User profile for user: ld_neil
ld_neil Author
User level: Level 1
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Screen Flicker in Logic on new Macbook Pro

Hi there...

Has any one else experienced a Screen Flicker in Logic Pro on new the Macbook Pro? I have a 17" MBP with the high res screen (1920x1200) that I bought about 2 weeks ago on the day they were released specifically to use Logic Pro. The flicker is noticeable on the default grey arrange screen background (horizontal lines). If you turn the background off using the Plain Background feature from the local View menu then the flicker is stopped. It is very noticable on the top resolution that I mentioned above but even more noticable on 1024x768 (which would never really be used for Logic of course). Im not sure if this a hardware fault as I can only reproduce it in Logic and most other applications (for me) are ok - so I think its a Logic problem. Ive been to the apple store regarding this and they have helped me and agreed to give me a new MBP (there are also some other build quality issues with the machine that were not 100% right).

Ive experimented a little by turning off the automatic ambient light sensor, tried it just running on battery and then on mains power, and also running the screen at different brighness levels - but all these things have the same flicker on the default logic background.

Also I have installed the MBP driver update package from yesterday that is rumoured to contain video driver updates - but this has not changed anything - the flicker is still there...

But I think that this may be a problem with Logic that needs to be addressed for these new machines. I recreated the exact same flicker on 2 other machines in the apple store running Logic Express (the background is 100% the same in Logic Pro and Express I'm assuming).

If anyone has any troubleshooting suggestions I will gladly give them a try 🙂

thanks,

neil

MBP 2.4 17" Mac OS X (10.4.9) 2gb / 160gb

Posted on Jun 30, 2007 7:06 AM

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11 replies
User profile for user: Bee Jay
Bee Jay
User level: Level 6
10,900 points

Jun 30, 2007 2:54 PM in response to ld_neil

Some people who've bought MBP's with the new screens have reported various flickering issues and have usually sent theirs back. However, because you are using the 17" which doesn't have the LED screens, it might be a different issue.

Try taking a screen grab of the Logic screen that flickers, quit Logic, and view the screen grab in Preview or some other image viewer. If the screen still flickers, it's a screen problem that is exacerbated with the particular colour/background pattern that Logic is using.

If it doesn't flicker and displays fine, then maybe it is something to do with Logic - in that case, it's a trickier thing as Logic isn't being updated until a major new version at some later date. Try changing the background colours slightly to see if you can minimize the effect.
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User profile for user: ld_neil
ld_neil Author
User level: Level 1
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Jun 30, 2007 4:25 PM in response to Bee Jay

Hi there, thanks for the reply!

Well I tried what you said and the flickering is exactlty the same when the screen shot is viewed in Preview.

Here is the screen shot I took if anyone is interested:

http://www.avms12.dsl.pipex.com/MBP17HiResLogicPro.png

I guess this means that there could be a potential fault with this screen then? Maybe all the MBP 17" screens (I tested another 2 @ the Apple store with the same problem).

What could happen next - should it be reported to Apple ?


thanks!

neil
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User profile for user: Bee Jay
Bee Jay
User level: Level 6
10,900 points

Jun 30, 2007 5:01 PM in response to ld_neil

Well I tried what you said and the flickering is exactlty the same
when the screen shot is viewed in Preview.


Ok, cool, it's nothing to do with Logic.

What I would suggest is to away to the MacbookPro forums and get some other people with the same model/screen to view your screenshot and let you know if they get flickering, so you can get some idea whether all the HD screens do this (in which case, it's not a fault or manufacturing defect, it's just the way they are), or some are fine (which would indicate it perhaps is a manufacturing fault, and therefore worth contacting Apple about).

In any case, it's a hardware issue and not a Logic one, so this isn't the right forum to go into this in any more depth - get some data from other HD screen owners and use that info to influence your next step.

Good luck!
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User profile for user: Pancenter
Pancenter
User level: Level 6
14,788 points

Jun 30, 2007 5:19 PM in response to ld_neil

Seems to me it's just a combination of screen resolution
and the way the horizontal lines in Logic are programmed.

I bet you will find it present in all Macbook Pro's running that screen resolution. The horizontal lines, color combination and high resolution combine to cause this.

Can you change refresh rate at that resolution, if so, give that a try.

pancenter-
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User profile for user: Pancenter
Pancenter
User level: Level 6
14,788 points

Jul 1, 2007 2:59 AM in response to ld_neil

I've tried to find an option to change the refesh
rate but I couldnt find it. Is it available
somewhere in system preferences? thanks.


System Preferences / Displays

Do you show various resolutions?

1280 x 1024 60hz
1280 x 1024 72hz
1280 x 1024 75hz
1280 x 1024 80hz
1400 x 1050 60hz
1400 x 1050 75hz
1400 x 1050 85hz

Those resolutions were chosen just for example.
Yours my be similar or quite different sand will include
higher and lower resolutions,

The refresh rate is the hz number.

A faster refresh rate generally shows less screen flicker.
Larger screen resolutions may have limited refresh rates.

pancenter-
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User profile for user: Threlly
Threlly
User level: Level 1
17 points

Jul 1, 2007 4:38 AM in response to ld_neil

I have the hi-res screen.
You cannot adjust the refresh on the built in display, its fixed.
On an external display, it will depend on the capabilities of the monitor.
Mine does not flicker.
The area in the main track display with fine graded lines has some 'shimmer', but that is due to the relationship between refresh rate, pixel size and distance between the lines.
All TFT displays suffer from this to some degree unless its a megabucks display.
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User profile for user: Threlly
Threlly
User level: Level 1
17 points

Jul 1, 2007 6:27 AM in response to bwanakitoko

Classic, it might be used outdoors, glossy drives you mad outdoors.

Its related to moire patterning, if the lines are close, but not exactly 1920x1600, there is some visible interaction.

You don't really see it on CRT because the lines are not as distinct as TFT.

Make a picture thats 1919x1599 and made of a grid of grey and black lines,
and move it around your screen, if the refresh rate varies slightly, you should see the effect.

Mac OS X (10.4.10) Logic Pro v7.2.3, Macbook Pro Hi-Res
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Screen Flicker in Logic on new Macbook Pro

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