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    Anyone actually own a T500 WXGA w/LED?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by superhob, Nov 12, 2008.

  1. superhob

    superhob Notebook Geek

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    I've looked around and can't seem to find any reviews of the LED WXGA option on the T500. If you own one could you please comment on the quality of the screen, particulary about the contrast and brightness. If you have pictures of the LED WXGA that would be even better. Thanks in advance.
     
  2. Dumpduck

    Dumpduck Notebook Consultant

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    One did state his first impressions on the LED WXGA screen in the T500, try to do a search.
     
  3. superhob

    superhob Notebook Geek

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    Thanks, I looked for and found that review but I was hoping for other opinions. That review was a mixed bag and I want to see if others feel the same way.
     
  4. Dumpduck

    Dumpduck Notebook Consultant

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    That's the only one I've seen unfortunately.
     
  5. rkellen

    rkellen Newbie

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    Just received my T500 last thursday. 15.4" WSXGA+ TFT w/CCFL Backlight is causing my eyes to burn within 30 minutes. Adjusting brightness does not help, just makes it harder to see the screen. Colors are washed out. There is no angle where all parts of the screen are equally at their clearest (rather least washed out.

    The big question I have is why did all the other Thinkpads I had in the past (last one in '02) not bother my eyes at all. And I can sit in front of my flat panel LCT TFT (Gateway FDP 1810) for 10-12 hours if I had to???
     
  6. ideoteque85

    ideoteque85 Notebook Consultant

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    Wait, I am not too clear on why the screen burns your eye. Is it because of the brightness? Contrast? Font size? Or all the above?

    It sounds like it might just be a bad screen as you mentioned that there is no sweet spot for it. Try to determine what type of screen you have using PC Wizard and check if there is known problems with the screen.
     
  7. rkellen

    rkellen Newbie

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    I installed PC Wizard and took a look, but I don't know what to look for. How do I find out if there are "known problems with the screen" ?

    To clarify, I am not sure why my eyes burn either. Text is sharp and clear, so no text or vision problems I believe. Font size is fine, I like the higher resolution (1680x1050). Adjusting brightness down just makes a faded screen darker, and brighter does not make the colors look less faded (reds are pinkish for example).

    I think, as you (ideoteque85) indicate, the problem is more with contrast and sweetspot plus faded looking colors (washed out look), whites are blaring/glaring- all of those. Spent quite a lot of time on the phone with Lenovo and they concluded that it is a bad "LCD," bad screen and want me to send it in. Cripes!
     
  8. yuio

    yuio NBR Assistive Tec. Tec.

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    I have a T500 with WXGA/LED.

    My opinion...
    constrast is ok, not amazing but not horrible. (100%)
    light bleed is pretty bad. about 1.5inch of it at the bottom, but that part of the screen is still readable. (at 100% brightness)
    the LED is BRIGHT! It is so bright that you can hardly see the Thinklight when it is at full brightness. if you hold it out in front of you can use it like a flashlight if you have a white background. so yah this screen is really really bright. (100%)
     
  9. akadoublej

    akadoublej Notebook Evangelist

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    If you bought another T500 would you buy it with the LED screen or the CCFL screen?
     
  10. ideoteque85

    ideoteque85 Notebook Consultant

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    What I meant was to look at the manufacturer and Product ID to run a search in the forum to see if other people have complained about it. Well good luck in getting the screen changed. I've always had good experience dealing with Lenovo for my T42 so it should be fine.

    Also I've just received my ASUS N80Vn with a WXGA LED screen. I love the screen. It's extremely bright. I don't think I'll ever go back to a CCFL lit screen.
     
  11. alcarinque

    alcarinque Notebook Enthusiast

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    Guess you've got samsung made panel. Had just the same problem with my xps1530 :mad:
     
  12. Dumpduck

    Dumpduck Notebook Consultant

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    I received my T500 w/CCFL backlight a couple of days ago and I am in love with the display. It is much better than my previous Thinkpad (R51) and definitely bright enough.

    Sorry for the slight offtopic, just thought I had to comment when I saw what rkellen said about his display.
     
  13. rkellen

    rkellen Newbie

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    Thanks ideoteque85...looking. However, yuio's describes what I see pretty well.

    But yuio, are colors true on your T500. I am beginning to think I am stuck with the brightness, but dulled colors are a bummer.
     
  14. jjmason

    jjmason Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks everyone for their input!

    I am hoping those who like the LED screen could elaborate on why they prefer it over the CCFL? Is it brightness, contrast, color accuracy...etc?

