Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

adrian-cg

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 17, 2005
83
0
Or at least I cant see them. I'll post pics ASAP so if anyone would be kind enough to provide the links to the tests I'll check them out and tell you if I'm just blind or I got REALLY lucky.
 

GreenDice

macrumors member
Oct 5, 2005
81
26
I just got my PB15 two weeks ago. Being a picky person myself, I don't have any problem with the new screen. If they are there when you have to be very close to the screen, isn't a non-issue because nobody uses the computer with his/her face that close to the screen? Or do they?

I know it has been discussed to death. I just want to add my two cents.

Gokhan said:
really can i get pics ??????

look closer they are there !!!
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,368
8,948
a better place
I know I have the lines, but agree they are hard to see them and you have to really look at hard to see them. Changing colour profile does help. I've managed to earadicate the lines pretty much with a clour profile, but not some of the banding/interferance on some colours. :rolleyes:

I thought this was exclusive to the PB. However I used a Dell 6100 Inspiron laptop last night and the first thing I noticed was the same scan lines all over the screen. On a plain gray menu, the brighter scan lines made the menus/window look like a mac menu. Banding was also clearly visible on the blue start menu.

This duality leads me to the conclusion.

The problem is not exclusive to this PB revision at all and it's also NOT software related or to do with the non standard resolution.
Therefore it is Hardware and will not be resolveable by software update.
And though I wish it was'nt it probably does fall within Apple's acceptable specs :(

Dont expect screen to improve with the Intel books. The Dell's are intel and if they suffer from the same problem, why wouldn't the intel macs?
 

mojohanna

macrumors 6502a
Jul 7, 2004
868
0
Cleveland
Because the quality of the LCD panel has nothing to do with the CPU on the motherboard. If this is truly a harware problem, then nothing short of Apple putting immense pressure on the LCD manufacturer will make a difference. If as you say that this falls withing Apple's acceptable quality range, then I wouldn't expect to see things change unless it is outside of the lcd manufacturer's acceptable quality range (which it seems it isn't)
 

PDE

macrumors 68020
Nov 16, 2005
2,482
13
MacRumorUser said:
This duality leads me to the conclusion.

The problem is not exclusive to this PB revision at all and it's also NOT software related or to do with the non standard resolution.
Therefore it is Hardware and will not be resolveable by software update.
And though I wish it was'nt it probably does fall within Apple's acceptable specs :(

Dont expect screen to improve with the Intel books. The Dell's are intel and if they suffer from the same problem, why wouldn't the intel macs?

Well, we're forgetting that the 17" powerbooks with high resolution DO NOT exhibit this problem, nor did any of the previous generations of powerbooks. There is something specific to the current 15" screens. It's hard to argue that this is normal when none of APple's other screens have this issue.

I understand that it's not a big problem for most people, but if Apple can deliver a 17" powerbook without horizontal lines, there is no reason in the world that they shouldn't deliver a 15" with the same quality, especially given the very high price powerbook buyers pay for this hardware.
 

Gokhan

macrumors 6502a
Oct 7, 2003
703
0
London
k

why the **** do people keep making excuses for apple charging 2000$ + for a ****ing defective product wake up people u are getting conned

i had a new pb and sent it back got a refurb very very happy with it its perfect that what i expect for £1300 nothing more nothing less :mad:
 

pubwvj

macrumors 68000
Oct 1, 2004
1,901
208
Mountains of Vermont
Gokhan said:
why the **** do people keep making excuses for apple charging 2000$ + for a ****ing defective product wake up people u are getting conned

Maybe because it is not a defect to everyone.
Maybe some LCDs show the problem more than others.
Maybe both of the above.

Remember, it's not a defect, its a feature. :)
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,368
8,948
a better place
pubwvj said:
Maybe because it is not a defect to everyone.
Maybe some LCDs show the problem more than others.
Maybe both of the above.

I agree. I just don't see it as a problem. The word 'problem' suggests that its preventing / impede me from doing somthing and causing me a headache (proverbaly and litereally) but the screen doesn't do that to me.

Once I used Supercal and colour calibrated, i got rid of nearly all traces of scanlines, even when looking at extreme closeness to the screen. (admitedly the supercal program had to run a couple of times before I got it right.)

