Weird gradient colors on laptop

inflynx · 18 Mar 2010 at 15:23

I've got an issue that I cannot wrap my brain around. And I hate staff that I don't understand

I've got a HP dv-7 1020ea laptop, which has got a "glass" screen and 9600GT mobile.
The thing is that the screen doesn't seem to reproduce gradient colors correctly. Where it should be a soft shadow it displays... well not soft. If I take a screenshot and open the image up of a different display it looks ok, which leads me to believe it is something with the laptop screen and not the gpu. It has been behaving like this since the day I bought it. If someone can give some soft of explanation of what is happening, I would much appreciate it.

Some sample pics (I actually had to make a photo of the screen, as screenshot would look ok on YOUR screen).
Right (different display). Notice soft gray gradient:
http://img7.imageshack.us/i/1rights.jpg/

Wrong (laptop display). Notice how crappy gradient looks:
http://img510.imageshack.us/i/1wrongs.jpg/

Right (different display). Notice good window shadow:
http://img299.imageshack.us/i/2rights.jpg/

Wrong (laptop display). Notice how it "cuts" the shadow:
http://img682.imageshack.us/i/2wrongs.jpg/

Anyone seen anything like that?

inflynx · 22 Mar 2010 at 08:46

So, no one knows? Maybe some ideas at least? Could the glass screen be doing that?

Liampope · 22 Mar 2010 at 10:44

Contrast/brightness up too high on the laptop?

inflynx · 22 Mar 2010 at 12:11

nope, doesn't change anything

Ch3m1c4L · 22 Mar 2010 at 12:24

colour depth? anything weird in the driver settings/aero theme settings? I know you said about it looking fine on another screen, but im not sure if this would affect it or not. Tried hooking up a second screen to your lappy?

Musty Pie · 22 Mar 2010 at 12:33

Does it do the same on a second TFT? If not then its the screen panel. If so faulty VGA board.

inflynx · 22 Mar 2010 at 13:04

Does it do the same on a second TFT? If not then its the screen panel. If so faulty VGA board.

I don't think graphics card is faulty. As I have said if I make a screenshot, it looks all right on a different computer. OS takes a screenshot from the VGA card output, just when it has been rendered, so that looks OK.

Tried hooking up a second screen to your lappy?

Just did with desktop extended. Looks OK on external screen and crap on laptop.

Must be something with the actual LCD then? It does look wrong, right? I'm not just paranoid?

Ch3m1c4L · 22 Mar 2010 at 13:55

yea it does look different. Like the settings arent as "high" on the theme as they should be. If it looks different between two screens, place them side by side, with a window crossing over them, take a photo or two and send them to whoever you bought it from/manufacturer and ask them WTF is going on?

They will either have seen it before and insta replace/repair or it will be a new issue and they will ask you to do a load of troubleshooting then replace/repair