What to do with those 'Stuck Pixels' on your Plasma screen?

[NorthStar]

---Ok, I searched everywhere, I even called few places, but I didn't get anywhere but remain stuck with my problem!

Here's my situation, and let see if there are members here at WBF who could truly help (we never know till we ask):

* About four months ago or so I noticed a green flashing stuck pixel on my flat Plasma screen, on the lower left side (but still eight inches high from the bottom and five inches from the left side). That is just over a year (June 2011) since I bought my HDTV and I did not buy an extended warranty.
So I'm on my own now with this very annoying issue, as green pixels are the most annoying of them all, and this one is a big (60" screen) pixel.
You can see it easily from eight feet or even ten feet distance.

At one point it seems that it wasn't there no more (for roughly two weeks), but then it reappeared with a vengeance!

Then I used my Blu-ray disc 'WOW' from Disney with the 'Pixel Flipper'. ...For about eight hours, but it did not fix that pixel helas.

It is amazing all the stories I read from all over the Internet (AVS Forum, AVForum, Blu-ray Forum, Satellite Guys, C-Net, Samsung's customer support, etc., etc., etc.), ranging from PC programs like JScreenFix, to massaging pixels! ...By the way, in most cases those tricks don't work; only few people had luck.

So, here's the final score:

1. Forget the warranty; I'm outside of it anyway.
2. And forget how many pixels you have Stuck or Dead, because only one can be very annoying, like in my case right now.
3. Pixel flippers, pixel unstuckers, pixel removers, pixel light flashers, pixel strobs, pixel massagers, ... they don't restore broken transistors behind your flat panel screen! Only few people have had luck, but for many of them the stuck pixels came back! ...And as for dead pixels forget it; they will remain always dead!
4. Nothing is perfect in this flat panel world; some people are just more lucky than others, or simply that some people don't notice those issues. ...It happens a lot in our world of electronics; most people (majority of them) only become aware of issues only when they are being made aware of them. ...And that is a fact. In my case it was obvious; you can see big time that stuck green pixel flashing!
Quality Control (QC) is just something people don't have control over!
5. I think you now have the full picture (minus one stuck pixel).

Can someone unstuck me from my issue? ...And good luck, you're going to need it! :b

 

[Steve Williams]

Either ignore it (if you can) or buy a new TV. They're cheap enough these days

 

[cjfrbw]

Accommodation. From what I have read, you just have to wait to get used to it.

That there are not more stuck pixels is probably a testament to the quality of mass production.

They seem to stick green most often, though blue might be preferable.

You will probably obsess about it for while, then ignore it.

 

[treitz3]

Hello, Bob. That has got to be annoying. While I do not have the expertise to recommend what or where you should go to correct this issue, I would tell you what I would do in the meantime. Instead of having a "flashing" green pixel, I would [personally] grab a Sharpie and color a small dot the size of the pixel on the other side of the sticky part of a post it note. Cut out the dot as small as you can, or whatever may be necessary to block said flashing pixel. You might have to double ot triple up, depending on how bright the flashing pixel actually is. While this may not be the solution you were hoping for, I'd rather see a black spot on the screen than a flashing light. That would drive me up the wall.

Then entertain the thought of getting a new TV with an extended warranty.

Tom

 

[NorthStar]

Either ignore it (if you can) or buy a new TV. They're cheap enough these days

---Lol Steve, impossible to ignore after you know it's there.
And you don't even have to look or think about it; it will remind you all by itself. :b

Yeah, buy a new TV; with tax that would be roughly $1,500 to replace my model with this year same model.
For some people that is a fart, for others a mountain! For me it's just between. :b

But here's the truth; when you buy another flat panel you have no guarantee that you won't have stuck or dead or both pixels! It is part of the manufacturers' margin of errors.
Where I bought my HDTV that's what they told me; just buy another one, and buy the extended warranty (that would be now $1,800). ...And I just bought my Samsung plasma on June first 2011!

I don't think any members here is going to come up with the perfect solution (but I'm all ears to anyone's other suggestions), so I'll live with my 'imperfect life' for now till I upgrade to another imperfect one.
It's a kind of true way of speech .... How long can you endure till you change the pain from another angle. :b

Thx Steve anyway; at least you proposed somethin'. :b

 

[NorthStar]

Accommodation. From what I have read, you just have to wait to get used to it.

That there are not more stuck pixels is probably a testament to the quality of mass production.

They seem to stick green most often, though blue might be preferable.

You will probably obsess about it for while, then ignore it.

1. Thx for your reply. :b
2. "Accomodation", yup I'm pretty well accomodated by now; but not on the happy side of it. :b
3. You're right; I would much prefer to have a stuck 'Blue' pixel than a green one.
4. I've been 'annoyed' by it for few months now, and it don't seem to go away.
It ain't under my 'power control of the mind'; it is real, there, flashing green on my screen like a a bug that won't go away, ever! :b

* If only life would be that simple; ignoring all our issues; the entire world would be at peace forever. :b
We would accect all the deficiencies of Man.

