I *Think* I fixed my Screen Door Effect (no hardware change)

I just receive my X1 Carbon (non Touch) Today Built 03/13.

I was hoping I was going to be just one of those people that didn't see it because I saw no issue on my T420 or my wife's T420s or a T430s I had for a short while and returned.

It is subtle and I can see how it could drive some folks crazy or give them a headache.

One thing I noticed is I didn't see it when running GParted (a Linux Live CD) nor did I see it the BIOS.

It has to be a Windows thing, a driver or driver setting.

Couple folks have said they calibrated their screen and it helped.

So all I did was Calibrate ClearType and poof, it's gone. Did my eyes suddenly adapt, shortly after I did that, maybe, but I don't think so.

To Calibrate

Right Click on Desktop
Choose Personalize
Choose Display in the lower Left
Choose Adjust ClearType Text
I should hope you have ClearType On. It's on by default.
Now Hit Next and Go through the ClearType Tuner (might be worth making a few passes), some choices are subtle.

It's a good idea to do this even if it does not fix Screen Door Effect.

Give it a shot.

 

My wife kept on saying walk away for a hour and come and see if you still think it's gone.

I shut it off for the night and went to turn it on and I could see it again (no bad, but there).

After 5 minutes it was gone.

Did my eyes "warm up" after 5 minutes or does the screen?

I think something is warming up that effects relative brightness, maybe reds warm up slower than greens, or a timing thing.

Anyway I calibrated it when warmed up. And once warmed up it looks fine again.

Maybe over time it warms up faster.

 

Rumor has it, both the Touch and Non-Touch X1Cs have a protective film on the screen that creates the effect. I was skeptical, but there are reports of success by other Touch owners, and the guy insists he achieved similar results with a client's NON-Touch X1C:

X1 Carbon Touch Screen Door Fixed (Just remove the... - Lenovo Community

 

Go in the BIOS there is NO screen door effect.

Boot lunix, no screen screen door effect.

Search for gparted and burn the iso file to cd and boot it.

It's how windows dithers colors that causes it.

Could be film amplifies it.

My film won't be coming off, looks fine.

 

It is more a matter of it bothering some while not others, it has never bothered me. That is an interesting thread, appears that the screen has a non-reflective film similar to what you could put on your smart phone with glass underneath. I doubt I would ever have the courage to remove it, especially as I'm not bothered by the infamous "screen door". Also I use touch a lot and so I find it comforting that the screen has a protective film on it.

 

I think part of what causes it, is the blacks are blacker. So the dark lines show up more and you become more sensitive to poor fonts and poor anti-aliasing.

Which is why I think calibrating ClearType "fixed it".

It's not just the "screen door" but the overall perception of the quality of the screen.

I ordered a screen calibrator to see if I can improve it even further.

Some fonts look great and some still not great (probably ones that are not true type)

 

Ok, I'm not going crazy.

Fonts and Anti Aliasing is PART of the problem and it starts with Windows 8.

Windows 8 dropped RGB Anti Aliasing

Internet Explorer 10 fonts fuzzy in Windows 8 - Neowin Forums - Page 2

I just might put Windows 7 on my Carbon.

I don't recall it being that bad on my T420 running Windows 8 but don't have it handy to check.

 

I would suggest applying the ICC profile created with Eye-One from the X1 Carbon Color settings thread, far superior to the too blue default. To me benefits from the protective film outweigh the negative, reduced glare makes it easier to work and the screen is kept free of fingerprints. My Yoga's screen would get mucked up by finger prints very quickly.

 

Just installed Windows 7.

BINGO !!!

Windows 8 is F'd up !!

There is No "Screen Door Effect" on Windows 7.

I'm SO glad I didn't buy a X1 Touch.

 

I would disagree. My x1c with win 7 had a screen door effect. While it didn't bother me that much it was there. I also did the font calibration on it. It was still there. Also I would say that there is an entire thread on the x1c with multiple users saying they see the screen door effect.

What I believe it's that your eyes are less susceptible to its effects. I know the more I continue to use mine the less I notice it.

