Remove Anti Glare coating on Vaio S 13p

I have a hunch that the Anti Glare coating on the Vaio s 13p screen is what is causing our screen door effect, shimmering, and other issues with the screen. (just like putting an anti glare screen protector on your phone.) I came across a forum where folks have removed the layer and ended up with a very nice picture.

This will void your warranty, but anybody want to try it with their Vaio and make a walk through for the rest of us?

Here is the link to the forum walkthrough for a Dell monitor.

[Guide] How to remove the anti-glare(AG) coating from a Dell U2312HM LCD - [H]ard|Forum

 

I don't think that would be the problem. S13p screen is grainy and pixelized, I think that's just because sony does not really use their premium display.

Besides, your link is to remove the anti glare coating from a desktop monitor, that could be a much harder case for a laptop screen.

 

I know my link shows a monitor and not a laptop. I was using it as an example tow show that there may be a layer that might be available to be removed. I also know the screen looks pixelated and such, and my hunch was that the was party due to the fact that this is caused partly, or mostly by the anti reflective coating (be it a coating or a film).

 

No the OP is right, the 900p ''premium'' screen (actually a plus) is actually a glossy screen with an anti-glare coating on it, thus the graniness might come from that, try putting tracing paper on a glossy display. I've seen both the 900p display and standard 768p display whilst too small to do actual work on it the screen is fine although a little grainy.

I don't think there is an easy way to remove the coating.

 

Interesting observation, what I always felt about my S13P display was: "it looks like they added a poor screen protector on it".
So you are pointing that this is actually what Sony is doing. Wondering if anyone would take the first step to take this crap out.

 

This has also been my personal observation. A bad matte finish can wash out colors, reduce contrast ratio, and decrease viewing angles. The S13 actually has a wider color gamut than the S15.

Check the sRGB comparison of the S15 here: Review Sony Vaio SV-S1511X9E/B Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

And the sRGB compariston of the S13 here: Review Sony Vaio SV-S13A1Z9E/S Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

IPS technology certainly increases viewing angles and provides a better contrast ratio. But the fact that S13 has washed out colors despite a better color gamut is evidence that the finish is bad. Furthermore, while Sony classifies both the S15 and S13 as having an anti-reflective finish, NotebookCheck classifies the S13 as matte and the S15 as glossy. It will be very interesting to see if someone can find a way to remove the matte finish from the S13 LCD. I know I would definitely give it shot, if a method was found.

I guess one way to go about this is buy a cheap aftermarket Sony LCD with the matte finish and see if the method the OP linked to works. I have actually been looking for the S13's LCD without the matte finish from aftermarket laptop LCD vendors to install into my S13...but so far no luck.

 

People doing DIY projectors do this a lot. The basic idea is to soak the anti-glare layer in some solvent (water works for some) and then carefully remove it.

I can almost guarantee you'd not end up with a better screen though, the time is probably better spent trying to find a compatible panel with better specs.

 

Do you mean there is a high risk of damaging the lcd or that removing the anti-reflective layer will have little effect on picture quality?

 

I was wondering when/if these were going to make it onto the market. Screens the caliber of the S13 should retail for under $100 and for around $200-$250 you should be able to get a quite good alternative, if an OEM chose to make a compatible one.

As an aside, the irony of this is that there are some excellent after market matte and semi-matte (like the Z screen) screen protectors that are so well made they don't create screen door or wash out nearly as badly as some of the junk manufacturers are putting on. A bright, high contrast, reasonably wide color gamut glossy screen with one of the higher caliber screen filters could be a good alternative. The good ones, if applied carefully, don't look like add-ons and they offer the opportunity to fine tune or just change characteristics if you decide, say, you would like less glare or more contrast.

It's been a while since I've shopped these - most were developed as protectors for touchscreens on Convertible PC tablets (the "big boys," from HP, Fujitsu, Lenovo). I think there are more and more made just to improve screen appearance.

EDIT: It just dawned on me: there were several of these that actually removed the screen door effect on the base screen of some of these dual digitizer touchscreens. Even though the S13 isn't a touch screen, the result should be the same: they actually filter out the screen effect and let the natural contrast and colors of the screen come through. This worked especially well on the Fujitsu screens, excellent IPS screens that were made dingy from the matte coatings and dual digitizers. It was almost magical how they did this. Downside: the ones that restored brightness, contrast and color the best did "convert" the screen to a more glossy effect, so you would have some glare to deal with though not as much as an untreated full glossy original, and probably a reasonable trade off for many. The reason I'm thinking this may work on the S13P is that many are saying there's a high quality screen underneath the poor matte coating, and this would eliminate the messy/risky sounding step of trying to remove the mfr's "baked on" coating.

Just a thought. The better screen "skins" I'm referring to cost around $25 so not a very expensive experiment, though it could run up cost if you need to try several til you get the right effect. I recall there being plenty of reviews of alternatives to guide you. Also, check TPCR, NBR's "sister site" for convertible tablet PCs; there may be threads on this.

 

Sorry but I'm not too familiar with the anti-gloss on the screens, so can someone explain it to me?

Is it purely for the purpose of ensuring that we see the screen properly when used in the sunlight?

 

Not sunlight, at least directly outdoors, the sheer glare from the sun will overpower just about any antiglare filter. More for windows, or indoor lighting. The only issue is, the same properties that protect against glare are the same that wash out contrast.


As for the "screen door effect," I've found matte screens trap dust, but unlike glossy displays, the dust is much more noticeable. The screen just has to be cleaned more, which is quite frequently on my laptop (in case if my signuature changes later on, it's the Vaio SA, the direct predecessor to the Vaio S13).

 

I personally think the anti-glare coating on the S13A's (or 13P's? think they're the same) are bloody ridiculous. I also use a 4 year old Vaio SR290, and the display on this laptop looks much crisper than my new S13A. Maybe it's because the lighting in my room is crap, but the S13A's display looks VERY grainy. Just my thought...

 

The later. It can improve the color "sharpness" however contrast, view angles and everything else is essentially unchanged. Sony doesn't even use a real matte surface, it is a anti-glare layer that doesn't affect the color sharpness as much.
As for shimmering etc. I can't see how that would change at all.

 

But why z's screen is better? There is 1600x900 z screen option in japan and China, but these screens look pretty.
Just because they use good anti-glare matte? It doesn't make sense

 

The Z's 1600 x 900 screen is/was an entirely different screen; only thing it has in common is the resolution.

 

Yup, the 13.1" vs 13.3" disparity also helps to ID them

 

My point is s13a's display is really not a premium display as sony says it should be. And I think sony should give a screen better than this.

 

Well, that's a matter of opinion. I wouldn't remove the antiglare in a million years. What for? To watch a movie in the dark once in a while?

My previous VAIO model was from 2009, in a time when just everything came glossy and you couldn't opt out from it. That glossy screen was the part I hated from my machine: It was a bloody mirror and very distracting/difficult to work with in daytime.

As I see it, the S was designed as a workhorse, not an entertainment center, and not a graphic designer tool. There are more qualified laptops for the task out there, not necessarily more expensive.

This said, I like the DIY projects just for the sake of pushing the limits and bringing new possibilities, so I wish you luck with this one anyway.