You desperately press the buttons on your remote control but nothing helps, the TV refuses to start? When your TV is turned on but does not turn on, several causes may be responsible. You will then have to try to diagnose the origin of the breakdown in order to be able to resolve it effectively. And contrary to what one might think, the manipulations to repair it do not always require having skills in electronics. So, find out now what to do to fix a TV that no longer turns on and stays on standby?
Why is your TV stuck in standby?
When your TV gets stuck in standby mode, several factors more or less serious can be at the origin:
- A remote control problem
- A faulty power source (faulty power outlet or cable)
- A software crash
- A faulty component (capacitor or electronic boards)
Your TV's startup problem may be accompanied by different symptoms : if the light on the TV that remains in standby is flashing, the problem is certainly due to a power supply fault or a faulty capacitor. Whether the light stays red, then the problem may be with the remote control, the power supply, the software or the electronic boards. Finally, in case the TV turns on and then turns off automatically to go back to standby, it is probably a power supply problem.
In any case, to find the origin of the problem and solve it effectively, we advise you to follow our troubleshooting guide in order.
If your TV shows no signs of life, we invite you to consult our article TV that no longer turns on with the light off, what to do?
TV that no longer turns on and stays on standby, what to do?
The manipulations that will follow are general and apply to all brands of televisions: Thomson, Toshiba, Panasonic, Sony, LG, Philips, Samsung, Hisense, Continental Edison, etc. If you do not have the necessary authorizations to carry out an operation, move on to the next one. Please note, the television is a device fragile which requires you to be very careful when handling it.
Check that the remote is working
When your TV is on but won't turn on, the first thing to do is to check if the problem does not come from the remote control. Even more so if the red light on the television remains fixed when you press the buttons on the remote control. For test if the remote works, you can proceed from different ways :
First of all, try to replace batteries by new batteries even if you have just changed them not so long ago. Indeed, it can happen that new batteries fail. Be careful to respect the direction of insertion of the batteries (+ and - terminals).
Secondly, if the television remains in standby after changing the batteries, try bring closer maximum (less than 1 meter) the TV remote control. If this works and your TV turns back on, your remote may be at the end of its life and therefore signal range may be significantly reduced.
Finally, for test the working condition of a TV remote control, different procedures exist depending on the remote control transmission mode:
1 – If your remote control works with infrared technology (LED indicator on the front of the remote): Place the remote in front of the lens of a smartphone, open the camera application, bring the remote close to the lens of the smartphone and press several buttons on the remote. If your remote is working normally, you should see the LED light up. If nothing happens, your remote control is probably faulty.
2 – If your remote control works in Bluetooth, there are no tricks to test it. You will then have to try to switch on the television via another means: via a On / Off button, Standby or Power placed on the television (however, most recent TVs do not have a button), by downloading a application remote control compatible with your model or via a procedure electrical reset which you will see further down in the article.
If you deduce that the remote control is responsible for the fact that your TV no longer turns on and remains stuck in standby mode, it will take the replace by an identical or universal remote control. In the latter case, remember to check that the universal remote control is compatible with your TV model.
How to turn on a TV that stays on standby because the remote control no longer works? Use the buttons on the TV, download a Remote app that controls the TV, or perform a power reset.
Check TV connections and power
It is also possible that your TV is on but won't turn on because it's not getting the power it needs to start and operate normally. This concerns you if the TV does not switch on even though its light flashes or stay solid red but also if your TV turns on for a few seconds before turning off automatically.
Indeed, the standby voltage of a device is lower than the voltage necessary for its start-up. It may then be that the power cable or the power socket allows enough current to pass through to maintain the television standby, but that when it is turned on, it does not deliver the intensity necessary to achieve this.
Here are the checks to be carried out to check whether a power failure is the cause of the fact that your TV won't turn on and stays on standby :
– Check the working order of the television's power cable:
If you find that the cable is damaged (cracked, stripped, cut, melted, burn marks, black spots, etc.), replace it because the connectors inside are probably damaged. If the cable appears to be in good condition, check its supply voltage using a multimeter or, try connecting your TV using another identical cable if you have one available.
– Check the mains socket of the television which remains on standby:
If you are concerned, remove power strip and/or extension cord plugged into your TV. In fact, in addition to being potentially defective, these accessories can cause problems with voltage and electrical noise that may interfere with the start-up of the television.
Then check that the wall outlet works by connecting another electronic device to it or by testing its supply voltage using a multimeter in the alternating current position. If the socket is faulty, then you will need to contact an electrician to check the electrical installation in your home and repair it safely.
Electrically reset the TV that remains on standby
When your TV stuck in standby mode, it may also simply have crashed in its software. In this case, a electrical reset can sometimes bring the television out of its wake.
