Just Ordered My Westinghouse L2410NM!!

i'm also getting blank outs more frequently. i was playing metal gear solid 4 today and i swear, i had 3 blank outs within 10 minutes. :(
 
It's happening more and more to me. Exact same experience as the others here -- it's as if I turned off my monitor, but I didn't. It's driving me nuts!

I'm running dual monitors my other monitor (a 17" CRT) never has any problems, so it'd definitely something with the monitor, registry, etc.

*goes to try the INF hack*
 
niconx said:
Looks like newegg could have got rid of this monitor? It says deactivated item, doesn't even show as out of stock anymore.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824255001&Tpk=L2410NM
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that's interesting, since it was out of stock for a while at newegg, but not deactivated.



more on my monitor: i've now had it black out once (they're still brief blackouts) while connected via dvi -> hdmi, on an ATI card, not nvidia. that means it's very unlikely to be my ps3, which i was still considering earlier to be a possibility behind my problems.


again, for those people also having similar problems: what are your ambient room temperatures like?

while the hdmi cable isn't burning hot, it's considerably hotter than whatever the other end may be plugged into, which is usually cool to the touch. i'm wondering what might be sufficient enough to cool the monitor enough without having a fan pointed right into the back. my fan is at a distance about 3 feet away from the monitor's front, circulating air around the monitor and surrounding area, but still isn't enough to stop blackouts, if overheating is indeed the problem.
 
I'm considering buying this monitor off of a member on the forums as I've heard that the image quality is great...however after doing some reading about it, I'm questioning the build quality.

Being a 2nd hand item...I would not be entitled to the warranty. He says he's had it for 6 months.

Should I buy this monitor...or is it too risky?
 
Juggafat said:
I'm considering buying this monitor off of a member on the forums as I've heard that the image quality is great...however after doing some reading about it, I'm questioning the build quality.

Being a 2nd hand item...I would not be entitled to the warranty. He says he's had it for 6 months.

Should I buy this monitor...or is it too risky?
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I can't speak for others, but besides the black screen issue (which hasn't happened in many days, maybe a week) I've had no problems.

I guess it comes down to how much you'd be buying it for.
 
Viper007Bond said:
I can't speak for others, but besides the black screen issue (which hasn't happened in many days, maybe a week) I've had no problems.

I guess it comes down to how much you'd be buying it for.
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So you're saying this monitor will more than likely have some sort of problem?
 
Juggafat said:
So you're saying this monitor will more than likely have some sort of problem?
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I'm saying nothing of the sort. I only own one monitor, so I can only speak for me.

The only problem I've personally had is the rare (it hasn't happened in weeks) momentary signal drop which may or may not be related to the HDMI cable getting too hot.

I'd suggest setting aside an hour or something and reading this whole thread like I did before I bought it. Most issues were minor and were things that were easily identifiable (like a screen door effect).
 
Just a thought, but most monitors' temperature will be reduced based on lowering of backlight (brightness), so those who feel it's running too hot might want to reduced the brightness to 20 or 30 and see if that helps. I know this can induce the "whine" but around 30 to 35 I found it to be quieter in general.

Good luck.
 
i just got 2 blackouts within 10 seconds of each other (ps3 --> hdmi)..... this monitor is starting to get on my nerves.
 
enter260 said:
i just got 2 blackouts within 10 seconds of each other (ps3 --> hdmi)..... this monitor is starting to get on my nerves.
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I've had none for weeks and then over the past day or two I've had multiple ones per minute. UGH.

10e said:
Just a thought, but most monitors' temperature will be reduced based on lowering of backlight (brightness), so those who feel it's running too hot might want to reduced the brightness to 20 or 30 and see if that helps. I know this can induce the "whine" but around 30 to 35 I found it to be quieter in general.

Good luck.
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Can you control the backlight in HDMI mode?
 
enter260 said:
i just got 2 blackouts within 10 seconds of each other (ps3 --> hdmi)..... this monitor is starting to get on my nerves.
Click to expand...

