Glossy or Matte

Methadras

Supreme [H]ardness
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So what is the general preference of these two particular finishes. Does glossy allow more light to pass through vs. matte? And does matte create a more muting of the light and colors? I'm looking at the 30" off-brand Korean monitors but I see the offerings come in both matte or glossy and I'm not sure the pro's/cons of either.
 
If you're in a highly lighted or reflective work area or in a living situation where it's not feasible to prevent glare, then Matte is the best choice. However if you have control over your work/play area and your environment (and admittedly, some of us simply do not have that levle of control), then glossy (no screen coverings, basically) allows the true colors and contrast of the screen to come through.

Glossy will *ALWAYS* look better than matte, quality wise, but of course, if you have bright office lights and sunlight reflecting off your screen, there's not much point.

You could always try one of each screen. LCDs aren't very expensive anymore (unless you want the really high up ones).
 
Asked/polled many times over.
Ex:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1036354287#post1036354287

Results are pretty much always the same. About 2:1 favor matte.

The best overall choice is light matte/semi-gloss.

This effectively kills most reflection and has no real negative impact on the image quality.

You have to really love seeing yourself in the mirror to prefer full on glossy, over light matte/semi-gloss. Likewise you would have to be completely anal about the slightest possibility of a slight reflection, to prefer heavy matte, over light matte/semi-gloss.

Find out if any the screens are light-matte/semi-gloss and go for that.
 
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Matte doesn't really cut the light itself, but it does make it somewhat whiter washed out may say, and the fact that the coating it defuses the pixels positions the monitor seem to loose detail/contrast.
You should be aware that light colors are mainly affected by matte screens.
Glossy is in the other hand a problem if you got a room with a lot of light, especially if you get a window behind you, allowing outside light to come through. But if you can do manage your lights in the room, I really can't see any reason to not pick glossy. (tempered glass will make reflections much more severe though, so pick wisely).
 
Okay, thank you. I just wanted a basis of opinion of where to go based on the offering of these monitor makers. Now I can have a launching point to work from. I just wanted to gauge if the distinctions between matte vs. glossy really had an effect on image. I just want the larger real-estate and at least a decent viewing experience without dishing out a lot of cash. The $500 - $600 range for a Korean brand 30" 1660p display is the right spot for me personally. Now that you've armed me with some relevant information, I can go out and see which screen finish suits me best.
 
i would take the ag coating on my u2713hm over gloss or matte any day.
 
gloss/glass like for instance (most/all?)apple monitors
 
You would be in the minority on that.

No, he really wouldn't. The 2713HM uses semi glossy which is pretty much the best kind you can get. Glossy is too reflective, and full matte lowers the image sharpness. Perhaps you're thinking of the older dell xx11 monitors which used full matte.
 
Glossy every single time.

I've got my Asus VG236 next to my Dell U2412HM and so much for "IPS".

The Asus blows it away everytime.

Yes it is a ballache having to clean it constantly and purists would argue about colour reproduction, but you get a wow factor off it in comparison is pretty huge.
 
No, he really wouldn't. The 2713HM uses semi glossy which is pretty much the best kind you can get. Glossy is too reflective, and full matte lowers the image sharpness. Perhaps you're thinking of the older dell xx11 monitors which used full matte.

Exactly. Semi-gloss is the best of both worlds. This is what the majority will gravitate towards.
 
Light matte or semi gloss.

Full gloss is for Communists and people who abuse animals.
 
Glossy every single time.

I've got my Asus VG236 next to my Dell U2412HM and so much for "IPS".

The Asus blows it away everytime.

Yes it is a ballache having to clean it constantly and purists would argue about colour reproduction, but you get a wow factor off it in comparison is pretty huge.

I don't care about cleaning the screen. I just want to get the best image clarity I can for the price.
 
I had a glossy MBP for a couple of years and I never got used to it. In fact, I gradually got more and more tired of the reflections. These reflections were not only present in bright environments but also in dark rooms because I was seeing my own face being lit by the laptop's display light.

I recently had a Dell U2713h and I can certainly say it was the right choice for me though I finally decided I wanted its 30" version which I plan to acquire in the near future. Right now, I am using a Dell U2408wfp which has a noticeable AG quoting making it inferior compared to U2713h in my eyes but, colors are still great. One thing for sure: I will want to go back to glossy after trying these matte displays; not even a semi-glossy one. I do prefer light AG quoting though.
 