 

[amirm]

I have the real cause of that Bob. It is caused by watching the wrong kind of movies. If too many of them have bad plot or acting, it is sure to upset your display and this is how it expressed it. Like a child that cries to communicate with you because he can't speak, your TV is telling that it has had to display too many painful movies. Feed it the AFI (American Film Institute) Top 100 movies for a few months and it should be good to go.

The other thing I can suggest relies on knowing the sex of the TV. As with many animals, it is very hard to tell. But if you know where to look, you can determine if it is male or female. Assuming it is female, then you can call Steve and he can walk you through typical issues with females as they get older and advise possibly hormone therapy. He can even speak Canadian, easing any communication problems between you.

Once you get it working again, remember who helped you!

 

[NorthStar]

Hello, Bob. That has got to be annoying. While I do not have the expertise to recommend what or where you should go to correct this issue, I would tell you what I would do in the meantime. Instead of having a "flashing" green pixel, 1. I would [personally] grab a Sharpie and color a small dot the size of the pixel on the other side of the sticky part of a post it note. Cut out the dot as small as you can, or whatever may be necessary to block said flashing pixel. You might have to double ot triple up, depending on how bright the flashing pixel actually is. While this may not be the solution you were hoping for, I'd rather see a black spot on the screen than a flashing light. That would drive me up the wall.

2. Then entertain the thought of getting a new TV with an extended warranty.

Tom

---Hi Tom,

1. That is the best solution so far! :b ...First time ever that I've heard of that one.

2. Lol, I've read people replacing their flat panels three or more times, and there is always an issue with their latest one!
Besides it is frustrating and life's stressing to keep replacing defectuous products (in this case here broken transistors).
...Time consuming, bad sleep, phone calls, energy draining, living without your routine, missing your programs, having no control over your life, letting other people take control, and just spending more money to have more problems at the ultimate end!
Because after all that's what it all boils down to. :b

*** Audio forums are like a therapy, like going to see your psychiatrist at his business office!
It don't fix your real problems, but it creates the illusion that it does!

 

[cjfrbw]

Every time you sin, you get a stuck green pixel.

 

[NorthStar]

I have the real cause of that Bob. It is caused by watching the wrong kind of movies. If too many of them have bad plot or acting, it is sure to upset your display and this is how it expressed it. Like a child that cries to communicate with you because he can't speak, your TV is telling that it has had to display too many painful movies. Feed it the AFI (American Film Institute) Top 100 movies for a few months and it should be good to go.

The other thing I can suggest relies on knowing the sex of the TV. As with many animals, it is very hard to tell. But if you know where to look, you can determine if it is male or female. Assuming it is female, then you can call Steve and he can walk you through typical issues with females as they get older and advise possibly hormone therapy. He can even speak Canadian, easing any communication problems between you.

Once you get it working again, remember who helped you!

-----Interesting Amir what you just said (in your first paragraph; forget your second one).

Because depending of the programs you're watching (action movies, colorful ones, B&W, romantic flicks, etc.), it affects the flat panel transistors that activate the pixels and subpixels in their phosphorus states of the three primary colors, plus death (black ones).
By being humoristic you just touched the essential essence. :b

 

[ack]

At one point it seems that it wasn't there no more (for roughly two weeks), but then it reappeared with a vengeance!

I think you are in luck! This actually tells me it can turn off, and it may in fact in the future. I had the exact same issue with my Pioneer Kuro, a red pixel mostly stuck on, but sometimes flickering, then after 6 months it all worked fine; and it's now been 5-6 years. It's all about break-in??? Seems so. My stuck-on pixel appeared about 6 months after purchase.

 

[NorthStar]

Every time you sin, you get a stuck green pixel.

------

 

[cjfrbw]

I just remember when we got a stuck green pixel in the middle lower left on the 40 inch Sony in the kitchen. It drove me nuts for a while. I would see it appearing in the lapels of the talking heads, on dark backgrounds, soiling white backdrops. It haunted me.

Then I accepted it, now I never even notice it. Made me wonder why I cared so much about it in the first place.

 

[NorthStar]

I think you are in luck! This actually tells me it can turn off, and it may in fact in the future. I had the exact same issue with my Pioneer Kuro, a red pixel mostly stuck on, but sometimes flickering, then after 6 months it all worked fine; and it's now been 5-6 years. It's all about break-in??? Seems so. My stuck-on pixel appeared about 6 months after purchase.

-----Yes, I pray every night that the future will shine brighter (actually darker)!
And I've read that with time you can get more stuck and dead pixels as well.

But here's what's furthermore interesting:
With some material (DVDs, AIR) that green flashing stuck pixel seems to be no more, or less.
BUT, each and everytime I put a 3D Blu-ray movie, it is always there (100%)!
As for 2D blu-ray movies, it is there roughly 60-90% of the time; depending of the material playing (flick's genre), the day (weather outside), and the HDTV's mood. ...But more so than not.

But very true what I just observed and mentioned (since the last four months or so).

As for tomorrow; well, I hope it's sunny and happiness reigns supreme all over my health and heart and spirit and soul! ...And my flat plasma panel as well.

