X1400 Tweaking utility for LCD?

raid517 · Sep 2, 2006, 05:38 PM

Hi I have just bought a new laptop - and while it is overall pretty good (X1400 graphics chip, Intel core duo 1600MHZ processors 1024MB of RAM 100GB hard drive etc) the one thing I have found that lets it down a little I think is the screen. I am not familiar with LCD screens as I have never previously used them - so I don't know if this is normal - but sometimes (well quite often really) blacks and very dark colours appear a little overexposed and 'washed out'. (Rather like what happens when the contrast is set too high on a CRT screen). Naturally (although what with this being a laptop I don't know if this is normal too) the LCD screen doesn't have any of the traditional controls that are present on CRT screens that allow you to adjust the brightness, contrast, position of the display and so on - so there appears to be no way to trim back on the brightness or contrast to try to get more realistic dark colours.

To be fair this is only really evident during some games and movies and particularly dark moments - and providing that an image is nice and bright - it can look very clear and sharp indeed.

Any advice and /or tips anyone can offer to help me overcome this issue - or at least to lessen it a little would be very much appreciated.

raid517 · Sep 3, 2006, 06:28 PM

Erm... seriously - on the premier Radeon driver site on the internet, no one has ever heard of a driver tweaking utility that can do this?

I honestly thought that there really must be something....

firyace · Sep 3, 2006, 09:26 PM

Well, maybe check the settings on overlays at your catalyst driver. But unfortunately I am guessing its a faulty lcd

raid517 · Sep 3, 2006, 09:59 PM

God no it isn't that drastic. That's a kind of chicken little answer I'm afraid - but all the same I'm pretty sure that the sky really isn't falling. Most people would probably be cockahoop and overcome with joy at just how cool a machine this is. Unfortunately I'm not most people - and I have really quite exacting standards.

I think the problem is that I have very little experience of LCD monitors and have always preferred CRT instead - which have a naturally larger contrast ratio than LCD anyway.

Still... If I could just trim back on the brightness/contrast even a little bit I would probably be a much happier person.

Anyway when you said that I could "check the settings on overlays at your catalyst driver" what do you mean - exactly?

H3X4D3C1M4L · Sep 4, 2006, 03:09 AM

You could just as easily use the video card's control panel to lower the contrast and brightness whcih will help.

But I think your exacting standards in this case may be more the problem. I notice that once in a while but its nothing toning the brightness down doesn't fix, and I have noticed it in everything from $200-$6000 laptops... so you may just have to ignore it.

raid517 · Sep 4, 2006, 06:15 AM

Mmm maybe your right. But I'm a worrier you see - I go and spend a relatively large pile of cash and then worry that what I've bought might be... well shit to be honest.... But I am a total n00b with LCD screens. What I have found is that reds and blacks and dark browns and flesh tones and so on are not altogether great - but pick a good high definition movie showing good bright daytime contrast colours and the quality it really pretty excellent. What would be cool would be if someone would tell me (and mean it) that this is really pretty normal for laptops and is some kind of technical limitation for LCD screens of this kind. It might not make me 100% happy - because if that is the case I will probably still not be a very big fan of LCD screens - but at least I wont wake up like I have woke up the past few mornings in a cold sweat worrying that what I have bought really might be shit.

I mean, apart from that, everything checks out - the specs are cool, I read a bunch of reviews and they all raved about this machine - and really I probably wish I could just be a plebiscite like everyone else, because most average people really would be over the moon to own a system like this. I mean what do you guys make of the spec? http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.c...shibaShop=true
Do you think it's any good? Would you possibly be happy to own it? I chose this system as a compromise between power and portability. I could have gone for something a bit more powerful again - but to do that we would be getting into the realms of the far too impractical to carry to really be portable.

I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance that I haven't done something pretty dumb more than anything.

GJ

raid517 · Sep 5, 2006, 04:11 AM

OK Lol, well I guess I will just have to sweat it out.

A part of it is I guess (for reasons I can't explain and don't really understand) is that I always feel really guilty after spending money on myself - and the larger the purchase, the more guilty I feel. What make it worse of course is when I start worrying that I might have been wasteful too...

Oh well, I'm just a bit screwed up in the head about these things. I'm sure if I was sensible I should probably just relax and enjoy my new purchase.

