dv7t which display?

The/my DV7T screen really does stink.  I am coming from a matte 1440x900 Dell Inspiron and almost get sick when I look at the HP screen.  Funny thing is, I have only had it for five days now and when I ordered it, the 1080 screen option was not available as a choice for $150 more.  I would have opted for it if I knew just how bad this thing is.  Add in the low viewing angle that even moving your head up an inch can change the entire hue of the screen is terrible.  I design web pages on the side and now question if I will have problems with colors.  Heck, if you move your head up by four inches the entire top section changes into a reverse image where black is now white-ish.  Is this normal for laptop displays to be this bad?  I must not have been looking close enough when I was at Fry's before buying the laptop.

I called HP yesterday to complain about this and see what they would do for me.  Short of returning the unit and placing an entire new order, 21 day return policy, the phone rep says I have to purchase the new screen for $648 and pay an installer $49 to do the work to keep the warranty valid.  This is very frustrating and incredibly expensive.  The link from Scottlid above only has 1440x900 displays although the price is very good at $180 or there about.

In the end, before buying an HP because the price looks good, make sure you factor in that the display stinks and this is what you will be staring at 100% of the time when you use the machine.  Me personally, I would automatically add the $150 in during the order as I believe the default display is horrible.

Edit:   I traded a dv6t for the dv7t with 1080 screen.   I like it very much all around.  While there was something I wasn't liking about the dv6t's feel, that has changed.   The extra space on the palm rest area feels plush and no longer skimpy/crowded.   I am surprised at such a difference.   The screen is great.  The mouse button is silly loud, but they all are now.  Sound is great.  I thought the 17 would be too large, but it's really nice to have and doesn't seem large.  I don't carry around much.  The numpad is quite spongey,flexy around the mid and left side of it.  It is definately usable, however i very often have to reenter numbers (2 weeks owner).  Not sure if I will become accustomed or not.   from before>>>>>>

I have the dv6t, new.  I think the standard screen is decent and with very acceptable viewing angles.  Don't worry if that's all you can budget.  I thought it was good actually untill last night when I went to Office Depot and even Walmart and compared it with all the other entry level laptops there (all they have) and found that the dv6t was the worst. (edit: bear in mind I did not tweak the screen settings which I found out about later.  I think now that it would equalize. )   It's a little less bright, and the colors are definately less saturated by 10 to 15% I'd guestimate.  It was no contest.  The dv6-xxxx models had a better screen.  (the amd entertainment models)  All of them seemed about the same.  Even the Lenovo z570 was better.  That one has poor screen reviews, however I found it to be equal to all the others and that with matte screen.   What I don't like are the very loud click of the dv6t mousepad buttons, and the sharp edges around the periphery of the hand rest.  The click is really anoying and I feel like I'm operating a $3 china voltmeter or other ubercheap device when I press the buttons. Each button makes at least 3 different "click-clack" sounds depending on where you depress it.    Also, because the palmest is aluminum, the plastic underbody comes up actually past the flat plane of the palmrest by about 1mm or less. It varies from unit to unit.  The result is a somewhat sharp plastic cutting edge constantly scraping your right palm.  Mine is actually kind of rashed and sensitive from it.  If you use it on the edge of a high desk with your hands hanging down it may be an issue.  If your arms are level it should not be a problem.   They did this because it's harder to bend the aluminum palmrest to wrap downwards than to just mold the plastic to come up.  Additionally, the leading edge of the palmrest is edgy-sharp which I don't like. Not really a huge issue, but with the above mentioned issues, it's taking away from the experience to the extent that I'm looking towards returning it even though I do not see any great alternatives with the same great features at a great price. If I do keep it, I'm going to actually take a file and level and round down the plastic that is at the leading edge of the palmrest.  After first placing a piece of duct tape temporarily along the aluminum palmrest to protect it..  The undercolor of the plastic will show through, but that's going to be worth it for me.   And I hope it will not effect the warranty.  I am somewhat picky about this kind of stuff, and it may not bother many people.  

I could not stop laughing when I read your post. I am a network admin & web designer as well and I just bought a HP Pavilion DV7t-7000 Quad Edition laptop with the standard spec's but got the 8gb ram free upgrade, 750 HD free upgrade and paid for the 1080 screen and backlit keyboard. I have an academic account with HP and got the laptop for $994.50. I also got the XBox and 3 year Accidental drop, spill warranty for $194.00. I thought it was an awesome deal (which it was) and I was thrilled and could not wait to get it. About 2 weeks later I received it and it is a truly amazing laptop. It is fast, screen is crystal clear and backlit keyboard comes in handy while the family is watching TV and I am working. I was also thinking of getting back into gaming and was on the fence about getting the 16 GB ram upgrade for and additional $200.00 clams. I figured I could upgrade at a later time so I just stuck to the 8GB. About a week later, I was thinking I should have went with the 16GB because it was only $200.00 so I called HP and they said (like you did) if you want to upgrade to 16GB you have to send the laptop back and re-purchase a new one with the 16GB or just purchase the 2-8GB sticks. I asked how much were the sticks and they said $425.00 and I laughed and said that if I upgraded when I purchased it was only $200.00. Needless to say, they could not care less. So another week passes and I get an email with a coupon code (NBJ9867) for $450.00 off my laptop and I was curious and spec'd out my laptop again. Now they are giving free upgrades to 1 TB HD and now the 16GB ram to upgrade is $200.00 so I call to get a price and figure I would return this one and get the new one with the upgrades and pay the $200.00 and be happy. Well, to make a long story short, the same exact laptop with the free 1TB upgrade and 16GB ram for $200.00 now makes the laptop $1319.99 which is $319.00 more not the $200.00 of the ram change. I told them forget it and kept my laptop and I am still very happy and maybe one day down the road, I will upgrade the ram.

PS-The 1080 screen is so crystal clear and so crisp and clear and is worth the upcharge from the glossy one.

Rick