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Display flashes to solid black intermittently

I originally posted this in the wrong category for the MacBook Pro instead of the Monitor catagory. I am wondering if anyone else has the same problem. I posted the following last night.

*Still an unknown issue with Apple Tech Support*? After 2 calls to product specialists and apparently an undocumented issue by any customers contacting tech support this seems to be a widespread worldwide issue. In one form or another with no answer after several months of the computer release displays are blinking, flickering and flashing to name a few descriptions of this problem. Mine flashes solid black for a fraction of a second and comes right back on. I have had this issue in the power saving mode as well as the better performance mode so that kills that theory. To this point there has been no pattern that I have been able to detect. I can go for weeks without a blink and all of a sudden get 2 in 5 minutes. Usually I am pretty good at troubleshooting but this problem has no pattern and is so intermittent I think it's going to be a tough one and I truly believe Apple has no clue as of yet so they are not addressing it publicly or to individuals calling in with the problem. I purchased my computer November 29th. I used it for over a month without ever seeing the issue. When the new monitor came out I still did not experience any issues with either display in the area of blinking, flickering or flashing. There is a video on Youtube that I have located showing the exact same issue as mine. Though the person on Youtube has a non-apple display and mine is the new 24" Apple display and it is the exact same issue this rules out the problem being the external display. Well, I can check that off as well. This is the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-dQIgfIFsI Does anyone else have the exact same issue as mine? I am thinking maybe it is something in the 10.5.6 update. Who Knows?

*BTW this problem is not at all heat related.* It can happen during heavy use or very light use at low temps. I have purchased many newly released Apple Computers over the years and have actually had great luck with them. I hope this is not my first lemon.

MacBook Pro (late 2008) 2.53GHz, Mac OS X (10.5.6), Apple LED Cinema Display (24" flat panel)

Posted on Feb 10, 2009 11:35 PM

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515 replies

Jul 31, 2011 6:36 AM in response to 11427

I have a new MAC mini and LED 24" Display. Since Lion, I have Black flickring. I have tried many things, including a Lion re-install!


I may try the System Preferences > Energy Saver and Selecting 'Higher Performance ...


See my related post:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2765552?answerId=15802518022#15802518022

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3198411?answerId=15794712022#15794712022

Aug 4, 2011 6:07 AM in response to 11427

It looks like there might be hundreds or thousands of us experiencing this ugly problem. When my Cinema display was new, it had the blinking to black problem. I took it into the Genius bar, and they flashed a firmware patch into the monitor, and all was good for almost a year. Well, a few months ago, after an online software update ot OS X 10.5.8, it started up again. It is driving me nuts! Every few minutes, I do something, and the screen flashes black for about a second, or a little longer. It is always black for the same amount of time. I think that rules out any sort of connection. This is on a Mac Pro, so the other posters here with Mac Book Pros and Minis aren't alone, either. I use a second monitor, a Mitsubishi, which never blinks. I hauled my Mac Pro and monitor into the Apple Store, and, of course, it didn't happen there. Now, I'm off warranty. I believe this is related to the OS update, since it started IMMEDIATELY after the update. So far, as I type this post, the monitor has blinked out three times. Make that four. Just did it again. Doing graphic design work, this will just not work for me. There was blink 5. Has anyone been able to track this problem down? Does Apple even acknowledge it? Do they monitor this page?

Aug 5, 2011 9:09 AM in response to williamfromandover

A follow up... The Apple support guy yesterday told me to take it into the Genius Bar, and get an out-of-warranty repair. He was not able to give me a cost estimate. I told him I thought it was an OS issue, since it started immediately after a system update, but he said that if I paid for the repair, they would do whatever it took and it would work when they were done. OK, I REALLY like this display, other than the infernal blinking, so I decided to buy the repair. When I got to the Apple Store, the Genius Bar would not take it, as the problem seemed to him to be an OS issue. He told me to take it home, revert my operating system to 10.5, and apply updates one at a time until the problem starts again (which also implies reverting it a second time, and updating all but the last step in order to have a useable system). 4-1/2 hours shot in a circle j..k before even starting to revert the operating system. I happen to agree that this approach would be a good troubleshooting procedure, and maybe if I had nothing to do for the next six weeks, I'd try it. But time is money. Dell has a new Ultrasharp 2412, with LED backlight and IPS display, for $399 including a 3 year warranty. Just sayin...


I've given up. Soon there may be a 24" Cinema Display in my curbside recycling, if anyone wants it, or maybe it will work on a Windows box here in the office.


Apple, you know that this is your own QA issue. YOU should be doing the troubleshooting.


Here's a new advertising slogan for you: "Apple's 24" Cinema Display - the last Apple monitor you will ever buy!"

Aug 5, 2011 9:41 AM in response to williamfromandover

My old 20" ACD display started the same weirdness after the 10.6.3 update on both my 2008 MacBookPro and 2006 MacPro. It is happily running on my gaming PC without any issues.


I tore the monitor apart and checked the hardware. My software tests did seem to indicate a graphics driver issue. Having to spend another $200.00 to replace a perfectly good monitor really ****** me off. My MacBookPro still occasionally blinks when the surrounding temperature is high.


I will never buy another Apple monitor. Period.


The issues did subside after the upgrade to Lion, but Lion may not workout well in your case.

Aug 8, 2011 1:56 PM in response to Richhep

Same thing here. 2.7 i7 mac mini with 24" apple cinema display and nothing but black flashes for 2-3 seconds. sporadic and intermittent. reinstalled Lion to no avail. was told by Apple support that this is a known issue and was asked to "capture" my information. did that. waiting to hear back from Apple. does not seem to be heat related (does it right after starting up sometimes); does not seem to be display because I never had this issue using my 2008 unibody Macbook pro (2.8 core 2 duo) to drive the same 24" apple cinema display.

Aug 18, 2011 11:15 PM in response to MortgageGod

Hey MortgageGod,


Could you provide some information on what you asked for fom Apple Support to get them to send you a firmware patch for the 24" ACD? All my attempts thus far have been met with confusion and "return it to the store for an off-warranty fix" type thing.


Brand new 17" MBP - about $5000 work of equipment including the monitor and it doesn't even work. 😟

Display flashes to solid black intermittently

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