We will explain in detail the steps of How To Test and Fix Your Monitor For Backlight Bleed in this article. Play a full-screen, pitch-black video to check for backlight bleed on your monitor. Backlight bleed is the source of the light that is seen around the screen’s edges.
Play the full-screen movie embedded below or open a dark image to check for backlight bleed (also known as just “light bleed”). Backlight bleed is the source of the light you see on a screen’s periphery or in its corners.
It shouldn’t be confused with IPS glow, a feature of IPS panel displays that can be seen at specific viewing angles.
Nowadays, backlight leakage affects a lot of LED-backlit LCDs. Unless you’re gazing at a pitch-black screen in a pitch-dark environment, it’s usually not noticeable.
In other cases, it can be fairly serious, in which case you ought to return the display and get a refund or replacement.
What Is Backlight Bleed?
Light seeping from an LCD’s corners or edges is known as backlight bleed. This is because of how these displays operate, which involves using a light behind the panel facing the display.
Backlight bleeding is merely a small amount of backlight that escapes. Although it can sometimes be diminished, there is no way to get rid of this entirely. If your monitor has excessive backlight bleed, you might be able to RMA it.
Whether it’s a monitor or a TV, your LED LCD employs an LED backlight to produce the image on the liquid crystal display panel. Backlight bleeding occurs when some of that light is not completely shielded by the display’s bezels.
Since you won’t usually even notice it, some slight backlight leakage is to be expected given the nature of display technology and is quite acceptable.
According to the manufacturer’s RMA policy, if the backlight leakage is particularly painful to the eyes, you may be able to return your display and exchange it for a new one or receive a refund.
How To Test Your Monitor For Backlight Bleed
Play the video below in full-screen to check for backlight bleed on your monitor.
You should also reduce the lighting and set the brightness of your screen to a comfortable level. That’s between 30 and 50 percent under normal lighting conditions, depending on the maximum luminance of your display. Do not, however, leave it on 100%!
Therefore, if your display exhibits excessive light bleed, it can be considered defective and you could return it. You need not panic or take any action, however, if you do not detect any backlight bleeding while using the display normally but only during this test.
Make sure you are not confused backlight bleeding with IPS glow if you have an IPS panel display. In contrast to backlight bleed, the visibility of IPS glow is influenced by the viewing angle. Study up on IPS glow and how to lessen it.
How To Fix Backlight Bleeding
Backlight bleeding typically affects the screen’s edges, although it can also take the shape of clouding or flashlighting.
The former is frequently referred to as the “Batman” logo pattern and is prevalent for curved VA panel displays (image above). The glowing patches are typically only noticeable in completely dark scenes and are invisible when viewing standard content.
As the name implies, the flashlighting issue causes bright spots to appear in the corners of the screen, giving the appearance that a flashlight is being pointed at it.
In summary, you should attempt RMAing your display if you notice excessive backlight bleeding. You will need to purchase a new monitor or television, preferably one with an OLED panel that doesn’t have these problems if the display maker won’t accept the return.
It is not worth returning or changing the display if the backlight leaking doesn’t disturb you when you use it because a different device might have worse backlight bleeding or other flaws, including dead or stuck pixels.
You might attempt a few unique techniques to lessen the backlight bleeding:
- Remove the display from the wall and cover the LCD’s edges with electrical tape.
- If exposed, gently remove the screws holding the display’s back panel together to help prevent flashlighting.
- Reduce backlight clouding by gently rubbing the region with a microfiber cloth where the backlight bleeding is most noticeable.
- Reduce the screen’s brightness until no longer visible backlight bleeding
If your display supports it, turn on local dimming.
Make sure you are not confusing backlight bleeding with IPS glow if you have an IPS-panel display.
Contrary to backlight bleeding, the intensity of IPS glow can be diminished by altering the angle or distance from the panel, lowering the screen’s brightness, or incorporating ambient illumination.
