MacBook Pro M1 external screen flickering

[mm1988]

Hello, guys! 👋​

I visited the eye doctor three weeks ago because I work 8-10 hours in front of displays. During the visit, I mentioned that I've been experiencing eye strain due to my eyes getting worse over the past two years from staring at screens. I've been taking daily pills and using eye drops to reduce the strain, but it hasn't improved. The doctor mentioned that he knew someone at Sony who might be able to help. On Monday, that person called me, and he was sympathetic. He offered to help by inviting me to bring all my laptops (I have a 16" M1 Pro and a 16" M2 Max MacBook) so we could figure out the problem.

Excited about the opportunity, I packed everything into my car and drove to the Sony headquarters. I wasn't sure what to expect, so I brought along a variety of equipment, including three Dell monitors (U4320Q, U2722DE, P3223DE) and a Benq EL2870U. I also had 17 different cables of varying lengths and brands (USB-C, USB-C to HDMI, USB-C to DP, HDMI). I didn't include any dongles because I've had bad luck with them in the past, as they couldn't support 60Hz or 4K resolution at more than 30Hz.

When I arrived at Sony, I met Jakob, the display specialist, who turned out to be a very knowledgeable and helpful person. I was amazed that such an expert would take the time to assist me. We brought everything inside and connected all the devices. Jakob ran a display test, and to my surprise, everything appeared perfect with no display faults, except for a few dead pixels we discovered. It was a relief to know that the displays were in good condition.

Next, Jakob tested all the cables, and surprisingly, everything seemed fine. I was confused because I was certain there was an issue with one of the cables. However, two of the cheap cables from Shengzeng failed the test, confirming my suspicions.

Then Jakob suggested we open up the MacBook to investigate further. I was initially hesitant but decided to give him the older M1 Pro model, just in case anything went wrong. He examined the internals and noticed something missing that is typically found in Windows computers and laptops—a small controller or protective shielding. Even Nvidia, AMD, and the integrated graphics card CPUs usually have this feature. Jakob couldn't find any shielding or the expected controller. It's worth mentioning that he had never worked with an Apple Silicon before, but he seemed confident in his element, focusing mainly on the HDMI and USB outputs. We took a short break, and when we returned, Jakob touched the MacBook lid, and I could feel the familiar vibration that many MacBook users experience. He said, "Aha," and I wasn't sure what he meant at the time.

Jakob then grabbed two HDMI cables for testing—one was a cheap, short, and thick cable that I had never tried before, measuring exactly 1 meter in length. The other was a longer, thinner cable from a premium brand that cost around 43 Euros. To my surprise, the 1-meter thick HDMI cable worked perfectly without any issues, which shocked me.

However, the longer, 2-meter HDMI cable with nylon weave insulation started exhibiting ghosting, flickering, and smearing. It was quite strange. Moving on to USB-C cables, the short and thick one worked fine, but the thinner 0.8-meter cable failed. Jakob then measured the outgoing and incoming voltage, finding no issues with the thick cable. However, when he tested the longer cables, he noticed unstable voltage and signal fluctuations, resembling a zigzag

graph rather than a smooth wave. This perplexed him, suggesting that either there was no voltage regulator or the cables were too thin. The microvolts fluctuated and jumped between the steel connectors on the monitor and MacBook housing. All the USB-C to HDMI and DP cables became extremely hot at the monitor connection, reaching temperatures over 45 degrees Celsius due to excessive power transmission. One cheap USB-C to HDMI cable even reached 73 degrees Celsius, posing a serious danger.

We conducted thorough tests, as Jakob was genuinely interested in finding a solution. I was just happy that the dilemma was resolved, and I could work more comfortably without experiencing eye strain.

Jakob couldn't determine if a proper regulator was built into the MacBook or if the shielding was missing. However, on the thin cables, the MacBook consistently raised and lowered the voltage. Although he didn't want to claim that Apple made a mistake, it certainly seemed that way to him. The voltage fluctuations on the MacBook and the steel housing of the monitor were the root cause of the problem.

Apologies for the long story, but I wanted to provide a detailed description of the problem.

Here's the fix for the issue:

1. Avoid cable lengths over 1 meter (the sweet spot is 0.8-1m max).
2. Check if the cables have thick wires. Thicker wires tend to have fewer problems.
3. Cable insulation is crucial. Rubber cables provide the best performance (avoid nylon, neoprene, and other cheap materials).
4. Stick to the traditional HDMI technology and be cautious with HDMI or DP output dongles.
5. If using a USB-C cable, keep it as short as possible (0.8-1m max) with thick insulation.
6. If you experience flickering, protect your display (the controller may sustain damage) or the MacBook could be at risk of voltage-related damage.
7. Avoid steel cases for USB-C and HDMI connectors (plastic or rubber is ideal).

HDMI cables are currently the best option, particularly those with lengths of 0.5m and 1m. Choose cables with a thick, chunky design, appropriate wire thickness, top-notch insulation, and a rubber casing.

