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TCL TV Picture Not Working (Keeps Changing Brightness/Colors)

A TCL TV is a great television for those who want one that offers incredible features at a lower price than other brands and models. However, for those wondering whether the more affordable price tag compromises its quality, you should know that TCL TVs tend to go heavy in terms of image processing. Even if it provides a dynamic picture, this could result in off-color images and middling contrast.

If your TCL TV’s picture isn’t working or keeps changing brightness or colors, resulting in a dim or dark screen, you can try to unplug your TV or switch power outlets. You can also do a hard reset. Other possible fixes include tweaking the picture or brightness settings or updating your firmware.

Group of friends sitting on couch watching sports on large mounted TV

This article will talk about the picture- and brightness-related problems commonly experienced by TCL TV owners and the various solutions you can try to fix them. So read on and find out how you can make your TV viewing experience better and more enjoyable.

TCLS TV Brightness Problem

If you are experiencing a brightness problem with your TCL TV, there are a few things you can try to fix the issue:

  1. Adjust the TV’s brightness settings: Go to “Settings” > “Picture” > “Brightness” and adjust the brightness setting to your preference. You can also try adjusting other picture settings, such as contrast, backlight, and color, to improve the overall picture quality.
  2. Check the room lighting: Make sure that the room lighting is not too bright or too dim, as this can affect the perceived brightness of the TV. Adjust the lighting as necessary to create a comfortable viewing environment.
  3. Update the TV’s software: Check for any available software updates for your TCL TV and install them if necessary. Software updates can sometimes improve the TV’s performance and fix any known issues.
  4. Check the TV’s connections: Make sure that the TV is properly connected to any external devices, such as cable boxes or gaming consoles, and that the cables are in good condition. Poor connections can cause signal loss and affect the brightness of the TV.
  5. Reset the TV: Try resetting the TV to its default settings by going to “Settings” > “System” > “Reset” > “Reset TV to Factory Defaults”. This will erase all settings and restore the TV to its original state.

TCL TV Not Bright: How To Adjust Brightness on TCL TV

Male watching a movie on wall mounted TV

If your TCL TV isn’t bright enough, you can easily adjust the brightness level using your remote control. Press the gear icon on your remote to get to the Settings menu. Since the Picture settings are selected by default, press the OK button.

Using your remote’s down arrow, scroll down to Brightness and press OK. The brightness level adjuster will then appear, and you can use your arrow buttons to move the scale to the left or right, which will increase or decrease the brightness of your screen.

After adjusting, you can press the Back button to go back. The TV will automatically save these new brightness settings.

With TCL Android TVs, you can adjust picture settings while watching a program. Just press the star or asterisk (*) button, which will take you to the Options menu.

Adjusting Picture Settings

Besides adjusting your TV’s brightness levels, you can also go to the Advanced Picture Settings menu to fine-tune the picture’s appearance. Advanced Settings is under the Options menu. Keep in mind that all the settings in this menu apply only to the input you currently selected.

You can press the up and down arrow buttons to highlight a setting, then press the left and right arrow buttons to change or adjust it. You’ll instantly notice the changes you made to the picture.

The settings under the Advanced Picture Settings menu include the Picture Mode. This provides picture presets for different viewing preferences and is a duplicate of the settings under the Options menu. Changing the picture mode also adjusts other picture settings accordingly. For instance, if you set the picture mode to vivid, the brightness contrast, sharpness, and other picture values will give you a vibrant picture.

Meanwhile, the Movie mode changes these settings to give you a picture that’s more suited for watching movies and shows in a darkened room.

Advanced Picture Settings also include Backlight setting. This allows you to adjust your screen’s overall light intensity. The Brightness setting under Advanced Picture Setting adjusts the dark level of the picture’s black areas. Meanwhile, Contrast adjusts the white level of the picture’s light areas. Other settings include Sharpness, Color, Tint, Color Temperature, Picture Size, and Game Mode.

Note that the items or values listed under the settings mode may differ or may appear differently for different TCL TV models. As such, you’ll have to explore these values and see what adjusting each one can do to your TV’s picture.

TCL TV Keeps Changing Brightness/Dimming and Brightening / TCL TV Keeps Glitching/Flickering

Side view of female sitting on white couch watching TV

If your TCL TV keeps dimming and brightening, keeps changing its brightness level on its own, keeps glitching or flickering, or turns into a black screen, you can try several known fixes.

