Laptops and Screen Profiling

Hi. I am looking at either a MAC or a Del xps laptop for mobile editing. I prefer the PC option, as I have PC software. At home I would probably plug into my calibrated CRT.

A couple questions:
1) Can one reliably calibrate and profile the LCD on a higher-end Dell?
2) Can one reliably calibrate and profile the LCD on a MAC? Are Macs better or more reliable to calibrate and profile?
3) what would one do if one wanted to do some editing on a notebook LCD then finish on a CRT. Would I have to convert from one display profile to another?

Thanks!

From what I have read, it really depends upon the specific laptop LCD. For example If you purchased a Dell laptop with a hig end LCD display it should profile OK. Not great but good. I am sure Apple has some good laptop displays as well. When I was looking for an LCD for my desktop I learned that most LCD components come from only a few manufacturers. So in the end it was helpful to narrow down my sarch to specific models and compared the specific LCD models. For more details check out http://www.anandtech.c​om . He did a nice comparision of the Dell and Apple 20" displays.

Dry Creek has a nice run through of some sample profiling tests which are informative http://www.drycreekpho​to.com …tor_calibration​_tools.htm

Good Luck,
Michael

I understand your leaning towards a PC, based on your existing investment, but one consideration is that PCs appear to require two video cards in order to calibrate a dual-monitor configuration, wheras Macs do not. With a laptop, all you get is one video card. If you're not even considering dual montors with a laptop, no problem. Even if you are, you could always calibrate one screen, use it for displaying images, and fill the other one with toolbars.

The link Michael posted is excellent (just read it yesterday, oddly), and one of their test platforms is a Dell 8600 with an ultrasharp display.

Also check (free registration required): (edit, posted the wrong link)
http://www.shootsmarte​r.com/infocenter/wc041​.html
For more on LCDs and calibration. You might take it with a grain of salt--they seem a bit...not sure how to say it other than 'snooty', which is strong, but something like that. Great information, but written for a target audience of professionals who can justify spending an extra grand on a display.