!!! HDMI for order or view !!!


For USB-C enthusiasts, go for 0.5m and 1m cables without flickering issues. Look for thick USB-C cables with a rubber casing.

!!! USB C for order or view !!!

*Please note that I've tested all these cables, and they work perfectly. Cheaper cables may also work, but you may experience slight flickering. However, ghosting can be avoided by keeping the cable length under 1 meter and ensuring it has sufficient thickness.*

**I've conducted tests on 17 cables and 4 monitors with an expert, and now I can enjoy Dark Mode, Dark Reader, and the dark Apple backgrounds without any issues.**

P.S. I hope my English was good enough; I learned English a few years ago.
P.P.S. Special thanks to Jakob from Sony DACH! 😗💋💋💋

****EDIT SONOMA BETA VERSION 3.0 ****​

Here is a small EDIT from me, as it was claimed that the problem no longer exists with Sonoma. I have tested all cables again, including USB-C to HDMI and DP. The difficulties with the USB-C to HDMI and DP cables have even worsened, while HDMI and USB-C to C runs smoothly. One just needs to adjust the settings, then restart the Mac and there is no flickering or ghosting. However, ghosting appears to be much more intense on the USB-C to HDMI and DP cables.

Cable Testing and Results:

• USB-C to USB-C (thick cable) works perfectly (50cm and 1 Meter)
• HDMI to HDMI (thick cable) also works perfectly (50cm and 1 Meter)

***Please do not be fooled into thinking that changes have been made. This is not a software-related issue, but it lies in the hardware.***

I spoke with Jakob today, he suggested insulating the contacts with insulating tape to prevent voltage from jumping to the casing. However, one must be extremely careful as the tolerances are very small. I will try this suggestion later this evening.

Do not be led astray. If it was a software error, the screen manufacturers and Apple could find a solution. But since it's a hardware issue, little can be done except to reduce or eliminate the voltage with thick cables.

After I have tried the insulating tape, I will report back. It's a delicate task to isolate the port laterally around the socket and then to isolate the connector.

**** Another important note I would like to make: Whenever you plug in and unplug the cables and make the settings you want, then leave everything as it is and don't change anything. After that, it is important to restart and leave the settings unchanged. As soon as you change anything, a restart must be done! ****​

 

[cerealkiller6659]

Hello, guys! 👋​

I visited the eye doctor three weeks ago because I work 8-10 hours in front of displays. During the visit, I mentioned that I've been experiencing eye strain due to my eyes getting worse over the past two years from staring at screens. I've been taking daily pills and using eye drops to reduce the strain, but it hasn't improved. The doctor mentioned that he knew someone at Sony who might be able to help. On Monday, that person called me, and he was sympathetic. He offered to help by inviting me to bring all my laptops (I have a 16" M1 Pro and a 16" M2 Max MacBook) so we could figure out the problem.

Excited about the opportunity, I packed everything into my car and drove to the Sony headquarters. I wasn't sure what to expect, so I brought along a variety of equipment, including three Dell monitors (U4320Q, U2722DE, P3223DE) and a Benq EL2870U. I also had 17 different cables of varying lengths and brands (USB-C, USB-C to HDMI, USB-C to DP, HDMI). I didn't include any dongles because I've had bad luck with them in the past, as they couldn't support 60Hz or 4K resolution at more than 30Hz.

When I arrived at Sony, I met Jakob, the display specialist, who turned out to be a very knowledgeable and helpful person. I was amazed that such an expert would take the time to assist me. We brought everything inside and connected all the devices. Jakob ran a display test, and to my surprise, everything appeared perfect with no display faults, except for a few dead pixels we discovered. It was a relief to know that the displays were in good condition.

Next, Jakob tested all the cables, and surprisingly, everything seemed fine. I was confused because I was certain there was an issue with one of the cables. However, two of the cheap cables from Shengzeng failed the test, confirming my suspicions.

Then Jakob suggested we open up the MacBook to investigate further. I was initially hesitant but decided to give him the older M1 Pro model, just in case anything went wrong. He examined the internals and noticed something missing that is typically found in Windows computers and laptops—a small controller or protective shielding. Even Nvidia, AMD, and the integrated graphics card CPUs usually have this feature. Jakob couldn't find any shielding or the expected controller. It's worth mentioning that he had never worked with an Apple Silicon before, but he seemed confident in his element, focusing mainly on the HDMI and USB outputs. We took a short break, and when we returned, Jakob touched the MacBook lid, and I could feel the familiar vibration that many MacBook users experience. He said, "Aha," and I wasn't sure what he meant at the time.

Jakob then grabbed two HDMI cables for testing—one was a cheap, short, and thick cable that I had never tried before, measuring exactly 1 meter in length. The other was a longer, thinner cable from a premium brand that cost around 43 Euros. To my surprise, the 1-meter thick HDMI cable worked perfectly without any issues, which shocked me.

