Checking the monitor for dead pixels and treating them. The acceptable number of defective pixels on an LCD monitor. Checking your monitor before purchasing

In the modern world, the lion's share of professions involves working at a computer. At the same time, regardless of whether the time spent in front of the monitor screen lasts for a couple of hours or far exceeds two-thirds of the day, it is important to take care of eye health by correctly adjusting the brightness and color rendition of the display. The same applies to spending time for entertainment. In professional activities related to digital image processing, the quality of display of colors, shades, and contrast plays a significant role, and factory parameters do not always meet the user’s personal requirements.

TOP programs for checking and adjusting the monitor.

Here everything depends not only on the resources of the device and the use of its full potential, but also on individual perception, which varies, including changes in external factors, such as the lighting of the room where work is being done and the environment for the propagation of the light flux. Taking into account working conditions, as well as personal visual preferences, sensitivity to light, the monitor is adjusted.

You can make spending time at the computer more comfortable using standard operating system tools; setting parameters is available from the Control Panel. Moreover, if the goal is to bring conditions closer to ideal, maximally adjusting them to your own requirements, it is better to use special software that offers a wider range of capabilities than standard tools. When diagnosing screens, programs help identify inconsistencies and adjust parameters to optimal values. Software that allows you to adjust the operation of the display has various functionality and can be useful to every user, regardless of the purpose for which the computer is used.

The task of setting up the display occurs both immediately after purchasing the device and after a certain period of use, since over time the matrix wears out and no longer displays colors as before. Sometimes the monitor comes with its own software with reference samples designed for a specific model, but there are also universal tools. You can test the display and adjust its parameters based on the test results using special online services or software that requires installation. Software tools can be used to check the monitor for dead pixels, and also include their treatment if detected. Diagnostics performed in a timely manner will allow you to avoid future unpleasant moments associated with incorrect operation or complete failure of the device.

Multifunctional program for setting up your monitor. The software is distributed on a commercial basis, but there is a trial period. Ultra Mon options involve setting up and managing multiple displays at once; you can create and drag windows between devices, duplicate and move desktops, stretch the Taskbar across multiple monitors, create separate profiles, etc. Despite the scale of functionality, the program is easy to learn and not requires special knowledge from the user. Windows 8 and higher are supported; earlier versions of the OS require additional compatibility settings for 16-bit applications.

Paid program for checking the monitor and selecting the optimal parameters. Allows you to test the performance of LCD displays, CRT devices (based on a cathode ray tube) using a set of tests, includes the ability to detect dead pixels. The program has a simple interface, is easy to use and works on all versions of Windows OS with any support for resolution and color depth of the video card.

A free program for testing a monitor from a Russian manufacturer with detailed background information. The product has decent functionality, allowing you to diagnose various device characteristics. Among the possibilities are checking the uniformity of illumination, legibility of image details, linearity and discreteness of the matrix, etc. There is also an option for detecting stuck pixels. The user is given a choice of display resolution.

A utility for checking the monitor and setting basic parameters from Nokia, which does not require installation and is equipped with detailed help information on working with the software. Although the name is a little misleading, the software tool involves checking the quality of computer monitors and video cards. Allows you to adjust contrast, color rendering, geometry and other key parameters. The utility is Russified and is freely available.

The program for setting the parameters of one or several monitors at the same time has excellent functionality and supports a large number of video cards, regardless of the manufacturer, including those that have already been “retired”. Combined with the convenience and simplicity of the interface, the program allows you to access 500 settings for the display and video card, and there is instructions on how to use all the features of the software. Power Strip determines all screen parameters and provides geometry correction, can change performance and flicker clock frequency. The program is self-updating and supports various operating systems. Among the disadvantages is a significant load on the memory and resources of the PC, the software is paid.

An easy-to-use multifunctional tool for simultaneous work with multiple monitors. The capabilities of the software product offer emulation on secondary displays of the Taskbar, Start button and other familiar Windows services. Supports preview, cloning of the Task Switcher window on all devices, creating configurations in the form of Desktop profiles, instant navigation between them and many other options are available. The software is paid.

