1420 - Grainy Screen

I actually have two dell 1420s now, because my first one had a warped bottom and wobbled, and dell sent me a replacement that arrived today. I have noticed a difference between the two anti-glare displays.

My first was CMO1426

The new one is SEC3157.

With both screen side by side on maximum brightness, the SEC3157 is both brighter and the whites seem actually white. The CMO's whites look yellower in comparison.

 

i called them today cause i am kinda pissed about the matter, but they said it should not take too long. Should come around Friday. I will be extremely pissed if i was mislead though.

 

thats a Chi Mei Optronics panel

 

dell just called and the repair guy will be here at 5pm...hmm but yesterday they said the part was back ordered...odd.

 

i am getting mine done a little after 4

 

yeah but i got a call today and a guy said he got the parts in and would be able to come up later today... sweet

 

Just had my screen replaced - originally had the AUO (good contrast, good viewing angles, bad graininess on light solid colors); replaced with an SEC (great contrast, fair viewing angles, barely noticeable graininess)

Yay.

Good luck to all others who need the replacement

If you're not sure you need a replacement, you probably don't - many of the original screens that shipped were "good" ones and for a lot of people even the "bad" ones aren't noticeably different - for me it was, since I spend long (sad) hours in white Excel boxes.

Also, just cautionary note (sorry for any doom and gloom) - my repairman gave me a slight scratch on the lid while working, nothing major, but if it was worse I would be wishing I realized it and documented it at the time in case I needed to return.

To end on a positive note - all in all I really love my laptop - found earphones that don't pass through the headphone jack noise, now working on an even better screen, and very happy with my reasonably priced powerhouse!

 

just got mine replaced too, also sec. looks like you say

 

is it still grainy?

 

got mine replaced too with an SEC display. it's no longer grainy but the repair man left a very small screw...not sure if it's supposed to go anywhere but everything is working fine.

 

yes it is much better. It is still slightly grainy, but i definitely have to be looking for it unlike the old auo. The new screen seems a bit brighter, and i think it has much better viewing angles than the auo. There are a couple imperfections in the screen that i can not really notice unless i am looking for them. I definitely recommend asking dell for a replacement lcd.

 

Caption, is your a WXGA+ with the Brightview?

 

sorry about my ignorance, but what means "graininess" and does it really is the big deal?

 

hmmm I already have a SEC screen....and mine is grainy.

 

When you guys say grainy, do you mean that the screen has a sparkly look to it when displaying whites, or is it something else?

 

I like it. It's like fairy dust, but my family can't accuse me of hallucinating.

 

I'm assuming the graininess looks like the kind you get from the touch-panel overlay on a lot of tablets.. But at the same time i've seen some glossy screens with amazing clarity.

Sounds like Dell dropped the ball on the 1420/1520 by trying to cut some corners and save money by going with some cheap glossy LCD screens.

Glad I went with the Antiglare CMO screen when I ordered mine.. I had zero visibility issues on my previous laptop (Compaq X1000 with antiglare)

 

that is right.

 

Dell sent me the wrong screen (1280x800 antiglare) and it has massive amounts of graininess. It's also SEC not CMO.

 

Congrats to those that got their screens replaced. I reordered a new one with the anti-glare (matte) screen and it shipped out yesterday. I will report back on my thoughts of the screen when I get it. Cheers.

 

yeah mine is still grainy, but this i can live with. On my old display i had to turn the dpi up because i could not read text due to the graininess. I also stoped computing and went to read or a book or something because it was so agitating to look at. The auo were just atrocious. Yes i have a WXGA+

 

I have a question. I just got my 1420 with AUO 1447 lcd screen and it is grainy. If you replace the lcd and it is still grainy, can you return the laptop or have them replace it again? Thanks for the help.

 

Whatever you do, don't wait for more than 21 days... I decided to save myself hassle and just return the notebook and order a new one with the anti glare screen.

 

I just received my 1420 this week with a glossy 1280x800 LCD. I see no graininess, however the hardware ID says LPL0000. Anyone know the manufacturer?

 

I got AUO1447. Grainy. A tech is coming out to replace it!!! Yeah!!! I hope it will be better.

 

let us know if the replacement is not grainy.

 

Mine has a sec now.. and I really like the display. Problem is they are sending me a replacement system in a week or so and I am afraid I will get a crap AUO or CMO with grainy screen. Should I call them and ask for SEC one in the replacement? I am thinking that may not be possible.