I just got the same issue this weekend. I was playing some Counter-Strike: Source and all of a sudden the monitor went blank. I could hear sound but there was no picture! It lasted for a few seconds and then turned back on. It also happened yesterday when I was browsing the internet. So I'm not sure if it's a video card driver issue or the monitor itself. :confused:

Seems to be my luck with monitors this past week as my 3-year old 21" CRT has been going out (blue screen flashes).
 
I was starting to have alot of blackouts and some tearing/static in the image. Tracked down a 8ft Belkin PureAV cable... the one with the metal connectors... and its been almost perfet since. Only a couple sub-1 second blackouts on a very hot humid day. Sure seems to confirm its the HDMI connector getting too hot and screwing up.

I really need to bite the bullet and take it apart and make improvements in cooling... like cutting out every other slat in the vent areas, and maybe drilling holes in the plastic towards the top back to let more hot air out faster and keep the temp down.

Otherwise its a great monitor and Im a very happy camper.
 
I own 2 of these monitors, and never had a blackout.

My only annoyance is that the screen goes blue when there's no video signal through HDMI, so I turn them off.

I wouldn't call them the highest build quality ones around, as they sometimes have a buzz to them, but they've suited their purpose for the price perfectly for me.
 
Just got this monitor a few weeks ago. It rocks. I feel no inputlag, and no dramatic color shifts that bother me (compared to an 24" hp w2408 I originally had).

It does buzz, but doesn't bother me much as i'm usually listening to music or playing a game. Can't really be heard over the ambient noises. The only thing I don't like is the blue screen when you leave your comp alone for a while..., but other than that, its cool.
 
FinalAura said:
The only thing I don't like is the blue screen when you leave your comp alone for a while..., but other than that, its cool.
Click to expand...

Solution: disable automatic screen sleep and just manually turn off the monitor when you walk away. Having your screensaver or whatever instead of the blue is a lot more interesting.


Anyway, the flickering has gotten worse. I'm off to buy a name brand quality HDMI cable.
 
does anyone have a definite answer for the blackout problem? mine started doing this also on the HDMI input. its unusable now on HDMI and i have switched over to vga. has anyone talked to westinghouse about it?
 
I started experiencing the blackout problem about 7months after I purchased it. Close to the same time that I got a new video card (HD4870) last July. I called Westinghouse about a month ago and they said that it is caused by converting the signal from DVI to HDMI. This didn't make sense since it is the same electrical connection (minus audio). Furthermore, I was going through a HDMI switch and it worked fine for the first 8 months. The lady said that this monitor does not support signal conversion and that I would need to use the VGA port. My video card does not have a native VGA port, besides this is a poor solution. I've concluded that Westinghouse is giving me an excuse and not a solution.

In the meantime, I've tried different video drivers, and set up different fan control profiles for the video card....but the problem persists. Because my monitor is underneath a hutch, it does get hot. So I'm going to try reproducing the issue with my xbox 360 using direct HDMI. If it happens with the xbox as well, I'll attach a small fan with a dust filter to the top of the monitor and see if it still occurs. If so, I'll call Westinghouse again and say that a HDMI to HDMI connection still causes blackouts and signal flutter.

It seems that somehow the temperature aggravates the signal. Shorter cables and/or higher quality cables may mitigate the effects but I don't think it is hitting the problem at the core.

I have noticed a few things:

1) Newer video drivers seem to cause less blackouts but could just be a coincidence.
2) Blackouts happen in all modes: D3D games, 2D desktop, OpenGL apps (CAD).
3) Blackouts seem to happen when the monitor gets hot.

I'll post again when I find out something new.
 
Still experienced problems with HDMI to HDMI connection on the xbox. Placed a 20" AC fan behind the LCD which kept it very cool but didn't help the problem at all. Called Westinghouse again and they are having me try two things: Unplug the monitor from the power strip and directly into the wall and perform a monitor reset from the OSD menu. They sound like last ditch attempts but after 1hr. of continuously running I have yet to experience a problem. May just be a lucky coincidence but if the problem comes back they said they would give me a RMA to get it fixed.
 
that would be a sweet easy fix though. 6 months with mine no issues using DVI to HDMI running in DVI mode.
 
