine for "on the go." Still, I figure that either you need the higher resolution in general or you don't.

If you don't understand why you would need more than 1366x768, it means you probably don't. In that case, the only reason to pine after the Radiance screen would be for its superb colors, contrast, and brightness. A lot of people simply need a higher resolution for their computer work though, such as programmers, graphic designers, etc. I fall into this category, so the Brightview is sadly out of the question.

You're right that $300 extra was pushing it, though: It basically debuted at $100 (built into the then-$1099 base price), and even then I wasn't biting. I would have if I'd known the price would only get worse, but I was waiting for a deal that would approach the awesomeness of the July 12 (13th?) 30% BCB I missed out on. Le sigh.

 

It depends on your usage. If outside of the home you only use your notebook for taking notes in class, then you do not need a radiance display. In that case it would make much more sense to buy a bigger and better monitor to use while at home.

I fall into that category. I do a lot of photo/video editing that requires (or at least is easier with) a higher resolution screen, but I've always done it on a desktop at home. I now need to upgrade that machine to keep up with the times and I've decided I'm sick of having two computers and just want everything together, so it's getting replaced with a notebook that will be docked when at home. The few times I may be in a pinch and need to edit something away from home I do not feel the brightview is going to be such a detriment to that process that it is worth spending the extra money or in my case getting a different notebook altogether.

I really don't see the appeal of a 14" notebook with the radiance at all, but acknowledge the opinion of the people who do feel they need it. When I asked a few of my professional photog buddies if I should spring for the Radiance on my E14 they basically laughed at me. To them the thought of professionally editing photos on a 14" notebook screen was comical. They all either got a smaller laptop for it's convenience but always have it docked to a much bigger/better display for work, or if they are on the go went with the largest display possible (i.e. Envy 17). Every one of them said it would be more of a novelty than a practical upgrade. I got the same opinion from the guys at a local computer store when I was trying to find a radiance locally to compare for myself. Really the only place I've found an overwhelming amount of people who feel it is a needed improvement, is on these forums...

 

It has a lot to do with what you're used to. My desktop runs dual 21" widescreen monitors, so the thought of only having 1366x768 on a 14" screen makes me shudder. That's a netbook resolution in my mind, but I admit to maybe being spoiled.

 

Since the stock resolution is still higher than the macbook pro 13 is it also nicer? I know the envy 14 is an inch bigger but if it's screen is still better than the macbook pro it's good enough for me. Recently played with a friends macbook pro and I thought the screen was beautiful

 

The 13" MBP resolution is still a bit higher than the stock Envy 14. Because of the mix of 16:10 and 16:9 aspect ratios, the vertical resolution is usually used for comparison. The Envy is 1366x768 with a pixel density of 108 PPI. The 13" MPB is 1280x800 with a pixel density of 113 PPI. The Envy Radiance is 1600x900 with a pixel density of 126 PPI. The latter pixel density is approaching the font size that can cause vision difficulties such as eyestrain and headaches, for some people. At least, with Win 7 you have the built-in 125% and 150% OS wide screen magnifications, so with the Radiance, you have the use of a high PPI density along with easy readability.

 

You're assuming that only photoshopping requires a higher resolution screen. That's short-sighted. I do programming, I do LaTeX, I do research on this laptop. With anything smaller than 1600x900, having two windows open at the same time side-by-side is a waste. I would've gladly taken 1980x1080, but I think at that point it would've been straining to read text and I both didn't have the cash for something like the Vaio Z or MBP and didn't want to constantly carry around a huge 17" laptop.

The fact of the matter is: the Radiance display sold so well they got caught off-guard. That speaks volumes about the demand, whether you think it's warranted or not.

 

Did you miss my very first sentence?

"It depends on your usage."

What about the first sentence in my last paragraph?

..."but acknowledge the opinion of people who do feel they need it"

For MY needs the radiance was a novelty (even though plenty of people here will tell me otherwise), confirmed by people whose opinions I trust. Had I solely listened to what people here had to say I would have blindly ordered the Radiance without realizing it would not be that beneficial. To be honest your situation doesn't seem that much different than mine assuming you aren't traveling away from home all the time. For all of those tasks an external monitor would easily outperform the Radiance, for less money. While the brightview would get the job done (albeit not as nicely as the Radiance) if you found yourself away from home needing to do some work. An aside, I'm currently using a 10" netbook with a resolution of 1024x600, I have no problem using two windows side by side when doing research/taking notes/writing a paper. So I find it hard to believe a larger display with higher resolution would be a "waste", everyone has their own opinions though.



