Everyone dies of fear when they hear “dead pixel“. It is a very common defect in monitors, TVs and cell phones with LCD screens, and associated with a problem that has no solution. Dead means unrecoverable.
However, there are many cases and in some of them it is possible to retrieve a pixel that is not working as it should but is not “completely dead” on the screen.
In this article, you’ll learn about what a dead pixel is, the difference between it, a hot pixel and a stuck pixel, whether it can be repaired and what to do when they appear on your monitor or Phone.
What is a dead pixel?
A dead pixel is nothing more than a defective pixel, unable to reproduce light and remains totally erased, detaching itself from the others. Most common on monitors and LCD screens, the dead pixel may appear as a black dot, if the panel is IPS, or white, if it uses the older TN technology.
Unlike a hard drive, where a faulty track can affect the entire storage unit, the pixels on a monitor or mobile screen are independent, and if one fails, it will not turn on.
However, it is necessary to differentiate a dead pixel of a hot pixel and a stuck pixel would still work and can be fixed.
What is the difference between dead, hot and stuck pixel?
A hot pixel occurs when there is a problem in the color layer of the display, and is most noticeable on IPS LCD monitors. It becomes permanently lit in the background color, in case it becomes a solid white dot.
A stuck pixel is permanently lit in one of three basic colors. That is, it appears as a solid red, green or blue dot.
The good news is that a stuck or hot pixel can be repaired at home depending on the extent of the defect, especially if the monitor or cell phone is out of warranty.
How to fix a stuck or hot pixel
You can fix a hot or stuck pixel by forcing the liquid crystal of an LCD to flow better, and you can do this in two ways: with pressure or heat.
1. With pressure
- Turn on your monitor or cell phone and locate the hot or stuck pixel;
- Use a plastic stylus pen, a highlighter pen or any other object with a narrow but non-pointed surface to lightly tap the pixel enough to cause a slight distortion in the surrounding colors;
- Slowly increase your frequency and strength, but do not push too hard. Be gentle and careful not to break the screen;
- If the method does not work, use a lightly moistened paper towel or cloth, bend one end and make a slight constant pressure on the pixel.
Take a test, displaying an image or background with distinct colors and make sure the stuck or hot pixel is back to normal.
2. With heat
- Turn on your monitor or cell phone and locate the hot or stuck pixel;
- Dampen a cleaning cloth with hot water, and twist it to remove the excess;
- Put the cloth inside an airtight plastic bag (wear gloves to keep from getting burned);
- Make circular movements on the attached/hot pixel with the plastic bag.
The heat from the cleaning cloth even inside the plastic bag should be sufficient to make the liquid crystal flow again, solving the problem.
3. With a “heating video”
This is a rather strange method, but it usually works in some cases.
It consists of having the screen play a specific video for a long time, in order to force it to the extreme. Thus, the liquid crystal would flow back across the display, correcting the stuck or hot pixels.
- Access YouTube through your device with problematic pixels.
If it’s a TV, you can use native apps (in the case of a Smart TV), set-top boxes, dongles (like Chromecast or Fire TV Stick ) or video game consoles; - Search for “stuck pixel fix“;
- Select one of the videos from the list and let the execution scroll;
(most of these videos are long, hours long); - At the end of the playback, make sure the frozen or hot pixel is back on.
However, be careful:
such videos use rapid color and shape changes, and people with epilepsy or small children should not watch them, at the risk of triggering attacks.
Preferably, take the test in an empty room, or at a time when no one is home. You can for example trigger the video before going to sleep, and check the results in the morning. Either way, the above methods work only with stuck or hot pixels, not with dead pixels.
Can a dead pixel be fixed?
Unfortunately not.
Once a pixel is identified as dead, unable to reproduce light, it can not be repaired. Because it is a problem in the manufacture of screens, in many countries many manufacturers use an ISO standard to stipulate a minimum number of dead pixels to apply the guarantee.
Thus, if a monitor, TV or cell phone does not reach a minimum number of dead pixels, the product exchange or replacement parts could not be made.
What to do when a dead pixel appears on the screen?
If the product is under warranty, contact the manufacturer’s service department.
If the product is out of warranty, however, there is little else to do. You can take it in the assistance to swap the entire display, an expensive procedure and that often does not make up for the amount paid when compared to buying a new device.
The big problem is that dead pixels tend to appear as the device ages, both by use and by pre-existing defect. Still, there is nothing to do if the defect appears after the end of the warranty, other than opening the wallet.