I'm upset, and why you should be too.

specfreq · October 5, 2020

Since 2010 It has been getting progressively harder and harder to find a monitor without an anti-glare coating and even more difficult if you also wanted one for speed/gaming. Many manufacturers used to offer the same model with both matte or glossy choices.

Now that 4k monitors are becoming increasingly popular, there is more reason than ever to want the choice of glossy screen for people that sit about 2 feet from them. Let me show you what I mean:

If you do a DuckDuckGo search for "glossy vs matte monitor" you will get comparisons that focuses only on the anti-reflection benefits you gain, not the clarity difference that you lose from having an anti-glare coating in between you and the pixels.

Here are 2 examples I found that shows improvement in clarity instead of the improvement in glare diffusal (Mabey not the best examples, they're hard to find):

1

2

Here are some macro photos of different monitors with a variety of anti-glare coatings

This is all about having more choice, a core pillar in PC gaming. No one wants to take away your matte monitor, just give us back the option for glossy.

Edited October 5, 2020 by Spotty
no lmgtfy type links

KnightSirius · October 5, 2020

This is interesting and not something I've ever actually thought about.

I suppose the market and manufacturers both decided at some point matte is the best 'all-rounder' option and that's what has stuck around for the most part.
I wonder how much cost there is to have two different SKUs glossy/matte. Then you have the problem of allocation, how many do you make?
It gets messy quickly from that point of view, so it is understandable why they've stopped doing it. Especially because you then have to educate consumers on the difference when most don't care.

It would be nice to have the option though, because in my lighting situation I'd be fine without the heavy anti-glare that is on my current monitors in favour of a bit more clarity.

Edit:
Seems it is possible to remove anti-glare coatings yourself but it's a pretty big hassle and not sure how well it works with different and/or newer displays.

(2012) How to Remove Anti-glare AG Coating from Dell U2312HM-LCD

Spotty · October 5, 2020

Moved to displays.

No LMGTFY (Let Me Google That For You) links or comments in the same spirit.

specfreq · October 5, 2020

7 hours ago, KnightSirius said:

This is interesting and not something I've ever actually thought about.

I suppose the market and manufacturers both decided at some point matte is the best 'all-rounder' option and that's what has stuck around for the most part.
I wonder how much cost there is to have two different SKUs glossy/matte. Then you have the problem of allocation, how many do you make?
It gets messy quickly from that point of view, so it is understandable why they've stopped doing it. Especially because you then have to educate consumers on the difference when most don't care.

It would be nice to have the option though, because in my lighting situation I'd be fine without the heavy anti-glare that is on my current monitors in favour of a bit more clarity.

Edit:
Seems it is possible to remove anti-glare coatings yourself but it's a pretty big hassle and not sure how well it works with different and/or newer displays.

(2012) How to Remove Anti-glare AG Coating from Dell U2312HM-LCD

It might be a cost thing, I was trying to find a clip of Linus recalling a conversation with a monitor manufacturer that brought him a review unit and he basically laughed at the idea of them bringing him a glossy monitor. He said in a way, they were baffled that gamers wanted matte over glossy and sort of colored the display manufacturing industry as "out-of-touch". I wish I could find that clip, I think it may have been in his podcast.

I saw that post on HardForum but it's out of the question for me and many others to do. I've read that some panels do not have a water soluble glue or use a different adhesion method and trying this ruins the display.