How to Fix a TV that is Flickering ON and OFF (STEPS)

Why is my TV flickering on and off?

A TV screen can start flickering ON and OFF because of loose cable connections, dust accumulation, electrical interference or a dying power supply.

A pending software update, activated energy efficiency mode, overheating or lighting adjustment can also trigger the flickering problem.

• Loose or missing cable connections
• Dust accumulation
• Electrical interference
• Dying power supply
• Pending software update
• Activated energy efficiency mode
• Overheating
• Lighting adjustment

 

Causes of TV flickering

There are several reasons why your TV may be flickering. The flickering can take place due to one or more than one of these reasons at a time.

• Loose or missing cable connections

Loose cable connections are one of the basic causes of TV flickering. A missing connection can also cause this issue.

• Dust accumulation

Dust accumulation on the TV panel can pave way for the flickering. It isn’t uncommon for the TV ports to get dusty over time.

• Electrical interference

The flickering may occur due to electrical interference of the signals from other appliances in the nearby surroundings. This often happens with a Wi-Fi router in proximity to the TV.

• Dying power supply

The TV may flicker if it’s associated with a defective power supply or there is a problem with the circuitry of the power supply.

• Pending software update

The TV may have a long-overdue software update. The flicker is likely to be due to outdated software.

• Activated energy efficiency mode

The energy efficiency mode setting can at times result in the TV flicker if it has been activated.

• Overheating

If the TV has been ON for a long time, it can get overheated. This overheating may make way for flickering to occur.

• Lighting adjustment

The fluorescent lighting in the room can trigger flickering in your TV. This is especially true if you have a plasma TV.

 

 

How to stop my TV flickering?

You can try to stop your TV from flickering by checking the cable connections, removing the accumulated dust, eliminating electrical interference sources or replacing the power supply.

If these methods don’t work, you can do a software update, disable the energy efficiency mode, turn OFF your television for some time or adjust the lighting in the room.

The following steps can help you to stop the TV flickering issue. You may have to at times opt for more than one fix to resolve the problem.

• Check all cable connections to and from your TV. If any of them appear loose, secure them tightly in place. On the other hand, if you notice any connection that has come off, redo the connection.
• Clean the TV thoroughly with a soft damp cloth after turning it OFF. You may want to use a blower to get rid of the dust in the ports.
• Look out for sources of electrical interference near the TV and change their positions. Often, moving the Wi-Fi router a few feet farther from the television stops the flickering.
• Connect a properly working power supply in place of the old one. This will help if it was the power supply that caused the issue.
• Watch out for a pending software update and update it to the most recent version. You will often find the option to do this under Support or Settings.
• Check if the energy efficiency mode has been activated on your TV. If so, you must consider disabling this setting.
• Turn OFF the TV and allow it to rest for some time before you turn it ON again. The extended usage can cause the fan to function improperly and result in overheating.
• Decrease the intensity of the fluorescent lighting in the room where the TV is kept. At times, you may have to turn them OFF completely.

 

Why is my TV flickering on one side?

Your TV is likely to be flickering on one side due to a failing backlight, one or more blown-out capacitors or a variation in the LED power voltage.

• Check for a failing backlight on the rear panel of the TV. While it might be just one or two failing LED backlights, it’s often recommended that you change the entire strip. You can also call a technician to help you with this if you’re not comfortable about doing it yourself.
• Inspect the power supply board for blown-out capacitors. Replace them with new ones featuring the same specifications.
• Look out for variations in the LED power voltage on either side of the power board. Getting this set right should stop the flickering. You may be able to use your remote control to help with the adjustment.

 

Why does my TV flicker and then go black?

Your TV tends to flicker and then go black because of a faulty mainboard, a defective power board or a failed backlight. This problem can also arise if the ambient light detection setting is activated.

• Connect a new and identical mainboard in place of the old one. Remember to do the connections exactly like they were for the old board. The flicker will stop if the mainboard was the problem.
• Replace the old power board with another one. You may want to check out the possibility of just a few capacitors getting blown-out and changing them before changing the board itself.
• Check if you have a backlight problem and replace the failing light or the inverter board powering the backlights. To do this check, make the room dark when the screen turns black and set the TV to a working channel. Flash a torchlight on the screen and look closely to see if you can decipher any silhouette on the screen. If you can, it’s the backlight that needs your attention.
• Turn OFF the ambient light detection setting on your TV. You can use the Home button on your remote to proceed with doing this setting.

 

Why does my TV flicker then turn off?

A TV can start flickering and then turning OFF due to a bad HDMI connection or a pending power cycle. Failing power supply capacitors can also be the reason if the problem occurs when the television has been OFF for a long time.

• Check the HDMI cable for visible damage signs or malfunctioning and change it if needed. If there is no problem with the cable, it may be the HDMI port that is triggering the issue. Swap the HDMI connection to a different port.
• Do a power cycle using the Power button on the television and not on the remote. Disconnect the TV from the wall outlet and keep the Power button pressed for a minute. Redo the connection and turn ON the TV once again press the Power button.
• Check the power supply board for leaking or bulging capacitors. These are giveaway signs that those capacitors are failing and have to be replaced.

 

Why does my TV flicker when connected to PC/laptop HDMI

Your TV flickers when connected to a PC/laptop HDMI port due to a faulty HDMI port or a defective HDMI cable. The flicker may also be just because of a loose connection of the HDMI cable.