Free program for checking and repairing dead pixels on LCD panels. The interface is quite simple, so understanding the functionality of UD Pixel will not be difficult even for an inexperienced user. The operating principle of the software is to quickly change the colors of “stuck” pixels. The program does not provide a 100% guarantee of “resurrection” (like any other), but in most cases the procedure is successful. After testing and detecting dead pixels on the monitor, the user can select the color flicker speed and begin the recovery process, which, by the way, will take a lot of time. This fact will not affect the operation of the device in any way, but you will have to wait a bit with other settings.

Software for checking an LCD TV or computer monitor for dead pixels, that is, those that glow the same color. Innjured Pixels software performs high-quality diagnostics, without requiring installation on a PC, and is distributed free of charge. The utility can only be used for testing purposes; it does not allow you to resuscitate functional pixels. The positive thing is that you can diagnose the device right at the point of purchase before purchase.

Similar to the utility described above, this tool allows you to perform a procedure for checking LED and LCD monitors for dead pixels, without providing treatment. Is My LCD OK offers the user high-quality diagnostics with a decent set of tests, the software is completely free, no installation is required, and can be launched from any removable drive.

Another program that provides the ability to detect dead pixels. The software does not require installation and contains a decent set of tests for thorough testing. The interface is simple and clear, despite the fact that it is in English.

Since the human eye will not be able to accurately determine how incorrect the display image is due to the natural features of the structure and ability to adapt, it is advisable both when buying a new monitor and for the purpose of preventing the old one to use special software that allows you to identify defects in a timely manner and avoid unexpected expenses. Choosing the right software is a purely personal matter; it all depends on the requirements for the program, the need to perform certain tasks and the convenience of the user.

When buying a monitor, laptop or TV, there is an indicator that is not advertised by the seller, and most buyers do not pay attention to it. And only after purchase they may wonder what these colored or black dots are on the screen. As you know, the screen consists of dots - crystals, each of which is capable of changing color depending on the signal applied to it. This is how the picture is formed on the screen. There are situations when a crystal either cannot change color from its original black color, or, having received one color, is not able to change it to another. It's time to figure out what checking for dead pixels is, how to identify them and how to deal with them.

Visual inspection - nothing is easier

The simplest and fastest way to check the matrix for dead pixels on a monitor or TV screen is a visual inspection while turning on the device and playing color, dynamic video. If the screen matrix has a dead pixel, it is easy to detect, just look closely at the screen. Pay attention to the dots that do not change color during video playback. The color of such dots can be white, black, red, blue or green. Many stores whose main focus is the sale of television and audio equipment have special generators whose task is to check for dead pixels. The test consists of submitting a sequence of color fills over a certain period of time, which allows you to detect a defect in the matrix.

Built-in testing program - a step towards the buyer

Over the past few years, well-known manufacturers, trying to please the buyer, have added specialized functionality to their TVs. Checking for dead pixels on a TV is done using one button. When the program starts, a certain sequence of colors is displayed on the screen; when each color is changed, you can see the dots on the screen that did not have time to change their color. For TVs that do not have a function for checking the screen for dead pixels, you can use other checking methods. For example, launching a special video from an external storage device or connecting the TV to a personal computer or laptop as a second monitor in order to perform a software test.

Specialized pictures and videos will help

Buying a TV, laptop or monitor is often a pre-planned purchase. Reviews on the Internet and popular publications are studied, a list of necessary technical characteristics is determined - more than one day is spent. Checking for dead pixels of the screen matrix can also be planned by the buyer in advance. When buying such an expensive device, you can always find an hour of time to record a set of special pictures or testing videos on a portable memory module, which are stored in huge volumes on the Internet. For example, a video testing the quality of changes in dynamic scenes, called “Japanese woman on a rope.” If watching a video causes discomfort - the image doubles, the image of trees and the girl’s clothes is blurred, then the TV has failed the test. It is important to remember that testing and checking for dead pixels on a TV, monitor or laptop is not comparable in time to what will be spent on warranty repairs or exchange of goods.