I still think there are a lot of people out there that don't need it, but the appeal of having a better display wins over logic. Of course it sold well, people love to max out the options on their notebooks and the Radiance was an attractive option. I even fell victim to this mentality, I could have just gotten a regular E14 but spent an extra $50 for the Beats Edition because I liked the features. I also sprung for the i7 even though I may not really need that much processing power, but just in case I do it's there. Which is telling considering I didn't spring for the radiance even though I wavered for a few days considering it. I just feel like there is an overwhelming presence of opinions here which could easily sway people away from an awesome notebook who might not really see much if any benefit from the Radiance, that's all.

 

Actually, I've worked on a netbook for about two years and switched specifically because of the absolutely dismal resolution. I already have a "gaming" desktop with a 28" 1920x1200 monitor and a secondary 1280x768, so the only reason I bought this laptop was to have a fast, hi-res computer at university and during my 1h30 commute, totaling a very large part of my weekday. Many students are in the same situation.

I think the high resolution is an excellent thing, far more valuable than the quad-core battery killers (see, that's my opinion ). I also feel like you would really miss out on something with just the BrightView unless you're strictly doing light web browsing, at which point I'd question your choice of laptop in the first place.

 

My notebook is going to be my only computer, so its uses will vary tremendously and have the potential to increase with time. I would have certainly chosen a different configuration if it was going to be a secondary computer to an impressive desktop. I'm also a student who spends the majority of each day on campus, less of a commute though. But I really only use my notebook for research/web browsing/note taking when I'm away from home, so upgrading the on board display doesn't make sense. If you do most of the work you want the higher resolution for at home, it doesn't make sense for you either. Otherwise sure it would be useful, based on your usage, to have the Radiance over the Brightview. But as you've mentioned it isn't a necessity since you've been doing without it for some time now.

I'm just trying to give people more options. Some of the people asking whether or not the Radiance is worth it really don't need it, and they are being told not to buy an E14 because it's not available anymore. The E14 is an excellent notebook, and even without the Radiance is still more than capable to do what most people need it to.

And I am with you on the battery killers. I have been/am still questioning if I made the right choice with the i7. I figured it would be better to start high and see if I run into battery issues within the 21 day exchange period. At this point I am dealing with about the same battery life that I should see with the i7, so I should be fine, but if not I'll happily downgrade to the less power hungry i5 . For what I do now (photo and video editing) I shouldn't run into any issues with the i5 but if the battery life is sufficient I would like to keep the faster processor just in case my needs change in the future.

 

Thing is, back when I had a netbook, I put off everything I could until I was home. That often got me late and tired and weary, so I flipped. I also transitioned from college to university (we make a distinction here), so I had more homework to do in less time (30 minutes total commute before, 3 hours after). I definitely regretted my decision, especially when I couldn't even *run* the programs I was building for my comp sci courses...

And I don't know if you've ever had to, but having a PDF window opened for the assignment, another for the previewer, a Firefox window for Wolfram Alpha and Eclipse running to code the LaTeX source simply doesn't work on small screens. Believe me, I've tried. In contrast, I've actually spent two full weeks over the course of summer not using my desktop at all, since I could code and play on the laptop without ever feeling cramped.

I understand that you want people to know that the E14 is still a great laptop even without the Radiance screen, and it is, but what I am trying to say is that people should still pressure HP in making the option available again. Choice is the best of scenarios and I'd rather people have the ability, if they so desire, to take the Radiance.

 

In regards to a few points mentioned here:

The Radiance Display *IS* worth the hype. 1600x900 may be "meh" compared to 1920x1080 in the Vaio Z, but considering the price it doesn't seem that bad. The screen is also plenty bright and vivid, and has better overall viewing angles (though still mediocre at best, TN panel) compared to most laptops out there today. I don't have a link handy, but I have read several user reviews that pitted a 13" MBP against the Envy 14, and each of them agreed that the Envy 14's Radiance Display was nicer. Would I do professional photo work on the Envy 14? No, but if you're doing professional photo work you should use nothing other than your $1000+ calibrated IPS desktop display.