 

I think people are blaming "Screen Door" on a the overall poor screen experience on Windows 8 (I was).

Going back to Win 7 is night and day difference.

Text is clear and punchy now.

I took screen shots of HotMail.com (Outlook) and blew them up. The fonts were completely butchered.

My Desktop and my Wifes T420 both running Win7 were fine.

Now the X1C is.

You won't notice "Screen Door" if your fonts are nice and punchy.

I can hardly see the difference now between my Wifes T420 and teh X1C and the X1C has blacker blacks and slightly better viewing angles.

After I calibrated Win8 is was much better (mostly in the OS) but IE10 was totally messed up. It felt like I was on a "Cheap" screen, wanting to make fonts bigger to counter it.

I kept thinking it's the "Screen Door Distortion" causing the issues.

I think that's why all the early reviews never mention screen door because they were all on Windows 7 back then.

It seemed to suddenly be a "Problem" when the X1C Touch arrived and machines started shipping with Win 8.

If you run a higher resolution screen like rentina and samsung full HD it becomes less dependent on good Anti-Alias

 

Interesting. I notice this difference as well, but usually use Chrome as my browser, so it's hasn't been problematic.

 

I have Windows 7 and can see the screen-door effect. Perhaps it's worse in Windows 8, and that's why it bothers me less than some others, but it's clearly there in Windows 7, too.

 

Yes, it's definitely there in Win 7. I purposely waited for the Touch version to be launched with Win 8 and sadly, it's the same, lousy screen. Way to go for a Thinkpad anniversary laptop!

 

Hello,
i also just got an x1 with win 7 and matte screen. to me the screen door was also obvious and still is after going through the ClearType optimization. i guess one has to try not to be bothered by it... and lucky ones just don't see it. i previously had an asus with a glass screeen and to bridge the time until the x1 arrived i had to use a glass screen lenovo. both of these had good whites... x1 whites looks more gray. and actual gray areas such as the task bar below is where i notice the screen door the most. i can see the grids.
i will get used to it i guess..
as far as i read it says that the screen door effect is due to the projectors relatively high resolution capacity compared to what it projects. so do you think setting the screen resolution a bit down might improve the situation??
another issue: i had a few tabs open in chrome yesterday. one of the sites did not open so i had a mainly gray tab screen with the error notice. one of the other tabs had a mainly black/dark colored screen. when switching from the darker tab to the gray every time the gray area would start to flicker; horizontal lines flicker up and down for about 3-4 seconds. the same thing happened also a few times with my regular screen where my wallpaper is the default x1 pic on top of a gray background i.e. i have something open and when i minimize or close it there's a funny flicker (sometimes)
would you have any idea what the cause might be?
thank you,
s.

 

The screen door effect is a physical problem. Zoom in on the panel and you can actually see the lines separating the pixels are allot thicker than they used to be, thus creating this effect.

If you didn't see the screen door while in the BIOS, Linux or while using Win 7, this was merely your mind playing tricks on you. You didn't want to see it, so you didn't.

 

I agree it's a physical problem. But there are numerous reports on the Lenovo thread I linked of people experiencing dramatic improvements when they remove the protective film from the screen. And I have to say, looking at the before and after photos someone just posted of their X1CT, there seems to be a noticeable difference.

BTW, I suggest those unhappy with the screen for reasons besides the screen door effect to search for the thread re monitor calibration and color profiles. The default color profile on the X1C is just horrible and makes the screen seem a lot worse than it is.

 

I have an X1C and a MBA, I notice it clearly when i run Windows 7 on both. Same screen same application. Maybe I should not compare those two.

 

There is not such thing as a 14" MacBook Air so it could not be the same screen. In addition, the late model MBA is 1440x900 native res and the X1 Carbon is 1600x900 with a different aspect ratio.

 

Thor, it is not the same size and aspect ratio. I was comparing the color gamut and the infamous screen door effect visible on X1C's.

 

I think that is what I said.

It's a shame Lenovo doesn't offer a better screen. That said, the 13" Retina MacBook Pro is quite nice.