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Glossy will *ALWAYS* look better than matte, quality wise, but of course, if you have bright office lights and sunlight reflecting off your screen, there's not much point.

I for one, do not find glossy screen looking better. When I first laid my eyes on the Apple cinema 27inch screen, I do not remember feeling "wow, what a nice screen". I only remembered the screen looking nothing out of ordinary, with no perceived added contrast and better black as what many posters here were saying. All I remember is "that reflective surface is annoying even in an average lighting environment such as a Apple shop.
 
I recently switched from using a glossy MacBook Pro and Windows laptop with glossy screen to using said MBP and a new Windows laptop with matte screen.

Suffice it to say that I really didn't notice how much the glossy screen on the previous Windows laptop pissed me off until I got this new laptop. I can actually see the screen's image and not every single possible object in the room including myself reflected in it. The MBP's screen on the other hand still makes for an awesome mirror. Just change your eye's focus level a bit and you are looking at an image of the room behind you instead of what's on the display.

The matte level on my U2412Ms is also very good for dealing with reflections. Anything - even heavy matte - is better than glossy.
 
Please do make a difference between tempered glass glossy, and no tempered glass glossy, as it DOES make a huge difference. I got at home a crossover that I actually have to try hard to catch reflections, while on any tempered glass monitor you will get reflections everywhere.

But really, if you do see a glossy screen side by side with a matte screen, I am sorry but I can only call it intentionally misleading when someone is stating that matte screen whites are just "fine", cause the truth is that they are FAR from "fine".. I can perfectly understand that you don't want reflections, or hate reflections, or you just can't control the room lighting(big window, alot of ceiling light, etc), but stating that whites are fine and image is sharp and clean compared to a glossy screen, then I am sorry but the difference is so obvious that I can only conclude that those people intentions are in the lines of intentionally misleading, hating result, or anything else that could cause such a reaction.
 
Glossy every single time

^^

I have seen some AG coated screens that were nearly glossy but amazingly non-glare (similar to the AG on some eyeglasses) that I'd take over a straight glossy, but I'd never buy any kind of textured AG over a glossy. This is going to get more true for me as resolutions increase to 4k and beyond.

Currently using a non tempered-glass glossy Catleap.
 
Please do make a difference between tempered glass glossy, and no tempered glass glossy, as it DOES make a huge difference. I got at home a crossover that I actually have to try hard to catch reflections, while on any tempered glass monitor you will get reflections everywhere.

But really, if you do see a glossy screen side by side with a matte screen, I am sorry but I can only call it intentionally misleading when someone is stating that matte screen whites are just "fine", cause the truth is that they are FAR from "fine".. I can perfectly understand that you don't want reflections, or hate reflections, or you just can't control the room lighting(big window, alot of ceiling light, etc), but stating that whites are fine and image is sharp and clean compared to a glossy screen, then I am sorry but the difference is so obvious that I can only conclude that those people intentions are in the lines of intentionally misleading, hating result, or anything else that could cause such a reaction.

"Fine" is a very subjective term. Just because you disagree with someone, doesn't mean you should automatically discount their opinion to the point of being "intentionally misleading". The differences between glossy and matte are indeed measurable, but the tolerance level of each person is different, and what is "FAR from 'fine'" for you may very well be perfectly ok for another.

That being said, I agree with folks saying light matte/semi-gloss is best. I personally am firmly in the "anything but full gloss" camp.
 
^^
I have seen some AG coated screens that were nearly glossy but amazingly non-glare

we call this 'semi glossy'. details of objects that are closer to the screen can be discerned, like a hazy mirror, but objects (and light sources) that are further back end up looking smeared like on a monitor with a conventional matte coating.


(similar to the AG on some eyeglasses)

technically, the coatings on eyeglasses are antireflective (ar). this kind of coating was used on crt's. antireflective coatings reduce the intensity and sometimes change the color of the reflections, whereas antiglare coatings diffuse (smear) the reflections.

i have a brand new imac in the office that has an antireflective coating on the glass. apple claims reflections to be reduced by 75% but i find that number a bit difficult to believe. 40-50% maybe. it's less reflective than their previous glass covered displays, but still a bit more reflective than a crt.
 
Please do make a difference between tempered glass glossy, and no tempered glass glossy, as it DOES make a huge difference. I got at home a crossover that I actually have to try hard to catch reflections, while on any tempered glass monitor you will get reflections everywhere.

