1420 - Grainy Screen

The nVidia video will make no difference in the image quality. Get the X3100 for the usage you mentioned.

 

how about showing videos? does nVidia will make a difference? especially in some HD video.

 

My Inspiron 1420 has the matte screen made by CHI MEI OPTOELECTRONICS. It's perfect. Clear, crisp and brighter than the glossy display on my E1405. I'm very happy with it. Oh, and no more annoying reflections.

 

Just to let others who are gonna buy Dell laptop, I got my inpiron 1420, today, the screen is AUO4644 and the quality is good. I dont see any graininess.

 

This thread is probably a dead horse now, but I just recieved my new 1420 with WXGA+ glossy screen and I wanted to try to settle a few things.

For one, I notice the 'sparkle' when looking at bright whites on the screen, but otherwise it is the uneven backlighting more than anything else which keeps me from absolutely adoring my new notebook. That and I have noticed that viewing angle is pretty limited (frequent tweaking). Some of you have said that AUO screens are crap . . . I would point out that they make LCDs for Dell, as well as APPLE and HP I think.

So . . . does the screen suck? NO! I work in an IT department, and I look at CRTs and LCDs from different makes like viewsonic, dell, sony, ect. We use laptops that are 5 years old, and some that are brand new.

The conclusion I make from that is that LCDs, by and large, are pretty crappy compared to the crop of CRTs I have that dominated just before LCDs started taking center stage. All the CRTs I use basically have pure whites, black blacks, and even lighting from corner to corner. Even the viewing angles are nice. The LCDs look good too, providing the backlighting is bright enough.

Some of the LCDs are 20 inch matte type, but with a privacy screen installed you notice two things: Brightness going down, contrast going up a hair, and a little sparkle! Bringing me back to my new Inspiron.

In exchange for some truly black blacks, the glossy screen manufactured by AUO has lost some brightness for contrast and color control. The film that Dell uses is meant in part to block light from 'bleeding' from one pixel to the next. Side effects include some of the sparkling that many people here are calling grainyness. I'm sorry, but this phenomenom would happen whether you bought a latitude, precision or inspiron, more likely than not.

My solution to this makes me REAL glad that I bought a gefore 8400 with mine (don't think on board usually lets you do this): To address the uneven backlighting (or somewhat lack of enough brightness in intense office lights) I basically used the nvidia control panel to crank up the brightness and contrast so I do not have to run the backlight full power to get good results. This works great on battery also, and best of all, you are saving some battery juice by keeping the backlight down. I find the sparkling is more pronounced in the dark also, so using the laptop with SOME ambient light as opposed to a lot is probably a good idea. Of course, I recommend that even when using an awesome albeit rediculously old school looking CRT.

As for viewing angles, I can't help with that other than noting that you should always pick a comfy spot before you get busy, so that you are constantly searching for the 'sweet spot' This is the one area, aside from backlighting, that I was disappointed with. If a 50" LCD can look great from 160 degrees, then a 14.1" should too damnit! But then there was that low price I paid . . .

Oh well. Hope this post helps those of you who are totally doubting a Dell purchase now. All I can say otherwise is that the T7250, 2gb of ram and 120gb HDD really rips vista a lot better than I expected. Great machine . . . look at some photos or what a movie on it . . . now we're having fun!

 

I'm not sure which screen you have but my hi-res (1440x900) AU Optronics was terrible. The grain/sparkle was too much. Dell swapped out the screen and the Samsung I got is (much) better. There is some uneveness in the backlighting, but the grain is gone. And while the Nvidia control panel is helpful, it was not enough for me to keep the original screen (BTW - I have a Dell 24" LCD on my desktop and no laptop LCD screen I've seen compares...)

 

Thank you for pointing that out. I can admit that after reading this forum for awhile prior to getting my new 1420 I was definately crossing my fingers that I would get a samsung panel. When I got an AUO and first looked at it I knew that I was seeing the "sparkle". However, at work we took delivery of a latitude d630 which also has a 14.1" screen. That panel was one of the LG Philips, which I read here was supposed to be great. Even though it was a Matte screen it still looked about the same as the one I have. They may use different manufacturers, but the specs that each is to satisfy is probably the same. So, I am not sure I want to go through the pain of a swap, unless someone can get all the different panels together and compare!
I am using the WXGA+ btw, and so was the latitude. And yes, we also have some larger dell desktop LCDs and they are pretty nice!