Well, problem still persists. It's being RMA'd. Those with the same problem might want to call in and get a RMA before it's too late.
 
The problem is definitely heat and the HDMI connector on the monitor. That corner gets very hot, even hot enough that a fan blowing from behind wont address it.

Ultimately replacing the stock connector with a good quality connector on the control board would solve it. But that is skilled rework that only technicians/engineers could handle.

You could try to improve cooling by taking the back cover off and cutting out the vent slats to allow more air flow. Perhaps drill a bunch of holes in the back behind the connector area so the back of the control board can get some airflow too.

The PureAV Belkin cable solved it for me, occasionaly I have to unplug it, and replug and then its good for a few weeks/months, rinse repeat.

It's a shame, otherwise this is one of the best monitors out there for a great price.
 
You're right, it does get very hot. A QA passed monitor from the manufacturer should be able to withstand this kind or temperature or else not generate that much in the first place. And it did work great for the first 8 months. When I put the 20" fan behind the monitor, the entire bezel and HDMI connector cooled down to about room temperature yet the signal still dropped out. Perhaps local heat generation at the problem spot is faster than the surrounding components can dissipate/conduct. Problems seem to arise faster when the brightness is turned up all the way (as someone else pointed out) which gives precedence to this theory. Electrical components are designed to behave in a certain manner within a specified temperature range and cheap or bad components usually have a smaller or no range. Either the bad part is generating the excess heat itself or else responds badly to a normal amount of heat. Hopefully the factory knows what the problem component is from similar cases and can swap it for a better or redesigned part. Most likely they'll replace it with the same old junk. If I get it back and the problem persists, maybe I'll take off the bezel, find the problem area with some aerosol ice and stick a RAM heatsink to it if there is room. Then I'll cut the slots like you suggest and put a small, silent A/C fan to the top with a plug that branches off the power connector. Dunno if it's worth the effort or risk of electrocution though. Given my luck, even if I do survive a good jolt, the monitor will still drive me nuts.
 
I think the blackout problem mainly happens if you use the built in speakers. I stopped using them for sound though I liked them and the blackouts stopped. Went back and fourth just to test it and it only blacks on on mine when I use the speakers. It sucks but I'm not sure if I should RMA it being that I can live without it.
 
The speaker's vibration exacerbates the connection issue in the HDMI connector. So don't use the speakers, but many of us with this symptom didn't use the speakers to begin with.

But you can see the connection, your monitor is good until pushed over the edge by the extra stress on the connection.... wiggle wiggle wiggle.
 
My monitor's speakers are turned off, and I still get them. Now, I'm starting to see flashes of red strips every now and then. I'm not sure if my monitor is dying or not. How long does an RMA take?
 
hey if anyone takes apart the monitor for better cooling, let me know. i'm interested in doing this but don't know where to start.
 
I just received a replacement one today from Westinghouse (after 2 months of hell with their RMA and customer support team :mad:).

Anyways, the one I just received came with firmware 1.0, and has no manufacture date on the LCD or box. It did not come in the blue/white box however, it just came in a brown box from Westinghouse. The packing slip says "L2410NM-B". I'm assuming this might mean b-stock? Since it came with Firmware 1.0, would it be safe to assume this is an MVA panel? And I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but is there any way to update this to firmware 1.1?

Also when I use the component inputs, it looks kinda crappy with my Wii. Exact same problem as my last one. I have the Wii set to 480p mode and widescreen mode. There appears to be faint horizontal lines across the screen, however they go away when I turn the brightness up. Anyone experiencing that with the Wii?
 
