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LCD laptop brightness - CCFL vs. LED Question

post #1 of 8
3/17/11 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 
I have a dv9500t laptop with Ultra BrightView display (has 2 CCFL). It really POPS in the sunlight when I crank up the brightness (and it gives me a massive headache indoors if I forget to crank it back down).

Sadly, that is PAST tense... the machine died under extended warranty and HP is replacing it with a newer model.

However, the newer model they suggested only has a BrightView display (not Ultra BrightView). The case manager is telling me that LEDs are "brighter" and so this should be just fine; he also emphasized the more vibrant colors from the LED display as if that has something to do with brightness(?).

The dv9500t BrightView had a brightness of 200 nits or 200cd/m2; I assume that with 2 CCFLs in the Ultra BrightView, that means the Ultra BrightView would be about 400cd/m2 (is that the way this works?)

The dv7 BrightView display has a brightness of 200cd/m2.

My question: is my ability to see in sunlight (i.e. high ambient light environments) solely / primarily a function of the brightness of the display? Will the dv7 LED BrightView at 200cd/m2 be able to come close to the dv9500t Dual CCFL Ultra BrightView display where just ONE of the CCFL puts out 200cd/m2?
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post #2 of 8
3/17/11 at 7:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SAbboushi View Post
I have a dv9500t laptop with Ultra BrightView display (has 2 CCFL). It really POPS in the sunlight when I crank up the brightness (and it gives me a massive headache indoors if I forget to crank it back down).

Sadly, that is PAST tense... the machine died under extended warranty and HP is replacing it with a newer model.

However, the newer model they suggested only has a BrightView display (not Ultra BrightView). The case manager is telling me that LEDs are "brighter" and so this should be just fine; he also emphasized the more vibrant colors from the LED display as if that has something to do with brightness(?).

The dv9500t BrightView had a brightness of 200 nits or 200cd/m2; I assume that with 2 CCFLs in the Ultra BrightView, that means the Ultra BrightView would be about 400cd/m2 (is that the way this works?)

The dv7 BrightView display has a brightness of 200cd/m2.

My question: is my ability to see in sunlight (i.e. high ambient light environments) solely / primarily a function of the brightness of the display? Will the dv7 LED BrightView at 200cd/m2 be able to come close to the dv9500t Dual CCFL Ultra BrightView display where just ONE of the CCFL puts out 200cd/m2?
It's a combination of the brightness of the display as well as its reflectivity. If you're using the computer outdoors and it has a glossy screen, you won't be able to see anything due to the reflections. So first, the screen needs to be matte and second, it should have a high brightness.
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post #3 of 8
3/17/11 at 7:25pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks!

Anyone else?
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post #4 of 8
3/20/11 at 9:00pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for your input.

From what I have learned so far, the brightness of LED panels is dependent upon the NUMBER of LEDs in the panel. The metric that compares brightness is cd/m2 (also referred to as "nits").

So although most LED panels today may be a little brighter than single CCFL panels (not due to "LED is brighter than CCFL", but because there are enough LEDs to generate e.g. 200 nits of brightness in an LED panel whereas maybe a typical ccfl panel brightness was 180 nits)

A dual CCFL would then be twice as bright as that same LED panel; but more LEDs can be added to make a brighter panel. So again, the determining metric is cd/m2 (or nits) when comparing brightness.

Anyone else with comments?
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post #5 of 8
3/20/11 at 10:18pm
You are substantially correct, although dual-backlit panels are not necessarily brighter than single-backlit panels since they are generally bigger and require more power to light evenly. The nit or lumen number is the primary thing you are looking for. Most notebooks have 200-250 nit screens, and for outdoor viewing you're going to want over 300 at a minimum. For example, Panasonic Toughbooks use 500 nit screens in order to achieve outdoor viewability.
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post #6 of 8
3/20/11 at 11:57pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for your post.

>> dual-backlit panels are not necessarily brighter than single-backlit panels since they are generally bigger and require more power to light evenly

Do you find this to be the case on the same laptop model with the same panel where the only difference is the number of CCFLs (i.e. my scenario)?
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post #7 of 8
3/21/11 at 12:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SAbboushi View Post
Thanks for your post.

>> dual-backlit panels are not necessarily brighter than single-backlit panels since they are generally bigger and require more power to light evenly

Do you find this to be the case on the same laptop model with the same panel where the only difference is the number of CCFLs (i.e. my scenario)?
No, but that scenario rarely if ever happens so I wanted to make the differentiating remark so you wouldn't see a 17" dual backlit screen and automatically think it will be brighter than a 15" single backlit screen of a similar series.
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post #8 of 8
3/21/11 at 10:16am
Thread Starter 
K thanks - anyone else?
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