Upgrade your LCD: XBRITE
Approximate cost of upgrade: $80-$140

NOTE: ScreenTek has since increased their pricing for this service. It will vary based on whether you're purchasing a new screen or redoing your current one.

One obvious downfall of the Z1 Series is its lack of an XBRITE display. Fortunately, unlike the graphics card, this is something we can upgrade. The only downside of this process is that we can't do it ourselves.

What makes an XBRITE better? It gives your screen a glossy coating that results in sharper images, better contrast, increased brightness, and an overall better picture quality.

To get this upgrade requires your screen's matte-finished polarizer be removed and replaced with a glossy finish. I didn't think it was possible either - until I found an online company who does the upgrade. I found them while looking for LCDs. Their name is ScreenTek, Inc. and they're based in Texas (United States).

The process is fairly simple for the customer. All you have to do is get in touch with a sales rep (contact information can be found on their site) - the rep will send you an order form and a packing list so they know what you want, and what you're sending with your computer.

If you don't want to remove your computer's screen you'll need to send the whole unit to them. You pay for shipping of your choice to get your well-packed Z1 to them. I recommend using your original box if you have it. You choose from FedEx 2nd day or overnight return shipping which is $12.50 or $20, respectively. The service itself is $50-$100. Once they receive your computer it takes them about a day before they're ready to ship it back (provided all goes well).

Before you know it your computer it shipped back with a beautiful glossy XBRITE-style screen. Of course, you could also do this process in other ways. You may:

   •Ship your whole computer and upgrade your current screen
   •Ship your whole computer and have them upgrade/install a new LCD
   •Ship your LCD to be upgraded
   •Order a new LCD to be upgraded before shipping

Overall, this is a relatively cheap upgrade that makes a big impact on the quality of the computer. The only real cost variable is your choices for shipping. I'll be trying to take some pictures of my shiny display to add to this page shortly.

As of now the only company I know of who performs this upgrade is ScreenTek. If someone knows of another company, please let me know.

Resources:
Visit ScreenTek's web site and click the appropriate "PixelBright Upgrade" button on the left side navigation.

See also: Removing your Z1's hard drive partition

Questions & Comments: maki@vaioz.com

Return to homepage.