Calibrated ICC Profile for the R3 - AUO305C display ONLY

Notebookcheck.net has provided an ICC profile for the R3 with the AUO305C panel. They're using the same colorimeter I use. That's good news for R3 owners who'd like to (potentially) improve their color accuracy.

Review Alienware M11x R3 Gaming Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

EDIT: You're going to need to right-click and Save As. Then follow the instructions for setting the profile up in the ICC link in my signature.

 

Ah, right, I forgot about Intel's twisted ICC profile setup

 

how can you tell which screen is in your R3?

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m11x/464852-m11x-screenid.html

 

I feel so dumb I can't get the profile to actually CHANGE anything.

There's no "apply" button - it's like nothing happens no matter what profile I pick.

 

Just updated my R3 with the ICC profile from the review link above. First impressions are that I don't like the colours, they look all wrong. I've got greens that look more like a dirty brown-green, like camouflage. My Aero "glass" looks too white/grey rather than clear. My Chrome Red Alienhead wallpaper has blacks that still look much too grey (they did on the previous profile too).

I've checked my panel, it's the AUO305C. Colours seem muted, rather than enhanced. Perhaps they are more accurate now, rather than being oversaturated to compensate for the poor panel quality?

 

Hardware generated ICC profiles are very specific to the device that was measured and calibrated. They can improve color fidelity and balance on other panels of the same model, but with these inexpensive 11.6" panels that Dell is using there is quite a bit of variation from one to the next.

It's too bad that it didn't help yours out, but I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from giving it a shot. Most of the feedback I've had on my profile has been positive, but it certainly isn't a universal improvement for every R2 AUO105C owners who's tried.

On another note... I wonder what the chances are that we might see an AUO305C in one of the replacement LCD assemblies that R1/R2 owners are getting to replace failed hinges.

 

I put that notebookcheck ICC profile in mine, and it improved everything tremendously. The default color mix was unbelievably off-balance, cyan/yellow heavy, and generally so horrendous that if I had no ability to change it, I would have returned the R3 straight-away. I actually find the AUO305C panel to be really nice, all things considered - I think complaints about it are fairly unfounded, it's definitely better than I expected after hearing the horror stories about AUO panels in the R1/R2 - of course, that was the AUO105C in those

I mean, I work in graphic design and large-scale printing, and have spent a lot of time over the past 4 years looking at monitors of various makes and builds - very few of them were laptops, of course. Regardless, I have high standards and a fairly trained eye when it comes to relative levels of quality. The AUO305C obviously isn't a high-quality premium monitor, or anything, but you're a bit silly if you were expecting that. For something you find on an 11.6" laptop, it's really very nice - certainly a cut above what you see on netbooks, which tend to have ultra-low quality matte screens with inferior resolution (far inferior to the 720p on the R3) and especially dull, off-balance colors with no definition.

By contrast, the R3 screen is glossy, well-lit, and has particularly smooth transitions. The blacks and greys especially are far better than I would have expected - after upgrading the ICC profile, of course. It's the sort of screen that looks really fantastic in the proper sort of lighting environment - if you take it outside everything sort of goes to hell, especially with the odd double-reflection you get, but I can't imagine anyone using the R3 in the great outdoors for anything other than utilitarian purposes. It's a machine that's intended for indoor use, clearly.

I honestly cannot imagine anyone preferring the default color profile. But then, Ive heard that some AUO screens have varying degrees of quality, and maybe some of the default colors were different than mine, so who knows.

 

I feel dumb for asking this, but how do i update my profile? I have an R3.

 

Well, I'm trying to give myself some time to adjust to the NBC ICC profile, but I've been updating drivers/software and each restart puts me back to a windows default instead of using the ICC profile.

If I go into color management, it says that the NBC profile is default, but I can tell visually that it's not actually being used. Set as default doesn't kick it into action either.

However, if I go into Nvidia control panel -> adjust desktop color settings -> "other applications control color settings" button is already selected. I click it anyway - voila! I can tell the ICC profile is activated. Or, I click "use NVIDIA settings" and then click back on "other applications control color settings".

This is annoying because I'm trying to adapt to this "better" profile but it keeps reverting.

The original default has more blue. Any window that has the light blue/grey background shading or menu bar is a nice light blue colour. Using the ICC profile from NBC significantly drops out the blue and it's just grey (grey with a very slight touch of light brown). Again, I prefer the more "pretty" blue than the dull grey. (or was it supposed to be dull grey all along?)

 

An ICC tweak will be enough for most people. It won't affect color gamut, black level or brightness which are real and measured issues for targetted users.

My reason for posting was to address your comment about adjusting our expectations about display quality.

My ipad came standard with an ips panel with gorilla glass. I can watch movies at an oblique angle without color washout, reflections are rarely a problem and I can use it to check my unprocessed photos while in the field because the gamut is high and so is the brightness level.

Since the m11x and ipad are both designed for visual entertainment there's no reason to expect the display quality to vary so widely.

I can't find a price for the 305c, but the 105c, (which trades black level fro brightness) was available to consumers for 10 usd, retail. I doubt the 305c differs much in price.

I'll refrain from laying out a lengthy argument about why we should expect more for our money, and end with this-

It's "silly" to accept a $10 display on $1000 laptop.

 

I should be so lucky
Lucky lucky lucky
I should be so lucky....

Mines been going fine for over a year now, and I'm kind'er hoping my hinges just don't break...ever

I don't want to have to send my notebook off to DELL and let them touch my precious thing. I'm sure they'll end up molesting it or fiddling with it and upset it and having it come back busted.

I put one of slickie88 AUO ICC onto my M11xR1 way back when. Seemed to work OK considering screen variations.
I know some of the default ICC are pretty shocking in comparison to ones I've created.

 

Extremely well said. The panels are mediocre at best for their primary intended purpose - gaming and video playback. Viewing angles and black levels are what drag them down. Couple that with wishy washy quality control/tolerances and yours might even be relatively dim by anyone's standards.

There is a better 11.6" panel out there - I'm looking at you MBA, you sexy thing. Dell simply didn't care to put one in what is (supposedly) a top of the line product for its class.

And don't get me started on their decision to top it off with this horridly reflective plastic. Yes, people DO use portable laptops outdoors or in rooms with, you know, lights. Seeing yourself and everything else superimposed over that dark atmospheric game you're trying to enjoy is not something gamers need. Especially in light of the mentioned weaknesses that these panels have to start with.

/rant_off

The M11x display is still the weakest design choice made on an otherwise well done piece of kit. At least, now that the LCD assembly has been dealt with.

 

Read the ICC profile installation and configuration post in my signature.

Again, the ICC profile they've provided might very well make things look worse on your AUO305C.

 

Yeah, I followed your guide to install the profile, including ticking the correct box. Still reverts. Also, in Nvidia CP I have to unselect, then reselect let other application decide, and the profile kicks in.

Most likely it just doesn't match my panel, as you say.

I didn't realise these panels were so cheap. It's nice to know more details about the product I bought, but I don't feel any better for knowing it. I'm now in the "can I get another one" camp, but I know a bunch of you wise people have already checked it all out, and there's really no way to even do our own mods to get a better panel in there.