    I wonder if anyone had a similar experience to this: hxxp://installingcats.com/2008/03/02/best-laptop-screen-macbook-pro-led-backlit-lcd-display/

    It's a review for the Macbook Pro LED screen but the LED lighting technology seems to give washed out colors. Is this true?
     
  15. claus1225

    claus1225 Notebook Guru

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    Don't get CCFL. The color is indeed very washed out (white greyish, not vibrant).

    My eyes get very tired after a few minute
     
  16. wtokyo

    wtokyo Newbie

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    The colors on my T500 WXGA are very washed out. The "reds" on the screen are more like "pinks."

    I have a switchable graphics card. An IBM technician told me that I should have bought a T500 with a discrete graphics card, but I don't understand why that would make any difference as I don't play any games on my computer nor do I do anything that would require a high powered video card. This same technician claims that the LED display, offered only with the discrete graphics model, would make a big difference in the intensity of the colors. Unfortunately, I don't know if he knows what he's talking about.

    I previously owned an IBM A22M, which I bought in 2001. The colors on this machine are superior to the T500.
     
  17. jjmason

    jjmason Notebook Enthusiast

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    Interesting - thank you for your review. Am I correct in understanding that you have the T500 with the ATI 3650 and LED-lit WXGA? The tech probably doesn't understand what switchable graphics are and that they include the discrete GPU. Anyway, GPU shouldn't make a difference.

    From what I've read, I think the LED gives much brighter whites while the CCFL's whites are indeed more greyish as claus1225 mentioned. On the other hand, the CCFL-lit WSXGA is supposed to have great contrast (400:1 as measured by notebookcheck) and maybe better color accuracy so that might explain why your colors don't look as good.

    It seems like there are big drawbacks to either WXGA-LED or WSXGA-CCFL. I might try holding out for a WXGA+ LED screen (like on the MacBook pro, which looks AMAZING by the way. Hint hint, Lenovo!) but I don't know how much longer I can wait.
     
  18. wtokyo

    wtokyo Newbie

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    Actually I have a T500 with a WXGA-CCFL screen. It has an Intel Media Graphics Accelerator X4500 HD.

    If you go to the Lenovo website and click on the T-Series and then customize, you will see that the T500 with Integrated Graphics is currently available with only the CCFL screen. If you want the option of an LED screen, you must choose the model with Discrete Graphics. This model comes with the ATI 3650.
     
  19. akadoublej

    akadoublej Notebook Evangelist

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    I got my T500 with backlit LED and ATI dedicated graphics card. Out of the box I am EXTREMELY unhappy with it. Images are VERY VERY washed out and far worse than on my 4 year old T42.

    Does anyone know if this can be fixed through calibration or did I need to call Lenovo and see what they have to say about it?
     
  20. ronnieb

    ronnieb Representing the Canucks

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    Sigh... the low resolution is the only thing holding me back. I really really want a T500 with LED back light and WXGA+ resolution :(
     
  21. superhob

    superhob Notebook Geek

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    Thanks for the info. Would you mind posting a couple of pictures of your WXGA LED T500 screen?
     
  22. sfpassn

    sfpassn Notebook Enthusiast

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    Sorry to hear about your screen. I was hoping the T500 would get similarly impressive screens like the T400 did but it appears that the T500 is stuck with inferior screens in terms of resolution and backlighting. That's really unfortunate considering the T500 is supposed to be the more full-featured of the two.

    I don't think WXGA+ and LED backlight is unreasonable. Dell and Apple have already been producing laptops with those screens since early 2008 - so vendors are definitely available (I think it is Chi Mei?). The Dell M4400 even has a WUXGA LED screen! Why Lenovo doesn't offer those screens are beyond me. I'm waiting it out too but none of the reps I've spoken to have any idea if Lenovo intends to offer higher resolution LED screens. That's probably the biggest complaint I've seen about the T500.

    I am hoping that Lenovo is trying to clear out their inventory of WXGA LED screens before they start offering WXGA+ LED screens, since I would assume that the vast majority of customers would opt for the higher resolution screen if offered a choice between the two. Lenovo is still using old WSXGA+ screens for the current T500s, presumably to finish off their remaining stockpiles of them. I believe the screens were from 2005 or so but I can't find the post that mentioned this. Anyway this is just speculation.

    And just to complicate things even further, it looks like HP, Sony, and Dell are rolling out laptops with high resolution RGB-LED screens (as opposed to white LED backlit screens like the one on the T400). The RGB-LED screens have a much larger color gamut and are the best screens available today. I hope Lenovo will start offering these premium screens on their top of the line laptops because the competition is really starting to produce impressive machines that quite frankly best the offerings from Lenovo in the same class. Right now, Lenovo still has Thinkpad brand loyalty and build quality (although it looks like they're slipping a bit) but in terms of specs, they're lagging behind.
     
