[dajay]

I may be getting a new PowerBook, but I won't be able to return it (unless really broke). So I was wondering if anyone has dead pixels on their new ti's screen.

Thanks.

[YeLordWindsor]

Originally posted by dajay:
I may be getting a new PowerBook, but I won't be able to return it (unless really broke). So I was wondering if anyone has dead pixels on their new ti's screen.

Thanks.

No dead pixels.

[Christina]

None here.

[pdagal]

None.

[mrwalker]

I had two when it was new (667 DVI), one went away on its own after a few weeks, the other one went when apple replaced the screen due to a separate 'bleached patch'.

-mrwalker

[seanyepez]

None on JayTi's, and I sure hope none on mine.

As of late, Apple's been shipping some pretty decent screens!

[Christina]

I have to say the screen itself is gorgeous! Aside from no dead pixels, it is very bright and clear.

Originally posted by seanyepez:
None on JayTi's, and I sure hope none on mine.

As of late, Apple's been shipping some pretty decent screens!

[Leia Shoots Like a Girl]

None here but see if you can crack her open in the store before you buy.

[pbarton]

None on 867 model.

[KidRed]

None on gig.

[seanyepez]

Originally posted by Leia Shoots Like a Girl:
None here but see if you can crack her open in the store before you buy.

They usually won't do this until you've shown that you are actually serious about buying and have the means to pay for the machine you're about to open.

With a Sony VAIO I bought, before even taking the machine out of stock, I said there would be one condition on my sale: that the machine had a perfect screen. After going through three VAIO's with problematic screens, the salesman finally refused to give me another unit to crack open. I ended up settling for the third that had a perfect but misaligned screen.

[dajay]

Thanks everyone, that sounds encouraging.

I won't be able to check the machine first, because I'm getting it through a promotion at my university. I have to order and pay in advance and whatever they deliver, I have to take

Sounds fishy, but Apple itself is involved in this promotion, so I think everything should be fine.

[Eug]

Originally posted by dajay:
Thanks everyone, that sounds encouraging.

I won't be able to check the machine first, because I'm getting it through a promotion at my university. I have to order an pay in advance and what ever they deliver, I have to take

Sounds fishy, but Apple itself is involved in this promotion, so I think everything should be fine.

My university does the same thing. They don't carry stock on the higher end models. But then again, one does get the educational discount.

[ciwib]

No Dead pixals on 1Ghz/super.

-Chuck

[dexx0008]

Hi,

New 1ghz PB 1gb ram 60gig

I opened my PB 1 dead pixel (yesturday), This morning 4 dead pixels. Three are right next to each other too

Still love the machine, just bummed that there are a few bad pixels. I guess I'll do my part to keep the price down on these babies.

BTW I just love the speed on these things. My 700mhz Imac seems slow after being on this PB

Ryan

[John123]

Originally posted by dexx0008:
Hi,

New 1ghz PB 1gb ram 60gig

I opened my PB 1 dead pixel (yesturday), This morning 4 dead pixels. Three are right next to each other too

Still love the machine, just bummed that there are a few bad pixels. I guess I'll do my part to keep the price down on these babies.

BTW I just love the speed on these things. My 700mhz Imac seems slow after being on this PB

Ryan

Try massaging them. Tips on how to do this correctly can be found in other threads.

Often, when you have multiple bad pixels in the same place, the probability of massaging being successful goes way up.

[Eug]

What's the Apple policy again? Four pixels nearby each other would prompt some laptop vendors to replace the laptop or screen, esp. if they were in a conspicuous location.

[Karim]

I have owned four Powerbook G4's:

PBG4/500 - No dead pixels, no paint bubbles
PBG4/667/Combi - No dead pixels, no paint bubbles
PBG4/800 - No dead pixels, paint bubbles
PBG4/1GHZ - No dead pixels (Phew...), no paint bubbles (yet..../ Positive thinking)

So, 0% dead pixels, 25% bad paint.

