Is there any reason for matte finishes besides glare? This coating they put on it ruins the immersion to me...

[Space Lynx]

Not all monitors, but some like my new AOC 23.8" 144hz 1440p which I was hoping would be my end game (honestly it's great, blacks are better than I expected, no bleed, colors pop amazing, etc)... honestly if this sucker had a glass screen and no hard coating, it would be the most gorgeous monitor ever created in existence (cause glass monitor further enhance clarity and pop from my experience).

A lot of monitors have a hard coating that doesn't bother me... my laptop is actually really well done in this regard. However, this new monitor, its just so blatant, I can literally see little marks in all the images all over the screen because the hard coating is so aggressive its only noticeable on bright white backgrounds and some lighter colors, in gaming its very hard to notice, but I do notice it sometimes...
its just so frustrating, why do some companies feel the need to be so aggressive with it? I just don't get it... seriously 90% of gamers prob game in their bedroom like me, and glass wouldn't bother use (I use blackout curtains as well)... and the immersion would be amazing.

I even contacted Nixeus about it a couple years ago, and he just said not much demand for it. I think that is because not many people have really experienced the extra clarity and pop it offers though...

 

[Vario]

Might be better with more lighting in your room. Its for reducing glare in a well lit room. In an office environment, reflected fluorescent lighting can be harsh on the eyes and matte reduces the glare.

Also, if you are presently sitting in a pitch black room with a monitor, (you mention the words bedroom, blackout curtains) it's not great for your eyes.

It might be possible to remove the matte coating from the screen, here is a method for Dell screens:

[Guide] How to remove the anti-glare(AG) coating from a Dell U2312HM LCD

How To Remove the Anti-Glare Coating from a Dell U2312HM Monitor WARNING: THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY. UPDATE (05-DEC-2013): Just want to check in and update that my screen is still 100% flaw free and working fine. It has gone from Jersey to Tucson to Phoenix and sits on an articulating mount...

hardforum.com

The thread mentions the risk of damage to the polarizer. Do this at your own risk. There are comments about developing grain effects on the polarizer from removing the protective AG sheet.

If you really don't care for it you should get a different monitor.

 

[Space Lynx]

Might be better with more lighting in your room. Its for reducing glare in a well lit room. In an office environment, reflected fluorescent lighting can be harsh on the eyes and matte reduces the glare.

Also, if you are presently sitting in a pitch black room with a monitor, (you mention the words bedroom, blackout curtains) it's not great for your eyes.

It might be possible to remove the matte coating from the screen, here is a method for Dell screens:

[Guide] How to remove the anti-glare(AG) coating from a Dell U2312HM LCD

How To Remove the Anti-Glare Coating from a Dell U2312HM Monitor WARNING: THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY. UPDATE (05-DEC-2013): Just want to check in and update that my screen is still 100% flaw free and working fine. It has gone from Jersey to Tucson to Phoenix and sits on an articulating mount...

hardforum.com

The thread mentions the risk of damage to the polarizer. Do this at your own risk. There are comments about developing grain effects on the polarizer from removing the protective AG sheet.

If you really don't care for it you should get a different monitor.

i will just get more lighting in my room i guess, when i turn lights on high though i feel like i lose image quality on matte screens too... so i dunno

 

[EarthDog]

And the opposite... glossy... so anything and everything is reflected. I'll take matte any day over the hyper reflective gloss finish.

 

[rtwjunkie]

I’m with you @lynx29 I’ve had and have both glossy glass screens and matte screens. The color representation and “pop” is amazing on a non-matte glass screen. They are getting harder and harder to find though, so I have started accepting that matte is the future. My mitigation is to use ones that are the least matte and most intense on color.

 

[Solaris17]

I think that is because not many people have really experienced the extra clarity and pop it offers though...

nah matte for life. I hate gloss screens.

 

[AsRock]

I’m with you @lynx29 I’ve had and have both glossy glass screens and matte screens. The color representation and “pop” is amazing on a non-matte glass screen. They are getting harder and harder to find though, so I have started accepting that matte is the future. My mitigation is to use ones that are the least matte and most intense on color.

Noticed that some years ago when i got a Vizio TV the Matrix when they had that rain seen and OMG the rain looked like balls of water, Not so much with the Toshiba TV i actually exchanged it for as it's less glossy but better overall as i am only 3 feet away from it, nothing worse than seeing your self over whats displayed.

 

[Space Lynx]

Noticed that some years ago when i got a Vizio TV the Matrix when they had that rain seen and OMG the rain looked like balls of water, Not so much with the Toshiba TV i actually exchanged it for as it's less glossy but better overall as i am only 3 feet away from it, nothing worse than seeing your self over whats displayed.

