iPad: I believe the iPad 4 has a serious display flaw.

[Noisemaker]

Originally Posted by WilliamG

The iPad 3 and iPad 2 do not have this issue, though, so...

Neither does the iPad 4.

[SnowLeopard2008]

Originally Posted by WilliamG

To your first paragraph, I know what you're talking about, but that's not what this is. It's a byproduct of the floating blacks. What is happening isn't just a backlight adjustment in movies, it's a contrast adjustment. Then, if you happen to close the app during those contrast bump, you're left staring at a homepage of icons with contrast out of whack until it fades back to normal.

Again, that the icons look messed up for a few seconds is far from a big issue. It's notable, sure, but not worth crying over. What is far more frustrating (fatally so, in my book) is that the floating blacks are all too aggressive. Once again, for those who didn't read my first post fully - the fact that I used this trailer and the use of the PAUSE button on one particular shot is just a quick and easy way for anyone with Internet to test this phenomenon.

For the rest of us, just watching a movie with a dark scene will result in the floating-blacks issue every few seconds.

So, once again, the home-screen distortion is just a BYPRODUCT of the movie-watching issue. The movie-watching problem is the thing I'm concerned with.

I spoke to a senior advisor at Apple, and he's seen/understands exactly what I'm talking about, so hopefully iOS 6.0.2 addresses it.

So the conclusion is that this isn't a serious flaw of the display, just a minor software bug that is or isn't present on all iPad 4s.

[WilliamG]

Originally Posted by SnowLeopard2008

So the conclusion is that this isn't a serious flaw of the display, just a minor software bug that is or isn't present on all iPad 4s.

It's manifesting itself as a flaw in the display, which is what the end user will see.

I truly have no idea if there will be a software update to fix it. I hope so, but I really don't know.

[ritmomundo]

Just for kicks, I tried this on my iPad mini. I don't see any issues with the brightness changing at that exact scene in the trailer. But when I close it out to the homepage, the icons do look a little washed out for about 2-3 seconds. The only icon I could really see this happening on is FaceTime. it's not nearly as bad on the iPad mini as on the OP describes as happening on the iPad 4.

[canesalato]

I can replicate it on my iPad 4. Happened while watching a movie. Now i've found this thread. This is going back

[blackbelter]

Originally Posted by WilliamG

Did you make sure to hide the progress/play bar, and then wait a few seconds, on EXACTLY that frame. The reason it needs to be that frame is because it's a good example of a lot of dark material where the backlight decides to dump itself.

It sounds like an energy-saving mechanism: in long-lasting completely dark frames, dim down the backlight. I think it is a software issue which can be fixed if you voice it to apple.

I will hopefully get mine by the end of today. Will test it out. But even this is observed, I won't be bothered...

[canesalato]

Originally Posted by blackbelter

It sounds like an energy-saving mechanism: in long-lasting completely dark frames, dim down the backlight. I think it is a software issue which can be fixed if you voice it to apple.

I will hopefully get mine by the end of today. Will test it out. But even this is observed, I won't be bothered...

It may be. But if it's a software issue why the iPad 3 is fine and why some people are saying their iPad is perfect?

[jclardy]

Originally Posted by WilliamG

I no longer have an iPad 4 in my possession. It was much easier to show you the icons "fixing themselves" than show you a black backlight changing, especially since my iPhone 5 just compensates and changes its aperture so videos wouldn't really work to display this.

So you can take my findings for what they are. I stand 100% by my statement that this affects all iPad 4s.

I mean, look at this:







^ ^ ^ Talk about going from one extreme to the other, right?

So either it happens or it doesn't. Again, maybe there's a HUGE bad batch out there. I can only tell you my findings using almost double-digit number of iPads!

My beliefs are as follows: All iPad 4 devices are affected by this. You don't have to agree, and hey - maybe you're not sensitive to a bouncing backlight during dark scenes in movies.

I'm interested in hearing other findings.

If you tap and hold inside the iPhone camera app it will enable auto-exposure lock, meaning it will show the brightness changes.

[WilliamG]

Originally Posted by canesalato

I can replicate it on my iPad 4. Happened while watching a movie. Now i've found this thread. This is going back

Sorry

Originally Posted by blackbelter

It sounds like an energy-saving mechanism: in long-lasting completely dark frames, dim down the backlight. I think it is a software issue which can be fixed if you voice it to apple.

I will hopefully get mine by the end of today. Will test it out. But even this is observed, I won't be bothered...

You'll be bothered by this in dark scenes in movies. My wife who never cares about such things refuses to let me take her iPad 3 now. Apple knows about it now. We'll see if they can/will fix it

[dazz87]

Just test mine no issue. ALso zero backlight bleeding....