As far as the Mobility HD 5650 being a "low-binned" 450 MHz part, what did you expect buying a sub-15" notebook packed to the brim with features and stuffed inside a relatively thin (metal) chassis all for around $1000-1200ish? They either have to burn your lap and risk frying components, or keep the clocks and voltages down. Before anyone says anything about the two hot spots on the chassis, look up Macbook Pro heat issues. The Envy 14 does a very good job at cooling, all things considered.

Anyone that believed the 7 hour battery life was kidding themselves. Believe me, I hoped that I was wrong and they would somehow pull it off, but most of us knew deep down that it was a load of BS, just like a majority of other manufacturers out there. Without a very high-capacity battery and power-sipping components (CULV processor), you're not going to get much better. I do wish they had gone for something better than the 3700ish mAh battery in the Envy 14, but overall I find it acceptable. The fact that you have an OPTION to add a slice battery on is more than I can say about many similarly-powerful notebooks out there, most of which are lucky to get 3.5 hours on a charge.

Finally, in regards to the originally promoted $1000 starting price, look around and see if you can find the original Envy 14 owner's lounge. Many people were angry at the $1100 initial asking price, but then astounded that it came in at that price with both the HD 5650 (we thought it would be an upgrade option) AND the Radiance display. Yes, it sucks that the Radiance screen is now a $300 option, but they did hold fairly true to their word initially. Things change, parts go out of stock or become fairly scarce, prices fluctuate. If it pisses you off so much, pick something else that gives you all of the same features for the same price the Envy 14 comes in at.

Overall, I think the Envy 14 is an astounding machine. Perfect? Nope, not a chance. Pretty frickin' good? You betcha. It performs well for it's size considering the M11x is actually a 13.3" chassis and the processor is far slower, the Vaio Z is nearly $2000, and the MBP 13 comes with inferior specs / the MBP 15 is $1800. It has a nice screen, decent keyboard, good connectivity options, great sturdy chassis, and it's all offered for $1000-1300 or so.

In summary, don't buy the Envy 14 strictly for gaming. Don't buy it for extreme portability. Don't buy it to show off to Mac-using friends. Buy it because it's a jack of all trades and a step above half the crap available out there. If you like Lenovo T400 / X200 series, ASUS's U / UL series, Macbook Pros, or have the cash for a Vaio Z, by all means knock yourself out - they're all wonderful choices and each offer something better than the Envy 14. They also all have their drawbacks compared to it as well, which many people that feel "cheated" by their Envy 14 purchase seem to forget. Seriously, go try the keyboard on an Acer TimelineX and let me know what you think.

</rant>

 

I think it would be foolish to believe HP is abandoning an upgraded display altogether, let alone at the height of its popularity. It's already been confirmed that their previous supplier bailed on them and they were actively looking for another. I'm certainly not saying people who are interested in it shouldn't rally for the Radiance to come back, they just need to stop denouncing the E14 for people who don't need it.

 

And you're there to judge who needs it and who doesn't?

I think you're applying your own perspective to everyone and thinking it's the good one. I'm sure quite a few people who don't need the Radiance display will still want it because it's nicer. This is already a premium laptop. It makes sense that people who are looking into it want something that's superior. Remember the Radiance is superior not just in terms of resolution, but also brightness, contrast, viewing angles, etc.

I also don't think HP would be abandoning such a cash cow, yet I don't think the 300$ premium they were charging at the end is reasonable, either. I also think it's important for people to know that there probably will be the option of picking another screen at some point in the future so that they do not regret their purchase.

 

Again there is the distinction between need and want. If someone wants it even after realizing they don't need it that is their own choice. But from everything I had been reading the option wasn't being presented at all, it was either get the E14 with the Radiance or don't even bother. When I was looking for opinions here that is pretty much all I saw, which made me start becoming a bit disheartened about getting an Envy at all. I'd seen/used Brightviews in the past and they seemed just fine but I thought maybe I had been missing something from not using one long term. It wasn't until I got in touch with some of my photographer buddies and went looking for a Radiance display to see in person that I had anyone give me a counter opinion to what I was reading on the forums.

I agree, I feel all options should presented equally so people can make up their own mind, I'm certainly not trying to make the decision for anyone and apologize if that's how it comes across. From my perspective the opinions here were very one sided so I am simply trying to provide another for people who don't need it and come to the conclusion it isn't worth the extra money or wait for it to return. It would be a shame if someone missed out on these great notebooks simply because some owners are a little overzealous about the displays.

