Color is off on my MBP 17" display - cool/purple bias won't go away

Charlie:

I am getting closer to a well calibrated monitor after resintalling the OS X and doing a calibration with my Eye One Display 2.

I was wondering if you could post the specific steps you follow to do a calibration with this device.

1. Do you bother doing a pre-calibration with the Apple built in calibration software?
2. In advance mode, I think you set to 2.2 and 6500?
3. What about Luminance? 120 or 140?
4. Do you check the luminance setting? I find it is 3 clicks up from center.
5. I am doing in a dark environment.

When this is done, the profile I get with the brightness turned down to 3 over center -- is a little dark and flat.

The best profile I have gotten -- brightness and saturation -- is actually the very simple auto calibration on full brightness with NO prior adjustments in the apple software calibration.

I found the following helpful:
http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-8741-9027
http://thelightroomlab.com/2009/01/calibrating-a-monitor-using-the-x-rite-eyeone -display2-system/ (second video is on laptop calibration)

Thanks

Eric

hello,

so, i brought my 17 inch uMBP to the apple store, and basically they are trying to deny that there is an issue with the display. they admitted that they could see a blue cast to the display but just put it down to some displays not having the same colour.

when we looked at a 17 inch with a matt screen and it had the same colour issue. i stated that it had the same defect and they just said it is not a defect it is just not displaying the colours the way you want them to - great. we even looked at a 20 inch iMac and the colour was spot on - again they discounted this.

i looked at a 30 inch display with the manager and the tech person and again they agreed that there were issues with the colour on my machine, compared to the 30 inch, but discounted it because the monitors were not the same.

the colours on the 30 inch were spot on by the way.

this is hopeless, even calibrated i can't get the right colours.

I'm saddened to read the many posts below regarding the 17" MBP display issues. I wrote about this problem (my frustration) more than a year back and am disappointed to learn that it still exists. Albeit not the same issue exactly, but a calibration (color correction) issue non-the-less. Why is it that these inferior displays are accepted by Apple for use in their MBPs? Is it because they believe color is (as someone wrote below) loosey-goosey interpreted? I understand the fact that we all interpret color differently but for Apple to offer a substandard "standard" for professional use doesn't make sense to me. This in turn would mean that Apple has become substandard. Or is it because Apple's state-of-the-art products are just that, "state-of-the-art?" I suppose that in its definition alone state-of-the-art offers the understanding that it is the best at the time, but possibly not the best over time. Or is it because being "green" is now more important than being professional? Are we sacrificing professionalism do to the desire to save our planet from mercury poisoning? Or, are we caught up in the technology of it all. Time allowed us to progress from the Apple II. Maybe in time the same will happen with the displays.

As a side note: I bought one of the earliest cinema displays and resented the purchase from almost the first day due to pixel issues, etc. It just died last week. Due to my geographical location and client need for speed, I was forced to purchase a Samsung display from BestBuy (BestBuy in Palm Desert no longer carries Apple displays for some reason). It by far is superior (and accurate) in color than was my Apple.

And another side note: Last November I sold my MBP because of it's color issue to a friend who progressed from the PC laptop world. I did this with the intension of buying a new 17" when I had hoped they would be released this summer. Also hoping that the time would resolve our color frustration. Due to your post I'm putting it off again. Maybe by the holidays the monitors will be acceptable (and useful) for those of us that care about color.

Those of us who 'care about color' also own and use these 17" UMBPs and are having no issues whatsoever; we just don't post here much about it. You're cheating yourself out of a great tool if you allow yourself to be led to the conclusion that the 17" UMBP display is inherently inferior and somehow incapable of truly top-end, mission-critical color work. It is, and hundreds of my professional clients swear by them, not at them!

