Random Black Screens

[calvol]

Must be awesome to be so sure you are right

Few points to consider
1. if there was exactly the same hardware in the macs as the PC's you could be correct. However Macs have some relatively unique hardware to them such as thunderbolt which PC's don't have

2. We have at least 3 (dell) Pc's with the HD4000 chipset in them that DO NOT exhibit the problem while the minis connected to the same exact display DO

3. These same minis do not exhibit the problem when connected via thunderbolt, mini display port to DVI or mini display port to VGA. Only when HDMI is in use, on the mac end, display end or both.

I'm stating what I have observed based on my own experience and am not claiming it to be anything more that. Categorically stating that you alone have the answer is not helpful to anyone. People trying different ideas and reporting success or failure is.

I don't know what the ultimate answer is, I just keep hoping for a fix or a workaround that I can deploy and I'll be happy

Not so fast my friend, suggest you read the Intel forum thread. NOBODY knows what the issue is, but Intel is trying a workaround with its MFC, which suggests its a memory alloc problem. That doesn't mean it is the problem, but that's what they are doing to fix it. Further, this issue is NOT hardware specific to Apple, it is happening on Dell's and many other platforms... for example, Aug02 comment from Dell user....

"I just wanted to post an update as to my experience with this issue. It sounds like others are still having this frustrating issue occur. Per my earlier frustrated post (targeted at Intel and its then-lack of interaction in this thread), I had been experiencing the screen black-out a few dozen times a day on my ThinkPad T430s laptop. Having this happen on a business system is unacceptable."

 

[jack92029]

Works @ Apple Store

I called Apple technical assistance to report the Black Screen/ Snow issue. They asked me if I would bring my Mini into the local Apple store to show an Apple Genius the issue.

Went to the Apple store, they plugged in my Mini, via hdmi into one of the stores monitors, and and it worked perfectly!

At home after about 10 mins. I get a Black Screen but at the Apple Store after 45 mins. it worked perfectly.

 

[RiderX]

I'm wanting to buy a 2012 Mac Mini, but waiting for Apple/Intel to fix it!

So is RiderX suggesting coming out of the Mac with the Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, and then using a DVI to HDMI cable?

No.

Most people habe no issue using the MDP. So in your case, get a MDP-HDMI cable. Get a short one of good quality, cables matter, despite what some people tell you.

 

[Snowcake]

Must be awesome to be so sure you are right

Few points to consider
1. if there was exactly the same hardware in the macs as the PC's you could be correct. However Macs have some relatively unique hardware to them such as thunderbolt which PC's don't have

2. We have at least 3 (dell) Pc's with the HD4000 chipset in them that DO NOT exhibit the problem while the minis connected to the same exact display DO

3. These same minis do not exhibit the problem when connected via thunderbolt, mini display port to DVI or mini display port to VGA. Only when HDMI is in use, on the mac end, display end or both.

I'm stating what I have observed based on my own experience and am not claiming it to be anything more that. Categorically stating that you alone have the answer is not helpful to anyone. People trying different ideas and reporting success or failure is.

I don't know what the ultimate answer is, I just keep hoping for a fix or a workaround that I can deploy and I'll be happy

1 Pc's also have thunderbolt... Where did you get that pc's don't have it? Macs don't have unique hardware in comparison to pc's. They do have efi instead of bios, however pc-motherboard makers have recently implemented also efi in their motherboards. It don't matter if you use bios or efi to get the display problems.

3 There were people running Windows on their Mac Mini 2012 and the had no issues at all in comparison to running OSX on the same machine! But on the other hand, "some" pc users tell that they have problems with the HD4000 running Windows on a PC.

3 You are right, only HDMI is affected.

I called Apple technical assistance to report the Black Screen/ Snow issue. They asked me if I would bring my Mini into the local Apple store to show an Apple Genius the issue.

Went to the Apple store, they plugged in my Mini, via hdmi into one of the stores monitors, and and it worked perfectly!

At home after about 10 mins. I get a Black Screen but at the Apple Store after 45 mins. it worked perfectly.

Did you use a converter to connect the HDMI port of the Mac Mini to the monitor? You should make a video of it and show it to the Apple Genius. Maybe it doesn't show on certain displays or/and with certain adapters or just bad luck. Tell them about the forums about this issue and say you want a replacement since it is obvious that it is not working for you.

No.

