20" iMac Al FADED LCD panel?!?!?! WHO HAS ONE?

[barcoguy45]

I have one and it fades really badly. Do this simple test and post your results.

The best test that most of the iMacs (20" Al) will fail on is if you open iTunes open an internet radio station. Or something to show the blue and white dividing bars. Now drag the iTunes window from the top of the screen to the bottom of the screen. You have to look closely you will see the contrast between the two bars fade and it will appear as a blank white area. I took my iMac back showed them this and they are replacing the panel.
The guys at the store said they had seen one other defective iMac. Nice guys at the store, nice computer. It just seems like a luck of the draw as to what panel you will get in the 20"

Please post your results and let me know.

 

[docprego]

I have one and it fades really badly. Do this simple test and post your results.

The best test that most of the iMacs (20" Al) will fail on is if you open iTunes open an internet radio station. Or something to show the blue and white dividing bars. Now drag the iTunes window from the top of the screen to the bottom of the screen. You have to look closely you will see the contrast between the two bars fade and it will appear as a blank white area. I took my iMac back showed them this and they are replacing the panel.
The guys at the store said they had seen one other defective iMac. Nice guys at the store, nice computer. It just seems like a luck of the draw as to what panel you will get in the 20"

Please post your results and let me know.

I had a 20" but could not stand the screen. It was exactly as you described.

 

[theanimala]

I had a 20" but could not stand the screen. It was exactly as you described.

What did you get instead?

 

[chris y.]

The best test that most of the iMacs (20" Al) will fail on is if you open iTunes open an internet radio station. Or something to show the blue and white dividing bars. Now drag the iTunes window from the top of the screen to the bottom of the screen. You have to look closely you will see the contrast between the two bars fade and it will appear as a blank white area.

This is a known issue with TN panel viewing angles. If you move your head around you should be able to see the contrast return on that lower/bottom part of the screen. I have an extra monitor (HP 20in) that does this exact same thing. Its not that big of a deal IMO, just accept it as a technological limitation.

 

[tom5304]

I opened an iTunes Radio window and did what you described, and I did see the contrasting blue and white bars fade.

From my perspective, it just shows you really have to search hard to see any flaws in this screen. My 20" iMac is still the best screen I've ever had on my desktop. I guess it's not perfect, but it sure looks great to me...

 

[AlexisV]

It's not a fault, it's just a characteristic of the lower quality screen they now put in the 20" iMac.

At least you're now getting a 20" screen for the same price as the old 17.

 

[DemNoir]

It's hard to believe they are replacing the panel, it won't make any difference. It's a characteristic of the type of panel used. I find that proper calibration and not obsessing make it a non-issue for me.

 

[barcoguy45]

imac

I have a 20" and 23" apple cinema display. When you hook either of those two monitors to the iMac the 20" TN screen of the iMac looks horrible. I could accept a slightly lower quality. BUT the screen does not display even color at any angle.

If it just had less color depth over all that would be fine. I would accept that as a cheaper technology.

But when you move a picture, or a window across the screen it changes colors!! How is this acceptable for a $1200 dollar computer?

If I wanted a piece of junk lcd I would have went to best buy or wall mart and bought some off brand monitor.

What happened to Apple selling quality?

20" for the 17" price how is this even a comparison. The 17" came out over 2 years ago. Price have dropped for LCD panels drastically in that time.

 

[Neonoptic]

Yes mine is also like that - though I hadn't noticed it until I read this post. So this is nothing to worry about? All 20" iMacs will be like this?

 

[DemNoir]

Well, the typical situation is a slight fading of color toward the bottom quarter of the screen. If your is worse than that maybe it is defective.

 

[docprego]

Well, the typical situation is a slight fading of color toward the bottom quarter of the screen. If your is worse than that maybe it is defective.

