Maximum PC

My HP dv7t-7000 CTO Quad Ed laptop has a 17.3" 1600x900 glossy screen. While the glossiness of the screen does bother me, what's worse is the terrible vertical viewing angle. With the screen angled just right, the middle looks good, but the bottom is a lot brighter and the top is a lot darker. This is especially noticeable in dark scenes in games and movies. It seems the screen is simply the cheapest of TN panels.

I would like to upgrade to a 1600x900 matte screen with a better vertical viewing angle. I've found what is likely the 1600x900 matte version of my current screen at www.laptopscreen.com. However, they said that the only difference between the glossy and matte versions (that they sell) is the matte surface coating.

Could the matte surface coating actually help with the vertical viewing angle problem? If not, where can I find higher quality replacement screens for my laptop? I don't mind if it's a 6-bit TN panel as they don't all have such terrible vertical viewing angles... or do they? Any other suggestions?

(By the way, I'd very much prefer not to upgrade to full 1080p because I think that resolution is too high for a 17.3" screen, as it makes the natural sizes of text too small and gives the video card many more pixels to push. But if there is simply no other choice, I may consider it.)

The fundamental flaw of your laptop's display is that it's a TN panel, which are inherently low viewing angle.