 

I think X1C is absolutely fine now.

I have since put Windows 8 back on. There are issues with WIFI Centrino 6205 drivers when tethered to Android devices. I can't live with out that.

Here are a couple threads on it.

NETw5s64.sys keeps on giving me bluescreens
Intel My Wifi - Centrino 6200N - BSOD

I calibrated my friends MBA (IPS screen, non Retina) and it measures much worse than the X1C screen.

Even though Windows 8 dropped rgb Anto-Alias it was not the root cause of poor fonts in IE10.

The cause of poor fonts in IE10 is it's default behavior of HTML 5. If you set all sites to be "Compatible" the fonts look 100% better on many sites. Some sites won't run in Compatible mode though (like MSN).

I have since calibrated the screen with a Spyder 4 but after going through the learning process, I realize using the BUILT IN Gamma Calibration along with the Clear Type Calibration that you can get the screen to look quite good with no special calibration.

All the issues I was having with dissatisfaction had NOTHING to do with screen door effect.

Yes, there is a SLIGHT screen door effect (or illusion, possibly amplified by it's MUCH higher contrast ratio).

But there are many problems in configuration that can (or WILL) give a poor experience.

Now that I have sorted things out I am completely satisfied with the screen and it is a much nicer screen than T420, T420s, T430 or MBA IPS (non retina).

I have owned many high end cameras and I have seen a lot of folks complain about each new generation (e.g. something wrong with colors, or resolution etc.) I think of this as the same thing.

The screen is DIFFERENT, no question. But it is quite good once you learn to work with it and not fight it.

The X1C is Perfect. I absolutely love it. And this is coming from someone that is extremely picky.

I will say, as it was shipped it was unusable and driving me crazy.

For Windows 8 and folks that use IE10.

Goto Tools Menu (assuming you enabled menus) -> Compatibility View Settings -> Display All Web Sites in Compatibility View
You MUST run the Color Calibration Tool: Right Click on Desktop -> Personalize -> Display (lower left) -> Color Calibrator (don't skip Clear Type Cal).

Relax and let your eyes get accustomed to the screen and colors. In a week, you'll say what screen door effect.

That will fix 90% of the issues with the screen.

Do I wish it was an IPS screen. Not if it suffers like the MBA I tested. Not if it's Glossy.

Now if I could get the same screen as my Ultra Sharp Dells with IPS (I have about 4 generations of them at work) and Matte, then yes. But I have yet to see ANY laptop offer that. They all have compromises and I like the compromises Lenovo chose.

 

Depends on what you mean. I have several generations of Dell Ultrasharp LCD panels in a variety of sizes. The Samsung 13.3" PLS screen on the Series 9 notebook is a pretty good match to a couple of my Dells. Samsung does make some pretty good screens.

The DreamColor screens on the HP Elitebooks are also highly regarded. I am not sure who the actual maker is.

 

That Samsung screen sounds impressive on paper, I have not personally seen it. But I prefer not go down to a 13.3" screen. Even 14" is a tight squeeze. I can't live with out my trackpoint and the X1 Carbon with real mouse buttons is probably one of the best yet.

I hope in a few years we'll see a borderless/frameless 15" in the size of the X1 Carbon Package. And at that point hopefully a full HD screen and Matte. Not too concerned about IPS as long as it is good otherwise.

I would not touch an HP Laptop if you gave it to me.

Best screen I've seen on a Laptop is a Dell 17" m66?? (or similar name), about $2000 a year ago. I bought one for my company. It's a beast. But it's a Full HD, IPS, Matte screen. But I would not call it a "Laptop" More like a Portable Computer. I have no experience with any Lenovo above 14", they might be great too. But I'd never deal with Lenovo for work, I'd be fired.

I must say, over the years I have not been a huge Fan of Dell for my own Computer needs. But I purchase all the computers for my work. About 40, many very high end work stations and a couple laptops. They have been extremely good company to work with for a business. Something that Lenovo is absolutely awful at, despite having some very attractive hardware. I've always liked the consistency/serviceability of the Thinkpad hardware. Although Dell Precision Workstations have been very consistent. Their laptops, although some nice gems, varies a lot and you never know what you are getting (I believe they have several venders make them).