IMO most of the 20" iMac screens are faulty. A TN panel will have poor viewing angles, that is an accepted fact. It will also feature shifting colors depending on your viewing angle, another accepted fact. What is not typical is the fade that occurs from the top of the screen to the bottom. This is not a TN charachterisitic, it is the result of poor quality or faulty LCD panels.

thanaimala: I am waiting for the new Mac Pro with Leopard so that I can get more expandability and my choice of display (which will be the 20 or 23" Cinema Display).

 

[DemNoir]

Typical for these panels I meant.

 

[docprego]

Typical for these panels I meant.

Agreed.

 

[barcoguy45]

What is not typical is the fade that occurs from the top of the screen to the bottom. This is not a TN characteristic, it is the result of poor quality or faulty LCD panels.

EXACTLY! That is my complaint.

If anyone has bought one of these TAKE IT BACK make them replace it.

If I wanted to buy sub par electronics I would have bought some off brand lcd for $150 and some generic components and put them all into a beige box for $400.

That is fine for some people but that is not expected from apple. I am sorry that is the reason I switched to apple is for higher quality components. My mini and 20/23" cinemas are perfect.

I am done I have made my point.

 

[DemNoir]

I am around cheap TN displays all day and the 20" iMac is much better than any of them even with the fading issue. I"m reading some really wild exaggerations. And comparing the display in a $1200 all in one computer to some of the most expensive displays available is not productive.

 

[notjustjay]

First question: did you calibrate the LCD?

Second question: can anyone with a 24" iMac, verify whether or not this problem exists with yours?

And finally, an observation: we demand quality from Apple, yet we (as a market) also demand lower prices. I can't speak for iMacs because I didn't pay attention to their pricing until recently, but I remember my first iPod cost me close to $600 Cdn -- and that was with a student discount! Today iPods cost a third that. Can that SOLELY be attributed to dropping component costs (and shortcuts -- that $600 iPod included a dock, an AC adaptor, a remote control, a case, ...) or might it be possible that Apple, like virtually every other company on this planet, has chosen to take a few shortcuts to deliver those lower costs we keep clamoring for? People complain about issues with today's iPods, but if they were problem-free and $100 more, they would just end up complaining about how expensive they were compared to the competition.

The very fact that people here are likening the Apple LCD to $150 "off brand monitors" and $400 beige boxes acknowledges the existence of products marketed solely on price, which means this is where the demand is. It's pure economics. No, I don't like it either, nor do I like the proliferation of cheap made in China/Taiwan goods, but this is the society we live in.

 

[AlexisV]

20" for the 17" price how is this even a comparison. The 17" came out over 2 years ago. Price have dropped for LCD panels drastically in that time.

How come the 17 was the same price as the 20 5 weeks ago then?

 

[adolfop]

20" iMac - Faded Screen

I did buy the new 20" iMac and had not read anything about the display. I had it next to my iMac 20" (all white - purchased in late 2006) since I was transferring the data. I noticed that the colors were washed out and the screen definitely looked brighter at the bottom.

So then I went online and found that others were having the same problem. The next day I took it back to the store and decided to spend the extra $300 to get the 24" display. There is a huge difference between the the two.

I had a little bit of a hard time getting the open box fee waived because at the store it is much less obvious due to the bright lights and the fact that you're comparing it to other 20" iMacs. The staff at the store said they couldn't see what I saw. Finally I convinced the manager to waive the fee and I left with my 24" model. I'm glad I did it because I can not imagine having spent all this money and getting a sub-standard screen.

Good luck to you all. Hopefully Apple will do something about this. Right now, at the stores, they're pretending they never heard about the problem.

 

[docprego]

First question: did you calibrate the LCD?

Second question: can anyone with a 24" iMac, verify whether or not this problem exists with yours?

And finally, an observation: we demand quality from Apple, yet we (as a market) also demand lower prices. I can't speak for iMacs because I didn't pay attention to their pricing until recently, but I remember my first iPod cost me close to $600 Cdn -- and that was with a student discount! Today iPods cost a third that. Can that SOLELY be attributed to dropping component costs (and shortcuts -- that $600 iPod included a dock, an AC adaptor, a remote control, a case, ...) or might it be possible that Apple, like virtually every other company on this planet, has chosen to take a few shortcuts to deliver those lower costs we keep clamoring for? People complain about issues with today's iPods, but if they were problem-free and $100 more, they would just end up complaining about how expensive they were compared to the competition.

