Television Not Showing Picture? 5 Common Fixes 2026

A television not showing picture is one of the most common TV complaints — and in 2026, it remains just as frustrating as ever. Some fixes take under two minutes and cost nothing; others require replacing circuit boards inside the set. This guide ranks the five most likely causes from easiest to most complex so you can diagnose the problem efficiently without unnecessary disassembly.

5 Common Causes for a Television Not Showing Picture

1Wrong Input Source Selected

The single most common reason a television shows a black screen is that it is set to the wrong input. When you press the power button, the TV turns on but displays nothing because it is listening on HDMI 2, for example, while your cable box or streaming device is connected to HDMI 1. This is especially common after a power outage, a new device installation, or if another household member has cycled through inputs.

Symptoms

• Screen is completely black but the TV’s power indicator light is on
• Audio may still play through the TV speakers (common with AV inputs)
• The TV’s on-screen menu appears normally when you press the Menu button

Care Plan

1. Press the Source or Input button on your remote control or directly on the TV’s side panel.
2. Cycle through each available input (HDMI 1, HDMI 2, AV, Component, etc.) and pause for 3–5 seconds on each one.
3. Check which physical port your device (cable box, game console, streaming stick) is actually plugged into, then select that matching input.
4. If the picture appears on the correct input, you are done. Take note of which input the device uses for the future.
5. If cycling through all inputs produces a black screen on every selection and you can confirm devices are powered and connected, move to Cause 2.

Common Mistakes

• Cycling inputs too quickly and not pausing long enough for each source signal to initialize — some devices take 3–5 seconds to handshake with the TV.
• Assuming the TV will switch inputs automatically. Most modern televisions do not switch inputs automatically unless CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) is enabled in the TV’s settings menu — typically found under Settings > System or Settings > Connection, depending on your brand (Samsung labels it Anynet+, LG calls it SimpLink, Sony uses Bravia Sync). If you find this setting and enable it, the TV will auto-switch to an active HDMI source in the future.

2Loose or Damaged HDMI Cable

HDMI cables are the most common signal path between a TV and an external device, and they fail more often than most people expect. A cable that has been bent sharply, half-pulled from its port, or damaged by being stepped on will drop the video signal entirely, while sometimes still passing audio. The HDMI connector itself can also develop corrosion or bent pins after years of use, causing an intermittent or total loss of picture.

Symptoms

• Picture cuts out intermittently or disappears entirely when the cable is touched or moved
• Audio continues through the TV while the screen goes black
• The problem only occurs on one specific HDMI input, not all of them

Care Plan

1. Power off both the TV and the connected device before touching any cables. Disconnecting HDMI while devices are powered on can, in rare cases, damage the HDMI controller chip on either device due to voltage differentials at the port pins.
2. Firmly press both ends of the HDMI cable fully into the port on the TV and the source device — a partially seated connector is the most common culprit.
3. Inspect the cable along its full length for sharp bends, kinks, or visible damage. Inspect the gold-plated connector pins for corrosion (greenish or darkened pins) or any that appear bent.
4. Swap in a known-good replacement HDMI cable (a certified Premium High Speed cable, available for $8–$30). Test the picture.
5. If a new cable does not restore the picture on that port, test a different HDMI port on the TV. If the picture works on another port, the original port may be damaged — use the alternate port or proceed to Cause 5 for main board diagnosis. If no port works with any cable, move to Cause 3.

Common Mistakes

• Testing with the same cable that was already suspected — always use a physically different cable to rule out the cable itself.
• Plugging the cable into the TV’s ARC/eARC-designated HDMI port when the source device is not ARC-compatible; some TVs behave differently on this port and may not display video from non-ARC sources without a settings change.

3LED Backlight Failure

LED backlights illuminate the LCD panel from behind. Over time, individual LED strips degrade, burn out, or the LED driver board that powers them fails. When the backlight stops working, the LCD panel may still be forming a correct image — but with no light behind it, the screen appears completely black. This is one of the most common hardware failures in TVs that are 4 or more years old.

Symptoms

• Screen is completely black with sound playing normally
• A soft clicking or buzzing from the back of the TV at startup — note: this sound can also indicate a power supply fault (relay cycling on a low-voltage fault) and is not exclusively diagnostic of backlight failure; use the flashlight test below to confirm
• The faint image test (described in Step 1) reveals a dim picture is present