 

[treitz3]

I have the real cause of that Bob. It is caused by watching the wrong kind of movies. If too many of them have bad plot or acting, it is sure to upset your display and this is how it expressed it. Like a child that cries to communicate with you because he can't speak, your TV is telling that it has had to display too many painful movies. Feed it the AFI (American Film Institute) Top 100 movies for a few months and it should be good to go.

The other thing I can suggest relies on knowing the sex of the TV. As with many animals, it is very hard to tell. But if you know where to look, you can determine if it is male or female. Assuming it is female, then you can call Steve and he can walk you through typical issues with females as they get older and advise possibly hormone therapy. He can even speak Canadian, easing any communication problems between you.

Once you get it working again, remember who helped you!

Haha! Oh, man. Tanks for the laugh, Amir. I'm freakin' dyin' over here!!! That was just too funny.

Tom

 

[ack]

I am not sure whether your findings would be always repeatable. When I looked at this issue years ago, it seemed to me it all had to do with power attenuation to the pixel, where above a certain threshold of intensity, full power was provided (thus always on). Therefore, theoretically any material with high-enough intensity at that very location should trigger it, until the whatever-module drives it breaks in. I am no expert on this stuff, mind you, but I was told by Pioneer that if it's just one pixel it will probably be OK, and it turned out OK.

 

[NorthStar]

I just remember when we got a stuck green pixel in the middle lower left on the 40 inch Sony in the kitchen. It drove me nuts for a while. I would see it appearing in the lapels of the talking heads, on dark backgrounds, soiling white backdrops. It haunted me.

Then I accepted it, now I never even notice it. Made me wonder why I cared so much about it in the first place.

-----Cool, I don't feel so lonely now. :b

* But your Sony is an LCD LED no? ...From what I read the problems are more prominent with those type of displays and PC screens than plasma TVs. But I ain't so sure, because a lot of people have stuck and dead pixels from their plasma sets.
...Samsung, Panasonic, LG, Kuros, ...

The cause of that issue is the transistors behind our plat panels; some simply go berserk, and others just die!
And this is part of life for our flat panel displays. ...You might be lucky with yours and have no stuck or dead pixels for two years; then they start to falter (just normal; like us humans).
And other people got unlucky right from the start (bad QC); human's errors, and all that electronic jazz of our vast oceans (but not for very long as they are drying more and more now), and they replace their TVs under warranty for a brand new one with new dead and stuck pixels! ...Then a third, a fourth one with more stuck pixels appearing within six months or so!

It's just a vicious cycle. And it's bad for some of us and good for others.
And some people rejoice themselves from the sadness, despair of others! True and very sad human fact!

 

[microstrip]

(...) You can see it easily from eight feet or even ten feet distance. (...)

Bob,
You should consider increasing viewing distance to twelve feet ...

 

[NorthStar]

I am not sure whether your findings would be always repeatable. When I looked at this issue years ago, it seemed to me it all had to do with power attenuation to the pixel, where above a certain threshold of intensity, full power was provided (thus always on). Therefore, theoretically any material with high-enough intensity at that very location should trigger it, until the whatever-module drives it breaks in. I am no expert on this stuff, mind you, but I was told by Pioneer that if it's just one pixel it will probably be OK, and it turned out OK.

-----So far you are the member with who I 'advance' the most on this subject.

Check this out!

When I watch a 3D Blu-ray movie; I have to sync the active glasses (bluetooth activation and operation) with the HDTV.
And that creates a very bright lower left logo to confirm the success. ...Exactly where my stuck green pixel is!

Futhermore; when watching 3D material, your plasma HDTV has a much higher brightness to compensate for the dark glasses (just remove your glasses and you'll see exactly what I mean).
You have to do that; adjust manually for that higher brightness intensity (control), and higher Light level (Cell light).

* But Pioneer Kuros are different:
1. They don't do 3D, so they don't need to be boosted from their Cell light.
2. The excellent black level and contrast is performed totally differently than any other flat panel plasma manufacturers.
...Much more sophisticated and very expensive to implement. ...Right behind their screens.
That's why they aren't in business no more. Not profitable. ...Only to us the consumers if we pay the $$$ premiums; but just not enough of us out there.
...This is a mass-market business; niches are dying (exept for the riches), getting exposed, and following their own 'crazy financial' momentum. ...For the best and for the worst.

At the end methinks that you simply cannot get out of the woods from the vast world forests.
In a certain way it's good, and on another it's bad. Just be, feel that you're in the middle, I guess.

--- :b

 

[NorthStar]

Bob,
You should consider increasing viewing distance to twelve feet ...

-----Twelve feet distance you want at least a 120" screen (diag), to be truly effective, as fully immersed in the story from the moving pictures in front of your eyes; just like in real life.

My HDTV is 60" diagonal, and six feet should be the distance where I get a good feel.
Right now I'm sitting eight feet away from it, and I certainly don't want to increase that distance!

*** If only people would experiment (but you have to do it for few flicks though to really comprehend, feel, realize the true beneficial impact) with distances and not sit any further than 1.5 times the screen's diagonal, at the very maximum. And even better, 1.2

Talkin' high def 1080p here, as this is only what I mainly watch (99%).