Weird Problem with my new DELL U3014

Been looking around the forum and it looks like another user was having the same problem with the "lines" just as I, which were fixed by a new/replacement unit:

en.community.dell.com/.../19499832.aspx

1. Tiny black lines all over the screen. I was surprised to see them, but there are tiny, really thin black lines all over the screen, causing all images to look as if some kind of retro sci-fi filter is applied to them. My previous HP 24" monitor did not have these lines.  I tried various resolutions, but of course work primarily in the native 2560x1600 one.

Yep, "retro sci-fi filter" sounds about right and it is very annoying and distracting.
I expected more QA for a 1000+€ Display...

Anyway, I like the monitor (except the "lines"-issue and as i now noticed, a bad case of ghosting), but how big are my chances to get a working unit form DELL if i go with their RMA-service? I'm a new customer and I don't want to be stuck with another faulty unit...
(I have 11 days left to return the Display and get my money back)

I'm experiencing the exact same problem with a brand new U3014. It looks like scan lines in the lower right (edit: lower LEFT) quadrant, just like your heatmap pic. Already tried the diagnostic trick (unplug all video cables, press buttons 1+4, then button 4 to cycle through test colors). It's most apparent on grey. I'm hoping a replacement unit won't have the same problems.

Example pic is attached

Hi west_end_riot,

same thing, when running diagnostics i can see the affected areas on the grey test-screen, though only barely.
The problem is most apparent  when viewing images with smooth color gradients, like in your example image.
Also, did you perhaps mean the "lower left quadrant"?

Can you tell the revision with manufacturing date of your display and how large is the affected area on your screen?
On my (RevA01 Feb 2013) its like 75% with lower left quadrant having the worst case of scan-lines :(

Also did you already contact DELL RMA-Service about the replacement and the problem?

Found another user with the same problem.
He wrote that he spoke with DELL and sent them a photo and that according to DELL this problem was "normal"...
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1039796954&posted=1#post1039796954
(If they consider it normal, how come i don't have it on either my old 24' Eizo and Benq displays?)

Good catch, I've added a correction to the post.

Mine's a RevA01 Feb 2013 also. The affected area pretty much matches your graphic:

It's worst in the lower left, then gradually fades as you move to the upper right. I tried rotating my display 180degrees in OS display settings, then took the same close up pic of the same graphics just for a sanity check. Didn't see any problem with the top right corner.

I contacted Dell support via chat. They advised me to run the diagnostic test. I replied back with my findings and they are cross shipping me a new monitor. I'll post the manufacturing Rev# and whether the replacement unit is any better. 

I've got the same Problem, ordered 3 x 3014 and two had the weird lines in it. Already got these 2 replaced, and these got the same Problem, also REVA0 from FEB. Actually the replacement are only like 20 units away from the "defective" screens (serial number). 

Is there any way you get a screen without the lines? paid +3k on the screens.... :|

@lunetics

This is what i was afraid of...

Also i'm having real trouble contacting DELL tech support here in Germany.

Online form for contacting customer services doesn't work (it just displays blank page, I've tried on 2 PCs and different browsers). Online-chat option isn't available for my region either. Can't call no one since I get late home from work. (DELL's times for tech support are 8AM-6PM).

At this point I'm thinking about sending the display back to reseller and getting 27'' Eizo instead...

@a5h replacement ist going quick.

Mine came from the Netherlands (also the replacements, Rev a01 and Serial P1V6N31J8** / P1V6N31J9**

What is your serial? Maybe we got some of the same batch they got lying around there...

I'm gonna call them tomorrow again. You can also hit me up at <ADMIN NOTE: Email id removed per privacy policy>

Hi Chris,

It doesn't seem to be related to any specific cable or input.

The problem showed up with:

Cable: Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable included with U3014
Computer: Mid 2011 Macbook Pro 15"
OS: Mountain Lion 10.8.3

Cable: Dual Link DVI cable included with U3014
Computer: Custom PC, EVGA 460 2Win graphics card
OS: Windows 7 Professional SP1 x64

The problem was also visible with all signal cables disconnected, during the full-screen color diagnostic mode.

It's encouraging to see that Dell is looking into this. LMK if you need any additional info.

All,

I have asked the displays team to download these images and test them in the lab. List for us the monitor and video card ports you are using, cabling (you are using the Dell supplied cables), OS, etc.

Hi Chris, same here, tried different cables (DVI / displayport / Minidisplayport ) and different OS (ubuntu / windows).

It's clearly a Panel Problem, how is that handled now?

I have the exact same problem with my U3014 (also a Rev A01, Feb 2013). The affected area seems to about the same, maybe a little bigger, with the top right corner looking problem free. Problem appears on both of my computers and with all cables tested, more on that in my next post below.

Hi Chris,

Here are my specifications:

Monitor: Dell U3014, rev A01, Feb 2013, serial: CN-054X3G-74445-***-**** (do you need more characters?)

Computer 1: Custom PC, MSI 580GTX Lightning Extreme.
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (fully updated).
Cable 1: Dual Link DVI cable included with U3014 (tested on both DVI ports on the graphics card).
Cable 2: Other Dual Link DVI cable.
Cable 3: Mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable included with U3014 (in the mini-DP port on the monitor).

Computer 2: Mid 2009 Macbook Pro 15".
OS: OS X Lion 10.7.5.
Cable 1: Mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable included with U3014.
Cable 2: Other Mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable.

I also can see the problem in the self diagnostics mode (w/o any cables but power connected). Most visible on the grey screen.

I totally agree with west_end_riot that it doesn't seem to be related to any specific cable or input

Got my brand new Dell U3014 yesterday. Made in Feb 2013, REV A01. Noticed the same issue with horizontal lines that look very similar to scanlines on the old CRT TVs. Arrived at this discussion thread after googling the issue. Same as everyone else, the problem is much more pronounced in the lower left corner, but is still visible over most of the area of the monitor, especially when viewing images with subtle gradients of the same color (gray, sepia, etc.). Using the mini-DP cable supplied with the monitor.

Tried enabling DP v1.2, made no difference either way. Sharpness setting doesn't affect it, so it appears to be a hardware problem (LCD panel issue?).

I am kind of shocked that Dell would miss such a glaring issue on a supposedly professional-level monitor. Needless to say, no such issues with my old 27" ASUS LCD monitor, and I also have another 24" DELL IPS that shows no such problems.

I'm considering calling DELL for replacement, but don't want to get an exact same monitor with the same problems, obviously. Has anyone gotten a replacement that doesn't have this issue? Does it make sense to wait until DELL figures it out?