[canesalato]

To those who don't experience the problem: try double tapping to zoom in while at second 13. (remember to take out of the way the controls popup.) This way On my device the problem happens more often.

[LucasLee]

Tried it on iPad 3, nothing happens. The hardest part was actually freezing on that batman picture exactly..

So we have scruffgate, antennagate and billgate. What will this be? ContastWhileWatchingBatmanMovieIconDistoriongate?

[ttNB]

I did it too, and nothing happens. The icons stay crisp and flawless. And I tried it like 3Xs. Nothing happened and I have the new iPad 4 Gen.

[LucasLee]

Oh a word of advice for anyone returning their iPad, don't ask for genius help, they are a total waste of time. Use your return policy on a sales representive rather to than try to say it is faulty, you will be done in seconds. I miss the good old days when everyone in apple store is there to help you equally, now it is if you want technical support you need an appointment in advance and if you want to buy something, they have store full of sales team to help you.

[iapplelove]

Don't even have to watch the trailer to know what your talking about. Noticed this since the iPad 3

[zhenya]

I can see what you are saying about the icons when I follow your instructions, but I can't see anything negative in the actual playback of movies. I think the icon thing is just a screen adjustment as previously stated.

[canesalato]

Originally Posted by iapplelove

Don't even have to watch the trailer to know what your talking about. Noticed this since the iPad 3

Ok, since my iPad try doesn't do this and my iPad 4 does, i'm starting to think that it may depends on the display manufacturer

[AFDoc]

Originally Posted by Sodner

Man Apple has more OCD customers than anyone.


I swear when I watch a movie on my iPad and close my eyes everything goes black. I've replicated it at the Apple store as well. I have an appointment tomorrow to show a genius. Wish me luck.

LoL at this one!

So I get from this thread....IF you do this exact thing in this exact situation this happens..... is that it?

[canesalato]

Originally Posted by zhenya

I can see what you are saying about the icons when I follow your instructions, but I can't see anything negative in the actual playback of movies. I think the icon thing is just a screen adjustment as previously stated.

It may be, the problem is that is continuing to change as you watch some movies, and depending on the movie it can be very visible and distracting. It could be a software issue, but then why do I have it on my new 4 but not on the 3?

----------

Originally Posted by AFDoc

LoL at this one!

So I get from this thread....IF you do this exact thing in this exact situation this happens..... is that it?

It's just a way to make it more visible. When you have to show a problem you try to make it more visible, so that you don't waste people time and you can find a solution faster. That doesn't mean that the problem happens only in that situation. In my case it happens quite often while watching movies during dark scenes

[teknikal90]

Can't replicate it.
Ipad 4 here, thank goodness. Do not want to go through the return process lol

Edit: holy crap I can replicate it. You have to watch in HD. It's a software issue to me....

Edit 2: can only replicate it once out the 5 times I tried it. Software issue.

[spiralynth]

I can replicate this on my iPad 4 and my iPhone 5 — both on the HD and non-HD trailer per the op. However, I cannot replicate it — after multiple tries — on neither my iPad 1 nor iPhone 3GS.

Not sure how much it concerns me right now.

[thekjs88]

Couldn't replicate it at first but just got it to do it now. I had to pause it in HD on a darker image than the one you suggested.

[Mbman81]

I can confirm that my unit does this. It is a software issue for sure. It appears that apple employs a dynamic contrast enhancement when watching video on screen. Pretty cool actually. Issue appears to be if you play, then pause, then tap to hide volume/seek bars, and hit home button it disengages gradually instead of instantly. It has to be on the dark scene. If you already paused it it doesn't seem to do it, at least for me. I'm able to make it happen about 75% of the time I try. The first time I did it I did not have my brightness up all the way so I thought it was just my eyes adjusting to the bright screen so be careful of eye tricks

Thanks for pointing out.

[WilliamG]

Originally Posted by spiralynth

I can replicate this on my iPad 4 and my iPhone 5 — both on the HD and non-HD trailer per the op. However, I cannot replicate it — after multiple tries — on neither my iPad 1 nor iPhone 3GS.

Not sure how much it concerns me right now.

I cannot replicate it on my iPhone 5. That's the first I've heard of it on there.

[spiralynth]

Originally Posted by WilliamG

I cannot replicate it on my iPhone 5. That's the first I've heard of it on there.

It's much more subtle on my iPhone 5 than it is on my iPad 4 where it is very obvious. My Maps and Twitter icons are easiest to see going from washed-out, fuzzy blurs, slowly tansitioning into focus and clarity.