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Avoid the 8204!! - Page 3

post #41 of 57
2/16/06 at 11:28pm
Wow, I am jealous! And, I'm not talking about the computer!

You described that pretty well. The more I think about it, I may not be correct in the degrees I am tilting it back.

To look at it a different way, I am about 6"inches back of center. Another word, how far off 90 degrees am I pushing the lid. I measured this by taking an envelope and holding it straight up where 90 degrees would be. Then, using a tape measure, measured from the top point of the lid to the paper. That put it at about 6 inches.

Maybe I was spoiled by my 6yo gateway. It had a great screen. If the lid was 90 degrees, it was still perfectly viewable. This screen is not.
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post #42 of 57
2/17/06 at 12:26am
man that is scary, my sager screen before it started having brown spots was flawless UXGA and 3 years old. If the 8204 is worst than this compaq evo N115 I borrowed from my friend, that that's pretty scary.
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post #43 of 57
2/17/06 at 12:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by markagain1
To look at it a different way, I am about 6"inches back of center. Another word, how far off 90 degrees am I pushing the lid.
Ok to put it that way, mine is about 2" back from the vertical position. It's all relative to your head height and distance from the screen though of course. Another way to look at it is that my gaze direction is very close to being at a right-angle to the screen, if not an absolute right-angle. Or you could say that I'm looking at it square on. That should describe it sufficiently
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post #44 of 57
2/17/06 at 4:59am
tag
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post #45 of 57
2/17/06 at 1:12pm
The TM8204's screen has two main problems.

Firstly, the lamp seems to take quite a while to warm up and secondly the horzontal viewing angles are rather poor.

I'll post some pictures of it next to my venerable Dell D800 which has a matte WUXGA screen. When viewing them dead on, there is almost no difference in brightness. Colour-wise, the Dell's screen does reds slightly better but the Acer does better blues.

Personally, the screen isn't a deal-breaker for me but if you've gotten used to the screen on a 17" monster that doesn't really need to worry about power problems, then I can understand why you might be disappointed.
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post #46 of 57
2/17/06 at 1:47pm
I concur. I tried out the 5672 before settling (so far) on the 8204, and the 5672's glossy screen was TOO bright (or, perhaps, just too glaring) and suffered from a serious reflections issue (I'm hardly a person whose face I want to look at on a consistent basis). The 8204's screen is just about right for me: crisp, responsive, and just bright enough (certainly, not too bright on its maximum setting).

I am a bit surprised at the ripples when I touch the screen. I'd expected the carbon fiber lid to keep things pretty stable. But, that, too, isn't a deal-breaker. I've been using a Toshiba M200 Tablet for a while that 1) isn't as bright as the 8204, 2) has a very grainy finish due to a protective cover over the digitizer, and 3) suffers from a HORRIBLE propensity to get dust trapped behind the digitizer and in front of the LCD itself.

So, yeah, I think one's reaction to the LCD is very dependent upon whatever one is coming from. I have a 5-year-old Sony laptop (or, rather, my wife does) with a screen that's almost perfect: crisp, bright, no glare, etc. Had I went from that to the 8204, I might feel more strongly...
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post #47 of 57
2/17/06 at 11:35pm
Thread Starter 
Update, ok I got my FOURTH 8204. This time from the new batch

Guess what. A dead pixel and same #$%^ viewing angles and low brightness. SO there you have it. The panel is just plain crap.

No way I'm accepting this...

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post #48 of 57
2/17/06 at 11:44pm

Ripples? Ripples?

That's ok for a cheap laptop. When I thought to purchase the gateway Mx7515, with great specs, and touched the back of the lid and saw ripples everywhere, I said to myself: ok, it's just 1199. but with a 2500 laptop? No place for ripples, unless of course, the manufacturer wants to make quick bucks out of suckers.
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post #49 of 57
2/25/06 at 12:52pm
Hey Guys

Received my laptop, screen sucks!!!!!!!!. It is dull and has very bad rippling effects, even the slightest movement causes the screen to ripple, I also have a dark splodge on the bottom right of the screen. Now you may say don't move the laptop around, but that is the point of a laptop!!!!. I travel everyday on the train and believe it or not the vibrations of the train cause the screen to constantly ripple. I love everything else about this laptop but beware of the screen. Most of you probably know that there are only a small handful of ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) who make laptops for the OEM's. For example I think Quanta sell to Dell, HP, IBM, Acer, Sony, Gateway and Apple. I was thinking that the travelmate 8200 screen may be the same as the Sager NP5320, I had ordered that previously and had the exact same problems with the screen, dull and bad rippling, even on the train. I am going to see if I can return it, I should not have to put up with a terrible screen for the money I paid. I let you all know what happens.

