Monitor Glare Problem

[Terry]

I finally moved my cab out of the garage and into my office and the first thing I noticed is that the cab is unplayable during the day due to glare.  (it was fine in my garage with no windows, but even with one window in my office and the shades closed, it is really bad)  I have been searching for a while on threads that deal with this problem, but have mostly come across threads talking about using smoked glass / plexi.

I am currently using 1/4" clear plexi which is positioned at about a 15 deg. slant (from verticle).  I imagine glare is a common problem among cabs.  If I were to swap out my clear with a smoked/tinted peice of plexi, will that greatly reduce the glare?

I found a place that will cut me an anti-glare filter screen to size.  They claim with this in place it will cut 99% of the glare.  It is a bit expensive at $120.00.  I believe the material was polycarbonate (this is from memory) and it is 1/16" thick.  I don't mind the price to much since I have spend arond $800 on my cab already, $120.00 doesn't seem that much to resolve this problem.

Has anyone tried anything like this?  The only concerns I would have is how would the ACT LABS light guns work with this type of filter?  Anyone try using one of these guns with a filter of this type on there computer monitor?  Also, since the filter is going to be about 2 to 3 inches off the monitor (27" TV) will it get to fuzy?  The sales guy told me it shouldn't be a problem, but he did say it works best up against the monitor screen.

I hate waiting until it gets dark to play my cab, so I need to figure out if I should take the risk of spending the $120 on this filter, with the possible loss of using my light gun (that would not be an option for me if it was the case), or if anyone could verify that using a smoked plexi helps with the glare, then I would definetly go that route first since I know the light guns still work through the smoked stuff.

Sorry for all the questions, but I hope I can get this problem resolved with some feedback.  Here is the link to that anti-glare filter.  http://glarefiltercentral.com/teleview.html.  They cut to size and ship next day with free shipping.

Thanks.

[rampy]

fwiw the glare was the same or slightly worse when switching from clear glass to smoked plexi for me...

my glass is at a fairly flat angle (to match my monitor) which I can't tell if it helps or makes it worse than a 90 degree-ish mounted glass.

*shrug* If you find something out letme know.

Rampy

[paigeoliver]

Have you considered just getting some nice heavy drapes for your window? That would solve the problem.

[Terry]

Heavy drapes are not an option.  Wouldn't go with the rest of the room, and the house decor is much more important than my cab!

Thanks for the info on the smoked plexi.  I guess people who use the smoked plexi do it for the higher contrast not to reduce the glare.

So what I plan to do is go to staples or compusa and purchase an inexpensive monitor anti-glare filter.  I've seen them for around 30 or 40 bucks.  I'll test it out with my ACTLABS USB light gun, and even hold it in front of my cab and see how much it really cuts on the glare, and what it does to the image quality.  If it works, then I'll take the plunge and purchase the $120 anti-glare filter which will be custom cut to fit my cab. I just hope that the properties of the filters are the same since I will not be able to return the larger filter once it is cut to size.

The sales person (owner) I spoke with, seemed very knowledgable about glare properties.  He stated that with plexi-glass you will get about 16% reflection, and if the light was hitting it just right, you could shave in it!  I agree with him on this.  And with this filter in place, it would reflect less than 1% from any angle.  I explained to him exactly how it was going to be used and that it would not be up against the monitor glass. He said the clarity was perfect when the filter was up against the monitor glass but since the operator would be standing back 12" to 24" you should not notice any difference with the filter being off the glass.  He also mentioned that it would be a good idea to remove the plexiglass completely and just use this filter in its place.  I will have to see about that.  My opening is about 26 x 26 and the filter is only 1/16" thick.  He said it was very rigid but I will have to see it before I decide to ditch the 1/4" plexi.

If anyone else has any info on a cheaper solution, or any reason not to purchase this type of anti glare filter, please let me know.  I plan on puchasing this towards the end of the week.  And heck, if it works, what a great solution!

[Terry]

I ended up requesting a sample of the polycarbonate anti-glare material.  I should be receiving around a 6" x 6" sample of the stuff so I can test it out with the light guns and see how well it really removes the glare.  If it works and I like it, I will go ahead and purchase a full sheet and post some comparison pictures.

I am really surprised that I haven't heard of anyone else trying any type of anti-glare materials on their game cabinets.  Could it be that they just don't work or look very good?  I guess most people just deal with it or have their cabs in dark rooms with optimal placed lighting.  Unfortunately I can't do that and I imagine there are others in my same situation.

I'll just have to give it a try.

[Terry]

I finally installed a full sheet 26" x 27" of the polycarbonate anti-glare material in my cab.  I am very happy with it.  I left out the 1/4" plexi and just used this material in front of my bezel.  It is a bit flimsy, but you would never now unless you pushed on it, and I have a mellow temper, so I don't see it being a problem.  There's other things I can bang on when I die just before I get my high score!

The contrast of the games also look beter due to the brownish tint in the material.  And most importantly, the glare is almost non-existent even with the sun comming in through the window which is facing the screen.  Of course you still see light reflecting from the filter but it is not like you are looking in a mirror, and once the game starts playing, you have to really focus on the reflection to even notice it.  And this is worst case when the screen is really dark and the light is really bright.

I would recommend this filter to anyone in my situation.  I did not get a chance to take any pictures  , but if you are interseted and call the company, the owner was more than happy to send me a 6x6 sample, which he did, to test it out.  And a 26" x 27" piece was right around $105.00 with free shipping!

When I get a chance I will take some pictures of the final results and post them if anyone is interested.

[zero-one]

Terry,

Can you confirm that it worked okay with your lightgun.

Thanks.

[Terry]

Yes, my TV USB Light Guns work perfect with the Anti-Glare filter.  Unfortunately I could not compare them without the filter since I did not have them yet.  But as far as I can tell, they are as accurate as my USB PC Light gun on my 21" monitor without any antiglare filter.

I can stand hold the guns anywhere from around 6" to 24" (possibly further, but would never play like that)  with the same accuracy through the anti-glare filter.