MacBook Pro (#8): iSight not functioning properly; Screen artifacts; Sound quality/speaker issues; more

iSight not functioning properly Several readers have reported that their MacBook Pros' built-in iSights are not working properly, displaying a 'green screen' whenever Photo Booth or iChat AV attempts to access the iSight.

One reader writes:

"My iSight isn't working. In iChat, I just get a blank (black) window where the video preview should be. In Photo Booth, I just get a green screen. The light beside the camera comes on, but no picture. The mic seems to be OK."

Apple addresses this issue in a Knowledge Base article (#302679) -- but the stated fix is to "update to Mac OS X 10.4.3" -- obviously not an option for Intel-based Macs, which ship with Mac OS X 10.4.4 or 10.4.5.

Some users have suggested that re-applying the Mac OS X for Intel 10.4.5 updater may resolve the issue, though the fix isn't consistent.

Screen artifacts A handful of readers are reporting the appearance of screen artifacts on their MacBook Pro screens.

One reader writes:

"Every once in a while, I get some kind of screen distortion/pixillation for just a second across the screen, about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom and maybe a quarter of an inch wide. It's not solid, just some strangeness in that area. It's just a flash, but I've noticed it twice. I just got it yesterday evening (2/23), so this may turn out to be a real issue if it happens that often."

If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.

Sound quality/speaker issues Users continue to report noticeably worse sound quality from the MacBook Pro's right speaker.

Brandon Demko writes:

"I also have this issue with a stock 2.0 Ghz version. It's really noticeable with iChat during a conversation via audio/video since the voice of the person you're talking to is directed out of the right speaker. I did call Apple today and spoke with a product specialist who escalated the case to engineering. They are supposed to get back to me regarding this."

Some readers are reporting disappearance of the distorted sound after a few days of operation.

One reader writes:

"I'm another user that can corroborate the right-speaker tinny/distorted sound quality issue and the buzzing display when I first got my MacBook. However, now 5 days later the distortion seems to have worked itself out. I compared to my TiBook just to make sure I'm not losing it. The display buzz seems to have quieted some, and it's gone when on full brightness or completely off."

Also note that you can reverse sound output on the speakers to test whether or not the problem is caused by the speakers themselves, or a software issue.

First launch "Audio MIDI Setup" (located in Applications/Utilities/Audio MIDI Setup)

Next, go to the the Audio Devices tab and click Configure Speakers. In the Stereo tab, change the left front drop down menu to 2, and the right front drop down menu to 1. Click Apply.

Please let us know your results.

Previous coverage:

• MacBook Pro (#7): Notes from service manual; Poor sound quality; more
• MacBook Pro (#5): Notes from service manual; Poor sound quality; more
• MacBook Pro #4: FireWire 800 cards for ExpressCard/34 slot on the way
• MacBook Pro #3: Ship date; Lack of third-party adapters; Adding a FireWire 800 port; ExpressCard issues
• MacBook Pro (#2): SuperDrive apparently not dual-layer; S-Video out gone; No internal modem
• Apple releases MacBook Pro Core Duo: 4-5X faster than PowerBook G4, shipping February

Resources