You know those hours that you don’t want to spend anywhere but on the couch, with a bag of chips and a pint of ice cream at your side as you binge watch TV series that you don’t even remember starting? Or maybe you have family movie night every Friday – well, no matter what it is, if this pastime has become part of your routine the last thing you want is to settle in ready to start your favorite show, only for the TV to start acting up. Knowing what the most common TV problems are, as well as the easy fixes you can try, might just save you some time and stress. Let’s take a look!
1. TV Won’t Turn On
This is perhaps one of the most frustrating TV problems there is, but it turns out that the solution might be pretty easy. Sometimes all you have to do for a quick fix for an Element TV not turning on is to change the batteries in your remote. If your TV still won’t turn on, the next thing you should do is to check that it’s plugged in and that the outlet has power. Next, try plugging something else into the same outlet just to see if there’s a power issue with it. If you have another TV at home, try swapping out its power cord with yours to see if there’s a malfunction with the cord. If you still can’t get your TV to turn on, it might be time to call in for help from a professional.
2. TV Turns On But There’s No Picture
The second most common issue is when your TV turns on, but there’s no picture. This is perhaps even more frustrating than the previous issue, especially if it happens on movie night or when you have friends over to watch a game. If your TV turns on but there’s no picture, the first thing you should try is to check that it’s not tuned to the incorrect input. You can do this by pressing the button on your remote labeled “Source” or “Input,” which will let you cycle through your options and find what you want. You can also try turning the TV adapter box on and off. The last thing you can do is try a quick reset of the picture setting by going into your TV’s settings menu and then returning to the main screen.
3. Picture Looks Distorted
Sometimes the picture might look distorted while you’re watching your favorite show, but there’s no real reason for concern because this is usually just an issue that goes away after a while. You can try switching the input like you did when you were looking for your TV’s picture. If this doesn’t work, try cycling through the different picture modes to see if one of them fixes your problem. Your last resort should be to do a quick reset on either the TV settings or the video settings by choosing “Reset” and then “OK” on your remote. However, If the issue doesn’t resolve after all of this, there might be an actual problem with the TV, and you’ll need to have it serviced.
4. Horizontal or Vertical Lines on Your Screen
This is a problem that’s often caused by the TV being too close to an antenna, or other electrical equipment. The first thing you should do is to move your TV away from these items and see if this fixes the problem. You can also try plugging the equipment into a different outlet elsewhere in the home just to eliminate any power issues with that particular room’s electrical setup. If none of this works, there might be a faulty component inside of the TV. If you don’t feel comfortable trying to fix the problem yourself, it would be best for you to have a professional come in and take a look.
5. Black and White Picture
If your TV is stuck on the channel with all the black and white programs and won’t move past it, first you should check if it’s tuned to an analog station. If not, there might be something wrong with your cable, so you should try unplugging the TV and then plugging it back in. Another fix for this common issue is to check the channel’s settings menu to make sure that it’s not turned down to an option lower than the standard definition. You can play around with these settings since there should be an option to put everything back into default mode.
6. Video And Audio Out Of Sync
If you’ve been watching a video and the sound is off by several seconds, it could be because of an incorrect setting. The first thing you should try is to go into the menu settings on your TV to check if there are any options for lip-sync or audio delay. Another possible fix is to adjust this setting on your home theater system or audio receiver. If this doesn’t work, the TV might be the problem because there could be a faulty encoding chip inside it that prevents it from running properly. However, if the issue occurs with multiple devices, it might mean that the signal is being sent from another source. You can try unplugging everything and then plugging it back in to see if this gets the video and audio working properly again.
7. TV Is Slow Or Freezes
When your TV starts acting slowly or freezes while you’re using it, there’s usually a simple fix for this problem, and all you have to do is restart it. To do this, simply unplug the TV for a few minutes and then plug it back in. If this method doesn’t resolve your problem, it might be necessary for you to do a factory reset on your TV. If this last option doesn’t work, you’ll probably need to have the TV serviced for an actual repair. Of course, it could also be that the issue is with the provider and not the TV at all, so in this case, you might want to wait a couple of hours to see if it sorts itself out. If not, you might need to contact the company and request a service call.
Though there are many more issues that can come with your TV and how it functions, these seven are some of the most common problems that people end up having to deal with. However, if none of these simple fixes work for you then you might have to contact a professional about coming out and taking a look at your TV.
