Anyone else got backlight light bleed?

I have backlight bleed at the bottom of my screen near the Alienware logo (bottom like where the task bar is acrros the bottom) is this normal?

Should I be concerned about this and is there any fix to it ? Its just annoying me when watching movies...

 

Can you upload pics of the issue?

 

I will try to get pictures of it later.. This is a refurbished screen ... the first one had back-lighting problems (No backlight!). Alienware support has let me down on this as they were supposed to call me back last week.. then yesterday at 6pm and did not call back. I was supposed to speak to a supervisor as they sent the wrong parts out and I was told they are on there way again. I was supposed to get a screen replacement and the Sata Interposer cable but to no avail with support. I tried to return the unit and they talked me into the parts as well as supposed to send me a tactx keyboard for my troubles but that has not happned!

The screen also has several dead pixels.. I would be happy with a replacement screen that works tbh as well as the right parts now that im out of my return window

 

Sorry to hear about the inconveniences with technical support. Depending on the issue I might be able to replace the screen again so please upload the pics and we'll take it from there.

 

I guess it might be bad back lighting actually... but it looks like bleed on a black screen here is some images...



Could you also send the correct sata inter-poser cable suppodley one is on the way but I have got no email or call and they sent the wrong part before!

I can PM you my service tag if you need it.

Depot is not a option... for me ... Just a WORKING screen with no defects as well as the cable and I would be happy... Or a direct exchange since they will not let me return it now ....

Thanks!

 

Sometimes the bleed goes away after use. It's happened for me before. But if you have the option to switch it out, I'd go for it. But just beware of more refurb parts.


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That looks like a problem.

 

The pic on the right looks like the screen is positioned incorrectly, allowing light to flood through or be more easily visible. It could also account for the distortion of the backlight on the left picture, which looks kind of "pressure induced" like when you press on a LCD panel......Maybe you could remove the lid panel and check the panel's alignment in the display assembly. However, I agree - it's not right and if it can't be easily fixed yourself, a new display would be in order, IMHO.

 

Have not heard back from dell yet although I do have some help from within the notebook review community that are looking into it.

 

I had similar issue on m15x quite a few moons ago, dell just replaced the LCD (whole lid assembly) and it was ok after that.

 

This is the second LCD screen the first one the backlighting went out on ... I can get this one back lighting to work by tapping the back lid but the real bright bleeding on the bottom and right of screen gets worse when I do that. Like someone else said here it looks like the screen is not positioned correctly and its not really user serviceable as the screen is double sided taped and the back plastic that holds the lcd has rivets in the bottom so no way for me to adjust it.

I also got the wrong part for the SATA transposer cable sitting here they sent the mSata cable I have been told it was shipped to they dont know which part. I had a really great person from Alienware help me get the first screen replaced. I tried getting ahold of him but the Rep I spoke to on the phone tried getting me to do the depot several times which is not a option for me then told me a supevisor would call me back. Which did not happen twice.. .

I hope the rep on these fourms can just get me a working replacement screen and the correct cable so I can send back the two defective screens and wrong parts and be a Happy M18x owner.

When I first got the machine it would not power up after two days and the tactx marco keypad was not lighting up both the problems were damaged ribon cables (they were both frayed badly) I originality tried to return it so that I could just buy another one but the rep talked me out of it and now I'm out of the return window.

I really dont complain much and if the screen could be replaced I would be playing some games as it stands now I'm regretting this buy if it was not for the great reps on this site who really try to solve the problem and not ... remote connect and tell me it could be a the video cards so send it to the depot...... Performance wise this thing is a beast!

I might do a write up on here with my experience and overall opinion on the machine. As I do not want to clog this post up with other information while I wait for the rep above to get back to me.

 

I have the same issue except on the top of the panel on an m17x.

In my case, after talking to tech support, they want me to send my laptop to them.

 

I have the same issue, sorry for the grainy photo but you can see the 2 spots at the top and large area in the bottom left section where the backlighting is totally messed up. This is at the desktop with a black background selected and 1 notch down in the Windows brightness setting. The lower the brightness, the less pronounced the issue as you'd expect but I can't go any lower on the brightness w/o sacrificing readability. I'll be needing a new screen too, can't see any way this can be fixed by me, contacting support is next on my todo list now that I have everything else sorted out.

 

Unfortunately, uneven backlighting is an inherent problem of lcd panel technology. That being said, my m18x r2 has a perfectly even panel with no uneven backlighting. I would for sure swap the screen for a new one. It is a bit of a lottery, but it's worth the hassle considering how disheartening it is trying to enjoy a movie with black letterbox on your 3-4k laptop, and having your eyes gravitate to the flashlighting in the bottom corners of your panel.

