Better Panels in Non-US Vaio?

In light of a post in another thread I want to know if this has ever happened before with any other Sony Vaio.

A few people are reporting the European and Asian versions of the Sony Vaio Z has a better 1920 x 1080 panel than it's US conterpart. Stating that there is a possibility that there is a 8bit panel in the EurAsia one and a standard 6bit TN panel in the US one.

Any feedback would be great! i'm heading to Asia in a few weeks and am in the market to buy a Vaio Z hi-res. If this is true i'll hold off until then to buy the laptop.

 

Hi, Ippikiokami!

Just FYI, per my post in the other thread, it seems that the 1600x900 panels are identical. It's only the 1920x1080 panels which seem to be unique outside of North America.

Good Luck!
Mark

P.S. I personally timed out after a few weeks of trying to get the better panel by buying it in Hong Kong, but work schedules just wouldn't cooperate!

 

To think that Uncle Sam had to pay $$ to get FHD in the signature series, yet little did he know it's still not quite the same as those in Europe / Asia :/

 

Hey MJFlash. Thanks a lot for the information. I'll be in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia in a few weeks so I'm going to try my luck there (seems most likely in Singapore).

If the 1920 x 1080 panel is truely the better panel there then i'm definitely buying it on my trip.

BTW I've never heard of a 8 bit TN panel used in anything before. Is it safe to assume if it's truely 8 bit like some people have reported it could be a PVA/
MVA or IPS panel in the Z?

 

Well, its hard to say considering one would really have to buy both versions to compare :|

 

I've never heard of a 13.3" 1920x1080 panel before either. It could be anything, but 8-bit TN seems like a good bet.

 

Do the 1080p panel also have diag lines across the screen?

 

Holy cow, we joined the forum in the same month, you're already a deity and I'm still just a consultant

I have the impression somebody mentioned before that the lines are there but not very visible. I also have the impression lowering the refresh rate from 59Hz to 40Hz reduces power consumption at the expense of more visible lines. However, I'm looking at what I'm typing and I think I may be drink-typing, so I hope my impressions are right

 

Hi, Ippikiokami!

If you are a truly patient person, you can read the evidence behind what I'm saying in the earlier posts within the Sony Vaio Z (i3/i5/i7) Owner's Thread. Folks there have reported that there's very little image change on the "foreign" (sorry, folks!) 1080p panel based on viewing angle, which sure as heck cannot be done with any TN panel that I've ever seen (or developed, for that matter, having done some 20 or so with most of the major LCD manufacturers).

Good Luck!
Mark

EDIT: Hold on a minute. I've just seen the first compelling evidence that might suggest that previous postings are wrong. Note that the non-USA panel is better, no question, since it is truly matte, and Sony claims that it is 8-bit. However, I find this post important, given your goal:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=6158041&postcount=32

 

Thanks again for the information. Being matte alone is enough for me to wait till my trip for the laptop. It is a little sad that it isn't IPS though never expected it to be a true 8 bit TN panel as no other manufacturer seemed to ever thought of going that route. Only higher end TN panels i've seen are the RGB LED ones that some companies are using now and those are still 6-bit

An IPS 1920 x 1080 screen on this baby would have made it a laptop for the ages!

 

Hi, Ippikiokami,

I sincerely appreciate your kind response, but the fact is that Endeavor1934 appears to deserve all the credit. For all of the time this machine has been on the market, that's the first person whom I've seen that was paying close enough attention to actually recognize the distinction in the panel. Very well done, and thanks are deserved, to him/her. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Best Regards!
Mark

 

A 6-bit TN panel with 8-bit drivers seems like a better bet. That would, in the eyes of marketing, justify calling it 8-bit. Sony wouldn't be the first company to do so.

 

Hi, Arth1!

I apologize if I didn't properly extend my thanks to you, as well - your post clearly encouraged Endeavor1934 to post their response. Thanks for your many valuable contributions!

Best Wishes!
Mark

 

I guess we won't know until someone does a test for dithering on the Z. You're right, I wouldn't put it past Sony to be using dithering.

As for Japan having different screens, that doesn't seem too likely when you consider that 13.1" 1920*1080 screens can't be all that common in the first place.

 

Sigh what a depressing article... Stuff like this will only drive up the price of any panel that is truely 8 bit

 

Hi, Lackofcheese!

The reports thus far do indicate that the Japan/Europe/H.K. (etc.) 1920x1080 screens are in fact different, even if only in the sense that they're matte, and have the claimed Adobe 96% color match. It's unfortunate that we're now learning that they're not IPS, but it's still useful to know that they're different (and better, if the remaining claims are correct).

Cheers!
Mark

 

Well if you're here in Singapore I don't recommend buying because the prices at the sony style centers are super inflated compared to the US ones.

 

I bought a Swedish Z with the FHD display and I can confirm Endeavour1394's claims that the viewing angle affects colours pretty much, much more than my old TX1.

Note sure what he meant by "visible banding" though. But I do see some redish effects at the edges of small white characters on a black background, like in a Cygwin or DOS window. Perhaps I could try to take a picture when I get back home.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=6159903&postcount=35

 

Totally agree.. unless u can afford the cash. and u can do VAT claims which can bring it down a little.. the top end i7 256ssd dvd drive FHD is s$4500 = USD3200?

 

The problem is there is only 1 model in the US that has a 1920 screen at all

And it is 4499$ (though it does have the 512gb ssd and Bluray)
The worst thing is.. It's out of stock.

I can pay cash and do the VAT refund as I will be visiting the country. As of now it's my only choice other than importing it through another method.