Well, I received my RMA'd monitor. Actually, once my monitor arrived, they swaped it for a different one and mailed it. They had the monitor for about 1 week before shipping a different one...so overall I was without a monitor for about 3 weeks. The different monitor doesn't work as well. The DVI to HDMI cable doesn't work at all unless you set the resolution and refresh rate with another monitor, then swap the cables. It doesn't recognize the monitor at all. Used to say the model number now it just says "digital 0" or something. DVI was unusable because it could never keep the signal. Had to switch to Analog D-sub. Picture quality was terrible and had to "force" the graphics card into a correct resolution and frequency in order for it to work.

I called Westinghouse and they just gave me a run around about the video card and/or drivers not supporting the full resolution. I've used a Radeon HD4870, Quadro FX 1400, and a Geforce 6800, all on two different machines and I get the same results (all support the max resolution btw). Westinghouse wouldn't pursue the issue any further and wanted to end the conversation. I argued with them for 10-15 minutes and they wouldn't budge. If that's not bad enough. The machine they sent me looks like it was repaired by a 10 year old (bent and distorted plastic) broken plastic parts and is missing the metal cover inside the back panel. I can shine a flashlight into the back cover and see all the electronics. The blackouts don't happen but this monitor can't be used. I will say though that HDMI from the xbox 360 works fine now but that's all that works.

My advice to everyone is to not buy one of these or any of their other products. They don't live long, don't stand behind the customer, and do shoddy repairs and shift the blame elsewhere when all signals point at them. If you currently have a monitor get rid of it while you still can. The blackouts mine experienced got worse until the monitor would hardly function at all. The repaired unit looks like they slapped (literally) a TV into the monitor and shipped it back. It behaves as though there is a unit inside that has a native resolution much lower than 1920x1200. So unless you plan to use it as a TV don't send it back.

Many websites say that these resolution issues are related to poorly designed EDID circuitry and not that I'm an expert or anything but I'd have to agree with them from what I've seen. Just do a google search with EDID and L2410NM. Tried those solutions but never got it to work.

I purchased a Gateway XHD3000 and have been in heaven at 2560x1600 ever since....NO PROBLEMS EITHER..... Anyway, good luck to those that are having problems. Mine will be used as a backup xbox screen or maybe as a dart board.
 
I'm trying to decide if I want to RMA mine or not (bought it 3/08, so I still have a few month on my warranty). My only other monitor is a 17" CRT, so I'd probably have to buy like a 19" LCD or even another 24" LCD (they're down to like $280 now for an ASUS) while mine is gone.

I'm just afraid of wasting all that money on shipping only to get a worse result like the above poster. This signal dropping issue though is just too damn annoying and using VGA is so blurry compared to HDMI.

Thoughts?
 
I would listen to the others experiences here and not RMA it over the bad hdcp issue. You'll likely get someone else's garbage in return.

Mine had occasional hdmi blanking from day one. It gets worse when gaming maybe due to heat. I had a cobbled dvi-hdmi adapter thingy and it blanked often. I reverted to vga and lived with that for many months just fine. I would say mine wasn't blurry at all, so maybe try a different vga cable or video card just to see where the problem lies. I just need the hdmi to satisfy my OCD :)

Later on I picked up a $15 "Monster" brand dvi-hdmi cable and the blanking has really cut down to a rarity. It is also winter here so maybe the cooler temps help.

Has anyone found any secret service menu or perhaps photos of the internals? If the blanking gets really bad in the summer I may take it apart and cut the case, add fan, apply heatsinks, resolder the connector, whatever it takes.
 
Thanks niconx for the key for this monitor. I had that grainy picture issue whenever I had my HP laptop (which I sold later) and never had the issue thereafter. I just recently bought myself a Evga GTX 260 and got the grainy picture after installing any of the Nvidia drivers.

It was this that solved EVERYTHING.

Thanks so much and Merry Christmas to everyone!
 
My monitor works perfectly so far about a year now.

but I have something strange that I just noticed. I am using a DVI to HDMI using a HDMI cable and converting it at the videocard. If I plug that into the Left DVI port the monitor reads it has DVI but if I plug it into the right port the monitor reads it as HDMI.

The HDMI is granny so I think the fix linked above will fix that but is there any reason for the cable to report as DVI in one port and HDMI in another?
 
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