 

Knock on the old wooden table, mine doesn't have any back bleed issues.

 

Not sure if I should be feeling fortunate, or if we're just hearing about the problems. Touch head; my screen is also fine

 

My aw has the bleeding problems aswell but it is has green color to it also and i think it is not the back light as when i press on the bezel it get greener.
View attachment 100718

View attachment 100719

When pressing on the bezel. This does not happen in areas were there is not bleeding.

 

Dang DH48 your screen has the bleed issues in exactly the same spots as mine, pretty freaking embarrassing at this price point. The mere fact that other AW owners have perfectly even backlighting means we need to be even MORE diligent about getting Dell to replace these crap screens we were sent. I'll be calling to get a tech dispatch setup on Monday morning, just so tired of looking at this shoddy screen.

 

I'm currently awaiting an exchange on my new 18 due to the same thing. I cant believe how many people have this issue.

 

Ok just got off the phone with Alienware warranty support and they are setting up a dispatch to replace the entire LCD assembly, should be done sometime this week if what he said holds true. The rep I spoke to was very polite and accommodating, did not argue with me at all or ask me to do silly unrelated software things so that was nice.

 

Be careful, sometimes a screen swap be an on site results in broken tabs and creeks afterward on a brand new system. That's why I don't accept anything but and exchange on new ones.

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With the Alienware 18 there is no reason for anything to get broken. It's super easy to take apart and no fragile tabs to break off. (This is not the the case with the new 17. The M18xR1/R2 is easier to work on on than the new 17.)

On the new 18, you disconnected a few cables, pop out the SD card dummy, and remove a hand full of screws and the keyboard/palm rest assembly comes right off. The display hinge screws and cables are easily accessed and there are no wires to route to the opposite side of the motherboard. If it were me, I would have it disassembled and ready to receive the new display assembly upon the technician's arrival. The technician would watch me reassemble it.

 

That's some good advice Mr Fox, no better opportunity to upgrade from n00b status and crack the thing open myself. I've half a mind to repaste while I'm in there but don't want get ahead of myself, temps have been pretty good with the stock job anyway. Looking at the manual now, good lord do you really have to do all this before you can remove the LCD assembly? If so maybe I'll just let this tech handle it and do the whole hawk on his shoulder routine, making sure he/she's careful.

Prerequisites
1 Remove any installed card or blank from the Media-Card Reader.
2 Remove the base cover. See "Removing the Base Cover" on page 14.
3 Remove the fans cover. See "Removing the Fans Cover" on page 29.
4 Remove the battery pack. See "Removing the Battery Pack" on page 16.
5 Remove the hard drive. See “Removing the Hard Drive(s)” on page 25.
6 Remove the optical drive. See "Removing the Optical Drive" on page 22.
7 Follow the instructions from step 1 to step 6 in Removing the Palm Rest

 

"All this" isn't really a big deal.

This process took me about 15 minutes the first time as I figured it out as I went. Now it can do it in about 7 or 8 minutes. You do need to be gentle with the ribbon cables, but it is neither complex nor time consuming.

 

It takes about 5-10 mins to get the screen off. It's like the time to make a cup of coffee. Just make sure there's enough space to put all the stuff without scratching them. I don't trust the tech guy to be as careful as the users themselves.

To be on topic. I don't really have backlight bleed, but the lighting is not 100% even. I can see the unevenness if I put on a blackscreen, and turn the brightness to maximum. For the most part I don't notice it unless the screen is pitch black.

Two days ago I had a nightmare that my 18 has backlight bleed as bad as some of the pics posted. That was an uneasy night.

 

Agreed, it's been eating away at me ever since I unboxed this thing. The 'out of box' experience is a real thing for us enthusiasts and to have paid top dollar for the best laptop out there only to be greeted with these bright spots all over the display from the second I powered it on, well it's something you can forgive (assuming they make it right) but never forget.
Thanks Mr Fox, think I'll rip it open myself once I get an ETA from the tech.

EDIT - this may or may not be useful to someone but here are the part numbers associated to my LCD assembly replacement:
W58PR 00001 ASSEMBLY...,CAMERA...,2.1M,INTEGRATED...,FHD,ANW
866JK 00001 SERVICE KIT...,LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY...,18.4,FHD,16X9,AW18

 

anyone have a tear down video of it, im curious to see whats inside.