The very fact that people here are likening the Apple LCD to $150 "off brand monitors" and $400 beige boxes acknowledges the existence of products marketed solely on price, which means this is where the demand is. It's pure economics. No, I don't like it either, nor do I like the proliferation of cheap made in China/Taiwan goods, but this is the society we live in.

I have had the 24" and the 20". Screen quality on the 24" is awesome, no complaints and not a hint of any of the 20" issues. And I DID calibrate the 20". It helped tremendously with the faded out appearance it initially had but did nothing for the fading that occurs as you move from the top of the screen to the bottom.

 

[mrgreen4242]

EXACTLY! That is my complaint.

If anyone has bought one of these TAKE IT BACK make them replace it.

If I wanted to buy sub par electronics I would have bought some off brand lcd for $150 and some generic components and put them all into a beige box for $400.

I wish these stupid threads would die already. Yes, we all know that the 20" iMac has a TN panel. Yes, we get it, some of you just have to have the highest quality displays for <insert whatever reason here>. Buy a 24" iMac then. Buy a Mac Pro. Buy a white 20" iMac. Buy a 20" alum iMac and add a second 20" S-IPS display to it. Whatever, just stop expecting the TN panel in the iMac to not look like a TN panel.

I have one and while I can see what you are talking about it's such a minor quibble that I don't notice it unless I look for it. Full screen multimedia (games, video, etc) look FANTASTIC. Regular desktop work looks very good (after calibration). I'm 100% satisfied with it.

To get to your comment, barcoguy, I'd like you to point out a $150 20" widescreen LCD for me that's even remotely close to as nice as the one in the iMac. You can also feel free to show me where you're getting Core2Duo's, SR based motherboards, and all the other parts of an iMac (DVD-RW, 250-320gb HDD, 1gb RAM modules, 2600xt video card, etc etc) for $400.

 

[barcoguy45]

To get to your comment, barcoguy, I'd like you to point out a $150 20" widescreen LCD for me that's even remotely close to as nice as the one in the iMac. You can also feel free to show me where you're getting Core2Duo's, SR based motherboards, and all the other parts of an iMac (DVD-RW, 250-320gb HDD, 1gb RAM modules, 2600xt video card, etc etc) for $400.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254023

I also said generic components. You are not getting my point at all. I buy apple products because I expect quality PERIOD. end of story no more song and dance.

If i wanted to play games with returns and defective parts i would "save money" by buying lesser quality but waste time repairing and dealing with issues.

If they are cheapening the iMac people need to know this.

While I was picking up my repaired iMac a guy was dropping off one with the video card issue...

Oh and yes the monitor does look better now after the exchanged the panel

I am putting this up for information purposes only. I do not want to get into a lengthy debate as I simply do not have time. thank you all for your comments.

 

[kheller2]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254023

I also said generic components. You are not getting my point at all. I buy apple products because I expect quality PERIOD. end of story no more song and dance.

If i wanted to play games with returns and defective parts i would "save money" by buying lesser quality but waste time repairing and dealing with issues.

If they are cheapening the iMac people need to know this.

While I was picking up my repaired iMac a guy was dropping off one with the video card issue...

Oh and yes the monitor does look better now after the exchanged the panel

I am putting this up for information purposes only. I do not want to get into a lengthy debate as I simply do not have time. thank you all for your comments.

Um, you are getting a "quality" TN panel. Obviously there was a fault with the original one and you got it fixed.

For everyone else:

If you want a fantastic display in 20" then get a white iMac.
If you don't care and are used to the good screens in the cheapest iMacs (historically the 17"), and their laptops, and just about everyone elses for that matter, then get an AL 20".

Comparing a Cinema display to an iMac is crazy! Those things used to cost atleast half of the iMac.