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iPad I believe the iPad 4 has a serious display flaw.
- Thread starter WilliamG
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OK, so Apple agrees with you that there's an issue. I've read this entire thread, I understand the concern, and I'm glad you're bringing it to light. But there's just one thing I can't figure out: why are you so certain this issue impacts every single iPad 4? How can you so vehemently and confidently state that as fact? Not trying to pick a fight, but why isn't it possible that it only affects a subset of devices? Why are you rejecting that possibility out of hand? Did the Apple engineers tell you this is the case, or are you simply inferring/guessing based on the nature of the issue?
Did you make sure it was fullscreen and with the interface hidden? The interface doesn't auto-hide if you pause the video, and the effect doesn't trigger with the interface still showing. Maybe the instructions in the first post are just too easy to mess up. Play this video.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/75js012p6ekwsfc/test.mp4
Both times I posted it, people who could not previously see the effect could (well, the second time the post was deleted so that's what I'm assuming happened). Fullscreen, play the video a few seconds, back out to homescreen.
When I used to do support we called guys like this Christopher Columbus as in "Behold I have discovered the new world!!!!"
I could not see in on mine either
The Apple rep specifically told me it affects iPad 4 devices only. I took that to mean "all" iPad 4 devices.
I really don't have anything to prove anymore. It's frustrating enough not being able to watch certain movies on my iPad without distraction...
I went to YouTube to decide if I could live with the backlight bleed on my 4 and randomly selected this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJxH-QuJeXo
The backlight shifts noticeably at approximately 8 and 21 seconds on my iPad with the brightness >50%. Am I the only one? I refused to go out of my way to try to see it, but this stuck out like a sore thumb.
I had this exact problem with a Panasonic plasma last year that was eventually fixed but required a tech visit. It couldn't be fixed with a simple firmware update.
The backlight shifts noticeably at approximately 8 and 21 seconds on my iPad with the brightness >50%. Am I the only one? I refused to go out of my way to try to see it, but this stuck out like a sore thumb.
I had this exact problem with a Panasonic plasma last year that was eventually fixed but required a tech visit. It couldn't be fixed with a simple firmware update.
Sorry dude but I can't replicate it on my ipad4 whatever you keep saying ...
I've tried on that and several other videos ... no way.
But that's like saying I live in a house facing north and my door just fell off, so automatically everybody's house who faces north, there doors will fall off.. Just because (and I'm not doubting you) its apparently limited to the 4th gen only, does not automatically mean its on every single one.
I must say, the attitude of some people on here stinks, almost wish I'd never bothered signing up. One guy rightly or wrongly stated it affects all ipad 4s and then everyone jumps on him for doing so whilst at the same time saying its not a problem on any devices at all. What a bunch of hypocrites. All I know is the effect it has on my device when watching the majority of videos I watch is jarring and almost ruins every video, and don't say I'm being picky or I'm over sensitive to it because you have no idea what my ipad looks like. I can't comment on any other ipad or iPhone or whatever because I've only seen it on mine but that is all that matters to me, just because its not a problem on somebody else's device does not mean its not a problem to me and it does not mean I can't seek out a solution.
Mmm. I've tried numerous iPad 4's like a few others in this thread. Seems like there is a good chance that it's a software issue affecting every iPad 4. If some people can't see it that is AWESOME for them. I would love to not see the issue.
The problem is in the way he's (repeatedly) stating things as facts and then telling people that contradict him that THEY are wrong.
As with most things, it's likely a combination of things including a possible problem with SOME iPads, along with SOME people being more sensitive/bothered by the issue than others.
He's got the same problem as any zealot, i.E. believing only he knows the truth. There are way too many of those types on this board.
Go to the macbook pro forum and look at the innumerable posts about image retention. You have some insist that it's the end of the world and some saying there is no issue and the reasonable middle saying well it might be but we need more data
I have finished watching the new batman movie, at the end, the black in the screen 'flickers' at every endtitle. With an endtitle in the screen the black is 'brownish', without an endtitle the black is black.
Pressing the home button (to leave the aceplayer pro app) at the moment the black is brownish show my homescreen with over saturation.
Today is saw pananorman on my 4, a great movie. But als on that movie my screen 'flickers'. Its annoying, not only for the flickering, but when the black is 'brownish', the screen is less detailled, just because black isnt black.
Never had this problem on my 3...
I wont go so far as saying every iPad 4 has this problem, how could i know, but if you have this problem/issue/phenomenom, i can see you are annoyed by it. It affects your whole screen at watching a movie...
Pressing the home button (to leave the aceplayer pro app) at the moment the black is brownish show my homescreen with over saturation.
Today is saw pananorman on my 4, a great movie. But als on that movie my screen 'flickers'. Its annoying, not only for the flickering, but when the black is 'brownish', the screen is less detailled, just because black isnt black.
Never had this problem on my 3...
I wont go so far as saying every iPad 4 has this problem, how could i know, but if you have this problem/issue/phenomenom, i can see you are annoyed by it. It affects your whole screen at watching a movie...
No problems with iPad 4 32 GB LTE Verizon.
