x200 - panel type

what type of panel does the x200 use? who makes it?
are there more than one type?

 

Usually the only way to find out is to buy the system and check the hardware ID in device manager. I don't think any vendors let you specify the panel manufacturer and most vendors use panels from more than one manufacturer.

 

i cant figure out the display from lspci, lshw, or Xorg.0.log

my last notebook reported a specific AUO model number

but when i opened it up it was a copmletely different model number Samsnug

 

I don't know who makes the panel it is just listed as Lenovo. I even Googled the part number, and I all I found was the FRU for a replacement (still no manufacturer listed).

It is a 200 nit CCFL Twisted Nemantic WXGA panel. This is reasonably bright and good for office documents/web activity. However, it has a very narrow sweet spot (vertical viewing angles are awful) and it is not color correct (true of most notebook LCDs).

I asked Lenovo, and they told me there is only a single supplier/type of screens for the x200 (This may change in the future). However, they did not tell me who that supplier is.

 

It's a ultra-cheap bottom-of-class TN-panel like in almost all thinkpads today
You won't see what manufacturer it is without opening it because there are a bunch of compatible displays on identical controllers, but Lenovo seems to be using Toshiba-Matsu****a-Displays in the most recent models.

 

That sounds about right. Just for anyone that doesn't know Matsu****a=Panasonic. (I can't believe they sensor manufacturer names the **** start with 'S' and ends with 'hit' for those that want to know).

If you really want display quality your best option is the x200 Tablet. It uses a Boe-Hydis AFFS+ display, but that is only because vertical viewing angles matter on tablets (in portrait mode vertical becomes horizontal) and TN panels are thus unsatisfactory.

 

No, that is really just a problem with that stupid censoring. shi!t is a word, like it or not. The censoring sucks, I don't blame a Japanese company for having the 4 letters in a row inside their name.

So the name is Toshiba-Matsush!ta-Displays, sorry for that.

It's really a pitty that we cannot get VA or IPS/FFS panels with proper resolution in standard models (X200(s)). I would pay a lot of many for that.

 

If you want a high quality display in the standard model (x200 ). Your best bet is to go crazy and install a tablet display in a normal laptop. This isn't the easiest or cheapest solution, but it is the only way to get a quality display in a lightweight non-tablet computer (Erik did it because he wanted SXGA+ without the weight of the tablet, the fact that it was FFS was just a bonus).

 

I have a Toshiba LED backlit display in my XPS M1330 and it is fantastic, probably the best display I have seen on a laptop this size. Are Toshiba and Mat$hita / Panasonic now a conglomerate?

I would be surprised if Lenovo is using cheap displays in their ThinkPad line. Usually, all of the components are high quality.

 

the Toshiba r500 panel was universally panned for being horrible.

all we would have to do is partially disassemble our bezels and see whats in there. you usually have to pop the screen out as the label is only on the back..

 

I could see that. The R series is the budget series. However, I'd expect the X200 series to have good screens.

 

Sadly it doesn't. The viewing angles are very poor, color is not great, and I also had some problems with video playback on the x200. It's reasonably bright for a CCFL but that is its only good thing.

I returned it and got an x200 Tablet to replace. I can't even begin to compare the screen on the Tablet to the standard, it is just so much better (AFFS+/LED).

 

Darn! That's a shame. I wonder how the screen quality is for the X301 LED backlit? I will probably be buying the X301 sometime in the future, as long as the screen is good.

 

This depends on your definition of good. Every Thinkpad (and almost all notebooks for that matter) except the Tablets use TN (Twisted Nemantic) panels. Viewing angles will be fair at best, and most of them (W700 excepted) will not be good for color correct work.

The x301 will be very bright and has great resolution, but it is not an IPS Flexview like the old T60P (among others).

That being said. It will be difficult to find a better panel in a notebook from almost any manufacturer (even Apple/Sony use TN panels in their laptops).

