Z screen vs. FW screen

What is the difference between the Duraview on the Z and the hi color on the FW? I asked the Sony rep who didnt know what I was talking about. The first time he said that the Z was an Eco screen and then when I corrected him and asked him what a Duraview screen was he walked away. But looking at the 2 screens side by side the FW screen was a lot brighter, is it supposed to be this way? Anyone know? Thanks

 

hi think the FW has dual lamp lighting while the Z has better contrast..

dont know for sure

 

This is a quite controversial issue because both FW's and Z's screen are advertised differently in the North American market and the rest of the world-- FW comes in X-black LCD screen with either single or double lamp in the other markets whereas it comes either in Eco or Hicolor screen (without mention to "X-black LCD") in the North American market. As to the Z series, the North American market has the scratch resistant Duraview screen and the rest of the world has the X-black LCD display "with enhanced durability and super realistic 100% colour fidelity".

We cannot know for sure without side by side comparison whether Eco = X-black LCD w/ single lamp or Hicolor = X-black LCD w/ double lamp or Duraview = X-black LCD w/ single lamp + enhanced durability and super realistic 100% colour fidelity or whether all Z screens from all markets have this scratch resistant coating.

After indicating the differences, here are my comments:

i) If these are not the same screens, then it is a shame for such a reputable company such as Sony to release different laptops with such substantial difference in different markets.

ii) If these are the same screens, then apparently Sony's strategy is to name each type of screen with a unique name in the North American market (Eco, Hicolor, Duraview) but to use only one name ("X-black LCD") for different type of screens by indicating their extra features in the other markets. ("X-black LCD", "X-black LCD w/ double lamp", "X-black LCD w/ enhanced durability and super realistic 100% colour fidelity")

I don't know the reason for this but I find this quite annoying. IMHO, -I know this will sound like a bit conspiracy theory- Sony does this intentionally to form a ground/reason for not granting international warranty for its laptops. By virtue of attributing different screen names for the very same laptops in different markets, Sony is entitled to release the same laptops with different model names, as they will have different specifications.

NONETHELESS, regardless of whatever Sony's reason beyond advertising the very same laptops is, it is a shame for Sony that it does not grant international warranty.

Last comment: I can speak for the North American FW Hicolor and Z and per my personal experience in a Sony Style store, Z's screen is really nice in terms of color fidelity and FW is very bright, but not way brighter than FW. Considering that Z's screen is scratch resistant, I would say it is a tad better than FW's Hicolor.

 

the FW with 16" is better in terms of viewing movies/spreadsheets - pixels are larger than the Z, and due to larger screen (LCD) it has dual lamps.

For the portability the Z offers, it screen is a win/win for those on the go who demand color saturation/watch movies.. So both offer advantages of their own! Just pick the size that matters MOST to you

 

The biggest difference is that the FW uses a double lamp CCFL backlight, while the Z uses a LED backlight. These are very different technologies and give a different look. You have to see it in real life though.

It's true that the FW at it's highest settings is brighter than the Z, but it does not really matter because the Z is more than bright enough, even for outside.

 

The FW looks really bad, washed out with poor viewing angles, it's like one of them rear projection screens..., hence the double lamp....