MP 17" Screen Flicker - possible cause ?

Have had the MBP 17" for two weeks now, love it. Last night I calibrated the display with a Spyder 2 and in doing so disabled auto-screen brightneas in prefs. Since doing that when the display dims I notice screen flicker - similar to what you'd see on a display with a 60hz refresh. Enabling auto brightness again and the issue disappears.

Brand new MacBook Pro with Leopard and brand new 23 inch cinema display… I just saw some very noticeable screen flicker on the desktop picture. It was most noticeable when I had lots of windows open and could only see about an inch or so of the desktop at the top. It lasted maybe 5–10 minutes and stopped.

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  • Qosmio F10-124 - Pixelated screen, flicks into blank, then comes back to normal

    It looks like the graphics hardware has failed on a pc bought in April 2005.
    This occurred in stages, starting from around the time when I received
    1) An automatic download of windows updates and
    2) And Adobe upgrade.
    In Sept 07. Do not know if this is at all related with the screen malfunctioning.
    The screen has at best operated intermittently, with only access being possible using the external VGA port.
    The latest Toshiba screen drivers for the WMD operating system did not rectify the problem.
    In the last couple of days pixilation has occurred in various parts of the External monitor screen, whilst the laptop was just blank, up to that point the external screen was displaying my work just fine. Occasionally the laptop screen flicked into life and the pixilation has become more prevalent recently. The occurrences of the laptop screen working were random.
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    Rebooting the PC has no effect.
    The latest symptoms are that the external screen shows that the OS has booted, but there is an alignment problem causing a pattern to appear across the screen, and this is "ghosted" ?? with several iterations of all screen events across the width of the screen output. The Laptop screen is not working at all at present.
    Anyone have any ideas what could have caused this, and/or how to fix it??

    The graphic card chip seems to malfunction. Your described issue sounds really like a chip fault
    But please note that this is only my personal assumption and if you want to be 100% sure whats wrong then you will have to contact the service provider in your country for a detailed check.
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  • Screen flicker on Macbook

    'm on a Macbook (Intel Core Duo 2gHz Processor, 1Gig of Ram, 10 gigs of space left on an 80Gig drive).
    The issue is that, at seemingly random times, my screen will flicker, as if the power management was trying to dim the screen during a period of inactivity period.
    I called Apple support and they told me to:
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    3) Hold down the power button for 5 seconds
    4) Reconnect the power and the battery
    5) Power up, and when the system started to boot, hold down ALt-Option-P-R until the second boot cycle.
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    And, as of yesterday, the screen flicker is back.
    I have no ambient light detector like the Macbook Pro, so I know that's not it. I've not seen any other reference to this on the web, so I'm stumped.
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    I've experimented a bit, and I've found that the screen usually starts to flicker when the computer is under high load, such as playing a few YouTube videos, or playing a game.
    When it started flickering for me, I was running on battery power. My first theory was that the battery could possibly not be supplying enough power to keep everything going (even though it was > 50% charge), but then one day I started getting the flicker while I was plugged into the power adapter. I could still be that the MacBook's hardware is requiring more power than it is getting, but if that were the case, more people would be having this issue.
    The flickering doesn't really annoy me that much, as it only lasts for about a minute or two at the most, and it seems to come around once a day or so. It does worry me though, the way in which it flickers doesn't seem good -at all-, and I'm afraid that one day the screen will flicker and it'll get stuck like that, or even not turn on properly again. With my luck it'll be the day the warranty runs out.
    As of right now I can't afford to part with my laptop either, as I also have school.
    Hopefully someone finds a software fix, or Apple figures out the exact cause of the problem so it can be sent in for a quick hardware fix.

  • Screen flicker stops after Leopard upgrade...

    I have been suffering from the dreaded screen flicker affliction for about 3 months now on my Nov. 07 MB c2d. I upgraded to Leopard yesterday, without any issues at all by the way, and my screen appears completely normal with no flicker at all. Hopefully this will last.
    Is it possible Tiger was the cause of the flicker and not the inverter like so many had theorized?
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    Brand new MacBook Pro with Leopard and brand new 23 inch cinema display… I just saw some very noticeable screen flicker on the desktop picture. It was most noticeable when I had lots of windows open and could only see about an inch or so of the desktop at the top. It lasted maybe 5–10 minutes and stopped.

  • 2011 Macbook Air - Multiple logic board failures - possible causes?