 

I also read this forum prior to receiving my 1420 with 1440 screen. I did not know what a "grainy" screen would look like. Now I know because I received one! AUO made!, I compared to my friend's m1330, m1530 and another 1420, and mine looks awful! it does annoy my eyes. It looks like vaseline smeared on whites.
It took me about six dell support chats throughout two weeks, they have disconnected me a few times. It was finally resolved about 10 minutes ago with an about 10minute chat (world record shortest chat with dell). I kept having to tell them that I repair DELLs all day at work and I did my own troubleshooting but since I don't have gold support (like at work) they tell me they have to make me do the steps over again to make sure. At the end they wanted me to MAKE SURE THE LCD CABLE IS PROPERLY SEATED, they told me they tell everyone to do this. What if someone doesn't know how to make sure their LCD cable is properly seated? btw I never even attempt to make sure it was seated because from many years of experience this stupid issue has nothing to do with LCD cable being properly seated.

I told him that I do not want another AUO as we have had a bad experience with AUO with our corporate, and as an IT personnal we have replaced many. He finally gave up and said, that they will send me a replacement screen. I told him I don't need a tech. And requested my screen to not be AUO, but he told me I can't request manufacturers, I did not want to argue since he sounded like he was having a bad day so I said that's fine. Yay, new screen on the way, hope it changes my 1420 experience.

Just bought my 1420 from ebay 6/2008 with 20% off microsoft live/paypal. It was built exactly one year ago, that explains the early AUO 1440 screens. T7300 - 1440x900 - Nvidia 8400M - 4 year complete care. 9-cell battery one-year-warranty was ending so I decided to have dell send me a new replacement (battery built 3/2008)

 

Somehow all this discussion is making me start to wonder. Last night I was using the laptop in the dark and making an image of the HDD in case I ever manage to corrupt the thing. Here is what I noticed:

The vertical viewing angle is really horrid, the back light bleed is ever-present, even at lower brightness settings, and the images can really look grainy and washed out. Unless you are looking straight-on at the screen the colors seem to shift. When you look really close most of the white pixels look white, but further up the screen they look a little gray. Can anyone tell me if this might make me a candidate for replacement?

More importantly, does anyone have pics of their "nice" screens?

 

so dell sent me the replacement screen the very same day.. arrived the next day.. to someone else's house, even has that other person's signature. great work DHL? I hate DHL. dell is sending me another one though, now i have to wait until next week for another replacement.. bummer. If those screens keep going to someone else, then i'll just keep requesting them until everyone in the world gets one.

 

When you get it, make sure you let us know how it turned out. Also make sure that you tell us what make that it was. Take pictures if you can. Anyone reading this thread is curious!

 

hello fellas,


After a lot of research going through HP,DEll,Toshiba, Sony,Acer,Gateway websites, i finally decided upon buying a Dell Inspiron 1420 ..

It was an amazing laptop, however i decided to read reviews and I came across this thread. Ghoshh there seem to be serious Screen related issues.!!!

Anyways i still will go ahead with 1420. I am opting for the bare minimum(1 yr limited warranty scheme). In this scheme will I be allowed to replace screen if I find a defect ??

Secondly I read that Dell offers only 32 bit version of Vista. This does not support 4GB RAM. However my initial plan was to go for 4GB RAM. Is it for sure that Dell does not offer 64 bit version of Vista??. If it doesn't then i dont see the point to offer 4GB RAM !!!!

Pls help me in clearing the above 2 doubts..

Cheers

 

I do not think that there is a screen 'issue', so much as I think that people seem to be disappointed with the screen that they get. I have noticed some grain on mine for example, there appears to be something up with the screen coating. I think that this adversely effects my viewing enjoyment / comfort. When you pay good money for an upgrade, it ought to feel like one, right? In my case, the coating to the screen seems to be thick and grainy, so I am pursuing a screen change. I have just seen too many other laptops in stores lately with coated screens that seem brighter, more colorful, and less sparkly than mine. And yes, that includes other Dell Inspirons.
1. Yes, your warranty is limited but covers hardware. Don't forget the 30=day satisfaction garuntee.
2. 4gb is a waste for 32=bit Vista. 2 Gb will run it fine unless you are a multi-tasking maven. If you choose to get 4 Gb, the OS will utilize about 3Gb. You can always upgrade to 64-bit later if you wanted. If more ram is the only reason that you want to do that, I would play with the 32-bit for awhile and make sure that you really need it!

 

I used to think one year limited warranties were sufficient. Not anymore. Lately I have been experiencing issues during the 2nd and 3rd year of use. I'm now a big fan of extended warranties, especially laptops. BTW, if you're using a credit card to order that laptop, you'll get an extra year of warranty from your credit card, just search and you'll find some information.