So, to try to turn on a TV that remains on standby, here is the reset procedure to be continued :
- Unplug its power cable from the mains socket
- Unplug all external devices connected to TV
- Wait about 5 minutes. If your TV has on-screen buttons, hold down the ON button for about XNUMX seconds. This ensures that the components are completely unloaded.
- Reconnect the power cord of the TV.
Sometimes the TV turns on by itself after the reset. If this is not the case, then try to turn it back on with the remote control. If it turns on normally, check that the TV has the latest update, then reconnect the devices one at a time, each time trying to turn the TV back on. If the TV does not turn on after reconnecting one of the peripherals, then it is probably at fault. If the TV remains in standby mode after the reset procedure, then a hardware component is probably the cause of the malfunction.
Check the condition of the components of the TV which no longer turns on
When your TV does not turn on and stays in hibernation, it is very common that this is due to a internal component that is faulty. Most of the time, the responsible component is a capacitor. You will therefore need to check this part first.
Check capacitors
When your TV remains in standby and the light flashes and/or you hear a small "clicking" sound when you try to turn it on, then a capacitor out of service is the most likely cause of your problem. The capacitors (or the capacitor depending on the model of your TV) are located on the electronic power board. They are cylindrical shaped components. To test them, and if necessary replace them, you will therefore have to open the rear panel of the television having first disconnected its power supply and being very careful because the television is a very fragile device!
Attention, the following manipulations of this article involve a risk of electrical shock as well as irreversible deterioration of the device. Turn off the power before an intervention. If you are not competent for the manipulations, call on a professional. If your TV that won't turn on is still on guarantee, contact the after-sales service of the retailer or brand for repairs free of charge. Attention, opening the back panel of the TV will make you lose your rights.
Once the TV is open, here how to test the capacitor(s) on your television that no longer turns on and whose light is flashing :
- Discharge the capacitor(s) on the power board. To do this, make a short-circuit with a screwdriver with an insulated handle by placing it on the two terminals (rods) of the capacitor.
- Check visually if one of the capacitors looks bulging on top or you see a small crack in its "cap". This is a sign that it is out of service.
- Desolder the capacitor which seems suspicious to you to be able to electrically test. If all the capacitors look normal to you, then you will need to unsolder them all to test them. Indeed, a capacitor can be worn out but not completely out of service and therefore not be bulging even though it is indeed faulty. This can for example explain that your TV turns on then turns off a few seconds later or that you have to press the Power button several times before it starts.
- To test a capacitor, discharge it then use a multimeter in position ohmmeter. Note: Capacitors must be desoldered before testing to disconnect them from the circuit and prevent another component on the board from interfering with the measurement. Put the red test probe of the multimeter on the + terminal of the capacitor and the black test probe on the - terminal. If the value stagnates at 0, rises but does not fall back to 0, or is non-existent (OL), the capacitor is out of order. You can then replace it.
- Replace the failed capacitor with an equivalent (“uF” marked on capacitor should be similar on replacement capacitor), resoldering it on the power supply board.
To help you in the process, consult video tutorials by typing in your search bar “how to test a capacitor” and “how to change a capacitor on a TV”.
Note: If you've figured out that your television's ignition problem is due to a capacitor, but you're not competent to replace it and want to turn to a professional, don't hesitate to ask. if he agrees to replace only the faulty capacitor. Indeed, most repairers only offer the replacement of the power supply board as a whole, which will cost you much more. Note that a capacitor costs about ten euros, and a power supply board a hundred euros...
Check electronic boards
If the capacitors aren't the cause of your TV being on but staying on standby, the problem is most likely one of these. e-cards (motherboard or power board). This is also highly likely if the TV does not turn on and the red light remains fixed. In this case, you will need test voltage of the two electronic cards using a multimeter (measure the input and output voltages). You can also test them by doing the following:
- Unplug the TV's power cable and open the back panel if you haven't already
- Disconnect the motherboard from the circuit by unclipping its connectors
- Reconnect the power cable and try to turn on the TV
- If the TV manages to wake up and turn back on, then the motherboard is most likely responsible for the ignition problem. If not, your TV stays on standby and won't turn on probably because of the power supply board.
Note: Some TV models have only one electronic card which serves as power supply and control.
Contact a professional repairer
If you are not competent in the manipulations or you cannot find out why your TV stays on standby and refuses to turn on, then you will need to contact a professional.
If your TV is still under warranty, contact the after-sales service of the retailer or the manufacturer. You should get the TV repaired or replaced at no cost. If your TV stuck in standby mode unfortunately no longer entitled to warranty, then you can seek the support of the manufacturer for a customized solution or seek an independent professional repairer. We advise you to contact several repairers to obtain different quotes and make an informed choice.
Note: If the TV stuck in standby light is flashing, count the number of flashes as this information may help the technician diagnose the fault.
