Dead Pixels: THE GREAT LCD TRUTH

[Big Booger]

2) Bad Pixels

Hi Fred, In a recent issue , you wrote "So, the broad
generalization is that higher contrast ratios are better, just
as higher resolutions are generally better. But--- and it's a
huge 'but'--- don't buy any LCD just on specs. You really need
to see it with your own eyes to know what will be OK to you
over hours and hours and hours of viewing."

There is one thing you should warn your readers about, when
buying, is the guarantee on how many pixels must be faulty
before your screen gets replaced.

I found this warning on Toms Hardware:
http://as1.emv2.com/I?X=2550c62b87645be57993a02c4640a744

Best regards, Tony Wolfs

That's right, Tony. Few vendors promise that desktop or laptop LCD
panels will be perfect: Some pixels on a brand-new LCD screen may be
permanently off (showing as black spots); or stuck on one color (all
red, or blue, or green); or stuck at one brightness (brighter or dimmer
than the surrounding pixels.)

Many vendors use a simple count to determine whether a screen may be
returned for replacement. If your screen has fewer than, say, 10 dead
or
malfunctioning pixels, they may refuse to replace the unit.

Mathematically, that may seem OK: After all, on a screen with millions
of pixels, a few bad ones is only a tiny percentage. But just as
another
tiny defect--- a pebble in your shoe--- can ruin a walk in a park, even
one or two dead pixels in the wrong part of your screen can ruin your
computing experience.

And it's not a matter of being oversensitive: A bad pixel may
masquerade
as a period, comma, or other punctuation mark, for example, causing
reading or editing problems; or similarly may affect image editing or
viewing.

So, Tony's point is a good one: See what the return/refund policy is on
any LCD or laptop you buy to ensure that you can at least exchange the
unit if it has dead or malfunctioning pixels.


I experienced this firsthand when I bought my 18inch LCD last year.. I almost go screwed on this deal, as I found a dead pixel dead center in the middle of the LCD screen I bought.. not knowing about this finicky LCD policy I took it back, and got this same story fed to me by the customer service rep, not being the one to take blah blah blah's lightly, I asked him to produce a company statement concerning this,

He brought another maker's policy out, because they didn't have a Mitsubishi maker contract or statement concerning the pixel policy..

Yours truly left with a new LCD, that I had them allow me test in the store before I took it home. Now my LCD is dead pixel free!!! hehehehe

and the next LCD I buy, I will definitely test it before I take it home. Lessons learned. :D

By the way, this article came from "The Langa List" which we have a link on the main Forum page at the very bottom, you'll see the Langa List banner. :p Click it, sign up and enjoy this valuable and interesting information.

[Conan]

I've got 1 dead pixel. But it is at the lower left hand corner of the screen so I hardly ever notice it.

[SupaStar]

Originally posted by Big Booger
Yours truly left with a new LCD, that I had them allow me test in the store before I took it home. Now my LCD is dead pixel free!!! hehehehe

and the next LCD I buy, I will definitely test it before I take it home. Lessons learned. :D


AFAIK a pixel can die even after you have brought it home. I read somewhere that it could be fine for months then BAM!! One dead pixel.

Some manufacturers have a policy based on the number of dead pixels within a certain radius of another, i.e. there needs to be more than 1 dead pixel within an inch of another before they will replace the entire screen.

[Big Booger]

that is crap. I think it should be 100% defect free.. and IMHO 1 dead pixel out of a million is 1 too many! :D

Just ran a test, I am still dead pixel free..

[efc]

What test?

[Big Booger]

sorry if this is an old post, but I just now noticed it.

What I do is create several wallpapers, one black, one white, one blue, one red, one yellow and one green.

I then maximize that image so that it covers my whole screen. I then search the screen for dead pixels.

it takes some time, but it works. I haven't found a dead pixel yet, knock on wood.

You can also use the site below to test as well:

http://www.gdargaud.net/Hack/DeadPixels.html

[Dehcbad25]

Dead Pixel Free!! :)
Though it had some stains on it. Should I replace the monitor when it has more than 10 stains??? :p

[Stripe]

YEAH!!! Dead Pixel Free!!! Monitor has been burned in for over a year too so no worries about them suddenly keeling over and dying on me :D

[GimieGimieGimie]

Dead Pixel free here too!

I have a 15.1' laptop screen and it's spanking brand new, so i wouldn't expect such damage yet...

