LG UltraFine 5K - Issues/bugs

[Squuiid]

I've had two brand new units, straight from Apple and they both flicker for about an hour or so when first powered on.
Eventually the flicker stops but it is incredibly annoying and just should not happen. They're both 2018 models.
I've swapped Thunderbolt cables and tried different 2016 MacBook Pros but the issue persists.
Could I really have received two bad units one after the other? Anyone else with this issue?

They're both used in the exact same spot as the previous unit which worked just fine but had a bug crawl inside under the screen and die, right in the middle. So I offloaded it! Seriously, this happened

 

[smirking]

the previous unit which worked just fine but had a bug crawl inside under the screen and die, right in the middle. So I offloaded it! Seriously, this happened

OMG, that's hilarious. I've never heard of anything like that before! So you sold it to someone who didn't mind having a dead bug in the middle of the screen?

 

[craig1410]

OMG, that's hilarious. I've never heard of anything like that before! So you sold it to someone who didn't mind having a dead bug in the middle of the screen?

Or perhaps someone who had the necessary skills to "de-bug" the problem...

 

[daveak]

OMG, that's hilarious. I've never heard of anything like that before! So you sold it to someone who didn't mind having a dead bug in the middle of the screen?

Not hilarious at all. I had a small bug crawling around earlier this summer. Luckily for me it either found the way out, or died under the bezels.

I've seen this on other monitors before as well, but not ones costing as much as this one which disappointed me that it wasn't sealed against this.

 

[chris4565]

Hi,

I have a strange issue with my LG UltraFine 5K monitor in relation with the 2017 13'' MBP running macOS 10.13.6. When I put my MacBook into sleep mode and wake it up e. g. 30 minutes later I have no issues at all. However, when it was in sleep mode for a few hours I always get a strange display bug when the login screen on my MacBook comes up and then also once it is unlocked (see attached screenshots). To fix it I have to unplug the display and plug it back in. Does anyone know how to fix this issue?

Thanks in advance and many greets
Chris

 

[craig1410]

Hi,

I have a strange issue with my LG UltraFine 5K monitor in relation with the 2017 13'' MBP running macOS 10.13.6. When I put my MacBook into sleep mode and wake it up e. g. 30 minutes later I have no issues at all. However, when it was in sleep mode for a few hours I always get a strange display bug when the login screen on my MacBook comes up and then also once it is unlocked (see attached screenshots). To fix it I have to unplug the display and plug it back in. Does anyone know how to fix this issue?

Thanks in advance and many greets
Chris

I've not seen that before but I don't tend to sleep my machine, I just do the display sleep using a 'hot corner' normally.

I wonder, do you use the LG Screen Manager and if so, have you tried disabling it to see if it makes a difference to your issue? I say this because the screen manager has (I think the latest version has stopped supporting this actually) a facility to split the display into multiple regions and wondered if this was somehow affecting your display on wake from sleep. Also, can I assume you've updated to the latest LG software and updated the display to the latest firmware? Another thing to look out for is the forthcoming macOS update to Mojave which I think goes public next week. I'm running a Beta of it just now and it seems pretty stable. I understand it changes a lot of the underlying graphics rendering stuff to make more use of Metal so that's the sort of thing that also might resolve a problem such as yours.

Hope you get it sorted soon.
Regards,
Craig.

 

[chris4565]

Hi Craig,

Thank you for your response. I have the LG Screen Manager installed but I already had the problem prior to the installation. I'm also running the latest monitor firmware.
I also didn't have this issue at all on my 2016 13'' MBP. I just have this problem on the 2017 13'' MBP

Yup, let's hope that macOS Mojave will fix this issue when it will be released today. Fingers crossed

Have a great day
Chris

 

[jack1984]

I actually had that same issue pop up once. It occurred when I woke the macbook from sleep while the lid was closed. I connected the thunderbolt 3 cable and woke it up using my bluetooth keyboard. The way yours is stitched looks very similar if not identical to mine. It only happened that one time though, but if it's of any reassurance to you I've been using Mojave the past three weeks and it has not happened since moving from High Sierra.

**I don't sleep my machine either when it's connected to an external display. I use hot corners as well. That might narrow down the cause.

