The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Anyone swap out their display for a glossy one?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by jesseasi, Feb 9, 2008.

  1. jesseasi

    jesseasi Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    89
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    Searching Ebay I found a company selling replacement screens for the T61's that are glossy.

    I just ordered a T61 and have been using as Sony SZ for the last two years. The screen on the SZ is incredible. I am a little worried I won't be too happy with the matte screen of the T61 14.1

    Anyone use these screens before? Are they better than the stock screen?

    I am not sure if it is appropriate to link to Ebay - so I won't unless you guys say it is ok.
     
  2. chubbyfatazn

    chubbyfatazn Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    87
    Messages:
    590
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Screentek offers a $100 screen conversion to make your matte screen a glossy one. There is a member here who has done it, maybe you can ask him for details.
     
  3. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

    Reputations:
    4,982
    Messages:
    34,001
    Likes Received:
    1,415
    Trophy Points:
    581
    The R61i does offer a glossy screen if you want to go that way.
     
  4. BaldwinHillsTrojan

    BaldwinHillsTrojan Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    72
    Messages:
    674
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    That's crazy to swap it out. Once in a foreign country I saw a new T serries which appeared to have a glossy widescreen. I was amazed. Upon inquiry it was actually a clear sheet that is placed on top of the LCD. I beleive there is no glue and supposedly water or nothing holds it on place. It was just as good as any consumer laptop glossy screen out there.
     
  5. panteedropper

    panteedropper Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    97
    Messages:
    1,015
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    what is your primary reason for owning a laptop? do you use it to watch movies? program? word processing?

    For business purposes, matte is definitely the way to go.
     
  6. rxblitzrx

    rxblitzrx Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    29
    Messages:
    460
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I changed mine to glossy and haven't looked back since. In my opinion, the matte T61 LCD is really bad. Here's some options that can improve your viewing experience:

    1. Mod your LCD screen at ScreenTek (google the name of the company) for $100.00 plus shipping. They will "repolarize" your LCD to make it glossy (like Dell TrueLife or Sony XBrite). This improves vertical viewing angles by about 20 degrees and it will take care of the "rough-around-the-edges" look on web pages. For me, the benefits far outweigh the problems of glossy screen glare.

    2. Certain fonts appear better on web page (in Firefox atleast). I use Segoe UI or Arial. These seem to appear the clearest on web pages.

    3. Use Clear Type Tuner found in Windows Power Toys.

    4. Use the free LCD Calibration tool found on someone's signature here in the forums. The Lenovo panels are too blue by default.

    With these modifications and tweaks I was able to get my LCD looking pretty good. The most beneficial change was the conversion to glossy. Text is now sharp, bright, and higher in contrast.

    Good luck!
     
  7. miro_gt

    miro_gt Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    433
    Messages:
    1,748
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    56
    ^ how about you post pictures before and after ?
     
  8. rxblitzrx

    rxblitzrx Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    29
    Messages:
    460
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I don't think pictures would help. In my opinion, there are three main issues with the T61 matte LCD:

    1. Vertical viewing angles.
    2. Contrast
    3. Color calibration

    Glossy LCDs have been proven to provide better viewing angles and higher contrast. The third issue can be corrected with the free calibration software floating around here.

    If you're satisfied with the LCD, then there's no point in spending the extra money. When I got my T61, my excitement literally died after the first 30 minutes. The text readability was absolutely TERRIBLE. It hurt my eyes and gave me a headache. I had no choice but to search for a solution that I could live with.

    Glossy screens do have their disadvantages. If you can accept them, then you can enjoy the benefits they provide.
     
  9. stryfe

    stryfe Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    25
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5

    I just ordered an R61 with a T9300. R61i don't have the T9300 option. How long will it take for the Screentek to re-polorize it once you ship it off? Thanks.
     
  10. rxblitzrx

    rxblitzrx Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    29
    Messages:
    460
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I think the turn-around is 48 hours. One day to work on it, then shipped out the next day. It's all on their website. Just google "ScreenTek"
     
  11. sprtnbsblplya

    sprtnbsblplya Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    420
    Messages:
    1,339
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Can you post some pics of it at full brightness?
     
  12. rxblitzrx

    rxblitzrx Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    29
    Messages:
    460
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Sorry, no digi-cam. Samsung LCDs are already bright enough though. Some people say they're too bright, and brighter than the LG versions. Glossy conversion will only make it brighter, if at all. Bad character trait in an LCD? doubtful. Just turn down the brightness. :)