Statistics require usually around 1200+ data points to be significant. So, good luck!

[Eug]

Originally posted by Karim:
PBG4/500 - No dead pixels, no paint bubbles
PBG4/667/Combi - No dead pixels, no paint bubbles
PBG4/800 - No dead pixels, paint bubbles
PBG4/1GHZ - No dead pixels (Phew...), no paint bubbles (yet..../ Positive thinking)[/B]

Hmmmm.... I diagnose upgraditis. Holy crap Batman...

Not a PowerBook but my iBook 600 has 2-3 stuck pixels, but one is very annoying. Stuck red pixel just above the middle of the screen. Painfully obvious when watching a dark movie scene.

[Karim]

It's much better to have one case of upgrade-itis (aka powerbook-upgrade-itis) then the more virulent form of Powerbook-desktop-upgrade-itis... I was cured many years ago of the worse form but am still affected slighty. Thankfully, the PBG4's are a reasonable desktop replacement.

[wolfen]

Actually, a sample size of 30 is significant. 1200 might be a sample size necessary to represent an [infinite] population size, but it's not required for statistical significance.

So we just need 30 current-model dead pixel reports to make a pretty good estimate of percentages...

We now return you to your topic already in progress...



wolfen

[jhunt5247]

Originally posted by dajay:
I may be getting a new PowerBook, but I won't be able to return it (unless really broke). So I was wondering if anyone has dead pixels on their new ti's screen.

Thanks.

Just got mine (first post from my first mac - powerbook!!).. no dead pixels here.

[Mage]

flawless screen here

[cambro]

There is no "magic statistical number" that you need in order to estimate the frequency of something. The error in estimating any proportion in a RANDOM sample (this is the key...) is a function of both sample size and the proportion. For 95% C.I. on an estimated proportion:

+/- 2*sqrt ( p*(1-p)/(n-1))

where p is the estimated proportion and n is sample size. But, unless you have a random sample your estimate doesn't mean anything anyway.

Sorry...but I think that this is actually an important thing to keep in mind when discussing problems of this sort.

[John123]

Originally posted by cambro:
There is no "magic statistical number" that you need in order to estimate the frequency of something. The error in estimating any proportion in a RANDOM sample (this is the key...) is a function of both sample size and the proportion. For 95% C.I. on an estimated proportion:

+/- 2*sqrt ( p*(1-p)/(n-1))

where p is the estimated proportion and n is sample size. But, unless you have a random sample your estimate doesn't mean anything anyway.

Sorry...but I think that this is actually an important thing to keep in mind when discussing problems of this sort.

Good job in making the issue more complicated than it needs to be.

Put more simply, you would expect the NUMBER of bad pixels to be equal to the number of pixels PERIOD *TIMES* the probability that any individual pixel is bad.*

For example, a PowerBook's screen has 1,093,120 pixels on it. Let's say that we think that PowerBook screens, on average, have 2 dead pixels in them. That would make the probability of any individual pixel being bad 0.0000018 -- or less than one for every half million pixels.

Put in those terms, bad pixels seem quite rare, don't ya think?



* This assumes that each pixel's likelihood of being bad is independent of that for each other pixel.

[cambro]

Just got my Ghz Combo.

What a beautiful screen!! No stuck or dead pixels.

Absolutely no comparison between my PBG4 400 screen (which had one stuck pixel in the lower right corner) and this one!

[jerseyfreeze]

I'm a little worried that I'm not picky enough about my laptop screens.

Is a dead pixel really noticeable?

Sean, what exactly was wrong with the first two Sony VAIOs that you opened?

Jason

[wolfen]

I'm not getting into a Stats discussion. I hope I have no dead pixels when my moment of patriotic & excessive consumerism arrives.

But I will say that all 3 of my Stats professors would probably have a stroke reading this thread.


wolfen

[seanyepez]

Originally posted by jerseyfreeze:
I'm a little worried that I'm not picky enough about my laptop screens.

