Stuck pixel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A stuck pixel is a common pixel defect on LCD screens. A stuck pixel will be most visible against a black background, where it will appear red, green, blue, or any combination of the three (including white, although solid red, green, or blue, are the most common.) Each pixel on an LCD monitor is composed of three subpixels, one red, one green, and one blue, which produce the visible color of the pixel by their relative brightness. A stuck pixel results from a manufacturing defect which leaves one or more of these sub-pixels permanently turned on.
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[edit] Stuck versus dead pixels
Stuck pixels are similar to (and often falsely labeled as) a dead pixel, whose 3 sub-pixels are permanently off, producing a permanently black pixel. Dead pixels can result from similar manufacturing anomalies as stuck pixels, but may also occur from a non-functioning transistor resulting in complete lack of power to the pixel. Dead pixels are much less likely to correct themselves over time or repaired through any of several popular methods.
[edit] Fixing stuck pixels
Unlike dead pixels, stuck pixels have been reported to disappear, and there are several popular methods purported to fix them, such as gently rubbing the screen (in an attempt to reseat the pixel), cycling the color value of the stuck pixel rapidly (in other words, flashing bright colors on the screen,) or simply tolerating the stuck pixel until it disappears (which can take anywhere from a day to years.) Stuck pixels are not guaranteed to be correctable, and can remain faulty for the life of the monitor.
Two methods have emerged, regarded to be 'folk wisdom', which can potentially repair a stuck pixel.
[edit] Applying pressure
- Turn off your monitor.
- Get yourself a damp cloth, so that you don't scratch your screen.
- Apply pressure to the area where the stuck pixel is. Do not put pressure anywhere else, as this may make more stuck pixels.
- While applying pressure, turn on the screen.
- Remove pressure and the stuck pixel could be repaired.
- Repeat if unsuccessful.
[edit] Cycling RGB colors
The second method involves cycling the main RGB colors on every pixel at a very rapid rate. This has recently gained public interest after a video was created to help fix stuck pixels in the PlayStation Portable. A Java application using this concept has been created for computers, and a homebrew application is available for the Nintendo GameBoy Advance.
A Windows program called UDPixel using this method is available. It, however, flashes single pixels or a small region of pixels around the stuck pixel.