However, the longer, 2-meter HDMI cable with nylon weave insulation started exhibiting ghosting, flickering, and smearing. It was quite strange. Moving on to USB-C cables, the short and thick one worked fine, but the thinner 0.8-meter cable failed. Jakob then measured the outgoing and incoming voltage, finding no issues with the thick cable. However, when he tested the longer cables, he noticed unstable voltage and signal fluctuations, resembling a zigzag

graph rather than a smooth wave. This perplexed him, suggesting that either there was no voltage regulator or the cables were too thin. The microvolts fluctuated and jumped between the steel connectors on the monitor and MacBook housing. All the USB-C to HDMI and DP cables became extremely hot at the monitor connection, reaching temperatures over 45 degrees Celsius due to excessive power transmission. One cheap USB-C to HDMI cable even reached 73 degrees Celsius, posing a serious danger.

We conducted thorough tests, as Jakob was genuinely interested in finding a solution. I was just happy that the dilemma was resolved, and I could work more comfortably without experiencing eye strain.

Jakob couldn't determine if a proper regulator was built into the MacBook or if the shielding was missing. However, on the thin cables, the MacBook consistently raised and lowered the voltage. Although he didn't want to claim that Apple made a mistake, it certainly seemed that way to him. The voltage fluctuations on the MacBook and the steel housing of the monitor were the root cause of the problem.

Apologies for the long story, but I wanted to provide a detailed description of the problem.

Here's the fix for the issue:

1. Avoid cable lengths over 1 meter (the sweet spot is 0.8-1m max).
2. Check if the cables have thick wires. Thicker wires tend to have fewer problems.
3. Cable insulation is crucial. Rubber cables provide the best performance (avoid nylon, neoprene, and other cheap materials).
4. Stick to the traditional HDMI technology and be cautious with HDMI or DP output dongles.
5. If using a USB-C cable, keep it as short as possible (0.8-1m max) with thick insulation.
6. If you experience flickering, protect your display (the controller may sustain damage) or the MacBook could be at risk of voltage-related damage.
7. Avoid steel cases for USB-C and HDMI connectors (plastic or rubber is ideal).

HDMI cables are currently the best option, particularly those with lengths of 0.5m and 1m. Choose cables with a thick, chunky design, appropriate wire thickness, top-notch insulation, and a rubber casing.

!!! HDMI for order or view !!!


For USB-C enthusiasts, go for 0.5m and 1m cables without flickering issues. Look for thick USB-C cables with a rubber casing.

!!! USB C for order or view !!!

*Please note that I've tested all these cables, and they work perfectly. Cheaper cables may also work, but you may experience slight flickering. However, ghosting can be avoided by keeping the cable length under 1 meter and ensuring it has sufficient thickness.*

**I've conducted tests on 17 cables and 4 monitors with an expert, and now I can enjoy Dark Mode, Dark Reader, and the dark Apple backgrounds without any issues.**

P.S. I hope my English was good enough; I learned English a few years ago.
P.P.S. Special thanks to Jakob from Sony DACH! 😗💋💋💋

****EDIT SONOMA BETA VERSION 3.0 ****​

Here is a small EDIT from me, as it was claimed that the problem no longer exists with Sonoma. I have tested all cables again, including USB-C to HDMI and DP. The difficulties with the USB-C to HDMI and DP cables have even worsened, while HDMI and USB-C to C runs smoothly. One just needs to adjust the settings, then restart the Mac and there is no flickering or ghosting. However, ghosting appears to be much more intense on the USB-C to HDMI and DP cables.

Cable Testing and Results:

• USB-C to USB-C (thick cable) works perfectly (50cm and 1 Meter)
• HDMI to HDMI (thick cable) also works perfectly (50cm and 1 Meter)

***Please do not be fooled into thinking that changes have been made. This is not a software-related issue, but it lies in the hardware.***

I spoke with Jakob today, he suggested insulating the contacts with insulating tape to prevent voltage from jumping to the casing. However, one must be extremely careful as the tolerances are very small. I will try this suggestion later this evening.

Do not be led astray. If it was a software error, the screen manufacturers and Apple could find a solution. But since it's a hardware issue, little can be done except to reduce or eliminate the voltage with thick cables.

After I have tried the insulating tape, I will report back. It's a delicate task to isolate the port laterally around the socket and then to isolate the connector.

**** Another important note I would like to make: Whenever you plug in and unplug the cables and make the settings you want, then leave everything as it is and don't change anything. After that, it is important to restart and leave the settings unchanged. As soon as you change anything, a restart must be done! ****​

@mm1988 This is excellent; thank you for sharing! As much as I want it to be software-related, all evidence points to hardware.

My CalDigit TS3 Plus dock only has a single DisplayPort and single Thunderbolt 3 port for video output, and my monitors only have DisplayPort and HDMI inputs. @mm1988, given your testing and these constraints, what types of cables would you recommend?

