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Hulu Screen Not Working

There’s no use having a streaming service if the screen is not working. This is a common issue with the Hulu app on multiple devices, and can leave users feeling frustrated and ready to unsubscribe. Before you do the same, this article provides a number of solutions to common screen-related issues with Hulu.

Most screen problems on Hulu relate to firmware bugs. These issues will only be permanently fixed by updating Hulu regularly. However, temporary fixes include restarting or reinstalling the app, troubleshooting the network, resetting your device, adjusting display settings or clearing the app cache.

Woman watching TV

I will explain each of these solutions throughout this article, including which specific screen problems you should use them for. Sometimes even your network’s download speed can affect the Hulu screen.

Hulu Screen Not Centered

Frustrated man while watching tv

Bug. Report it and Update Hulu (need to wait for developers to release bug fix.

Seems to happen after every commercial break. Restart Hulu for a temporary fix.

Update Hulu

The screen in Hulu sometimes goes off-center, particularly after commercial breaks. This glitch occurs because of a bug in the Hulu firmware. Therefore, the only way for the bug to be permanently fixed is for the developers to release a bug fix in the next firmware update.

For this reason, you should always report the bug to Hulu to alert developers of the issue. Then you should keep your Hulu app up to date to ensure the fix is installed when it is released. Updating Hulu varies for each device, but the steps below should work on most devices.

Step 1: Open your device’s App Store, Google Play Store or Application Settings.
Step 2: Find the Hulu app.
Step 3: Select ‘Check for Updates’ or ‘Update’.
Step 4: Once the update is complete, restart your device.

Restart Hulu

Although it is ideal for the Hulu developers to release a bug fix, this is not always going to happen straight away. In the meantime, users have found that restarting the Hulu app works as a temporary fix to this problem.

To do this, you will need to exit the Hulu app. Make sure to close the app fully so it is not running in the background. Once the app has been closed, simply re-open Hulu and try watching your show again.

Hulu Black Screen With Audio

Frustrated man while watching tv

When experiencing a black screen in the Hulu app, you will need to reset the system. Some people only need to restart the Hulu app for this to be fixed, which has been detailed above. If this does not work, you should try the following troubleshooting steps, in the same order.

Log Out of Hulu

Step 1: While in the Hulu app, select the accounts icon from the navigation bar.
Step 2: Select ‘Log Out’.

Delete the App

Step 1: Go to your device’s application settings or installed channels/apps menu.
Step 2: Find and select the Hulu app.
Step 3: Select ‘Delete’ or ‘Uninstall’.

Some devices will allow you to delete the app from the home screen. This is done by pressing and holding the app until more options appear, or pressing the options button while hovering over the app. From there, you can choose to delete the app.

Once the app has been deleted or uninstalled, you should progress onto resetting your device and modem/router, detailed below. You will then reinstall the app once the reset process is complete.

Unplug or Reset your Device

Step 1: Unplug your device from its power source (or remove the battery).
Step 2: Wait a few minutes while the device discharges any remaining power.
Step 3: Do not plug the device back in until the modem and router have been reset.

If you have a phone, tablet or laptop that does not have a removable battery, you will need to follow the directions outlined on the device’s support website (or operating manual) to perform a ‘hard reset’. Otherwise, you can try simply shutting the device down and turning it back on once the modem/router has been reset.

Reset your Modem and Router

Step 1: Unplug both the modem and router from their power source.
Step 2: Wait at least one minute.
Step 3: Plug the modem back into the power.
Step 4: After the modem has fully rebooted, plug the router back in.
Step 5: Wait for the router to fully reboot before turning your device back on.

Reinstall the App

Step 1: Open the App/Channel Store or Google Play Store on your device.
Step 2: Search for and select the Hulu app.
Step 3: Select ‘Install’, or select the cloud icon (iOS devices).

Once the app has been reinstalled, the screen should be working again. This issue seems to be related to a bug in Hulu’s firmware and will need to be fixed by developers. You should try to keep your Hulu app up to date so that any bug fixes that are released can be installed on your device.

Hulu Screen Too Dark

disappointed man while watching tv

Brightness

The brightness of the Hulu app has been reported as too low when watching videos, making it hard to watch certain night scenes. This is particularly common in shows such as ‘30 Rock’.

Firstly, this may be because the brightness on your TV or device is too low. You can adjust this in the device’s display settings. You might need to adjust the contrast as well or change the display preset.

