webOS Nation Forums > webOS smartphones (Pre, Pixi, Veer) > Palm Pre and Pre Plus > Possible Fix for Dead/Stuck Pixels
Member: Big Dookie
at: 09:12 PM 06/11/2009
A few years ago when the PSP came out, there was quite a bit of hubbub about stuck pixels, and other devices such as the DS Light, iPhone, and just regular old monitors have had some of the same problems. Now I'm seeing a relatively large number of users complain about dead pixels, and it got me thinking...

One of the solutions for the stuck pixels problem on the PSP was a video that one would upload to the device and run several times in succession, and by running it while lightly rubbing the area with the stuck pixel and applying very slight pressure to it, some would report that it fixed their stuck pixel. This same solution worked with other devices too, and theoretically it could also work for the Pre. So, if you have stuck pixels on your phone, follow these steps:

(DISCLAIMER - If you have epilepsy or cannot handle videos with rapid flashing colors, DO NOT DO THIS)

1) Go to this Youtube Video on your phone.

2) Play the video several times in succession, full screen.

3) As the video plays, lightly rub or massage the area with the stuck pixel with a cloth, finger, or q-tip.

4) Repeat either until the pixel unsticks or you simply can't take it anymore.

5) Report back here. I'm curious to see if this actually works.

I don't personally have any stuck pixels on my phone, but I know several people have reported them. If you this is you, give this a shot and see if you have any luck getting rid of them. Note that this isn't a guaranteed fix, even on the devices previously mentioned, but it did work for some people and it's conceivable that it could work for the Pre as well. Good luck!
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Member: Big Dookie
at: 03:33 AM 06/12/2009
Really? This didn't work for anyone?
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Member: JohnLBurger
at: 03:45 AM 06/12/2009
I've tried running those videos a bunch, but I'll try it with the rubbing part and see how it goes.
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Member: JohnLBurger
at: 04:03 AM 06/12/2009
return(4); // Couldn't take it any more.

haha. i must have tried it 5-7 times with qtip rubbing and I was actually surprised how hard I allowed myself to press. No results though
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Member: Xyg
at: 04:41 AM 06/12/2009
Wouldn't the outer casing of the Pre prevent you from actually touching the panel?
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Member: JohnLBurger
at: 05:13 AM 06/12/2009
That's what I thought. But, I could see the screen being affected by the pressure (and it wasn't the "ripple" from touching)
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Member: Big Dookie
at: 09:44 AM 06/12/2009
Hmm, it was worth a try I guess. Although some reports I've read for other devices said it took the video running for something like hours to finally unstick the pixels. Who knows though?
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Member: exces6
at: 07:54 PM 06/12/2009
I ran it a few times but can't really massage the pixel since it's below the plastic. Didn't help with the pixel and I'm hoping to get a second replacement tomorrow.
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Member: jayzun
at: 08:20 PM 06/12/2009
Originally Posted by exces6:
I ran it a few times but can't really massage the pixel since it's below the plastic. Didn't help with the pixel and I'm hoping to get a second replacement tomorrow.
A replacement for one pixel? Anal much?
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Member: ronlongo
at: 08:37 PM 06/12/2009
Originally Posted by Big Dookie:
Really? This didn't work for anyone?
I don't know anything about the design of an LCD with a touch screen. But I suspect that it's just a regular LCD with a touch screen layer on top of that. If this is the case, rubbing that spot on the display may not really do much with a touch screen because the touch layer is in the way.

On a regular LCD if it's on and you push lightly with your finger you'll notice some distortion. Not so with the touch screen because the touch sensative layer is in the way so you can't put any pressure on the lcd to "massage" it.
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Member: Big Dookie
at: 08:48 PM 06/12/2009
Yeah, the bad thing about this is that, for the fix to work correctly, you really need to leave it running on loop for a few hours. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that the Pre's video player has any kind of "loop" function, so you just have to sit there repeatedly hitting play over and over again. The other alternative is finding a download for the video and then repeating it several times in a video editing program and then putting it on your phone, but that takes considerable time and could be a pretty big video file to boot.

The other thing is that this only fixes stuck pixels. If the pixel is black, then it's likely a dead pixel, which unfortunately won't be fixed with this kind of solution.
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webOS Nation Forums > webOS smartphones (Pre, Pixi, Veer) > Palm Pre and Pre Plus > Possible Fix for Dead/Stuck Pixels