 

After the envy14 launch they jacked the price up from $1100 to $1300+tax, making it $1430 here, and that was with the slowest i3-370M cpu, and 320GB rotary hdd. Now you can only get one on ebay for like $1500...

But guess what, today I just bought a brand new vaioZ for $1500, exactly the same price, it came with a i5-520M, 128GB ssd, and a 1600x900 matte screen that's much brighter and better quality than the radiance. The screen of the vaio is a little smaller, it has a bit weaker GPU, but hey it's an amazingly light 3lb laptop and you get raid0 ssd at this price. It also came with a free 3 year ADH warranty, protecting against accidental damages, win7 and xp pro licenses, and some noise canceling headphones... so there is no way in hades anybody should seriously consider paying $1500 for a low specc'd HP. Macbook 15" refurbs are in this same price range too, jeez.

I got to see an envy14 in person for the first time today, and it was side by side with the vaioZ I was buying. I was not very impressed with the e14, quite big and bulky for a 14" laptop, and without the radiance display the colors on screen did not "pop" so pictures looked dull and lifeless. The images looked much much less sharp. If you did not have them side by side then you probably wouldn't notice just how much worse the screen really is, it is garbage though and you won't want it once you see for yourself...

 

Garbage, right? I see someone has decided that the Envy is a bad laptop and then every single thing you see from that laptop is irreversibly tainted by that perception...

Also, please don't whine about pricing ffs. In Canada the Envy is at least 1500$ as was so since the very beginning. You had to bargain hard to get it to drop below that. The Vaio Z is even more expensive, in the 2.2k range. You had a good deal on the Z, but that is not its normal price range.

 

The Envy 14-1050ca is now on sale for $1299 at Future Shop. The replacement 14-1150ca is at the same price.

 

Hi
Can some one pl. post a link to brightview display review i was wondering about brightness and contrass that this display have.

 

With or without Radiance?

 

i bought an envy 14 radiance and i can say that the display is worth the hype . i find it as good as MBP 15 display(although i havent used it extensively) . its one step above dell xps 16's display .

there is nothing wrong if hp ships the E14 with radiance display as default .

 

Yeah, that would be great. Problem is, they can't ship the E14 with the radiance at all right now...

 

I would guess it's with radiance. The 14-1050cas were $1699 (radiance), then they dropped to $1499 a couple of weeks ago at Bestbuy, and for this week, they're on close-out sale at FS for $1299. Bestbuy still shows $1499, but they'll match the FS price. The replacement non-radiance 14-1150ca with higher CPU and HD specs, is also $1299. If you use a large monitor for visually intensive stuff, and don't need the radiance, the higher performance 1150ca may be the better bet.

 

friendly0fire, I said the non-radiance display is garbage, this is supposed to be a PREMIUM laptop it means high quality and high performance, not just high price.

It's not my fault that you can't look for a deal, even I knew futureshop had them on sale, I might have gotten a canadian one if it didn't have a 430M and french localization. And this so-called normal price range of the vaio and macbook is only based on the prices you have seen, and it's obvious you haven't been looking hard. Sonystyle in canada just last week had a huge sale on the vaioZ, you could have got a Z12 brand new for a mere $1020cad, I almost ordered one through a reseller until I found out the warranty wouldn't be honored in usa, so don't whine about being canadian there are good deals there if you look.

 

Obviously the fact I've purchased my laptop months ago and you're quoting me prices from a week ago help your case. I have gone against the Vaio Z for unrelated reasons so even if it did have a sale at that time (read: it did not), I still would not have purchased one.

I'm glad for you that you like your Z, but that doesn't mean you should come and rain down on other laptops for the sake of it. The Envy 14 is good, Radiance or not, and it's clear from this topic that some people, at the very least, don't actually want the Radiance display. I wouldn't have bought the laptop without it, but it is no less premium without it.

Obviously, you need to remember the definition of "premium" varies wildly and may not match exactly what you think.

 

I highly doubt that the viao screen is much better then the radiance screern. The radiance screen is fantastic. Even the screen on my Gen 1 Envy 15 beats most other screens. U don't like the envy fine, just don't BS everyone here with your dislike of it and make it look worse then it actually is just to justify you getting a VIAO.

By the way the cheapest Viao Z is 1299 right now. U can get an envy 14 at futureshop or best buy with radiance screen for that same amount and a envy 13 with radiance screen for even cheaper as they are clearing them out.

