Dead pixels?

[Glockstar]

Uh oh.

I've just noticed that there is a tiny reddish dot in the center of my screen (smackdab in the center too) - that won't go away.

I guess it's been there the whole time, but because the three main games I play are dark (or darkish) and/or hectic I never really noticed it before.

I only really see it when I play Wipeout Pure. On this game - with it's white and bright screens - it really stands out. And bugs the #@$% out of me! :mad:

Is this a dead pixel? I'm so technically (or is it technologically?) stupid that I don't even think I know what a dead pixel is. I suppose it should be obvious, but I don't know... maybe this dot that won't go away (and that's ticking me off) is something else.(?) :confused: (Why won't it just go away?! Please, please go away! :sad:)

[theWacoKid]

Uh oh.

I've just noticed that there is a tiny reddish dot in the center of my screen (smackdab in the center too) - that won't go away.

I guess it's been there the whole time, but because the three main games I play are dark (or darkish) and/or hectic I never really noticed it before.

I only really see it when I play Wipeout Pure. On this game - with it's white and bright screens - it really stands out. And bugs the #@$% out of me! :mad:

Is this a dead pixel? I'm so technically (or is it technologically?) stupid that I don't even think I know what a dead pixel is. I suppose it should be obvious, but I don't know... maybe this dot that won't go away (and that's ticking me off) is something else.(?) :confused: (Why won't it just go away?! Please, please go away! :sad:)

I guess technically its a "stuck" pixel. Sometimes, they go away, get unstuck and sometimes they don't. Its bad when they're in the center. I returned my first psp to EB which had two dead pixels. Fortunately, I had an EB manager who also bought a psp and was anal retentive when it came to dead/stuck pixels, so I had no problem returning the unit. Don't know really what to say. Luck of the draw, I guess.

[Lara]

I've read on several web sites that Best Buy has a DVD for "flashing" LCD TV screens, and that this little program fixes the problem on PSP 60% of the time.

Has anyone else read about this?

This site...........
http://www.driverheaven.net/showpost.php?p=622415&postcount=69 (http://www.driverheaven.net/showpost.php?p=622415&postcount=69)
claims it doesn't cause any damage, but I would want to be real sure if it were me! Do some research if you think you would want to use the utility!

[theWacoKid]

Like I said, with stuck pixels, over time, sometimes they get "unstuck', sometimes they don't. I downloaded the movie, which is simply a series of screens flashing red, green, and blue in rapid succession. Nonetheless, good find and it certainly won't hurt to try. If its a dead pixel, you're out of luck.

[Glockstar]

Thanks for the info and the link, Lara. That link, in turn, had other good links. (How'd you like that "Posting And You" flash-skit? ;) )

To be honest, I was a little leary of the download. But Wacko said he did it, so that makes me feel a lot better.

Still, one of the things that bugs me about the download is that they don't really give you instructions on how you're supposed to run it. Like, I download it to my PC... but how does that do my PSP any good, you know? They're assuming that people are going to know how to transfer files from their PC to their PSP, and that their going to have the devices and the memory space to do so, and the wherewithal to run the program, I guess. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I'd like a little more info.

Kid, is there anything more you can share about this? Thanks.

[Lara]

Yeah Glockstar, that's why I warned about trying to find more information about it. I didn't want to lead anyone in the wrong direction. :eek:

I didn't catch the "Posting and You" flash skit. Was it on the url I gave or one of the links?

[theWacoKid]

Thanks for the info and the link, Lara. That link, in turn, had other good links. (How'd you like that "Posting And You" flash-skit? ;) )

To be honest, I was a little leary of the download. But Wacko said he did it, so that makes me feel a lot better.

Still, one of the things that bugs me about the download is that they don't really give you instructions on how you're supposed to run it. Like, I download it to my PC... but how does that do my PSP any good, you know? They're assuming that people are going to know how to transfer files from their PC to their PSP, and that their going to have the devices and the memory space to do so, and the wherewithal to run the program, I guess. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I'd like a little more info.

Kid, is there anything more you can share about this? Thanks.

I'll give you the following link for transfer of files.

http://psp.connect.com/index.html

They have a tutorial section. The psp has some fairly bizarre file naming conventions. You're going to need a mini usb cable to hook up your psp to your pc. The file is quite small, only 1.3mb.

[Glockstar]

Well, I finally ran that program (Tuesday night during the All-Star Game)... but saw no changes. I ran it for at least 2.5 hours... but I'm not running it for any more. Something about it makes me feel uneasy.

So it looks like I'll be following thru with Plan A afterall. And that's to send it in for repair (or replace?).

