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Does your MacBook have much backlight bleeding at the bottom of the display?

Do you have noticable backlight bleeding on your MacBook?

  • Total voters
    83
C

caktusaurus

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 24, 2007
50
0
Just like the title says. I got my MacBook today and it's got a decent amount of backlight bleeding at the bottom of the display. This is the second MacBook I've ordered, the first one was in october last year and returned it because of backlight bleeding. To my recollection, it was a bit worse though. I've looked at other MacBooks, some seem to have it but some (particularly the 2006 Core Duo models) do not. I've also looked at the HP we have at work and it has very little to no bleeding.

Is it like this on all MacBooks these days? I'm starting to think so, since I'm on my second machine.

Do you have backlight bleeding issues on your machine? Vote!
 
Got a picture of what this looks like? Can't see anything like it on my machine; just a clean black border all around.
 
Got mine exactly one week ago on the 16th....no bleeding that I can notice. Screen looks bright and even....no stuck/dead pixels that I've been able to notice either....
 
heatmiser said:
Got a picture of what this looks like? Can't see anything like it on my machine; just a clean black border all around.
Click to expand...

I'm really sorry, but unfortunately I don't own a camera, or a portable mirror to use with the iSight...

When watching some Scrubs (non-widescreen) the bottom third of the black bars are gray. When watching a completely black screen, the bleeding goes up to about 4/5 of the screen height at the center of the screen.

This photo kind of resembles my screen:
DSCN01961.jpg


although my bleeding goes a bit higher up on the screen in the middle.
 
Anyone else having this problem?

I'm starting to consider the MacBook Pro because of this (although a MacBook perfectly fits my needs otherwise). I'm wondering if LED backlighting improves on this per se, or if MBP just has a better screen... since I don't think I've seen this as much in the MBP:s.
 
Okay, that definitely shouldn't be happening. I'd take it to the Apple store and get them to fix it, presuming you're still in warranty.
 
heatmiser said:
Okay, that definitely shouldn't be happening. I'd take it to the Apple store and get them to fix it, presuming you're still in warranty.
Click to expand...

I've already returned it. :) Problem is, I'm not sure I will have much more luck with a third one, especially since UPS delivery was on the fritz last time and caused me a lot of hardship.

Some of you probably think I'm being anal about it, but I expected the quality of a $1730 Mac (that's Apple Store price with student discount for a mid-level MB here in Sweden) to at least be equal to a $1400 PC of similar specs, paying a little extra for the design and the wonderful OS (I don't mind). I gladly would have paid another $150-$200 for a better display.

Unfortunately, using my student discount the entry-level MBP will still cost > $2500.
 
caktusaurus said:
I'm really sorry, but unfortunately I don't own a camera, or a portable mirror to use with the iSight...

When watching some Scrubs (non-widescreen) the bottom third of the black bars are gray. When watching a completely black screen, the bleeding goes up to about 4/5 of the screen height at the center of the screen.

This photo kind of resembles my screen:
<pic>

although my bleeding goes a bit higher up on the screen in the middle.
Click to expand...

From that picture it looks like just a bad viewing angles of the display...

Make a pic with your camera facing the screen at 90 degrees (just like you should be looking at the display), not from the top.
 
eXan said:
From that picture it looks like just a bad viewing angles of the display...

Make a pic with your camera facing the screen at 90 degrees (just like you should be looking at the display), not from the top.
Click to expand...

That's true, the viewing angle of the display contributes a lot to this. However, I've looked at the screen from nearly all possible angles (including straight on) and the issue perseveres. (I didn't take that picture btw, but it looks a lot like my display did. I don't even own a camera :p)

Will it be worth waiting for LED backlighting to improve on this? (assuming it will?) I haven't found any good articles describing the construction of LED backlit displays...
 
I got my second MBP since 6 days now and I am as well wondering if the backlight bleed of my display is normal. It looks like this:

mbpblbld.jpg


That's what it looks like in dimmed light athmosphere at the evening. When watching DVDs in cinemascope with black bars at the top and the bottom, those bright areas at the bottom are quite irritating. Is that state-of-the-art of LED display technology?? Has anybody a picture of his macbook pro? I wonder if I could expect a better display if I returned it to get another one. This is already my second MBP - the first one had to go back because of askew keys.

(I made the test with the LCDtest 2.0 from Ekim Software, a simple freeware test tool that creates colored fullscreens)
 
InLikeALion said:
^^That's what mine looks like. So did my first 2, but my '84 screen had less on the edges but even more in the middle of the screen.
Click to expand...

I'm on my third MBP unibody 15" and that still has screen bleed, worse than the one posted above. Calling apple sales up tomorrow and ordering the 17" MBP, my defectuve unit has being given a extended warranty until it's delivered, then it will be refunded.

This is the only way I pearsonally think I'll get a better screen :rolleyes:... although I should get the level of acceptable quality in the product I already purchased some months ago.

( 1x 84 screen, not bad screen but that's not why it got sent back and 2x 85 screens that were terrible )

... 1st Mac too.

NStocks
 
osc said:
I got my second MBP since 6 days now and I am as well wondering if the backlight bleed of my display is normal. It looks like this:

mbpblbld.jpg
Click to expand...


Mine is exactly the same. I have exchanged it once already, with no improvement at all. I think exchange is a waste of time and effort.
 
Sir Cecil said:
Mine is exactly the same. I have exchanged it once already, with no improvement at all. I think exchange is a waste of time and effort.
Click to expand...

That was my assessment, too. Better to have the bleeding restricted to the edges than the main part of the display, so I kept mine.

Plus, I bought from Amazon, and it has been a pain in the neck to get exchanges to go through. I won't be recommending them anymore.
 
osc said:
Sorry for my ignorance but what is a '84 and a '85 screen?
Click to expand...

9C84 and 9C85 - codes used by Apple to designate the model of LCD used in the computer, ie, 9C84 comes from a different manufacturer than 9C85.

It always helps to have multiple suppliers for parts, because if you only have one supplier, and they go bust, or have a factory fire or something, you're screwed.
 
Maybe a stupid question, but where do I find this information? I looked in the "About this Mac", but I cannot find it. I'm rather new to the 'Apple world' so if somebody good point me in the right direction, thank you! :)
 
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