Faint Vertical Lines on LG UltraFine 5K Display (27MD5KL) - Normal?

Joined
Oct 20, 2019
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Hi all,

I got a new 27" LG UltraFine 5K Display (27MD5KL) and I've noticed these strange faint vertical lines mainly in the center of the display. It's almost as if I can see the lines of pixels. I didn't notice it at the store, but I also wasn't looking at it straight on. When viewed from an angle above they don't appear.

It seems to be worse with a 100% white background, but I notice it with some other colors as well. It's worst in the center 80% of the displays and seems to disappear when you get near the edge. It also appears less in maybe the center 10%.

I didn't think I'd be able to take a picture of it, but I could.
0qwjVce.jpg


Connected to a 2016 MBP, but seems to appear with other inputs as well.

Is this normal, or some kind of defective backlighting? I'm probably about 30" away from the display. I took the photo with the iPhone telephoto just to more easily illustrate the issue. If I go any wider the issue disappears from the photograph itself.

It's not terrible. I notice it the most I just launch an empty browser window. It's one of those situations where I can't quite tell if it's defective or if this is just the way this kind of display might be. It's pretty strange. It's almost like I can make it disappear by "unfocusing" my eyes slightly. Like… you know those magic eyes? Like that, but in reverse.
 
Looks like the FALD zones? We can't have micro-LED fast enough...
This display doesn’t have FALD though.

Interestingly enough, my Apple Thunderbolt Display (1440p) has similar lines when connected to my MacBook Pro with a Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adaptor. I assumed it must have been a result of the monitor’s age. Now I’m not too sure. Maybe this is some weird artifact caused by Thunderbolt itself?
 
That's banding. Nothing you can do about it. Manufacturer thought that you wouldn't be bothered by it.
 
That's banding. Nothing you can do about it. Manufacturer thought that you wouldn't be bothered by it.
Huh. I'm surprised to see banding on such a high end monitor. Disappointing to say the least.
 
This display doesn’t have FALD though.

Interestingly enough, my Apple Thunderbolt Display (1440p) has similar lines when connected to my MacBook Pro with a Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adaptor. I assumed it must have been a result of the monitor’s age. Now I’m not too sure. Maybe this is some weird artifact caused by Thunderbolt itself?

Seems to show up with both Thunderbolt and USB-C (DP Alt).
 
Is this banding caused by the diffuser or something else? Like, what am I actually seeing?
One of the layers causes banding. Probably the backlight. Very common issue on displays. Cheap approach to manufacturing process, I think, since Eizo monitors never ever exhibit this issue regrdless of the panel used.

From the other hand, it might be oudated version of Windows 10 1903 that causes this:
https://www.eizoglobal.com/support/compatibility/software/problem_windows10_may_2019_update/
 
This is an issue with IGZO-TFT, is it not? If you turn up the brightness, does it become less noticeable?
 
Since it went away with a monitor exchange it’s not an issue with the panel type. Much more likely to be backlight/diffuser assembly issue.
 
Since it went away with a monitor exchange it’s not an issue with the panel type. Much more likely to be backlight/diffuser assembly issue.
Very possibly. It may also appear on the new monitor over time.
 
I've got banding on mine too. I tried to capture it in photos, but it didn't show up too well. I'm here mostly for advice. The issue is so faint, that for the past 2 weeks of owning this, I didn't even realize that it had banding. This is despite knowing that it might have it and checking it out thoroughly. It just makes me question wether I should be going through the hassle of an exchange, especially when I know there's a good chance that the new unit also has it to an extent (maybe more).

EDIT: It's more visible on the second photo. It's very faint, but the good news is that the second photo's a pretty good depiction of what I actually see: something that only becomes visible on the center of the screen if I stare hard enough.

.
IMG_3282.jpg


IMG_3281.jpg
 
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