The cold reality of black crush/clipping/pixelation(?) - Galaxy Note GT-N7000 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

So, basically, I'm in the market for a new phone. For a long time I've scavenged the interwebs for all the 'needy info'. But we all know that the black hole called the internet is treacherous... Millions of opinions that seem to do nothing else but contradict each other.
The problem we call black crush. It's doing my head in, as I don't know what to believe anymore. Does every GNote suffer from it and how bad is the problem? After the ICS upgrade, that is. Also, where does this problem occur (video playback, photos/ web)? Certain movie formats/codecs (low quality xvid vs h264mkv for example?) I like to watch movies on my phone, so it's a big thing for me.
I'm deciding between the GNote and the Gnex (not sure if the Gnex suffers from the same issue)...
So, bottom line, does every GNote suffer from this problem and how bad is the problem realistically? (A lot of stuff gets greatly exaggerated on the web sometimes...)
Thanks for your time.

In my opinion problem is huge, and yet no fix from Samsung. I'm the same way I love watching movies on the phone especially on gnote's big screen but black crush issue totally ruins it. Everytime there is dark scene I get so distracted by all the pixellations, it's really hideous. Funny thing is I don't ever see this problem viewing pictures (do notice pixellation on wallpapers though) or games, only movies... It's really a shame. I have tried every types of movie formats, nothing works. ICS update did improve color banding but that's about it.
I have heard gnex has same screen issues but I can't tell for sure since I don't own one. If I were you I would get galaxy s3 or wait till gnote2.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

gideonMorrison said:
So, basically, I'm in the market for a new phone. For a long time I've scavenged the interwebs for all the 'needy info'. But we all know that the black hole called the internet is treacherous... Millions of opinions that seem to do nothing else but contradict each other.
The problem we call black crush. It's doing my head in, as I don't know what to believe anymore. Does every GNote suffer from it and how bad is the problem? After the ICS upgrade, that is. Also, where does this problem occur (video playback, photos/ web)? Certain movie formats/codecs (low quality xvid vs h264mkv for example?) I like to watch movies on my phone, so it's a big thing for me.
I'm deciding between the GNote and the Gnex (not sure if the Gnex suffers from the same issue)...
So, bottom line, does every GNote suffer from this problem and how bad is the problem realistically? (A lot of stuff gets greatly exaggerated on the web sometimes...)
Thanks for your time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Time for one of those contradictions! I have had Note since last November and never had pixelation issues (black crush) on GB or ICS. I do see some of the greyish wash on shadows, but found that turning off the option for Outdoor Visibility in the video settings solved most of that.
So I am one of the lucky ones, others have had issues and have posted on youtube about the problem.
I watch lots of movies and would recommend the Note. Best thing for you to do is to go to your local phone store and try it. It does seem that some screens are better than others so if you purchase from a local store you can try the phone first and return it if it doesn't work to your satisfaction.

I've had my Note for about a week, and I'm loving it!
About the Black Crush problem I, myself can only see it in low quality files in both GB and ICS. I'm currently watching 720p episodes of Rome and I cannot see any black crush, I also watched a couple of Game of Thrones 1080i files without any problem at all. In fact, I rather watch it on my note screen than my 46" Panasonic Plasma since the colors is so vibrant and everything is super-sharp!
TL;DR Black crush is noticeable on low quality files & youtube clips. Not on high quality files such as 720p or higher nor on, for example The Hobbit trailer on Youtube.

I've read so much about this, yet, I have no problems at all with anything people are describing. I am on Asylum ICS (a CM9 based ROM).

Try viewing this image on your gnote. Most people with black crush issues will be able to see 4-21 with no gradual gradations. 0-3 is pitch black.
On normal screen, you be able to see gradual gradations 1-21, 0 being pure black.
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"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
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}
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

it might not be on every galaxy note
but its in a lot of them
if watching movies is important to you i wouldnt recommend buying Gnote
until now there are no evidence (video) to prove that the note doesnt have this problem
only people in forums who say they dont have wich is not a solid proof

Never had any problem! As earlier stated it only occurs sometimes with v bad quality media!

max-thamer said:
it might not be on every galaxy note
but its in a lot of them
if watching movies is important to you i wouldnt recommend buying Gnote
until now there are no evidence (video) to prove that the note doesnt have this problem
only people in forums who say they dont have wich is not a solid proof
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Click to collapse
Careful buddy! You are bordering on being offensive - saying that those of us that are happy with our video quality don't know what we are talking about.
I watch around 90 minutes of video every week day on public transport and have never had an issue - that's over 200 hours and many TV shows and movies of varying quality - but usually HD - with no conversion.
As I posted above - best to check out the phone at a local store - you can make your own mind up then. I would recommend this phone to anyone that is not concerned about it's size. Each to his own.

I had 4 notes and seen 3 others. These all had black crush. The 2 latest notes made in march this year have a 90 % improvement. During normal use in day or under normal lighting to dim lighting the left side has a gradually decline black. You cannot tell their is an issue. In pitch black it still cuts off at 4. The old notes were clear to see the cut off even during normal lighting. I think they Must have sorted the issue In the newest notes but I could be wrong.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

TempusFudgeIt said:
Careful buddy! You are bordering on being offensive - saying that those of us that are happy with our video quality don't know what we are talking about.
I watch around 90 minutes of video every week day on public transport and have never had an issue - that's over 200 hours and many TV shows and movies of varying quality - but usually HD - with no conversion.
As I posted above - best to check out the phone at a local store - you can make your own mind up then. I would recommend this phone to anyone that is not concerned about it's size. Each to his own.
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Click to collapse
sorry man i didnt meant to offend anyone
but as i said i didnt find a solid proof to prove there are no promlems with dark gradients
so, can you please make a video of the galaxy note playing this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPoHPNeU9fc
it will be really helpful for guys like th OP

I have just watched that trailer on mine and it plays fine. I remember on my other notes it was awful and dark scenes were terrible on the same video. On this new note its fine. I will try to post a video later today or tomorrow.