If you use other streaming apps and do not have any issues with them, then this may be a bug in the Hulu firmware. In this instance, you will need to wait for the bug to be fixed and keep your app up to date. This process has been outlined earlier in the article.

Secondly, certain TVs display true black, such as OLED, whereas others with a backlight can never display true black. These TVs naturally have lower contrast, which washes out the image and can make dark colours harder to distinguish. This is a TV-specific issue, but could explain why shows appear too dark.

User Interface

The user interface will be dark if you have enabled ‘Dark Mode’ on your Hulu app. This feature is designed to make the overall interface darker (menus, backgrounds, etc.) to prevent strain on your eyes at night.

These settings are easy to access through the user menu (your username in the top). In this menu, you should see the ‘Night Mode’ option. Try toggling this option to ‘Off’ to see if this was the cause of your problems.

Hulu Screen Too Big

Confused Man while watching TV

Sometimes Hulu content will zoom in for no apparent reason, particularly after commercial breaks. This can be frustrating as it cuts out a decent amount of the image, making the show unwatchable.

Below are troubleshooting tips that have been discussed earlier in this article that may solve this issue on your device. Otherwise, you may need to adjust your display settings.

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on September 21, 2021.

  • Update the Hulu app (to fix any bugs)
  • Restart the Hulu app (close and reopen the app)
  • Uninstall and reinstall the Hulu app
  • Reset your device

Adjust your Display Settings

The first thing you should change in your device’s display settings is the auto-detect function. This function is supposed to automatically select the best display settings for your device, but will allow the Hulu app to adjust these settings without your knowledge. This could lead to the problems you have been facing.

To turn off this automatic feature, you will need to manually select a display type. Many users have found that selecting ‘720p’ resolves the issue with the display zooming in and the screen becoming too big. Below is how you can change these settings.

Step 1: Open ‘Settings’ on your device.
Step 2: Find and select ‘Display’.
Step 3: Set your display to ‘720p’ or ‘1280×720’ or ‘16:9’.

Hulu Screen Too Small

Confused Man while watching TV

A Hulu screen that is too small seems to be an issue with Samsung Tablets. If you are a Samsung user, you should be able to fix this issue through your Samsung’s display settings, using the steps below. This may also be applicable to other devices.

Step 1: Open ‘Settings’ on your device.
Step 2: Navigate to ‘Display > Screen Zoom’.
Step 3: Select ‘Large’.

Other than this issue, your Hulu app should have a fullscreen option. For those that do not have the ability to make their video fullscreen, Hulu is working on a fix to this bug. Therefore, you should keep your app up to date, following the steps mentioned earlier in this article.

Hulu Screen Frozen

Confused woman while watching TV

A frozen Hulu screen could be due to a glitch in the app, which could be resolved using one of the troubleshooting methods below. These have been detailed earlier in the article. Another possibility is that the cache is too full or the temporary files are corrupt, causing the content to freeze or crash.

  • Restart the Hulu app
  • Update the Hulu app
  • Reset your device
  • Uninstall and reinstall the Hulu app

Clear the Cache

You can clear the Hulu app cache by uninstalling the app and reinstalling it. However, some devices will allow you to clear the cache without having to do this. Generally, the cache can be cleared through your device’s application settings, outlined below.

Step 1: Open your device’s settings.
Step 2: Select ‘Applications’.
Step 3: Find and select Hulu.
Step 4: Select ‘Clear Cache’ and/or ‘Clear Data’.

Alternatively, particularly on gaming consoles, this option may be under the device’s storage settings instead. In this case, clearing the cache should be an option under ‘saved data’ or ‘memory unit’.

Hulu Full Screen Not Working

disappointed old woman watching tv

There’s nothing quite like settling in for a movie night, only to find that Hulu’s full-screen feature isn’t working. Have you ever experienced this annoyance, and wondered what might be causing it?

A frequent reason for Hulu not displaying in full screen is an outdated web browser. Make sure your browser is updated to the latest version. Outdated browsers can have compatibility issues with streaming services like Hulu. Update your browser and restart it to resolve the full-screen issue.

Another reason Hulu may not work in full screen is due to conflicting browser extensions or plugins. Some extensions, particularly those related to ad-blocking or privacy, can interfere with Hulu’s playback. To fix this, try disabling extensions, especially any ad blockers, and then restart the browser. Check if Hulu now works in full screen. If it does, you can enable the extensions one by one to identify the culprit.

