Monitor Dead Pixel Check Service...

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Euge
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Hi All,

I am just looking at getting a new monitor. I have seen that you can get a Dead Pixel check service for £30 from one of the computer shops... Is this worth it? or are you just paying them to do an additional QA check that I can do once i get the monitor?

Cheers
Euge

P.S This is the company offering the service, i have bought stuff from them before and have always been good. ARIA
 
I know the company and I've dealt with them before without problems.
I do think it's just another way of them making money though. Chas is right, you'll certainly see them checking one colour at a time. And, from memory they've no reponsibility to change it for just two or three dead or stuck pixels.

But... If you're buying online I'd just rely on the "distance selling regulations 2000" This gives you something like 7 days from receipt of the goods to send it back (for any or indeed no reason at all) for a complete refund. That won't cost you £30!

cheers
 
I always buy Iiyama monitors and I have never had a bad pixel. I think the tests probably provide peace of mind if you are buying a generic, but with £30 added on, you can probably buy a better quality monitor anyway.
 
I took a very small program (it's an .exe file so doesn't install on the machine) that simply displays different solid colours and will show up any faulty pixels. Then I asked the assistant if I could run the program on the machine connected to the monitor I wanted to buy. He brought it out new in it's box and we connected it - 3 dead pixels!!!

The second monitor which he brought out was perfect (and still is nearly 3 years later ;))

He wasn't too enthusiastic about setting it all up, but after all, I was the customer and it was me who was forking out my hard-earned cash for it :D.
 
I think i will rely on the distance selling and check it myself, and send it back as unwanted if it has any dead ones :)
Don't do that. You'll probably be wasting time and effort.

Various quality aspects of LCD monitors, including stuck/dead pixels, are governed by ISO standard 13406-2. This expresses the number of faults allowed per million pixels, and the limits are:
* Lit pixels allowed = 2 per million pixels
* Unlit pixels allowed = 2 per million pixels
* Red, green or blue pixels allowed = 5 per million pixels
* There should never be more than 2 defective lit and unlit pixels in any one circle with a radius of 5 pixels
* The number of 5 x 5 pixel squares which contain several red, green or blue pixels should not exceed 2 per million pixels

If you're buying a big monitor which runs at "HD" resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels), you have 2.07 million pixels, so manufacturers would be allowed 4 lit pixels, 4 unlit, 10 red/green/blue, and 4 "clusters" of red/green/blue.

In practice, of course, manufacturers and/or retailers may choose to exchange a monitor with a smaller number of defective pixels. But it's entirely at their discretion.

Wikipedia article on ISO 13406-2: here.
 
Your info is right Stewart, in fact it's what I was thinking about earlier but couldn't find.

But it has no bearing on using distance selling regulations 2000 to send something back as unwanted. The whole point is that when you're buying something sight unseen (as online sales are) then you don't have any opportunity to examine the goods. Therefore you have an absolute right to send the goods back within 7 days of receipt. I'm pretty sure you have to pay carriage back to the supplier.

Strictly speaking you don't even have to give a reason for the return at all.
 
But it has no bearing on using distance selling regulations 2000 to send something back as unwanted. The whole point is that when you're buying something sight unseen (as online sales are) then you don't have any opportunity to examine the goods. Therefore you have an absolute right to send the goods back within 7 days of receipt. I'm pretty sure you have to pay carriage back to the supplier.

Strictly speaking you don't even have to give a reason for the return at all.
Good point Bill.

The Distance Selling Regs do allow you to return an item without giving a reason. (There are exceptions, but a monitor would be OK.) The retailer can't charge you a restocking fee and can't insist that the goods are unopened, but there are a couple of issues to watch for:
- the consumer is under a duty to take reasonable care of the goods whilst in their possession;
- you may be required to pay the postage to return the goods, if the retailers Ts&Cs say so.
 
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