So DHL called me today and told me the driver did not know where my address was and they will attempt to re-deliver tomorrow. And just a few minutes later, I stepped outside and I saw a package, my second replacement screen! it was left outside, no signature required this time? I will also still be receiving the lost one tomorrow. So two screens! I'll post pictures. So far the second one sent to me is a Refurbished AUO! Manufactured 7/27 (2007 i'm sure) It has a sticker on it saying it has been repaired by AUO on 5/2008. Also in the box, a new 2008 LCD cable. I'll wait until tomorrow to see if I receive the first lost shipment from DHL and hopefully it'll not be an AUO? but i'll put both on and compare

 

Good luck! Thanks for giving the update, as I am really curious about this switch a roo. Even if the AUO screens are great (and I am sure they are capable of being great), I am wondering now if it is inconsistancy in the coating application that makes them so bad. I am talking to dell and pursuing a replacement at this time. They seem to take their sweet time. My 30-day guarantee is up soon . . . HMM. I would rather replace it, and be proved that I am stuck with the screen quality that I have, then sit around thinking I paid good money for a so called 'upgrade'.

 

Here is something interesting also. To those of you noticing 'grain' (even if your LCD is not defective) . . . try this experiment. In a lower light setting, get an all-white background on your screen. If you then scroll it, very slowly, see if you notice that the little dirty gray pixels are NOT moving as you scroll. The "dirtyness" is fixed! This is what I am noticing with mine. And also that some areas of the screen seem worse than others.

I can only conclude from that that the LCD is fine, it is indeed the coating which is creating many of the issues with the image itself. I have been playing with brightness / color settings for days looking for something more consistent. At a distance the image seems better, but blotchy, up close many of the mid-tones blend in so completely it is difficult to discern them.

I would be interested to hear if anyone else with a less than perfect display can pick out these things. My eyes are simply hating their life switching from a decent monitor to an inconsistent one.

 

P.S. to anyone viewing this thread in earnest, If you head over to the Dell discussion forums, a person representing the company had some things to say about these "grainy" screens.

http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_video&message.id=156762&query.id=44225#M156762

If you click the link, and search around some it is clear that this issue is for real. The major issue seems to be that there is not an exact 'standard' currently in place to make sure that glossy screens are basically not TOO glossy (read: heavily coated). This is not the same as to say that everyone should run out and get a new laptop, but it acknowledges the inconsistencies that some people are noticing here.
I spoke with tech support and had to suffer a lecture about the differences between Matte and Glossy. No problem there but then again, having used a Matte latitude D620 with 1440x900 (the opposite of mine), I can say that that screen seemed grainy and sparkly also. Hopefully, the move toward adopting a standard tolerance for screen coatings will solve this issue for most of us. The more picky users will have to continue to find better screens, even if that means finding another company.
As for me, I am sending my laptop back to have a new screen fitted. That means that I am going to take some pics of my current setup, and the one that I receive when it comes back. I told service that I wanted to do the swap myself, but that wasn't going to fly I guess. Even though I work in an IT department myself with all kinds of experts. I told them that I insisted that a switch of panel be made, I am not tying up my computer for 3 weeks for nothing!
If I get lucky and get a panel with 'light' coating then I guess I will be pumped. If I don't, then I guess I am stuck with it. I figure it is worth a shot. Now I am wondering if I should just get a matte screen however, as that should generally be more tolerable for word processing / web surfing. Can anyone talk me out of that?

 

mgh_a1 - Interesting stuff there

I've received both screens and I've tried them both on. I received the first screen (which DHL sent to the wrong house), it was a new LG! First I tried the Refurbished AUO, which was manufactured exactly the same time my original one was, and it looked just as terrible and even had a few mis-colored pixels! Then I put on the LG, and the grain was gone! The LG screen is also quite brighter, also has noticable light leakage! So either it was a grainy screen or a better pictured bright and light leaking screen. So opted for the LG, I could live with the leakage and just turn down the brightness. I'll post up pictures!

 

Well, I realized that I am pissed over the fact that they want to 'repair' a less than 30 day old computer. I am having the sound crackling issue also so I contacted them again telling them that they can either try an advanced exchange, or they can send me a box for a full refund.

I don't like playing hardball, however I also feel really let down. And I didn't pay for this with money from an inheritance either. It hurt to spend the money.

Whatever the issue, There are some awesome deals on a VAIO I found, and the new HP with AMD chips are pretty cheap for what you get (for the moment). If I cannot get a good resolution of my issue, I will probably just jump ship. A shame because otherwise, this has been a nice computer . . . love the keyboard.