• Try using a different HDMI port and check if doing so resolves the problem. Most televisions have more than one HDMI port. Sometimes, the port may be fine but the dust in it can trigger the flicker. You can try cleaning the same port to get rid of the dust and check if it helps before doing a port swap.
• Look out for signs of bending or breaking of the HDMI cable. Such signs call for a cable replacement to fix the problem. In some cases, the cable may malfunction even if it appears to be in good condition. You will have to change the cable in this case as well.
• Check if the HDMI cable connection is loose or has come off at both the PC/laptop and TV ends. If so, securing a firm connection can arrest the flicker.
• Lower the display settings to 16-bit color. Decreasing the setting from 32-bit to 16-bit has worked for some people.

If neither of these steps nor a factory reset works, the TV may have a hardware failure. You will need the assistance of a technician to resolve the problem or you can get it replaced if it’s within the warranty period.

 

Why is my TV screen flickering green pixels?

A TV screen can start flickering green pixels because of a defective HDMI cable or a very high refresh rate. Flickering may also be due  to a defective graphics card, outdated drivers or damaged VGA cables.

• Check for a malfunctioning or damaged HDMI cable and replace it with another cable of the same specifications.
• Check the display settings of the monitor to see if the refresh rate is very high. Lowering this setting will remove the green flickering pixels from the TV screen.
• Disconnect the existing monitor and fix a new monitor to check if the problem recurs. If there are no flickering green pixels, the original monitor has a problem and needs to be changed.
• Look out for a defective graphics card and do a replacement. You can confirm this through the above step by checking if the flickering green pixels appear on the second monitor as well. If they do, you can be assured that there is a problem with the graphics card.
• Check for pending updates for the drivers of the monitor and graphics card. Update the drivers to their latest versions.
• Watch out for the wear and tear of the video cables and replace them. Take this opportunity to check if screw the cable in properly if it’s in good condition and tighten the loose monitor cable connection if required.

 

Why is my TV screen flickering during dark scenes?

A TV screen is likely to be flickering during dark scenes due to a dynamic contrast setting, a turned on room light sensor or an activated black adjust feature.

Sometimes, the problem occurs as a result of a pending firmware update, an HDMI cable issue or an HDR setting.

• Check if dynamic contrast has been activated through the TV’s settings and turn it OFF to stop the dark scene flickering.
• Look out for the activation of a setting that turns ON the room light sensor and deactivate it. You may want to turn ON the Game mode instead.
• Turn OFF the black adjust feature on your TV. This feature is often called black frame insertion or match frame rate.
• Watch out for outdated firmware and make sure you update it to the latest version as the old version might be the cause for the flickering during dark scenes.
• Inspect the HDMI cable for signs of damage or improper functioning. In either case, you have to change the cable.
• Deactivate the HDR setting and opt for an SDR setting instead. Some people have found that this kind of flickering occurs only when they have HDR activated.

 

Why TV flickers when watching Netflix?

The TV flickers when watching Netflix possibly because of poor streaming quality, a mainboard issue or a game overlay setting in the graphics card.

• Try using a wired Internet connection in place of a wireless connection and see if the problem persists. Sometimes, a poor wireless connection can affect the streaming quality and produces flickers.
• Check if the flickering happens with all inputs. If so, you likely have to change the mainboard because it’s failing.
• Check if the graphics card has a game overlay setting and turn it OFF to stop the flickering problem.

 

Why does my TV flicker when a light switch is turned on?

Your TV is probably flickering when a light switch is turned ON due to a common power connection, a fluorescent light or an HDMI cable issue.

• Look out for a common power connection between the TV and the light switch. Separating the connections will address the problem.
• Seek the assistance of an electrician to check for electrical arcing between the switch contacts and clear this issue.
• If the light switch is associated with fluorescent light, replace the light with a traditional incandescent fixture as the EMF from the fluorescent light may be the reason for the flicker.
• If the HDMI cable has a problem, the flicker might take place even when you turn ON or OFF a light switch. Do a cable replacement.

 

How do I stop my Samsung TV from flickering?

You can stop your Samsung TV from flickering by disabling the eco solution feature, turning OFF the ambient light detection function, adjusting the minimum backlight or turning the energy saving mode OFF.

• Disable the Eco Solutions feature in your TV through the Settings option in the main menu using your remote.
• Turn OFF the ambient light detection function. This function will automatically get deactivated if the Eco Solutions feature has been disabled as mentioned above in 2016 and earlier models. For later models, you can do this through Settings followed by General, Eco Solution and Ambient Light Detection in that order. Set the toggle switch to the OFF position.
• Make sure that the backlight is set to maximum. This setting can be done only if the Ambient Light Detection feature is activated. To set the minimum backlight, press Home on the remote followed by Settings. Select General in the left pane and then Eco Solution in the right pane. Select Minimum Backlight and press Enter. Move the slider towards the right to increase the brightness according to your preference.
• Turn OFF the energy saving mode. To do this, go to the Eco Solution feature as mentioned above. Select Energy Saving Mode and press Enter on the remote to turn the feature OFF. This mode is known as Power Saving Mode in some models.

 

How do I stop my LG TV from flickering?

You can stop your LG TV from flickering by disabling the energy saving mode or disconnecting the external devices connected to your television.

• Disable the energy saving mode using the remote. Press the SMART button and select Settings followed by Picture and Energy Saving. Press Enter and set the energy saving mode to OFF.
• Do a picture test to confirm that the problem is with the external devices and not the TV. To do this, press SMART followed by Settings, Support and Picture Test in that order. Press Enter on the remote. If the test shows positive results, proceed to check the external devices.

 

As a first step, turn OFF the TV and the external devices. Disconnect the cable from each device and check for damage signs. If you notice such a cable, change it immediately.

If the cables are okay, reconnect the devices one by one and check which device is causing the flicker. Remember to turn OFF the power connection each time you connect a device and turn it ON for each check.