I just watched the Avengers 720p trailer, from youtube down-loader, and i saw none or very little "black crush/clipping/pixelation" , there is a problem with the very bottom of the video, a horizontal line, you would think it was a vhs conversion.
Now this is my second Note, the first one had very bad black crush, large areas of moving and static pure black in dark/shadow areas of movies.
My new note is a newer version than my last one, so maybe samsung is working on the problem behind the scenes, as according to a lot of note owners they denigh there is any problem, and they say this is the first time they have heard of this issue , looks like they dont want a massive recall.
I have heard some note owners have had to swap up-to five time before they get a good note.
John.

Tinderbox (UK) said:
I have heard some note owners have had to swap up-to five time before they get a good note.
John.
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Click to collapse
I was one of those. I sent Samsung 6-7 letters and even changed my screen on my 2nd note after 5 days and still had the issue. After 3-4 months of constant talking to Samsung Head Office they agreed to change my note and I got my wife's note on a T mobile upgrade. Both manufactured in March April and these have no issues. I know when I say there's definitely an improvement as I was very active on the Screen Issue thread with my other notes. A screen change will not solve the issue from my experience. They have tinkered something within the note to improve the black crush issue.

Cheers for the extensive input, guys. However, the contradiction is (sadly) also strong with this one. Varying from only HD quality videos will play well, to units that were made before March are more faulty than newer units, to no problems at all...
Perhaps it's wise to state your devices' manufacture date, along with your experiences, to shed some light in this mess, provided by Samsung™.
I feel we still need more input/cowbell...

I think this problems is not as big as people say it is...
Has 2 devices already, both were affected - and honestly i couldn't care less... if you watch decent quality movie, no black crush will disturb you that much.
( yes, i know that some devices might have a huge problem with that, but haven't seen one with it yet )

So is this a problem with the older Notes or something?
I had a look at the image in post number 6 and can definitely see that numbers 1-3 are "missing" and the other numbers are very "samey" but that Avenger video looks absolutely crisp and generally just great. I downloaded the Full HD version to my phone to test it.
Does anyone have a clip that is good for testing this black crush?

andreww88 said:
I've read so much about this, yet, I have no problems at all with anything people are describing. I am on Asylum ICS (a CM9 based ROM).
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+1
never experienced this on any rom ive tried wither
@OP remember: people who are happy dont come onto the internet to say that, but people who are unhappy will rant and rave about the problem
for every one person who says there is a problem, there is 50 that arent affected

I am on my second Note, both have the issue. It is not in your face or really noticable in nornal light, watch a movie in a darkened room and bang its in your face.
Its like there is a big gap between 3 and 4 on the test image with no fade, and when a movie tries to show a shade between the 2 levels the Note does not know what to do, so you get the black and grey blocks ( the closest it can get to the real shade that should be displayed) .

CONTACTMC said:
I am on my second Note, both have the issue. It is not in your face or really noticable in nornal light, watch a movie in a darkened room and bang its in your face.
Its like there is a big gap between 3 and 4 on the test image with no fade, and when a movie tries to show a shade between the 2 levels the Note does not know what to do, so you get the black and grey blocks ( the closest it can get to the real shade that should be displayed) .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, that's what I read a lot yeah: not really noticable in the light, but quite a lot in the dark. And that's exactly where I plan to watch the majority of (HD) films.
The Note in this video is extremely affected, I'd say:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a8aIGeLERg
I really blame Samsung for being such d*ckheads to release an (imo) unfinished device.
Does anyone know if it's the same on the Gnex, since I can't really find the same issue. Other than the purple screen, black splotches, banding. Those are usually really visible when screen brightness is all the way down.

Related

[Q] Galaxy Note Thoughts and Opinions

Is this phone any good I am currently waiting on it's release and I want opinions from owners of this device. It seems to be a really nice phone but we all know looks can be deceiving.
My friend read this tread below
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1474891
Go read some reviews - there are plenty. But make sure to only pay attention to reviewers who clearly used the device for a few days or more.
Many first impression reviews/unboxing videos state 'obvious' things that clearly aren't true after you use it a few days.
ChodTheWacko said:
Go read some reviews - there are plenty. But make sure to only pay attention to reviewers who clearly used the device for a few days or more.
Many first impression reviews/unboxing videos state 'obvious' things that clearly aren't true after you use it a few days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree.The Note will blow almost everyone away on first impression because of it's size and eye catching dynamic display but it does have some issues once you have used it for a while.
Most issues like lag and banding are not severe and can be fixed with mods but the one issue that cannot be fixed right now is the pixelation in dark shadows which can be a deal breaker some people.For most it won't be a deal breaker and most won't even notice the problem unless they watch a lot of movies in a dark room.
Samsung could fix the problem with an update and supercurio is working on an app to address the issue so there is hope there as well.
Grim-Droid said:
Is this phone any good I am currently waiting on it's release and I want opinions from owners of this device. It seems to be a really nice phone but we all know looks can be deceiving.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's an OK'ISH phone. It may be too big for you, although the pentile display is not noticeable from a foot away but any closer you will notice them, there are colour rendering issues(you will see colour banding, Samsung always tend to screw up display just to make colour POOP. never a fan of Samsung dnie engine), audio dac is. Not up to par with iphone or SGS in terms of sound quality, the stock keyboard is laggy, not popular among dev yet, no ics leak for note so far, no calibration for stylus, power button and volume button are nor ergonomically placed, (you have a high chance of changing the volume wile unlocking on one hand operation or vice versa), it can't run crisis or ios, sometimes life is a wet BANANA. FRIDAY.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Thank you for all your helpful replies everyone. It sounds a little buggy right now so I don't know if I want it so soon maybe after some fixes for things I will get it.