Most people habe no issue using the MDP. So in your case, get a MDP-HDMI cable. Get a short one of good quality, cables matter, despite what some people tell you.

********,

A more expensive ANALOG vga cable can make a difference since it is analog.
But the price doesn't matter with a digital cable like hdmi or dvi, since all they do is transfer one's an zero's digitally.

It works or it not works. Explanation in the links below:

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/home-entertainment/1292371/expensive-hdmi-cables-make-no-difference-the-absolute-proof/3

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20056502-1/why-all-hdmi-cables-are-the-same/

Summary: A cheap hdmi/dvi cable has the same quality as a $10.000 one. It is marketing ********.

Ofcourse digital cables at 15m or more can be a problem but cables between 0m and 5m should always work.

 

[sno1man]

1 Pc's also have thunderbolt... Where did you get that pc's don't have it? Macs don't have unique hardware in comparison to pc's. They do have efi instead of bios, however pc-motherboard makers have recently implemented also efi in their motherboards. It don't matter if you use bios or efi to get the display problems.

So obviously reading comprehension is not a strong suit on these boards

What I said is that there are things on macs that are not commonly on PCs. That doesn't mean never though ,specifically with Thunderbolt (or light peak as Intel calls it) I'm only aware of a couple of sony and Asus laptops that currently have it.

Secondly it's not only possible but likely (based on history) that there is something specific to Apple's implementation that's contributing to this.

You do realize for example that the motherboard in a mini has lots of differences with the motherboard of a dell even if both are using the same intel processor and video system, examples include audio, USB, firewire etc.

It gets tiresome when so many here have the "my knowledge is greater than thou, do not question me" attitude.

 

[k.alexander]

Ive been watching this thread with great interest. Ive even commented a few times. Id like to add that I have an i7 2.3Ghz mini and I've had it for 14 days now. It's currently connected to a Sony TV via HDMI.

I've not experienced one problem with the screen blanking/going dark/turning off. I did have to calibrate the crap out of the screen and this is just with the built-in ColorSync (this is a temp setup) and I'm still not 100% satisfied with the color calibration, but its many times better than how it looked on first connect.

 

[Snowcake]

So obviously reading comprehension is not a strong suit on these boards

What I said is that there are things on macs that are not commonly on PCs. That doesn't mean never though ,specifically with Thunderbolt (or light peak as Intel calls it) I'm only aware of a couple of sony and Asus laptops that currently have it.

You have a problem with reading comprehension:

Must be awesome to be so sure you are right

Few points to consider
1. if there was exactly the same hardware in the macs as the PC's you could be correct. However Macs have some relatively unique hardware to them such as thunderbolt which PC's don't have

Secondly it's not only possible but likely (based on history) that there is something specific to Apple's implementation that's contributing to this.

You do realize for example that the motherboard in a mini has lots of differences with the motherboard of a dell even if both are using the same intel processor and video system, examples include audio, USB, firewire etc.

You say it is likely, yet you don't know for sure...
What is your point with a Dell has differences compared to Apple? Ofcourse it has. A Gigabyte Motherboard has a different layout than a Asrock, Asus etc.
But the problems are widespread (not only to Macs) and they are all related to one thing: The Intel HD4000 and hdmi. Why do you think Intel is working on it huh?

2. We have at least 3 (dell) Pc's with the HD4000 chipset in them that DO NOT exhibit the problem while the minis connected to the same exact display DO

Have you actually tested the Dells with HDMI?. If not, then these tests are not legit because it only happens with hdmi involved.

It gets tiresome when so many here have the "my knowledge is greater than thou, do not question me" attitude.

Haha, dude you are so wrong. In fact, you are describing yourself! Learn something about self-reflection.

You react the same to others even if they are right:

Laughable, this is not a cable issue, nor a monitor issue, it is an Intel HD4000 GPU issue. To reiterate, the fix has to come from Intel (MFC release), which Apple rolls into an EFI release. Intel's been working on it 6 months with no resolution, and it's affecting Win/Linux machines as well. Caveat emptor!

Must be awesome to be so sure you are right

And insulting the whole Macrumors board...

So obviously reading comprehension is not a strong suit on these boards

I also showed above in this message you have a reading comprehension. If you make insults make sure they are right. This is just dumb.

 

[lamerica80]

I called Apple technical assistance to report the Black Screen/ Snow issue. They asked me if I would bring my Mini into the local Apple store to show an Apple Genius the issue.

