Just got back from sony store... Z screen thoughts

So I went by my local sony style store since I'm in the process of putting together an order for a z series and I wanted to see the difference between the 1920x1080 (FHD) and 1600x1900 (HD) screen. I was reeeaaally hoping the FHD screen would blow me away but in actuality, I preferred the lower resolution one. The 1600x900 screen definitely was able to be adjusted brighter than the FHD one. In addition, the colors just seemed better on the HD. The text size was obviously more readable on the HD but obviously that can be adjusted with the DPI setting. Blueray playback probably shouldn't be much different on a 13" screen with the two resolutions. But overall, I'm just surprised I preferred the lower resolution screen. I know... random post but just an FYI for others that may be on the fence like I was.

 

was it because of the light sensor limiting the screen brightness?

 

That should be a warning sign. If they seem "better", they're likely oversaturated, much like a stereo that pumps out too much bass will seem "better" at first listen.

You have a good screen when you don't notice colours (or brightness) at all. and it blends in perfectly with the environment. Unfortunately, the Zs screen is oversaturated to the point of being garish, presumably because on the shop floor, that sells. Being able to display a lot of the visible colours doesn't help if it doesn't display the right colours.

 

Well at least the Sony store you went to actually HAD the 1080p screen... the one I visited (Philly suburbs) only had 1600x900 screens.

I rolled the dice and ordered the 1080p screen anyway and am eagerly awaiting my laptop.

 

I was watching Lord of the Rings last night on blu ray and found it to be a lovely playback on 900p. Thanks for sharing your experience though. It's good to know that there was a difference in brightness between them (which makes sense, but good to know there's a visable difference). I think you're fortunate to be at a store that had z1's with both native resolutions to demo.

 

Brawn: I made sure the automatic light sensor was off.

Thankfully here in southern CA there are a few Sony stores. The first one I went to didn't have the FHD screen but another did so I was able to compare them side by side. If I hadn't been able to see the screens in person I probably would have gone with the FHD but now I can spend that extra $100 on something else

 

imo, buying a fhd screen just for watching movies is not necessary. hey, it's a 13" screen! on the other hand, architects or CAD users really appreciate the bigger desktop area and since it is a professional series, sony offers those screens. the "Full HD"-logo just is too reminescent of entertainment and tv stuff.

 

It's not just a question of "bigger desktop area" (more screen real estate), but fewer jaggies. And for typographic work, the increased resolution means better WYSIWYG.

 

Not necessarily. From my experience with various IEMs (In-ear monitor) "better" bass is a sign of a better bass - most IEMs lack in bass.

Not saying that first impression is enough but it is valuable and is definitely no worse than many posts favoring FHD that also go from the "feel."

If perfect color reproduction is critical then external monitor (and an expensive one at that) is a must. For mobility go with whatever feels right, forget technicalities, your eyes and lesser strain is more important.

As for jaggies, it also depends on a person. I turn off ClearType completely because that feels better to me.

 

What about setting screen brigtness to 142%? see http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/497093-how-fix-dim-screen-vpc-z.html