Macbook 2016 HDMI output flickering

I do not use multiple imputs, only connect my MacBook 2016 via USB-C to the LG monitor.

This is why I'm keeping my mid 2015 rMBP until all of this dongle madness is straightened out. Sure, USB-C is nice, but this first wave of Apple pushing it out the door is already shaping up to be a dock/dongle/adapter/converter nightmare.

As others here have pointed out (and I have personally experienced), this is not specific to the Apple dongle. The exact issue occurs with many other external hubs that provide HDMI or DisplayPort ports. The issue here is something specific to the 2016 Retina MacBook, whether a hardware issue or the more likely bad memory management/arithmetic in the graphics driver.

Hi @ambanmba

Did you find a solution to this problem?

Unfortunately the only solution is to reboot the machine (which reliably works). The machine boots up quickly so it's an annoying but not deal-breaking workaround.

I've spent so much money on cables / dongles at this point that I've given up trying to throw more money at the problem. Hopefully Apple can figure it out. The fact that a reboot fixes it indicates to me that it's a software/firmware issue that should have a solution at some point.

-ambanmba

Thank you so much ambanmba! Will stop trying and use the reboot option then.

Yes, I was talking about the 2016 MacBook 12".

This is the model with the flickering issue.

Has anyone tried the 10.12.2 Beta 1. Does the flickering/swiping issue still persist?

Yes, the issue is still there with 10.12.2 public beta 1. For me, at least, a reboot seems to clear it up for about a day...so I reboot every morning.

I'm testing the CalDigit USB-C dock right now, using the DisplayPort instead of the HDMI output. At this point, it seems to be neither better nor worse than the Apple Multiport HDMI adapter (no flicker all day after a reboot). The display does seem to wake up more quickly on the DisplayPort than the HDMI, for what that's worth. I'll give additional feedback after a few days.

I've also had this same problem. Before I came across this thread my whole logic board had to be replaced which meant all my data was lost too (be sure to back up)! I think the constant flicking eventually caused an issue with the logic board?

I've also had the multiport adapter replaced. Neither the new adapter, nor the new logic board made a difference. It still flickers.

Then last week the power adapter stopped charging! Took the MacBook back to the authorised reseller to get it fixed, they reseated the logic board and it's all good again. Sadly the flicker issue is still unresolved :-(

Quick update on my new round of support calls. After 4 calls and 1 chat and working my way through all of the advised diagnosis scripts I've discovered the following:

- No flickering in Safe mode

Which is interesting but not an answer. I have now been assigned to a Senior Advisor who has in turn instantly re-assigned it straight to the engineering team. Definitely making progress through the Apple support chain 🙂

I have to say that I've been really impressed by those Tier 1 support people. Barring one chap everyone else has listened properly to what I've told them, correctly identified that I've been pretty thorough in my own testing approach and made a concerted effort to push me up the chain by capturing all the pertinent information into the case ID.

Here's hoping that the engineering team can work me towards a final answer! The fact that I saw no issue in Safe mode has really encouraged me to think that this can be fixed at the driver or OS level. Fingers crossed!

Will post back as I hear more.

That's encouraging news, thank you for sharing your updates! 🙂