MBP 2018 15 Inch - Horrible video quality on GPU

[MBP18user]

UPDATE: after a second SMC reset as a last resort before going in to replace it, the issue seems rto have disappeared...

UPDATE 2: The problem has returned after about 20 minutes of use...

I recently picked up a 15 inch mbp (2018 model. i7/16gb/512gb/560x) i noticed that whenever i disable automatic graphics switching and use the gpu, the quality of videos completely degrades. (pictures attached) Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this? Should i take it into the apple store?

as a reference, this is the video i was testing on as it has dark scenes.

 

[iMacDragon]

It certainly shouldn't be normal.. will do some checking of this later myself, but it's suggestive that something is not set up right in graphics drivers perhaps.

 

[lec0rsaire]

No, that's not normal! On my 2016 there is no difference in video quality no matter if it's the Radeon or the Intel. Blacks are crushed and you can see artifacts. I would contact Apple or get it swapped at an Apple store if the issue can't be resolved through software.

 

[iMacDragon]

No, that's not normal! On my 2016 there is no difference in video quality no matter if it's the Radeon or the Intel. Blacks are crushed and you can see artifacts. I would contact Apple or get it swapped at an Apple store if the issue can't be resolved through software.

yeah, the black level is being interpreted wrong somewhere in render path to screen, I very much doubt its hardware if its ok on one gpu but not other, probably similar issue to the display port rgb chroma issues that people were having till mojave
[doublepost=1538118700][/doublepost]whats being used to play video here?

 

[lec0rsaire]

whats being used to play video here?

Looks like youtube but not through Safari. I don't know what browser that is.

 

[iMacDragon]

Looks like youtube but not through Safari. I don't know what browser that is.

Ah, yes, I think it's the new chrome UI.

 

[MBP18user]

Looks like youtube but not through Safari. I don't know what browser that is.

In this image it's chrome. same thing happens for safari and even itunes or quick look with local files.

 

[jerryk]

Just curious, but why are you disabling automatic graphics switching? That prevents the system from doing what is "best" for the demands.

 

[MBP18user]

Why are you disabling automatic graphics switching? That prevents the system from doing what is "best" for the demands.

My reasons for disabling shouldnt matter. I paid $4000+ for the system, if i want the dGPU used all the time i should be able to use it without having horrible video quality. Point is something is wrong.

 

[jerryk]

My reasons for disabling shouldnt matter. I paid $4000+ for the system, if i want the dGPU used all the time i should be able to use it without having horrible video quality. Point is something is wrong.

As someone who worked for several of the large SV companies, I can tell you when you go into corner cases they will not be tested as well as main scenarios. So I am not surprised when I hear stories like yours. I hope you find a solution.

 

[Ma2k5]

I'd report this as a bug to Apple.

 

[MBP18user]

As someone who worked for several of the large SV companies, I can tell you when you go into corner cases they will not be tested as well as main scenarios. So I am not surprised when I hear stories like yours. I hope you find a solution.

im still within my 14 days, so im going to do an exchange at the apple store today for a new one...

 

[Miltz]

do you reload the page after making the change? I think that's the issue. Close out and reopen the program after the change, it should go away.

 

[jerryk]

im still within my 14 days, so im going to do an exchange at the apple store today for a new one...

Good idea. Test the new one before you leave the store.

 

[iMacDragon]

having had a chance to check, I can confirm the same behaviour, and I'm 99.9% sure this is software not hardware, changing laptop won't make any difference I'm sure.

Need to be reported, certainly, though.

further investigation: IINA does not show this issue, but safari/chrome/firefox do, so far.
[doublepost=1538157638][/doublepost]

do you reload the page after making the change? I think that's the issue. Close out and reopen the program after the change, it should go away.

Reloading does nothing.

 

[MBP18user]

do you reload the page after making the change? I think that's the issue. Close out and reopen the program after the change, it should go away.

That didnt change anything.

having had a chance to check, I can confirm the same behaviour, and I'm 99.9% sure this is software not hardware, changing laptop won't make any difference I'm sure.

Need to be reported, certainly, though.

further investigation: IINA does not show this issue, but safari/chrome/firefox do, so far.
[doublepost=1538157638][/doublepost]

Reloading does nothing.

I did end up getting it replaced with a new one, just finished restoring from time machine, so far no problems, so it might have been hardware, still think its a driver issue from the symptoms it showed...

 

[iMacDragon]

I did end up getting it replaced with a new one, just finished restoring from time machine, so far no problems, so it might have been hardware, still think its a driver issue from the symptoms it showed...

Curious, that is after updating everything to latest version again? and yes, I can't see how this can be anything but a driver/rendering issue, I'd not noticed it before because I had to turn up brightness higher than I normally have it for it to be extremely clear ( and used the same video as test ), the other colours don't seem to change which is even odder.

 

[fokmik]

That didnt change anything.



I did end up getting it replaced with a new one, just finished restoring from time machine, so far no problems, so it might have been hardware, still think its a driver issue from the symptoms it showed...

high sierra or mojave? any news?

 

[MBP18user]

Curious, that is after updating everything to latest version again? and yes, I can't see how this can be anything but a driver/rendering issue, I'd not noticed it before because I had to turn up brightness higher than I normally have it for it to be extremely clear ( and used the same video as test ), the other colours don't seem to change which is even odder.

high sierra or mojave? any news?

i tested on high sierra when i opened up the new laptop. there was no issue. updated then and restored my mojave backup, still no issues.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

Looks like YouTube issue.

Doesn’t happen if you stream movie froms iTunes/Amazon/Netflix

 

[MBP18user]

Looks like YouTube issue.

Doesn’t happen if you stream movie froms iTunes/Amazon/Netflix

Not true. In my testing on the old laptop i tried multiple streaming site (Amazon Prime/Crave/HBO/Netflix/Itunes) as well as local video files that i had confirmed had no issues on 2 other macs. The problem was specific to the laptop.

 

[cstm]

do you have this issue still with your new machine, so was it a hardware problem? Tried this and I'm seeing similar behaviour.

 

[stevemiller]

I’m also having this issue. It’s happening for me in QuickTime playing back movies that I encoded myself in premiere. At first I thought it was an encode issue but realized it wasn’t present on playback any other machines. And sometimes it doesn’t happen at all.

My 2013 mbp ran like a champ for over 4 years without AppleCare, but I’m guessing i’ll have to get it on this machine if these issues are indicative of the reliability of these machines.

 

[SpitUK]

Same issue for me and I have the same spec you have with the 560X. I use my machine a lot in clam shell plugged into an external monitor which uses the 560X all the time. It is really annoying!!

I have also noticed the performance is worse watching videos especially if you scan through quickly with thumbnails. It is smooth on the integrated GPU.

 

[stevemiller]

yeah mine is back to doing this again. that the upgraded 560x actually gives a worse quality result is just unacceptable. I'm booking an apple appointment for this.