 

I can also assert that the screen of the X200 is horrible. I cannot return the laptop because I got it at work but it really hurts my eyes even reading pages that don't use black letters on white backgrounds. For example gizmodo.com is really hard to read because of the poor vertical angles ...

Such a shame for an otherwise good laptop.

PS
Don't get me started on the construction quality though ...

 

that's only partially true.   most of the reason was because it was an AFFS panel.   had TN been the only option then i would have just kept my X300 or moved to an X200s.   i also wanted something small enough to take anywhere—much like a netbook but with a crazy amount of features.

i've already done some homework on installing an X200T display in an X200 notebook.   it seems possible, especially since the BIOS wouldn't need modded.   fabricating a jumper harness should be easy.   the biggest hurdle would be in the cost since the tablet displays aren't yet readily available at reasonable prices.   besides, i'd rather have 1400x1050 for the real estate.

 

Good to see you on this forum Erik. I agree that putting an x200 Tablet display in the x200(s) would definitely be cost prohibitive. Hopefully some replacement 12.1 AFFS+ displays will show up on the secondary market to drive prices down.

I am really satisfied with the screen on the x200T. The viewing angles are incredible, color accuracy is solid, and it is extremely bright (290 nit, usable in direct sunlight). For me, 1280x800 is adequate and provides a good balance of real estate and text size (125 DPI vs. 140 for the x200s and 144 for your x61s), but I realize that some people want the maximum resolution possible.

If I had been able to get the AFFS+ display in an x200s (or my x200), I probably would have gone that route to save weight or maximize performance. However, I am very satisfied with the tablet. The speakers on it are superior to other Thinkpads, it is well balanced (more square and symmetric than the x200 ), and has a ton of features (802.11n, GigE, Modem, WWAN, full size keyboard, Webcam, stereo speakers, dual array microphone, tablet interface). I am also finding the tablet input surprisingly usable and the weight doesn't bother me (although my previous laptop was a 5 pound T40).

One side question. Do you notice any grain on your x61s. I see a very small amount on my x200 Tablet (not a problem in my opinion). I believe this is a consequence of the digitizer layer. Did removing the digitizer layer for your x61s eliminate this grain (I know you also had an x61 Tablet previously)?

 

By the way - the new T-Series uses only transflective Displays like some Reviews said. Does this also match any other new Thinkpads (maybe the X200 and/or X200s)?

For those who don't know: transflective means, that a layer behind the display reflects sunlight, so direct sunlight is used as backlight for the display what results in incredibly good readability in direct sunlight even without any artificial backlight.

 

Nope. The x200 is not very readable in direct sunlight.

 

good to be here.   thank you.

removing the polycarbonate writing surface eliminated all perceptible sparkle/grain from the display.   my X61s' modded SXGA+ display looks just like any other notebook display but with the benefit of color, contrast, viewing angles, and pixel density.   it actually rivals my NEC display, and that says a lot for a 6-bit panel.

fyi, the digitizer is actually behind the LCD and is nothing more than a flexible sheet of RFID antennae and a controller chip.

 

That is very good to know. I figured that what little grain I had was caused by the digitizer layer. If I hadn't already grown accustomed to the extra flexibility of the digitizer I would consider your option.



Thomas - to the best of my knowledge, there does not exist a Thinkpad with a trans-reflective screen. Every Thinkpad (SL series excepted) use matte LCD screens with either LED or CCFL backlights. My x200 Tablet is certainly usable in direct sunlight. However, this is because it is a matte AFFS+ LED screen with an extremely bright backlight. If I reduce the backlight, it is not very usable in sunlight.

 

I happen to think I may have gotten an anomoly on my X200 screen as it is very good for almost everything including watching Blu-ray's..

 

I'm glad you are happy with it. I may have gotten a particularly bad screen on my x200, or they may have improved the quality later (mine was one of the first batch out of Shanghai). In any event, I am very satisfied with the screen on my x200 Tablet, so no complaints here.