But side by side with my 20" ACD there isn't that much difference now, except for overall brightness obviously.

After seeing worse evidence of scanlines and wavy banding on my cousins Dell I'm even more at ease with it because if it looked anything like hers it would have gone back in a heartbeat.
 

finchwizard

macrumors member
Nov 15, 2005
87
13
Australia
Talking to the Apple guy, they still aren't really admitting to the problem.

But he was quite happy to accept the Powerbook as DOA, so I think they still know it's a problem, and will just try and fix it quietly to only those people who kick up a stink about it.

I can sit arms length away from my screen and see the lines, whether I have better eyesight or just because I'm used to better quality LCD's, who knows.

But there's definitely something wrong there, I hope mine going back will get fixed, I shall let you all know.
 

sandman42

macrumors 6502a
Oct 23, 2003
959
59
Seattle
Gokhan said:
why the **** do people keep making excuses for apple charging 2000$ + for a ****ing defective product wake up people u are getting conned

i had a new pb and sent it back got a refurb very very happy with it its perfect that what i expect for £1300 nothing more nothing less :mad:

Except that most of your punctuation-related keys seem to be broken.
 

Chrispy

macrumors 68020
Dec 27, 2004
2,269
517
Indiana
Gokhan said:
why the **** do people keep making excuses for apple charging 2000$ + for a ****ing defective product wake up people u are getting conned

i had a new pb and sent it back got a refurb very very happy with it its perfect that what i expect for £1300 nothing more nothing less :mad:

I totally agree with you. I actually switched back to PC with a Dell Latitude D610 (granted this was more for work reasons). I was going to just use VPC to do my windows related work because I really like OS X, but after having countless products with defects I just can't continue using Apple products until they get things figured out.

I look forward to what the Intel switch will bring and in a year or two I will definitely be giving Apple another serious look. My Latitude came standard with a 3 yr warrantee so I will ride it out with it for awhile (complete with Norton Corporate Edition and Spyware removers haha). I hope Apple works out its bugs and we don't see a disaster when the Intel machines come out as the potential is there... that and the fact it will probably take months to get one after the announcement haha.
 

Gokhan

macrumors 6502a
Oct 7, 2003
703
0
London
k

yeah my punctuation is bad big deal :p again i state it is a PROBLEM wake up to it denial is not the answer


and yes people PC is becoming a fast possibility for me too you get a cheap product with a long warranty and yes u get viruses but dont connect to the net with that machine then !!!
 

Meyvn

macrumors 6502
Feb 3, 2005
498
0
MacRumorUser said:
I agree. I just don't see it as a problem. The word 'problem' suggests that its preventing / impede me from doing somthing and causing me a headache (proverbaly and litereally) but the screen doesn't do that to me.

Once I used Supercal and colour calibrated, i got rid of nearly all traces of scanlines, even when looking at extreme closeness to the screen. (admitedly the supercal program had to run a couple of times before I got it right.)

But side by side with my 20" ACD there isn't that much difference now, except for overall brightness obviously.

From my experience Supercal only blurs screens and makes colors blend together. That's probably why the lines don't show up.
 

ortuno2k

macrumors 6502a
Nov 4, 2005
645
0
Hollywood, FL
Hey I got my 15" PB last week, and the first thing when I turned it on I saw were lines running across the Apple logo during boot.
I said said to myself, "ok, let's try it out." And I did. The lines are not noticeable under web browsing or emailing, but as soon as I fired up iPhoto, there they were. I could see the lines in my family's pictures, all over, mostly in earth-like tones (faces, mostly).

So I'm still kind of debating whether to keep it or not. I was thinking to make it a desktop replacement and sell my iMac. Now I'm thinking about getting a refund and buying a 12" iBook and keeping my iMac.

Under normal computer use, the lines are invisible, only if you're doing graphical work, video and pictures, which I happen to do from time to time (less than once or twice a week).
This whole horizontal lines issue sucks. (I'm typing on it now, can't see any lines).
Even though the lines aren't visible to me for 90% of the time that I'll use the laptop, it's unacceptable to know that they are there, whether I see them now or later when I load pictures or video editing. There shouldn't be any reason at all to keep such a defective item, especially not at its price point.
But then I find it still hard to decide whether to return it or not, or to just deal with it or not.
Who knows...
 