 

[chris4565]

Quick update: The display bug described above is gone now (after updating to macOS Mojave) for me but it got replaced by a very similar other problem: Now instead of displaying the wallpaper in this glitched manner it is now the case that the background lighting comes on (without displaying anything)

 

[smirking]

Quick update: The display bug described above is gone now (after updating to macOS Mojave) for me but it got replaced by a very similar other problem: Now instead of displaying the wallpaper in this glitched manner it is now the case that the background lighting comes on (without displaying anything)

I've had this issue for quite some time. I'd say somewhere between 2 and 3 months. I suspect it has something to do with my Bluetooth devices. I've had this issue randomly over the past couple of years and infrequently, but it's been happening more often ever since I started using a Bluetooth DAC (Earstudio) that is connected to my MBP via USB-C and my iPhone via Bluetooth. It may be my iPhone is triggering the Earstudio DAC to turn on, which in turn wakes my MBP. I would be more confident in this assessment, except I can't explain why it would trigger my computer to wake up without pulling up the lock screen.

When this has happened in the past, I've suspected one of my connected devices being the culprit. If it keeps up and I can't figure out what's causing it, I've resorted to unplugging my MBP when I'm not using it.

 

[chris4565]

Huge thanks to all of you trying to get this issue solved.

I've had this issue randomly over the past couple of years and infrequently, but it's been happening more often ever since I started using a Bluetooth DAC (Earstudio) that is connected to my MBP via USB-C and my iPhone via Bluetooth.

I don't have any Bluetooth devices connected to my MacBook.

And unfortunately I have to report that Mojave made the connection problem even worse. One time today I couldn't get the monitor to connect at all. Only a restart of my Mac helped. It's really annoying to have an otherwise such awesome monitor that just doesn't want to connect reliably to the Mac (I don't know if this is a monitor or macOS issue).

Have a great day all of you
Chris

 

[smirking]

It's really annoying to have an otherwise such awesome monitor that just doesn't want to connect reliably to the Mac (I don't know if this is a monitor or macOS issue).

I don't have any answers for you, but just out of curiosity, do you unplug your MBP often? I find that I have a lot more problems with my monitor connectivity when I'm switching back and forth between using my MBP alone and when connected to the monitor. I might plug in and unplug several times a day. When I'm switching back and forth like that, I find I run into more issues with having no video, kernel panics, or just system freezes. I usually have to force reboot 1 to 3 times a week.

I have a lot of peripherals though and it's hard to determine just what effect they have. I'm a bit of an extreme case. I typically have 8 to 10 peripheral devices connected when I'm hooked into my LG 5K.

 

[chris4565]

I don't have any answers for you, but just out of curiosity, do you unplug your MBP often?

No, I don’t unplug it often (I basically only unplug and plug it back in when I have this connection problem )

 

[tonidavid5]

Hi,

I have looked for similar feedback regarding an issue I'm experiencing when having my late 2016 MBP 15'' connected to the LG Ultrafine 5K but have found nothing.

A couple of days ago, all of a sudden, I started seeing a pink 1 pixel vertical line on the left side of the screen, running from top to bottom. I've checked the MBP display and it does not exhibit the issue, making also sure I checked the MBP display with both the Intel integrated GPU and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 operating (i.e. running PS). As soon as I plug in the Ultrafine 5K, the line is shown on the external display only (I also opened the MBP out of clamshell mode while having the Ultrafine 5K connected).

After 48h of seeing the line whenever I used the display, this morning, the line disappeared for about 5 minutes ... but it's already back.

Am I right to discard a potential dedicated GPU issue on the AMD Radeon? I'll contact Support tomorrow as the display is still (just) within the 2-year EU warranty period.

Has anybody else seen something similar on other Ultrafine 5K's?

My experience with the monitor had been faultless so far, even although mine is one of the earlier versions without the reinforced screening (have no routers nearby nevertheless)

Thanks in advance for your help.

**EDIT: I just realized the purple vertical line is no shown on the screen capture. WTF!!!??? I have added a pic taken with the mobile showing the 1 pixel purple vertical line.

David

 

[craig1410]

Hi,

I have looked for similar feedback regarding an issue I'm experiencing when having my late 2016 MBP 15'' connected to the LG Ultrafine 5K but have found nothing.

