OrangeGate for Sony SE

So there is this huge thread over on the HP Envy forum regarding the color issue with their Full HD IPS Envy 15 screen where it shows red as more orange:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-envy-hdx/636482-envy-15-ips-red-vs-orange-tally.html

Recently, Sony has refreshed their SE line, but the color problem remains. I have a few questions that maybe a Sony insider like beaups can answer:

1. Will this be corrected?

2. Does the Sony SE have an IPS screen... and if so, why has it not been advertised as such?

And then generally... why is there not such an uproar about the SE color problems like the HP Envy? There is even articles on the various tech blogs where HP is looking into this "problem".

 

I too would like to know what is going with this. My 72 year old Mom noticed the issue. Has anyone gotten a response from Sony about this

 

I don't think Sony owners care as much.

The Verge picked up on the story:

Sony VAIO SE screen also suffers from red / orange color inaccuracy? | The Verge

 

I`ve owned Sony for 10 years.

I care, and it cost them my business:

from:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/655497-se-vs-sa-screen-why-arghhh-2.html

 

I believe that Sony premium notebook buyers are more sophisticated than "average," and more likely than many to know what an IPS screen is and to want one - though also more likely to care horrific color inaccuracy. I have to "credit" Sony (dubious compliment) for downplaying the SE's screen being IPS so effectively that many buyers are fooled into thinking the SE does not have the same screen as the Envy 15. "It must not be an IPS; if it was, Sony would sureley show off that it's product has a highly desirable and still very rare screen technology, synonymous to many with "best screen there is." The only answer (as to why the SE's ads and specs omit "IPS") that makes any sense is that a clever Sony marketeer gambled that they gain more sales from those who assume it's a different screen than the Envy (a perception helped by the fact that the SE's screen is matte, while Envy's is glossy) than they lose from those who want an IPS screen (after all, the only 15" laptop out there with an IPS screen is the Envy 15, and it can't produce the color red!)

Fantasy Sony ad copy: "Trust in Sony; we may not always tell you the truth, but we're careful not to actually lie."

(I'm not a troll. I'm a Sony Z fanboy, on my third now; I just know not to trust them.)

 

The fact of the matter is that the Sony SE is not as common a computer as the HP Envy. I saw very little advertisement about it and it doesn't even show off that it has an IPS screen. HP on the other hand made a big deal about it. (There's also the matter that HP simply sells more computers in the US than Sony does).

I have the Sony SE and I have to say the red-orange color issue doesn't bother me. I know that it bothers other people and of course it would be better if they fixed it, but it doesn't bother me personally. Mainly because most other screens out there are awful. The default 1366x768 found on 90% of laptops is garbage. Whether matte, glossy, etc. They're all terrible.

The B+RGLED screen on the Dell L502x has overly-saturated cartoonish looking colors. Plus it's glossy and reflective. So to have a semi-gloss IPS screen with excellent viewing angles, the fact that colors are off is the least of my concerns.

Still, considering that the only two non-business laptops that have IPS screens have this problem, it seems to me they're both using using the same LG screen and the issue is with the screen manufacturer, not Sony and HP.

 

I thought that was well understood by all at this point, no?

 

I feel your pain. It's amazing that 15" laptops are the best-selling portable computers and no manufacturer can get it right. Sony SE comes tantalizingly close, yet the screen - the central medium for our interaction with computers - falls short.

I'd agree that Apple MBP comes in at a respectable second. But it has had essentially the same design for the last 11 years and in the year 2012 no self-respecting consumer should buy a 5.6 lb computer.

As a screen-obsessed laptop lover the only option imo is the Vaio Z (which I own and love) and maybe the new 13" Samsung Series 9. However very soon Apple will finally update their MBP line and everyone will suddenly become aware of their very low standards for 15" computers, just like the MBA did for ultraportables. When this happens, Sony had better offer an SE with fixed panel or risk falling further into obscurity.

 

What he said ^ ^ (nicely done)

 

What exactly do you expect sony to do here? There's one guy making 15.6" IPS panels. IT's LG. LG's panel makes orange reds. Next option?

 

I sent a message to LG's commercial display division, I don't know what got into me. Hopefully Sony and HP have done the same.

Here's the letter:

Dear LG,

As a notebook computer enthusiast, I feel that I must communicate to you our collective appreciation for your efforts to supply high- quality IPS panels for computer manufacturers- particularly the 15.6" 1080p panel you manufacture for Sony and HP laptops. We are all too aware that the vast majority of laptop computers are supplied with low quality (low contrast, resolution, viewing angle, brightness) panels and we applaud you for your efforts to raise that standard. However, despite its many strengths, the panel you manufacture has an extremely limited color gamut and cannot reproduce red or purple, making the panel unusable for professionals and heartbreaking for enthusiasts who use laptops as their primary computer without external monitors. For this reason, we sincerely implore you to improve the color fidelity of that panel. 2012 will a watershed year for laptop computers. As the sole provider of truly high quality 15" panels, the flaws of your product are the last obstacle between discerning users and portable computers that make no compromises in the user experience. Your efforts will be noticed and rewarded.

Sincerely,
(me)

 

Good point.

 

After thinking about this for a while... what about the panel on the Dell XPS 15 (not the 15z)? Who makes that one?

Although, I believe the Sony SE panel is 15. 5" so maybe a 15.6" panel won't work.

I'm not too sure what is more important to most people, the clarity/viewing angles of an IPS panel or the color reproduction of a non-IPS one.

 

If you are referring to the famous RGBLED panel in the dell, it's way to big to fit in the SE. IIRC it's backlit, not even edge lit. Large....and likely why you don't see it in the 15Z.

 

Two thoughts from these:

1) I've said this before about an in-model change and, though it has not happened, I find it hard to fathom that LG could not and would not correct the color problems with this screen in time for Sony and HP refreshes. They are becoming something of a laughing stock for this engineering blunder and they are losing a lot of potential sales to other computer makers.

2) The SE display is allegedly 15.5" while the Envy 15 spec is 15.6", yet they are said to be the "same" screen other than anti-glare coating on the SE. What gives?

Thoughts?

 

The display size is about 15.334". So, technically it's 15.4". The 15.5" figure came from AnandTech, it appears.

 

15.334" is the old standard I guess for the 16x10 displays that were called 15.4". The SE has a 15.54" visible area, that rounds down to 15.5" while HP rounds it up to 15.6".

 

All oem's call their 16:9 15.x panels 15.6 - whereas sony calls the same panel 15.5. As sick nick pointed out, sony is just extra paranoid.

 

Thanks for those responses ^ ^.

I am even more interested in others' takes on my first point, that LG pretty much HAS to fix the color problem, and they would do well to have it well in the inventory pipeline now so that SE and Envy 15 IB refresh customers WILL see red. (sorry, couldn't resist)

 

Orangegate is the main reason keeping me from buying a SE laptop. The fan noise a distant second. The price is right for its size, weight and slimness. Especially since there is a free upgrade from I5 to I7 and an additional $100 off on the sony.ca website.