I'm hoping that a short, quality DisplayPort <--> DisplayPort cable will be problem-free. I'm also hoping that a Thunderbolt 3 <--> DisplayPort cable will be (somewhat) problem-free, but unfortunately I need a length > 1 meter for my setup.

These are the cables I bought to test out:
- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HL336L2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZLHVG2Q?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NTNKLFN?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

All that said, do you have a recommendation on types of cables for this setup? Thank you!

 

[armana]

Hello, guys! 👋​

I visited the eye doctor three weeks ago because I work 8-10 hours in front of displays. During the visit, I mentioned that I've been experiencing eye strain due to my eyes getting worse over the past two years from staring at screens. I've been taking daily pills and using eye drops to reduce the strain, but it hasn't improved. The doctor mentioned that he knew someone at Sony who might be able to help. On Monday, that person called me, and he was sympathetic. He offered to help by inviting me to bring all my laptops (I have a 16" M1 Pro and a 16" M2 Max MacBook) so we could figure out the problem.

Excited about the opportunity, I packed everything into my car and drove to the Sony headquarters. I wasn't sure what to expect, so I brought along a variety of equipment, including three Dell monitors (U4320Q, U2722DE, P3223DE) and a Benq EL2870U. I also had 17 different cables of varying lengths and brands (USB-C, USB-C to HDMI, USB-C to DP, HDMI). I didn't include any dongles because I've had bad luck with them in the past, as they couldn't support 60Hz or 4K resolution at more than 30Hz.

When I arrived at Sony, I met Jakob, the display specialist, who turned out to be a very knowledgeable and helpful person. I was amazed that such an expert would take the time to assist me. We brought everything inside and connected all the devices. Jakob ran a display test, and to my surprise, everything appeared perfect with no display faults, except for a few dead pixels we discovered. It was a relief to know that the displays were in good condition.

Next, Jakob tested all the cables, and surprisingly, everything seemed fine. I was confused because I was certain there was an issue with one of the cables. However, two of the cheap cables from Shengzeng failed the test, confirming my suspicions.

Then Jakob suggested we open up the MacBook to investigate further. I was initially hesitant but decided to give him the older M1 Pro model, just in case anything went wrong. He examined the internals and noticed something missing that is typically found in Windows computers and laptops—a small controller or protective shielding. Even Nvidia, AMD, and the integrated graphics card CPUs usually have this feature. Jakob couldn't find any shielding or the expected controller. It's worth mentioning that he had never worked with an Apple Silicon before, but he seemed confident in his element, focusing mainly on the HDMI and USB outputs. We took a short break, and when we returned, Jakob touched the MacBook lid, and I could feel the familiar vibration that many MacBook users experience. He said, "Aha," and I wasn't sure what he meant at the time.

Jakob then grabbed two HDMI cables for testing—one was a cheap, short, and thick cable that I had never tried before, measuring exactly 1 meter in length. The other was a longer, thinner cable from a premium brand that cost around 43 Euros. To my surprise, the 1-meter thick HDMI cable worked perfectly without any issues, which shocked me.

However, the longer, 2-meter HDMI cable with nylon weave insulation started exhibiting ghosting, flickering, and smearing. It was quite strange. Moving on to USB-C cables, the short and thick one worked fine, but the thinner 0.8-meter cable failed. Jakob then measured the outgoing and incoming voltage, finding no issues with the thick cable. However, when he tested the longer cables, he noticed unstable voltage and signal fluctuations, resembling a zigzag

graph rather than a smooth wave. This perplexed him, suggesting that either there was no voltage regulator or the cables were too thin. The microvolts fluctuated and jumped between the steel connectors on the monitor and MacBook housing. All the USB-C to HDMI and DP cables became extremely hot at the monitor connection, reaching temperatures over 45 degrees Celsius due to excessive power transmission. One cheap USB-C to HDMI cable even reached 73 degrees Celsius, posing a serious danger.

We conducted thorough tests, as Jakob was genuinely interested in finding a solution. I was just happy that the dilemma was resolved, and I could work more comfortably without experiencing eye strain.

Jakob couldn't determine if a proper regulator was built into the MacBook or if the shielding was missing. However, on the thin cables, the MacBook consistently raised and lowered the voltage. Although he didn't want to claim that Apple made a mistake, it certainly seemed that way to him. The voltage fluctuations on the MacBook and the steel housing of the monitor were the root cause of the problem.

Apologies for the long story, but I wanted to provide a detailed description of the problem.

Here's the fix for the issue:

1. Avoid cable lengths over 1 meter (the sweet spot is 0.8-1m max).
2. Check if the cables have thick wires. Thicker wires tend to have fewer problems.
3. Cable insulation is crucial. Rubber cables provide the best performance (avoid nylon, neoprene, and other cheap materials).
4. Stick to the traditional HDMI technology and be cautious with HDMI or DP output dongles.
5. If using a USB-C cable, keep it as short as possible (0.8-1m max) with thick insulation.
6. If you experience flickering, protect your display (the controller may sustain damage) or the MacBook could be at risk of voltage-related damage.
7. Avoid steel cases for USB-C and HDMI connectors (plastic or rubber is ideal).