A couple of days ago, all of a sudden, I started seeing a pink 1 pixel vertical line on the left side of the screen, running from top to bottom. I've checked the MBP display and it does not exhibit the issue, making also sure I checked the MBP display with both the Intel integrated GPU and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 operating (i.e. running PS). As soon as I plug in the Ultrafine 5K, the line is shown on the external display only (I also opened the MBP out of clamshell mode while having the Ultrafine 5K connected).

After 48h of seeing the line whenever I used the display, this morning, the line disappeared for about 5 minutes ... but it's already back.

Am I right to discard a potential dedicated GPU issue on the AMD Radeon? I'll contact Support tomorrow as the display is still (just) within the 2-year EU warranty period.

Has anybody else seen something similar on other Ultrafine 5K's?

My experience with the monitor had been faultless so far, even although mine is one of the earlier versions without the reinforced screening (have no routers nearby nevertheless)

Thanks in advance for your help.

**EDIT: I just realized the purple vertical line is no shown on the screen capture. WTF!!!??? I have added a pic taken with the mobile showing the 1 pixel purple vertical line.

David

Unfortunately the most likely cause of this issue is a fault on the display itself where one of the column driver ICs has probably become detached from the glass. These drivers are attached using heat and pressure and the connection can be intermittent due to mechanical and thermal stresses on the display as it heats and cools. Sometimes gently pressing the glass near the edge of the glass can also induce an intermittent contact which would help to confirm the diagnosis but don’t press too hard.

Ideally, see if you can test the display with another computer and check your warranty expiry date with LG because I think it’s a 2 year warranty and it’s likely to be nearing the end. I’m about to claim under warranty for unacceptable image persistence on one of my 5K displays and my warranty expires in March I believe.

Good luck!
Craig.

 

[uenode]

Hi all,


I've the LG UltraFine 5K monitor and it's connected with the latest 2018 Mac Mini i5 Model.


Problem
When the Mac Mini & LG 5k were being powered off for more than 6 hours, from the time I power on the Mac Mini + LG 5k monitor , the monitor will be automatically DIM to the lowest brightness level until I can't see anything on the screen to enter my password to login. Not sure if you guys are encountering the same issues.

Interim Solution
Remove the original LG Thunderbolt cable(black color) from Mac Mini and plug it into my 2018 gen 13" Macbook Pro and it show the lowest brightness on LG 5k display but at least I'm able to see something and adjust the brightness to the suitable level from the Macbook Pro. After that, plug in the Thunderbolt 3 cable back to the mac mini again and the LG 5k display will show the correct brightness.

This is kind of annoying as I have to repeat above step each time I reboot the Mac Mini after 6 hours. It's working perfectly fine if you reboot it within 2-4 hours.

Tried
i) Call Apple Tech Support couple of times even escalated to their Senior Specialist try a few settings under System Preferences -> "Display" doesn't help
ii) Resetting NVRAM and SMC doesn't work

Any Clue?

Thanks!

 

[jack1984]

Hi all,


I've the LG UltraFine 5K monitor and it's connected with the latest 2018 Mac Mini i5 Model.


Problem
When the Mac Mini & LG 5k were being powered off for more than 6 hours, from the time I power on the Mac Mini + LG 5k monitor , the monitor will be automatically DIM to the lowest brightness level until I can't see anything on the screen to enter my password to login. Not sure if you guys are encountering the same issues.

Interim Solution
Remove the original LG Thunderbolt cable(black color) from Mac Mini and plug it into my 2018 gen 13" Macbook Pro and it show the lowest brightness on LG 5k display but at least I'm able to see something and adjust the brightness to the suitable level from the Macbook Pro. After that, plug in the Thunderbolt 3 cable back to the mac mini again and the LG 5k display will show the correct brightness.

This is kind of annoying as I have to repeat above step each time I reboot the Mac Mini after 6 hours. It's working perfectly fine if you reboot it within 2-4 hours.

Tried
i) Call Apple Tech Support couple of times even escalated to their Senior Specialist try a few settings under System Preferences -> "Display" doesn't help
ii) Resetting NVRAM and SMC doesn't work

Any Clue?

Thanks!

Are you running the latest firmware for the monitor? You can find out by getting the LG Screen Manager app from the App store.

 

[uenode]

Are you running the latest firmware for the monitor? You can find out by getting the LG Screen Manager app from the App store.