Which sucks. Because I'll be without for a couple of weeks - at least. And on top of that, I've got to pay for the shipping!*

* Wtf is that all about?! Instead of all this rigamarole with doing this and doing that... and making sure I include this and provide that... and write this down and print this out and fill out that... why doesn't Sony just mail out a pre-paid Return Service UPS Label accompanied with a Return Goods Authorization/Packing Slip with all of this info preprinted on it?! I had to spend a half-hour talking to and exchanging this information with the customer service guy anyway! (And that's after I spent about fifteen-minutes pressing buttons to the tune of their automated customer service bs)! #@$%! I didn't care for the guys attitude either. Pompous *bleep*. Sony customer service sucks.

-

Thanks for the link to PSP Connect, tWK. Although that site/tutorial really didn't really help all that much. It seems like it's skipping over a couple steps. I had to go to three other sites to find clues to the missing info. That's four total sites I had to visit, just to learn how to transfer and download stuff to my PSP. Damn them all.

Somebody needs to come out with a thorough, all-incorporating, step-by-step guide for complete idiots or something. (Heck, maybe I'll do it; I speak perfect idiot anyway.) The best article to detail this that I've seen so far (found after the fact)is located here...

http://www.gamerseurope.com/articles/662

The part of the FAQ that addresses this particular issue reads:

Before you do either of the below, you'll need to create the necessary folders on your Memory Stick. This is a simple process and can be done from within the console itself. With the Memory Stick plugged in to the unit, access the Setup menu on the PSP's main interface. Go to System Settings, and then select the Format Memory Stick option. This will automatically create all the needed files on your Memory Stick.

Music:
- Access your Memory Stick. You can do this either by inserting the stick into a card reader on your PC, or by plugging the console directly into your computer via a USB 2.0 cable.
- When promoted on your computer, open the Memory Stick to access the folders
- You will see a PSP folder. Open this to reveal the "MUSIC", "SAVEDATA", "PHOTO" and "GAMES" files.
- Open the "MUSIC" folder. Once this is done, all you need to do now is drag and drop any MP3 files on your PC into this "MUSIC" folder on your Memory Stick. As long as the files are PSP compatible, they will be displayed on your console the next time you load it up.
- Enjoy!

Photo:
- Simply follow every step above, replacing the word "Music" with "Photo".

Video:
- Adding video to your PSP is slightly more difficult as you'll need to create the relevant folders manually. Follow the first two steps of the "Music" tutorial before moving on.
- You will again see the PSP folder. Whatever you do, do not open this folder. Instead, you will need to create a folder called "MP_ROOT" directly on the Memory Stick so it appears next to the PSP folder, but not inside it.
- Once the "MP_ROOT" folder has been created, open it. Inside, you will need to create another folder. This time, the new folder should be called "100MNV01". Please note that neither of these folders include the quotation marks shown here.
- Again, open this folder. You'll be pleased to know you?re almost done at this point, and your Memory Stick is now ready to be loaded with compatible movie clips.
- Just like music, you will now have to find the files you want on your PC and drag them into the right folder on your Memory Stick. Chances are though; these clips won?t be saved as compatible MPG4 files, so you'll need to convert them.
- The best free program I have found to do this is 3GP Converter, so have a gander around the net for that.
- Once you have converted your movie clips into MPG4 files, simply drag them into the "100MNV01" folder on your Memory Stick.

Walla, you?re all done. Granted, adding videos sounds pretty drawn out and overcomplicated, but once you've done it the first time, it'll become as easy as a Sunday morning.


One of the major holdups I had in getting my PSP hooked up to my PC and ready for downloading/transferring was that it seemed my memory card was missing two folders. Thus, I never knew if I was in the right place or not. Every site I visited Tuesday said there should be a "Music" folder and "Photo" folder right along with the "Game" and "SaveData" folders, inside the PSP folder. I have the Game and SaveData folders, but not the Music or Photo folders. I guess it's because I didn't format my Memory Card.(?) Well, I didn't know I had to!

This has been a *bleep*y experience.

[theWacoKid]

Sony didn't make the psp filing system user friendly, that's for sure. Anything but, that's why I don't see the psp being all that successful. Too much for the average person to deal with. If you get into ripping material from your dvd collection, even more fun. More programs to learn and tweak. Once the stuff is in the psp, its cool, but getting it there is no picnic.

And yes, sony's customer service sucks, that's why I bought a prp from EB. If I don't use it for legit reasons, before it expires, I'm using it anyway to get myself a scratch free psp.