But really, if you do see a glossy screen side by side with a matte screen, I am sorry but I can only call it intentionally misleading when someone is stating that matte screen whites are just "fine", cause the truth is that they are FAR from "fine".. I can perfectly understand that you don't want reflections, or hate reflections, or you just can't control the room lighting(big window, alot of ceiling light, etc), but stating that whites are fine and image is sharp and clean compared to a glossy screen, then I am sorry but the difference is so obvious that I can only conclude that those people intentions are in the lines of intentionally misleading, hating result, or anything else that could cause such a reaction.
I have a tempered glass screen next to a glossy next to an AG screen. The U2312hm is the one I find most pleasing to the eye. The other two I use primarily because it looks cool (tempered glass Catleap), 1440p resolution (Catleap + Qnix) and overclockability (Catleap + Qnix).
 
For the record, I went with matte. I stood in front of some glossy screens and I have to say they irritated the shit out of me. Not because of the screen image, but because of the reflectivity of everything. It just made me distracted. Image quality was good, light quality was good, but the deal breaker was everything within range reflecting off of it. I couldn't concentrate on the image in front of me because any movement from myself would make me focus on something else going on in the reflection.
 
Most stores are super bright with flourescent lighting, poor place to compare screens. Who uses their computers at home in super bright rooms with flourescent lighting?

I'd say the order for best surfaces:

Semi-gloss
Gloss
Matte.
 
There are people out there who don't care if is glossy or matte, or some people have mixed priorities, just like I do, and this is my order:

- Non tempered glass glossy
- Semi glossy
- Semi matte (non grainy)
- Tempered glass glossy
- Grainy Semi Matte
- Heavy matte (fully grainy).

I rather not have to pick one of the last 3 in my top.

If you do notice, tempered glass glossy has a bad spot in my top.
But the fact that some people are "OK" with the whites of a heavy matte coating doesn't mean they are as good as any other. This is the point where some people attitude bothers me. I am 100% sure, no matter what someone would say, that a white background while browsing on the internet, will NEVER look purely and cleanly white on a grainy coating, be it heavy coating or light coating.

The fact that some people accept the small colored dots of the graininess, doesn't mean that those are not there. The final purpose of this forum is to give people ideas what to check for when they are choosing a product, so they can decide for themselves, and don't get at home with a product that they will find themselves unable to use.
 
You should substitute "look" for "measure" because while look is subjective, measurements are objective. Something can indeed look pure and clean to someone while at the same time measuring terribly. I know I'm being pedantic but there is a differentiation. :p

I do have to wonder the effect that the emphasis on matte vs glossy here has on people. Since it's such a subjective thing, I wonder how many people who would've not been bothered by AG are sensitized to it due to all the postings about it on the forum.
 
It's not just subjective though. How do you think matte screens achieve their glare reduction? They scatter light. It does the same to the light from the monitors backlight, so it affects the image. I have a semi glossy monitor and can still see a slight grain on light colours but it's not bad. The vibrancy and smoothness of the image is so much better than normal matte. And glossy is another step up here. It's not just people's impressions, it's physics.
 
I am sure that people will know to test themselves and will decide if the grade of graininess is acceptable or not but this is not the thing that bothers me. What bothers me is the fact that manufacturers try to force the crowds into their easiest/cheapest/most comfortable option, making it impossible for a company to fight with them price wise if they want to add an option. So instead, I rather buy what I WANT and what I believe that is healthy for my eyes instead of what they TRY to FORCE me to buy by not informing me about the existance of option.
 
If you spend alot of time in a room with direct sunlight or flourescent lighting, don't get a glossy screen. Incandescent lighting is the only type that is semi-tolerable with a glossy screen. Matte looks pretty much the same in any light. Much more versatile.
 
matte looks shit if u get sunlight in. it glares up the whole screen. just my opinion i think tho strangely enough.
 
while glossy simply shows the reflections where they are and might reflect something on parts of the screen while the rest of the screen is still perfect.

PS. im testing it right now cloudy weather outside and still makes the TN panel with matte screen hard to see content on compared with the TN panel of the laptop which is glossy (they might be semi one or another)

Heres what it looks like to me. buy what u want i really truly dont care :)
138610-threeoptions_b_original.jpg
 
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Please do make a difference between tempered glass glossy, and no tempered glass glossy, as it DOES make a huge difference. I got at home a crossover that I actually have to try hard to catch reflections, while on any tempered glass monitor you will get reflections everywhere.

