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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > the led screens, some observations...

the led screens, some observations...
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fisherKing
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Jun 12, 2007, 05:14 PM
 
checked out the new 15" mbp today, nice.
looks and feels (of course) like the previous revision(s).

2 things about the screen; it seems to brighten and darken in discrete steps (my powerbook feels more gradual), and, in system profiler, listed as an "lcd display".

screen seems no brighter, different otherwise.

just some observations...
"At first, there was Nothing. Then Nothing inverted itself and became Something.
And that is what you all are: inverted Nothings...with potential" (Sun Ra)
     
mduell
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Jun 12, 2007, 05:40 PM
 
Originally Posted by fisherKing View Post
and, in system profiler, listed as an "lcd display".
Yes, it's still an LCD display. The backlight was just changed from CCFL to LED.
     
fisherKing  (op)
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Jun 12, 2007, 06:07 PM
 
Originally Posted by mduell View Post
Yes, it's still an LCD display. The backlight was just changed from CCFL to LED.

oops.
"At first, there was Nothing. Then Nothing inverted itself and became Something.
And that is what you all are: inverted Nothings...with potential" (Sun Ra)
     
Macola
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Jun 13, 2007, 11:31 AM
 
How is the viewing angle compared to the previous gen MBP or MB?
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shinykaro
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Jun 13, 2007, 11:54 AM
 
Hmmmm... I thought these were supposed to be noticeably brighter and therefore offer more vivid display...

Have you noticed any difference in battery life yet?
     
indigoimac
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Jun 13, 2007, 12:33 PM
 
Originally Posted by shinykaro View Post
Hmmmm... I thought these were supposed to be noticeably brighter and therefore offer more vivid display...

Have you noticed any difference in battery life yet?
Since this is my first MacBook Pro I can't speak for others, but compared to my Powerbook G4 the screen is way, way brighter.

Also, battery life seems pretty good, it takes a hit when the screen is at full brightness, but it still beats out the G4.

I agree with the OP about what seem to be discreet steps in brightness compared to the CCFL, but it's not a big deal.
15" MacBook Pro 2.0GHz i7 4GB RAM 6490M 120GB OWC 6G SSD 500GB HD
15" MacBook Pro 2.4GHz C2D 2GB RAM 8600M GT 200GB HD
17" C2D iMac 2.0GHz 2GB RAM x1600 500GB HD
     
solofx7
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Jun 13, 2007, 01:12 PM
 
Originally Posted by Macola View Post
How is the viewing angle compared to the previous gen MBP or MB?
i looked at the 17 top of the line next to my prev gen same size and everything... and...
it is slightly brighter, slightly sharper, and a slightly better viewing angle.
speedwise i did not do a direct comparision, but as you can guess there is not a huge difference between 2.33 and 2.4. but it is super-de-fast.
yes i want one, but cannot afford it... i really have to save for the iPhone, unless someone wants to buy mine as configured for a good price?
     
P
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Jun 13, 2007, 02:04 PM
 
Displays have been getting progressively brighter for years, so the last gen MBPs were a step up from the G4s, but more importantly the backlight wears out. A new display is brighter than an old one.

The LEDs do not mean a very much brighter display - CCFL displays are bright enough - but the contrast and color fidelity are better in darker areas.
     
jtrwallace
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Jun 14, 2007, 03:22 PM
 
You know, I'm coming from the latest PowerBook G4 and I had seen other MBPs before buying my new 2.4 this past Sunday and the screen to me is amazingly bright. It lights up my entire room as if I had turned on a lamp. The battery life too is amazing. Still, I am coming from a G4 so I don't know how much of a difference it is to the previous MBPs. I just flew from CA to HI and I used my computer for probably 5 hours and had 11% left before I charged it. I was doing things like correcting photos in Aperture and uploading photos to flickr and such. Not too intensive. Geekbench G4: 980, Geekbench MBP 2.4: 3200. Much nicer.
     
tavilach
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Jun 18, 2007, 01:58 PM
 
Are any of you noticing uneven backlighting? My upper left corner is very bright, and my upper right corner is very dim. The MBP's on the display at the Apple Store seemed to have this problem, too, and I'm wondering if it is universal. Can those of you with new 15" MBP's see if you notice this problem?
"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." -Archimedes
     
jtrwallace
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Jun 18, 2007, 09:01 PM
 
hmm.... i tried to see if i noticed uneven lighting.... but it seems to be even to me. i dont know if its because im looking for uneven lighting or that it is uneven lighting or that there is more lift on the left side of my computer but ill give you a 'slight' increase in brightness on the left side.
     
tavilach
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Jun 19, 2007, 03:17 AM
 
For graphics, it's pretty distracting...

Why don't you try dragging a light grey or light colored window from the top left corner to the bottom right corner and back. You should see a very noticeable color/brightness shift, and that really isn't acceptable...unless you don't see it, and my unit is defective.
"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." -Archimedes
     
Iceduck
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Jun 23, 2007, 09:49 AM
 
Originally Posted by tavilach View Post
Are any of you noticing uneven backlighting? My upper left corner is very bright, and my upper right corner is very dim. The MBP's on the display at the Apple Store seemed to have this problem, too, and I'm wondering if it is universal. Can those of you with new 15" MBP's see if you notice this problem?
Mine is also slightly darker in the upper right corner, but not enough to bother me too much, and I'm usually hyper picky about these things.

What is more concerning is the flickering when the display is not on 100% brightness. The cause for this is the frequency that the LEDs "blink" with in order to simulate lower brightness levels (the LEDs can only be 100% on or off). From what I've read on other forums, Sony had a similar issue with early LED laptops, but resolved it with a BIOS update. My business partner has the same LED MBP and similar (but slightly less) flickering, so this is probably a universal issue. Hopefully Apple will send out a firmware update that increases the frequency on lower brightness levels.

If you want to check if yours flicker as well, maximize this image and turn down the brightness about three bars from max:
http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/6461/grayby7.png

Anders
     
MacosNerd
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Jun 23, 2007, 10:51 AM
 
I'm not noticing any uneven lighting on my MB so if its severe enough to effect your work I suggest you take it to an apple store for repair.
     
MattJeff
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Jun 23, 2007, 12:15 PM
 
does warranty cover this problem?
     
MattJeff
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Jun 24, 2007, 07:47 PM
 
yes? no?
     
MacosNerd
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Jun 24, 2007, 09:02 PM
 
Cover what?
uneven lighting, it should.
     
pete
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Jun 24, 2007, 09:47 PM
 
It will only cover it if the genius thinks uneven is not within specifications and that call is completely subjective. In other words, if you're lucky they'll cover it.
     
   
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