Dim XBrite Screen On New Vaio S

I just bought my first laptop this past week and I got the Sony Vaio VGN-S54B. I live in Japan so it is a Japanese model, I haven't been able to find the exact corresponding model number for the North American model, but when I installed the English version of Windows XP I was able to use the drivers for the latest S series from Sony's site and everything worked fine. It has a 1.7Ghz Centrino, 100GB hard drive, DVD-R/RW/DL drive, and 1GB of RAM (I added an extra 512MB when I bought it).

Anyway, the reason I bought this laptop is because I travel a lot throughout Japan and I needed something small but that has a lot of power. I bought this machine because of it's good compromise between size and power and because of its great screen. So far I am really happy with this machine, except for the thing that is greatest about it: the screen!

Basically my XBrite is not so bright. From the moment I turned it on I noticed two small dim spots in the bottom corners, one by the Start button and one by the clock in Windows XP. They didn't bother me that much and I know that my co-worker's Fujitsu Lifebook also has this problem. So I didn't think anything of it. Then when I started to browse webpages with the windows maximized I saw just how bad the problem was.

Both the right and left side of the screen, from top to bottom, have dim spots that stretch out about an inch into the screen. The left side seems worse than the right side. It is most noticeable when there is a white or other light colored background. If I have the internet, a word processing program, or anything else that uses a light colored background these huge dim spots on both sides of the screen are just sitting there and are really noticeable.

If you just see my desktop with a background image, or if I'm playing a game or watching a DVD you can't see these dim spots. But if I am doing any web browsing or daily office work such as spreadsheets, which is what I do mainly, you can really see them. They are so bad that I don't want to maximize programs like Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Word or Excel because I can see these dim spots.

My question is, is this normal?!?!? I thought these screens are supposed to be so awesome, so why does mine have these dim spots? If it was just the corners it would be no big deal, but it goes all the way down the screen on both sides!!

I decided to go to the store and see the display models of my machine to see if they have the same problem. I looked at all of the Vaios, including mine, and some had the problem and some didn't. The model with the 10" screen was perfect, but the model like mine with the 13.3" screen had similar dim spots, though not nearly as bad as mine. So I talked to the salesperson, showed them my computer and they told me that this was normal. Normal?! I spend $2,000 on a computer and it's normal to have huge dim spots?! Is this true?

I argued with the salesman for a while but he told me I could not exchange the laptop for that reason. So what I'm wondering from other 13.3" XBrite screen owners is that does your screen have this same problem? Is it really normal, or is it excessively bad on my machine? Should I go back to the store and try to argue with them some more? Should I try to return the unit to Sony Japan? It does have a 1 year warranty. I would really just like to exchange it, because I sold my desktop and if I send it to Sony I know I will be out of a computer for weeks, if not months.

Has anyone ever had any experience returning a Vaio for this problem? Did you return it to Sony or to the store? If you exchanged it, did your new machine have a similar problem? My wife thinks I'm being too picky with it, but when I spend this much for something I expect it to work as advertised, and it is bad enough to be annoying. I'm going to go to a different store (I bought it from a large chain) today and try to talk to them there. I'm just worried that I'm going to be stuck with a brand new laptop that is really dim on the sides.

Any help, stories or advice would really be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Was it this way when the Japanese version of Windows was on there? You have the screen set on max brightness? Sony's Xbrite is one of the better glossy screens available. If you think it is too dim you could exchange it for a new one.

 

The problem you are seeing is common on the S model screens. I've had a couple different S models and they both exhibited the dim side trait. I dug up a picture from one of S reviews on this site. Is this what you see?

http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/4840.jpg

 

Well, after going to many different stores and seeing many Sony S models like mine I can say that all of them have this problem. Some don't have it so bad, while others have it a little worse (like mine), but I didn't see one Sony S series laptop without the dim edges.

Zazonz, yes, the problem was on with the Japanese version of Windows and the screen brightness is set to max. As duffyaneal pointed out, it is a problem with the S series screens and I can confirm this because I probabl saw 20 S series laptops this weekend and they all have this problem.

Duffyaneal, that's exactly how my screen looks. It makes me feel a little better knowing I'm not the only one with this problem. I guess it's something I'll have to live with, and it isn't that bad, but it is still annoying.

Before I bought this computer, I read a lot of reviews around the net on it (in both English and Japanese) and none of them mentioned the dim edges. I really wish they would have! I might have bought a different brand or the 10" Vaio instead. When I was at the store I didn't noice it as I was just admiring how awesome the screen was and not really looking at it close enough. Another thing I should have done. This was my first laptop and I thought I did a lot of research into it, but I guess I will be doing more for the next one I get.

I do want to say though that this is an excellent machine and after a week of use I am very pleased with it. The dim edges are the only problem and it isn't that bad, much better than a bunch of dead pixels. If the edges weren't dim it would be a perfect machine, but it is close enough and I'm still glad I bought it. I can do everything I did on my desktop on this machine and it only weighs 1.9kg. Amazing.

Thanks for the responses!

 

By the way, has anyone successfully returned a Sony Vaio S for the dim edges? Did you return it to the store or Sony? Did they give you a hard time about it, or was it no problem? If so and you got a new Vaio S, did it also have the dim edges? Was it better or worse than your last one?

The store here in Japan told me that I couldn't return it for the dim edges, but I'm wondering if I make a big enough deal about it if they will let me. I also am wondering if it is even worth it because the next machine I get may just have the same problem.

 

Nothing wrong here; the so called "dim edges" you're referring to are pretty much standard with every S series laptop. Unlike the FS series that uses two bulbs for the the screen, the S-series only uses one (mainly to save power). If it bugs you too much, by all means, ask for a refund. Getting an exchange wouldn't help anything. You'd just be as dissatisfied with the new unit as the old one.

 

I've decided not to return my notebook. I would rather the dim edges not be there, but so far that's the only thing I don't like about this machine and while it does bother me I can live with it. I would rather have some dim edges than a bunch of dead pixels or some other problems. Of all the problems there could be, it is a small one.

I looked at the FS series in the store and while it is rather light it is just too big for me. I wanted something small, but I found the 10" laptops to be a little small for daily use and the 15" screens where just too big, so I wanted a 13.3" screen (or around that size). The Vaio S is the perfect size, weight and can do everything I need it to do (I even got Doom 3 running on it...not that playable, but it ran).

I just wish that more reviews of this system would point out the dim edges problem, because it's something that you don't really notice until you use it for a while but it may bother some people enough to return it. But even with this problem, the pros of this machine outweigh the cons and I'm happy with it. It is so much nicer to take with me on business trips than the big 15" Toshiba monster that my company had supplied me with.