I never saw myself in glass gloss screens, I game dark though usually so eh

I’m with you @lynx29 I’ve had and have both glossy glass screens and matte screens. The color representation and “pop” is amazing on a non-matte glass screen. They are getting harder and harder to find though, so I have started accepting that matte is the future. My mitigation is to use ones that are the least matte and most intense on color.

May the armies of Isengard and Mordor steer their path in our direction brother, they will not stand a chance in our glossy radiance of Paladin armor with popping colors!!!! DRAW SWORDS!!!

Sorry... re-playing Shadow of Mordor last few days lol

 

[Chomiq]

Why we can't have both? Semi glossy? My Sony TV has something like this and I don't notice any reflections on it. That being said a matte coating used nowadays is much improved over what it used to be years ago, as in it's no longer a grainy mess with DSE.

 

[Frick]

I'm definitely in the matte tribe. Monitors should be able to be used everywhere at any time and some of the (admittedly cheap) glossy laptops I've used just couldn't be used under many conditions. Plus I like my picture the way I like my sound: pretty neutral. Artificial enhancers never work for me.

 

[Candor]

I also use an AOC monitor and I have to say that the matte layer on these monitors is the grainiest I've ever experienced.

It took quite a while to get used to.

 

[AsRock]

I never saw myself in glass gloss screens, I game dark though usually so eh



May the armies of Isengard and Mordor steer their path in our direction brother, they will not stand a chance in our glossy radiance of Paladin armor with popping colors!!!! DRAW SWORDS!!!

Sorry... re-playing Shadow of Mordor last few days lol

Dark places in games is the main issue, The Toshiba is like like is not as shiny as most and i still see it time to time. Although i do game with a ceiling light on that don't help, gaming with no light is just a no no.

Viewing angles are top notch and much better than the vizio from back then. Dam things getting on a little now as i got this back when FullHD was coming out which was another reason the Vizio got sent back.

 

[bug]

I’m with you @lynx29 I’ve had and have both glossy glass screens and matte screens. The color representation and “pop” is amazing on a non-matte glass screen. They are getting harder and harder to find though, so I have started accepting that matte is the future. My mitigation is to use ones that are the least matte and most intense on color.

You can calibrate both glossy and mate screens just as fine, so I'm sure glossy has nothing to do with color reproduction or contrast. It may help a bit with clarity, but that may be placebo (I haven't seen it tested properly anywhere).
Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure seeing everything reflected on your screen degrades picture quality way more that a properly done mate layer ever will. And I'm not talking about light sources only, seeing your fingers typing is pretty distracting, too. On the other hand, if you do a lot of movie watching, sitting far away from the monitor and with controlled lighting, glossy may look better.

 

[eidairaman1]

Just buy a monitor with the gloss finish

 

[rtwjunkie]

so I'm sure glossy has nothing to do with color reproduction or contrast.

It’s not a color reproduction issue. The glass screen, because nothing is being dimmed down, even slightly by a matte coating really does have colors bursting. It’s especially easy to see with image editing.

I’ve yet to ever see my fingers typing because my monitor is head height. As for other images, if you’re gaming, for instance, and absorbed in the scenes, you are noticing any reflection.

 

[bug]

It’s not a color reproduction issue. The glass screen, because nothing is being dimmed down, even slightly by a matte coating really does have colors bursting. It’s especially easy to see with image editing.

I’ve yet to ever see my fingers typing because my monitor is head height. As for other images, if you’re gaming, for instance, and absorbed in the scenes, you are noticing any reflection.

Go to tftcentral referenced above. The monitors can be calibrated the same, no matter the coating. Same colors, same gamma.
If you reach the "bursting colors" range, you're looking at oversaturated images

 

[rtwjunkie]

Go to tftcentral referenced above. The monitors can be calibrated the same, no matter the coating. Same colors, same gamma.
If you reach the "bursting colors" range, you're looking at oversaturated images

It’s hard to explain the bursting or popping term. Like was said by someone earlier, there is no scientific measurement, but those that have seen it consistently and only on glossy screens of different brands know it. It’s probably the pure clarity of it.

 

[spectatorx]

Personally i hate glossy screens because of how reflective they are. This glossiness is irritating at many situations as instead of an actual image i see reflection of myself and my surroundings, i'm fugly so this is not nice view to see, i would prefer to see what display is supposed to display to me instead.

If someone desperately, for some reason, needs glossy screen i think i have something interesting on my mind. While reading this thread i came to conclusion to add glossiness to matte screen we can cover it with glossy protective film like for example tempered glass. Has anyone tried something like that? Would it work? Of course such glass probably is hard to be found in proper size for a laptop/monitor.

