Matte LCD monitor, why does it look like a layer of grease is on it?

[jdx3ds]

Grr.. I had an Asus netbook like this and just got an Asus vs248 so I'm not sure if it's just Asus.. but the it looks like there's a layer of grease on the screen.

Edit: Took a picture of my netbook's screen.. good example of what I mean
http://i.imgur.com/eDku2.jpg

 

[ssddx]

matte monitors normally have a slightly speckled coating which may even appear to some as rought or bumpy but it typically isnt seen when the screen is on. some models might have gone to excess and it shows while the screen is on. i know dell and viewsonic seem to have the coating right at least.

glossy monitors look like they are always wet. i suppose it could look like a layer of grease. they are always shiny and reflect light into your eyes. this coating improves how vivid colors appear and the screen is more ledgible in very bright areas but the glare is not good for long term use under lights.

 

[jdx3ds]

I like glossy a lot better :/ grr
any suggestions?

 

[ssddx]

you could put a monitor shade over the screen to eliminate glare. in this way you would retain the vivid feel but eliminate some of the shine on the screen.

or use diffused lighting such as wall lamps that shine up at the ceiling instead of traditional style lighting. a very diffuse lighting setup like this is less likely to cause bright spots on your screen.

if you use a screen as much as i do... you will eventually learn that matte screens are much better for long term use. sure those glossy screens look nice but the glare is a huge turnoff. besides what i mentioned there isnt much you can do about it either.

and whatever you do dont be like another poster and try to take it off with cleaning products!

 

[jdx3ds]

But it doesn't look like it's a grease ON the screen so much as in it..

 

[musical marv]

I like glossy a lot better :/ grr
any suggestions?

Watch what you have and stop complaining

 

[ssddx]

for once.... i have to agree with marv here.

you bought a glossy screen and not a matte one.

either live with it or sell it and buy a product you like better.

 

[jdx3ds]

Did I really just read that... I bought a glossy screen and not a matte one? Sorry but that's absurd.

 

[jdx3ds]

Not sure how people got the impression I bought a glossy screen. I said in the title matte screen.

 

[jdx3ds]

Here's a picture

http://i.imgur.com/eDku2.jpg

are all matte screens like this?

 

[ssddx]

i gave an example of what a bad matte finish looks like and also an example of what a glossy finish looks like. i suppose i took your second and third comment to suggest it was a glossy screen you had. yes i know you had matte, however just because its said doesnt mean its always the case. we listen to descriptions to verify.

i suppose what you are trying to show me in the photo is the grainy effect like sand or some other substance is on the screen? or perhaps like you are looking through a textured film of some sort? unless that is just a bad camera you were using in which case i'm not sure what you were trying to show.

if i was right then its the kind of matte screen i explained in my first post. some screens have a very noticible texture to them which i believe is supposed to severely cut glare. i bought a cellphone cover once that was this style and i hated it because it distorted details. all of the matte monitor screens i've used though are more subdued and grain is not visible. colors are not as vibrant as a glossy screen but that is the only visible difference. i've used dell and viewsonic matte finishes and both appear to be fine.

however in the end the answer is still the same:

either you learn to live with it or trade in the monitor for a different one. in case you missed it the first time: no not all matte screens are grainy.

 

[jaguarskx]

Matte screens tends to looks slightly grainy to some people. This is due to the Anti-Glare (AG) coating on it and the purpose is not to reflect light back towards the viewer like a glossy screen. The grainy texture help diffuse the light into several directions so that the screen does not act as a mirror. Matte screens makes it easier to use a laptop/netbook in direct sunlight compared to glossy screens. Some matte screens have heavier AG coating than others. Some people say that when viewing a white background the AG coasting makes the screen look "dirty" because the AG coating makes it seems like there are tiny, tiny specs of dust on the screen.

Additionally, the LCD panel in the netbook can also be of low quality to help keep costs down and can be attributed to some of the image artifacts you are seeing.

In the end, there is no such thing as the perfect LCD screen. You must live with the limitations of glossy and matte. There are other things as well, but that's beyond the scope of this topic.

 

[jdx3ds]

It really like I'm seeing the texture of the screen or a grain.. it's more like something is distorting the white backgrounds and defracting them..

I love glossy it's just hard to find them

 

[anomolies]

is it just me or there is no visible difference between the asus' monitors glossy and matte? I have both of them side by side turned off

 

[jdx3ds]

but if they're off how can you tell?

 

[anomolies]

im mistaken then? how do you tell if they're glossy or not cus i really can't see the difference.

 

[jdx3ds]

Oh I thought you meant about the visual quality. Glossy is going to reflect more but should be really smooth to your touch.

 

[ssddx]

defracting? yeah that sounds like a very heavy matte anti glare coating. like looking through privacy glass.

as i said before though, some models do it right. the viewsonic ips i have at home has a thin matte coating which works as desired but has no noticible distortion. the dell model i'm on now also experiences zero distortion.

i suppose we can call this post closed as nothing more can be added.

 

[jdx3ds]

Why close it? Not really sure what's going on here.

Who says we can't add more to it...

 

[ssddx]

what is there not to understand?

we already covered the different types of coatings and the visual differences between them. we also covered that not all manufacturers or models use the same coating. we also covered that there isnt much you can do except trade in the screen for another model. trying to remove the coating will most likely ruin the screen.

besides different interpretations on what a matte screen looks like to them or going over the differences and pro/cons one more time i'm not sure what more can be added.

 

[Pyree]

I can't even tell what's wrong with the screen because the picture is partial and so grainy.

 

[jdx3ds]

I can't even tell what's wrong with the screen because the picture is partial and so grainy.

The picture is perfect, unless there's something wrong with your screen, that's precisely what I was talking about.

 

[Pyree]

Ok, I'll post the difference between a matte and glossy screen from my gear.

I think there is something wrong with your screen.

My glossy screen looks just as good as the matte screen.

I though the graininess is due to low photo quality.

Glossy

Matte

 

[jdx3ds]

Err I am confused.. why are you comparing a glossy to a matte?

 

[Pyree]

Well, you said you like glossy better and you complaint about the matte screen, so I made a comparison of glossy and matte screen.

The problem is not between glossy or matte. There is something wrong with your matte screen. Not all matte screen have that excessive grainy texture. They are almost the same as glossy (I put the picture up for comparison).