Programs for testing

Checking your monitor for dead pixels can be done using third-party software. Do not forget that thanks to the presence of additional video inputs on the TV, you can connect it as a monitor to a computer or laptop, performing testing that is no different from testing a monitor. There are a lot of such programs today. There is a complex test that detects dynamic video distortion, determines the response time of the matrix, and a regular check for dead pixels. The program for any testing does not take up much space and can fit on any storage medium. Among the applications for testing the screen matrix, TFTTest, DeadPixelTester, Nokia Monitor Test and the popular online test tft.vanity.dk have proven themselves. The test of any device is carried out only when the screen resolution is set to the manufacturer’s recommended resolution.

Pitfalls that few people know about

Checking your monitor for dead pixels is fundamental, but does not address some of the other pitfalls that a user may encounter when purchasing a device. Most LCD screens have factory defects, which the average user is not even aware of, attributing it to poor-quality video recording.

  1. Tint - white balance. To identify this defect, you need to display a static white sheet on the device screen. Stripes, spots of different shapes and shades will indicate the presence of a defect.
  2. Banding - appears on a static background of any color in the form of light and dark stripes.
  3. Lights that are typical only for LED TVs. They are detected in a dark room when either a black picture or white text on a black background is presented on the screen. The light on a black background has white blurs. If the background is black with text, then the text itself blurs.

What about the guarantee?

Yes, you can exchange equipment under warranty, but there are some requirements that you need to know.

  1. If, within fourteen days from the date of purchase of the device, dead pixels are found, you can, without a twinge of conscience, if you have a purchase receipt, return the equipment to the seller, under the guise of the law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights.”
  2. Using the manufacturer's warranty, you can exchange equipment in the store, according to the classification. For first-class devices, such as Pioneer and DreamVison brands, one dead pixel is enough. For Class 2 devices such as Panasonic, Sharp or Hitachi, the dead pixel test should show 5 to 10 defects. The most popular third class with well-known brands LG, Samsung, Philips, Sony requires a minimum of 50 dead pixels.

Don't despair - massage can solve the problem

If you were unable to exchange your device under warranty, you can try “artisanal” methods for eliminating dead pixels. There are two ways to solve the problem.

  1. Having previously determined the location of the broken pixel and disconnected the device from the network, you can try to restore the operation of the crystal using a physical massage of the defective area with a cotton swab. The probability of restoration is low, but sometimes it eliminates manufacturing defects.
  2. Using a special program, if checking for dead pixels shows a defect, you need to connect the monitor or TV to the computer and try to restore the operation of the crystal using a hardware massage. Manufacturers of massage programs claim that there is a high probability of solving problems. As an example: such programs include Bad crystal, JScreenFix, Pixel Repair.

After all, it is he who is responsible for the beauty of the picture. No matter how wonderful and powerful the video card on your computer is, you cannot do without a good monitor that can present the graphics in all their glory. But, in addition to how good the monitor is in its characteristics, it is also important how efficient it is, because any equipment can be defective or fail for a variety of reasons. In this article we will take a closer look at how to check your monitor for performance, dead pixels and other possible problems. Let's get started. Go!

The monitor is one of the most important components of a computer.

If you are purchasing a new or used monitor, be sure to check it thoroughly. The tips below will help you identify any possible problems or problems.

Start by inspecting the cables. Banal cable damage is one of the most common problems. If everything is in order, connect the monitor to the computer and turn it on. Keep in mind that even if the screen is new, it may have dead pixels. You can detect them by eye, but this is not the best approach, since this will be very problematic on modern screens with high resolutions and high pixel density. Fortunately, there are special programs that allow you to quickly and effectively detect a defect. One of the most popular software products of this kind is the Tireal TFT Test utility. Working with this program is very simple. Run each of the available tests in turn. There are four of them in total. It’s worth starting with a primary color test, which will reveal which pixels do not display the main range of colors (red, black, blue, green, pink, white). As a rule, this test is sufficient, but it will not be superfluous to run the rest so that the test is as effective and complete as possible.

Tireal TFT Test Program

Tireal TFT Test makes it possible to check the screen for the absence or presence of noise, how well gray color and all its shades are displayed. If you're going to be working on a computer with graphics, be sure to run the RGB test. This software product makes it possible to fully test the monitor for performance, so it is recommended to use the Tireal TFT Test functionality to the maximum.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that it will be possible to conduct full testing directly in the store. As already described above, detecting dead pixels requires special software that most likely no one will provide to you in the store, so you should check this aspect at home. But even in a store you can conduct quite extensive testing.

