matte or glossy

[phide]

The monitors were THE HARDEST decision to make in building my sig rig, there simply isn't a single solution that doesn't have trade offs. I'd have LOVED to buy three 120Hz IPS desktop monitors if they existed.

Agreed. Monitors are usually a large investment and usually intended to last a good while. Choosing the right one — especially when you end up needing to make major sacrifices in most cases — isn't easy.

I don't know how people with glossy screens tolerate or fail to notice the glare. Even in standard lighting its intolerable for me.

You develop a mental block to it over time. I catch my reflection every now and then, but it's never in a distracting or annoying way. It's just a "oh, there I am" sort of thing and then I get back to what I was doing.

 

[heatlesssun]

You develop a mental block to it over time. I catch my reflection every now and then, but it's never in a distracting or annoying way. It's just a "oh, there I am" sort of thing and then I get back to what I was doing.

Agreed as well, however its hard to miss from time to time if you're in the wrong lighting conditions. It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me if the monitor or device attached to that monitor had other features I wanted.

The one thing about these OptXs, they have a matte finish and yet nothing looks faded or drab because they are AMAZINGLY bright and more over the brightness isn't overwhealming, The 120Hz refresh rate IS noticeble even on the desktop especially when dealing with text, just easy on the eyes. I really can't wait until somebody releases a 120Hz IPS monitor, I'll be amoung the first in line.

 

[Jon55]

Go to your average well lighted Best Buy, go to 27" iMac, pull up a darker screen and then read the prices on the signs behind you. ALL glossy screen reflect a good amount of light, that's why they are GLOSSY.

You mean in a giant warehouse with filled with huge florecent lights and TV screens all over the place? Yeah, just like a normal environment.

No, we just don't sit in the darkness of our mother's basement. J/K on a serious note, I don't know how people with glossy screens tolerate or fail to notice the glare. Even in standard lighting its intolerable for me.

I can't stand those shitty faux-glossy screens like HP laptops have. But I rarely have glare on my screen, and even if I do it's never bothersome. Again, it's all a matter of preference. I've got nothing against matte.

 

[heatlesssun]

You mean in a giant warehouse with filled with huge florecent lights and TV screens all over the place? Yeah, just like a normal environment.

I know of plenty of "normal" environments where sun comes through a window that's 10x brighter than that. Bottom line, if there's enough light pointed on a glossy display you're going to see it, and by enough light it only takes a key chain light in the right position. Discount it if you will, people complain about this ALL the time for all manufacturers HP, Apple, Dell, you name it however but I'm actually not one of them. Glossy doesn't bother me but its just hard to miss, even you notice it though it doesn't bother you either.

 

[Timonthy]

Ironically, having both a Matte and Glossy screen side-by-side, its the "matte-glare" that bothers me, especially when lights coming directly from the back of the monitor..

 

[shurcooL]

My main dislike of glossy screens is not necessarily the glare, but the fact you see a reflection of yourself and other things very sharply, but at a different depth. So sometimes my eyes tend to wander and focus on the reflection rather than the display itself.

 

[Dan_D]

Agreed. Monitors are usually a large investment and usually intended to last a good while. Choosing the right one — especially when you end up needing to make major sacrifices in most cases — isn't easy.


You develop a mental block to it over time. I catch my reflection every now and then, but it's never in a distracting or annoying way. It's just a "oh, there I am" sort of thing and then I get back to what I was doing.

I can't. I had to tolerate a laptop with a glossy screen for six months in various office environments and I never could get used to it.

 

[heatlesssun]

I can't. I had to tolerate a laptop with a glossy screen for six months in various office environments and I never could get used to it.

Exactly. Everyone sees glossy screen reflections, you'd have to be blind not to. It's all based on whether or not you can "filter out the noise". Some can like me, others can't like you. But EVERYONE sees the reflections at some point.

 

[Mr. Wolf]

I was a matte only guy until getting a Sager 5720 a few years ago. It had a 17" 1680x1050 glossy screen. After about 20 minutes, I became almost oblivious to the reflections. I saw them, but they didn't bother me at all. Since then, every laptop I've owned has had a glossy screen.

 

[Jon55]

My main dislike of glossy screens is not necessarily the glare, but the fact you see a reflection of yourself and other things very sharply, but at a different depth. So sometimes my eyes tend to wander and focus on the reflection rather than the display itself.

I've never noticed them. I mean I'm sure they're there on some level, but the reflections are so minimal I have to really go out of my way and move my head/monitor around to find them.

I was a matte only guy until getting a Sager 5720 a few years ago. It had a 17" 1680x1050 glossy screen. After about 20 minutes, I became almost oblivious to the reflections. I saw them, but they didn't bother me at all. Since then, every laptop I've owned has had a glossy screen.