So has anyone got a Note without the black crush / clipping problem?

Seriously can't work this one out, do I get my screen changed or not?
Should I wait to see if ICS makes it any better?
This phone is perfect for me except this issue with the blacks / greys. Even when i zoom in on dark parts of pictures taken with the phones camera it turns into a pixelated mess, so this is defiantly not a low quality source issue, its hardware or software related, but which?
Advice please guys. Many thanks!
I know! Right?
The screen Is freaking awesome, simply the best on any smartphone, but why those blacks haven't been fixed yet???
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
I really am at a loss to what you guys are complaining about. I'm either not that fussy, or deluded to the fact that what I think I am seeing as 'bad' I pass off as something else.
From what I've read around the forums, what should be a shaded series of greys/blacks in an area are appearing as blocks of black/darkgrey instead of a gradual change.
I've always thought this was down to how videos/images where compressed or decompressed and displayed - which would almost certainly be software and not hardware?
davexeno said:
I really am at a loss to what you guys are complaining about. I'm either not that fussy, or deluded to the fact that what I think I am seeing as 'bad' I pass off as something else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. My blacks look fine most of the time. When I do get grey blockiness I'm pretty sure it's due to poor compression in the video file, because other videos, large black areas look fine.
Can anyone give a link to a video available online in which this problem occurs (and the point in the video we should be looking at).
Maybe then we can get some objective testing with everyone using the same source file.
Maybe even have people doing screenshots to compare screens.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1366014&page=4
I'm rarely using my phone in dark enough conditions to notice.
ICS should improve gradients, but won't fix the black crush if it is indeed a problem with the screen hardware.
I am probably going to regret this, as my Note was perfect except for this black crush issue, but I sent mine back to be replaced. And the issue was not just on videos for me so poor quality encodes are not the problem, I was getting it even with pictures taken with the phones camera. Said pictures taken with the Note displayed fine on my pc and my wifes Galaxy s 2, so it is deffo a problem with the device.
Please lets not turn this into another "who cares" or "its not that noticeable" debate like the other threads, all I am aiming at with this thread from now is to find out if there are any Notes in existence that do not have this issue!
Thanks.
I refuse to look for a problem that is not there.....
There is no phone or portable device in existence that is color accurate, either tonally or temperature or gamma correct out of the box, and to expect such is to be, well, expecting quite a bit too much.
Why do i make that statement?.. Well, given that a monitor or TV at ANY price are not accurately calibrated.
To get an accurately calibrated monitor requires a display worth using, then a color tone/temperature/gamma calibration system (which is ~$200 & up) and software that can use the resulting calibration profiles...
The SGN is a phone... tbh there is no "fault" or "problem" here, other than unrealistic customer expectations...
Would a settings app that could set globally set color temp & gamma be helpful? sure.. there is enough color temp variation in the spread of production tolerances in phone to make this useful... stop a ll the pink white /blue white issues
But will it make the SGN a color accurate display?.. no.
So... lets wave a magic wand and make it so... whats the point? the camera does not justify it, the movies you watch are overly compressed and not color accurate (never mind compression artifacts of banding, blocking and shading), youtube videos have no quality controls.. online TV, website videos and stills have major color saturation issues.. so what content will you access that is going to be useable on a color accurate display?..
well, 4 beers down and 2c more spent..
Mystic38 said:
I refuse to look for a problem that is not there.....
There is no phone or portable device in existence that is color accurate, either tonally or temperature or gamma correct out of the box, and to expect such is to be, well, expecting quite a bit too much.
Why do i make that statement?.. Well, given that a monitor or TV at ANY price are not accurately calibrated.
To get an accurately calibrated monitor requires a display worth using, then a color tone/temperature/gamma calibration system (which is ~$200 & up) and software that can use the resulting calibration profiles...
The SGN is a phone... tbh there is no "fault" or "problem" here, other than unrealistic customer expectations...
Would a settings app that could set globally set color temp & gamma be helpful? sure.. there is enough color temp variation in the spread of production tolerances in phone to make this useful... stop a ll the pink white /blue white issues
But will it make the SGN a color accurate display?.. no.
So... lets wave a magic wand and make it so... whats the point? the camera does not justify it, the movies you watch are overly compressed and not color accurate (never mind compression artifacts of banding, blocking and shading), youtube videos have no quality controls.. online TV, website videos and stills have major color saturation issues.. so what content will you access that is going to be useable on a color accurate display?..
well, 4 beers down and 2c more spent..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, my pc plays / displays these movies and images fine with no artifacts, as does my tv, as does my partners Galaxy s 2, as does my Nexus s, so how can you say that there is no problem?
Anyway, I just had a look at my cousins Galaxy Note and that one is playing these movies fine, and is displaying the pictures taken with my Note without the chess board effect, so if you are happy to pay over £400 for a defective device thats up to you, but many of us expect to get what we paid for.
I just found this on you tube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a8aIGeLERg many people find this a problem.
CONTACTMC said:
I just found this on you tube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a8aIGeLERg many people find this a problem.
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Click to collapse
