Sony answers PSP dead-pixel gripes

Soon after Sony's PlayStation Portable launched in Japan last December, reports surfaced that some units' LCD screens suffered from "dead pixels," or pixels that were either permanently light or dark.

Within 24 hours of the PSP's North American launch, similar complaints began to reverberate around the Internet.

Some gamers' outrage over the perceived dead-pixel problem was fueled by an e-mail allegedly sent out by Canadian game retailer Video Games Plus. The e-mail said the company was "informed by Sony that they will not be warranting any dead-pixel units. They are only warranting hardware defects, i.e. broken buttons, malfunction with drive and so on."

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An informal survey of the dozen-odd PSPs in the GameSpot offices found that half had at least one problematic pixel. While these dots were almost all invisible while playing games, they stood out when displayed against a black or white screen.

While commonly referred to as a "defect," Sony says the off-colored pixel problem is common in LCD screens. "A very small number of dark pixels or continuously lit pixels is normal for LCD screens and is not a sign of a malfunction," a representative for Sony Computer Entertainment America told GameSpot.

Page 13 of the PSP manual puts it this way: "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 occurrence associated with LCD screens and not a sign of malfunction. LCD screens are made using highly precise technology. However, a very small number of dark pixels or continuously lit pixels exist on each screen."

The manual also warns against exposing the LCD screen to direct sunlight and leaving still images on the screen for an extended period of time, as both can damage the display.

The Sony representative suggested that PSP owners who encounter the pixel issue try the device "for a week or two" to see if it continues to bother them. "If you find the spots are interfering with game play/video viewing during this period, we will support the various elements of (the PSP) warranty," the representative said.

Each PSP comes with a one-year limited warranty, which is on page 125 of the PSP manual. If a PSP is "determined to be defective" by SCEA, the company will see to the "repair or replacement of this product with a new or refurbished product at SCEA's option."

According to a technical-support associate contacted by GameSpot, PSP owners who encounter a persistent and aggravating dead-pixel issue should contact SCEA's customer service line at 1-800-345-7669 for instructions on how to exchange their unit after a week or two of use. "We will work with you," he assured.

The associate said the process would work much like exchanging PlayStation 2s that suffer from the dreaded "Disc Read Error" problem: Gamers will mail their PSPs in to SCEA and receive units with new screens. The associate was unsure if customers would receive an all-new unit or their old unit with a new LCD screen.

Tor Thorsen reported for GameSpot.

[Christopher Hall]

I've got two bright pixels

One red and one green and I say with all honesty that they're hardly noticable. I also have one bright pixel on my DS and one on my LG Flatron LCD monitor. I've got a sharp eye, too (well, two to be specific), but they don't affect gameplay in the least. Sooner or later people are either going to have to accept that dead/bright pixels are one of the inherent evils of the manufacturing process or the manufacturing process will need to be changed.

I'm banking on the former.

[Christopher Hall]

I've got two bright pixels

One red and one green and I say with all honesty that they're hardly noticable. I also have one bright pixel on my DS and one on my LG Flatron LCD monitor. I've got a sharp eye, too (well, two to be specific), but they don't affect gameplay in the least. Sooner or later people are either going to have to accept that dead/bright pixels are one of the inherent evils of the manufacturing process or the manufacturing process will need to be changed.

I'm banking on the former.

[ihate56k]

is it good enough?

I've not got a PSP yet, though I may well do so... but I think this is a worrying situation... Dead pixels in the TFT industry seem to be an ignored situation by manufacturers... I understand that on a device like the apple HD cinema display, with over 2 million pixels (6 if you count rgb) there is a lot to go wrong... but with the high costs of these devices I think people deserve to expect a perfect product... it's like buying a new car, and it turning up with a scratch in it.

more to the point, if you do have a device which has dead pixels on it, you should kick up a fuss... even if it doesn't bother you, if you ever try to sell it on, it would be worth less...

If sony aren't propared to take the dead pixel devices back, I can't help wondering how widespread the problem is... (Lets face it, they'd have no problem selling them at a small discount as second's)

[ihate56k]

is it good enough?

I've not got a PSP yet, though I may well do so... but I think this is a worrying situation... Dead pixels in the TFT industry seem to be an ignored situation by manufacturers... I understand that on a device like the apple HD cinema display, with over 2 million pixels (6 if you count rgb) there is a lot to go wrong... but with the high costs of these devices I think people deserve to expect a perfect product... it's like buying a new car, and it turning up with a scratch in it.

more to the point, if you do have a device which has dead pixels on it, you should kick up a fuss... even if it doesn't bother you, if you ever try to sell it on, it would be worth less...

If sony aren't propared to take the dead pixel devices back, I can't help wondering how widespread the problem is... (Lets face it, they'd have no problem selling them at a small discount as second's)

[influx2k1]

PSP Quality Control

Normally I would expect products to have issues, but with the PSP having a big head start in Japan and absurd pixel problems with the US release it is obvious Sony went for quantity over quality. My PSP has at least 20 dead or stuck pixels. As soon as more stock comes into my retailer sony gets this one back.

[influx2k1]

PSP Quality Control

Normally I would expect products to have issues, but with the PSP having a big head start in Japan and absurd pixel problems with the US release it is obvious Sony went for quantity over quality. My PSP has at least 20 dead or stuck pixels. As soon as more stock comes into my retailer sony gets this one back.

[katamari]

I warned everyone long ago.

...but no one I knew in my immediate group of peers listened.

Isn't TFT/LCD technology GREAT? "Hey consumers, you HAVE TO ACCEPT FLAWS!" Yeah, *RIGHT*.

