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Dead pixel policy

Never heard of it? I'm not surprised. All the makers seem to have one, but they don't exactly go out of their way to tell you. The exception being Acer, who do mention it prominently on their website, so hats off to them. At the other end of the scale, shame on Sony, who are still giving me the run-around. Presumably their policy is pretty poor.

Whilst TFT panels may develop faults over time, I don't think I'm being unreasonable to expect that a brand new display would be fault-free when purchased from new. Not so, apparently. Laptop vendors consider that brand new laptops with 4 dead pixels per magapixel of display are within spec. Each vendor has slight variations on the theme but that is a ballpark figure.

Putting this into perspective, a 1024 x 768 display could have 10 dead pixels from day 1.

Specifying the limit as a percentage of the display pixels means that a £1700 desktop replacement laptop could actually have far more dead pixels than an entry level one. If I'd bought a cheap laptop which had few dead pixels then I'd be disappointed, but if I'd bought a top of the range one and found even one dead pixel I'd be spitting blood and feathers.

I do appreciate the technical difficulty of making a flawless panel, but that doesn't excuse the vendors from hiding behind the small print until after they've had your money.

A salesman in the local branch of a PC superstore admitted that dead pixels were the biggest cause of post-sale disputes with laptops and LCD TVs. When I suggested that wouldn't happen if prominent statements of the policy were on the shelves he said "But that would put people off buying them."

Am I the only person that feels this vendors should be completely up-front about dead pixels, and who would be prepared to pay a reasonable premium for a "PixelPerfect" display during warranty?

Because TFT panels are all tested, the stock control systems could already indicate perfect panels and also the serial number of the laptop they were installed in. From there its just a small step to add a sticker to the packaging

"PixelPerfect" machines could be identified.

Acer said they think the idea is worth considering. Are you aware of any makers that already do it? I'm told that Samsung intend to guarrantee every pixel for the first 6 months on their TFT TVs, which is a step in the right direction.

David Reynolds

March 22, 2005 in Hardware | Permalink

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Comments

There already is a 'Pixel Perfect' classification - the ISO 13406-2 standard. Zero-defect TFT displays are called Class I displays. More information here:

http://www.nec-mitsubishi.com/specials/online_englisch/iso/

It comes down to how much consumers are willing to pay - some types of pixel defect are more annoying than others, which is what the ISO classes take into account.

Posted by: Kelvyn Taylor | 22 Mar 2005 10:09:04

CTX sell some of their screens (S-series) with a "+" sign to indicate that they are guaranteed defect free (for a few months, anyway).

Philips also guarantee some of their screens (very limited models though).

Also, aria.co.uk will test your TFT screen for an extra £15 and guarantee you a defect free one (pity they don't sell the model I'm after though).

Posted by: Ralph Bacon | 24 Mar 2005 17:54:30

Well, there are also the problem of live pixel as well as death pixel. Even 4 years ago, sellers in Hong Kong had already promoting their zero-dead-pixel policy...

Posted by: Shu Yan | 24 Mar 2005 18:00:29

Where on Acer's website does it mention its dead pixel policy? I couldn't see it anywhere.

Posted by: Tom | 18 Jul 2005 16:45:59

I purchased an Acer AL1914 19" LCD monitor today. To my dissapointment, upon installation I discovered one dead (red) pixel on the screen.

I called Acer and was advised that upto 5 dead pixels are acceptable and do not class as a fault. Anything over 5 pixels they will act.

This was my first LCD purchase, having had a CRT previously. Overall I'm real happy with the product and the screen is great. Just wish I knew more about dead pixels before buying.

Posted by: Mark | 27 Jul 2005 16:01:29

Under the ISO13406-2 quality standard (which is what most vendors stick to these days), 5 subpixel faults (where one of the red, green or blue elements is stick on or off) per million is allowed for a Class 2 monitor. Class 1 is the only zero-defect class.

Some vendors have a zero-defect policy for whole faulty pixels (red, green and blue all not working properly), but check with the manufacturer before ordering what their policy is.

Posted by: Kelvyn Taylor | 27 Jul 2005 17:30:57

Is there anyone out there who has started a website or forum on information about the each company's pixel policy links? A comparison of all manufacturers producing 'pixelperfect' screens may be worthy.

I just bought an Acer Aspire Laptop and it has a dead pixel. I have no idea that such a thing could happen when you buy something new from a sealed box. I bought a Philips 17" flat screen before and there were no such problem.