I agree with you it is a problem and even supercurio has been on it and he is a developer so someting isnt right so lets hope it gets fixed cause many people suffer with it
CONTACTMC said:
I just found this on you tube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a8aIGeLERg many people find this a problem.
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Click to collapse
The problem is clear enough to see there, but it's not one I've ever noticed on my Note. I just tried playing this YouTube clip on my Note....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syxd2n8S4AE
and could see nothing wrong with the video performance in a darkened (curtains drawn during daytime) room. I wonder how well this clip plays for other people on the Note.
I made a video of the Note playing this clip and I'm uploading it at the moment. It will take a while (81 minutes remaining at the moment) as I shot in 1080p. I'll post a link when it's ready.
FWIW I'm on the latest official ROM and my phone was sourced from Germany in early November. From my perspective there is no problem, which might make it quite hard for Samsung to fix.
My Note is running on ICS (CM9) and the color rendering is substantially improved over stock GB. Gradients are smoother and blacks are rendered cleaner.
My video is up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl0SKxnqa2I
tdodd said:
My video is up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl0SKxnqa2I
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I've played the same clip on my Note and it looks exactly like yours, no banding/crushing/clipping whatsoever.
I've tried a lot of Youtube clips and movie trailers but in only one of them I could see obvious artefacts during a fade out. I played the same clip on my pc and saw the same thing happen there so that's probably just lousy encoding.
Thanks for putting that video up, I hope my replacement looks like yours, its due tomorrow.
I got me new note, this one is set to uk language instead of german like the one I returned. It has the exact same issue, drops from 4 grey to 3 complete black and i am still getting the clipping, bloody Samsung, this was meant to be an upgrade from my nexus s, but most stuff looks better on that! Not gonna excahnge again, I will wait for ICS and see if Samsung actually acknowledge the issue.
@Mystic38. Whilst I agree with you that most consumer devices don't come calibrated to industry standards and that most consumer devices lack the essential settings found on the most basic of professional displays, I fail to see how any colour, contrast, hue, gamma or brightness calibration would affect the overall appearance, unless of course you are cranking the settings beyond anything useful and crushing the dynamics intentionally.
It's difficult to introduce visual banding or blocking in high BIT rate video or lightly compressed images by tweaking settings and calibration by a couple of percent alone, as there are near on 17 million colours. This leaves thousands of grey levels to play with and the human eye shouldn't notice banding or blocking with that many greys.
This presumably points to an issue with the way that video is presented to the screen driver or how the screen driver drives the screen. There's probably an issue with crushing where the hardware converts the digital signal to electronic levels of each AMOLED element. I have seen this problem on other devices, not just phones and most of the time it was rectified after a software upgrade.
Another thing to remember is that companies like Samsung are fully aware and accommodating of the fact that a lot of people now use these types of phones as monitors for photography and video production as I do. I use DSLR Controller and have no problem with crushing. Using the phone as a monitor has been extremely helpful and negated the expense of something which would have cost over 10 times the price.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
I just got round to trying the ,png gamma test file on my Note. It fails the test. Everything below 4 is black and as you go through the numbers from 4 and above there are bands grouping four levels into one tone. Worse still, the tones alternate from greenish to purple instead of being shades of grey. Interestingly if I perform a screen capture the capture is a true reflection of what I see, which implies to me that the Note is actually sending bad values to the screen rather than a hardware problem, because surely the screen capture only cares about the data, not the physical appearance produced.
Looking at the same file on my laptop everything is presented correctly, so obviously the file is not the problem.
Yet despite failing this test I have never noticed a problem with the Note to cause me concern in normal every day use.
tdodd said:
I just got round to trying the ,png gamma test file on my Note. It fails the test. Everything below 4 is black and as you go through the numbers from 4 and above there are bands grouping four levels into one tone. Worse still, the tones alternate from greenish to purple instead of being shades of grey. Interestingly if I perform a screen capture the capture is a true reflection of what I see, which implies to me that the Note is actually sending bad values to the screen rather than a hardware problem, because surely the screen capture only cares about the data, not the physical appearance produced.
Looking at the same file on my laptop everything is presented correctly, so obviously the file is not the problem.
Yet despite failing this test I have never noticed a problem with the Note to cause me concern in normal every day use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you viewed it in the gallery or in a browser? With my Note everything below 4 is crushed in the stock ICS browser but I can see everything in the gallery.
pboesboes said:
Have you viewed it in the gallery or in a browser? With my Note everything below 4 is crushed in the stock ICS browser but I can see everything in the gallery.
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Click to collapse
I think the gallery uses a different color gradient and temperature than the stock ICS browser, much as if you view a rich encoded black contrast video on the stock video player and on a custom app video player like MX player... you get varying results...
I think this issue is a mix of both a hardware and software one, and though the Official ICS upgrade "might" alleviate this problem, I surely believe also that since this is a combination of a hardware problem, the clippings are still there but perhaps not quite noticeable anymore....

