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Matte never made sense at all. I have no idea how matte ever made it into PC monitors. I mean, before lcd screens all screen surfaces where smooth glass. Then

Matte never made sense at all. I have no idea how matte ever made it into PC monitors. I mean, before lcd screens all screen surfaces where smooth glass. Then came LCD in plastic. Did the early LCD tech necessitate that the outside layer be not as smooth for some reason? Maybe it was just a coincidence that was later cargo-culted? Anyway, there's a reason macbooks, and almost every TV uses a glossy surface. Their main supposed advantage, that they mitigate glare, is just false. With a glossy screen you get a small point of reflection. Matte attenuates it just a tiny bit, but never enough so that is not bothersome. You can usually tilt/angle your screen to fight glare, but matte makes it harder because the glaring spot is bigger/more diffuse. Also, higher brightness is one of the things that fight glare the most and matte reduce it a lot! Mobile phones, the devices we carry outside the most and should be most susceptible to glare issues never ever come with matte screens! How is matte even still a thing?

hollerith 3y ago
I prefer matte monitors although it is not that important to me. >You can usually tilt/angle your screen to fight glare, but matte makes it harder because the glaring spot is bigger/more diffuse. I would need to be able to switch quickly between a matte monitor and a glossy one to be sure, but IIRC the main advantage of matte is a many-fold reduction in how often I have to swivel my attention to the issue of glare. In other words, it is the need to "tilt/angle the screen" that is the main cost of glossy for me because I cannot do that without taking some of my attention away from the task at hand. In contrast, if I am already constantly holding the screen in my hand a la a smartphone then I can adjust the angle with very little conscious attention, so IIUC I have no preference for matte screens on smartphones, which if my preferences are common, would explain the absence of matte screens in smartphones.
Andrew_nenakhov 3y ago
> Their main supposed advantage, that they mitigate glare, is just false. It is very true, contrary to what you claim. The glare on my old trusty Dell U2413 matte display is next to non-existent compared to Apple M1 Air that is hooked to it.
- bernawil 3y ago
  maybe I wasn't very clear in my point. I'm not saying matte doesn't attenuate glare. I'm saying that it does some, mainly by diffusing it and spreading it around and I personally can't stand any amount of it. It's binary for me: If I get any amount of glare I tilt my screen away until there's none. Another issue is the nature of the reflection. In a glossy screen, the reflection often is a mirror effect that, at least for me, is easier to ignore. Reflections in matte shine up the surface's tiny individual indentations and that blocks more of the screen under it. And what about screen protectors? You can make a glossy screen matte with one, but not the other way around.
  - Andrew_nenakhov 3y ago
    That's just like, your opinion, man. It is clear that you don't like matte screens, but it is a far road from your preferences to universal statements like "Matte never made sense at all." Also, screen protectors? Last time I saw one was ~1994.
    - bernawil 3y ago
      haha, oh of course all of this is implicitly prefaced with "In my opinion". > Also, screen protectors? Last time I saw one was ~1994. Ugh, I think you're thinking of those tinted glass things you'd hang on old CRT monitors? Never heard of those being called "screen protectors" though. By screen protector I mean replaceable covers for flat screens: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805177079468.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.5.5c3c5afcC0OOHj&algo_pvid=ddbacf3e-c08d-4c13-b998-24ff8f9fb517&algo_exp_id=ddbacf3e-c08d-4c13-b998-24ff8f9fb517-2&pdp_npi=3%40dis%21USD%215.53%214.42%21%21%2139.78%21%21%402102160416885621066078188d07bc%2112000032748579574%21sea%21US%21781257429&curPageLogUid=uK2oNBhOApdm https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805177079468.html?spm=a2g... My proposal for the industry: ship screens as glossy and add the matte as an optional screen protector. Note that before around 2010 this was already how they shipped displays: the matte was a plastic layers that you could frequently peel off. Nowadays, most matte displays have the surface finish done right on the polarizer layer.
crote 3y ago
I strongly prefer matte, to the point of immediately excluding glossy from my initial selection. In my experience matte only has issues when the sun is shining directly onto it, whereas glossy will immediately glare in areas which aren't incredibly light. Got something with black on your screen? Guess what, it's suddenly a mirror! Additionally, glossy is way more susceptible to fingerprints, so you have to religiously keep cleaning them. > There's a reason macbooks, and almost every TV uses a glossy surface. I always thought it is just because it looks "premium". > Mobile phones, the devices we carry outside the most and should be most susceptible to glare issues never ever come with matte screens! Yes, and I often notice myself tilting the screen away from reflections. That's a lot harder with a desktop.
- bick_nyers 3y ago
  I hate glossy monitors, the mirror is so distracting, it catches my eye all the time. Even if the reflection is faint, it is unexpected movement.

