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30" Display Flickering/Dancing Pixels

I picked up a 30" display and the issues started ... This is not a dead/stuck pixels issue.

Bought the display at my local Apple store, got it home set it up and did the usual dead pixel search, OK there's three of them (two red one green), round the edges and to honest the pixel size on this display is so small that unless you have a cluster of them in one spot then the odd one here or there isn't really noticeable.

But then, after the screen has been on for a while I see green flickering or dancing pixels on the display. They disappear if you move the mouse pointer over them but reappear when the pointer is moved away, in fact this can even make them multiply.

I search here on the forums and found this :

Again 30" display with lots of green pixels

That post also contains a link to another post of the issue (and even includes an image of the issue at :

Flickering green and blue pixel problem

OK, I'm not going mad and it's not my eyes.

So, I return to the store and we can reproduce it on their G5 with GeForce 6800 Ultra. Something I am very pleased about as it proves it's not my G5 of GeForce card, and the store replaces the screen.

Screen #2: Get it home set it up again do the dead/stuck pixel search, none this time, wow OK let's leave the screen on for a while with nothing happening and ... green flicker returns.

Now, it does go away if you turn the screen off then on again. But they do come back. Sometimes not straight away, but only takes a few minutes. So screen #2 will be going back ...

It definitely would seem to be a display issue as in the threads above it happens on ATI and GeForce cards, Laptops and Desktops (though I didn't see anyone having issues on Windows).

Thanks for reading

Spencer

[EDIT : Here's a link where you can see my test image and a photo of the flickering pixels on my screen - SEE THE AMAZING FLICKERING PIXELS END EDIT]

[EDIT - Update:

I took the second display back to the Apple Store and we proved it on a third G5 and GeForce 6800 Ultra. Let me make sure that's clear. We demonstrated this to the Genius on hand with two different displays that had the issue on my G5 Dual 2.5 with GeForce 6800 at home and with two G5 2.5's with 6800 's at the store.

The staff were great, they waited until it returned (about 30 minutes) and were very interested when it happened. I made the decision not to try a 3rd screen and took a refund which the store did not give me any hassle in doing so.

I just want to say, if this mail seems to be anti-Apple it is not meant to be. The 30" screen is a great screen, the color was great and it if it were not for this one issue I would be proud to own one. The staff at the store were all polite and helpful.

Hopefully, Apple will realise this issue and find a solution for it.

Spencer

END UPDATE]

Posted on Apr 10, 2005 7:16 AM

Reply
458 replies

Apr 12, 2005 5:18 PM in response to Dan Haupt

Yes I have one that I purchased in early March. No problems at all. Well, not exactly... I too have the G5 Dual 2.5 and the 17" PB that works with this display, and I did plug it into the PB one day and the display did just as you describe. I called Apple, they (nor I) knew if it was the display or the Powerbook. We made arrangements to have both units picked up and replaced.

I got off the phone, and after an hour, for the heck of it, I took a can of compressed air and blew out the port on the powerbook (why is that port bare anyway?)... and plugged the display back in and it worked fine. Turns out my 2-month powerbook (stored in a case when not in use) had collected some lint or dust or something and was not making a solid contact with the display.

Since then I've had no issues at all. This is one incredible display, best money I ever spent...

Apr 12, 2005 11:32 PM in response to Spencer Kirk-Jackson

I received my 30" display yesterday, and I have the same problem (I think). It appears that the pixels basically "work," but they flicker. It's particularly bad on gray images.
I found that if I see the "dancing green pixels" on a gray photo, for example, and I slide the photo (within iPhoto) around the screen slowly, the dancing pixels will follow the image, more or less.
I have one of the ATI X800 XT cards. I ran the "Hotfix" patch, but it didn't remedy the problem.

Help! My problem isn't one where the screen eventually fills with green pixels. My problem seems tied to the color that the monitor is trying to display...

Apr 15, 2005 8:34 AM in response to John Mackey

I have tried this any 30" displays I have seen. The ones that I had (and returned), one of my friends and screens in the Apple Store and CompUSA.

If you set the Power Button on the display to turn the screen off, then power cycle the screen (turn off, wait 10 secs or more, turn on again) you will see the dancing appear. So far out of 7 displays tested, only two did not display this fault!