The dead pixel is a bother especially when I may sell the laptop later. I am sure the dead pixel would certainly devalue the re-selling value when a potential buyer sees it.

Posted by: cloudy | 6 Sep 2005 16:34:14

I knowingly bought a Sony 15 LCD flat screen two years ago with one dead pixel. The reason was I got £50. and felt it was a good buy

Posted by: Shirl | 9 Oct 2005 13:19:22

Toshiba have just verbally stated to me that they do not have procedure which is in line with the ISO standard mentioned above. Even more revealing , they were NOT prepared to confirm that in writing. I appreciate that a screen is a complex item, but for me, a faulty pixel is a faulty screen if it is sold as new. Expectations might be lower if bought used/second hand etc but that is an individual customer choice. My mission was to buy a new budget laptop. The normal question arises - do I get the cheapest internet price with no guarantee of perfect pixels or do i pay the normal 5-10% premium and buy from a shop ? My solution was John Lewis.

Posted by: Rob | 14 Oct 2005 12:14:34

I about a month or 2 ago bought 1500 USD laptop and i now see a dead pixel, sony, who is at top in displays, gives me a dead pixel in such an expensive display?! wtf?! this was supposed to be one of the best laptops in the store...what is sony's policy on dead pixels exactly?

Posted by: K | 22 Oct 2005 16:11:13

I just bought 2 ViewSonic VX924 19" TFT - BOTH have a single dead pixel. Sale of Goods act FAQ states...

Aspects of quality include fitness for purpose, freedom from minor defects, appearance and finish, durability and safety.

A dead pixel I consider a minor defect and will be getting my replacements shortly.

Posted by: Rob Hammerton | 8 Dec 2005 19:00:51

Last week, my boyfriend bought a Belinea 19" monitor from Misco.co.uk. Misco say it's the manufacturers' fault and told him to ring Belinea. Belinea then spring a surprise pixel policy on him and said all LCD monitors have pixel faults. So he's paid full price for a non-perfect monitor. I've lodged a complaint with Consumer Direct www.consumerdirect.gov.uk and am going to contact BBC Watchdog wwww.bbc.co.uk/watchdog and suggest the more people complain then hopefully the industry will need to buck their ideas.

Posted by: Lizzie | 30 Jan 2006 10:43:18

I would like to mention that I purchased an Acer 19" AL1912 monitor from Tesco recently,and was, and still is, in perfect condition regarding bad Pixels, my other 19" monitor 'iiyama prolite E4815 had no dead pixels when it was purchased 3yrs ago, and it is stil in prefect condition

Posted by: Anthony | 20 Feb 2006 10:54:41

Like 'K' above (22 Oct 2005) I also this week received two brand new VX924 moniotors as part of my Mesh system and both have bright permanent pixel faults. One has a a permanent lit blue (in the top centre third area) and one bright lit green pixel (in the lower third centre area), the second monitor has a bright green pixel fault smack in centre screen. Mesh don't want to know (that is when you can actually get throught to them), and Viewsonic only agree one monitor is 'classed' as faulty. One replacement monitor 'should' be on its way from Viewsonic direct but as for other one ..... no idea.

I will now write to Mesh quoting the same 'Sale of Goods Act extract as 'K' did above and see what happens. I wish I just stuck with a cheap monitor. It really p&%£$d me off to spend the extra money for a higher spec Viewsonic VX924 screen only to received something worse (in tolerance) than all the cheaper screens we have at work.

Steve G

Posted by: Steve G | 18 Mar 2006 17:44:10

Sorry, In the above text I meant to refer to the post that was made by 'Rob Hammerton'on 8th Dec 2005, not the one by 'K'. I read the headers incorrectly.

Posted by: Steve G | 18 Mar 2006 17:47:57

Just received my new Acer Aspire 5652WLMi complete with CrystalBrite Technology

1x Brite green dead pixel about 2" from the side of the screen.

Do any sites out there have something like complaint polls?

Then people can see how many are having the 'same issues' with each manufacturer.

Posted by: MarZau | 29 Apr 2006 11:07:51

If you are in the UK and you purchased via mail order/Internet etc then distance selling regulations give you a 7 days cooling off period. You can simply send it back for any reason you want as long as it has all original packaging etc. As soon as you receive it unpack it carefully and give it a good testing. If there are any pixel or other problems pack it back up and inform your vendor straight away. The retunr postage is at your cost but its better than being stuck with a faulty unit.