Went to the Apple store, they plugged in my Mini, via hdmi into one of the stores monitors, and and it worked perfectly!

At home after about 10 mins. I get a Black Screen but at the Apple Store after 45 mins. it worked perfectly.

Lol the irony of life. Just as my iphone refusing to connect to the internet the few times i actually need to send an urgent important mail. Anyway im not bringing my in. I get a black screen every 5 hours or so, theyre just gonna have to trust me.

 

[propower]

Count me in the club...
1012 Mini 2.6/256G SSD/16G ram/Apple THunderbolt display
2 external monitors on hdmi active splitter from mono price.

In general the set up has been solid for 10days. No issues on the Thunderbolt display. I have had at least two screen blanks and snowy gray hash on the hdmi monitors.

 

[jack92029]

Mini & HDMI X2

I have experienced the Black screen with two different monitors and two different cables.

Samsung HDTV - HDMI / HDMI

Dell Ultra Sharp U2412M - DVI cable that comes from Dell with the monitor, plus the DVI to HDMI plug supplied by Apple with the Mini

Both monitors/ cables has had several Black screens with my Mini

 

[Rhinoevans]

1 Pc's also have thunderbolt... Where did you get that pc's don't have it? Macs don't have unique hardware in comparison to pc's. They do have efi instead of bios, however pc-motherboard makers have recently implemented also efi in their motherboards. It don't matter if you use bios or efi to get the display problems.

3 There were people running Windows on their Mac Mini 2012 and the had no issues at all in comparison to running OSX on the same machine! But on the other hand, "some" pc users tell that they have problems with the HD4000 running Windows on a PC.

3 You are right, only HDMI is affected.



Did you use a converter to connect the HDMI port of the Mac Mini to the monitor? You should make a video of it and show it to the Apple Genius. Maybe it doesn't show on certain displays or/and with certain adapters or just bad luck. Tell them about the forums about this issue and say you want a replacement since it is obvious that it is not working for you.



********,

A more expensive ANALOG vga cable can make a difference since it is analog.
But the price doesn't matter with a digital cable like hdmi or dvi, since all they do is transfer one's an zero's digitally.

It works or it not works. Explanation in the links below:

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/home-entertainment/1292371/expensive-hdmi-cables-make-no-difference-the-absolute-proof/3

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20056502-1/why-all-hdmi-cables-are-the-same/

Summary: A cheap hdmi/dvi cable has the same quality as a $10.000 one. It is marketing ********.

Ofcourse digital cables at 15m or more can be a problem but cables between 0m and 5m should always work.

I agree, i works or it doesn't, however, MATERIALS matter. What it is made of, and they are not all made the same. I NEVER buy cheap cables. Get what you pay for. IF I can afford a $2000 Mac, i can probably do better than a $3 cable.

 

[Westyfield2]

So in your case, get a MDP-HDMI cable. Get a short one of good quality, cables matter, despite what some people tell you.

Ah OK I get you... so something like this Kanex Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Cable or this Moshi Mini DP to HDMI Adapter with a decent HDMI cable.

Is using the MDP output, then converted to HDMI, confirmed as fixing the issue? And does the 2012 Mac Mini do audio out of the MDP, or would USB/Toslink be needed?

 

[Sir Ruben]

I have a 2.3 Ghz w/8gb ram connected to a Dell Ultra Sharp U2412M via the (DVI/HDMI) supplied with my Mac Mini to HDMI

Mostly I get a Black screen which returns to normal viewing after several seconds, BUT I have gotten the snow screen which does Not self correct forcing a hard reboot.

Hope intel/ Apple come up with a correction soon.

PS I also experienced the Black screen when I connected the Mini to a Samsnug HDTV via HDMI/HDMI.

You have the same monitor as me, do what I did and purchase this StarTec cable: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002XVYZ82/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

It connects from the thunderbolt port of the mac to the DisplayPort on the monitor. Works perfectly and is preferable over the HDMI port. No problems whatsoever.

 

[jollino]

What if you use the MDP connector and eventually need to connect a TB device? Are there any splitters? Or do all TB devices have a pass-through port for daisy-chaining devices? I recall that a DP screen should be the last in a chain of TB devices.

 

[humblpirate]

Longer black screens?

