Zune HD Screen Flicker
Some have noticed that the Zune HD has a screen flickering issue while browsing content over WiFi. Â I originally thought my Zune might be defective, but from the number of users who have reported the issue, it might just be normal with the OLED screen. Â It really doesn’t seem to be a problem, and you quickly don’t notice that it’s there, so I would not say it’s a major issue.
Since others have said they have not seen it on theirs, I took some quick video of it appearing on mine, which is running firmware 4.1. Â I apologize for the auto focus of my camera during the video, as it kept wanting to focus on my fingers while I was scrolling.
If you own a Zune HD, Â is this happening for you? Â Is it “Normal”, or is it a defect? Â Post a comment below and let me know what you think.
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October 11th, 2009 at 12:13 am
Zune HD Screen Flickers?…
Here is a post I made with some Video of the Zune HD Flicker for those who have not seen it.
Video of Zune HD Flicker
It doesn’t seem to be a real issue though………
October 12th, 2009 at 6:54 am
mine flickers like this too. I only really notice it on white pages and it seems to happen when loading data.
October 12th, 2009 at 7:15 am
I would agree, it's definitely when transferring data while web browsing. I don't notice it while syncing over Wifi, or when browsing the Zune Marketplace. You can also see the flicker is pretty much in time sync with the web page loading bar.
I have to wonder what % of Zune HDs have this problem. I really wish MS would either say “It's normal” or that “It's a small population.”
Jef
October 12th, 2009 at 8:09 am
I would agree, it’s definitely when transferring data while web browsing. I don’t notice it while syncing over Wifi, or when browsing the Zune Marketplace. You can also see the flicker is pretty much in time sync with the web page loading bar.
I have to wonder what % of Zune HDs have this problem. I really wish MS would either say “It’s normal” or that “It’s a small population.”
Jef
October 12th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
mine flickers like this too. I only really notice it on white pages and it seems to happen when loading data.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I would agree, it's definitely when transferring data while web browsing. I don't notice it while syncing over Wifi, or when browsing the Zune Marketplace. You can also see the flicker is pretty much in time sync with the web page loading bar.
I have to wonder what % of Zune HDs have this problem. I really wish MS would either say “It's normal” or that “It's a small population.”
Jef
December 26th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
i think i happens more if you shake it or touch the screen
December 26th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
hey, when you turn it on and its loading, if you look at the black closly sometimes you can see thet the backlite ins even over the screen,its darker in some spots
March 11th, 2010 at 3:28 am
Yep, I see the flickering as well. It's most clearly visible when I'm launching and logging into Facebook and Twitter, but I also see it while browsing. I have not seen it while I'm watching a movie, looking at photos, browsing Marketplace or playing video games. It's a little irksome but not enough for me to give my Zune up.
March 23rd, 2010 at 9:04 pm
I asked Microsoft about this… and got the following response:
“Upon further review and verification, the flickering of the HD screen basically is more of a device and not a firmware issue. I found out that this will be based more on the color of the screen during browsing , OLED based interface and sometimes due to power surges during the use of online applications or browsing. It is a known issue and we are working on it. Unfortunately, we do not have any fixes for that yet.”
March 23rd, 2010 at 9:06 pm
Kevin,
Thanks for the update on this! This is the first good news I've seen on
it, but if it's a device thing, I doubt we will see a fix for it.
March 23rd, 2010 at 10:58 pm
Hi Jef,
I spoke to Microsoft following this email… and I insisted that I am dissatisfied with my 3rd replacement Zune HD since I bought it it late January.
My first one was replaced after fighting with tech support about honouring their warranty (the screen had dead pixel(s)), the second was a refurbished unit that I refused as it was damaged, the third has the flickering issue. I can't recall if the first device had a flickering issue, I would doubt it did given the visibility of the issue on the third one.
I suggested to my Microsoft contact (at Zune escalations) that given the number of issues reported, and the fact that they are sending refurbished units… the likelihood that the issue would likely recur with any ZuneHD I receive, I suggested that I would only accept a factory-new Zune HD (not refurbished) or my money back.
Anyone else have any luck with getting this issue resolved?
Hopefully Windows Phone 7 is free of these defects!!
July 10th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
I just purchased a zune hd and noticed this problem the first time I fired up the web browser (also the first time I had seen a nearly all white screen). It is very noticeable and very annoying. It appears to happen wether data is loading or not on my zune. However if I shut the wifi off and look at a white screen it no longer does it. It almost seems to be some sort of interference between the wifi and the screen. I'm so disappointed right now I'm probably going to return it and get a touch. Too bad, because the zune has a much better music interface…