Sure View privacy screen provides no privacy, but a perpetually sure bad view at any angle.

[screening4ashes]

The internet is abuzz with complaints of HP's latest Sure View implementation.  Even a UK reviewer said to avoid this product, if only I had seen this before ordering.  I actually thought I ordered it without Sure View, but going back to the custom builder, there are only 3 options, 2 OLED panels, and one IPS panel with Sure View.  There are many good reasons to avoid OLED screens for laptops, and the 10th gen i7 version of the spectre has 4 options, 2 IPS, one with, and one without Sure View, and 2 OLED panels (I believe 1080p and 4K).  Why they dropped IPS without Sure View for the latest gen Spectre is beyond me, but the "feature" is by all accounts a big ugly BUG.

Not only are viewing angles poor from every angle, including head-on, with a gradient-effect for the lighting, like ancient TN panels, but toggling "privacy" on/off does absolutely nothing to the viewing angle, but only effectively changes the brightness.  If dimming your old TN is considered "privacy", then HP didn't invent a great technology, but rather RUINED a great technology, by making it bad at two things, instead of just being bad at one thing.

The Sure View panel included in the latest Spectres is a great displeasure to use.  it is a constant irritation for part of the screen to appear darker than the other, giving you a kind of "cylinder gradient" effect.  It is irritating, and can cause increased eye strain, and even headaches in some users.

If you value your money, and your eyes, and even your privacy, DO NOT BUY a Sure View laptop from HP.  If you want to avoid OLED as I do, then you will have to find a different manufacturer for an 11th gen evo i7 ultraportable, because HP seems hell-bent on NOT giving this option to any of their customers.  Which is a real shame because the Spectre is a magnificent ultrabook, which would serve a person for many years, if they didn't make an IPS panel that mimics an old TN panel so perfectly, while at the same time providing zero privacy from the prying eyes of your neighbors.

Now, if anyone has done any reading about the Sure View technology, they have probably come across explanations of the "feature" which describe it as a combination hardware and software based "solution".  The most detailed explanation says that HP uses a proprietary backlight and a 3M privacy screen to sandwich the IPS panel, and then with a software switch, you can cause the backlight to shine the light directly at the privacy screen, which blinds the view from angles, or shine the backlight at a special angle through the privacy screen, which circumvents the "blinds" and allows the light to flow in all directions.  Well, if that's the theory, the practical application failed in the latest Spectres, because toggling the switch makes no different in viewing angles, but only cuts the brightness in half (at least it appears to be half as bright as when on), and then return to the original brightness when off.

My question is this:  Do any of the technically minded HP employees, or enthusiasts out there have any idea where exactly the privacy screen is located in the display array?  I can tell it is part of the display, because it creates a kind of diamond hatch pixelation effect which is hard to see but distinguishable when looking closely at the screen with a white or very light background, and at certain angles, you can see a prism rainbow effect when an outside light source strikes the screen, whether it is on or of, it is easier to see when off, or when looking at a reflection of the screen in a mirror.  When the computer/screen is off, you can clearly see this privacy shield (presumably a layer made by 3M, as that's what some Sure View tech release ads say it uses).

What I, and I imagine many other disgruntled customers would like to know, would be: is it possible to remove this layer?  is it an adhesive layer that can be pealed off, perhaps if heated?  is it on the inside of the glass?  is it fused physically to the IPS panel and therefore impossible to remove?  Is it fused to the glass and impossible to remove from the glass, but possible to replace by buying a new glass from any non-Sure View model?  I'm sure the glass from the OLED models would work just fine!

If it is fused to the panel directly, is anyone aware of a replacement IPS panel that fits the 13t-aw200 series Spectres?

HP wants a 15% restocking fee to take back their garbage, I don't understand how they can sell a simulated TN panel as a "feature", and I don't understand why they got rid of IPS panels without Sure View in the latest Spectres...

I would be overjoyed if someone with technical knowledge could tell me that the privacy film is NOT fused to the IPS panel, and can actually be removed!  However, I would also be pleased to have someone with technical knowledge confirm the worst fear that it is fused to the IPS panel, and can't be removed without ruining the panel itself.  In which case, it would be great to know of a replacement IPS panel that could be swapped out after market.  The 10th gen i7 models from last year have a non-Sure View panel option, does anyone know if that specific panel is interchangeable with the latest model with the 11th gen i7?  if it is, replacement panels should be available!