First off, not everyone's experience has been negative; far from it. In fact, I've set up literally hundreds of these 17" UMBPs to an industry-standard ICC ProPhoto RGB hardware calibration profile with spectacular results. Consistent, contrasty, bright, accurate, rich colors, deep blacks, smooth tonal ramps, crisp color rendition, and consistent adjustment of gamma, white point, and color mapping.

What many if not most of these folks having serious display issues are experiencing is another, different failure of Apple's. Not the display per se, but the driver situation, i.e., many of the Nvidia drivers interact with the new wide-gamut 17" panel in unique ways, and this makes ANY cross-driver install, including factory-sealed, the box Apple 17" UMBPs that have the wrong Nvidia drivers installed. One method is to re-install from the Apple Restore Disk the entire OS. That, in most cases, has worked. In other cases, there is definitely a hardware issue. In still others, I've found that Apple has installed the wrong, non-17" UMBP OS package, and not only are the Nvidia drivers wrong, but so are the ColorSync pieces within the version of OS X that was factory-installed on the 17" UMBP! Other issues that I've found in the hundreds of installations and calibrations that I've done, from everyone from a certain Marin County- based FX company to startup post video and professional imaging and photography companies are the substitution of the proper Software Restore Disks that come in the 17" UMBP box with generic other Apple MaBook Pro-specific OS install software. In all these cases, accurate calibration of the 17" UMBP display was rendered impossible until the proper software was installed and then calibration could commence.

It's easy, but wrong, to assume that by sheer number of people having issues with the 17" UMBP displays on this forum that there must be some terrible hardware, sub-standard display issue with most 17" UMBPs, when just the opposite is true.

Whatever you do, it wouldn't hurt to look around, maybe call a few well-heeled Ad Agencies in your area, and ask if they are using any 17" UMBPs yet. If so, then you might ask a few questions concerning how a professional company that relies on income garnered with such a tool calibrated and prepared theirs for professional color work. If you are lucky or persistent enough to see one with your own eyes, or converse with said agency or two about their experiences with the 17" UMBPs, I suspect that you'll find a few facts missing from a lot of the discussion here.

Just a thought.

Best,

Charle

Can I ask is this the same problem 13" MacBook Pros are expercing it sounds similar.

Obviously, not all of us have the same standards. Coincidentally, I believe another example of low standards, both professional and creative, are ad agencies. Can only think of a limited few from which I'd value an opinion. Thank you for your input Charlie.

Well, I apologise for coming across as condescending, then.

Try places where i work as a Consultant, training other pros in gallery-grade color prints on various substrates and papers for museums for Smith College (Digital Imaging Center), Yale University, Middlebury College, VT (Art Center), and places where you know of that print stuff you admire in terms of color image reproduction, at the gallery/museum level.

BTW, by Ad Agencies, I mean ones with lots of color printing experience, such as a few of those you'll find in Comm. Arts, HOW, etc... and, yeah- if I'd been thinking, I'd have remembered how bad some of the Ad Agencies I've worked with are.

I've worked at times with the Skywalker folks in West Marin; if you get a chance to find a few film/post houses that do quality stuff, ask some questions. Since you seem to think you know quality from dreck, I'm sure you'll find some folks who'll show such an expert as yourself a few examples of what good tools such as a well-calibrated and set up 17" UMBP can do in flim, FX, 3D color, and professional gallery work for all kinds of digital imaging.

Start with the limited few Ad agencies, then, and work your way through a few more avenues actual apex-level critical color work.

My standards are as unreasonably high as they come, and so are my skills and experience, so I get the color output I'm after, every time. That's why I'm paid what I am- think white-shoe corporate attorney hourly rates and multiply by 2. And my clients always want me back, even in this recession.

Since I've been a professional in color digital imaging and reproduction since 1982, I suspect my standards are somewhat higher than yours, and I mean that in the best way. ;^)

Best,

Charlie

Hello,

I spoke with Apple again regarding the issue of the purple blue/blue colour cast on the 17 inch uMBP.