    I have a 2011 i7 macbook air - 7 months old.  About a month ago I went to use the computer after allowing it to sleep and it was totally dead.  Apple authorized repair center said the logic board failed and needed to be replaced.  Fast forward a month and I finally get the machine back.  It works fine for 6 hours, I put it to sleep, and soon as the screen went out, I hear a pop, fizzle, then the machine is dead again.  The authorized repair center wants to replace the logic board again, which should get me up and running, but its not likley that that is the root CAUSE of the problem here, since it happened twice now.  I suggested to them that perhaps the power adaptor, battery, or some other component is the issue and they don't think so.  I'm located overseas, and every repair attempt takes 1 month b/c of parts (total joke if you're listening apple!!).  My biggest concern is that they replace the logic board again, I'm out of commission for 2 months now, and it just fails again.  Does anyone have any suggestions on the possible causes of this problem? 
    As FYI - I'm using the same power outlet and power strip with another laptop and haven't had any similar issues.  Thanks for the help!

    I have logic board problems too. I have had a late 2010 mac book air for 2 and half years. Its been a great machine in general - although it did go back within the warranty period for the track pad
    Now it has logic board failure - symptons are the sound going and  the battery is dead and it is unable to charge which means every time you put the power lead on the computer thinks it is starting from scratche.
    I have been quoted over £400 for the repair!  Like the above post I do not believe that this part should fail - and if it does then it is a major design problem and Apple should be doing something for us. I just dont know where to start.
    I have used macs for 14 years and owned eight along the way. Most have them have lasted many years with full functionality  the record was my G3 imac which was still working after 13 years.
    I really cant believe the situation I am in and rather think I have bought my last mac!
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  • How do I get rid of random screen flicker and black screen when using a late 2013 Mac Pro with a 4k Samsung 55" Display?

    I have a new Mac Pro late 2013 and a 55" 4k Samsung display connected using an HDMI cable. For the most part the display is amazing, however, I get occasional screen flicker and black outs. Can anyone help? Could I possibly have a bad video card?

    4K displays take more than half the bandwidth of a ThunderBolt Bus. So you may get better results if you are careful to place them on their own Bus. This article has the explanation of which port is using which Bus:
    Mac Pro (Late 2013): Using multiple displays

  • Screen flicker on external monitor

    Has anyone had any experience with screen flicker on an external monitor?  I connected my laptop to an external monitor and I get consistent flicker on the whole screen.  If anyone can help, or could help pointing me to website etc. I'd appreciate it.

    Good suggestions guys I'll put out some more information.  The cable is ok (good thought to check for it).  I plugged my vga cable to my tv and do not get the screen flicker.  Also I'm using the ati driver which possibly has the same problem as the intel, one.  I configured my xorg.conf as describe in the wiki xrandr page:
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    One thing that I noticed that is a bit odd is the xrandr reports the display rate as 60.1.  I've never seen this before so right now I'm thinking that it has to do with that.
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    VGA-0 connected 1440x900+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 410mm x 257mm
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  • Screen flicker..is everybody experiencing this?

    before i soon go out and buy the mba 13",
    can any body say that they are _not experiencing_ the screen flicker when scrolling issue.
    if everybody is,
    is apple expecting this to be regarded as normal?

    The 10.6.5 update fixes the flicker issue that some users experienced after waking their MacBook Air from sleep. The flicker issue that "ashhast" is asking about is unrelated, he's asking about the flicker while scrolling issue. As far as I understand, this issue is caused by a problem in the hardware that can not be repaired through software. I personally am experiencing this issue on a 13" MacBook Air (and have installed all the software updates available up until today, December 17th). You could take a look at the thread "Flickering screen when scrolling" started by "nonicoclolasos" for some more information:
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2645516

  • CS5 AS2 mac projector screen flicker–no flicker from CS3 projector

    I've been working on a flash project for a while using a G5 PowerPC, 10.4.11, Flash CS3 using AS2 and publishing a mac projector/Windows exe. Mac projector has always worked fine. So has the exe. I just upgraded to an iMac, Snow Leopard 10.6.8, AMD card and Flash CS 5.5 v11.5.0.325.
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    On this CS5.5 generated projector, the flickering occurs on the splash - large png files, but my G3 never had one issue. Also, my small png rollovers flicker - not just the animation. And the screen flickers non stop when there's no mouse activity.
    I copied over a backup of my CS3 generated projector onto my new computer and played it to see if it was a graphics card issue. No flicker! The CS3 projector plays perfect on my new Mac. All content within the two projectors are identical - What gives?
    Why is CS5.5 generated projector flickering, but the exact same file from a CS3 generated projector works perfect on BOTH computers?
    I've spent several hours searching for the answer but can't find a flicker issue similar to mine.
    I don't have bitmap caching enabled. I didn't change any of the default settings in CS5.5. I just copied the CS3 file to my new computer and published it, then I got instant screen flicker. I don't know what other settings to change for projectors. Never had performance issues with projectors or exe files, no matter how old the computer was that was playing the file.
    This must be a Flash setting issue, but I can't find it.
    By the way, the cs5.5 genertated exe file plays like a champ - no issues.
    Ideas?