I think Samsung makes most of the Dell's LCD UltraSharp Panels.

Thors, I know your a big fan and Thinkpad/Lenovo hardware and apparently on the fence with the X1 Carbon. I was too. I bought one last August and canceled it (despite them still shipping it). I wanted a computer that was faster than my T420 i5 with 8GB. The X1 I ordered was an i5 8GB. I'm glad I waited, I think some QA issues were resolved. I really need 256GB, I really wanted an i7 and 8gB. Very expensive. But wow, what a fantastic unit. It will be really tough to beat. I was really worried about overheating based on some folks comments. It runs cool and quiet.

The Helix is attractive. But smaller screen and appears glossy. What worried me the most is it appears extremely complex and I worry about it's long term reliability (two batteries, detachable screen etc.). In the end I know I'll use it like a normal laptop most of the time. I hate Windows 8 in "Touch Mode". Even If I could touch it. It's busy and confusing and when you get down to real work, it's still Windows 7 (not really design for "Touch"). You can see this on their phones and msn.com (in Win 8 mode). It's just awful. I love Win 8 otherwise.

If an X2 Carbon with 15" Full HD is available in a year or so, I'm there. But I KNOW I'll miss the real mouse buttons. I suspect the X1 Carbon will be the last we see them.

I was really worried about the X1 Keyboard but I adapted just fine.

Sorry for rambling a bit off topic. Had to get it off my chest

My main point though is. the X1 screen really is pretty damn good. Once you tweak it and get used to it. You getting used to something different, not worse.

 

I gave up on the X1 Carbons. I am using a Retina MacBook Pro instead. I'm all set.

 

Same deal here. I got the X1 Carbon, returned it, got the Dell Latitude and sold that in a month. Now the only laptop I use is a MBA 13. Nothing to complain.

 

I actually did the opposite .. Even though slimmer than ever, the rMBP 15 still is too big too fit my travel-induced limitations ... Instead I made sure that I optimized my office setup with the Lenovo USB 3.0 dock and two amazing 27" IPS screens on an Ergotron mount. For me the X1C is the perfect balance between portability and screen real estate. (The rMBP 15 currently serves only for leisure, not for work)

BTW the touch function on my X1 remains virtually unused. I selected touch in order to be able to take the full Windows 8 plunge, but that was more for the sake of being able to try it out. Windows 7 would still be the best choice in that respect because the Displaylink drivers still have very annoying problems with the Modern UI.

 

Well, you have to admit that the Retina MacBook Pro is one of the thinnest and lightest 15" machines on the market. I guess it really depends on what your priorities are.

I am using the 13" Retina Pro now. When MacMall put them on sale, I bit.

 

Indeed, no doubt about it being one of the thinnest 15" machines .... especially the performance versus thickness ratio is impressive ... But it still is a little too big for travelling, especially when everything has to fit within a 10Kg limit, which for me is the defining priority

 

What 15" notebook is below 2 Kg? Not many.

 

The Samsung series 9 15" would have fitted that bill, if only it would have had a normal Mobile CPU instead of an ULV. Now the only thing that differentiates the Samsung from the X1CT is the screen. And with that being the case I end up prioritizing by size again ...

 

I have not used a dock with any laptop before, do you notice any performance issues using a USB based dock to a regular dock that Lenovo has for the T series?

 

And the keyboard, this is a huge reason as to why I went X1CT. "Great screen too bad the keyboard is at best mediocre", would never fly for me as my ultrabook is meant for work along with being mobile. X1CT has met this criteria beautifully.

 

Look up Start8 for Windows 8. You get your Windows 7 like Start Menu back for $5.00 and you get a lot of nice pluses in Windows 8 (except Grey Scale antialiasing )

I had a feeling I would just "play" with touch screen too then get down to real work and not use the touch at all. Only makes sense for something like a true hybrid or true tablet.

 

First thing I bought