How to fix dim screen VPC-Z

You guys are gonna love this...I've mentioned a few times that when running other os's the screen on my Z runs significantly brighter than in Windows. Well I've found the culprit. Sony limits the display brightness to less than 100% even when you crank it, disable auto-dimming, etc. Please note that there "may" be a reason for this...longer life of the panel, lower heat, etc....but my guess is it's all about battery life. Here's the fix:

HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\Sony Corporation\Vaio Event Service\Settings\VESAutoDimmer

You will see brightness levels in there - P00 through P08. P08 is used when you set the brightness to max...note it's NOT 255 but it should be! Change the value of P08 to 255 (make sure you select decimal or who knows what will happen) and reboot. Enjoy your significantly brighter screen.

 

Anyone else gonna try this?

 

Cool ! I will try it when I get my replacement Vaio Z!

nice Find!

 

i'm not seeing VESAutoDimmer??

 

^The first key after you expand settings? See attached.

 

Another fun trick is to change brightnesslevel0 value to 0. Reboot and now when you turn brightness down all the way it shuts the backlight OFF. Good for power savings while processing if you leave your lid settings to sleep/hibernate.

 

Actually, just took a look, and P08 was already set to 255 for me. That said, I never thought my screen was too dim, and I usually have it set a couple notches below max.

-Peter

 

^Interesting...what model do you have?

 

here's mine..

 

Stranger and stranger...what model Z do you have? Have you installed the latest Vaio Event Service update from sony.com? I killed my key and then reinstalled VES and can confirm it's there again.

Or just try searching the registry for P08BrightnessLevel?

 

haven't installed any updates as of now. i have the Z117 model.

searched also the registry and can't find the P08BrightnessLevel

 

Hi, I tried it! It works great! control center shows 142%! thank you! I wonder, if it would work on vaio z12z with full hd, because the screen is darker than my z12m. If yes, then I would consider buying the Z11Z

 

Awesome beaups, thanks for the heads up! I find the 0 brightness setting most useful of all, been wishing for a kill screen shortcut! useful at night when setting a large download!

 

yay someone else is benefiting from this!!! I did a restore recently and notice the registry keys are only present after running the vaio event service update.

Those of you that don't see the keys, upgrade to latest version of vaio event service first.

 

Very nice. Now if only I could remember what it was before so I can change it back. =P

 

185 i think

 

it was factory set at 182 on my Z12M

can somebody check this on a FullHD model please? thanks

 

VPCZ117GG with Full 1080p screen from Hong Kong. It was already set at 255 by default.

I was wondering why everyone was complaining about the screen not being bright enough, because I thought mine was perfectly fine. Although this didn't do anything for me, its good to know some ppl benefited from the OP's discovery. Good job OP!!!

 

I got a VPC-Z1290S with the 1080 screen...went into the registry and cannot find the P08BrightnessLevel Did a search and nothing came up either....any ideas?

Thanks in advance

 

Have you done a fresh install or is your Z the way it shipped?

I can't believe how bright the screen is now!! My own private sun

 

i have no problems with the display. now i wish there was a secret tweak for the volume.

 

It seems to only show up after you install the update to vaio event service.

 

I wish there was a tweak to fix the poor viewing angles. So many dark/shadowing area's ... too bad then it's otherwise such a nice notebook ...

 

Well, there is. It's called an external monitor.
(I didn't say it was a good tweak... )

 

Great tip!

I was wondering if tweaking with the other keys might solve the issue I was experiencing that the auto-brightness always kept the display one step too dark for my liking...

 

Based on this I have found another potentially interesting setting:
Set P09CorrectionCoefficientLx10 to a higher value in order to have the auto-brightness function set your display to a higher brightness.
I set it to "9" from its original value of "5".

 

has anyone tried this?

Its Way better than to disable the Auto Dimming feature

Please confirm

 

My P08BrightnessLevel08 setting is already 255. I have a Z1290S with the 1080p screen.

 

Hmm I'm thinking the 1080p screen is already set to max brightness by Sony because they've got to push the same amount of light, through about 20% more pixels than the 1600x900 screen. My P08BrightnessLevel08 wasnt at 255 but then again I got the 1600x900... And from what i can tell, people with FHD(1080p) already have that value at 255... BUT we can all benefit from setting P01BrightnessLevel01 to 0 =D.

 

I changed the value of P08 to 255 and got 142% maximum
Have any problem with display panel ?

 

And why up to 255 only if I may ask...? Can't we use a higher setting?

 

I have been trying this but it didn't make any difference on my display. Anyone else tried it with a positive result?

 

Yes. It seemed to make a difference to me or it might have been a coincidence...