Thinkpads Forum

I just spent the first day working away on my new machine. This is my first Flexview LCD so I can't really compare, but can anyone shed light on the following:

Display a fullscreen white background - then try to get your head and the screen in a position so you can see the same level of brightness all over the screen. I just can't manage it. Whichever way I tilt the lid, the top or bottom third or a bit of both is always slightly darker than the centre of the screen.

Am I right in assuming this is standard Flexview behaviour? Or is there something wrong with my panel?

I think you've selected the wrong color to test the Flexview screen. Make it all black instead and the difference between Flexview and non is very obvious, as illustrated in this photo:

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa13 ... Aangle.jpg

Don't have that problem - of course it's not as even lid as some of the higher end desktop LCDs or CRTs in particular, but i wouldn't say that 1/3 has a different shade.... hmm.

T60p left vs. T42p-clone right (both UXGA though)

http://users.cybercity.dk/~dsl35822/IMG_1938.jpg

I don't have any experience with the LG-Philips SXGA+ Flexview, so can't help you much i'm afraid.

Yes I can see that. I design books, so I'm always looking at a white screen, though. And I tend to sit right in front of it.

Don't get me wrong: it's a great screen for angles, but aren't those important only if you have more than one person looking?

I personally would have liked a little less angle and a little more nits.

Troels wrote:Don't have that problem - of course it's not as even lid as some of the higher end desktop LCDs or CRTs in particular, but i wouldn't say that 1/3 has a different shade.... hmm.

Thanks for the pictures. Here's mine:

http://img155.imagevenue.com/img.php?im ... _672lo.JPG

Yours really doesn't look that bad to me. I doubt you have a defective FlexView panel myself...FlexView/IPS panels used in ThinkPads are definitely superior to any other laptop panel I've ever used or laid eyes on, but that does not mean that there is absolutely no change when the angle changes. That's just a fact of life on an LCD, or at least laptop LCDs. Yeah, even on FlexViews the top part of the display is just slightly darker than the bottom (where the backlight lives!), just not NEARLY to the extent that other laptop displays are, IMO.

Some people seem to be more sensitive to laptop LCD imperfections than others. Imperfections in LCD technology drives me nuts, personally, but after a while you get used to the quirks of your own LCD and begin not to notice them or get bothered by them so much, especially once you learn to accept that it is normal for your given panel model. (For an example of my own journey towards acceptance, you can read this thread.) If you, too, are inherently picky about visual quality and had to use a non-FlexView panel on your ThinkPad, you'd quickly realize what all the FV lovers are raving about.

IPS panels in laptops are, however, not CRT-esque in terms of their brightness uniformity or even viewing angles. They are head-and-shoulders better than most other laptop *LCDs*, but they still do not approach desktop screens.

I hope this helps,

-- Nathan

I've still got some way to go on my road to acceptance, I think. Just came back from a Lenove dealer.

We stood 3 notebooks next to each other: my new T60, my old TM8005 and a non-flexview R model thinkpad.

The difference was amazing. My new IPS was very, very dim - and the non-flexview was still a touch brighter than the Acer. All three screens were the same size and had the same nits value listed: 200.

I know there's always some difference between panels, but this is ridiculous. Does anybody own a Flexview that is brighter than the non-flexview kind?

gaphic2 wrote:I know there's always some difference between panels, but this is ridiculous. Does anybody own a Flexview that is brighter than the non-flexview kind?

No I don't. I've used five Flexview screens and all of them were noticeably dimmer than standard LCD screens.

pianowizard wrote:No I don't. I've used five Flexview screens and all of them were noticeably dimmer than standard LCD screens.

Thanks for the info. That settles it, I think. It's a pity because this notebook seems to be the last one made with a 15" SXGA 4:3 screen and a 265Mb GPU.

I'm still not sure whether I shouldn't order a non-flexview screen/inverter/cable and replace the whole thing. I've phoned Lenovo but they won't do it.

There is definitely something going on with the LG screens. I helped out a guy on the Notebookreview forum, because his LG flexview wasn't bright enough for daylight office use. I tried troubleshooting everything i could (i.e. power modes) but it was still dim. Not having seen his LCD with my own eyes i couldn't say, but if it isn't bright enough - it's not bright enough.

LCD brightness is always measured at center, no matter if it's on a laptop or desktop LCD - by coincidence this is often the brightest place on LCDs too.

I looked at the EXIF data on the image you posted. You used the following settings:
Camera Model: DSC-P100
Focal Length: 8 mm
F-number: F/2,8
Exposure time: 1/20 sec.
ISO Speed: ISO-100
Light source: Daylight
Exp. Compensation: 0 step.

I pulled out my camera, adjusted it manually to the EXACT same settings (save the image, look at properties -> Summary tab) but on a Canon A80, so the results should hopefully be identical - but i don't know if the same settings can be applied on any camera to get identical results. Mine doesn't have "Light source" listed in EXIF data for some reason, but it's set at daylight.

http://users.cybercity.dk/~dsl35822/IMG_2083.JPG
http://users.cybercity.dk/~dsl35822/IMG_2085.JPG