 

Not getting a very good vibe from my support call. The first call on Mon was 'we'll ship the parts overnight and you'll hear from a technician within 2 days'. I call for status on Wed after hearing nothing and it's 'well the screens are on backorder but yours will definitely ship out tomorrow and a tech will be in touch'. Skip to Friday and still nothing. Where's that rolleyes thing.

 

Screen finally got replaced today and..........same problem, just different spots and not quite as bad (top and side edges clear now but 2 bleed spots along the bottom). I can only conclude that the screens on these AW 18's are simply NOT ready for prime time. I'll probably use this for a month or 2 and see if anything improves, then call for yet another screen.

 

Ugh, this scare me a bit. I really really hope I have no issues with mine when I recieve it

 

Your previous one actually aren't that bad imo.

There is no guarantee your next one will be better.

Some bleed is pretty normal to be honest.

 

To be honest I can't believe people are this accepting of the build quality on these panels at this price point. 'It's not that bad' is actually an acceptable rationale to me in certain situations but certainly not after I've dunked close to 5 grand. I have honestly never seen a laptop screen with this level of build shoddiness. Back in the day it was dead pixels and everyone was like 'WTH are these little dead spots on my monitor!', scrambling to get replacements and generally freaking out and then mfrs started including little disclaimers in their products and people on forums were saying 'well some dead pixels are to be expected'. Well, many years later the improvements in LCD fabrication have been so dramatic that you basically never see dead pixels anymore...so you sure as heck should not be seeing this kind of backlight bleed at this stage of LCD mfg technology. I can only conclude that these screens are just victims of a poor design and again, not ready for prime time, especially after I just replaced it with a brand new one and have the same issue.

Looking at a black background at full brightness on my Dell U2410 right next to the AW screen is an embarrassment. The Dell screen produces a beautifully even black, edge to edge while the AW looks like someone is parked behind it with their hi-beams on (I exaggerate for effect). How anyone can say this screen is high quality is a mystery to me. At best it's serviceable and only the fact that I DO use a really nice external display for daily use and am using this box like a desktop replacement (don't travel with it) is keeping me from just returning the whole mess (because otherwise I do like the machine and believe it will be certifiably kickass once the BIOS issues are worked out).

 

I had to return mine due to a giant cluster of white pixels so don't think dead pixels are always a thing of the past. It appears these PLS screens are susceptible to some amount of screen bleed. Personally, I have no issues with the screen. I just fear you won't be happy with your system so you may want to investigate returning for a refund if you are within your window. I don't know if you will get a screen to your expectations. I find this screen to be an improvement to the R1/R2 and not many people complained on those. The color gamut, brightness, viewing angles and overall IQ when playing games are sufficient for me and I think I am pretty picky with my electronics. Your last sentence was very telling and I would HIGHLY recommend returning your system while you can as I don't think you will ever truly like your system if you don't like your screen. And to pay a premium price for a portable solution to only use with an external monitor would not justify the price IMO. Either way; good luck.

 

Well I'm not nearly as bitter as I come off sounding. It is what it is I guess, bit of buyer's remorse, bit of hating to admit my own potentially bad (read: impulsive) choice in buying an Alienware only to return it after investing so heavily both in time and money over the last month. My primary display will always be an external, I knew that going in so it barely matters that I even have a display at all on this thing. To be honest I'm concerned about resale value down the road, not vanity over having a perfect screen. It's just highly disappointing that this type of screen with it's apparently known backlight bleed would be used in the flagship AW laptop. Whatever happens, the amount of knowledge I've gained from the amazing people here and on the TI forum is invaluable and that alone has been worth the price of admission, even with all the headaches.

 

As the originator of this post I should say something .. I have had 3 replacement screens and all of them had problems. my third and final screen eliminated the backlight bleed but had at least 7 dead pixels spread out across the screen. Along with the keyboard, Raid 0 and bezel issues I have had I definitely have buyers remorse (Although I love the hardware I just wish AW would have fixed my issues) I ended up buying parts of the internet to try and fix the problem but even after doing that I still have backlight bleed that is horrible. It is something with all of them I'm guessing besides the lucky few! I hate showing someone a HD movie and they knowing what I paid for this computer look right to the bleed and have them saying you paid over 6k for that!

 

Like it or not, this is what we get with these screens. One original system and the two subsequent replacements all sufferer from backlight bleeding. None of them showed an even black edge to edge. This last one I'm using at least doesn't have lines and splotches all over the screen like the first two, although it has the worse backlight bleeding. I guess, we have to compromise. We wish we would get what we paid for, alas this is not the case. At this point, I'm willing to trade screen issues for an uncrippled CPU and manually adjustable fans.