Pocketnow Review

Pocketnow has posted a 11+ minute review on the Nexus 7. Brandon did a pretty good job describing the pros and cons of the device and the tablet received a very good score overall. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jiu7_Auqyg&feature=g-all-u. The negatives were a washed out/dull screen and it takes over 7 hours to charge the device from 0-100%.
I could not stand that guy's voice. That and it looked like he was constantly mashing the screen just for the sake of it.
Personal opinion.
I'm a bit nervous about the washed out screen. Coming from both a Galaxy Nexus and an iPad 3 I felt the Transformer series screens were all lacking in color vibrancy. I guess I'll have to wait and find out!
Strange that his takes 7 hours to charge, other reviews like ubergizmo say 3 hours.
jabsys said:
Strange that his takes 7 hours to charge, other reviews like ubergizmo say 3 hours.
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7 hours over USB could be right, but surely not plugged into the mains.
I think the Anandtech mini-review explains the screen issue.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6054/google-nexus-7-mini-review
The big thing is his note that the greens seem undersaturated, which will make it appear dull. Plus comparing it to a phone isn't apples to apples because it is a different type of panel due to the need for greater viewing angles. I'd personally lose a bit of color vibrancy if it meant that I wouldn't have to hold it at a precise angle to be able to read it.
Really? People dislike the screen now? The day it was released at I/O everyone was complimenting it and saying that it looked great. It even looks good in videos.
>I'm a bit nervous about the washed out screen.
The comparison was to an AMOLED screen, which is stupid, since AMOLED is known to be oversaturated and brighter than most LCDs. He's comparing a $500 device (Galaxy Nexus) to a $200 device.
Comparison at 2:50 mark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jiu7_Auqyg&t=170
---------- Post added at 04:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:01 PM ----------
>7 hours over USB could be right, but surely not plugged into the mains.
Given the ill-advised comparison with AMOLED, dude has little credibility.
There are many variables in charging. He's had the unit 3-4 days, and likely has only one full charge for the review. The first charge cycle can be weird.
N7 is very similar to Fire. The Fire has a 4.4Ah batt, and a [email protected] charger. From TomsHardware, Fire has 0-100% recharge time of 2:48. Other sources say as long as 5 hrs.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amazon-kindle-fire-review,3076-14.html
N7 has a slightly smaller batt at 4.3Ah, and a slightly stronger [email protected] charger (same as iPad). Recharge time should be same or slightly less than Fire.
With his competence, dude probably used a standard cellphone (1.0A) charger.
Is it me.. or that video was so choppy that I just couldn't take it seriously
e.mote said:
He's comparing a $500 device (Galaxy Nexus) to a $200 device.
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The Galaxy Nexus is only $350.
My concern at this point is the browser, i want the browser to be smooth and work well on websites like theverge, and in this review he said that it was a bit choppy. I hope my preorder unit will not be choppy in the web browser.
lovenokia said:
My concern at this point is the browser, i want the browser to be smooth and work well on websites like theverge, and in this review he said that it was a bit choppy. I hope my preorder unit will not be choppy in the web browser.
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Click to collapse
Everyone's unit will have a choppy browser unless Google patch through and update for chrome before the n7 is shipped. Think I will just download dolphin browser until its fixed. Oh and I did like this review but I just thought anandtech was better.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
androidkid311 said:
Everyone's unit will have a choppy browser unless Google patch through and update for chrome before the n7 is shipped. Think I will just download dolphin browser until its fixed. Oh and I did like this review but I just thought anandtech was better.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
I hope the dolphin web browser will be ipad smooth, i really need a good browsing device, cause i ruined the processor on my hp touchpad, and sold it to get an n7. Google better update chrome quickly.
I'll chime in here with my own opinion of the "screen vs. AMOLED" thing others have also commented on. I've been trying out a Toshiba Excite 7.7 with AMOLED (same one as on the Galaxy Tab 7.7) and have an iPad 3. Comparing the two side-by-side, I'll say that colors on the Excite 7.7 are definitely bright and more saturated than on the iPad 3. In fact, one might say the iPad 3 colors looked "washed out" compared to those on the Excite 7.7.
However, if you ask me which I prefer when using the two tablets separately, I'd say I prefer colors on the iPad 3. They seem more natural, while colors on the Excite 7.7 seem unnatural and somewhat blown out.
Also, I wouldn't want an AMOLED screen on the Nexus 7 even if colors were so much better, because AMOLED on a 7"-ish screen (at least on the Excite, with a similar battery) absolutely KILLS the battery when backgrounds are white (or generally brighter). For ebook reading, which I prefer black text on a white background, or any app (say, Greader) that uses a light background, battery life is something like 30% less. Switch to a dark background, and battery life is much improved. However, who wants to adjust their tablet usage to avoid lots of white, really?
In fact, there's so much of an impact that Toshiba apparently tuned their AutoBrite feature (adjusting contrast and brightness for screen content) to really kill quality with bright backgrounds. In fact, it changes abruptly when scrolling a Web page that varies from light to dark to light backgrounds. It's distracting and ugly, frankly, but clearly Toshiba saw the need to implement it given the impact on battery life.
The Verge said that, yes, colors are "washed out" compared to AMOLED, but much more in line with the new iPad. I'd say, that's a very good thing overall.
lovenokia said:
My concern at this point is the browser, i want the browser to be smooth and work well on websites like theverge, and in this review he said that it was a bit choppy. I hope my preorder unit will not be choppy in the web browser.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We can't go by software reviews right now. These tablets are all running a developer preview, not the final build. The only thing that won't change is the hardware.
revmra said:
I think the Anandtech mini-review explains the screen issue.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6054/google-nexus-7-mini-review
The big thing is his note that the greens seem undersaturated, which will make it appear dull. Plus comparing it to a phone isn't apples to apples because it is a different type of panel due to the need for greater viewing angles. I'd personally lose a bit of color vibrancy if it meant that I wouldn't have to hold it at a precise angle to be able to read it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I couldnt remember where I saw the color review. That for sure makes more sense.
From Anandtech:
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"lightbox_share": "Share",
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"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
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I found the Anandtech review a little concerning because of the temperature thing. I like warmer screens, but 5500K seems a little too warm. Can't seem to get any feedback from anyone who has one on white balance, either.
Sent from my AT270 using Tapatalk 2
calvin4001 said:
We can't go by software reviews right now. These tablets are all running a developer preview, not the final build. The only thing that won't change is the hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So your saying that the web browser may in fact be all finished and smoothed out by the time of the release? than if so i am happy!
Isn't there already a thread for Hands-On reviews? This should probably continue there. Though I really shouldn't pretend to be Step666...
Was this guy smoking something when he said the back was "easy to remove"

I thought the nexus 5 display is supposed to be the most accurate?