Heheh.

You sound like me.

Many, many years ago I worked for Gateway when LCD monitors were just hitting the retail scene. Everyone - from the IT guys to the phone techs to the assembly line people all got to go through a "new product orientation".. and that's when I learned that "All LCD devices have a certain amount of dead pixels that are allowed through quality control".

So I told all my friends about it and warned them to stay away from LCD monitors. Years later they assumed it had been fixed (after all, I warned them when it was first gen stuff) so a couple went out and got LCD monitors. Then they called me because they had these "bright spots that won't go away".

All I could say was.. told you so.

[katamari]

I warned everyone long ago.

...but no one I knew in my immediate group of peers listened.

Isn't TFT/LCD technology GREAT? "Hey consumers, you HAVE TO ACCEPT FLAWS!" Yeah, *RIGHT*.

Heheh.

You sound like me.

Many, many years ago I worked for Gateway when LCD monitors were just hitting the retail scene. Everyone - from the IT guys to the phone techs to the assembly line people all got to go through a "new product orientation".. and that's when I learned that "All LCD devices have a certain amount of dead pixels that are allowed through quality control".

So I told all my friends about it and warned them to stay away from LCD monitors. Years later they assumed it had been fixed (after all, I warned them when it was first gen stuff) so a couple went out and got LCD monitors. Then they called me because they had these "bright spots that won't go away".

All I could say was.. told you so.

[System Tyrant]

Samsung

Samsung now has a no dead pixel guarantee. Consumers would be smart to require anything with a LCD screen to be hooked up and tested before taking it home. I would be willing to bet that if you started doing that the world would see a lot less dead pixels. I know this doesn't do much for the ones that go bad after you bought it, but you can't have everything.

Imagine that. Everybody buying LCD screens started requiring it to be unboxed and viewed before paying. I bet it would give the reseller a heart attack. It would however force retailers to put pressure on the manufacturers. It might drive prices up, but manufacturers are going to feel the pain first.

[System Tyrant]

Samsung

Samsung now has a no dead pixel guarantee. Consumers would be smart to require anything with a LCD screen to be hooked up and tested before taking it home. I would be willing to bet that if you started doing that the world would see a lot less dead pixels. I know this doesn't do much for the ones that go bad after you bought it, but you can't have everything.

Imagine that. Everybody buying LCD screens started requiring it to be unboxed and viewed before paying. I bet it would give the reseller a heart attack. It would however force retailers to put pressure on the manufacturers. It might drive prices up, but manufacturers are going to feel the pain first.

If manufacturers like Sony want to claim that...

a dead pixel is not a defect, they should be forced use units of
their products that contain 2 or 3 dead pixels in all of their
advertisements for the product.

I'd like to see them place an ad with a high resolution close up
of the PSP featuring 2 or 3 dead pixels imposed over the black
lines in Spiderman's costume.

If they cannot guarantee the screens @ $249/unit, they should
raise the price and increase QA efforts so they can provide their
customers with the quality they expect to get from a premium
product.

I personally wouldnt mind paying an addition $50-$75 more to
ensure that I had a quality display that would remain free of
defects for the market life of the product.

If manufacturers like Sony want to claim that...

a dead pixel is not a defect, they should be forced use units of
their products that contain 2 or 3 dead pixels in all of their
advertisements for the product.

I'd like to see them place an ad with a high resolution close up
of the PSP featuring 2 or 3 dead pixels imposed over the black
lines in Spiderman's costume.

If they cannot guarantee the screens @ $249/unit, they should
raise the price and increase QA efforts so they can provide their
customers with the quality they expect to get from a premium
product.

I personally wouldnt mind paying an addition $50-$75 more to
ensure that I had a quality display that would remain free of
defects for the market life of the product.

Can't say I'm surprised

Fortunately, I can't afford a PSP right now, so I get to wait.

Frankly, though, the PS2 had problems of its own when it was released, and under the same conditions--a shortage of components and thus, consoles. Now, there are PS2s out there with different model numbers that don't have these problems.

The wise move is probably to wait for this to happen with the PSP. After all, it is a LCD screen shortage that caused the PSP shortage; maybe they loosened their standards a little to kick more out the door?

Can't say I'm surprised

Fortunately, I can't afford a PSP right now, so I get to wait.

Frankly, though, the PS2 had problems of its own when it was released, and under the same conditions--a shortage of components and thus, consoles. Now, there are PS2s out there with different model numbers that don't have these problems.

The wise move is probably to wait for this to happen with the PSP. After all, it is a LCD screen shortage that caused the PSP shortage; maybe they loosened their standards a little to kick more out the door?

[Compumind]

The TRUTH about "dead" pixels!

The screwy Pixel problem is not new.

Many vendors have their own guidelines for "passing" or "failing" a panel. Most people don't really notice or care.

Hard-core purists like myself, DO!

Before you buy an LCD of any kind, inquire with the manufacturer regarding their Pixel Policy.

Samsung will be just one of the first players in town with a zero-dead-pixel policy. If you want the best, you have to do your homework.

In addition, you need to use a testing software for LCD panels to double check it! :0)

[Compumind]

The TRUTH about "dead" pixels!

The screwy Pixel problem is not new.

Many vendors have their own guidelines for "passing" or "failing" a panel. Most people don't really notice or care.

Hard-core purists like myself, DO!

Before you buy an LCD of any kind, inquire with the manufacturer regarding their Pixel Policy.

Samsung will be just one of the first players in town with a zero-dead-pixel policy. If you want the best, you have to do your homework.

In addition, you need to use a testing software for LCD panels to double check it! :0)