TV screen problems
Black spots, grey or dim pictures, lines, bands and colour faults on a television — which are board faults worth repairing, and which mean the panel is finished.
Open this page in the TV's own browser, or cast it from your phone, so the colours fill the TV screen.
Run the colour test first
Step through the colours full screen. A fault that stays put on every colour is in the panel; one that changes or disappears is a signal, setting or driver problem.
Find your fault
Test the TV, not the box
Before anything else, change the input and unplug every source. Most televisions show a "no signal" screen on an empty input. If the fault is on that screen, it is the television. If it only appears on one input, the fault is the set-top box, the console or the HDMI cable — not the TV.
Faults that are usually repairable
Televisions are more repairable than monitors, because the expensive failures tend to be on boards rather than the panel. Sound but no picture, or a very dim image visible only with a torch held close to the screen, is usually the backlight — failed LED strips, a routine and reasonably priced repair. Wide vertical bands or a distorted image often trace to the T-Con board. No power, clicking, or a standby light that will not start is usually the power board and its capacitors. All three are worth quoting for.
Faults that mean the panel is finished
A cracked panel — spidering, a black blot with lines radiating out, or a spreading dark area after an impact — cannot be repaired. Thin, sharp single lines fixed in place are usually driver failures on the glass itself, which is not a serviceable part. Dead pixels are permanent. In each case the panel is most of the value of the television, so a replacement set is nearly always the better buy.
Uneven brightness, clouding and banding
Patchy brightness on dark scenes, brighter corners, or faint vertical bands on a grey field are backlight uniformity problems. Mild versions are normal on edge-lit LCD televisions and no maker accepts them as faults. Severe clouding or a bright flashlight effect at one corner is worth a warranty claim while the set is covered — photograph it on a black screen in a dark room, which is the evidence a maker will ask for.
What a repair costs
United States: $150–400 for a T-con or main board repair; a panel is usually more than a new TV under 50"
India: ₹2,500–8,000 for a board repair at a local TV technician; panels ₹8,000–30,000, usually not worth it under 43"
Warranty
Most makers replace a panel under warranty for physical panel faults that are not accidental damage; pressure marks, cracks and liquid damage are treated as accidental and are not covered. For dead pixels, each brand has a threshold (typically 3–5 bright or 5–8 dark pixels on a laptop; Dell's premium-panel guarantee replaces at one bright pixel).
Frequently asked questions
My TV has sound but no picture. Is it worth fixing?
Usually yes. Sound with no image, or an image visible only with a torch held close to the screen, points at failed backlight LED strips. That is a common, reasonably priced repair rather than a panel failure.
Can a cracked TV screen be repaired?
No. The panel is not repairable and replacing it costs more than most televisions are worth. A crack usually also spreads. Replacement is the practical answer.
What causes vertical lines on a TV?
Wide bands or distortion usually come from the T-Con board, which is repairable. Thin, sharp, fixed single lines are usually a failure on the panel itself, which is not.
Other screens
Phone screen problems · Laptop screen problems · MacBook screen problems · Computer monitor problems · Any screen
Also free on Toolsitz: Screen Test Tool — no login.