I remember reading an article saying the nexus 5 panel is the most accurate. Not sure if the picture can show it here but turquoise came out looking very blue.
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biggiestuff said:
I remember reading an article saying the nexus 5 panel is the most accurate. Not sure if the picture can show it here but turquoise came out looking very blue.
View attachment 2596712
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's just the auto white balance adjusting for the lighting conditions. That's a camera issue, not a display issue.
adjust some settings in your camera app, its way off! unless you already adjusted them to look like this, then youre way off
Okay i'll try it again with my qx100. Your reasoning makes sense.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Your logic is flawed. Nobody said the camera had perfect color reproduction.
Funny enough, I thought the same about the display. It actually really bothers me. I came from a Samsung Galaxy Nexus (CDMA). I had a couple short 1080p HD videos that I would play on that phone. Just like HD test videos. They looked great on that screen. So sharp and the color looked great on max brightness. The brighter the screen got the better the picture looked.
On this phone those same videos and others, too, look kind of grainy. Like the display should be a little smaller to get that sharp, crisp look. Turning the brightness all the way up just makes the grainy effect even worse. All of my HD videos have the same effect / look. I even turned on all of the warranty replacements I got. Same on 4 handsets. Kinda disappointed in the screen in that sense, but hey the phone was cheap.
RoyJ said:
Funny enough, I thought the same about the display. It actually really bothers me. I came from a Samsung Galaxy Nexus (CDMA). I had a couple short 1080p HD videos that I would play on that phone. Just like HD test videos. They looked great on that screen. So sharp and the color looked great on max brightness. The brighter the screen got the better the picture looked.
On this phone those same videos and others, too, look kind of grainy. Like the display should be a little smaller to get that sharp, crisp look. Turning the brightness all the way up just makes the grainy effect even worse. All of my HD videos have the same effect / look. I even turned on all of the warranty replacements I got. Same on 4 handsets. Kinda disappointed in the screen in that sense, but hey the phone was cheap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats because samsung uses samoled screens. yes they are vivid and full of color, but they are more vivid and more colorful than in real life. where the n5 screen colors are more true to the colors in reality.
simms22 said:
thats because samsung uses samoled screens. yes they are vivid and full of color, but they are more vivid and more colorful than in real life. where the n5 screen colors are more true to the colors in reality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. It's just unfortunate that real life sucks.
I think this is a pointless thread
Flash Franco's kernel and adjust the color reproduction of your screen as per your liking..
Topic closed..
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Techimplant said:
I think this is a pointless thread
Flash Franco's kernel and adjust the color reproduction of your screen as per your liking..
Topic closed..
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You forgot to close the topic, Mr. Mod. I can still post.
If that's the case, maybe they should use the same kind of screen. My GNex was beautiful and I miss it. This display is just sub-par now that I really think about it. Comparing side by side with the HD videos...this is sad. Still love my N5, but I really miss that old screen. The N5 would have killed if it was the same
Edit: @ tech. Shutup lawlz, changing my gamma values, etc. Won't fix the grainy issue. Troll
RoyJ said:
You forgot to close the topic, Mr. Mod. I can still post.
If that's the case, maybe they should use the same kind of screen. My GNex was beautiful and I miss it. This display is just sub-par now that I really think about it. Comparing side by side with the HD videos...this is sad. Still love my N5, but I really miss that old screen. The N5 would have killed if it was the same
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont know about your N5 but my display is same as a HTC One ..and similar to my iPhone 5 as well ..coz ppi> 300 is all the same to naked eyes..
And if u r in love in with those pathetic over saturated amoled screens then nobody can help you..U should switch to a S4 or Note 3 or S5(will be unveiled tomorrow) as soon as possible..
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
RoyJ said:
You forgot to close the topic, Mr. Mod. I can still post.
If that's the case, maybe they should use the same kind of screen. My GNex was beautiful and I miss it. This display is just sub-par now that I really think about it. Comparing side by side with the HD videos...this is sad. Still love my N5, but I really miss that old screen. The N5 would have killed if it was the same
Edit: @ tech. Shutup lawlz, changing my gamma values, etc. Won't fix the grainy issue. Troll
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, accurate or not it's not a very good looking screen. On my computer monitor or TV I'll take accurate colors, but on my smartphone I much prefer bright, vivid colors. I really think LG/Google and N5 fanboys use "accuracy" as an excuse for such a subpar display. Between the washed out colors and poor viewing angles, it's easily the biggest disappointment with the N5.
Um not visible to the naked eye? Actually it is. I notice it. With my eyes. SMH lol. Why do some people argue JUST to argue? There is a noticeable difference to the naked eye 100%.
Just because you never used the screen, or are a huge fanboy isn't my problem. My Gnex (like 3 years old) displays HD videos as sharply as my 70" smart TV. My N5 (new) doesn't even come close. It looks grainy and pixelated.
