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PSP: Dead Pixels

Quote:

March 25, 2005 - Are you having a hard time wiping that little speck of what looks to be dirt off the screen of your PSP? That's probably because it's probably not a speck of dirt, but a permanently burnt pixel on the LCD screen that happened during the manufacturing process. That dot (or dots in some cases) is called a dead pixel, and it's a common flaw with devices the use LCD screens, including computer monitors and even expensive HDTV screens, and like your PSP for instance.

Dead pixels are the most common term for LCD manufacturing errors, but a number of other errors are often also lumped in with the term (including stuck pixels, where a pixel stays lit, and trapped dust particles and bubbles, which look like pixel problems but are actually specs of dust or pockets of air trapped between the plastic layers of the screen.) These are common problems in LCD manufacturing, but when you are paying $250 and change for a game system, that's not reason enough to settle for. Since launch, IGN has received a few dozen dead pixel reports, and forums including the IGN Message Boards and others have been blazing with questions and complaints about the problem. One of the five PSPs that we have in the office has a few dead pixels as well.

Sony is currently developing policies to deal with the issue. When we talked with Sony Computer Entertainment's public relations representative about the issue, we were told that Sony Customer Service is taking calls and will deal with the issues case by case as they come up. A call to that Customer Service line (a yellow Technical Support leaflet is included inside the PSP packaging), a customer service representative we spoke with about the issue explained that the current policy is that they are asking customers to play with and use their PSP for a week to see if the dead pixels disappear, as they sometimes do. If, at that time, the pixels are not firing or cycling, customers can mail their PSP in for an exchange. As of now, the policy is that customers will incur the cost of shipping and returning, and it was not known how much that would be.

When the Nintendo DS came out in Japan, this same issue came up, with similar numbers of complaints about dead pixels. Nintendo took a strong stance on the issue, with an official policy announced early on and a good customer service mechanic to keep gamers with a system in-hand during the process. In Nintendo's warranty exchange system, gamers returning systems with dead pixels would automatically be sent a second, brand-new DS system; once gamers received the DS, the customer would then send back the system they are not happy with. (A valid credit card must be put down to make this particular exchange, as Nintendo will bill the customer for the second system until they have received the problematic system in exchange.) Sony has not made official statements on how it will address warranty exchanges, but the company policy seems to mirror Nintendo's customer service line quoted below:

"We suggest you use your system for a few weeks to determine whether this interferes with your enjoyment of game play. If, after using your system for awhile, you feel that this tiny dot is too distracting, the Nintendo DS does carry a one-year warranty. We are happy to inspect and, if necessary, fix your system at no charge within the warranty period."

Customers can also manage their concerns with dead pixels at the store they purchased their system at. However, these policies vary by retail chain and even from store to store. Presently, some stores we talked to in the San Francisco East Bay are sticking by the page 13 in the PSP manual where it explains that the sports are normal:

"Red, blue or green spots (bright spots) or black spots (dark spots) may appear in certain locations on the LCD screen. The appearance of such spots is a normal occurance associated with LCD screens and is not the sign of a malfunction"

Whether these stores will continue to stick to this policy remains to be seen. Most stores we talked to have implemented a certain degree of warranty exchange despite the PSP manual's description on what falls within the official warranty. The issue here is that stocks are not always there to make the replacement (particularly in stores that have been taking pre-orders over the months leading up to launch and still are waiting to deliver to all customers on their pre-order list. In the stores that do have stock (and also in stores that have no stock but are preparing for exchanges), various policies have been implemented -- some stores have zero-tolerance policies to exchange anything customers are not happy with, others are setting guidelines that as many as 16 dead pixels must be present before they make an exchange. Policies may also change at given locations as customer complaints come in, so be sure to keep in contact with the store if you are on a waiting list for an exchange from the next PSP shipments.

Sony will likely make official statements and more clear policies regarding its handling of dead pixels in the coming weeks. If you have a system with issues, check with the retail outlet you bought your system at to find out their exchange policy, and if you are still unhappy with how their policies handle your problem, be sure to give Sony's customer service line a call at 1-800-345-SONY (1-800-345-7669), or visit the official SCE PSP site for FAQ info, installation guides, customer service contacts and more.

http://psp.ign.com/articles/599/599185p1.html

hmm, someone was mentioning how another company should not have any dead pixels ;) :angel:

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

I read on another forum how a guy had to return his PSP twice to get a perfect one. Which is what I would do if I bought one that was any less that perfect.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

who was mentioning sony shoudlnt have any dead pixels? i've never known a LCD screen made to not have some on some of its units produced. a laptop computer at work as a dead pixel and so does one of the lcd monitors.

i remember gameboy colors and gamegears having dead pixels.

as long as your able to take it back shoudlnt be much of a problem. i too would take it back untill i got a perfect one if mine had dead pixels in it.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

What bothers me a lot more about the PSP is the thing with the square button.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

my square button works fine.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

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Originally Posted by Stonecutter

What bothers me a lot more about the PSP is the thing with the square button.

what thing with the square button?

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

Well a lot of PSP's had problems with square buttons, because it's right next to the LCD screen, so the trigger for square sits to the right of the actual button, not underneath it.

But my square button works fine.

If you square doesn't work, just return it.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

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Originally Posted by Null

Not Sony :p

But I remember hearing about the Square button issue in Japan. Shouldnt Sony have noted that and tried to correct it before sending out the units? Maybe the next revision model will

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

apparently they did fix the square button issue for NA launch.

and I love the predictability of this thread...

