Glossy screens can be great, in ideal lighting conditions they provide crisp details and deep contrast. However, in the real world lighting conditions are not ideal, and glossy screens will reflect a lot of light. Apart from just being annoying, reflections will increase eye strain. For the past month I’ve had a Power Support Antiglare film (model TV184LLA) on my 15″ glossy MacBook Pro and it’s been a great relief.
Available online for around $30, the Power Support Antiglare film arrives in nice packaging, and includes helpful installation instructions. I would recommend viewing this YouTube installation video as well. The overall result hinges on the very important installation process, so you must take the time to do it right. It’s very important to have a clean screen before applying the film. Get a soft cloth and really get all finger prints and dust particles off. Once it’s clean don’t delay the installation, as dust particles may settle on the screen. Follow the instructions, start at the top, and use the iSight camera to line it up correctly. Once it’s on, it stays on. There is no adhesive material, an no liquid solutions like some screen protectors use. This film uses static cling to stick to the screen.
It does a great job at reducing the amount of light reflected from the screen. Whatever light does get reflected sort of gets scattered, so it’s not as harsh. I can no longer use the screen as a mirror on dark images. As an added bonus, it doesn’t catch finger prints as easily as glass, so it’s much easier to keep the scree clean.
The main drawback to this product is a noticeable graininess added to the display. This is especially noticeable when viewing white and lightly colored screens. The small details and text appear to be less sharp than they were without the film. It’s not a dealbreaker, but if you work a lot photos or you absolutely must have best color reproduction and sharpness, it may be worthwhile to upgrade to an antiglare MacBook Pro model instead.
The Power Support Antiglare film does what it’s supposed to, and it’s definitely worth the asking price. I can finally sit by a window with direct sun light or a light fixture and not worry about screen glare. If I was buying a brand new computer today, I would opt to get the factory installed antiglare screen, but since I already have glossy MacBook Pro, this is the next best thing.
Even in direct sun light, the film scatters the light, and the screen is easy on the eyes.