HDMI cables are currently the best option, particularly those with lengths of 0.5m and 1m. Choose cables with a thick, chunky design, appropriate wire thickness, top-notch insulation, and a rubber casing.

!!! HDMI for order or view !!!


For USB-C enthusiasts, go for 0.5m and 1m cables without flickering issues. Look for thick USB-C cables with a rubber casing.

!!! USB C for order or view !!!

*Please note that I've tested all these cables, and they work perfectly. Cheaper cables may also work, but you may experience slight flickering. However, ghosting can be avoided by keeping the cable length under 1 meter and ensuring it has sufficient thickness.*

**I've conducted tests on 17 cables and 4 monitors with an expert, and now I can enjoy Dark Mode, Dark Reader, and the dark Apple backgrounds without any issues.**

P.S. I hope my English was good enough; I learned English a few years ago.
P.P.S. Special thanks to Jakob from Sony DACH! 😗💋💋💋

****EDIT SONOMA BETA VERSION 3.0 ****​

Here is a small EDIT from me, as it was claimed that the problem no longer exists with Sonoma. I have tested all cables again, including USB-C to HDMI and DP. The difficulties with the USB-C to HDMI and DP cables have even worsened, while HDMI and USB-C to C runs smoothly. One just needs to adjust the settings, then restart the Mac and there is no flickering or ghosting. However, ghosting appears to be much more intense on the USB-C to HDMI and DP cables.

Cable Testing and Results:

• USB-C to USB-C (thick cable) works perfectly (50cm and 1 Meter)
• HDMI to HDMI (thick cable) also works perfectly (50cm and 1 Meter)

***Please do not be fooled into thinking that changes have been made. This is not a software-related issue, but it lies in the hardware.***

I spoke with Jakob today, he suggested insulating the contacts with insulating tape to prevent voltage from jumping to the casing. However, one must be extremely careful as the tolerances are very small. I will try this suggestion later this evening.

Do not be led astray. If it was a software error, the screen manufacturers and Apple could find a solution. But since it's a hardware issue, little can be done except to reduce or eliminate the voltage with thick cables.

After I have tried the insulating tape, I will report back. It's a delicate task to isolate the port laterally around the socket and then to isolate the connector.

**** Another important note I would like to make: Whenever you plug in and unplug the cables and make the settings you want, then leave everything as it is and don't change anything. After that, it is important to restart and leave the settings unchanged. As soon as you change anything, a restart must be done! ****​

I don't see how this explanation makes sense. The flickering persists for quite some time (minutes) even when the cable is completely removed from the display — the flickering persists even when the display is turned off and on again. The flickering is visible in the display's OSD even with no cable attached.

Unless you are saying that the flickering is caused by improper shielding in the connections, but can persist after the improper shielding cable is removed...?

 

[dmnk]

!!! USB C for order or view !!!

Bought this exact cable. Flicker still occures on an M1 Mac Pro (Ventura 13.4.1 (c)) unfortunately.

 

[naqahdah]

Hello!

Registered to note that I had this problem on an M1 Macbook Pro, and what (mostly) worked for me - an article was posted earlier in the thread regarding switching to RGB, but I couldn't seem to get that working until I found the original gist where the video came from, and that linked comment. I'm on Ventura, but I had to go to both places where the plist file exists, paste in that section in the comment (at the bottom of the first entry, inside the dict tag that makes it inline with the other blocks), set both files to locked, and rebooted. I also set my monitor's color mode to sRGB (Dell SE3223Q).

Every once in a while I'll get a single flicker, usually fast swapping between certain web pages (using back / forward buttons), but I can't seem to force the flicker as easily as I used to be able to (this link would do it for me... it will open a test page, scroll up and you should see a block of periods / *, hovering over it should highlight the block. I could make myself sick from the flicker moving the mouse in and out of that).

 

[arvinb]

Have had my M2 Max Studio for almost 2 months now and this is still bugging me with my Dell S3221QS (they seem to be having more issues with the Dell displays maybe?).

I've now gone through old HDMI cables, 8k HDMI cables, and 2 Thunderbolt to DP cables, and they all still have the issues.

I've switched from all my different color profiles and refresh rates and none of them are foolproof (at least none of the ones that are still usable visually).

I saw this thread and switched the display to RGB Mode and that doesn't fix the issue either.

It's so frustrating to have this issue coming from a Hackintosh that had no such display issues (it obviously had its own issues but I was not expecting a genuine apple product to just

 

[HDFan]

Have had my M2 Max Studio for almost 2 months now and this is still bugging me

Experience the problem on an M2 Studio with a Studio Display. Contacted Apple and they need to do diagnostics which are impossible since it is so intermittent - a few times a week.