Is a dead pixel really noticeable?

Sean, what exactly was wrong with the first two Sony VAIOs that you opened?

Jason

A dead pixel is very apparent if it's in the middle of your screen and shines a bright color. However, off to the side, they don't really matter.

The first two Sony VAIO's each had one, green stuck pixel in the middle of their screens. The third's screen was not aligned properly; it was tilted a few degrees.

Apple actually seems to have lower bad pixel rates. I've never had a bad pixel on any of my Apple notebooks.

[Karim]

Hate to do this ....but..

There are not 1,093,120 pixels in a 1280X854 screen. You forgot the colors, assuming RGB subpixels for each pixel there are actually 3,279,360 pixels.

Pretty amazing that LCD panels are as good as they are....

Imagine the Cinema HD screen: 6,840,000 pixels. Double the powerbook. Must be why they charge the same price!

[mrtew]

Just got my 1gz SD today at the Apple store and I even opened it and started it up there! Couldn't see my bad pixel until I got it home and put a dark background on the screen. I have one aqua-greenish pixel off to the lower left side of the screen. Not too bad... I kinda like it actually. It's not to bright and is a nice color. Sorta cute. My Ti400 and my Ti667 were perfect so I think I was due anyway.

[gg1234]

I used a nifty freeware program called Pixel Check and have no dead pixels....

PS: Get Pixel Check at Version Tracker .

[caseygittings]

no dead pixels on my new gig flawless

[superfoo]

I got an 867MHz the day they came out... about 3 days ago, I spotted one.

I was kind of irritated at first, since I just got it, but then again, NO LCD that I have owned or used within the last 2 years (1 winbook laptop, 2 dell laptops, 15" sony desktop LCD, APC/Samsung pull-out 1u rack mount LCD/keyboard combo, 15" NEC desktop LCD) has ever been without at least one.

Almost ALL LCDs will get a dead pixel at some time or another... I'm sure there are a fortunate few who not to get them, but for me, I'm happy that none have been smack dab in the middle of my screen, or somewhere else easily noticable.

[craigthomas]

I have one on my 800 Mhz Ti (shows up only on the black test of PiXel Check). Didn't even know it was there.

Crossing my fingers that there are none on my TiSD.

I like the "glass half full" attitude of mrtew. "Sorta cute" may be stretching a bit though.

[I Have Questions]

Just thought I'd report it. I'm posting on my brand-spanking-new-still-running-down-the-battery-for-the-first-time SuperDrive PB, and it has one tiny pixel stuck on red. It is only noticable from about 2" away from the screen, and from normal distance is not noticable at all. If it weren't for this stupid board, I would have never found it in the first place! Damn you, MacNN!

BTW, this is one sweet computer!

[seanyepez]

I don't see how a dead pixel can be "cute."

[issa]

1GHz with no "lit" pixels and no dead ones here. Hurray.

one aqua-greenish pixel off to the lower left side of the screen

At the risk of sounding "pixely", an "aqua-greenish pixel" is technically a "lit" pixel, not a dead one. To borrow from a NEC/Mitsubishi tech note out of laziness:

There are two phenomenon which define a defective LCD pixel: A "lit" pixel, which appears as one or several randomly-placed red, blue and/or green pixel elements on an all-black background; or a "missing" or "dead" pixel, which appears as a black dot on all-white backgrounds.

With any luck at all, that lit pixel will go away with a little gentle massaging.

[claughery]

None that I can see on my SD 1GHZ...

[TonTaub]

Originally posted by issa:
1GHz with no "lit" pixels and no dead ones here. Hurray.

Congrats! :-)

With any luck at all, that lit pixel will go away with a little gentle massaging.

Are you serious?

If to admit - although a lit or dead pixel mostly does not harm the functionality of a LCD display I really fear to get a display with faulty pixels. We'll on the other hand I thing I'd have to live with it ...

Have fun with your TiBook!
;-)
Michael.