Exactly. On a an actual nice glossy screen, it's not nearly as bad as some people say/blow it out of proportion. Matte screens have glare too. Instead of a clearly-defined strip of light off of a glossy screen, the same strip of light on a matte screen will "bleed" and spread all over, instead of just one particular spot. ANY screen type will have reflections. As I've said a million times now, it's all a matter of preference. I have nothing against matte.

 

[Dan_D]

The glare on a matte screen doesn't spread all over the thing. Sure it may spread a little but a slightly brighter spot beats images that I can see clear as day over the top of what's already being displayed.

 

[heatlesssun]

Exactly. On a an actual nice glossy screen, it's not nearly as bad as some people say/blow it out of proportion. Matte screens have glare too. Instead of a clearly-defined strip of light off of a glossy screen, the same strip of light on a matte screen will "bleed" and spread all over, instead of just one particular spot. ANY screen type will have reflections. As I've said a million times now, it's all a matter of preference. I have nothing against matte.

Yes, it is bad on every glossy screen I've seen say compared to these OptXs in front of me. An iPad or MBP is just as glossy as my HP tablets. There glare is there its simply a matter of if it bothers you are not.

And these OptXs, no sorry, pretty much zero glare, the only time I even see a hint of it either from the back light or reflectied is on a TOTALLY black or dark screen and there has to be a fair amount of light around to see any reflected even then.

I have nothing against glossy screens but they simply reflect a lot of light and everyone sees it, there's just no way around that. It's as you say simply as matter of individuality if it's a bother or not.

 

[Jon55]

I have nothing against glossy screens but they simply reflect a lot of light and everyone sees it, there's just no way around that. It's as you say simply as matter of individuality if it's a bother or not.

It sounds like you do. But that's fine, because (as I've said a million times) it's all a matter of preference. The glare "issue" is blown so out of proportion though. I mean you really have to go out of your way to look for it. 99% of the time it's not even noticeable.

 

[Bahamut]

For me and many people, it's exactly the opposite: it's noticeable 99% of the time...

/me goes back to work on his Dell Latitude E4300 matte screen laptop...

 

[keenan]

The glare "issue" is blown so out of proportion though. I mean you really have to go out of your way to look for it. 99% of the time it's not even noticeable.

Uhm what? I'd say the opposite is true. 99% of the time it's incredibly irritating, and 1% of the time when you get the lighting setup right, it's usable. It's certainly not 'blown out of proportion'.

 

[CKMorpheus]

Uhm what? I'd say the opposite is true. 99% of the time it's incredibly irritating, and 1% of the time when you get the lighting setup right, it's usable. It's certainly not 'blown out of proportion'.

Blown out of proportion.

 

[heatlesssun]

It sounds like you do. But that's fine, because (as I've said a million times) it's all a matter of preference. The glare "issue" is blown so out of proportion though. I mean you really have to go out of your way to look for it. 99% of the time it's not even noticeable.

If had a big issue with glossy screens do you think that I would have paid an average of almost $2k a copy on my last two Tablet PCs with glossy screens? You know the HP ones you said were faux? Apparently I have less of an issue with glossy glare than you do if crappy "faux" glossy HP screens don't bother me.

All I said is that EVERYONE will see the glare from a glossy screen. Even you said that you see it, you are just able to ignore it like me. But it's impossible to say that it's blown out of proportion because it's a matter of individuality. Either you can deal with it or you can't. There's nothing TO blow out of proportion.

 

[shurcooL]

I've never noticed them. I mean I'm sure they're there on some level, but the reflections are so minimal I have to really go out of my way and move my head/monitor around to find them.

It's probably less noticeable when your screen brightness is high.

I tend to set my brightness to minimum possible, so glossy reflections become more visible.

 

[Jon55]

For me and many people, it's exactly the opposite: it's noticeable 99% of the time...

/me goes back to work on his Dell Latitude E4300 matte screen laptop...

No worries. Most of my friends (enthusiasts as well) aren't crazy about glossy screens either. They prefer matte. Then again, they only have desktops. I've always found it interesting that the majority of the laptop market uses glossy while the majority of the desktop market (e.i., solo monitors) are matte.

Uhm what? I'd say the opposite is true. 99% of the time it's incredibly irritating, and 1% of the time when you get the lighting setup right, it's usable. It's certainly not 'blown out of proportion'.

You ≠ everyone.

 

[pwrusr]

Before you guys get too carried away, Your opinions have been noted. you will not likely convince the other party that you are right or wrong.

What I've seen reading this thread is that some people are more bothered by reflections then other people.

If you feel that you'll be in brighter areas with light behind you or direct light facing you you're better off with a matte screen. I personally have a glossy screen on a laptop and I don't mind it, however I rarely have ALOT of ambient light. The only time I was really bothered by the glossyness of the screen was when a lamp was turned on that lit my face up on the monitor. If that kinda thing bothers you don't buy a laptop with a glossy screen /thread