Work around I found is to change the screen resolution to something different then set it back to the original setting. Problem immediately goes away.

 

[arvinb]

Experience the problem on an M2 Studio with a Studio Display. Contacted Apple and they need to do diagnostics which are impossible since it is so intermittent - a few times a week.

Work around I found is to change the screen resolution to something different then set it back to the original setting. Problem immediately goes away.

Yeah just changing it back and forth usually does it (to a different color profile, or refresh rate, etc). But yeah I don't wanna turn it in because I have a feeling they don't acutally have a fix for this, or they'll give me a new machine and can't replicate it in testing.

 

[jeremyfoster]

I realised that for me it was particular pages in Safari that were causing the flickering and pinstripes across the whole screen to develop. For example this page: https://grahamreznick.bandcamp.com in Safari. But the same page in Firefox, or a screen shot of the page opened in Safari are fine. So maybe I have an issue with the colour management of some web pages in Safari?

M1 mini running Monterey, Benq PD2700U, cheap HDMI cable, I'm using a custom colour profile.

 

[rushmere]

I realised that for me it was particular pages in Safari that were causing the flickering and pinstripes across the whole screen to develop. For example this page: https://grahamreznick.bandcamp.com in Safari. But the same page in Firefox, or a screen shot of the page opened in Safari are fine. So maybe I have an issue with the colour management of some web pages in Safari?

M1 mini running Monterey, Benq PD2700U, cheap HDMI cable, I'm using a custom colour profile.

Yes, large areas of dark colour in Safari can trigger the problem. I had exactly the same issue, which didn't occur in other browsers.

Have you checked BENQ's website to see if there's a firmware update for your display? An update for my BENQ PD2705U significantly reduced the problem for me to the point where it's now tolerable. I was experiencing the problem daily for up to 30 minutes at a time, but the firmware update has reduced the problem to the very occasional incidence of flickering for only 1-2 seconds.

The firmware update did make some changes to the available options for the display, e.g. it removed the option to have a variable refresh rate. I suspect they can't fully solve the problem, but they seem to have found workarounds to manage it.

 

[HDFan]

I realised that for me it was particular pages in Safari that were causing the flickering and pinstripes across the whole screen to develop. For example this page: https://grahamreznick.bandcamp.com in Safari.

No problems with this page on my Studio and Studio display. What a disastrous layout. I find it almost impossible to read. Horrible, unreadable color combinations.

 

[arvinb]

I know the odds are small, but perchance anybody running Sonoma can let us know if it fixed the problem at all?

 

[HDFan]

perchance anybody running Sonoma can let us know if it fixed the problem at all?

Didn't see it in Ventura, don't see it in Sonoma.

 

[arvinb]

I know the odds are small, but perchance anybody running Sonoma can let us know if it fixed the problem at all?

Just as an update: I updated to Sonoma and the problem persists for my Dell S3221QS. Latest firmware, using TB-DP cable, HDMI, etc.

There's even this Dell support page that claims using an official dell USB-C to HDMI adapter would fix the problem:

Flickering or Blanking Video Issue with Dell S2721Q, S2721QS, and S3221QS Monitors when Connected to a M1 MacBook or Mini via USB-C to DP Adapter | Dell Grenada

Bought the adapter, still no good. Luckily I was able to get a refund processed and they said I didn't need to return the adapter, not that I have any real use for it (but saves me the drive to the UPS store).

Sigh, back to the drawing board, looking for a 32" 4k monitor that works.

 

[Spectre8079]

New user here and made an account just to share my experience with the flicker problem.



A little background: I bought a used Asus VP28U as a second monitor for my 2020 M1 Mac Mini (running Sonoma) and it flickered from the day I brought it home. Tried everything under the sun trying to get it to work – different color profiles, endless monitor setting combinations, voodoo ceremonies, different HDMI cables, etc. You name it, I probably tried it. I was getting ready to bring it to the recycling depot and write it off as bad luck. At first, I tried Googling for cases of people with the exact symptoms (vertical pinstripes and then very quickly, flickering on dark coloured websites and then flickering over entire monitor) and couldn't really find anything. Eventually searching for "M1 External Monitor flickering' yielded a whole lotta instances. At this point, I realized I did not have a defective monitor on my hands as previously thought and it was probably a good idea to hang on to it, at least for a while.



As an absolute last ditch effort before putting the Asus in storage, I tried hooking up the monitor using a USB-C to HDMI adapter (Qgeem brand - from Amazon) instead of HDMI to HDMI. I had always connected via HDMI because DisplayPort was used for another machine. I hooked it up, and surprisingly found that 90% of the flickering was gone, the vertical pin striping was now very faint when it happened and the flickering was also very faint; almost non-existent and it was flicker-free for a solid 8 hours. This morning, just for the hell of it, I swapped out the USB-C to HSMI adapter for a USB-C to DisplayPort cable. And now the flickering and pin striping is completely gone. It’s been over 6 hours and the picture has been rock steady – the longest it has ever been without any flickering. Fingers crossed that it doesn’t start flickering again but I am hopeful.