 

[Vayra86]

It’s not a color reproduction issue. The glass screen, because nothing is being dimmed down, even slightly by a matte coating really does have colors bursting. It’s especially easy to see with image editing.

I’ve yet to ever see my fingers typing because my monitor is head height. As for other images, if you’re gaming, for instance, and absorbed in the scenes, you are noticing any reflection.

Glass/glossy coating works like a magnifying glass; it will intensify the color and contrast that's there. I know exactly what you mean and that property is also why we had a period of these glossy panels, its a great way to hide a shitty panel.

But, color reproduction.. no. More a case of very high saturation; color accuracy is not helped by it at all. Matte is better at that. So really, what the (more recent, toned down) AG coatings do is keep color reproduction as true as the monitor produces it. Like a flat EQ for your audio. And no glare; which again helps accuracy because there is nothing from outside the panel influencing the image.

But yeah having had my share of glossy coatings, I much prefer matte. Even in a dim lit room, a single smaller light source or reflected light source (like the sun on a wall behind you) would annoy the hell out of me. Like having a blank spot in your peripheral vision all the time.

 

[MrGRiMv25]

My iiyama is a matte finish and I'd probably kick it to death if it had a glossy finish, thankfully the matte coating disappears in to the background so you never notice it.

I can't stand glossy laptops, monitors etc... everything is reflected so if you're trying to work it's pretty much impossible.... unless you're tracing the outline of a window.

 

[Vario]

Gaming in the dark is really bad for your eyes. At a minimum, it causes eye strain and insomnia. Turn the lights on and the matte coating will be less of an issue.

 

[Space Lynx]

It’s hard to explain the bursting or popping term. Like was said by someone earlier, there is no scientific measurement, but those that have seen it consistently and only on glossy screens of different brands know it. It’s probably the pure clarity of it.

yep, it's a shame so many people never get to experience high end ones (1440p high refresh) in action. reflections could easily be fixed, just have your lighting source behind the screen if possible. I never had an issue with the reflections personally.

Gaming in the dark is really bad for your eyes. At a minimum, it causes eye strain and insomnia. Turn the lights on and the matte coating will be less of an issue.

yeah I am going to stop doing this.

 

[Valantar]

Oh, I remember the bad old days (circa 2010) when every single mid-range laptop (which by any real standard was low-end, given the terrible build quality and featureset) had a "contrast enhancing" coating on its glossy display. While these did indeed make things "pop" a bit more (by doing what was advertised, boosting contrast somewhat with the lucky side effect of making colors look more saturated, mainly due to how human color perception is relative) they were also absolutely terrible in regards to real-world use, as they reflected absolutely everything. Of course there are good non-matte displays out there (Apple has some excellent anti-glare coatings on their displays, minus the ones that shed their coatings obviously), but the majority are still bad even if the coatings these days are less heavy-handed.

Then there are the opposite, like what the OP mentions, where grainy anti-glare matte coatings negatively impact image quality. I have a Dell U2711, which is notorious for this, and even as I'm typing this the white background in the posts above this field looks "sparkly" to a certain extent. Still, this monitor is known as a terrible example of this, and most modern monitors are far superior to this - though apparently there are still bad ones, as exemplified by the OP. I would still never trade this monitor for a glossy one, as that would mean I'd see the ceiling lamp behind me reflected 100% of the time I use the PC, not to mention the window to my right. And this monitor still has amazing color, decent contrast (for an IPS), and is by no means unsharp. It just has a slightly annoying sparkle to any field of bright color. Definitely not an issue for gaming. Oh, btw, my partner has an U2713HM just a bit further down the desk from me, and its matte coating is so much better than this - smoother, no sparkle, yet still not reflective whatsoever. That monitor's off right now, and I can only barely see a blurred reflection of the window right next to it. A glossy monitor in the same position would need its brightness set crazy high (higher than what's good for your eyes) to combat that glare, but a good matte coating handles it with no sweat.

My laptop, a Latitude 7390 2-in-1, has a glossy display, and it's ... passable. At best. Using it outside is a no-go (but then again it's not particularly bright), but inside it's ... fine. Acceptable. And it's good for pen use. But I'd much rather have it matte.

 

[spectatorx]

Yesterday a friend asked me to help to prepare his old lenovo laptop (to be specific g50-30/80g0) to put on sell. In the process one of things i did was to reinstall OS clean. Said laptop has glossy panel and it reminded me how painful is using these. Reflecting surroundings too often, that's just irritating.

 

[Vario]

I like the coating on my two Asus PB258Q, its matte I believe, as I do not experience reflection, but I also do not notice the coating at all when the screen is on. These monitor are intended for the professional graphics and photoshop market though.