If a black screen suddenly appears on your Roku TV, it interrupts your streaming experience. Several Roku TV users encountered a black screen with sound playing in the background, especially on TCL TV.
Usually, you get this error due to a minor power glitch or a loose connection. But, a major hardware failure like a damaged backlight inverter or LED strip can be responsible too. Some of the other possible causes are:
- Faulty HDMI Cable or port
- Enabled Sleep Timer
- Auto Power Savings Mode
- Problematic Apps
- Outdated Software
Before you begin, you can perform a power cycle on your Roku TV when a black screen appears. Unplug the TV’s power cable from the wall socket and leave it for about 5-10 minutes. Then, plug it back in properly to see if it is gone.
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Check HDMI Cable & Port
If you are using Roku streaming sticks or other consoles, the HDMI input source must be correct. A wrong input source will show you a black screen. Press the Input, Video TV, Video, AUX, or Source button on your remote to change it.
Besides input, you can check if the video cable is loosely connected. Check the HDMI port and re-plug the cable to fit it perfectly. Besides, a faulty or broken video cable can also lead to a black screen while streaming on your Roku TV.
You can switch the cables to see if the cable is faulty. Also, if the HDMI port is not working, check out our other article on fixing the HDMI port on TV.
Turn off Sleep Timer
When you enable the Sleep Timer feature, it will automatically turn off your Roku TV after a certain preset time. If you have probably forgotten to turn it off, you will get a black screen when the TV powers off itself. So you can turn off the Sleep Timer to see if it is the cause.
- From the home screen, go to Settings.
- Click on System > Time.
- Choose Sleep Timer.
- Pick Off option.
Disable Auto Power Savings Mode
When your Roku TV is idle, the auto power savings mode feature will automatically turn it off to save energy. It can be one of the reasons your Roku TV keeps turning off and shows a black screen. Therefore, you can disable this feature temporarily.
- Choose Settings from the Home screen.
- Click on System.
- Select Power > Auto power savings.
- Click on the Boxes next to the all menu to uncheck it.
Disable Fast TV Start
When you enable Fast TV start on your Roku TV, in-built speakers or wireless audio devices will stay connected even when your TV is idle. So, if you can hear the audio but on a black screen, it could be due to this feature. Try disabling this feature from your Roku Settings to verify.
- On your Roku remote, press the Home button.
- Select Settings.
- Go to System > Power.
- Choose Fast TV start.
- Uncheck the box next to Enable ‘Fast TV start’.
Delete Problematic Apps
If you get a black screen only while launching a specific channel, app bugs might be causing it. You can delete such problematic apps immediately to get rid of them.
- Press the Home button on your Roku remote.
- Locate and highlight the Application.
- On your remote, press the Star button.
- Choose Remove Channel and confirm on the pop-up.
Update Roku TV
Software issues could be another cause of the black screen error on your Roku TV. Usually, Roku releases new software updates to address such problems. So upgrading the operating system with the latest version should solve the error.
By default, Roku TV automatically scans for the latest software every 24 hours during an active internet connection. Although, you can also manually check for the latest updates from settings.
- Go to Settings from the Home screen.
- Select System > System Update
- Choose Check Now.
Hard Reset Roku TV
For users who are stuck with a black screen and cannot navigate through the system, you need to perform a hard reset on your Roku TV. Locate the Reset button on your TV. Then, insert a Paper clip inside the hole. Press and hold the button to trigger it. You can set up your Roku TV from the beginning.
Alternatively, you can also use your Roku TV remote to reset the TV.
- On your Roku TV remote, press the Home button 5 times.
- Press the Fast Forward button 3 times.
- Then, press the Rewind button 2 times.
- Now, choose the Factory Reset option at the right panel and confirm.
Replace Hardware Parts
If a black screen still occurs even after resetting the device, there might be a hardware problem on your TV. For Instance, the LED lighting strips might have been burnt. Or the backlight inverters might be damaged.
LCD TVs have a Backlight inverter that operates as a power source for the Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFL). It helps to produce a clearer image on the screen. Similarly, on LED TVs, there are LED lighting strips to generate images on your TV. But when such components are damaged, you will see only a black screen.
Replacing the part is the most effective way to fix the problem. If your Roku TV is LCD, you can replace the backlight inverter. Since most of the Roku TVs are LED, you can check out our detailed guide to replace the LED strips.
Contact Roku TV Support
You can contact the Roku TV manufacturer’s support team as a last resort if the error persists. Customer support varies according to the Roku TV brand. So you can check out your brand and contact the support team from the official page.
