Phillips Display On HP DV6565US - Weak Or Is it me?

I bought my first laptop - a HP DV6565US (15" wxga; 2 gb Ram; 1.5 C2D; 200gb HD; X3100 integrated).

I like many things about it but the display seems pretty weak to me. I was wondering if HP screens are any good or if I am just spoiled by my 20" NEC S-IPS? I know TN panels are shifty but with this notebook display it seems the "sweet spot" is incredibly tight. If I move ever so slightly colors breakdown and wash out - and colors look washed out anyway even in the sweet spot. On this grayscale test I only register at RGB4 ( 0 to 3 show nothing).

http://lcdresource.com/tools/blacktest.htm

I know I don't have the best resolution for a 15" but I wouldn't expect that to affect colors unless there are HP panels that are better in quality as well as resolution. When I hook my HP up to me desktop display photos look great. On the laptop display they look like doody. I played with contrast and gamma (didn't do anything nice!) and saw a place to swap color profiles but haven't tried that. I think the display is just very weak. I checked and the maker was LG Philips who makes good panels for desktop (including the S-IPS - which I think only Lenovo uses on Laptop at considerable cost ).

What I was wondering was how HP panels compare to other brands. I only wanted a laptop for backup and to go mobile once in awhile when I need to show photos of design work. I thought for $1000 (it was $1150 before sale) I would be able to show photos ok. But maybe not looking at the results.

I keep reading that people just shouldn't expec that much from a notebook display so maybe the HP display is just as good or better than others and I won't be able to remedy anything. I would spend another $500 to get better display if I could. As it is I might just take item back and stick to desktops. I thought maybe I would try a Dell but it seems their displays are having even more troubles (this Philips display does NOT have the "grainy" issue of the Dell's - at least). Thanks for reading.

 

Reading is my speciality. Just kidding.

Out of all the notebooks in the dv6500 class, the Sony FZ lineup has the best screen. When you have both the FZ and dv6500 side by side, you can really tell the difference in screen quality.

However, the HP isn't as bad as it sounds in this thread. Buyers should remember that when using the dv6500, you will not have a Sony FZ beside you so you won't be able to see the quality difference. I'm currently looking for a laptop and I am quite sure about getting a model from HP's dv6500 line.

 

The 6565 is nice alright. Good keyboard at least - and its quiet. Thanks for mentioning Sony. I am looking at Sony VAIO VGN-FZ140E/B now. I could make exchange for another 150. People do say Sony has nice screen - conversely I see bad things about battery life ( 1 got 3.5 hrs full usage the only time I timed it) and some sort of crippled recording function to prevent recording off the web ( well one person mentioned this - still confirming). Thanks

 

The more I have read the more people I see liking the Sony displays - but a lot of people question Sony reliability. With their battery recalls and camera sensor recalls (multiples of these - Sony makes camera sensors where others big brands do not) its not hard to take criticisms seriously. Is Sony a "scary" brand? I read one person who does repairs under gov contract say he hasn't seen anything like it since the early days of eMachines.

 

I want to get this laptop.. but the screen is whats holding me back just abit.. maybe I'll continue waiting when HP brings the LED Backlight feature. But what are the odds of that happening by late August?

 

Well it depends on what you want to spend. For the less than 1k USD I spent
on it its a fab unit and I like it a lot. I didn't expect much from the display in the sense that I won't game or watch movies. I also have suspicion the display on this HP is better than what some people are getting on their Dell 1520's. I just thought it would show photos better. If I look at just my deviantART photos on my HP notbook and my NEC monitor its like looking at 2 very different images. A lot (a lot) of color and detail is just missing. Different elements in photo seem to stand out in relief and if I move slightly the whole image breaks down. If I keep display exactly at its farthest point when open I get the best (but still not good) image. Like all TN panels (twisted numatic)
the image breaks down alot on verticals. As soon as I move display to right angle with table the image is a washout and the panel is very shifty. But like I said I probably like this HP more than the Dell's. The media buttons are cool and its very quiet and never really heats up much. I haven't even seen the Sony yet (on my way) so maybe thats not much better either. A S-IPS would be only cure. A "nice" TN is still a TN.

 

Ok just got back from le Circuit City where I checked out the Sony FZ 140. Just using the sample photos included with Vista the Sony wasn't hugely better. In fact it seemed about identical to the HP. What I did see that was different with the Sony was the rubbish keyboard and mouse pad. The mouse buttons made a clicky-clack sound and felt like they would break in a week. The HP is nice and soft and silent. The HP soft touch Media buttons have no equal on the HP. I would have thought the FZ 140 was a 7-8 hundred dollar unit if I didn't know better. So I came away more impressed with the HP as far as the Sony FZ 140 is concerned. I guess I would have to get a S-IPS unit for 2 grand to escape the color/gamma shifts and washouts. A resolution better than wxga would be nice too but I hardly see any of those in stores at 15".