 

I thought paying so much money for a computer would mean... That compromise is unacceptable?
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Well, I thought the same 3 replacement units ago--all of them with screen issue. Unfortunately I can't afford that waiting time anymore. Besides, getting a replacement doesn't mean you'll get a better screen. It go on forever and I need to use this computer. Besides, I believe that more or less most of these lps suffer from this issue.

 

I don't know. If I were to spend $5000 on an Alienware 18 and get major backlight bleed, I would return it immediately and buy something else or wait for the screen issues to be fixed. And there are those CPU power issues too.

 

Well, major or minor it's in the eye of the beholder (unless screen is totally lighted). I mostly use it for work and gaming. Don't watch movies in it. And if I do I don't let the bleeding distract me. Now it's manageable. If it gets any worse, or some other component fails I will start making calls, of course. For what I've gathered so far, most of these lps screens suffer some one issue or another, and after 3 replacements I really have no time to wait for another notebook--unless something else fails. As well, this machine is awesome, comfortable to work with, aside from the bleeding the screen is bright with great detail. If I get too OCD about this I will have to return it, and I don't want to, since I really enjoy this computer. Let see what happens down the road. I might just keep replacing screens until I get a flawless one (if there's such a thing that is).

 

I have a tiny bit of billed on top but it's hardly visible, even when playing a video, so I am ok with it as long as it doesn't get worse.

 

I think I actually may have a little on the top as well. It's not that noticeable and I can't catch it on a camera, but it's probably there. That said, I'm probably in the minority on this, but I am more lenient with this issue since it seems so common. I sorta didn't expect everything to be perfect with my machine and am pretty happy with it so far.

We may "think" $5k is a lot, but if we considered houses, cars, status bags (hello birkin), jewelry, etc...5k is a really so little compared to those things. I paid much less than 5k, but even on a 50k or 100k sports car, you'll run into some issues I think. Same with houses.and diamonds are pretty much all flawed as well and we probably spent more on that with less enjoyment <laugh>.

That said, hope they get the tech right...but I'd suggest that if your machine has only minor bleed that isn't that annoying, you might want to keep it instead of swapping it hoping for something better.

 

Time for me to chime in like promised:

I have been using my Alienware 18 for many days now.
I can honestly say that my display is perfect. No dead pixels, ZERO backlight bleed and I haven`t seen any of the ghosting in the display people were talking about.

I`m very satisfied with this display. It is by far the greatest display I have ever used.

 

Guard that screen with your life man. I'm on my 2nd screen and it's only barely better than the first. At some point I'm going to call and request a 3rd but I think if 3rd time's not the charm I'll either have to just suck it up and live with it or ask for an entirely new machine, what a complete hassle. Overall this is an extremely disappointing 'feature' of these panels, to say the least.

 

Yeah I was very lucky in the display lottery I guess. I have checked with an entire black picture and also other to spot any dead pixels or lights escaping the borders, but cant find anything. Havent left on the display for longer than 10 minutes without using it (since its default in the "balanced" power saving mode within windows) and I havent seen the burn in or lines people were talking about.

So there are hope for you too with your replacements. They do exist

 

I'd say suck it up if that was a cheap Walmart pc for 600. You spent too much money to suck it up, get a perfect one.


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i was treated with a bad case of backlight bleed as well on my aw18. after having the pannel replaced and the problem still occuring i was fed up and read up on this issue. after a little research what i did was, i unscrewed the pannel, unscrewed the two metal frame parts of the pannel (on the left and right) since those are so bendy, it's not even funny. after i removed them, i screwed the pannel back in place (you won't have a lot of screws to screw in after this, since most of them go into the two metal frame parts (i just call them "benders" haha) and ever since i've never had any bleeding problem again i know the two benders are supposed to support the pannel, but since they create more problems than they solve or help with, they won't see my system from the inside ever again

 

I have the same bleed issue, but I had the issue of the plastic bezel pushing on my screen causing bleed. I took the rubber feet from my unused surround sound mounts and put them around the bezel. I now have a 98% perfect screen. This was after 2 engineers tried fixing my display I am now on my 3rd Samsung display.

 

this was also a part of my problem, as well fixed with my solution

cool thing, thumbs up! and too bad we have to fix stuff on our own because dellienware is useless in some points.

 

This is a known issue with Alienware 18 compared to M18x r1 or r2. You will get a better quality screen PLS with some noticeable backlight bleed or blotches around the edges. Seems like the stress from the assembly is pushing on the lcd and causing the bleed.