Having said that, the last laptop i bought, the one i told the company to take back and give me my current one, had 3 dead pixels on the screen from the start!

3 Coloured dots, one green (centre of screen), and a few red (around the screen), annoyed the hell out of me, and i got the 10 or less bullshit too.

I believe the best way of detecting dead pixels that are coloured is by staring at a DOS screen, any black ones you would instantly notice in Windows :P

Great team DOS and Windows huh?

If i ever get 3 or more dead pixels on the laptop i have now, into the bath it goes, and out comes the 5 years accidental damage insurance :D

Gimie

[SupaStar]

Originally posted by GimieGimieGimie


If i ever get 3 or more dead pixels on the laptop i have now, into the bath it goes, and out comes the 5 years accidental damage insurance :D


Don't you just hate it when you are sending an e-mail in the bath and your laptop falls in? :p

Damn it!

[GimieGimieGimie]

Originally posted by SupaStar
Don't you just hate it when you are sending an e-mail in the bath and your laptop falls in? :p

Damn it!

Happened to me quite a few times actually :p

[SupaStar]

Originally posted by GimieGimieGimie
Happened to me quite a few times actually :p

ROTFLMAO

[cash_site]

Hmmm.. i wonder if my desktop will work in the bathroom too?? LOL

[Big Booger]

Samsung Electronics announced Thursday that from Jan. 1, customers who discover defective pixels on an LCD monitor produced by the company less than six months after its purchase may have the panel replaced free of charge.

An LCD monitor is made up of hundreds of thousands of tiny pixels. Manufacturers have classified products with 10 or less defective pixels as "normal" and refused to repair or exchange them, which led to complaints from customers. Samsung added, however, that the free exchanges do not apply to customers who purchased their LCD monitors before Jan. 1.

Chosun (http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200412/200412300018.html)

Glad to see one maker step up to the bat and playball for the consumer! My next LCD quite probably will be a samsung due to this.

[Conan]

Samsung Electronics announced Thursday that from Jan. 1, customers who discover defective pixels on an LCD monitor produced by the company less than six months after its purchase may have the panel replaced free of charge.

An LCD monitor is made up of hundreds of thousands of tiny pixels. Manufacturers have classified products with 10 or less defective pixels as "normal" and refused to repair or exchange them, which led to complaints from customers. Samsung added, however, that the free exchanges do not apply to customers who purchased their LCD monitors before Jan. 1.

Chosun (http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200412/200412300018.html)

Glad to see one maker step up to the bat and playball for the consumer! My next LCD quite probably will be a samsung due to this.


I read that this is only valid for "Korea bought" units.

[Dehcbad25]

That is OK, BB just need to swin the other side of the sea to buy it in Korea. IT is about 2 hours trip from Nagoya to Seoul, and it might be a tad shorter from where BB is ;)

[Big Booger]

I read that this is only valid for "Korea bought" units.
Where did you read that? If so, it's only 2 hours or so as Dehcbad points out :D I think they'd win over a large amount of potential customers if they made it a global policy.

[Conan]

Where did you read that?

Read it from here:

http://www.forbes.com/infoimaging/feeds/infoimaging/2004/12/30/infoimagingasiapulse_2004_12_30_ix_9333-0197-.html

[Big Booger]

A Samsung Electronics spokesman said the company didn't decide yet whether to expand the policy worldwide.

Key bit of info there.. wait and see.. Hopefully it will expand.

[Conan]

A Samsung Electronics spokesman said the company didn't decide yet whether to expand the policy worldwide.

Key bit of info there.. wait and see.. Hopefully it will expand.

When it does, Samsung here I come! :p

[SPARKEY]

I have just purchased a 19" digimate and while playing doom in a dark scene i noticed a just about visible white dot in the middle of the screen on closer inspection on a black backround i noticed hundreds of very faint lightened dots they are very very tiny and only really visible if you get close to the screen are these dead/lightened pixels and would this warrant a return, i have looked and run pixel persistance analyser and ran a few tests online also i have made colour backrounds to see if i spot them then but to no avail, i can only really see them on a black backround like very dim stars on the blackest night, now i never owned a lcd before so i not sure what these are if someone of proffessional knowledge knows please help!

