Is the video on your recent-model MacBook Pro causing you grief? It's not your eyes playing tricks on you. Apple has announced a repair program to fix Mac laptops that contain Nvidia's troubled GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor. Symptoms include distorted or scrambled video on the laptop's screen, or no video on the laptop or on an external display when the computer is on.

The GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor was included on the 15-inch and 17-inch models of the MacBook Pro (Late 2007, 2.4/2.2 GHz) and MacBook Pro (Early 2008), manufactured between May 2007 and September 2008. To determine the processor your MacBook Pro uses, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu, click the More Info button to launch System Profiler, and click Graphics/Displays in the left column. The graphics processor is displayed in the right column.

The program does not appear to be a recall. Instead, according to Apple, "if the Nvidia graphics processor in your MacBook Pro has failed, or fails within two years of the original date of purchase, a repair will be done free of charge, even if your MacBook Pro is out of warranty." If you've had to pay for this repair previously, contact Apple to get a refund.