However, I can clearly see the problem in the video posted by OP as follow-ups to his original post.
It looks almost like the display is messing with the gamma based on the overall contrast ratio of the image and thus could be a software/firmware problem specific to an LCD panel model.
Maybe OP just picked up a iPad 4 with a bad batch of panels (which was from the same batch of the in-store ones that he tested)?
Anyways seems like Apple acknowledges the issue exists so they are going to replace it for him.
EDIT:
I finally reproduced it as well. It seems that to reproduce it that a very dark image with no bright object has to be displayed. The scene with the screenshot that the OP picked has frames in which the fluorescent tubes are visible and pausing on one of those frames will not allow the problem to be demonstrated.
Just pause it exactly on the frame he shows on his original post for 5-10 seconds and then hit the home button. It'll be immediately obvious.
This definitely looks to be an issue with auto-gamma adjustment, my monitor looks like this as well when I set the gamma too low.
Actually if you switch back to the trailer and go back to full-screen mode, you can see the screen lowering its gamma to make the very dark image more visible.
However, I can clearly see the problem in the video posted by OP as follow-ups to his original post.
It looks almost like the display is messing with the gamma based on the overall contrast ratio of the image and thus could be a software/firmware problem specific to an LCD panel model.
Maybe OP just picked up a iPad 4 with a bad batch of panels (which was from the same batch of the in-store ones that he tested)?
Anyways seems like Apple acknowledges the issue exists so they are going to replace it for him.
EDIT:
I finally reproduced it as well. It seems that to reproduce it that a very dark image with no bright object has to be displayed. The scene with the screenshot that the OP picked has frames in which the fluorescent tubes are visible and pausing on one of those frames will not allow the problem to be demonstrated.
Just pause it exactly on the frame he shows on his original post for 5-10 seconds and then hit the home button. It'll be immediately obvious.
This definitely looks to be an issue with auto-gamma adjustment, my monitor looks like this as well when I set the gamma too low.
Actually if you switch back to the trailer and go back to full-screen mode, you can see the screen lowering its gamma to make the very dark image more visible.
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Guys you are speaking about two different problems here.
Maybe they are somewhat related, maybe not.
The first one, the more annoying from what you are saying, is the "flickering" of black in very dark scenes watching videos.
I can't replicate the problem on my iPad, whatever you are saying ...
The second is the "temporary blurring" of icons exiting from a dark video to the home page.
I'm able to reproduce this problem watching some video (not ALL videos) posted here ...
In my opinion the first problem IS a real problem because it affects the user experience. But the issue is NOT present on mine, so it isn't an universal problem.
The second issue is a behavior , annoying or not, and it isn't affecting the user experience in any way (it's a matter of a second before the home screen returns clear).
My two cents.
Maybe they are somewhat related, maybe not.
The first one, the more annoying from what you are saying, is the "flickering" of black in very dark scenes watching videos.
I can't replicate the problem on my iPad, whatever you are saying ...
The second is the "temporary blurring" of icons exiting from a dark video to the home page.
I'm able to reproduce this problem watching some video (not ALL videos) posted here ...
In my opinion the first problem IS a real problem because it affects the user experience. But the issue is NOT present on mine, so it isn't an universal problem.
The second issue is a behavior , annoying or not, and it isn't affecting the user experience in any way (it's a matter of a second before the home screen returns clear).
My two cents.
The second issue is related to the first issue. If you have the second issue, you 100% have the first (whether you see it or not).
I think everyone commenting needs to read the first couple pages of this thread. This is not a display manufacturer defect since it does not happen in all video apps. Netflix does not have this issue at all since it uses a different video decoder. It's a problem with any app that uses the native apple video player like podcasts , safari, etc. So it's obviously a dynamic gamma/contrast meant to enhance yet its just not doing a good job.
Don't waste your time, Apple attracts idiots so it would make sense most of the forum is riddled with them as well.
I mentioned that most of these problems have people that always scream "IT DOESN'T HAPPEN ON MINE!! HAHAH!" when it fact, they just do not know how to replicate it at all.
Well, I won't call people "idiots."
That said, I'd love to be one of the people who simply don't notice it!
I do think Apple will address this, though. And it is most certainly helpful if others submit a bug report. Apple definitely looks at those reports!
While mine's fine too, Apple has a quality control issue, not a display issue.
It's due to Apple's addiction to squeezing out every penny of profit. Not content to set record breaking profits... they want more.
Willing to sacrifice the quality they once stood for, now nothing but bleeding every penny out of every transaction Apple will stop at nothing.
Sad but true.
Well, I won't call people "idiots."
That said, I'd love to be one of the people who simply don't notice it!
I do think Apple will address this, though. And it is most certainly helpful if others submit a bug report. Apple definitely looks at those reports!
If/when they do fix this, I really hope it's either by disabling it altogether or adding a toggle to the options (unlikely).
Improving the algorithm so that the backlight doesn't fluctuate so noticeably and the interface returns to normal more quickly won't necessarily solve the more fundamental issue of some scenes just looking over-saturated and incorrect.