    I also tried publishing the projector in flash player 9 and 10 to see if that would make a difference. It did not. I was publishing in flash player 8 on my old G5 computer and that's what I published it as through CS5.5 as well. That didn't work either. I'm search for some sort of fs command AS2 issue when using CS5.5 to see if I need to change the code, but have not found anything yet.
    It's the full screen mode that is causing the flicker though - only when published from CS5.5. Full screen mode works out of a CS3 projector on both computers.
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  • Macbook pro retina screen flicking problem

    I bought this 15 inches Macbook pro back in Nov, 2012. And I have the screen flicking problem in Dec.
    The problem is the same here listed on youtube. You can find hundres of them just by searching "retina flicker" on youtube.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko6WCqw20ZE
    And I did a lot of researches on this. I had also gone to the Apple Store 2 times, one Genius Bar Staff told me this has to be a hardware problem and offer to fix my laptop, others said it might be a software based problem and adviced me to wait for the new system update. I don't have time for a long fixing so I chose waiting. That particular one who told me to wait for the next software update also encourage me to dig deep and tried to find the root cause by myself...and I did. I found my screen flicking problem could caused by cellphone inteference. And It seems that the Wi-Fi antena is also a key component here. If I turn off Wi-Fi completely, the flickering went away.
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    1. It can caused by Enable Safari webGL. So disable webGL and turn off develop mode
    2. Disable displaycard auto switch in Power saving tab
    3. Close the lid put the sytem into sleep and re-open the lid
    4. stop using Wi-Fi. That's right people, try disable Wi-Fi!! It's the only working solution for me.
    5. It could be caused by CDMA cellphones including US Verizon brand cellphones and many others. GSM cellphones are OK. Try to turn off your cellphone or drive to a empty plaza and try to see your laptop still flickering at your car. Turn off your cellphone when You do this.
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    Reboot
    reinstall OS
    go to Apple Store and change Logic Board (Someone reported that after logic board change, the problem came back after a while)
    Let me know if you guys have any findings, Thanks!!

    I'm sure that you've seen the problem with 'burn-in' and 'ghosting' on some MBP-R machines in threads on this forum. It doesn't seem to be an overwhelming problem, but some have reported it.
    Did you buy it from an Apple Store or online? Either way, you need to get tough with Apple. Tell them you need to keep your computer and, when they deliver a replacement to your local Apple Store, you'll bring it in for exchange. That's what they've been doing with most people that have had MBP-R problems - I've never heard of them requesting that you send your computer back before they will exchange. Did you contact your local Apple Store or was this response from an AppleCare phone conversation. If the latter, take it into the Apple Store, explain what you want to do, and I'm sure that they will work with you.
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    Clinton

  • 27" Screen Flicker

    I just got my new 27" i5 today. I am coming from a PC so I had it on all day watching the online videos and tutorials. The computer was flawless all day. I love it buy the way
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    I have already checked the notice on the graphics card firmware update - and it is already installed on my computer. Thanks for any suggestions or help.

    I am experiencing similar issues with my new 27" i5. I have not seen the screen go black yet, but there are obvious flickers from time to time. I only notice the problem during/after watching videos (and yes, I have the headphones plugged in). The videos are from Netflix, so I am using the Mac version of Silverlight.
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  • PDA screen flicker when updating control properties

    Hi all,
    I'm developing a mobile application for Windows Mobile 5 using LabVIEW 2009 SP1 and the Mobile Module. After coming to terms with many of the limitations, I've got a simple menu driven interface working. The interface consists of a transparent 240x320 picture control to which I draw the menu item text using the Draw Text At Point VI, along with an icon representing the menu item. Behind this picture control is a second picture control which contains the selection graphic to show which menu item is highlighted.
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    Michael

    Thanks everyone for the feedback.
    I just did a day's worth of testing using C# and .NET for Windows Mobile (in Visual Studio 2005) and was able to reproduce the same interface without any flickering issues. Not having to poll the device's hardware buttons is also a positive
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