Start with shimmer. Go to your display settings and set lower values ​​for brightness and contrast. This will make flickering much easier to detect. Then turn on some video and watch to see if any artifacts appear. Artifacts refer to trails that occur when objects move on the screen. Next, see how the picture is displayed from different viewing angles. Shine something on the screen to see if glare appears. Do not neglect the sounds that the monitor makes during operation. Any strange or loud noises indicate that the product is poorly built or something is not working as it should.

When buying a monitor for a PC or laptop, not the last thing you should pay attention to is the quality and condition of the display. This statement is equally true if the device is being prepared for sale. One of the most unpleasant defects, which very often can simply not be detected during a quick inspection, is the presence of dead pixels.

To find damaged areas on the display, you can use special programs such as or. But in some situations, for example, when buying a laptop or monitor, installing additional software is not the most convenient solution. However, with access to the network, web services for testing screen quality come to the rescue.

Of course, none of the software tools can independently detect any damage on the display. This is understandable - the problem, if there is one, lies in the “hardware” part of the device without the appropriate sensors. The operating principle of screen testing solutions is rather auxiliary: the tests consist of “flooding” the monitor with various backgrounds, patterns and fractals, allowing you to independently determine whether there are prominent pixels on the display.

“Well,” you might think, “it won’t be difficult to just find similar pictures on the Internet and check with them.” Yes, but there is also nothing complicated in special online tests and they are more revealing in assessing defects than regular images. It is these resources that you will become acquainted with in this article.

Method 1: Monteon

This tool is a complete solution for monitor calibration. The service allows you to thoroughly check various parameters of PC and mobile device displays. There are tests for flicker, sharpness, geometry, contrast and brightness, gradients, as well as screen color rendition. It is the last item on this list that we will need.


The service developers recommend carrying out the test in a dim or darkened room as much as possible, since it is in these conditions that it will be easier for you to detect a defect. For the same reasons, you should disable any video card monitoring software, if any.

Method 2: CatLair

A simple and convenient website for searching for dead pixels, as well as minimal diagnostics of desktop and mobile device monitors. Among the available options, in addition to the one we need, there is the ability to check the display synchronization frequency, color balancing and picture “floating”.


For each test, the service offers a detailed description and hints on what to pay attention to. As for convenience, the resource can be used without problems even on smartphones with very small displays.

If you want to exchange an already purchased monitor with dead pixels, keep in mind that there is an international standard ISO 13406-2 regulating the permissible number defective pixels on the LCD monitor. Thus, the seller may refuse to exchange your monitor or refund your money if the number of defective pixels is .

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Acceptable number of defective pixels on the monitor

The permissible number of defective pixels depends on the display class (pixel fault class). The ISO 13406-2 standard distinguishes four classes: first does not allow the presence of defective pixels. As a rule, everything is modern LCD monitors relate to second grade. Below you can calculate the acceptable number of defective pixels according to the ISO 13406-2 standard for monitors second class:

Note. In the calculation, the fractional number of defective pixels is rounded to a whole number by discarding the fractional part.

The ISO 13406-2 standard identifies the following defects: always-on white pixels (type I), always-off black pixels (type II), subpixel defects (type III), which appear as colored pixels always on/off in primary colors (red, green). , blue, cyan, magenta, yellow).

In addition, for resolutions of 1 million and higher, accumulation of color defective pixels (type III) is allowed nearby in a 5 x 5 pixel square. This defect is called a cluster. Second class monitors does not allow the presence of 5 x 5 clusters with defective pixels of type I or II. For more details see.

In practice, such a large number of defective pixels as specified in ISO 13406-2 is extremely rare. The wide tolerance can be explained by the fact that the standard was developed in 2000. Since then, LCD panel manufacturing technologies have undergone improvements.

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How to check your monitor for dead pixels

Examination LCD monitor on presence of defective pixels consists of carefully examining the screen to identify abnormal pixels. The inspection is carried out sequentially for the primary colors: black, white, red, green, blue, cyan, magenta and yellow.