[rbz]

No dead pixels on my 1Ghz SD.

rbz

[issa]

Tontaub writes:

Are you serious?

Yes, dead serious. Taking a soft cloth placed over the end of your finger and gently massaging the surface of the LCD display where the lit pixel (stuck or shorted transistor) is will often correct the problem. Press hard enough to create a slight rippling effect on the surface, but not so hard as to dig into the display. In many cases, the problem will just suddenly correct itself after a few days of use, even without a massage. Some of these might "stick" again, only to correct once again. It's awfullly difficult for LCD makers to ensure that every display will be perfect. The only time they can check if any of the 3,279,360 TFT transistors in a 1280 x 584 LCD display are faulty is after the display is manufactured.

I really fear to get a display with faulty pixels.

I think it depends a lot on the location of the lit pixel and which of the three color controllers (R,G, or B) is stuck. I have one lit pixel on my Rev. A 500MHz PBG4 that is down in a corner and hardly shows at all. I'm more often disturbed by a bit of dust somewhere on the screen, or a drop of whatever fruit I've been eating splashed on the screen. Just food (fruit?) for thought....

cheers!

[John123]

Originally posted by Karim:
Hate to do this ....but..

There are not 1,093,120 pixels in a 1280X854 screen. You forgot the colors, assuming RGB subpixels for each pixel there are actually 3,279,360 pixels.

Pretty amazing that LCD panels are as good as they are....

Imagine the Cinema HD screen: 6,840,000 pixels. Double the powerbook. Must be why they charge the same price!

You just argued against your own logic. If the RGB transistors are "subpixels," as you referred to them, then my original estimate of the number of pixels is correct.

[issa]

John 123 writes:

my original estimate of the number of pixels is correct.

John, not to take sides here, but I'm afraid you are mistaken. There is a transistor for each of the red, green and blue "subpixels", (or "pixels" as some documents refer to them) for each dot on the screen. Therefore, Karim's calculation works. The transistors used to produce the current PB display calculate to 1280 x 854 x 3 = 3,279,360. Hope this helps.

[trowa barton]

Just got my TiBook SuperDrive last night. no dead pixels. The screen is gorgeous. Been playing with this machine all night. Have to get some sleep now

- trowa

[gg1234]

There no such thing as sub-pixels. The G4 laptop has 1280*854 = 1,093,120 pixels - It has 3*1,024,800 = 3,279,360 transistors (3 per pixel).

[issa]

Thanks for clarifying the terminology here. I was writing about the number of transistors used in the display. But in retrospect, I am not clear if that's what Karim and John123 were both intending to discuss. Again, the LCD on the current PowerBook G4 uses 3,279,360 transistors to display its 1,093,120 pixels (1280 x 854).
As for terminology. I won't argue the existence of subpixels, but please note that a number of makers do use the term in describing LCDs. One example is Philips, as quoted below:

Pixels and Subpixels
A pixel, or picture element, is composed of three subpixels in the primary colors of red, green and blue. Many pixels together form an image. When all subpixels of a pixel are lit, the three colored subpixels together appear as a single white pixel. When all are dark, the three colored subpixels together appear as a single black pixel. Other combinations of lit and dark subpixels appear as single pixels of other colors.

http://www.datordesign.se/servsupo/P...cy_english.pdf

FWIW

[MarkLT1]

So if a PB arrives with dark or hot pixels.. will apple service it under warranty?? After paying 3k for a machine, i will be raising some major trouble if I get it, with a hot pixel, and Apple wont service it.

-Mark

[gg1234]

I guess the term Sub Pixel has some meaning (justification) but it should not be confused with what is really happening.
All three sub-pixels cover the same area as a pixel (not 1/3 of the pixel area). If one or two of the three sub-pixels were stuck then the pixel would still be a pixel but only able to diplay a limited number of colors. Geeze, enough of this crap...

[mrmister]

No dead pixels, unlike the 1 on the 800 DVi which it replaces.