  23. Hagbard Celine

    Hagbard Celine Notebook Consultant

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    Just FYI: There seem to be three manufacturers for WXGA+ LED screens in 15.4" size, namely LG, Samsung, and AU Optronics.
     
  24. sfpassn

    sfpassn Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks for the info.

    I wonder why there isn't much flexibility in regards to screen resolution and backlighting technology. From my non-technical perspective, a panel's backlight and its LCD (i.e. resolution) are two separate things. Is there a reason why you can't swap out LCD's or backlights like any other components?

    This guy had some success doing so: http://www.keithwakeham.com/lcd.htm

    Aside from the inverter, some firmware issues, and the proper diffuser, you basically remove the CCFL bulb and install a row of LEDs - say the LED assembly from the T500 WXGA LED panel.

    Alternatively, installing a higher resolution screen shouldn't be that difficult, theoretically. The T500's video card can handle a WSXGA+ screen so if you removed the LCD from the LED-lit WXGA and replaced it with a higher resolution WSXGA+, that should work assuming the inverter is compatible? Not sure about the firmware part.
     
  25. giangdude

    giangdude Notebook Consultant

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    I just received my T500 with LED and ATI card too, and I agree that images are a little washed out. But I'm no expert, so keep that in mind. All in all, I really like the screen. It's plenty bright, and the resolution is perfect for my bad eyes.
     
  26. sfpassn

    sfpassn Notebook Enthusiast

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    Another user gave this early review of the T500 LED: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=303397

    It seems like the washing out effect is pretty common. Adding a mirror layer, which I think refers to an aftermarket glossy filter you can put on top of your LCD, seems to improve the image quality. Far from a ringing endorsement, however. Very different reception than the T400's LED screen. Maybe if you add a glossy filter you'll get better contrast? Thanks for your input though.
     
  27. joey-t

    joey-t Notebook Consultant

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    I recently purchased a T500 with the WXGA 15.4" LED.

    The screen is defiantly washed out, and blue is overwhelming the colors.

    I previously owned a Dell XPS 1530 LED glossy screen and that screen was far superior to the T500. The XPS's LED was awesome. The XPS was even brighter, but the colors, contrast, and detail were perfect. The T500 is also grainy compared to the XPS. This may be because of the T500's matte screen vs. the XPS's glossy screen.

    I use my T500 mostly at night in low lighted rooms and I need to turn down the display brightness, which also helps reduce the wash out problem. I didn't need to do this with the XPS. During the day with more ambient light, the T500 washed out problem is much less noticeable and is less bothersome.

    After a lot of experimenting with my color settings I found reducing the brightness settings helped a lot.

    With the ATI Catalyst Control Center I changed these settings.

    Blue Brightness - reduce to negative 60
    Green Brightness - reduce to negative 25
    Red Brightness - reduce to negative 35

    I was ready to return my T500 until I found these adjustments significantly improved the washed out blue problem.
     
  28. maelk

    maelk Newbie

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    I bought a T500 with the WSXGA+ panel and CCFL backlight a few days ago.

    The brightness is poor, but the colors is even worse.

    I've tried changing colors in ATI CCC, but the colors is not nearly as good, as on any other TN-panel. I've never seen such a bad screen in my entire life.

    It's really sad, they've put such a bad display into such a (almost) perfect laptop. I'm really disappointed, Lenovo.

    Now I'm heavily considering to return the laptop.
     
  29. jln319

    jln319 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I have had my T500 with WXGA backlit LED for a few months now. For what I am using it for it is pefectly acceptible. ie internet, word, some programming, etc.. Anything more than this and it would be a disappointment. The thing that does bother me is the resolution. I would really like to have more than 1220X800 but this is all that was available with the LED at the time I purchased it. If I were to do it again, I would probably go for higher resolution and CCFL. I'm not finding the benefit of the LED to be that substantial...
     
  30. friedchicken

    friedchicken Notebook Enthusiast

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    +1. Also regretting not getting a fingerprint and web cam addon.
     
  31. pi3guy

    pi3guy Notebook Consultant

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    I also have the t500 with LED backlight. Yes the colors seem washed out, and black levels are poor, but I really only notice when I compare to my external Asus monitor or the Dell precision m2300. Watching video the skin tones definitely look a bit off. Sure there are much better matte screens out there, but I really enjoy the battery life and brightness, and the screen is adequate for word processing and internet surfing.