Regards

Bill

Posted by: Bill | 3 May 2006 09:43:58

I recently bought a veiwsonic va1912wb from Savastore (watford electronics). I noticed it had over 17 dead sub-pixels. After returning it to savastore for testing, after 2 hours they could not find any fault and sent it back. When i received it and ran a lcd test i noticed it still had over 17 dead sub-pixels. Veiwsonic have offered to replaced it for a refurbished one. But you can imagine how i feel after paying over £200 for a faulty monitor. Sent back to savastore for 2nd test. i've mentioned ISO standard to savastore but it seems their techi's are runing the test with windows office applications and trying to find the tiny dead white pixels and not using a black background. What should i do?

Posted by: Maz | 18 May 2006 18:22:05

Experiences: 15", 17" & 26" LCD TV's, Philips - zero dead pixels (now all +1 year old), Samsung 15" (+3 yr) and 19" SyncMaster monitors - zero dead pixels, Toshiba Tecra T8000 (5 yrs) - zero dead pixels, Futitsu-Siemens Amilo D3060 15" Notebook (3 yrs) - zero, HP Ominbook 500 (6 years) - 1 dead pixel (even so, I'd buy a HP laptop again). Personally I wouldn't accept a single dead pixel, regardless of the companies policies, it's a basic failure to meet the Sale of Goods act, 1 dead pixel on a monitor, (or TV capable of VGA input) means the product does not function according to it's specification (if it states 1078 x 768 and one is dead, that means it doesn't meet this requirement).

Posted by: Martin | 9 Jun 2006 15:18:24

Hi , I got a new samsung laptop P29 nice machine..but it had a dead pixel (red, stuck on) i used the machine for 3 days then I realised that this was a serious flaw, and was very irritating on movies since it came on the black strip below!!!...i went to the dealer and said that the panel was faulty....and guess what...the dealer wasnt aware of SAMSUNGs 10 dead pixel policy. He felt sorry and replaced mine with a new sealed machine and issed a new bill in my name...heheh.,....stupid dealer..LOLs!!!

Posted by: Saaransh | 19 Jun 2006 18:08:45

Hey, I just bought a Sony Vaio Notebook and it just so happens that there's a dead pixel right smack in the middle of my display. Now, I got the extended warranty from Sony, so am I entitled to a screen replacement? I don't want a new laptop (being that I already installed Microsoft Office on it, and I know it only works on one computer)so how does that work?? BTW, does anyone know of any more cases of faulty "X-Brite" displays?

Posted by: Anthony | 23 Jun 2006 09:48:34

Found this link. Lists limits for each manufacturer: http://www.behardware.com/art/imprimer/519/

Posted by: Tony | 6 Jul 2006 23:25:37

I bought notebook acer aspire 5552 , however after 1 day i used i noticed 1 blue dead pixel.

Luckily when i complained with the seller he changed me a new one

huff



Posted by: Kairu | 9 Sep 2006 15:10:36

I think they sould state the dead pixel warrentys on all LCD screens. It's so anoying my moms

17 LCD has a dead pixel (coloure pixel which is red). I will not buy an LCD unless it has a zero pixel policy. I concider dead pixels or stuck pixels, a brocken screen as there is a small component broken. This might be aceptable to manafatures but consumers a very big no!, you would not see them buy a LCD if they knew about dead pixels, I have seen the polices around the net and I am a shamed of the makers of LCDs. I dont care if the price goes up and I dont think the consumers would mind ether.

Posted by: sam | 16 Oct 2006 21:32:10

I'd bet money you're wrong Sam. People want everything and they want it at rock bottom price. Dead/stuck pixels are common due to the complexity of TFT manufacture. If manufacturers were to just start throwing out all panels with even a single bad pixel, cost would go up exponentially. You say "Id pay", but I know you wouldnt. You could buy class 1 devices today and have exactly what you want - higher price with a guarantee. But no one does. They take the risk on the class 2, play dumb, and do anything they can to replace the thing if they get a stuck pixel.

The average consumer is like the guy above calling the retailer "stupid" for being nice enough to take back his monitor. Selfish, and unreasonable. Everyone feels that their $X entitles them to perfection and that there is no burden on them to be educated. This is why hard drives now have to have 2 page disclaimers. Eventually there will be a 200 page book of disclaimers to allow for reasonable margins of error on every product all to appease the anal, deliberately ignorant, consumers who quote legal statutes over the slightest problem with an item.

I do agree with the theme of the post though, that manufacturers should just visibly post a warning on the class 2 devices.

Posted by: mark | 27 Oct 2006 03:23:37

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