Below is the version, i guess is the latest one since it says up to date.

 

[whoisyourdaddy]

Hi all,


I've the LG UltraFine 5K monitor and it's connected with the latest 2018 Mac Mini i5 Model.


Problem
When the Mac Mini & LG 5k were being powered off for more than 6 hours, from the time I power on the Mac Mini + LG 5k monitor , the monitor will be automatically DIM to the lowest brightness level until I can't see anything on the screen to enter my password to login. Not sure if you guys are encountering the same issues.

Interim Solution
Remove the original LG Thunderbolt cable(black color) from Mac Mini and plug it into my 2018 gen 13" Macbook Pro and it show the lowest brightness on LG 5k display but at least I'm able to see something and adjust the brightness to the suitable level from the Macbook Pro. After that, plug in the Thunderbolt 3 cable back to the mac mini again and the LG 5k display will show the correct brightness.

This is kind of annoying as I have to repeat above step each time I reboot the Mac Mini after 6 hours. It's working perfectly fine if you reboot it within 2-4 hours.

Tried
i) Call Apple Tech Support couple of times even escalated to their Senior Specialist try a few settings under System Preferences -> "Display" doesn't help
ii) Resetting NVRAM and SMC doesn't work

Any Clue?

Thanks!

macOS 10.14.2? I believe there were some issues which were resolved with '18 MBP TB which may be related to similar hardware which is in the '18 Mini. However, even if this doesn't apply, then update to the latest version. If you're on the latest version, then you could try checking your power settings with 'pmset' and reset to defaults. Also, use the LG Manager software to reset your monitor. Try disabling the ambient light sensor for the monitor to determine if this is the culprit for the erratic dimming.

 

[uenode]

macOS 10.14.2? I believe there were some issues which were resolved with '18 MBP TB which may be related to similar hardware which is in the '18 Mini. However, even if this doesn't apply, then update to the latest version. If you're on the latest version, then you could try checking your power settings with 'pmset' and reset to defaults. Also, use the LG Manager software to reset your monitor. Try disabling the ambient light sensor for the monitor to determine if this is the culprit for the erratic dimming.

Yep, running 10.14.2 at the moment.

Reset the monitor using LG Manager software also, but where can I disable the LG ambient light sensor?

 

[whoisyourdaddy]

Are you running the latest firmware for the monitor? You can find out by getting the LG Screen Manager app from the App store.

Hi all,


I've the LG UltraFine 5K monitor and it's connected with the latest 2018 Mac Mini i5 Model.


Problem
When the Mac Mini & LG 5k were being powered off for more than 6 hours, from the time I power on the Mac Mini + LG 5k monitor , the monitor will be automatically DIM to the lowest brightness level until I can't see anything on the screen to enter my password to login. Not sure if you guys are encountering the same issues.

Interim Solution
Remove the original LG Thunderbolt cable(black color) from Mac Mini and plug it into my 2018 gen 13" Macbook Pro and it show the lowest brightness on LG 5k display but at least I'm able to see something and adjust the brightness to the suitable level from the Macbook Pro. After that, plug in the Thunderbolt 3 cable back to the mac mini again and the LG 5k display will show the correct brightness.

This is kind of annoying as I have to repeat above step each time I reboot the Mac Mini after 6 hours. It's working perfectly fine if you reboot it within 2-4 hours.

Tried
i) Call Apple Tech Support couple of times even escalated to their Senior Specialist try a few settings under System Preferences -> "Display" doesn't help
ii) Resetting NVRAM and SMC doesn't work

Any Clue?

Thanks!

Yep, running 10.14.2 at the moment.

Reset the monitor using LG Manager software also, but where can I disable the LG ambient light sensor?

I'll look further but I thought for the '18 MBP that it was the setting for "Automatically Adjust Brightness" in display settings.

Just thought about it and you may be able to turn this off with your MBP and then connect your Mini. As far as I know, the ambient light sensor wasn't software enabled for '17 MBP previously. I thought you had to have a computer with True Tone which are the '18 computers.
[doublepost=1544665562][/doublepost]

I'll look further but I thought for the '18 MBP that it was the setting for "Automatically Adjust Brightness" in display settings.