Make sure that you put up those pics as soon as you can. It would be helpful to see before / after shots!

 

*Update*

I received a brand new 1420 yesterday evening. Included was a different DVD burner, and Different HDD, and a SEC 1445 Panel! They also actually gave me a drivers and utilities CD, a Vista CD, Media Direct CD, and a Works CD. Amazing, since I got nothing with my original purchase. The Samsung HDD actually got a better Vista rating than the WD one in my original purchase. Can't seem to find the driver that bumped my graphics score up yet.

Subjective Opinions:

AUO Panel:

* Bright enough to bother my eyes in a dark room
* Sparkles more than a diamond
* Grainy enough to make it seem as though all light colors are somehow speckled with grays, especially whites. Had to set DPI to abut 106 to read text in any sort of comfort. Forget about doing a lot of paper writing on that screen
* looked great watching a DVD from a distance, or playing a video game.
* Probably would seem superior when watching 'finding nemo' (colors and contrast).
* Noticeable back light bleed from the bottom of the panel.

New Samsung panel:

* Viewing angle still sucks, maybe a slight improvement on the Vertical
* Sparkly / Graininess is gone. Text is legible and clear at the 'normal' DPI setting. Much more comfortable in that respect. Whites are white.
* Images are 'smoother' and back lighting seems more even (the AUO seemed to 'bloom' in the center of the screen, I could turn my head and detect the slight shift in the image at any of the edges), though maybe not as bright overall as the AUO screen. It literally seems like the AUO has one extra 'tick' that the SEC lacks. After using it for awhile however, the difference seemed to lesson, as the more consistent image I got from the SEC trumped the more intense brightness. I will take them both out in broad daylight soon.
* I believe I lost some contrast, and the colors are not quite as intense. Mid-Tones are better however, gradients are better defined, and the pixel clock and phase were definitely superior. While I am finding that 'tweaking' helping the display along more, I currently cannot get my green level to look right.
* Much, Much happier with the new panel over all.

Take away:
It is very annoying and strange that there could be such a mess of different parts that have a measurable effect on the overall performance and character of the product. The new HDD is faster, but makes more noise, the CD drive is quieter, but wiggles A LOT when fully extended. The screen is easier on the eyes, but produces a noticeably different image. I should stress that all of these differences are sort of like turning the bass nob up a quarter when you drive in the car, yes there is an appreciable change in the sounds, but were they worth getting in to a huge battle with a huge company? My answer, YES!

-Because it is not my fault that they choose to use multiple vendors to meet the same specs, and it is not my fault that they apparently do not hold them all to tight and specific manufacturing tolerances. Do not let them insult your basic human intelligence by telling you that there is not such thing as one panel looking differently than another. I have studied 2 1420's side by side, and they were different, period. If you had to exchange 6 times to get one you could live with, you might as well. If enough people win battles like these, Dell will eventually realize that they need tighter controls on the quality of their products. I am more satisfied now, yet I am also somehow still fuming that they couldn't get it right in the first place. I can't help but wonder if I escalated this again, if I would get into the 'premium' stock of an LG panel. The new PC was made only 2 weeks after the original, they had my parts list as an AUO, somehow I landed an SEC, you feel like, "they must know-people that won't take this one might take that one".
-Sorry for extending this thread beyond its useful life folks (dead horse I am sure), however I am committed to continuing the discussion partly because, like anyone trying to figure out which computer to buy, this issue presents a serious hurdle. I would like to restate that the differences in panels are probably minimal at best, but to persons with higher expectations and more experience, they can make a HUGE difference. Forget the laptop, watch what happens when I go speaker shopping! Also because it seems like this issue has continued for years, and here in 2008 the same problem pops up to new and old customers alike.

-Thus, based on my experience, I WOULD NOT purchase a Dell 1420 again. The screen issue seems to be a genuine roll of the dice. If you get one and are not happy with it, it is going to be a battle and at least a half a month or more before you get your first shot at a resolution, unless you are the 'high roller' with A+ service package (I am jealous of you). With no less than 3 panel makers, you have a 33-66% chance at best of getting a 'keeper'. Next time I go shopping, I am going to do a lot more research into the risks and issues popping up with a laptop. As you cannot choose the makers of the parts, you really cannot choose what the end product is truly like. Ask any real enthusiast that prefers to build desktops themselves, and you will hear what I mean. Sometimes, you just HAVE to be picky. Or the world will end, seriously. : )

I did take some pics. Anyone want to see some? I'm not really sure how to post them so give me a shout out if you are interested.