Oh they are replacing for a crack in the back on the lid panel between the hinges.

 

It might not be possible to request the brand. Hope you get a good one or you will have to get it replaced again.

So, how long does it take for them to change the LCD? How do they do it?

 

I don't have the home care or anything.. just the 2 year warranty. I am assuming i might have to send it in if the screen is not right. I worried before I got 1420 about the grain and it was fine. Now I have to worry again with the replacement.. I'm on phone now with dell.

 

Ok.. just got off phone. She said on replacement systems they use the exact same components and manufacturers. I asked if she was sure about this about 10X. I made sure she knew that they are using CMO, AUO and SEC displays. I told her that all three manufacturers make the WXGA + panels but they all look different. She said on replacement systems they use same manufacturers but on new system orders you get the luck of the draw. So that detailed info does give me some hope. Also, I now have the ID number of someone at dell who promised a sec panel. She gave me a new order number and it should ship out next day air on Aug 9. I am still worried.

 

My advice, if you are determined to get the SEC screen is to keep having it replaced until you get the SEC screen or they say "no more swaps" - and if they say "No more swaps" just return it, and make sure you tell them why.

 

what kind of network card do you have?

 

I sent my 1520 in to replace the screen. It would make sense that they would give me a non-grainy screen because my problem with the 1520 was the grainy screen. Hopefully all goes well.

 

I got my AUO screen replaced with a SEC screen on my 1420 and I got it done at home. It looks awesome. So much better than that AUO cheap Chinese piece of crap.

 

Just wondering.. Haven't they fixed this?
How long has this been going?

And has this been a problem before?

 

I have a sec screen...but mine is still grainy....not sure if it is as grainy as the ones with the AUO screen.

 

A tech is coming to my house too. How do they do it? How long does it take? Did they damage/scratch the lid in the process? I would like to know so I know what to expect. Thanks.

 

for me it took about 20 minutes. the guy took out the lcd frame, unplugged the auo screen and plugged in the sec screen, then put the frame back on. the bottom middle of my frame is a little bit sticking out but it doesn't bother me.

 

Same thing happened with my repair as far as the bottom frame sticking out a little - mine snapped back on with gentle pressure across the screen cover bottom

 

can you guys please also state what type of screen model you have?

it seems that the SEC screen is better for the wxga matte screen while AUO is better for the wxga+ glossy screen... we cant really know for sure until people gieve all the details.. just saying SEC>AUO, does not help at all

its like saying your new toyota is better than your old honda.. well you could be comparing a camry to a civic or a yaris to an s2000.

 

mine is AUO2077 .no graininess at all.

 

my 1420 is use sec447
i upgrade to 1440x900 it is very sharp ...
i m in hong kong and it is made in china ..
where is you computer made ?
thanks....

 

i am in india. mine was made in malaysia.

 

For all those who think the SEC screens are much better, I have a caveat to add. My screen is a SEC4457 (WXGA+ TL). It has no noticable grainyness, however, the viewing angles are just horrible. Either the top and bottom are washed out, and the middle just right, or the opposite. It's almost impossible to find a good viewing angle for this screen. However, I must admit that it is still bright and very clear.

 

I'm surprised they haven't fixed these problems yet. You'd think they'd correct it, instead of spending even more money replacing the cheap ones they put in in the first place.

Maybe this is why our orders are taking so long? (mines a 1520 though), hopefully they're fixing it? Doubt it.

 

I think they ordered a bunch of them bad ones and they will have to use it up. Some people don't care/can't see it/don't want to bother with it and then Dell gets away with it. I think they are aware of the problem until someone complains, they will not volunteer to change them or fix them. It is just a financial issue for them.

 

Guys,

Can you try this color test on your screens and let us know the results whether your display is 6 bit or 8 bit color.

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/download..._Gradients.exe

Article is here
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/6bit_8bit.htm

It might be helpful to a lot of people out here.

 

I believe the LPL screen is LG/Phillips.

 

Been there done that....I posted that a few weeks ago...mine is 8 bit

 

Thanks. I seem to be the only one on this board to have gotten LG/Philips - seems odd. I will say that the screen has no problem with graininess, blurriness, or viewing angle. Dell needs to get more of these.