Later

Enlighten
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post #50 of 57
2/25/06 at 1:34pm
First of all, I'm pretty new to this forum, just found it yesterday, and I've learned alot, from many intelligent posters here!

I got my TravelMate 8204 just 3 days ago, and this laptop is flawless! Fast, stable, stylish, and a GREAT screen! Bright, excellent colors, NO dead/stuck pixels, and I have no "ripple" effect with pressure on the lid, or with movement. Compared to my Apple PowerBook G4, this screen is MUCH better, and at least as good as a high-end Dell and Gateway that 2 friends have to compare.

One thought about screen "ripple" while moving the laptop: I had this happen with my last Apple PowerBook, which I returned to Apple, and they replaced it - no more ripple! Sounds like a hardware problem that needs warranty repair/replacement.

I agree with Wynand32, in that the glossy "ultrabright" screens on Toshibas, etc., while bright, were hard to use because of overwhelming glare/reflection. I'm happy with my Acer's screen.
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post #51 of 57
2/25/06 at 1:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by iBorg
First of all, I'm pretty new to this forum, just found it yesterday, and I've learned alot, from many intelligent posters here!

I got my TravelMate 8204 just 3 days ago, and this laptop is flawless! Fast, stable, stylish, and a GREAT screen! Bright, excellent colors, NO dead/stuck pixels, and I have no "ripple" effect with pressure on the lid, or with movement. Compared to my Apple PowerBook G4, this screen is MUCH better, and at least as good as a high-end Dell and Gateway that 2 friends have to compare.
Hey man can you run the LCD identification tool and let us know what panel you are on.. ?

What about the viewing angles?
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post #52 of 57
2/25/06 at 2:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattrix
Hey man can you run the LCD identification tool and let us know what panel you are on.. ?

What about the viewing angles?
Viewing angles are at least as good as other notebooks I've compared, and although screen brightness drops at about 30 degrees, it's still quite viewable past 45 degrees.

For screen ID, where do you get "LCD Identification Tool?" I'll run it and report back.
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post #53 of 57
2/25/06 at 2:28pm
Thread Starter 
Here ya go
http://www.filehippo.com/download_everest_home/
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post #54 of 57
2/25/06 at 3:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattrix
Thx for the link! Everest says some of my system is "not yet supported," but it gives alot of info!

My LCD is: Plug and Play Monitor ([NoDB]
panel's manufacturer is: LTN154P1-L02
panel's ID is: SEC3146
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post #55 of 57
2/25/06 at 7:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattrix
Update, ok I got my FOURTH 8204. This time from the new batch

Guess what. A dead pixel and same #$%^ viewing angles and low brightness. SO there you have it. The panel is just plain crap.

No way I'm accepting this...
You seem to be in good contact with Acer tech support, perhaps you could bring this to their attention? (the fact that every second row of pixels is darker - giving the dull washed out look everyone is complaining about)
http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=136500

Btw mine is the same panel:
Monitor ID SEC3146
Manufacturer LTN154P1-L02
Manufacture Date 2005
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post #56 of 57
2/25/06 at 8:39pm
Mattrix and others,
How many of you have light leakage on your LCD Screen? Do most of the TravelMates 8204s have light leakage across the bottom of the screen? I do and my screen is also washed out. Mattrix, you have been sending your computer back to Acer. I was going to contact NewEgg first. Would that work or should I deal with Acer?
Thanks
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post #57 of 57
3/3/06 at 6:21pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwright0614
Mattrix and others,
How many of you have light leakage on your LCD Screen? Do most of the TravelMates 8204s have light leakage across the bottom of the screen? I do and my screen is also washed out. Mattrix, you have been sending your computer back to Acer. I was going to contact NewEgg first. Would that work or should I deal with Acer?
Thanks
Im getting my 5th 8204 next week and will post if its any better.

http://www.notebookforums.com/showth...41#post1801441

I'm wondering if there maybe if ACER can release a BIOS update to force more juice into the panel. I wonder if its firmware just limiting the current to the LCD pixels or if its hardcoded in the LCD electronics.
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