Dead Pixels on iPod

DEALING WITH STUCK PIXELS ON IPOD SCREEN

Each pixel on an LCD monitor is composed of three sub-pixels, one red, one green, and one blue, which produce the visible color of the pixel by their relative brightness. A stuck pixel results from a manufacturing defect, which leaves one or more of these sub-pixels permanently turned on or off.

In LCD manufacture, it is common for a display to be manufactured that has a number of sub-pixel defects. A dead pixel is a defective pixel that remains unlit. Dead pixels are usually best seen against a white background (black dots). These cannot be repaired.

A stuck pixel is a point on a screen that does not display the correct colour. Stuck pixels are fairly common on high resolution LCD screens. An iPod has a 320x240 display, with 78,600 pixels and 230,400 sub-pixels, and so a few stuck pixels out of so many is deemed acceptable ( ISO 13406-2 ) Most manufacturers will not accept returns for less than 5-10 stuck pixels, depending on how they are dispersed. 5 stuck pixels clustered next to each other could yield a warranty return whereas 5 stuck pixels spread throughout a screen will not. This is the policy that Apple applies to their iPods.
 
Two methods for "dislodging" stuck pixels are discussed:
 
METHOD-1 : RE-ENERGISE
 
Stuck pixels can often be re-energised by rapidly turning them on and off. A method that often works to reset a stuck pixels is to  get to the iPod Diagnostic Wizard by resetting your ipod then as soon as you see the apple logo press the centre button and the back button at the same time. Press menu, IO, Display, Color and keep pressing the centre button to go through the colours. Cycle through the colors rapidly and then leave each color on for up to 5 minutes to attempt to reset the stuck pixel. Even if the stuck pixel does not seem dislodged after this test, after using the iPod for a few days some pixels have been observed to dissapear after the test.
 
METHOD-2 : TAPPING
Turn on the iPod and LCD screen. Find a pen or PDA stylus with a rounded end. Use the rounded end of the pen to gently tap where the stuck pixel is - not too hard to start with, just enough to see a quick white glow under the point of contact. If you didn't see a white glow, then you didn't tap hard enough, so use just slightly more pressure this time. Start tapping very gently. Increase the pressure on the taps gradually for 5-10 taps until the pixel rights itself.

If the pressure and tapping don't work directly on the stuck pixel, start moving outward around the stuck pixel. If you see the pixel flicker while doing this then you know where you can focus the pressure and tapping techniques rather than directly on the pixel.

WARNING : Many people report success with this technique but these instructions won't work in every case. We cannot accept responsibly for this resulting in damage to the screen or introducing even more stuck pixels!