[FastGame]

I wouldn't know unless I see your LCD. I do know that once you see dead pixels they bug the heck out of you, especially when they're in the middle of screen :(

closer inspection on a black backround i noticed hundreds of very faint lightened dots they are very very tiny and only really visible if you get close to the screen are these dead/lightened pixels and would this warrant a return

This might be the other less mentioned problem with LCD's, stuck pixels. Some times pixels are stuck on a certain color.

If the screen is bothering you then I suggest you check out your warranty, try to get it replaced and don't waste time.

[rik]

You are probably seeing "dead or stuck" sub-pixels. The screen is made up of millions of sub-pixels and more than likely you are seeing those. The fact that in normal use you don't see them is a good thing, but you might want to check with the vendor to see what their return or replacement policies are anyway.

Here is an article from Tom's Hardware describing what deficiencies are allowed by the current standard. Very interesting.

http://graphics.tomshardware.com/display/20030319/index.html

[SPARKEY]

is it normal to have lightened sub pixels, could someone out there who has a pixel perfect screen test their lcd screen by having a black screen then seeing if there is any sub pixels showing very faintly it, now i know they are there it will probably bug me but i'd rather that than send it back and receive another one the same or worse or not justified as a return (not classed as faulty) i read your columns and looked at toms hardware site (great site) but nowhere does it seem does it say that a sub pixel can equal a pixel (how many sub pixels = a pixel!?)

[rik]

I am not finding exactly how many sub-pixels to a pixel, although that I assume can be more determined by size of screen and manufacturer. Now I did find some interesting information white sub-pixels being added to the screen to enhance brightness. http://www.eepn.com/Locator/Products/ArticleID/28178/28178.html Check that article to see if it pertains to your screen.

Another article here: http://fragment.nl/archive/2003/08/07/defect_subpixels/index.php with some good suggestions.

[SPARKEY]

Thanks for the replies Amazon are now sending another out to me and i'll keep the best one, i think i now know way too much information about lcd screens and in truth had i known then what i know now i probably woundn't have bought one there be the lesson there, if only i had hindsight or a crystal ball !!!

[primo1]

hi, i found one dead pixel a while ago in my lcd and im wondering if a dead pixel spreads? im nervous 'cause this dead pixel might spread nearby on its surroundings.

thanks. :)

[FastGame]

im nervous 'cause this dead pixel might spread nearby on its surroundings.
I wouldn't worry, even though in time some might die I don't think they spread like disease.

[SPARKEY]

Well since I posted! I received a new screen from amazon and the new screen is flawless and seems to have a shiny coating on the screen, I've had this screen for a while now and have no dead sub/pixels whatsoever although there was one occassion where my missus had left the moniter on all day and returning to the screen there were a few dead pixels but these disappeared once it was turned off and on again and this has not happened again since and that was several months back, I think it is the luck of the draw if you buy without seeing first and I wouldn't recommend this avenue unless you buy from a reputable dealer with a excellent returns policy! I'm now looking to buy a 32" LCD TV I must be mad!!:)

[Big Booger]

Well since I posted! I received a new screen from amazon and the new screen is flawless and seems to have a shiny coating on the screen, I've had this screen for a while now and have no dead sub/pixels whatsoever although there was one occassion where my missus had left the moniter on all day and returning to the screen there were a few dead pixels but these disappeared once it was turned off and on again and this has not happened again since and that was several months back, I think it is the luck of the draw if you buy without seeing first and I wouldn't recommend this avenue unless you buy from a reputable dealer with a excellent returns policy! I'm now looking to buy a 32" LCD TV I must be mad!!:)

Sparkey, if you turn on a screensaver that might stop the dead pixel issue. I have mine set to come on after 20 minutes of inactivity... and like clockwork it comes on.

I have 2 18" Mitsubishi Diamondcrysta LCDs. They are identical and are for myself and my wife.

Dead pixels should be warrantied... Having a dead pixel on a brand new LCD is like having chipped paint on a brand new Ferrari...

[HomerP]

Hey, I was just wondering if anyone had run across a method of "shorting out" a pixel externally. You see where I'm going with this. If NewEgg requires 8 dead pixels for a refund- give it to 'em. What other product do you buy with the agreement that if it's defective, you'll just bend over and take it like a man? (Other than sex toys and illegal drugs). Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut and just invented the device that would do this. I think I'll call it the "Pixeleffer" or maybe the "Pixelmortus". Anyone with some electronics know-how wanna get rich while at the same time pushing manufacturers to stand behind their products and maybe spend some of the billions of dollars we're all tossing their way on better quality control?

-billy