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

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Originally Posted by Perfect Stu

and I love the predictability of this thread...

Oh yea? Well... I love the predictability of your face!

Oooh, m00ted! You got pwned by internet insults! :D

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

DO NOT start a fanboy war here.

You have been warned.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

I wasnt trying to :(

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

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Originally Posted by Vampyr

DO NOT start a fanboy war here.

You have been warned.

who was that directed at?

I added something meaningful to this thread

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

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Originally Posted by Null

As a matter of fact Null, it was you.

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Originally Posted by Null

um yea. it shouldnt happen, seems like they're making excuses to try and make it sound like its normal.

i'd just take mine back to the store and say its damaged, get a brand new one.

http://www.gametavern.net/forums/showthread.php?t=10136

At any rate, it's not going to be that big of a deal as long as Sony takes a positive stance on the issue.

But what I've been told at Gamestop by our Sony rep is that they're not planning on replacing units unless they have at least 5 dead pixels.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

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Originally Posted by thatmariolover

As a matter of fact Null, it was you.

http://www.gametavern.net/forums/showthread.php?t=10136

At any rate, it's not going to be that big of a deal as long as Sony takes a positive stance on the issue.

But what I've been told at Gamestop by our Sony rep is that they're not planning on replacing units unless they have at least 5 dead pixels.

nice try, a bit out of context tho.

I never said one company shoudlnt have one over the other.
I said it shouldnt happen in general. there should infact be a better way to make lcd screens now that they'd of gotten past dead pixels. And i certainly never said sony wouldnt or shouldnt have them while ds would like jonbo implied.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

Quote:

Originally Posted by Null

Your right, I should have specified that there was a difference.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

Sony has confirmed that the Square button problem was fixed for the NA units. I don't how well they fixed it, but I haven't heard any complaints about it from anyone who's bought an NA unit, so far.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

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Originally Posted by DarkMaster

Sony has confirmed that the Square button problem was fixed for the NA units. I don't how well they fixed it, but I haven't heard any complaints about it from anyone who's bought an NA unit, so far.

However, the IGN forums are littered with posts about dead pixels...

Though it seems like some people are being overly picky, crying about a single dead pixel and how it means the unit is 'defective' and so they will return it again and again until they have a completely dead pixel-free unit...

And then a bunch of other people replying saying "I HAVE LIKE 5 DEAD PIXELS AND IT STILL DOESN'T BOTHER ME DURING THE GAMEPLAY CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY!!1"

It's rather amusing... I realize this whole topic is about the dead pixel issue, I'm just pointing out that a majority of the stuff people are talking about on IGN is dead pixels... It's quite a widespread problem it seems!

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

Well, 1 dead pixel is VERY annoying. 5 makes it even worse and soem people can stand it and others cant. I just couldnt sit there with a little flashing or black/red pixel being there all t he time while I'm playing a game :eyes:

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

I have one dead pixel, it doesnt bother me because it mostly disappears during gameplay, I only see it when there a black screen...

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

It's not even a big deal at all....

My friend has 1 dead pixel, and it's not even noticeable because your totally immersed in gameplay.

I don't have dead pixels, thankfully, and my square button works. Sony seemed to have had the Unit overhauled for NA launch.

And even if you have 5 dead pixels, it's not noticeable during gameplay. Unless you're REALLY obsessive about it.

I almost imagined a thread like this to start, amongst the mass hype for the PSP.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

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Originally Posted by Dark Samurai

I have one dead pixel, it doesnt bother me because it mostly disappears during gameplay, I only see it when there a black screen...

Same with my DS. I have a red pixel but once the game starts, it's gone. Gotta take the good with the bad, right?

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

Dead pixels are almost frequent with LCD screens, be it the DS or the PSP.... so why the thread title "PSP: Dead pixels?"

One can only imagine.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

Because we had a "DS: dead pixels" thread?

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

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Originally Posted by Canyarion

Because we had a "DS: dead pixels" thread?

Pwned!

Seriously though, if my screen had only one or two dead pixels, I don't think it would bother me. As long as the dead pixel wasn't like the plague, slowly killing other pixels around it, then I'd be happy.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

My TFT monitor had 1 dead pixel. I could either get 10% off the price (that made $40), or another screen. I chose the other screen. :) My (*%^$Ô*%^%#) father had a dead pixel and it always bothered me.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

we should make a thread called "LCD Screens: Dead pixels" and be done with this mish mash fanboy gatherings.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

I don't think think this thread was created with fanboy intentions, we're just analyzing the issue for PSP. Like Angrist mentioned, there was a DS Dead Pixel thread, which in fact I created. We're just observing how the company will deal with it and how prevalent the problem is with current owners.

/me waves a DS flag of peace

Once people have resolved this issue, this thread will sink to depths of the old threads ocean.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

Well maybe your right, but I don't think this issue wil ever be resolved (the dead pixel issue) considering it exists within so many LCD screens.

However this thread will eventually sink as you put it.

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

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Originally Posted by Kyuzo

Dead pixels are almost frequent with LCD screens, be it the DS or the PSP.... so why the thread title "PSP: Dead pixels?"

One can only imagine.

Oh hey, sorry. The article(s) I was looking at mentioned PSP and you know, hence the title.

I guess I shouldnt post anything good or bad about Sony :rolleyes:

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

Good or bad, You and Sony in the same post usually sparks some kind of speculation... LOL... but you're a cool guy.

I'm even designing a new avatar with Stacy Keibler again...

Re: PSP: Dead Pixels

Nice, thanks :p

Make sure my Screen Name isnt in the avatar ;)