G4 Powerbook Screen Brightness

J

jonparadise

Registered
I've had a lovely Powerbook for 6 months, my other half decided to get one too, which I have been installing today.

I am quite shocked at the difference in screen brightness between the 2 laptops. My screen brightness seems to have markedly dulled over the short 6 month period.

I have not used any cleaning materials or liquids other than a damp cloth on my screen as I had read you shouldn't.

Is this a natural dulling? In only six months? Or is there a way to reset my screen to it's original bright glory?

Just to demonstrate, I have to adjust the brightness controls down to 50% on the new Powerbook to equal the brightest setting on mine.

That's 50% loss in 6 months. Not good. Any advice would be appreciated.

Jon
 
Hmmm, are those G4 powerbooks the same? The brightness is going like this: 12<15<17
Also check this forum for a thread that was about cleaning the screen. I don't think that is causing the huge difference in brightness, but a clean screen is always a great thing. In worst case I would visit your next Apple Store and compare to their screens. Maybe Apple secretly updated the screens?
 
Hey there,

I was searching this site for this exact same issue, coz I've got the same problem. I thought it might be my imagination, or that my eye sight was getting worse (which it probably has been also :D) ... A mate of mine recently got a new 15" AluBook. Admittedly his is the new revision and mine's the one before that - but I do recall my screen being that bright (or thereabouts) to start with ... :(

Has anyone come up with any info on this? Are there others out there who are experiencing this??

Cheers,
C
 
I believe that it is only natural for all LCD screens to degrade after time. It is suggested that you don't always keep your PowerBook's/iBook's screen brightness to it's max. Keep it as low as possible to avoid degrading over a short period of time, and only icnrease the brightness when needed. I am getting a PowerBook myself this summer, so, I've been doing research. If you really don't think that's the issue, take it to your nearest Apple store and see what they have to say.
 
I can only speak for myself - but I keep the PowerBooks brightness down to a level where I don't have to strain my eyes ... mostly just over half - but lately its more like 3/4 brightness coz its dimming. I also have the auto sense on all the time, so it'll only switch up in direct sunlight or the like. As such, I could be termed a sensible-PowerBook-screen-user. Hence, I'm not to amused at the fact that its been only six months I've using the PowerBook (and its not like I've been using it all day every day. I have used it every day - but probably only a couple of hours a day on avg.) ... of course its natural for all LCDs to degrade over time - but that's a bit too quick for my liking. Grumble, grumble. I wonder how much it costs to have a new one put on ... or if they can just maybe change the backlight or something. I'll have to check with our local Apple authorized reseller ...
Cheers,
C
 
my fathers titanium Book (first revision) still has A LOT brighter display than my 12' rev C Aluminium Book, so i dont think this degradation happens that fast. maybe over a 10 year time span.
Maybe your partner just have a different calibration on the display. or maybe apple have indeed cahnged the screens (they did this with the ipods without saying it)
 
I love it when people tell me that facts are not so when they haven't even got access to the information with which they could disprove them ;)
I.e: its nice you think that the degredation doesn't happen that fast - but it does. At least with my machine and jonparadise's machine. And apples with apples please - we're talking about comparing a 15" AluBook with a 15" AluBook - not a 15" TiBook with a 12" AluBook! AFAIK the new 15" AluBook has the same screen as the previous revision of the same model. Plus, I do know that screen was brighter on mine at first :)

I'm thinking that maybe the cold here has something to do with it - we've got minus temps here at the moment - and when I first switch on the notebook at work after it having been carried there in my backpack it still feels cold to the touch (no surprises there), and the screen also seems a lot dimmer at first compared to when I switch it on later in the day after its been in a warm office for a while. Equally at home, when it hasn't just been carried through the arctic wastes of Frankfurt ... has anyone else been able to observe similar behaviour?

Cheers,
C
 
Oh - and when I put an app on screen which has a completely white background (like covering the screen with a Terminal.app window), then I notice 'shadows' in the lower left and right corner of the screen. These do seem to lessen the longer the machine is on - but don't completely vanish.
Hrm.
Cheers,
C
 
LordCoven said:
I love it when people tell me that facts are not so when they haven't even got access to the information with which they could disprove them ;)
I.e: its nice you think that the degredation doesn't happen that fast - but it does. At least with my machine and jonparadise's machine.
Click to expand...

ok, sarcasm aside, that was not my point. i'm not questioning that your screen has degraded, i'm just saying that this is not a universal problem with powerbook screens/LCDs. and therefore you should be able to fix that under warranty.
 
btw, i have four 12' in my apartment (ibook dual usb, ibook G3 800 mhz, powerbook 1,3 ghz and an iBook 1,2 ghz.) as you can see these range from 2001 (dual USB) to 2005 (ibook G4 1.2 ghz). putting the oldest ibook next to the latest i can't see any difference in screen brightness.

therefore there is no reason that an undamaged LCD should degrade over at least a 4-year period.

but as you said; i have not two 15' in my possesion (just my fathers that i'm doing some maintenance work on) so cant compare that particular model.
 
This isn't the first notebook I've owned either (I've been using notebooks since 1986ish ... my first computer was an Amstrad 640dd notebook ;)) - but it is the first one where the screen has dimmed so drastically in such a short period of time. I don't recall having this problem with either my iBook (first rev of snow iBook) or my 12" PB. Or, for that matter, any of my previous PC notebooks either. I'd wager that its a problem with the particular screen used in the 15" PB ... if I get a spare moment I'll be popping into an Apple authorized reseller and checking if there's anything that can be done. I mean, its not like I can't use the notebook or anything - its just a bit annoying when you go with Apple because you want the best, but end up with something slightly less ... I guess I'm just a bit demanding in that respect :D.

Anyway Decado - after scanning my last reply to you, I'd also like to apologise - it came over a bit harsher than I meant to - I was having a wickedly stressful day at work and that came through in my post. I'm really sorry, because that's just no excuse. Thanks for your input :D
Cheers,
C
 
As seen in a recent Register article:
<snip>
The 15.2in screen is distinctly brighter than previous models and very crisp.
</snip>
I stand corrected - the new 15" AluBooks must have a different display. However, I still stand fast on the issue - my screen has dimmed - but just maybe not as bad as I first feared. It'll be pretty much impossible now to compare it to a model with the exact same display but which is new ... the little shadows in the lower right and left corner are still a cause for concern to me though.
Cheers,
C
 
LordCoven said:
I stand corrected
Click to expand...


lalalla! :)

yes the corners are strange. i kind of have them too... but they are so light that i'm unsure if it's an optical illusion or not.

cheers!
 
I fail to see the Lalalla factor myself ;) ... I merely conceded the point that I, too, wasn't *exactly* comparing apples with apples. I stand firm on all other points :)
Cheers,
C
 
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