Guides & articles
Practical help for testing, troubleshooting, and buying displays.
The Complete New-Device Screen Test Checklist
A 10-minute routine to inspect any new laptop, monitor, phone, or TV before the return window closes.
How to Test a Monitor Before (and Right After) Buying
What to check in the store and at home so you don't keep a monitor with dead pixels, bleed, or the wrong refresh rate.
How to Test a New TV for Dead Pixels and Uniformity
Use your TV's browser or a phone to run solid-color and gray tests that reveal panel defects and dirty-screen effect.
How to Test a Laptop Screen for Dead Pixels
A step-by-step guide to checking a new or used laptop display for dead and stuck pixels before it's too late to return it.
Dead vs Stuck vs Hot Pixels: How to Tell Them Apart
Three different defects look similar but behave differently. Identify which one you have — and whether it's fixable.
How to Fix a Stuck Pixel (4 Methods That Actually Work)
Flashing, the pressure method, and tapping — practical ways to revive a stuck pixel, plus when to stop trying.
What Causes Dead Pixels (and How to Avoid Creating Them)
Manufacturing defects, pressure, heat, and age all kill pixels. Here's what's in your control.
Dead Pixel Warranty Policies, Explained
How many dead pixels does it take to get a replacement? A practical look at ISO 9241 and manufacturer thresholds.
How to Calibrate Your Monitor Without a Colorimeter
Get noticeably better color and contrast by eye using built-in tools and test patterns — no hardware required.
Color Gamut Explained: sRGB vs DCI-P3 vs Adobe RGB
What gamut percentages on a spec sheet actually mean, and which one matters for your work.
What Is Color Banding and How Do You Reduce It?
Those visible steps in a sky or gradient have several causes. Learn which are the panel and which are the content.
Gamma Explained: Why Your Shadows Look Wrong
Gamma controls how brightness is distributed between black and white. Here's how to check and set it.
Color Accuracy and Delta E (ΔE), Explained
What ΔE numbers mean, what's 'good enough,' and why accuracy matters more than vividness for creative work.
How to Set Up a Monitor for Photo Editing
Gamut, brightness, calibration, and room lighting choices that keep your edits looking right everywhere.
Blue Light, Night Mode, and Color Temperature
What color temperature does to your eyes and your color work, and how to balance comfort with accuracy.
Refresh Rate Explained: 60 vs 120 vs 144 vs 240Hz
What Hz actually means, where the jumps are most noticeable, and how to confirm you're getting what you paid for.
What Is Ghosting and How Do You Fix It?
Trails behind moving objects come from slow pixels — and the cure (overdrive) can overshoot. Here's the balance.
Response Time vs Input Lag: They're Not the Same
One is how fast pixels change; the other is how long until your click appears. Both affect feel — differently.
Screen Tearing, V-Sync, G-Sync, and FreeSync Explained
Why a frame splits across your screen, and which sync technology fixes it without adding lag.
How to Enable Your Monitor's Full Refresh Rate (Windows & Mac)
Bought a 144Hz monitor but it feels like 60? It probably is. Here's the two-minute fix.
Motion Blur Reduction: BFI, ULMB, and Backlight Strobing
How black frame insertion sharpens motion, what it costs you, and whether to turn it on.
IPS vs VA vs TN vs OLED: Which Panel Should You Get?
Color, contrast, speed, and viewing angles compared, with the right pick for gaming, work, and movies.
What Is Backlight Bleed and Is It Normal?
Light leaking around the edges of an LCD — when to shrug it off and when to return the panel.
What Is IPS Glow (and How to Reduce It)?
That silvery corner shine on IPS panels is a viewing-angle effect, not a defect — but you can minimize it.
Mini-LED vs OLED: Which Is Better for You?
Brightness and burn-in resistance versus perfect blacks and zero blooming. The real trade-offs.
OLED Burn-In: Causes, Prevention, and How to Check
OLED panels can retain images over time. Here's what causes it, how to avoid it, and how to spot it early.
What Is PWM Flicker and How Do You Test for It?
Many screens dim by flickering the backlight faster than you can see — but your eyes may still feel it.
PPI and Pixel Density: How Sharp Is Sharp Enough?
Resolution alone doesn't tell you sharpness. Pixel density and viewing distance do.
HDR Explained: What Makes a Display Actually HDR
Most 'HDR' monitors aren't. Here's what real HDR needs — brightness, contrast, and wide color.
The Screen-Door Effect: Why You See a Grid
A faint mesh over the image, most common in VR and big screens up close. Here's what causes it.
Why Does My Screen Have a Dark Spot or Patch?
Pressure marks, blobs, and shadows have different causes — and different chances of recovery.
Why Is Part of My Screen Discolored or Tinted?
Yellow, pink, or rainbow patches usually point to a cable, pressure, or panel issue. Narrow it down fast.
How to Clean Your Monitor or Laptop Screen Safely
The right cloth, the right liquid, and the mistakes that permanently damage coatings.
How to Test a Used Phone Screen Before Buying
Buying secondhand? Run these quick checks for dead pixels, burn-in, touch dead zones, and tint.
Setting Up an External Monitor Right (Mac & Windows)
Resolution, refresh rate, scaling, and color range settings people miss when plugging in a second screen.
Backlight Bleed vs IPS Glow: What's the Difference?
Both show up as light on a black screen, but they're different problems. Learn how to tell them apart and what's normal.