My guess is that with this particular monitor, it is important to not use straight HDMI to HDMI or USB-C to USB-C cabling. The reason I switched to a USB-C to DisplayPort cable was for the 60hz setting; the Qgeem adapter could only run the monitor at 30hz and the laggy mouse movement just wasn’t pretty terrible, plus there was still a faint bit of flickering with the HDMI adapter. I hope this might help someone here and hopefully, Apple resolves this soon.

 

[jedcoza]

Had this issue on my 1080 27 inch rogue ware screen. was just living with it but it kept catching my eye and eventually found this thread. I have an m1 macbook. got a new hoco dongle and short cable. didn't seem to make a difference. Though I realised the thing that caught my eye mostly was the pointer. making the pointer white with black border and slightly bigger (i always have it standard black with white border on the smallest. The pointer doesn't shake at now which is mostly where I was noticing it. So something about the way the m1's are processing the image for sure.

 

[svenmany]

Had this issue on my 1080 27 inch rogue ware screen. was just living with it but it kept catching my eye and eventually found this thread. I have an m1 macbook. got a new hoco dongle and short cable. didn't seem to make a difference. Though I realised the thing that caught my eye mostly was the pointer. making the pointer white with black border and slightly bigger (i always have it standard black with white border on the smallest. The pointer doesn't shake at now which is mostly where I was noticing it. So something about the way the m1's are processing the image for sure.

I had a similar experience in that I saw the flicker happen with a small thing on the screen.

I found the problem frustrating enough that I switched away from dark mode. After doing that, the problem was completely gone until I opened up Keyboard Viewer. That application always show in dark mode and it caused the flicker immediately. My monitor is the LG UltraFine 27UN850-W attached using DisplayPort from CalDigit TS4.

 

[skybox]

This issue has been driving me crazy since I got my M2 Pro Mac, but I've mostly isolated what works and what doesn't and seem to have found a decent level of relief. (TLDR below)

The problem of flickering seems to be much worse with any HDMI vs DisplayPort, so I have gone to a DisplayPort-only config. I have had the same exact issue with all HDMI cables, nice or cheap and high or low spec. I have found that in my experience the USB-C to DisplayPort configuration has the same pixelated stripes on darker windows as HDMI but they do not flicker which is FAR more tolerable and barely noticable.

I also do not see an issue on my 1080p 240hz gaming monitor with the refresh rate set to that, HDMI or not. Using a lower spec cable that does not allow for that rate has the issue present.

I also have another configuration (second desk) using a 1080p Asus ProArt monitor I bought after this issue popped up. It said on the listing its Mac compatible and connects via a single USB-C cable with charging and some other features. More importantly, I have also found that this doesn't flicker either. I think the USB connection is DisplayPort.

I have found that increased resolution means the issue appears to be finer (less pixelated as pixels are smaller) but does not help the issue overall.

For what its worth, DDC seems to be working on Apple Silicon after updating Monitor Control. I haven't tried other apps but vouch for it, my issues seemed to get better when I updated as well but that happened at the same time as switching some other things so I don't have a great control.

Lastly, I have found certain colors really seem to bother it more than others. One example that makes it full-on flicker is chat GPT. For this, I have found the solution to be using Dark Reader's contrast and brightness settings for specific sites to change the color to something more agreeable with your screen.

Hope this helps anyone else, and hope a true fix for all screens is discovered or implemented soon. Still super frustrating it seems like Apple still doesn't know or care. Good luck everybody

TL;DR: use DisplayPort only imo, higher refresh rates seem to help with all connections. Monitors with USB-C video connections seem to work well. Dark Reader and Monitor Control programs are helpful.

 

[Spectre8079]

This issue has been driving me crazy since I got my M2 Pro Mac, but I've mostly isolated what works and what doesn't and seem to have found a decent level of relief. (TLDR below)

The problem of flickering seems to be much worse with any HDMI vs DisplayPort, so I have gone to a DisplayPort-only config. I have had the same exact issue with all HDMI cables, nice or cheap and high or low spec. I have found that in my experience the USB-C to DisplayPort configuration has the same pixelated stripes on darker windows as HDMI but they do not flicker which is FAR more tolerable and barely noticable.

I also do not see an issue on my 1080p 240hz gaming monitor with the refresh rate set to that, HDMI or not. Using a lower spec cable that does not allow for that rate has the issue present.

I also have another configuration (second desk) using a 1080p Asus ProArt monitor I bought after this issue popped up. It said on the listing its Mac compatible and connects via a single USB-C cable with charging and some other features. More importantly, I have also found that this doesn't flicker either. I think the USB connection is DisplayPort.

I have found that increased resolution means the issue appears to be finer (less pixelated as pixels are smaller) but does not help the issue overall.