But really, if you do see a glossy screen side by side with a matte screen, I am sorry but I can only call it intentionally misleading when someone is stating that matte screen whites are just "fine", cause the truth is that they are FAR from "fine".. I can perfectly understand that you don't want reflections, or hate reflections, or you just can't control the room lighting(big window, alot of ceiling light, etc), but stating that whites are fine and image is sharp and clean compared to a glossy screen, then I am sorry but the difference is so obvious that I can only conclude that those people intentions are in the lines of intentionally misleading, hating result, or anything else that could cause such a reaction.

I admire your concern about the quality of white you see on your screens. I currently have a 2408wfp which I guess has heavy AG quoting. The white on the screen is just fine. When I got my Asus matte screen laptop, I compared it side by side to my old MBP glossy screen and I found the Asus being superior in every aspect.
 
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I've really come to dislike full glossy screens. Semi glossy is my favorite, just because you don't have to work in complete darkness 24/7 to get the most out of the screen. And that's the only type of lighting where glossy will ever excel, meaning it's worthless in any type of work environment.

Semi glossy is IMHO really the best. I like glossy better than full matte, but given a choice I will always go with a semi glossy anti reflective screen. Fortunately, every 2013 model IPS is using semi glossy - as are all PLS panels EXCEPT the S27B970D (which is glossy)
 
It's not just subjective though. How do you think matte screens achieve their glare reduction? They scatter light. It does the same to the light from the monitors backlight, so it affects the image. I have a semi glossy monitor and can still see a slight grain on light colours but it's not bad. The vibrancy and smoothness of the image is so much better than normal matte. And glossy is another step up here. It's not just people's impressions, it's physics.

Yes, the light is scattered and the image is affected, but to what degree it's noticeable by the user is completely subjective. To you your setup seems not bad and the vibrancy and smoothness is so much better, but to someone else it could easily been unnoticeable. You can claim "it's physics", but you can't ignore the subjective perception aspect.

I have a U2711 that objectively has a strong amount of AG. It's got a fairly grainy layer to it that I can see if I specifically look for it, but during normal use I don't notice it at all when I'm not looking for it. For other folks, it's an abomination and is a complete deal-killer.

I am sure that people will know to test themselves and will decide if the grade of graininess is acceptable or not but this is not the thing that bothers me. What bothers me is the fact that manufacturers try to force the crowds into their easiest/cheapest/most comfortable option, making it impossible for a company to fight with them price wise if they want to add an option. So instead, I rather buy what I WANT and what I believe that is healthy for my eyes instead of what they TRY to FORCE me to buy by not informing me about the existance of option.

So....you're angry that the manufacturers aren't offering options that you want? I'd bet that business orders count much more for the manufacturers than a small minority that's bugged by limited options. :p

Not saying you're not entitled to your opinion, you definitely are, but I'm just saying getting all bothered by it might not be productive :)
 
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If you're not using a glossy screen in the pitch black dark you're using your computer wrong.
 
Anyone who says matte displays have acceptable whites is completely delusional. We've been over this a million times. The best coating is true antireflective coating directly over the polarizer. No monitor currently exists like this. The second best, in average lighting conditions, is semi-gloss. In darkness, the second best is pure glossy.


Under absolutely no circumstances is matte (anti-glare film) the best coating.

I find it comical that as forum sentiment has drifted away from matte displays, their most vocal defenders have adjusted their position. You know who you are, I won't even bother naming. I've been talking about the distinction between antireflective and antiglare for years.
 
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If you're not using a glossy screen in the pitch black dark you're using your computer wrong.

Not everyone uses their monitor in complete seclusion in a completely dark room. As soon as any amount of light hits the screen, all bets are off because you're staring at a mirror. That is the only environment where full glossy excels, meaning it's worthless in any type of work environment - the office gets a lot of traffic from other people even in home, so i'm not going to be in darkness 24/7.

Semi glossy is really the best overall, IMHO, for overall usability in both work and normal conditions. If you're secluded in complete darkness, glossy is fine I guess. But that's the only type of lighting that makes it usable. Semi glossy also is much much better than full matte in terms of clarity, it's really pretty damn close to full glossy to be honest in terms of text sharpness and vibrance.
 
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