A Note on Anti-Reflective Screens

Laptop manufacturers these days are popularizing LCD monitors with ClearView technology or other similarly-branded screens. This basically means that the screens are coated with shiny or glossy anti-reflective material instead of the usual matte anti-glare finish common among LCD monitors until recently.

Those who have been shopping for desktop LCD monitors may notice differences across brands and models, namely that some have glass screens, while others retain the soft, matte LCD membrane. In laptops, however, it’s a bit different since it’s not as easy to incorporate this coating or overlay onto the LCD screen.

Here are common marketing names for anti-reflective LCD screens used in laptops (from Wikipedia):

  • Acer: CrystalBrite
  • AG Neovo: NeoV Optical Filter
  • ASUS: Color Shine, Crystal Shine
  • Dell: TrueLife
  • Fujitsu: Crystal View, SuperFine
  • HP Compaq: BrightView
  • Gateway: UltraBright
  • Sony: XBRITE, X-black, Clear Bright, ErgoBright
  • Toshiba: TruBrite, Clear SuperView

No matter how they call it, the underlying concept behind the anti-reflective screen is the same. Let’s explore a bit of physics (images from Screentek Inc).

Traditional LCD Screens

Traditional LCD screens have matte surfaces resulting to reduced glare. The intensity of the reflected light is diffused. However, this is at the expense of the actual LCD image being a bit hazy especially when there is light reflected off the outside.

Anti-Reflective LCD Screens

Anti-reflective LCD screens have an anti-reflective polarizer coating or overlay that are usually glossy. Anti-reflective screens provide sharper images, better contrast and richer colors.

An added benefit of anti-reflective LCD screens is a wider viewing angle. This is either a pro or a con, depending on your preferences. Some would prefer to be able to view their laptop or monitor screens from only a right angle, so their privacy is protected when using the computer in public places. However, for multimedia viewing (such as DVDs and presentations), a wide viewing angle would be needed.

Uses, Prices and Preference

Most laptop and LCD screens today are still of the anti-glare (not anti-reflective) type, but anti-reflective screens are usually standard features in higher-end laptop and LCD monior models. Some manufacturers allow this as an optional add-on for a nominal amount (usually around $ 50 on top of the list price).

As mentioned above, not everyone might appreciate anti-reflective screens. For instance, in an office environment, where the use of computers would mainly be for documents, spreadsheets and email, the anti-reflective screens would not be necessary. In fact, given the fixed lighting in office environments (and sometimes positioning against windows), anti-reflective screens might put off too much glare.

In a situation where crystal clear images are better, though, such as when playing games or movies, anti-reflective LCDs would be best.

July 19th, 2006 Posted by J. Angelo Racoma in Articles at 1:29 pm 2 Comments »

2 Comments »

  1. […] why you should opt for, or against, them. July 22nd, 2006 Posted by J. Angelo in Tips at 2:28 pm Comment Now! » Related Posts: New Line of Panasonic ToughbooksPolice Recover ID Theft Alarm LaptopRock XtremeCTXAcer TravelMate 8204WLMi ReviewSony VAIO VGN-SZ170P Review […]

    Pingback by Anti-Reflective vs. Anti-Glare - Laptops Blog — July 22, 2006 @ 2:28 pm

  2. […] Refer to our previous article comparing matte and glossy screens (which come with different marketing names, depending on brand, such as ClearView, BrightView, etc.) October 21st, 2006 Posted by J. Angelo Racoma in News, Tips at 11:34 pm Comment Now! » […]

    Pingback by Laptop Users Prefer Matte to Glossy - Monitors Blog — October 21, 2006 @ 11:34 pm

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