Thread: Xenarc 7" screen = not usable in sun at all

Originally Posted by bigpimpn79

I can't seem to be getting anything right with my carPC project. Here's my experience with the Xenarc:

I have no idea why people have been recommending it since I can't see how it would have ever worked during the day. I went with this thinking transreflective was only for convertibles, but was HORRIBLY mistaken.

Now I'm stuck with a crappy $400 custom bezel for a screen that sucks along with it. There goes $800...Go with the sun readable screen and do it right the 1st time. Funny how I approached the project with no limits on the budget so I wouldn't have to sacrifice anything and still got short changed in the end.

I'm 100% going with the 7" lilliput transreflective screen shortly and redoing the bezel as well.

All fine and dandy in the garage/shaded area:


Worse decision ever:

You paid $400 for that crappy custom bezel?! Wow...

Anyways, there are many threads that tell you about the transflective vs. others. The reason why Xenarc is reccommended is because you are buying quality/durability and features (like auto-on) whereas the lilliputs are cheaper, chinese made, barebones that have a high failure rate.

That is why the Xenarc is reccommended. Now for sunlight readability, the only option is the transflective at this point. There is a thread around here where you can send your screen to the transflective people and for $400 or so you can get your xenarc transflective-ized. That is how the first few were done before the store started carrying them.

So long story short, you should have known what you were buying. Always know what you buy before you do. And getting your current screen to be a translflective will save you $250 because you only need $400 extra instead of $650 extra and you will get the quality of the Xenarc you wanted.

Now my experience with my non-transflective lilliput has been great. $200 and never looked back. I can see it in the sun fine. I too have heavy tint, and the civic coupes are notorious for sun washing the controls and all displays. The stock radio and instrument cluster become unreadeable sometimes due to the sunroof location. But for the most part I have no problems.

So you can either try to semi-fix it with some heavy tint (which I know in Ontario is highly illegal, but unsure about BC) for about $150 to $250, or get a transflective treatment or replacement.

Another factor that contributes to glare is the angle your screen is positioned at with respect to you. make it a direct view, not on an angle if you can. At least in the y direction so it isn't swiveled towards you, but the up/down is pointed right at your eyes.

I have the darkest legal tint all the way around which helps, but no where near as dark as limo. We have plenty of sun in AZ Even with the sun behind the car, its still bad. I didn't take a picture of my hand in front but its like a mirror and any object (stick shift) in front of it makes it worse.

I read in the transreflective thread about sending in your screen and they stopped doing that along time ago; otherwise, mine would be in the mail as we speak.

I doubt building an inset or moving the Y-position would work. The light output decreases if you are viewing it from an angle than the front. Plus, its not the look I wanted that the transreflective can do.

Do you guys have pics of your screens in the day?

I just asked the translfective company directly if they would be willing to retrofit monitors still. I might be willing if it is still the $300 or so they were asking.

Oooh, definitely lets us know. I really don't want to use the Lilliput since people have been saying its not as good as the Xenarc, but like all the other threads are saying, we're stuck. I'll even spend $400+ to get the Xenarc done.

Originally Posted by netchris

Nope, but our $365 Xenarcs are really a rip too when you can get a 20.1" widescreen monitor for less than that. There just isn't much competition in the market imo so the companies are just gouging us.

Back on topic though, maybe this would help. If you're ready to spend $400-$650 to go transflective then it couldn't hurt to try a $40 piece of film..

That polarizing film wont help worth a damn compared to a transflective coat. I saw the before and after with that polarized film, and it looks darker and no better glare wise. Waste of money in my eyes. And seeing previous tests with polarizing film, they all have none to minimal improvement.

And yes $200 - $400 extra is worth it on a screen you already have and installed to make it transflective.