The “Black Screen of Death” on a Samsung TV can be caused by a variety of issues, including a hardware problem with the TV itself, an issue with the cable or satellite connection, or a problem with the source device (such as a cable box or game console). It can also be caused by a software glitch or firmware issue. In some cases, the issue may be resolved by simply unplugging the TV and plugging it back in, or by performing a software update.
If the problem persists try the solutions outlined in this article.
How To Fix The Samsung TV Black Screen of Death
This article will teach you 15 ways to fix the Samsung TV black screen of death. Let’s get right to it!
1. Reboot/Power Cycle The TV
If there’s one thing every technician would tell you, it’s that a reboot can solve many of the issues our devices face. Before you start to panic or try anything else, you should first try to reboot the TV or, better still, power cycle it.
You can do this by unplugging the TV from its power source, leaving it unplugged for about 30 seconds, and then plugging it back in.
2. Ensure You Correctly Plugged In All Cables
Sometimes, the cause of the black screen of death is a connection that’s not correctly in place.
Most multimedia devices in our sitting rooms are connected using cables, and many times it can get messy connecting many devices. In such cases, tangling cords can pull some connections from being correctly plugged in, causing the TV to run into the black screen of death.
The easy fix to this is to unplug all power and multimedia cables from your TV and plug them back in one after the other. You can prevent the need to rearrange your cords by getting a Cable Management Sleeve.
When you plug the devices back in, ensure they are all plugged in all the way; also, if you’re using an RCA cable, ensure you put the cords in the correct ports.
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3. Check The Connected Devices
In some cases, the cause of the black screen of death is not the TV but the devices connected to it. You should check to ensure that the devices connected to the TV are still switched on and functioning correctly.
Also, if you’re using a device that needs broadcast signals to function, a signal loss can cause your device to display a black screen.
Some 4K output devices might have issues working on a TV with inferior quality. The reason is that the TV would not display in the resolution that the device is trying to send to it. In such instances, try to connect the device to a 4K TV and reduce the display quality before reconnecting it to your TV.
4. Use A Different Input Source
The cause of a black screen of death can also be a bad input source. Most TVs have multiple inputs, like HDMI, VGA, RCA, etc. If your source device has multiple output ports, you should try them with the TV.
Even devices with only a single type of input source usually have multiple ports; in such case, you should try them all; for example, switch from HDMI 1 to HDMI 2.
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5. Select The Proper TV Input Source
If your TV has multiple input sources, you must select the right one; you’ll be left with a black screen if you don’t. If your TV has multiple input sources, check the port into which you have plugged your input device and verify that your TV is on the same input source; if this isn’t the case, do so with your remote.
6. Check For Issues With Remote
It’s not uncommon for you to mistakenly sit on your TV remote. In doing so, you could’ve pressed a button on the remote that’s causing the issue, or you might have a remote button that is stuck in. When you notice your TV showing the black screen of death, always check for any issues with the remote control.
7. Use A Voltage Regulator
Having the correct voltage is essential to your TV functioning properly. Excessively high or low electric current can cause damage to your TV; as a way to protect the TV from damage, most Samsung TVs have voltage protectors that switch the TV off when there is an abnormal surge of current.
To prevent this issue, you should avoid plugging your TV directly into the power source but into a voltage regulator.
8. Check For Overheating
All electronic appliances do not function well in extreme heat, and your Samsung TV is no different. Much newer Samsung TVs can detect when they’re overheating and turn themselves off automatically to prevent damage.
If you notice the black screen of death and you observe that your TV is extremely hot, you can do the following:
- Turn the TV and unplug it from its power source.
- Switch the position of the TV to a more ventilated part of the room if it isn’t already.
- To make the TV cool down faster, you can put a standing fan behind the TV.
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9. Turning Off The Sleep Timer
It’s not uncommon for people to sleep off with their TVs on or forget to turn them off before leaving the house.
To prevent the TV from running when no one is using it, most TVs have sleep timers that count down the user’s last activity with the remote control. If you don’t use your remote till the timer elapses, your TV will automatically switch off.
Because the timer is not visible, it’s easy to get worried about the cause of your TV going off on its own. Here’s how you can turn off the sleep timer:
- Open your TV Settings menu.
- Select System and then Time.
- Choose the Sleep Timer and if you observe it’s on, switch it Off.
10. Disable Power Saver Setting
Another reason some TVs display the black screen is if the power saver setting is on. Some TVs have this setting turned on to prevent your TV from running when you aren’t using it, thereby saving you some money on your next electricity bill.
The issue with power saver on some Samsung TVs, though, is that they can be unintuitive and can lead to you being left with a black screen while watching your TV. Here’s how to do it:
- Using your remote, navigate to Settings on your TV.
- Select the Energy Saving mode and turn it off. Sometimes you might find it in System Settings.
11. Unsupported Or Outdated App
Most Samsung Smart TVs run on the Android operating system, which means access to a wide range of Android apps on your TV.
However, not all Android apps are optimized for use on Smart TVs, and when you install and try to run them, your TV could get stuck in the black screen of death. If you notice that your TV gets stuck in the black screen whenever you open a specific app, the app is likely the cause of the problem.
To fix this issue, unplug your TV from power for a few seconds, plug it back and switch it on. When you switch on your TV, proceed to uninstall the app from your TV.
Sometimes, an outdated app can lead to the same black screen issue; in this case, you need to update the app and see if that fixes the issue; if it doesn’t, uninstall and install the app again.
12. Update TV Firmware
Developers of modern TV firmware regularly release updates to add new features, security functions, and repair software issues. When you don’t update your TV when due, it can lead to issues such as the black screen of death.
To update your Samsung TV, you would need your TV connected to the internet, then follow the steps below:
- Go to settings and select Support.
- Select Software Update and press Update Now.
To prevent black screen issues in the future, you should enable Auto Update in that same menu to allow your TV to download future updates automatically. Note that this would come at data costs.
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13. Factory Reset The TV
You’ll likely encounter software bugs, glitches, and viruses as you continually use your Samsung Smart TV. When this is the case, your TV could get stuck on the black screen of death. To fix this, you would need to reset your TV to the factory settings; here’s how you do it:
- Open your TV Menu and select Settings.
- Select Support, and then Self Diagnosis.
- On the Self Diagnosis page, select Reset.
- To reset your TV, you need to provide the PIN; the default PIN is 0000 unless you’ve changed it.
- Your TV will restart after the process is complete.
Note: Resetting your TV would lead to a loss of every saved data on the device
14. Check Your TV Backlight
Your TV backlight getting bad might cause the device to be stuck on the black screen. You can check if the TV backlight is bad by doing the following:
- Turn on your TV set and get a bright flashlight.
- Point the flashlight 1 to 2 inches away from the screen. If you can see an image where the flashlight beam hits the screen, it means you have a broken backlight.
- The cause of this is a solid hit to the TV, and repairing it would cost a lot, sometimes as much as getting a new TV.
15. Take The TV To A Professional Technician
If you’ve tried every self-help and troubleshooting solution on the list, the obvious thing to do next is to take your TV to a professional technician. Most Samsung TVs come with at least 12 months warranty, so if it’s an involuntary device failure, your warranty should cover that.
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