hollerith 3y ago

I prefer matte monitors although it is not that important to me. >You can usually tilt/angle your screen to fight glare, but matte makes it harder because the glaring spot is bigger/more diffuse. I would need to be able to switch quickly between a matte monitor and a glossy one to be sure, but IIRC the main advantage of matte is a many-fold reduction in how often I have to swivel my attention to the issue of glare. In other words, it is the need to "tilt/angle the screen" that is the main cost of glossy for me because I cannot do that without taking some of my attention away from the task at hand. In contrast, if I am already constantly holding the screen in my hand a la a smartphone then I can adjust the angle with very little conscious attention, so IIUC I have no preference for matte screens on smartphones, which if my preferences are common, would explain the absence of matte screens in smartphones.

Andrew_nenakhov 3y ago

> Their main supposed advantage, that they mitigate glare, is just false. It is very true, contrary to what you claim. The glare on my old trusty Dell U2413 matte display is next to non-existent compared to Apple M1 Air that is hooked to it.

bernawil 3y ago
maybe I wasn't very clear in my point. I'm not saying matte doesn't attenuate glare. I'm saying that it does some, mainly by diffusing it and spreading it around and I personally can't stand any amount of it. It's binary for me: If I get any amount of glare I tilt my screen away until there's none. Another issue is the nature of the reflection. In a glossy screen, the reflection often is a mirror effect that, at least for me, is easier to ignore. Reflections in matte shine up the surface's tiny individual indentations and that blocks more of the screen under it. And what about screen protectors? You can make a glossy screen matte with one, but not the other way around.
- Andrew_nenakhov 3y ago
  That's just like, your opinion, man. It is clear that you don't like matte screens, but it is a far road from your preferences to universal statements like "Matte never made sense at all." Also, screen protectors? Last time I saw one was ~1994.
  - bernawil 3y ago
    haha, oh of course all of this is implicitly prefaced with "In my opinion". > Also, screen protectors? Last time I saw one was ~1994. Ugh, I think you're thinking of those tinted glass things you'd hang on old CRT monitors? Never heard of those being called "screen protectors" though. By screen protector I mean replaceable covers for flat screens: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805177079468.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.5.5c3c5afcC0OOHj&algo_pvid=ddbacf3e-c08d-4c13-b998-24ff8f9fb517&algo_exp_id=ddbacf3e-c08d-4c13-b998-24ff8f9fb517-2&pdp_npi=3%40dis%21USD%215.53%214.42%21%21%2139.78%21%21%402102160416885621066078188d07bc%2112000032748579574%21sea%21US%21781257429&curPageLogUid=uK2oNBhOApdm https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805177079468.html?spm=a2g... My proposal for the industry: ship screens as glossy and add the matte as an optional screen protector. Note that before around 2010 this was already how they shipped displays: the matte was a plastic layers that you could frequently peel off. Nowadays, most matte displays have the surface finish done right on the polarizer layer.

crote 3y ago

I strongly prefer matte, to the point of immediately excluding glossy from my initial selection. In my experience matte only has issues when the sun is shining directly onto it, whereas glossy will immediately glare in areas which aren't incredibly light. Got something with black on your screen? Guess what, it's suddenly a mirror! Additionally, glossy is way more susceptible to fingerprints, so you have to religiously keep cleaning them. > There's a reason macbooks, and almost every TV uses a glossy surface. I always thought it is just because it looks "premium". > Mobile phones, the devices we carry outside the most and should be most susceptible to glare issues never ever come with matte screens! Yes, and I often notice myself tilting the screen away from reflections. That's a lot harder with a desktop.

bick_nyers 3y ago
I hate glossy monitors, the mirror is so distracting, it catches my eye all the time. Even if the reflection is faint, it is unexpected movement.