Just thought about it and you may be able to turn this off with your MBP and then connect your Mini. As far as I know, the ambient light sensor wasn't software enabled for '17 MBP previously. I thought you had to have a computer with True Tone which are the '18 computers.

Just checked and you should have two settings for True Tone and Automatically Adjust Brightness. I'm missing the True Tone on my '17. So, connect your '18 MBP and disable both, then reconnect your Mini. You could also run through the display calibration for the LG profile.

 

[uenode]

I'll look further but I thought for the '18 MBP that it was the setting for "Automatically Adjust Brightness" in display settings.

Just thought about it and you may be able to turn this off with your MBP and then connect your Mini. As far as I know, the ambient light sensor wasn't software enabled for '17 MBP previously. I thought you had to have a computer with True Tone which are the '18 computers.
[doublepost=1544665562][/doublepost]

Just checked and you should have two settings for True Tone and Automatically Adjust Brightness. I'm missing the True Tone on my '17. So, connect your '18 MBP and disable both, then reconnect your Mini. You could also run through the display calibration for the LG profile.

For LG Ultrafine 5k monitor it doesn't have the OPTION of Automatically Adjust Brightness

 

[whoisyourdaddy]

For LG Ultrafine 5k monitor it doesn't have the OPTION of Automatically Adjust Brightness

Interesting. I'll have to look at mine whenever I'm docked again. I recall that option being available on the Apple TB Display. Can't for the life of me understand why it wouldn't be on this newer display. Is the ambient light sensor not supported for this display? True Tone is on '18 models. Was this available? If so, then turn this off. Also, run the calibration for your display profile. Did you reset your power reduction settings? Check that Night Shift is off. I've only been using mine for 2-3 days and have had no issues with a '17 MBP TB 3.1GHz 560 whether with mirroring, secondary, or clam shell.

BTW. Was the Automatically Adjust Brightness not available on both the MBP and Mini?

If you have Boot Camp, then use the Windows OS on the Mini to determine if it has the same effect. Or, create a Linux boot drive. Found this project which could have some use.

https://github.com/csujedihy/LG-Ultrafine-Brightness

https://github.com/kfix/ddcctl

 

[mortenjensen]

Hi,
I have just received a MBP2018 (13'' integrated graphics) and a 5K ultrafine. I am experiencing the same problem as many others: LG will not wake up from sleep mode. The MBP screen turns on, but the LG is blank (it is powered on but no image). I am on Mojave.

Is there really no solution to this frustrating bug? It would be a crazy thing to be forced to unplug/plug every time I come back from coffee to my office!

No solution found yet?

Morten

 

[uenode]

Interesting. I'll have to look at mine whenever I'm docked again. I recall that option being available on the Apple TB Display. Can't for the life of me understand why it wouldn't be on this newer display. Is the ambient light sensor not supported for this display? True Tone is on '18 models. Was this available? If so, then turn this off. Also, run the calibration for your display profile. Did you reset your power reduction settings? Check that Night Shift is off. I've only been using mine for 2-3 days and have had no issues with a '17 MBP TB 3.1GHz 560 whether with mirroring, secondary, or clam shell.

BTW. Was the Automatically Adjust Brightness not available on both the MBP and Mini?

If you have Boot Camp, then use the Windows OS on the Mini to determine if it has the same effect. Or, create a Linux boot drive. Found this project which could have some use.

https://github.com/csujedihy/LG-Ultrafine-Brightness

https://github.com/kfix/ddcctl

Yep as you can see below screenshot captured when connected to Mac mini, same for macbook pro

[doublepost=1544707954][/doublepost]

Hi,
I have just received a MBP2018 (13'' integrated graphics) and a 5K ultrafine. I am experiencing the same problem as many others: LG will not wake up from sleep mode. The MBP screen turns on, but the LG is blank (it is powered on but no image). I am on Mojave.

Is there really no solution to this frustrating bug? It would be a crazy thing to be forced to unplug/plug every time I come back from coffee to my office!

No solution found yet?

Morten

To be honest, I'm very curious how did they pass the QA test. My guess is they probably never do the integration test between the laptop and monitor otherwise such issue shouldn't happen. When I did a google for LG ultrafine seeing a bunch of issues happened in the past 1-2 years and still not much solution yet. I think the most effective solution is to seek for alternate 5k monitor that can do a better job.