I think u dont know anything about displays ..and I hope you are not comparing a HD video..hope those are "Full HD" videos ..
And one of the best hardware review site said this about the display of N5 ..Now I dont know whether YOU are more intelligent and knowledgeable or the guys at Anandtech... The problem is that u were using a phone thats generations old now
.and here is the review..a part of it:
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
RoyJ said:
Um not visible to the naked eye? Actually it is. I notice it. With my eyes. SMH lol. Why do some people argue JUST to argue? There is a noticeable difference to the naked eye 100%.
Just because you never used the screen, or are a huge fanboy isn't my problem. My Gnex (like 3 years old) displays HD videos as sharply as my 70" smart TV. My N5 (new) doesn't even come close. It looks grainy and pixelated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that u dont know about pixels either..when u run a 720p video on a screen that has much less pixels built in then it would look fine..
But when u run at a 720p video on a screen whose resolution is 1080p then obviously it wont look that sharp..
i have a Dell Ultrasharp and thats one of the best monitors on the planet..so trust me I know how displays should be like..
EDIT: The reviewers at Anandtech said that the screen is even better than Note 3 ..and u are comparing it to a Galaxy Nexus
I think XDA membership should only be given to those people who have basic technical knowledge so that threads like this one can be avoided..
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Just because you buy a plane doesn't make you a pilot...
Obviously they are "full HD" lol. Use whatever tactics you would like to try to "prove" me wrong...
But the fact of the matter- the point I was trying to make, is
The galaxy nexus screen looks better to the naked eye than the n5 display does. Point blank period. Put the two side by side and it become obvious.
Who cares if I'm comparing n5 to a gnex??? Gnex looks better. Colors don't even look over saturated lol. Maybe that's because my gnex has a custom kernel with custom colors on it.
Okay so we took out the part of over saturation. So now pixelated effect. Gnex > n5.
RoyJ said:
Just because you buy a plane doesn't make you a pilot...
Obviously they are "full HD" lol. Use whatever tactics you would like to try to "prove" me wrong...
But the fact of the matter- the point I was trying to make, is
The galaxy nexus screen looks better to the naked eye than the n5 display does. Point blank period. Put the two side by side and it become obvious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you do realize that its a matter of taste, right? it might look better to you, but to someone else it might look like trash. "looks" isnt an accurate method to measure which is better, just like "feels" isnt an accurate way to measure temperature.
RoyJ said:
It looks grainy and pixelated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are we talking about the same phone here? LG's OLED screen on the G Flex is exactly as you describe.
Thankfully I haven't been tainted by OLED yet but I can safely say the Nexus 5's IPS LCD is of superior quality than my $400 BenQ 120Hz TN display from a few years back. Also much nicer to look at than the majority of 15" 1080p mobile screens you find in $900 laptops.
If you're rooted I think you can boost colour saturation which would somewhat mimic the look you're going for.
RoyJ said:
Just because you buy a plane doesn't make you a pilot...
Obviously they are "full HD" lol. Use whatever tactics you would like to try to "prove" me wrong...
But the fact of the matter- the point I was trying to make, is
The galaxy nexus screen looks better to the naked eye than the n5 display does. Point blank period. Put the two side by side and it become obvious.
Who cares if I'm comparing n5 to a gnex??? Gnex looks better. Colors don't even look over saturated lol. Maybe that's because my gnex has a custom kernel with custom colors on it.
Okay so we took out the part of over saturation. So now pixelated effect. Gnex > n5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude..N5 has a full RGB display..Amoleds dont.. The only little tiny tiny tiny issue with N5 display is that the colors are warm and so there is a slight yellow tint..and thats coz the gamma is set to 1.8 all across..
Now if you correct that gamma then the yellow tint will disappear..Right now my N5 has a gamma of 2.2 all across ..and 2.2-2.4 is the most accurate for any display in the world ..2.2 being the best
Now if you dont have any idea what I said then google is your friend..
And trust me u need it..u r in need of some serious knowledge..loads of it..
And now I cannot waste my knowledge and time with you any more..this conversation is over..
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
simms22 said:
you do realize that its a matter of taste, right? it might look better to you, but to someone else it might look like trash. "looks" isnt an accurate method to measure which is better, just like "feels" isnt an accurate way to measure temperature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whatever lol. I'm so done with this thread. I don't care how old a gnex is. It just looks better. Sure you are right, but as far as I'm concerned, that only has to do with the "color saturation levels".
I can watch the same video on both phones. Full HD. On my gnex, I can read the writing on paper money in movies. I can see designs / patterns in the iris of someones eyes. I can see every nook and cranny or the trunk of a tree.
On the N5 it just looks lower quality. I can see the color of someone's eyes but really no specific pattern. The picture isn't sharp enough. I can see a blurred image of what looks like text on money or papers on the N5.
Newer isn't always better lol

