Notebook with matte screen for movie watching

[kidio007]

Hi, I am looking for a notebook, and only need it to have the following:

*Be able to watch 720p movies for 5+ hours.
*Matte screen with more than, or close to, 60% abobe RGB color gamut (screen size doesn't matter).
*Budget $1200
*Will only be used for movie watching.

I travel a lot, so I bought the Asus Transformer Prime tablet and it worked great untill I actually got on the bus and started a movie. The glare was insane, even at full brightness, which is like 700 nits, it was killing me. So I guess I need a matte screen notebook as I travel a lot and watch movies on busses daytime.

Thanks!

[ZaZ]

If you're looking for a small notebook with a good matte screen and long battery life, the X220 with the IPS panel is worth a look.

[ralchevd]

HP ProBook. A friend of mine decided to buy HP ProBook 4530s, especially for this purpose.

[ZaZ]

I wouldn't imagine the HP is going to match the screen quality offered on the X220. Another good option might be the MacBook Air. The screen isn't as good as the X220. It does however offer more resolution if that's what you're after. It's a glossy screen, but pretty subdued by glossy standards. You can get one refurbished from Apple's website under your budget. Apple refurbished is pretty much new without the fancy box.

[mastypk]

Samsung series 7 maybe.

[Jonnyinter]

Have you considered buying an anti-glare screen protector for the Transformer Prime? It seems like a much cheaper option.

[kidio007]

If you're looking for a small notebook with a good matte screen and long battery life, the X220 with the IPS panel is worth a look.

I had a look at that one, but the IPS screen only has a color gamut of 45%, which is the standard for all 11" notebooks, and really bad for a IPS screen. I own screens with 110% and 95% abobe color gamut, so I need a screen with around 60% CG, that I found to be the sweetspot. Screen size doesn't really matter, but it seems like I have to go 15" or above because lower sized notebooks only offer really bad TN panels with low CG it seems.

Have you considered buying an anti-glare screen protector for the Transformer Prime? It seems like a much cheaper option.

Yes, I have. Anti-glare screen protectors make screens look terrible in my opinion. I also checked which were available for the Prime, but both got bad reviews and suffered from the same problems I experienced when putting on AG screen protectors. Matte screens however, although they reduce image quiality just a tiny bit, look fine to me.

Samsung series 7 maybe.

Seems like the screen here also has a color gamut of 45% abobe RGB, I need a bit more, as I've looked at screens with this CG and didn't like how pale the colors looked.

HP ProBook. A friend of mine decided to buy HP ProBook 4530s, especially for this purpose.

According to this thread, I can actually put a 1080p B156HW01 V.4 95% abobe CG screen onto the 4530s. It also looks like I can get a 9 cell battery for it. This might be perfect for me. $500 for the notebook, $99 for 9 cell battery and $99 for 95 CG screen = $700. Not bad.

[ZaZ]

I'm certainly no expert on the matter, but I thought the X220 had a 65% gamut. If you want a smaller laptop with a good screen, the X220 is the best choice out there right now. You can of course get a larger notebook, but that would seem counter intuitive for a laptop that's going to travel a lot. As someone who's seen a lot of laptop screens, the X220's is quite nice in my opinion.

[edit1754]

The X220 has 65% sRGB which is approx. 45% NTSC.

But the contrast of the screen is excellent, and contrast often matters more than color gamut.

[kidio007]

The X220 has 65% sRGB which is approx. 45% NTSC.

But the contrast of the screen is excellent, and contrast often matters more than color gamut.

That is very true, but as I have monitors with 110% and 95% NTSC, 45% to me does not look right. I have the m11x, which has the same color gamut as the X220, and I did not like how weak the colors were. But we all have different preferences, in my case I love over-saturated colors.

I did not know that the B156HW01 V1.4 95% NTSC fitted on the HP 4530S, and with the 9 cell battery it looks like it will do 6-7 hours of movie watching. For only $700 total, that is a dream deal for me.

Thanks for all the help guys!