Has anybody noticed the black screen lasting longer? At first it was about 2 seconds every time and it went back to normal automatically. Last night I had it last at least 5 seconds during internet browsing.

base Mini, HDMI-to-HDMI, Samsung 32" LED HDTV

Also,

When I called Apple about this a week ago it sounded like they had never heard of this problem before, except that it seems that a lot of people have been calling them (at least from this forum). But I did get a direct number for someone, and now that the black screens are lasting longer I think I will call him up.

 

[asimmd]

My new Mini that I got yesterday lasted 7 hours before going black for about 1 second.

That was using the HDMI TO HDMI cable.

I have just changed to HDMI to Thunderbolt cable.

We will see how long it lasts.

Who do you call to report the fault.

I am in the UK.

aLAN

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

My new Mini that I got yesterday lasted 7 hours before going black for about 1 second.

That was using the HDMI TO HDMI cable.

I have just changed to HDMI to Thunderbolt cable.

We will see how long it lasts.

Who do you call to report the fault.

I am in the UK.

aLAN

Call Apple. The more people that make Apple aware of the issue, the more they'll see it as a problem. Bitching about it on a forum like this does nothing to help get a firmware fix.

 

[sno1man]

Call Apple. The more people that make Apple aware of the issue, the more they'll see it as a problem. Bitching about it on a forum like this does nothing to help get a firmware fix.

+1 to this.
I have an open incident with Apple and they have asked me to send the contents of my user/library/log directory whenever I observe the issue (like I just did when I hit reply )

 

[pollaxe]

I've just had my first black screen!

I'm about eleven days in of owning the Mini and I've been using it quite a lot on most of those days and this is the first one I've seen or noticed.

HDMI to HDMI on a Samsung LED HDTV.

EDIT: update, it's now doing this on a loop, I haven't restarted yet but the screen has gone a bizarre violet colour and it either goes to snow/static and then back to violet or black then back to violet again.

 

[chuckd83]

I don't know if this has been posted, but I wanted to give a heads up. I purchased my Mac Mini from Macmall on day 1 - I am now outside of the return period. I have been experiencing the black screen issue and contacted Apple. After a few days of research with the senior advisor, they recommended going into an Apple store to get it replaced. Scratch that...because I bought from Macmall, I can only get it "repaired." Don't know what they would have done, but...

Luckily, as per the senior advisor, Apple engineers have requested 200 Mac Mini's experiencing monitor/display problems. As of last night, there have only been 150 or so collected under this program. The senior advisor gave me the option to be a part of this program. What does it cost me? I had to go into an Apple store and get my machine replaced. Sign me up! So there are now ~150+1 collected.

For those outside of their vendor's return policy and don't want to deal with the 2-3 day repair period, I would recommend requesting to be a part of this program.

 

[CHAOS STEP]

I am looking to buy a new mini at the end of the month, and this issue has been bugging me.

Excuse my ignorance but should I take it that this issue only affects the HDMI output?

+ Bonus ignorance - is it correct that a MDP connection can plug into the Thunderbolt port?

-I run my current mini via VGA, so then I can just get a MDP/VGA adapter and I'm sorted?

 

[ofmyeye]

No but they and every other big company never does. It's not smart to admit there is an issue and have no fix. It's more detrimental to the company to do so. Next thing you know, they have to deal with headlines about how their new product has a HUGE issue when the media blows everything out of proportion. Best to just pretend as if it's not a common issue while you work to release a fix then only admit there was a problem when you release the fix.

As I said, this isn't something just Apple does. Everyone does it. Toyota doesn't admit their cars have an issue until a recall is issued. Tyson doesn't admit their turkeys may have salmonella until they issue a recall.

So sad to hear that Apple is a company that does things just like everyone else. I thought it was about being different. They just lost.

 

[tom vilsack]

I am looking to buy a new mini at the end of the month, and this issue has been bugging me.

Excuse my ignorance but should I take it that this issue only affects the HDMI output?

+ Bonus ignorance - is it correct that a MDP connection can plug into the Thunderbolt port?

-I run my current mini via VGA, so then I can just get a MDP/VGA adapter and I'm sorted?

Count me as one of those wanting to buy a new mini,but sadly waiting until i read that this issue has been corrected.

 

[Westyfield2]

Over on Apple Discsussions people are having success using a MDP to HDMI adapter/cable, whereas using the native HDMI port gives problems.

Surely it must be hardware if just changing the physical port makes the difference? They should both be outputting the same digital video and audio signal...

 

[google0912]

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