Anyone Else Disappointed with Gear Image Quality?

Having spent way too many hours trying to perfect my own DIY HMD, I thought I'd found the solution: I could just buy a Note 4, buy a Gear, and be done with it ( at least until the Rift is released).
Got my Gear today, and ... I can't get over how poor the image quality is. It's not the Note 4 screen, which is fine, it's the lenses on the Gear. When I look at a screen capture on my HMD (using the Note 4 as a screen), and then look at it on the Gear, the same image seems drastically different: zoomed in, with pixels the size of baseballs drowning out all sense of immersion. I tried a 1080p video on the Oculus Theater ... it was so pixelated it reminded me of watching videos on my old psp ...
In every other respect the Gear beats my DIY HMD hands down, but in this one--I would argue very important area--it absolutely does not.
Am I the only one who had this experience?
I agree with you that the image quality is still not good enough to replace mediums like a TV or monitor. This is for sure one reason why it will not find mass adoption right now. You must understand that this are really early days of consumer VR now and until today there is no "real" consumer ready HMD on the market.
ad. Gear VR lenses:
They really could have used better optics but then the price would be not "consumer friendly" then - also the DK2 lenses are crap in my opinion but it seems the market for good vr optics also just have been awaken.
I remember my first VR experience was with a homemade cardboard-design HMD using good lenses from high grade binoculars. They were heavy (as glass made) and the achieved FOV was not really great but it was crystal clear and nearly zero SDE. When i got my DK2 i was really disappointed to see this big pixel party! But realizing what a great FOV and the right software can achieve (a kind of presence) i knew we have to go for great FOV if VR should be a new medium and not only a image/movie viewer.
Thanks for the detailed response!
I think Samsung/Oculus tipped the balance WAY too far toward FOV at the expense of SDE.
Haints said:
Thanks for the detailed response!
I think Samsung/Oculus tipped the balance WAY too far toward FOV at the expense of SDE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally I prefer a larger FOV, and think you get the best experience with the foams removed (only have some on my nose). Would never choose a smaller FOV just for slightly less of a SDE as that would totally kill the immersion for me. Hoping for 4K full RGB screens in two years time.
Agree with you
I for one absolutely agree with you. got mine 2 days ago and yeah the experience is nice but the image quality is fuzzy or blurry, it would be nice if someone can mod a lens on to the Gear VR to sharpen the quality.
my question: is this issue addressed in the upcoming drift in 2016?
Haints said:
Having spent way too many hours trying to perfect my own DIY HMD, I thought I'd found the solution: I could just buy a Note 4, buy a Gear, and be done with it ( at least until the Rift is released).
Got my Gear today, and ... I can't get over how poor the image quality is. It's not the Note 4 screen, which is fine, it's the lenses on the Gear. When I look at a screen capture on my HMD (using the Note 4 as a screen), and then look at it on the Gear, the same image seems drastically different: zoomed in, with pixels the size of baseballs drowning out all sense of immersion. I tried a 1080p video on the Oculus Theater ... it was so pixelated it reminded me of watching videos on my old psp ...
In every other respect the Gear beats my DIY HMD hands down, but in this one--I would argue very important area--it absolutely does not.
Am I the only one who had this experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be very very honest, Im not disappointed about it at all. The tech is really young, the Note4 was only compatible with the innovator and development editions of the hardware. I cant comment on the quality improvement between the devices. But with a Note5 and a consumer version, Im getting exactly what I thought id be getting. Very bleeding edge technology that hasn't even gotten off the runway but is far ahead than anything else on the consumer market today.
Remember this: 100$ ..................... if you want something better, the next step is 600$ and only in march.
Also, this is technically not even an official 1st gen device. It's a slightly better draft than the slightly better draft of the previous editions. I think oculus and samsung partnered to use Galaxy users as a sort of Beta test. This technology obviously is the future, but as of now, its still a foetus. I have a Note 5, one of the most powerful smartphones in the world, and yet, the VR uses 98% of the phones performance. The battery drains within 1h practically and it generates so much heat it would probably keep your coffee warm in winter.
I bought one of the best rated VR headsets on amazon as a gift for my nephew, it cost me half of what my GearVR cost me, and it doesnt even come close to offer what Samsung does. The ONLY thing it does better, it it has almost no light leak. Thats also the only thing i can ***** about the GearVR, i would have liked a black background around lenses and thicker padding around face, or at least, an extra strip of padding we can patch the light leaks (also a carrying bag would have been nice even if it was cheap).
This GearVR sould have been called the "Early Bird Edition". We all are early adopters, I can tell you one thing, for 100$, I have impressed 100% of the people that put the headset on, and not only impressed, amazed. And 3 weeks later, i'm still being impressed by the new thing I find I can do, explore or play.
As for the pixels, it would take an 8K screen 3 inches from our face to not see them. I didnt know this until recently when the app froze on me but out the the entire screen realestate, only a very small portion is used for a majority of content. So yeah, that 1080p content you are watching, not exactly trueHD
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I might have made it a bit small, but not by much.
P.S. Not a big fan of the super mega studio adult films, but they have actually some of the highest quality videos out there, there are some samples floating around, its quite impressive.
Over the moon with mine, can watch full length movies with ease Tonto being one of them, battery no problem here with an s6 edge plus, but use mine on wifi only usually, and I have facebook blather and g+ disabled, and nothing polling ,email etc. all on manual , usually use unit at 4 to 5 on its brightness slide ,not aware of any light leak in my experience.
Everyone without exception who has tried it is blown away, I own my favourite phone anyway and then this appears, an accessory for $99 with this level of experience, if you are fortunate to be able to afford it without neglecting your life and dependants needs.......who wouldn't . If apple had released this exact same item with their logo ,the media would have eaten it alive with cream and the public would too, and, when they do, they will, we all
know this is in its infancy, but its a great place to be, the next advance in screen resolution will nail it, when your looking at a 25 foot screen with the clarity of a samsung big tv quality ,you, entertainment wise, have arrived.
plus, keep em like new guys, when it comes time to upgrade, this will practically sell your phone for you...maybe. lol.
Love mine too. Have had it since the day after Thanksgiving, and still using it a lot daily. There is a "screen door effect" to it, but the resolution is still clear and bright on movies. I put on some 3D movies last week, and they look great, and are easy to watch. Games like Herobound and Gunjack are also stunning and extremely fun with a controller to play. Samsung Internet browser is great, but don't count on all content to be great quality. There are some good 3D video samples on Youtube through the browser though. Also just looked through some Experiences in the Oculus Video app tonight, like going to the Electric Daisy Carnival. Again, quality of that video not great, but still a fun experience to see what it would be like to be there.
SDE is overpowering and both sides of the screen out of focus - in my experience. Its a cool toy but nothing I would use for any length of time. This is with the Note 5.
That being said, the tech should probably be good in a year or so.

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