Finally, problems with Hulu’s full-screen mode can stem from corrupted cache and cookies in your browser. These temporary files can sometimes get corrupted, leading to various playback issues, including full-screen problems. Clearing your browser’s cache and cookies can often resolve these issues. Go to your browser’s settings, find the option to clear browsing data, select to delete cookies and cached files, and then restart the browser. After this, try accessing Hulu again to see if the full-screen feature is functioning properly.

Hulu Screen Won’t Rotate

confused couple watching tv

Device Display Settings

The first thing you should consider if your Hulu app is not rotating is your device’s display settings. Most phones and tablets have a rotation lock feature, which means you can turn your device without the screen rotating automatically. Check that this feature has been disabled.

Another setting, particularly for iPhones, is the zoomed display. This feature may prevent some apps from rotating, including Hulu. If this is the case, setting this feature to ‘Standard’ using the steps below should solve the problem.

Step 1: Open your device’s settings.
Step 2: Navigate to ‘Display & Brightness > View’.
Step 3: Select ‘Standard’.

Hulu Screen Won’t Load

Check your Internet Connection

The first thing you should try if Hulu won’t load is restarting your modem and router, This process has been detailed earlier in this article. If Hulu still won’t load, you can also try the following to improve your connection.

  • Moving your modem/router closer to your device
  • Close any other apps or programs using the same network
  • Connect your device to the network via Ethernet

Check your Internet Speed

You should also consider your internet speed. You can test your network’s speed by visiting websites such as Speedtest.net, or downloading their app. Once you have done the speed test, compare your internet speed to the minimum requirements to stream Hulu, listed below.

  • Stream Standard Definition Hulu content: 1.5MB/s
  • Stream High Definition Hulu content (720p): 3MB/s
  • Stream High Definition Hulu content (1080p): 6MB/s
  • Live stream on Hulu: 8MB/s
  • Stream 4K/Ultra HD content: 16MB/s

If your internet speed is slower than these recommendations, this could explain why your screen won’t load. The video download cannot keep up with the playback speed of the show, causing it to ‘buffer’ continuously.

You can try to improve your WiFi connection to watch higher quality videos using the methods mentioned above. Otherwise, you can also lower the streaming quality to match your internet speeds through the following process.

Step 1: Select the Account Icon from the Hulu home screen.
Step 2: Navigate to ‘Settings > Cellular Data Usage’.
Step 3: Choose a lower streaming quality.

You can also change this during playback in a web browser. To do this, simply select the Settings button (cog) at the bottom of the screen and navigate to streaming quality from this menu.

Hulu Screen Keeps Going Black

Confused Man while watching TV

This issue is similar to that mentioned earlier in this article. You can find troubleshooting methods above, under ‘Hulu Black Screen with Audio’.

Hulu Screen Keeps Turning Green

confused woman watching tv

The Hulu app may experience a green screen on certain TV’s, such as LG, Sony, Samsung, Westinghouse, etc. In order to fix this issue, you may need to adjust the settings on your TV.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on September 21, 2021.

  • Run a picture test
  • Reset the display settings
  • Change the TV display preset

If your TV seems to be one of those affected, you could consider buying a streaming stick, such as the FireStick, to use with your TV. This is cheaper than buying a new TV if you still want to watch Hulu on that TV, and users have reported positive results on a seperate streaming device.

You could also try changing the video quality. Some users have found that this only occurs when playing 4K content. Regardless, you will need to wait for Hulu developers to fix the root cause of the problem and release a bug fix in the next update.

Hulu Screen Resolution Keeps Changing

confused couple watching tv

Most devices will automatically change the video aspect ratio to the best available. This setting may cause your Hulu screen resolution to keep changing, becoming larger or smaller throughout a show.

As I mentioned previously, you can change these settings to a fixed aspect ratio to resolve this issue. This can be found in your device’s display settings. Most users find that 720p (1280×720 or 16:9) works best for them.

Hulu Pause Screen Keeps Popping Up

Confused Man while watching TV

Your pause screen may keep popping up if your download speeds cannot keep up with your video playback speed. This essentially continues to pause or buffer the video and may cause the pause/navigation screen to come up. You can find solutions to this above.

Another solution, which has also been detailed above, is to clear the app cache. This process is slightly different on each device, but is usually found under your application settings.

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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on September 21, 2021.

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