If you are the owner of a Samsung TV, you may have experienced the so-called “black screen of death” as it’s quite a well-known glitch that happens to many.
As the name also suggests, this is a problem when the TV seems to be working fine with the exception of the display, the screen going completely black.
Naturally, it’s a frustrating issue and one that’s not very easy to fix given the circumstances.
But no worries! If you’re here because this has happened to you, here are some things you can try!
To fix the TV and get back to watching your favorite show, first we must take into consideration some possible causes.
As it turns out, the most common cause of the black screen of death involves the smart TV not receiving any signal from the satellite receiver or cable box respectively, depending on your source device.
If you use an HDMI cable to connect your TV to your source device, ensure they are correctly connected.
If, on the other hand, you use an optical connection such as RCA cables, ensure that the cables are correctly plugged into the right ports found on the back of the TV.
But, while these causes would involve easy fixes, unfortunately, there are other possible causes to take into consideration as well.
- Wrong Input
It is possible for your TV to be set on the wrong input so make sure that the input settings match the input devices you use.
- TV Signal
Another cause may involve the TV not receiving a strong enough signal from the source device so check the strength meter to find out if this is the case.
The source device should be installed correctly and pointing up, towards the sky.
- Firmware Update
It’s also possible you may need to update your firmware or that, while doing so, a problem occured.
The way you can solve this is by unplugging the TV and waiting for around 30 seconds before plugging it back in.
Ensure that the TV is connected to WiFi and then update your firmware.
- Hardware Issues or Damage
There could be something going on inside the device such as faulty circuitry as well, which is worse news since there is nothing you can do about that at home.
Instead, you need to have your TV looked at by a professional or to simply purchase another one.
Ways to Fix the Black Screen of Death
- Connect An External Monitor
If none of the solutions above apply, you could try to fix the issue by connecting your TV to an external monitor.
Here’s how you do it step by step:
– Connect TV’s HDMI output to the monitor input,
– Switch the TV over to the monitor input. Done!
- Use Different Source Device
For instance, you could try to replace your cable box with a Roku player and see if this solves the problem.
- Reset TV
If nothing else works, follow these steps to reset your TV:
– Press and hold the Menu, Power and OK buttons for a couple of seconds. You should see the light turning green,
– When that happens, press the OK button twice.
By doing this, you can clear all of the info previously stored in the TV’s memory. Doing this will hopefully allow you to see the main menu page once more.
- Check Your Antenna Connection
This is quite self-explanatory. Check the connection between your TV and your antenna to make sure it’s all good.
All in all, if none of these tips work for you, you can also try to contact Samsung Customer Support and get some more personalized support.