The Dreaded Dead Pixel

[Tom Chaney]

Hi Gang,

I was out shooting some of the very cool clouds yesterday, and when I brought the camera in and reviewed the footage on my 42" Plasma, I saw the dreaded dead pixel.

It was not there just days ago.

Can someone help me out? I would like to shoot some more this weekend.

Thanks,

Tom Chaney

email me at tom@tomchaney.com

[Scott Jaco]

Make sure it's the camera and not the TV that has the dead pixel.

[John Mitchell]

Take it in for service - there is a pixel masking facility in the camera's firmware. Apparently it doesn't take too long, they can generally do it while u wait.

[Craig Roblewsky]

There is a fix you can perform on your own. You can contact JVC and they can send you the instructions. I just went through this last week and the built in correction worked great.

- Craig

[Ken Freed JVC]

Tom, try this:

CCD cameras can develop CCD blemishes where a pixel or two can appear white in the image. These may be caused by atmospheric radiation and also by manufacturing impurities that begin to show after years of use.

This is so common on CCD cameras by all manufacturers that we all build into our pro cameras the ability to detect and correct these blemishes.

On the GY-HV100U camera this process is provided in an advanced Menu accessed while in 24p mode by holding the Focus Assist button (the one on the camera body) when you press and hold the Menu/Status button for at least 5 seconds. You must be in 24p mode for this operation.

You see an advanced menu where the second line says CAMERA1. Move the cursor down and push the shutter wheel to enter that menu and now you have a list with the sixth item being PIXEL COMPEN. Move down to it and select that item, the word CANCEL blinks. Change it to EXECUTE and push again. It takes about 10 seconds or so to perform the operation and then tells you to power off the camera. You are done. Make sure Focus Assist is now OFF and exit 24p mode if desired.

However there are a few things for you to note about this process:
1. The process only conceals blemishes that show at 0db of gain. Blemishes that only show at 3dB, 6dB, 9dB or 18dB will not be corrected. Also there is a threshold that the blemish must be above to be detected. Over time those blemishes may become greater and then show at 0db and then will conceal.
2. Because of a good reason that would take too long to explain, the process can “miss” a blemish. It is absolutely likely that you might have to run the procedure a few times to find the blemish and conceal it.
3. Warming the camera makes the blemishes brighter and easier to correct. Some people wrap the camera in a blanket or coat to help warm it up. We DO NOT recommend warming your GY-HD100U in a microwave oven.

[Chad Terpstra]

I had a dead pixel right out the box. Very bright and easy-to-spot. Thankfully I fixed in using the service menu before I shot anything important.

However, I still have about 5-6 dead pixels at 12db and even 6db gain, though they are much less pronouced. Are these fixable at all? At what point does it qualify for service? I also have some SSE, but nothing that's been detrimental or noticeable too badly. I see it when I look for it at even 0db.

[Antony Michael Wilson]

We had two dead pixels after 20 hours' use. I know others who also had dead pixels within the first 50 hours...

[Tom Chaney]

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the overwhelming response to my problem.

I love this place!

I hope that I can return the favors.

Tom Chaney

[Tim Dashwood]

Originally Posted by Ken Freed JVC

Tom, try this:

CCD cameras can develop CCD blemishes where a pixel or two can appear white in the image. These may be caused by atmospheric radiation and also by manufacturing impurities that begin to show after years of use.

This is so common on CCD cameras by all manufacturers that we all build into our pro cameras the ability to detect and correct these blemishes.

On the GY-HV100U camera this process is provided in a Service Menu accessed while in 24p mode by holding the Focus Assist button (the one on the camera body) when you press and hold the Menu/Status button for at least 5 seconds. You must be in 24p mode for this operation.

You see an advanced menu where the second line says CAMERA1. Move the cursor down and push the shutter wheel to enter that menu and now you have a list with the sixth item being PIXEL COMPEN. Move down to it and select that item, the word CANCEL blinks. Change it to EXECUTE and push again. It takes about 10 seconds or so to perform the operation and then tells you to power off the camera. You are done. Make sure Focus Assist is now OFF and exit 24p mode if desired.