Apple has reviewed the engineering data regarding this issue and has determined that it is indeed a hardware failure. *Apple is now treating the defective display on the 17 inch as a DOA*. Also according to Apple, they have reported successful resolutions to this issue by exchanging the unit for customers.

Lastly, Apple engineering has reviewed the ColorSync profiles for this machine and has *logged the review of profiles from users as “full”* – meaning that they do not consider this a software issue.

If you have a 17 inch uMBP with this issue, contact Apple with respect to getting a replacement under the DOA proviso. Also CTO machines are covered under the DOA.

It might be helpful if users report their experience in getting their units exchanged.

Regards,

PoliSciguy

P.S. Sorry I don’t know if this applies to the 13 inch MacBook.

Awesome. Thanks for runnin' that down, PSG- that's really useful to know.

Now I can tell my clients who have that issue where nothing in software/hardware calibration or driver/firmware works to remedy the screen issue this info, and shepard their through my reps with this info to get replacements faster.

I successfully corroborated this info with two of my associated Apple Service Providers...

BTW, they say that this also applies to the old AND new 13" UMBs and UMBPs, including CTO units! 8-P

I ordered 11 units each for my guys in the field, both 13 UMBPs and 15" UMBPs... we'll see if any have the those issus.

Again, nice rundown- much appreciated! %^P

Best,

Charlie

Charlie:

I asked for your advice with regards to specific settings in my post above.

You have posted several times since, but did not respond to my request.

Are you willing to share your experience with regards to specific settings?

I am using a Eye One Display 2 system.

Thanks

Eric

I too am having this issue, blue/purple cast, washed out. Big disapointment after upgrading my 15" MPB to a $3000+ 17". Being a former Art Director for a small magazine company, I am familiar with calibrating monitors and using Apples Colour Profiles, but the best I can manage is a cast that doesn't look horrible, but still is 'off'. It is surely no where near colour accurate. I need to run back to my hotel room to get my Mac (for the serial number) and I will be calling Apple ASAP. Hopefully I can get this replaced. (CTO; hope it doesn't take too long).

Sorry Eric, my bad. I’m moving our family up the West coast a ways, including my wife, who’s bedridden with migraines, so I’ve missed a few posts.


First off, run the entire calibration process with brightness set to maximum, ‘auto-adjust’ set to Off.

1. Do you bother doing a pre-calibration with the Apple built in calibration software?
No. The method of hardware calibration precludes the need for any ‘pre calibration’.
2. In advance mode, I think you set to 2.2 and 6500?
I like to use a combo of 2.2 Gamma, 6000 degree white point, and ProPhoto RGB.

3. What about Luminance? 120 or 140?
120.

4. Do you check the luminance setting? I find it is 3 clicks up from center. I use the manual method of setting luminance; I don’t have it open right now, and I’ve been up for about 40 hours, so please excuse my lack of visual memory of the UI; I’ve also been using other hardware calibrators for setting up medical monitors for the past 3 months, so I’m mentally confusing UI steps here. Set Luminance to 120 in manual/advanced mode; never use presets that G-M suggests.

5. I am doing in a dark environment.

The above should work well; if you need to, set luminance lower in increments of 20, minimum of 100, no matter what your viewing environment. I think you’ll get your best results at 120, however.

Hope this helps. I’ll try and keep a closer look at my e-mail notifications from now on! ;^)

Best,

Charlie

Charlie:

Thanks for the fast reply.

I wish you all the best for your wife's health.

I will try those settings and let you know.

All the best.

Eric

Hi PoliSciGuy, how did you go with your replacement? I hope you managed to get a brilliant flawless display. I am awaiting my June 2009 17" MBP with baited breath. I hope Apple has managed to figure out the issue. I know I'll be calling them ASAP if they haven't!

hello,

i am being issued a replacement by apple, though i have not gotten it yet. hope this one works. i will post back and let you all know. let us know how your new computer works out.

regards,

polisicguy