Flexview 15" - dim, ugly yellow tint - HOW TO FIX?

[inso]

Just found out that my IBM Thinkpad T43 2668-92G actually has an Flexview 15" SXGA+ 1450x1050 panel in it.

Which was somewhat surprising because the picture quality is very poor, so I always tought it was a crappy TFT. It's really dim, and has a yellow tint to it. Reading text on it is horrible. After searching a bit I found that this seems to be a common problem with "LG Philips 15" SXGA+ IPS panels" (http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=90382)

I didn't find any suggestion as to how this can be fixed or at least improved. The laptop is too old for it to be worth putting much money into an expensive new panel, but if it wasn't for the bad screen it certainly could've serve me good for a few months. Most of all I'm really shocked and disappointed that IBM would ever put out such a lousy product in that price-range.

Is there anything I can do?

[Neil]

It almost certainly wasn't always that way. Just showing the signs of aging, albeit not to gracefully. While replacing the old with a new panel is the real fix, if you want to try something cheap, a new CCFL will likely make a very big difference in brightness, and maybe make it look less yellow. But, I've read that these panels do tend to yellow with age.

[ZaZ]

Most of all I'm really shocked and disappointed that IBM would ever put out such a lousy product in that price-range.

This is certainly not a Thinkpad specific problem. All CFFL LCDs can dim over time, though it will vary to some degree. If you're interested in keeping it, you could replace the LCD.

[ajkula66]

Dimness is the CCFL on its way out - and none of the FlexViews were that bright to begin with.

Yellow tint - if only visible in the corners, mainly lower - is the part of the same scenario in most but not all cases.

Overall yellowish appearance is usually the polarizer aging less than gracefully.

If you like the machine overall - and that's a pretty well-appointed T43 - swap the panel and call it a day. I'm certain you can pick one in the Marketplace for a reasonable price.

If not, just get rid of it.

Good luck.