However there are a few things for you to note about this process:
1. The process only conceals blemishes that show at 0db of gain. Blemishes that only show at 3dB, 6dB, 9dB or 18dB will not be corrected. Also there is a threshold that the blemish must be above to be detected. Over time those blemishes may become greater and then show at 0db and then will conceal.
2. Because of a good reason that would take too long to explain, the process can “miss” a blemish. It is absolutely likely that you might have to run the procedure a few times to find the blemish and conceal it.
3. Warming the camera makes the blemishes brighter and easier to correct. Some people wrap the camera in a blanket or coat to help warm it up. We do not recommend warming your GY-HD100U in a microwave oven.

Thank you Ken. We have been keeping a lid on this procedure at hdvinfo.net for the past 9 months. Mostly because the JVC engineer who fixed my pixels asked me not to share the information on the net. I'm glad someone from JVC has finally shared the procedure - and we will let it stick from now on.

However, we should warn with a disclaimer that this procedure performed by the end user is at his/her own risk, and any damages caused (filling the pixel map memory) will most likely not be covered under warranty.

With that said, I'd like to make this procedure part of a sticky.


BTW, Atmospheric radiation can cause it, but I think the x-rays at airports are also to blame. I seem to get a new one everytime one of my cameras travels.

[Scott Jaco]

I just ran this process. It worked quite well. I had to run it twice to fix the pixel. The first time only partially fixed the problem, the second time seemed to do the trick.

I gave my camera a good workout afterwards, cranked the gain to +18db and pointed it in dark places, put the lens cap on to see if I could get the pixel to show but so far no problems!

I would recommend plugging the camera into an TV when performing this process so you can do a decent comparison.

[David Scattergood]

^^ Indeed - my dead pixels were not initially evident through the viewfinder - composite out to the TV showed them up quick enough mind.
Worked first time for me...saved me a lot of hassle sending the camera back.
Thanks folks.

[Keith Nealy]

Carl, doesn't this seem like this should be a quality control issue at JVC?

Why don't they check for this before they send them out the door and then fix it before the consumer opens the box.

This just puts a lot of bad press out there that this camera has troubles from day one.

I for one hope they get this all resolved with the 250 as I plan to get one as soon as it ships.

Aloha,

Keith

PS - any news on that? it's been too quiet.

[John Vincent]

Well, not really. As Tim and others have said, it can be caused by x-rays, et al. This can (and will) happen post factory shipping.

john
evilgeniusentertainment.com

[Carl Hicks]

Originally Posted by Keith Nealy

Carl, doesn't this seem like this should be a quality control issue at JVC?

Why don't they check for this before they send them out the door and then fix it before the consumer opens the box.

This just puts a lot of bad press out there that this camera has troubles from day one.

I for one hope they get this all resolved with the 250 as I plan to get one as soon as it ships.

Aloha,

Keith

PS - any news on that? it's been too quiet.

Keith,

Stuck pixels are a fact of life in the technology of CCD cameras, and that's been the case since the late 80's, when CCD cameras first hit the market, regardless of brand or model. In a former position, I sold cameras made by JVC, Panasonic, Sony, and Ikegami, and I encountered pixel issues with all of them from time to time.

All manufactures check for stuck pixels as part of the QC process. Many times, pixel problems don't show up until weeks, months, or years after the camera is built. As Tim and others have correctly noted, the issue is often brought on by extended exposure to atmospheric radiation - gamma rays I think. For example, when you fly with a CCD camera at high altitudes for long periods of time - like an overseas flight for example - you expose the camera to a substantial increase of exposure to atmospheric radiation.

JVC Pro cameras have a service feature that allows the owner to mask stuck pixels. Keep in mind as Tim said, you don't want to over use this feature, as there is a limit to what it can do. Also remember that a stuck pixel might not show up in the viewfinder, but will usually show up on a HD monitor. So, use a good, real HD display to check out the camera.

Regarding the GY-HD250U: It has been discussed many times on this forum. Just do a search. It is targeted for Oct. - Nov. delivery.

Regards, Carl

[Lee Alford]

it just seems to be of an issue with the hd1 and not the other cameras. they never talk about having problems with it while the hd1 owners seems to discuss a bad pixel on a weekly basis.