This is not a result of software or the graphics cards (tested with ATI X800, PowerBook 17" and GeForce cards). It would appear to be a fault in the display itself. I really hope Apple sort this out and fix the issue, I really want one of these screens but not with this issue.

S.

Apr 18, 2005 2:00 AM in response to Christina Zumstein

I have two 30" monitors on two different G5's... One with an Ultra card, and the other with the DDL card. They both experience the green flickering pixels at times... I have found a sure fire way to get rid of them however... Simply put the computer to sleep, then wake it back up, and they are gone...

(maybe it has something to do with the enrgy saver options mentioned...)

-John

Apr 18, 2005 8:00 AM in response to John Gross

I know putting the screen to sleep and waking it up gets rid of them for a time... but they do come back.

Thing is, if I'm working in Lightwave (grey back that shows the dancing pixels) and they appear everywhere then either putting the screen or machine to sleep and waking back up is a little inconvenient.

I just expect a little better from a $3,000 screen.

I mean, imagine if you had to do that while you're watching a movie on your flat screen TV, you wouldn't stand for it.

S.

Apr 18, 2005 12:17 PM in response to Spencer Kirk-Jackson

Spencer,

The pixels appear while you're using it, not after a resolution change (screensaver) or a signal resync (monitor goes into power savings mode)?

I've never seen that behavior - it only happens to me when the screen is coming back on, so tapping the power button is no trouble at all.

(note - the above fix probably just prevents these events from occuring, which i don't see how would work if you get the pixels while the machine is active...)

Apr 18, 2005 2:08 PM in response to Spencer Kirk-Jackson

I had this exact same problem. I have not had it since doing one of two things: 1). I ended up reloading my system with the restore DVD. 2). I turned off the sleep mode of the system. When doing this, you will get a warning about a shortened life of your display, but I manually turn off my display when it's not in use.

I'm not sure which of these solved my problem, but seeing this post reminds me to turn sleep back on to find out. I'll give that a shot and post the results here in a few days (the problem seemed to creep up over 1 or 2 days time).

Apr 18, 2005 4:15 PM in response to Don Kulinowski

I turned off sleep mode on the system, but that didn't make any difference. I haven't reverted back to a fresh install, but I did update to 10.3.9 about an hour ago, and the problem is still there. (It actually seems worse, but I may be imagining that.)

I pulled up Spencer's demo page, and it's funny: the JPG that's on the page as the "clean" image he used is actually loaded with flashing green pixels when I view it. (Well, not "funny." Wrong choice of words.)

A friend of mine works at an Apple store, and he said one person has come into the store with this problem, and they traced the problem to the logic board of his G5. That seems possible, but only if there's a whole series of G5 logic boards that would exhibit this defect, and only when connected to 30" Cinema Displays. Who knows. I still don't think it's a problem with the monitor itself, as I can drag a flashing-pixel-loaded image around the screen, and the pixels follow the image. That seems to be coming from the computer itself.

What I fear I'll have to do -- and I hate considering this -- is take my monitor and G5 to have them serviced together, and let the Apple Store here in New York figure out the source of the problem.

I am curious to hear from Don whether the full reinstall keeps the problem at bay. If so, I'll give that a shot.

Apr 18, 2005 6:17 PM in response to John Mackey

I really don't see how it can be the G5. We managed to replicate this on two G5's at the Apple Store, neither of which had been showing the issue with the 30" screens attached to them, but did show it with the two 30" screens that I returned.

I think through a process of trial and error we have pretty much isolated it to the displays themselves. It happens on ATI or nVidia cards on G5's or Powerbook's, the only thing left... are there any Windows users experiencing this?, then we can rule out software.

S.

Apr 18, 2005 6:51 PM in response to Spencer Kirk-Jackson

Mine don't flicker and dance so much as outline items like the cursor and windows. For example, on a gray background with one finder window open, the window will have a 1 pixel wide green line around it, as will the cursor. Restarting cures the problem until the next time. Usually does occur after the screen has been asleep. I didn't know whether to post in this topic or start a new one.

Has anyone else got these symptoms. I use the Ultra card.

30" Display Flickering/Dancing Pixels

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