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Nakul
Newbie

Re: Roku TCL TV insanely dim/dark screen

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I'm having the same problem. Change picture setting to movie it works but this is weird 

Visitor45763
Roku Guru

Re: Roku TCL TV insanely dim/dark screen

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@Nakul , look at your home>settings>system>update. That will tell you the date it was last updated. If the problem started then, that would be informative (maybe not helpful).

If you still have a warranty, open a claim now. Don't let the tv maker say it's Roku's responisbility. If you don't have a warranty, you're probably out of luck. Roku will tell you it's the tv maker's responsibility. There are videos about fixing a backlight problem (could be one of 2-3 boards. Or, could be the backlight strips. Or, it could be Roku's software "evolved" to a point it doesn't work with that tv anymore. Not fixable with new boards. That would be a risk, spending money trying to fix something that the software broke, or will with the next update. It may be better to cut your losses.).

You could try home>settings>system>advanced>factory reset. Tell the resulting setup that you'll setup internet later. That will bring the tv up in a lighter, seemingly different software. The antenna-tv UI is very different (and better, IMO). If you can watch antenna tv & stream through HDMI port, and the problem is gone, that might be a way to continue to use your tv. (At some point you could go to settings>networks and connect to the network, see if the problem returns. But, then you're exposing your tv to future updates which could break it. It could be good to leave it in the "dumb tv" mode and not press your luck.). 

"People are often amazed at how much we’ve done with the number of engineers we’ve got." (Roku CEO Anthony Wood, Austin Statesman, Oct 4, 2019). "Amazed" is one way of putting it.
GeneralMayhem
Channel Surfer

Re: Roku TCL TV insanely dim/dark screen

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Changing the mode with the * button on remote from "vivid" to "movie" mode worked for me.

Maizy
Newbie

Re: Roku TCL TV insanely dim/dark screen

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Lovely38 thanks so much. Your tip about setting to movie mode worked!

Mellon
Newbie

Re: Roku TCL TV insanely dim/dark screen

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Same problem . My picture setting was on low power and I put it on normal and this has improved the brightness.

lancertcl
Reel Rookie

Re: Roku TCL TV insanely dim/dark screen

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This just happened to me this afternoon.  I used the tv this morning and it was fine.  After lunch turned it on around 130pm and everything was dark.   I thought it was thru my cable box but it wasnt.  I tried my PS4 and Xbox inputs to compare and same thing, it was so dark that some games I could not even see the details.

It said the tv did some system check around noon today.

Anyway, I did System Restart and now it's back to normal. 

No idea why it did that.  Will keep an eye out for it.  Hopefully nothing wrong w/ the tv itself because I love this tv and it's the best tv I've ever owned.  I've only owned this TCL for about a year.

0 Kudos

Re: Roku TCL TV insanely dim/dark screen

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@Annie22 wrote:

Waking up this morning I noticed my Roku tcl tv was dim to the point of a black screen. Shining a light on the screen would show the big white lettering slightly better, but any grey/small text is lost to the dark. I honestly havent even touched visual or developer settings before today, so this happened for seemingly no reason, as far as I know. Roku TCL TV Model 40s305.


When turning the tv on it'll flash normal/bright, showing the red "loading" screen clearly, for nearly 1 second, before dimming again. I've reset my settings, replaced my surge protector/tried a normal outlet, I've reset my roku (both with a 1 hour power cycle, and a hard reset from in the settings). I've turned my brightness up & down, and even factory reset my roku tv. When I tried plugging a roku stick into my roku tv, and selecting hdmi 1, it'll show up named "roku #2" but the tv was still dark. I know this tv should work, considering it's bright/normal for a second when it's turning on. It was last updated December 13th and it checked for new updates 2 hours ago, to no avail. I feel like I've tried everything, hoping I can get some suggestions on any other possible solutions.

GeneralMayhem
Channel Surfer

Re: Roku TCL TV insanely dim/dark screen

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Hello,

 By reading your post it seems like you have tried most of the solutions others have had to this issue.

The only thing that worked for me, and is still working to this day, is through the menu that comes up when you press the * button on the remote, while watching a channel. The menu comes up fine, even though the rest of the screen is dark. Cycle through the options there and you should be able to change picture mode presets. Mine I changed from "vivid" to "movie" mode.

If you tried this and are still having problems, I apologize. Your post mentions changing the brightness setting, but changing the brightness through the main settings menu won't do it. 

Re: Roku TCL TV insanely dim/dark screen

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My TCV is so dark I cannot even see good enough to choose settings.  Could someone give me step by step what to press after the * button?  

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RokuDanny-R
Retired Moderator

Re: Roku TCL TV insanely dim/dark screen

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@Gary_Canfield

Thanks for the post.

The issue you are experiencing may be related to a hardware issue. Have you tried contacting TCL support yet to inquire further? I'd suggest starting there to see what options or suggestions they can provide. Each Roku TV manufacturer provides direct support for their products running the Roku OS. 

You can reach them here: https://support.tclusa.com/televisions or at 1-877-300-8837.


Thanks,
Danny

Danny R.
Roku Community Moderator