 

Been trying to find the radiance version on futureshop, both the 1050ca and 1150ca is Brightview, right?

 

no the 1050ca is radiance and the 1150 is brightview

 

If you look on notebookcheck.net they have very comprehensive tests, you be the judge about which screen is the best.
Review Sony Vaio VPCZ11X9E/B Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews
Review HP Envy 14-1010eg Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

Vaio Z:
much much brighter 298.3 nits on average
more evenly lit has 5% better coverage
much sharper smaller screen with the same 1600x900 resolution
1080 full HD option! some people want this
matte, non glare less distraction from reflections
optional blueray something to put on a nice screen other than photoshop and games


Envy14 w/ radiance:
excellent viewing angles the angles on the vaio are only average
slightly better contrast but it's hardly noticeable to the eye
color space is similar so both have good gamut

HP claims radiance to be 350 nit for envy14, but tests show it is much less bright than that, 267 nits on average, and 247 nits on battery

I said months ago that the radiance screen was better than the mbp15, I was going by HP marketing claims. HP had been deliberately keeping the envy14 away from reviewers, it took a long time for professional reviews to arrive. Now there is honest test data to compare with and it shows they are actually very similar across the board. So if you like the mac screen then you will probably like the radiance, except for the fact aspect ratio is different between them.

 

So... not bad (for the Envy 14) considering the Vaio Z starts at $1800. Looking at NotebookCheck's viewing angles comparison of both machines, the Envy 14 absolutely blows the Vaio Z out of the water. Brightness and reflectivity might be better on the Vaio Z, but it would be silly to call the Envy 14's Radiance display "bad" or even "mediocre."

I also found this interesting in the Vaio Z's article, considering the recent complaints about the Envy 14's lower-clocked 5650: " The built-in Nvidia GeForce GT330 M loses in gaming performance against other GT 330M notebooks due to its low clock rate."

Finally, I noticed another interesting tidbit: the Vaio Z also has much better idle battery life (7:43 vs 4:23 for the Envy 14), but compare the "Surfing with WLAN" numbers on both machines. 3:10 for the Vaio Z, and 3:55 for the Envy 14. Looks like the Envy 14 has some nasty idle power consumption for whatever reason, but once you actually give the Vaio Z something to do, it falls right in line with the Envy 14 battery wise. Considering that most people USE their notebook while it's on, I wouldn't quite give the Vaio Z a standing ovation in that category either.

 

All very true,

the reason why I count a low clock rate against e14 is because the acer timeline shows it was unnecessary. The vaio Z is nearly the size and weight of a netbook so I can forgive it being downclocked, and it's only downclocked by 50Mhz I believe. A macbook pro 15" is also downclocked, and also only has 512MB of DDR3 whilst both the vaio and envy have 1GB.

The wifi battery test notebookcheck does is at max brightness, he disables the ambient light sensor of the vaio for that test and it gets incredibly bright, so even though it's a smaller screen it's using a lot of juice at that level. I am not sure if you can make the screen go full brightness on an envy14 while it runs on battery, but you can for the vaio. He has listed a lower luminance value for envy while it runs on battery so I am assuming it forces a less bright maximum value. Because of the different brightness level and screen size it is like comparing apples and oranges, but you have to give sony credit they say you can get 6hr of battery life and that isn't too much of an over-exaggeration. The screen is still nice looking and easy to read with the ambient light sensor activated.

 

The irony of all this, is that the links provided make a much stronger case that the envy 14s panel is the superior one, just not the brightest one.

noticeably better viewing angles, and a 200+ point gap in the contrast department (darker blacks on the envy 14 radiance panel), with similar color reproduction and equal resolution.

No it's not as "dense" but so what. pixel density bumps into diminishing returns quite easily at this level in terms of picture quality, a 200 point gap in contrast and those viewing angel shots are much more jarring.


They are both good panels, but the idea that the version on the vaio z is vastly superior to the envy 14 rather than in the same ballpark assaults all reasonable analysis.


Anyway, they better get a replacement for that radiance panel. Glossy dreamcolor ?!?


if the 17" upgrade cost on the elitebooks is in the 550 range (1920x1200), and the 15" dreamcolor upgrade is in the 400 dollar range (1920x1080)

here's hoping for a glossy envy 14 version in the 300 or below range @ 1600x900