Care Plan

1. In a dark room, with the TV on and tuned to an active channel or input, hold a flashlight close to and nearly perpendicular to the screen surface — nearly straight into the panel, not at a sharp angle — and look for a faint, dim image. At a 45-degree angle, the light largely reflects off the screen surface and makes the test harder to read; you want the beam going straight through the front diffuser layers into the panel. If you can see a faint image, the backlight has failed and the panel is intact.
2. Unplug the TV and wait at least 5 minutes before opening the back. Ideally, use a non-contact voltage tester to confirm the power supply board carries no residual charge before touching anything. Ground yourself by touching a grounded metal surface (such as a metal lamp base that is plugged in elsewhere) or wear an anti-static wrist strap before handling any internal boards — electrostatic discharge (ESD) can silently damage components.
3. Remove the back panel screws (typically Phillips #2) and set the panel aside. Locate the LED driver board — it is usually connected to the power supply board and has wiring harnesses running toward the screen edges.
4. Inspect the LED strips by carefully detaching the screen bezel and diffuser layers. Look for strips with visibly burnt or dark spots on individual LEDs.
5. Replace burned LED strips ($20–$80 for strip sets; search your TV’s model number plus “LED backlight strips” — note that parts costs scale significantly with screen size, and 55-inch and larger panels should expect the higher end of this range or above). If the driver board is the fault rather than the strips themselves, replacement driver boards run $30–$120. If you are not comfortable with this level of disassembly, contact a certified TV repair technician — a professional backlight repair typically costs $80–$200 in labor depending on your region.

Common Mistakes

• Performing the flashlight test at a sharp angle instead of nearly straight into the panel — this causes the light to reflect rather than penetrate and gives a false negative result.
• Reassembling the TV without re-seating the diffuser sheets and light guide panel in the correct order; incorrect reassembly causes bright spots, uneven lighting, or hotspots visible on the screen.

4Failed T-Con Board

The T-Con (Timing Control) board is a small circuit board inside the TV that translates the video signal from the main board into the precise timing pulses the LCD panel needs to form an image. When it fails, the backlight typically continues to function — you will often see a glow behind the panel — but no coherent image forms on screen. T-Con boards fail due to power surges, heat stress, or simple component aging.

Symptoms

• Backlight glows normally behind the panel, but the screen remains a solid, uniform grey or navy blue instead of showing an image.
• Audio plays normally, and the TV responds to remote commands (e.g., volume bar appears or you hear menu “clicks”).
• Horizontal or vertical lines, or a half-black screen, may appear just before total failure.

Care Plan

1. Perform the “Glow Test”: Turn the TV on in a completely dark room. If the screen looks slightly lighter than when it is off (a faint navy glow), the backlight is working, but the T-Con board or Main Board is likely the issue.
2. Unplug and Discharge: Unplug the TV and wait at least 5 minutes. As described in Cause 3, ensure you are grounded before touching internal components.
3. Access the T-Con Board: Remove the back panel. The T-Con board is typically a small, rectangular board located at the very top or bottom center of the TV, often hidden under a metal shield. It is connected to the main board by one or two wide, flat ribbon cables.
4. Reseat the Ribbon Cables: Carefully flip up the locking tabs on the ribbon cable connectors. Pull the cables out, inspect for corrosion on the gold pins, and firmly reseat them. Lock the tabs back down. Sometimes a loose connection due to thermal expansion is the only fault.
5. Replace the Board: If reseating fails, source an exact replacement board by matching the part number printed on the board itself (not just the TV model number). T-Con boards are relatively inexpensive, typically costing $25–$100. Reassemble and test.

Common Mistakes

• Mixing up the T-Con and Main Board. The Main Board has all the HDMI/USB inputs; the T-Con board is purely for display timing. Replacing the wrong one is a common $100 mistake.
• Tearing ribbon cables. Ribbon cables are extremely delicate. Never pull a cable without first releasing the ZIF (zero insertion force) locking latch.

5Failed Main Board or Power Supply Board

The Main Board is the “brain” of the TV, and the Power Supply Board is the “heart.” If the main board fails, it may not send the “turn on” signal to the screen. If the power supply fails, it may provide enough voltage to light the standby LED, but not enough to drive the high-current display components.

Symptoms

• The standby LED light is on (or blinking a specific code), but the TV never displays a logo or image.
• You hear a clicking sound (relay) when you try to power on, but nothing happens.
• There is no sound AND no picture, even though the TV has power.

Care Plan

1. Check for “Blink Codes”: Many modern TVs (like Sony or LG) will blink the power light in a specific pattern (e.g., 3 red blinks) if an internal board fails. Search your TV brand + “blink codes” to identify which board is suspect.
2. Visual Inspection: With the back panel removed and the unit unplugged, look at the Power Supply board for “blown” capacitors (cylinders with bulging tops) or scorched resistors.
3. Multimeter Testing: If you are skilled with a multimeter, test the DC voltage output pins on the power supply harness leading to the main board. Compare these to the labels printed on the board (typically 5V, 12V, or 24V). If the voltages are missing or low, the power board is dead.
4. Replace the Suspect Board: Order a replacement Power Supply Board ($40–$150) or Main Board ($60–$200) matching the part number exactly. Professional labor for board swaps typically adds $100–$250 to the cost.

Common Mistakes

• Ignoring a surge protector. A failed board is often the result of a power surge. If you don’t replace your old surge protector along with the TV board, you risk a repeat failure.
• Replacing boards on a TV with a cracked screen. If the internal LCD glass is cracked (even if you can’t see it when off), no board replacement will fix the picture. Confirm the screen is physically intact before buying parts.