# macbook pro + 30" monitor woes



## pylon (Nov 30, 2010)

Hello all, just joined ehmac but a longtime mac-user and graphics professional. macdoc suggested I post my question here.

I've just run into some problems with my HP LP3065 monitor and my fairly recent unibody i7 17" macbook pro. The monitor is a few years old —*I've had it since 2008 and it's worked flawlessly in that time. Up until the summer it was working fine with my old-body macbook pro with the real dual-dvi input (rather than the mini display port).

Just this weekend, mysteriously after updating OSX in an incremental update the display started flashing on, then off, then on, and so on, every three seconds or so. No matter how long I left it to its own devices, it wouldn't stabilize.

I've swapped out mini displayport to dual dvi connectors. I've also tried the macbook pro with my partner's 30" Dell without any problems. 

Earlier this weekend the HP monitor worked fine when plugged into a mac mini, but today the monitor exhibits the same behaviour no matter what machine I plug into it here. That said, all the machines we have have recently been updated to the newer mini-display ports..... 

Has anybody heard of this behaviour before? At first I thought it it was the macs but now I'm wondering if the display doesn't just have a gamey power-source (of course it's built into the display and not a brick....). Tomorrow I'm going to see if I can locate and borrow a previous generation mac with a proper dual-dvi jack built right in.

Apologies for the edit....

Has anybody else had a problem with 30" monitors and the silly displayport adaptors?

Or perhaps it's just a monitor in need of some attention afterall?

Thanks for reading.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

There is an article here that pylon supplied in the email

Apple Dual DVI Mini DisplayPort Adapter MB571Z Problems Solved | Foliovision

we'd heard rumors but no direct experience....


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## pylon (Nov 30, 2010)

Thanks for that 'doc. Yep, that's the article that most closely resembles my dilemma. I've reset PRAM, trashed pref files, etc, but it seems it may be the monitor doesn't like the mini displayport adaptors anymore, or perhaps just has a dying power supply (argh).


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## Guest (Nov 30, 2010)

I have a samsung 30" that was displaying that exact same behaviour ... it's been 120+ days with Samsung for a warranty repair -- evidently they can't "get the parts" to repair it and will exchange it ... but they have no stock on them either ... sorry off on a tangent here 

Maybe just bad timing on the monitors part? Good luck with the other machine and let us know how it works out.


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## pylon (Nov 30, 2010)

Seriously mg? Man alive. 

Maybe we should start a support group.... 

Will keep y'all posted. I've just remembered that we've got a G4 in a closet somewhere around here. Maybe it'll even boot up!


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

That kind of shoddy service from Samsung is why we dropped them as a recommended supplier - decent monitors....horrid service.
Since they pulled out of Canada it's been the pits.

NEC has been pretty good.
Dell not very often but wasn't so hot for one client....mostly their monitors don't break which is good.


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## groovetube (Jan 2, 2003)

samsung has horrible service? Does this apply to consumer items like tvs? I had a tv repaired by them and they were fast. Is this a recent change?

In any case, hope you see a resolution quickly. I have the newer dell 3008 and it's been great so far, the 3 dells I bought 5 years ago are all still running great.

Though I'd swap this 30 for one of the 24-27 LED backlits if it were matte.


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

In regard to the OPs original question, you say you did an incremental update. In my experience incremental (a.k.a. 'delta') updates can lead to assorted glitches and annoyances. It has become SOP in this consultancy to ALWAYS do 'Combo' updates (as well as 'nuke and pave' installs of new system versions (eg. 10.5.* to 10.6). Our clients appreciate the reduced aggravation that results from this procedure.

Anyway, what I am getting to is the suggestion that before dicking around with this situation that you run the appropriate combo updater right over your current installation - particularly as you report no other changes prior to the appearance of the issue.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

GT - the Dell 2711U" is matte and perhaps the best "do everything well" monitor - very deep blacks and while the colour is not quite up to the high end NECs it is a cut above the 8 bit like the Samsung and tons of inputs plus reasonable pricing.

