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Your new monitor has finally arrived. You are excited and ready to experience all the extraordinary features promised by the manufacturer. You plug in the display and fire it up. The picture quality is fantastic, yet something is not correct. You notice irregular patches of light on the display or little streaks of light leaking around the edges. In terms of display defects, it’s known as backlight bleeding.
Backlight Bleeding is a nasty defect that unfortunately is present in most modern displays that use the active backlight mechanism to create images. As the backlight Bleeding is inherently due to the LCDs’ working mechanism, the options are limited when it comes to completely removing it.
Nonetheless, there are a few safe and working solutions that, in most cases, will minimize the issue. So if your display has started to show the signs of backlight Bleeding, this quick guide can be a real help.
Table of Contents
- What is Backlight Bleeding?
- What Causes Backlight Bleeding?
- What are the types of Backlight Bleeding?
- Do not Confuse Backlight Bleeding with IPS Glow
- How to Fix Backlight Bleeding
- Conclusion
What is Backlight Bleeding?
Backlight Bleeding, as apparent by the name, is the leaking of the light around the edges of the display. It is quite common in displays that use active backlight mechanisms. The defect manifests itself in two ways.
The first one is known as Flashlighting. The telltale sign of flashlighting is when light bleeds at the corner of the display. The other one is known as Clouding. It’s when there are patches of light still visible when the display is supposed to be completely dark, and we say it’s a clouding defect.
What Causes Backlight Bleeding?
To understand the reason behind backlight Bleeding, you must have a little overview of the working of LCDs. The LCD panels use an active backlight system to shine the display and create the images.
There are systems in place to block the unwanted light that is not necessary to create a particular image. The backlight Bleeding defect arises when this unwanted light is not fully blocked at certain areas of the display. This unwanted light compromises the display quality and downgrades the visuals.
What are the types of Backlight Bleeding?
The backlight bleed defect has two variants;
Flashlighting – Bleeding light streaks at the corners or the edges of the display is known as Flashlighting. It gives an impression of a flashlight shining, hence the name. It can occur on both large and small monitors.
Clouding – Still visible irregular patches of light across the screen when the display has gone dark is known as Clouding. Another fancy name for Clouding is the Batman logo pattern and is more apparent in curved VA displays. It can occur on large monitors.
Do not Confuse Backlight Bleeding with IPS Glow
One similar defect that is prevalent in IPS display and is often confused with Backlight Bleeding is the IPS Glow. It’s the glowing effect visible around the edges of the IPS display. Unlike backlight, Bleeding IPS Glow can be rectified with light fixing, adjusting the viewing angle or the distance from where you are looking at the display.
How to Fix Backlight Bleeding
You now know what Backlight Bleeding is and how this flaw arises. But the real question is, how to fix it? What measure you must take to curb this annoying defect and resolve the issue before it could further ruin your visual experience.
Here are some quick troubleshooting solutions to effectively get rid of the backlight Bleeding problem;
Utilize the warranty
Keep your inner engineer at bay and do not apply any do-it-yourself solutions before checking the warranty. Even the slightest tinkle of the display by you may void its warranty. It will give the manufacturer an excuse to back down from its obligation to fulfill the terms of the warranty.
Your loss, because with a display under warranty, you have a chance to get it replaced or at least get it checked by certified engineers. So if your display is new or still under warranty, you should try to claim the warranty. Rules differ from company to company when it comes to these types of issues, nevertheless going for a warranty claim is worth a shot.
Unhinge tightened screws
So the product warranty is of no use in your case. In that case, apply some do-it-yourself solutions to fix the issue. Our only advice before trying DIY methods is to be careful, and more so if you haven’t handled display hardware before.
The first troubleshooter you can try is to loosen screws around the display. Too much tightening of the screws sometimes leads to the display being twisted a little. It creates gaps that prevent complete blocking of light and hence result in backlight Bleeding. Loosening allows the panel to get back in its original shape and might fix the problem.
Adjust the Display
It’s possible that the display panel is not properly fitted in the display frame. It could be a reason the extra light is leaking out from the edges. Unhinge the screws, then give a little twist to the display and see if it’s appropriately positioned in the frame. Tighten the screw and turn on the display to see if the effect is gone or not.
Clean the edges with a microfibre cloth
Cleaning the area where the bleed occurs with a microfibre cloth can help reduce the backlight Bleeding. It’s because dust particles and grease prevent the display from being completely flat. Gently clean the area where the bleed occurs with microfibre. Make sure you do not apply too much pressure, or you could damage the display.
Apply Black Electrical Tape around the edges
It may seem a little extreme; that’s why we only recommend this method if backlight bleeding is seriously affecting your viewing experience. What you have to do is disassemble your display first. Then apply some black electrical tape around the edges. Reassemble the display properly and then plug it in to see if the tweak has made any difference.
Conclusion
Backlight Bleeding is a real annoying phenomenon that could greatly impact your viewing experience. Unfortunately, there is no one sure-fire way to eliminate the issue effectively. The solutions given here will help you minimize the effect so that it does not compromise the visuals and degrade the viewing experience.