Check Cables, Video Inputs, and Power Outlets

First, you may want to check your cables and video inputs and see if they’re all working. These include the power cable, the HDMI cables, USB, and RGB. Make sure they’re plugged all the way into your TV. Sometimes video inputs and cables become a bit loose and won’t give your TV the proper connection it needs. Damaged or dirty inputs and cables can also lead to flashing issues and changing colors.

So, even if your inputs and cables turn out to be fine, it’s still best practice to unplug them and clean them properly and regularly.

If your cables are fine, you can try plugging your TV into another wall outlet. The current outlet you’re using may have gone bad and may not give your TV the correct source of power.

Unplug and Do a Hard Reset

You can also try unplugging your TV for a minute and then plugging it back in again. You can try to do a hard reset by unplugging your TV then holding in the power button for 30 seconds. This will drain whatever power is left in your device. Afterward, plug your TV again and turn it on.

Update Your TV’s Firmware

You can also try to update your TV’s firmware. Some TCL TV users share links to new software in various support forums. They also recommend downloading the most recent software update instead of just opting for updates from the network directly from your TV because it always says that your TV has the most recent one.

Another way to download the software update is to search the product page for your specific TCL TV model via Google, go to the downloads section, and then click the software button to get a zip file, which also contains an instruction PDF and a bin file. Follow these instructions to install the update on your specific TV. Use a USB stick to transfer the file from your computer to your TV.

Adjusting Advanced Picture Settings

You can also make adjustments to your TV’s Advanced picture settings and see if it solves your problem with picture brightness. For example, you can choose the Vivid picture mode instead of Smart HDR. You can do this under your TV’s Advanced settings. You can also try turning off the Black Stretch or the Micro Dimming option, which can both be found by going to Picture, then Advanced settings, then Brightness settings.

Turning off dynamic contrast and natural light in the menu also worked for some users who experienced the same problem.

TCL TV Backlight Issues/Not Working

Female getting ready to turn on TV

Dimness troubles can also be a backlight issue. So you can try to solve this by going to Advanced Picture Settings and making adjustments to the Backlight setting.

Some users on the AV Forums have also talked about how accessing a hidden menu has solved their problem on automatic dimming. They’ve even shared a trick on how to tweak it:

  1. Go to the Settings menu, select Advanced Settings under Picture option, highlight Contrast, and enter the numbers 1950 using your remote. A hidden menu will then appear on your screen.
  2. Scroll down to Parameter Setting and click OK.
  3. Select Dynamic Backlight Control (DBC), and turn off DBC Enable. For other models, you can turn off the Energy-saving option under DBC.

TCL TV Keeps Changing Colors

Female watching TV from the side

We’ve already talked about how dirty, damaged, or loose cables and video inputs can cause your TV to change colors or cause flashing. If all cables are good, you can try to disable the automatic adjustment of the display refresh rate. Open Settings, go to the System tab, click on Advanced System Settings and find Advanced Display Settings. Click on and disable Auto-Adjust Display Refresh Rate.

Other fixes you can try include doing a factory reset and switching off the self-test Mode. To turn off the self-test mode, press the up arrow button of your remote, then click the down arrow button. Next, unplug the power cord of your TV and wait for 10 seconds before plugging it back in. Wait another 10 seconds before you turn your TV on, and see if the flashing color is gone.

TCL TV Keeps Losing Picture or TCL TV No Picture Only Sound

Female using remote to turn TV on

If your TCL TV doesn’t show any picture at all, but its audio is fine, you can try to

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on May 31, 2021.

unplug your TV from the wall outlet and wait for no less than 60 seconds before you plug it back in.

If the problem isn’t fixed when you turn your TV on, it could be your HDMI connection that’s causing it. Make sure your HDMI cable is plugged securely into the connector at the back of your TV. If the cable doesn’t fit snugly into its current port, you may want to connect it to another port.

If changing HDMI ports still doesn’t do the trick, you can try doing a factory reset. Keep in mind that doing a factory reset will delete all its settings.

If the factory reset still doesn’t work, you may need to contact TCL support or get an electrician to check and repair your TV.

TCL TV Problem Lines on Screen

Female using remote to troubleshoot TV that has a white screen

If you need help with your TCL TV because it keeps on showing lines on the screen it can be because of issues related to the power board, the screen, or the motherboard. This problem can be complicated, and you might want to consult a professional for it. However, you’ll first need to answer a few questions to allow TV repair professionals to better diagnose and quickly fix the problem.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on May 31, 2021.

These questions include:

  • Are the lines vertical or horizontal?
  • Are the lines black, white, or a certain color?
  • What section of your TV do the lines appear in?
  • Is your screen discolored?
  • Do these lines always appear when using different inputs?

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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on May 31, 2021.

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