Antiglare or glossy screen? at DVinfo.net

Wendell Frink · June 2nd, 2010, 03:46 PM

I'm upgrading from my 13 inch macbook pro to a 17 inch model and am wondering if the antiglare screen is the better choice compared to the glossy screen.

Is it worth the extra money?

Tom Cadwalader · June 2nd, 2010, 06:22 PM

I ordered a 17" MBP this afternoon and included the Antiglare display. On the 17 inch both options are 1920x1200 pixel, so it's only a $50 upcharge, but that is $50 more than it should be IMHO.
I get the sense from this and other forums that the antiglare option is the preferred option for editing work. We will see what responses your post brings.
Tom

Andy Mees · June 2nd, 2010, 09:18 PM

Wendell
Laptop based editing solutions tend to be for mobile work by nature ... and with such mobility comes the issue of whether or not you will be able to control the ambient lighting in any and every location you need to work in. If the answer is likely to be "No" then you're better off with the matte screen option.
Cheers
Andy

Tim Kolb · June 3rd, 2010, 12:53 AM

I'll be the dissenting vote.

The "anti glare" screen really should be called the "uniformly diffused glare" screen. The blacks are never black unless you are in a dark room as the texture on the screen picks up any illumination around it to some degree, and from almost any angle.

With the "glossy" screen (really, it's just a "Clear" screen), it's true you have a far more reflective surface, but the angles it will reflect to affect your view are limited to direct angle-of-incidence mirror-type reflection, which you can often eliminate with a few degrees rotation one way or the other.

I'd never attempt any color correction, even just for pre-vis on an anti-glare screen. I really don't like them.

Andy Mees · June 3rd, 2010, 02:24 AM

There speaks the voice of a man who has never had to edit in the back of a taxi on the way to an uplink station ;-) Good points tho.

Tim Kolb · June 3rd, 2010, 02:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Mees

There speaks the voice of a man who has never had to edit in the back of a taxi on the way to an uplink station ;-)

I have to give you that one... Yes, I'm not a journalist. Tis true...

June 2nd, 2010, 03:46 PM	#1
Wendell Frink Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Westerly, RI Posts: 44	Antiglare or glossy screen? I'm upgrading from my 13 inch macbook pro to a 17 inch model and am wondering if the antiglare screen is the better choice compared to the glossy screen. Is it worth the extra money?

June 2nd, 2010, 06:22 PM	#2
Tom Cadwalader Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Cheboygan, Michigan Posts: 79	Ordered mine today I ordered a 17" MBP this afternoon and included the Antiglare display. On the 17 inch both options are 1920x1200 pixel, so it's only a $50 upcharge, but that is $50 more than it should be IMHO. I get the sense from this and other forums that the antiglare option is the preferred option for editing work. We will see what responses your post brings. Tom

June 3rd, 2010, 12:53 AM	#4
Tim Kolb Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Neenah, WI Posts: 547	I'll be the dissenting vote. The "anti glare" screen really should be called the "uniformly diffused glare" screen. The blacks are never black unless you are in a dark room as the texture on the screen picks up any illumination around it to some degree, and from almost any angle. With the "glossy" screen (really, it's just a "Clear" screen), it's true you have a far more reflective surface, but the angles it will reflect to affect your view are limited to direct angle-of-incidence mirror-type reflection, which you can often eliminate with a few degrees rotation one way or the other. I'd never attempt any color correction, even just for pre-vis on an anti-glare screen. I really don't like them. __________________ TimK Kolb Productions

June 2nd, 2010, 09:18 PM	#3
Andy Mees Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Posts: 645	Wendell Laptop based editing solutions tend to be for mobile work by nature ... and with such mobility comes the issue of whether or not you will be able to control the ambient lighting in any and every location you need to work in. If the answer is likely to be "No" then you're better off with the matte screen option. Cheers Andy

June 3rd, 2010, 02:24 AM	#5
Andy Mees Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Posts: 645	There speaks the voice of a man who has never had to edit in the back of a taxi on the way to an uplink station ;-) Good points tho.