replacing glossy screen to matte -- impact quality?

Question

I have a 3200x1800 resolution laptop (http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-15-9530/pd?~srd=true&sk=xps%2015%209530&scat=prod&ref=ac ). However, the screen is way too reflective. I cannot even do ordinary tasks, since I see myself rather than the screen. Somebody from the technical support proposed to change the glossy screen to an anti-glare matte screen.

What would be the overall impact on the quality?

More technically, a brief explanation of the hardware functioning would be nice. I suppose the quality comes from the "projector" (graphic card) and not the "projector-screen" (glass layer). Though some types of glass can refract and bend light in better way, hence producing better image. Not sure if this explanation is accurate?

Best regards

Answer 1

The signals from the graphic card are the same regardless of what kind of screen you have.

The light coming from the LCD's backlight, and thence through the LCD, will be the same. (Or, if you have a "pure LED" screen, the light coming from the LEDs will be the same.)

The "anti-glare"/matte screen is the same as the glossy screen, except that a matte finish screen has a surface - usually the outermost surface - with a "matte finish" on it. A matte finish is one that looks not-glossy. In screens this is done with a surface that is very very finely textured... not unlike a sandblasted surface, done with very fine sand.

The result is that reflections will no longer be recognizable images. Of course it will still reflect some light, but it won't reflect images.

The other result is that everything on the screen will be just slightly less sharp. That is, each pixel will be slightly less sharp. You will still, however, be able to do pixel-accurate drawing, etc. Also, vivid colors will not be quite as vivid.

That sounds bad, but... the entire computer world worked with nothing but matte-finish screens for a great many years and we were all perfectly happy with them. Glossy screens are a recent phenomenon. They were mostly introduced because a) they are slightly cheaper to make and b) they look very bright and crisp on display in the stores. (Something like how they demo TVs in the stores, with the brightness and color cranked all the way up.) So people said "oooh, my screen at home doesn't look like that! I guess I'll have to upgrade." Of course the store displays were carefully arranged to minimize reflections. But the buyers found out about the reflections when they got their new screens home...

Really, your best bet, is to just go over to Tech Support and ask to see what the two types of screens look like.

If you're not in a situation where you can do that (i.e. this is not your company's internal tech support, but Dell's), then go to a store where there are lots of laptops on display, pretend you want to buy one, cant' decide which type of screen you want... and ask to see two laptops side by side that have similar screens except that one is glossy and one is matte. Or just ask them to point out examples of the two types, among the laptops on display.

If you can't do that ... if I were you I would just take the matte finish screen. You've already said "I cannot even do ordinary tasks". The matte screen WILL get rid of the reflection of yourself. I never heard of anyone saying "the matte finish screen blurs things so much that I can't do things I used to be able to do." Go for it.