Deepdale

macrumors 68000
May 4, 2005
1,965
0
New York
ortuno2k said:
Even though the lines aren't visible to me for 90% of the time that I'll use the laptop, it's unacceptable to know that they are there, whether I see them now or later when I load pictures or video editing.

It's always that other 10 percent of the time, plus the knowledge in your mind that the problem does exist, that tends to grate on peoples nerves. The impression I get is that you will be increasingly dissatisfied since good money was paid for it and it is difficult justifying a design flaw of that nature.
 

ortuno2k

macrumors 6502a
Nov 4, 2005
645
0
Hollywood, FL
You hit the nail right on the head, DeepDale :)
I still don't know what to do. I really love the PB, but I don't know what to do!!!
I've gotten really used to the backlit keyboard...one of the things I like the most about it so far. I could easily be happy with a 12" PB because as it is now I'm not using the full size of this 15" screen, but it kill me that the 12" PB doesn't have a backlit keyboard.
Maybe the next revision?
Another thing I can't justify, besides keeping a defective, or a partially defective laptop, is that why are the lines invisible under a white background? (Safari, Mail) but fully visible (with good eye sight and a bit of attention to detail) on pictures and Tiger's default desktop background?
Maybe it is a software/firmware issue.:confused:
 

Deepdale

macrumors 68000
May 4, 2005
1,965
0
New York
ortuno2k said:
I've gotten really used to the backlit keyboard...one of the things I like the most about it so far.

That feature does mean a lot to owners of the 15 and 17 inch models. As I mentioned in another post, when I was at a Starbucks one night, quite a number of the people in the store had their eyes focused on backlit keyboards of those working with their PowerBooks. It has a magnetic way of reeling someone in. Good luck with the decision you are struggling with.
 

Chkalov

macrumors newbie
Dec 25, 2005
4
0
GreenDice said:
I just got my PB15 two weeks ago. Being a picky person myself, I don't have any problem with the new screen. If they are there when you have to be very close to the screen, isn't a non-issue because nobody uses the computer with his/her face that close to the screen? .

Could you look at this picture: http://www.cameraid.com/art/quadrants.gif

If there's a difference between top left and top right quadrants, your screen is affected. Can you see the difference at your screen?
 

YS2003

macrumors 68020
Dec 24, 2004
2,138
0
Finally I have arrived.....
I wish my customers at work are like you guys (who do not mind with the line on the +$2000 15" PB screen) as I would be able to certainly get away with poor service (I am in the service industry) and get paid while I am at it.

If Apple sent me the computer with a screen which exhibits lines, that machine is out of my door right away for immediate refund or replacement after a firm conversation with Apple's customer support.
 

pubwvj

macrumors 68000
Oct 1, 2004
1,901
208
Mountains of Vermont
adrian-cg said:
Or at least I cant see them. I'll post pics ASAP so if anyone would be kind enough to provide the links to the tests I'll check them out and tell you if I'm just blind or I got REALLY lucky.

I just got mine yesterday and the screen is stunning. No lines. Bright and crisp. I love it. I do a lot of photo and graphics work. I was a bit worried about the lines issue but they aren't there at all even if I look very close. Even under magnification it is a beautiful screen.
 

hsaybasili

macrumors newbie
Dec 29, 2005
5
0
Actually I have also a Compaq Evo N800v, 3 years old now (p4-M 2.0 512 Mb RAM, 5400 RPM 40 GB HD, ATI Radeon 7500 64 MB double rate memory etc...) I bought it to 2150 $, so intel based but not cheap , it is (was, HP what have you done with Compaq!!!) a really stable and really good machine, and no problem with viruses, no virus-like anti-virus programs :)

Yes you will say "Liar", no lie, just Linux, not Windows :)

By the way, I really liked Mac OSX and the iBook (I will love it more when the stupid adapter starts to flash green light when fully charged! It is always orange! :confused: )

Gokhan said:
yeah my punctuation is bad big deal :p again i state it is a PROBLEM wake up to it denial is not the answer


and yes people PC is becoming a fast possibility for me too you get a cheap product with a long warranty and yes u get viruses but dont connect to the net with that machine then !!!
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.