Backlight bleeding on 17" MBP 2011

Question

Backlight bleeding on 17" MBP 2011

Yesterday i noticed considerable bleeding at the bottom of the screen. This was visible on my 4-days old Macbook Pro in the black bar when watching a widescreen movie.
Can anyone confirm if this is a common issue, should i go for an exchange as i'm still in my 14 days return period.
The problem is less apparent in higher lighting conditions and with lower brightness settings.
You can test the issue by doing the following:

- make sure the room is dark or test at nighttime
- set an all black background image
- turn down the keyboard backlighting
- set the brightness of the screen to its maximum value

I'm curious to know whether i'm the only one experiencing this issue.

I'm a first time Mac buyer and a bit disappointed by such quality issues.

MBP 2011 17", Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on Mar 27, 2011 3:29 AM

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Answer 1

Mar 27, 2011 4:23 PM in response to MostIllusions

I've noticed a little bit of backlight bleeding on my 13" as well, but it's not too bad, like you said mostly only noticeable in the black bars, or on a solid black image and in the dark. With LCD screens you will always have some backlight bleeding, it's simply an inherent "flaw" in the technology itself and one of the reasons videophiles prefer Plasma tv's for home theatre use. If you have an LCD HD TV (whether led edge-lit backlight or CFL) you can try the same test and you're likely to find it there too.

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Answer 2

Mar 29, 2011 10:49 PM in response to telefonique

I think i'll replace my macbook to see if another unit has less disturbing bleeding.
I get that some bleeding is inevitable due to the technology, but it's not an evenly spread bleed. That would be kind of acceptable. My unit has a pattern of lighter and darker spots along the bottom. At some points it spreads up across 75% of the screen. Again, this is only visible in dark surrounding with intensity set to the higher half of the indication bar.

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Answer 3

Apr 2, 2011 4:09 PM in response to MostIllusions

I made picture of the issue. What so you think? Image quality is quite bad, but you should be able to see the bleed issue in the bottom.
http://db.tt/2WzfL4P

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Answer 4

wingsabr

Level 1

0 points

Apr 2, 2011 7:29 PM in response to MostIllusions

I have a 17in and it happens to mine as well. This is common in the screens that Apple uses.

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Answer 5

Apr 3, 2011 2:49 AM in response to wingsabr

Thanks for the reply.
The fact that it is common doesn't comfort me in any way.
Does this mean it's according to Apple specs and they won't do anything about it?
I certainly wouldn't expect this on a machine that cost me over €2400.
I guess i'm going to call Apple again.

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Answer 6

ewdck

Level 1

0 points

Apr 6, 2011 10:46 AM in response to MostIllusions

You are NOT alone! 😟 Sadly!

@MostIllusions, the image you posted..... SAME for me!

I've spent the last 3–4 weeks dealing with APPLE! First MBP 17" out of the box, DENTED! They are so concerned with the environment, they skimp on the packaging. Dented, just b/c the plugs weren't pack correctly. For 3 grand I don't care about the environment! The 2nd one, screen issues. Near the hinge area... shadowy, not solid true BLACKS (back light bleeding). The 3rd one, same as number 2, but not as sever, I guess. I GAVE UP! Anyone else have these problems with APPLE lately. Bad batch? What's going on in Shanghai!? Have we been Shanghai'd

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Answer 7

Jul 11, 2011 5:16 AM in response to MostIllusions

This is NOT normal.

I myself just had a 3 year old unibody 15" replaced within applecare to a 17" 2011 (to keep expresscard)

This anomaly is very apparent in the 17" as you describe and incredibly annoying for previewing video on a pro device.

Having owned the previous 15" model which did not exhibit this issue and on many low and high end desktop LED displays also not showing this issue it certainly shouldn't be seen on apples high end portable.

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Answer 8

chlywly

Level 1

0 points

Dec 12, 2011 12:35 PM in response to JonnyMortlock

I just got one a few days ago, spent a considerable amount and I have quite a bit of back light bleeding in a mountain shape format all along the bottom! very apparent at night and in the evening; especially on darker backgrounds/films/photos.

Should I try and get a replacement or do they pretty much all suffer from this, the 2011 models?

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Answer 9

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

Dec 12, 2011 12:38 PM in response to chlywly

Yes, you should ask for a replacement, especially since you are still within fourteen days of your purchase. Go ASAP.

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Answer 10

Artiom_

Level 1

0 points

Jan 15, 2012 11:00 AM in response to MostIllusions

I have the same issue. First noticed it when watching the movie (full brightness, lights off).

Here's what I noticed: if the macbook is very hot — the bleeding is more noticable. I tried using smcFanControl and ran the fans at high speed to cool it down. It helped and made the blleding less noticable.

Anyways, running low CPU demanding apps or speeding up the fans is absolutely unacceptable for a $3K device. It looks like an obviuos design fault, which i never expected from Apple.

Did anybody get a better unit after replacement?

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