For what its worth, DDC seems to be working on Apple Silicon after updating Monitor Control. I haven't tried other apps but vouch for it, my issues seemed to get better when I updated as well but that happened at the same time as switching some other things so I don't have a great control.

Lastly, I have found certain colors really seem to bother it more than others. One example that makes it full-on flicker is chat GPT. For this, I have found the solution to be using Dark Reader's contrast and brightness settings for specific sites to change the color to something more agreeable with your screen.

Hope this helps anyone else, and hope a true fix for all screens is discovered or implemented soon. Still super frustrating it seems like Apple still doesn't know or care. Good luck everybody

TL;DR: use DisplayPort only imo, higher refresh rates seem to help with all connections. Monitors with USB-C video connections seem to work well. Dark Reader and Monitor Control programs are helpful.

I thought I had this thing beaten by switching to a USB-C to DisplayPort cable but just before the weekend (Friday night), the glitching happened again and actually got quite bad. The flickering was now happening on white background (Reddit) and mid-grey pages (Instagram). It was no longer just on predominately black backgrounds but was spreading to other neutral colors. This thing is like digital herpes – you think it's gone for good but only to have it come back with a vengeance. Even though the flickering was not quite as intense as previously, it was still very noticeable and equally. It was as if it was taunting me.

Long story short, I decided to cut my losses and throw in the towel. I had entertained the idea of buying another USB-C to DisplayPort cable and try my luck but I have 3 already and none of them really made much difference. So I took the monitor of the arm, put it in the garage and bought a different monitor instead. I got a used Samsung UJ590 this afternoon. Like my other Samsung monitors, this one didn't have the flickering or the pinstripe problems. First thing I did when I had it hooked ip was to examine the top left corner of the screen. On the Asus VP28U, there was always a little pinstripe action happening there with any kind of motion (moving cursor or dragging windows, etc.). Luckily, the Samsung doesn't seem to have that and fingers crossed, will not suffer the same fate.

I really have no idea why the glitching happens on some monitors and not others. And it's happening with different brands and different models. I thought maybe it's because it has something to do with gamma as all my non-affected monitors(Acer and Samsung) have some kind of gamma adjustment. The Asus that I had just put away did not have any sort gamma controls available.

 

[g4k]

Didn't see it in Ventura, don't see it in Sonoma.

Sonoma doesn't fix it for me.

I'm starting to suspect it's a hardware problem that's why Apple is ignoring this issue.

 

[arvinb]

It's definitely a hardware issue, the question is it something Apple can ever fix with software.

14.1 didn't fix it. I'm gonna go install 14.1.1 now and see, but I'm not holding my breath.

Update: still there on 14.1.1, unsurprisingly (and by "there" I mean it's on my default calibrated color profile, with USB-C to Thunderbolt connection. I'm not considering this problem fixed until it can work as is without any other tweaking)

 

[rushmere]

It's definitely a hardware issue, the question is it something Apple can ever fix with software.

14.1 didn't fix it. I'm gonna go install 14.1.1 now and see, but I'm not holding my breath.

Update: still there on 14.1.1, unsurprisingly (and by "there" I mean it's on my default calibrated color profile, with USB-C to Thunderbolt connection. I'm not considering this problem fixed until it can work as is without any other tweaking)

Yes, I agree, it’s most likely a hardware issue. Currently, I think the best that can be achieved is to mitigate the issue with software workarounds, but I doubt it will be completely fixed. I’m eager to see if the problem is present on M3 Macs.

 

[AlexanderUK]

I own an M1 Air which via a USB-C to HDMI adapter it connects to my LG C2 TV.

I can report a similar issue amongst others. Whenever dark content is displayed (such as video), "flickering" can occur in the colors (even when the content is static). I'm also getting some minor overscan (which it's annoying that Apple do not allow for manual overriding on the device). Plus thanks to watching some 4:3 box sets, the other edges of the OLED have started showing some "dark" patching (it's a 5 month old set).

RE the flickering, I've tried different HDMI cables (high quality, well insulated), two different adapters (UGREEN & Anker), I disabled all the AI and energy saving junk, the firmware is up-to-date, I'm running the latest macOS, and I've tried a total device reset with no dice.

All things considered, despite the amazing image quality, I think my next TV will be an LCD until we have a less temperamental technology behind the wheel as this experience so far has been fraught with ugly side effects.

 

[Motawa]

Pretty sure it is no hardware issue. Maybe with codecs or something I don't know but when I airplay mirror to my Apple TV 4K I get the flickering too. The TV is not connected to the MacBook (except wifi/ethernet of course)

 

[viobanez]

Same issue here, I use Xiaomi 27" Monitor RMMNT27NF in my MacBook Pro M1 2020 with Monterey OS, and I still see this issue in MacBook Pro Intel 2020 (Monterey OS) with same Monitor. But, i don't see this issue in Windows. So my assumption it's OS or Driver issue.

Hope Apple fix this issue.

Same with me. Did you already solve your problem? and how? please help.