2560x1080

••••

Can't say on the consumer warranty for Sammie but it sucked on the Pro monitor.


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## pylon (Nov 30, 2010)

A friend has a Samsung 30" not sure of the model#, about the same age as my HP. IMHO, both our HP and Dell 30" surpass it in quality. It may just be calibration of course. We run calibrated, I don't believe that he does.

On the samsung I feel like I can see the backlighting more — it doesn't seem as evenly-lit.


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## pylon (Nov 30, 2010)

Just tested the HP with an old G4 and it's displaying (*ahem) the same behaviour without a mini display port adaptor. I believe my monitor is sick.


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## Guest (Nov 30, 2010)

pylon said:


> Just tested the HP with an old G4 and it's displaying (*ahem) the same behaviour without a mini display port adaptor. I believe my monitor is sick.


Sounds like a trip to the technician my be in order.

Yes it sucks with the Samsung .. it's the 305T (the only 30" computer monitor they made I believe aside from the v2 of the same one, not sure which one mine is, v1 or v2). I also have a Dell 3007 and a NEC 3090. The Dell and the Samsung are pretty much on-par when both calibrated ... they are a little bit different but the differences aren't that much if you've taken the time to set them up properly. They both perform admirably when properly calibrated.

The NEC 30", on the other hand, does circles around them (not a surprise)! It even does a hardware level calibration if you have the proper colorimeter to use with it (the i1 Display v1 or v2 works). I have that colorimeter and tried calibrations with both the hardware (built into the monitor) and the software (Eye Match). The results were pretty even to tell the truth, but it's MUCH simpler to do it at the monitor itself, then you just select the default provided monitor in the colour area of the displays system preference and it's the built-in calibrated profile. You don't get the notices to check your calibration on an interval like you do with the software, but that's fine by me.

Good luck with your 30", hope you have better luck getting it repaired than I have!


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## pylon (Nov 30, 2010)

WOW, after getting transferred from CSR to CSR yesterday, I finally ended up in the business division (which is the number that I called, I'm pretty sure) and then did a few 'tests' on the phone with the nice CSR there. He said "Yep, your monitor is borked, we'll send out a new one". That was yesterday, early afternoon. 

This morning at 8.30 the replacement arrived, the HP tech took out the old one and installed the new one, and now I'm up and running again.

OUTSTANDING customer server with HP. Really top-notch. I'm so impressed. We've got an HP DesignJet and had some printer head problems with that years ago and HP was onsite within a day to help that time as well. I'm happy to pay slightly more on a product in return for support and service afterwards. 

Thanks all for the help and commiseration! 

I'm going back to work now!


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2010)

Wow, very nice! The moral of the story ... HP warranty == good, Samsung warranty == bad!


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

We're looking at HP again but NEC has been dropping their price on the 12 bit 24" enough that it's very attractive and has a 4 year warranty as well..

Dell is out with a cost effective 24 as well we are evaluating next week - also iSPS screen. Their 24u was a disappointment given the price. 27u on the other hand a treat.

Don't see what Samsung has to offer these days. HP could do well but need to drop the 65 series in price...

New series of NECs getting some interest. Be nice to see their 12 bit 30" get sub $2k.


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## pylon (Nov 30, 2010)

I've always been happy with the quality of high-end HP peripherals. Our colour laser and our proofer are both HPs that take quite a bit of abuse.


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## Guest (Dec 4, 2010)

I can honestly say DON'T do Samsung. Still no word from them even though I was promised contact by tier 3 people no later than tuesday. I've been reading up on this stuff and some people in other forums have been promised full credit for the purchase price of the monitor and even after that it took them over 6 months to get it.

I'll never give Samsung my money again .. for anything.

I just wish I could bill them for all the time I'm going to have to continue wasting on this one to even get anything from it. It's almost not worth the effort it seems that it's going to take on this one ... but at this point it's the principal of the matter. A 4 year warranty on an expensive professional level product ... that they can't follow through on.


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