Sep 2, 2006, 05:38 PM	#1
raid517 DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 2,518 Rep Power: 0	X1400 Tweaking utility for LCD? Hi I have just bought a new laptop - and while it is overall pretty good (X1400 graphics chip, Intel core duo 1600MHZ processors 1024MB of RAM 100GB hard drive etc) the one thing I have found that lets it down a little I think is the screen. I am not familiar with LCD screens as I have never previously used them - so I don't know if this is normal - but sometimes (well quite often really) blacks and very dark colours appear a little overexposed and 'washed out'. (Rather like what happens when the contrast is set too high on a CRT screen). Naturally (although what with this being a laptop I don't know if this is normal too) the LCD screen doesn't have any of the traditional controls that are present on CRT screens that allow you to adjust the brightness, contrast, position of the display and so on - so there appears to be no way to trim back on the brightness or contrast to try to get more realistic dark colours. To be fair this is only really evident during some games and movies and particularly dark moments - and providing that an image is nice and bright - it can look very clear and sharp indeed. Any advice and /or tips anyone can offer to help me overcome this issue - or at least to lessen it a little would be very much appreciated.

Sep 3, 2006, 06:28 PM	Thread Starter #2
raid517 DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 2,518 Rep Power: 0	Erm... seriously - on the premier Radeon driver site on the internet, no one has ever heard of a driver tweaking utility that can do this? I honestly thought that there really must be something.... Last edited by raid517; Sep 3, 2006 at 07:34 PM.

Sep 3, 2006, 09:26 PM	#3
firyace DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 32 Rep Power: 0	Well, maybe check the settings on overlays at your catalyst driver. But unfortunately I am guessing its a faulty lcd __________________ http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v361/firyace/02.jpg Free Gundam Model Kits\|Free Real Estate Listing\|My Biomed Engineering Projects Go now for a chance to win an MG Strike Freedom Model Kit!!!!! My computer spec: Pentium 4 3.0GHz\|2x512mhz Kingston PC3200\|Ati 9800Pro AIW wth VGA Silencer 3clocked @ 430/390 \|Tiger 3in1 Controller port\|2x250GB WD 7200rpm hard drive\|

Sep 3, 2006, 09:59 PM	Thread Starter #4
raid517 DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 2,518 Rep Power: 0	God no it isn't that drastic. That's a kind of chicken little answer I'm afraid - but all the same I'm pretty sure that the sky really isn't falling. Most people would probably be cockahoop and overcome with joy at just how cool a machine this is. Unfortunately I'm not most people - and I have really quite exacting standards. I think the problem is that I have very little experience of LCD monitors and have always preferred CRT instead - which have a naturally larger contrast ratio than LCD anyway. Still... If I could just trim back on the brightness/contrast even a little bit I would probably be a much happier person. Anyway when you said that I could "check the settings on overlays at your catalyst driver" what do you mean - exactly? Last edited by raid517; Sep 4, 2006 at 05:44 AM.

Sep 4, 2006, 03:09 AM	#5
H3X4D3C1M4L DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 6,794 Rep Power: 0	You could just as easily use the video card's control panel to lower the contrast and brightness whcih will help. But I think your exacting standards in this case may be more the problem. I notice that once in a while but its nothing toning the brightness down doesn't fix, and I have noticed it in everything from $200-$6000 laptops... so you may just have to ignore it.

Sep 4, 2006, 06:15 AM	Thread Starter #6
raid517 DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 2,518 Rep Power: 0	Mmm maybe your right. But I'm a worrier you see - I go and spend a relatively large pile of cash and then worry that what I've bought might be... well shit to be honest.... But I am a total n00b with LCD screens. What I have found is that reds and blacks and dark browns and flesh tones and so on are not altogether great - but pick a good high definition movie showing good bright daytime contrast colours and the quality it really pretty excellent. What would be cool would be if someone would tell me (and mean it) that this is really pretty normal for laptops and is some kind of technical limitation for LCD screens of this kind. It might not make me 100% happy - because if that is the case I will probably still not be a very big fan of LCD screens - but at least I wont wake up like I have woke up the past few mornings in a cold sweat worrying that what I have bought really might be shit. I mean, apart from that, everything checks out - the specs are cool, I read a bunch of reviews and they all raved about this machine - and really I probably wish I could just be a plebiscite like everyone else, because most average people really would be over the moon to own a system like this. I mean what do you guys make of the spec? http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.c...shibaShop=true Do you think it's any good? Would you possibly be happy to own it? I chose this system as a compromise between power and portability. I could have gone for something a bit more powerful again - but to do that we would be getting into the realms of the far too impractical to carry to really be portable. I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance that I haven't done something pretty dumb more than anything. GJ

Sep 5, 2006, 04:11 AM	Thread Starter #7
raid517 DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 2,518 Rep Power: 0	OK Lol, well I guess I will just have to sweat it out. A part of it is I guess (for reasons I can't explain and don't really understand) is that I always feel really guilty after spending money on myself - and the larger the purchase, the more guilty I feel. What make it worse of course is when I start worrying that I might have been wasteful too... Oh well, I'm just a bit screwed up in the head about these things. I'm sure if I was sensible I should probably just relax and enjoy my new purchase.