Maybe there is some reasoning behind thinkpads having lousy screens

Not too sure if this has been discussed before. But I was over at a relatives house yesterday and I was watching someone using his thinkpad(also a T61) from an angle.

Thats where it hit me, could it be the case that IBM/lenovo uses a crap box of an lcd for the sole purpose of privacy? If i was on some type of business trip and I was working on a somewhat confidential file, I wouldn't want any wandering eyes on my screen. In this case, even if someone's eyes did drift my way, they wouldn't really be able to see much.

Not too sure, and sorry if I'm being Captain Obvious, but it seems feasible.

 

Isn't the lousy viewing angle just a result of the technology used? Or do Lenovo get exceptionally bad screens?

 

No, that's not the case.

If you're talking about the 14.1" WXGA+ screen, then that's a typical problem, these screens just have narrow vertical viewing angles...no matter of the notebook brand or the real screen manufacturer.

 

So I suppose he meant they choose these screens opposed to other screens with better viewing angles so that you can get more privacy in public.

 

The are no 14.1" WXGA+ screens with better viewing angles, they are all the same...take it as an advantage if you wish.

 

Not sure about designing it that way, but some do prefer the privacy aspect over the flexviews for example. So it is an advantage for them. But for me (and I can only speak to mine, as I haven't seen them all), I literally had to adjust the angle if the position of my eyes moved relative to the display. Vertical angles were atrocious- I don't need that level of privacy (a spy would have to occupy my own headspace).

 

Regular 14.1" WXGA (1280 x 800) screens have better viewing angle than WXGA+ screens?

 

wondering this aswell..

 

I can't speak for lenovo's regular WXGA screen, but i have seen many WXGA screens on other laptops, primarily HP that have fantastic viewing angles

 

It's possible that the matte coating could affect viewing angles.

 

Asus also has the problem with their 14.1 A8 series and viewing angles. I don't know if it has anything to do with the higher density of pixels of the WXGA+ screen or just the size but it isn't just the Thinkpad's WXGA+ screen that has the problem. Anandtech had a article about this so it's all 14.1 inch WXGA+ screens.

I'm also thinking it has to do with pixel density, the higher the pixels you fit onto a screen the harder it is to get good viewing angles. I also think it has to do with the old TFT technology that they use, if they started using better PVA and MVA panels then the viewing angles should become better but for some reason they don't. So it's probably a combination of both TN TFTs and high pixel density that make the viewing angles worse compared to lower res, larger displays.

I haven't really examined the viewing angles on my WSXGA+ display but I'm pretty sure it isn't great.

 

You might be right about that. I've noticed that dell's and aw's wuxga displays get more complaints than wxga and wsxga. And that's really saying something, because you have to consider how few wuxga's on a 15.4 would even be out there relative to the lower resolution displays. You'd figure very few complaints.

But I have to say, I have a wsxga+ on a 15.4" (LG)- which actually has a higher pixel density than wxga+ on 14.1"- and it was great, so I don't consider that a valid excuse. Though I have noticed the general trend you mention.

 

The WXGA+ screen on my HP nc6400 also has bad viewing angles - viewed head on it's fine. (Haven't seen the T61 yet, and even though many have been crying about their screens on this board, I have a feeling it's going to be better than the HP.) Business laptops aren't meant for watching movies from across the room.

 

Afaik, there are four manufacturers: AUO, CMO, LG/Philips, and Samsung that produce 1440x900 14.1" screens, all of them are very similar in terms of viewing angles... That's an often discussed topic in all brand sections anyway.

That's it. No matter of the notebook brand or whether it's a business or consumer level notebook you will get one of these screens.