Article ID : 00032636 / Last Modified : 01/30/2023

My TV has lines on the screen, blurred picture, double images, or odd colors

Applicable Products and Categories of This Article

Select the symptom of your TV and then follow the instructions provided to help troubleshoot and resolve the issue.

Note: If you have a J or K series TV and your TV has a vertical line or double image while streaming content, refer to this article instead.

Lines on the screen (vertical or horizontal lines, bands)

If you're experiencing vertical or horizontal lines on the screen, follow the troubleshooting steps provided.

Troubleshooting

On the supplied remote control, press the HOME button to view the TV menu screen.
If the lines also appear on the menu screen, there may be an issue with your TV.
Perform a power reset or restart your TV:
- Android TV™ / Google TV™ models
  Power Reset
  
  Note: Skip this step if your TV power cord is inaccessible.
  - Unplug the TV power cord from the wall outlet, wait two minutes, then plug the power cord back in.
  Restart
  
  The menu items and steps may vary, follow the steps that best match your TV menu.
  - Restart the TV with the supplied remote control:
    - Press and hold the POWER button until Power off appears on the screen
    - Press and hold the POWER button until a menu appears, then select Restart
  - Restart using the TV menu:
    - On the supplied remote, press the (Quick Settings) button, then select Settings → System → Restart → Restart
    - On the supplied remote, press the HOME button, then select Settings → About → Restart → Restart
    - On the supplied remote, press the HOME button, then select Settings → Device Preferences → About → Restart → Restart
  Note: When restarting with the remote or menu, the TV will automatically power off and back on after a short time.
- Other TV models
  Follow these steps to perform a power reset.
  1. Turn off the TV.
    IMPORTANT: For a projection TV that uses an internal lamp, wait 5 minutes after turning off the TV to allow the lamp to cool before continuing.
  2. Unplug the TV power cord from the electrical outlet.
  3. Let the television remain without power for 60 seconds.
  4. Plug the power cord back into the electrical outlet.
    Note: If your TV was previously plugged into a power strip or surge protector, plug it directly into the wall outlet instead in case the power strip or surge protector was causing a problem.
  5. Turn on the TV.
Run the Self Diagnostics option on the TV (not available on all models).
Press the HOME button again to display the menu screen.
- If the menu screen still displays the lines, a repair is required. Go to Product Repair.
- If the lines are not visible on the menu screen, check if the issue is resolved while watching TV. If the issue continues, an external source (such as a cable or satellite box, internet video device, or other devices like a DVD player) or cable connections could be the cause of the issue. Check the following to resolve the issue:
  - Check if the cable is firmly connected to the TV and the connected device and make sure it is not loose.
  - Use a spare cable to replace the currently used one and see if the situation will improve.
  - Use another input terminal of the TV.
    1. Connect your device to another input terminal of your TV.
    2. On the TV's supplied remote control, press the Input button to switch to the input that corresponds to the connected device and check if the situation improves.
  - Connect another device to your TV using the same input terminal to check whether the connected device causes the issue.
  - Plug the power cord into a different electrical outlet or surge protector.
    - These symptoms may occur if the electrical outlet is improperly wired or doesn't produce the proper voltage.
    - If you have a surge protector or extension cord, it could be faulty.
  - Turn off any electrical or battery-operated devices that may create radio frequency (RF) interference.
  - If using an antenna, adjust the antenna direction and location for better reception.
    - Nearby mountains or tall buildings that reflect the broadcast signals may cause ghosting in the picture.

Blurred, hazy, or dull screen

If you're experiencing a blurry, hazy, or dull screen, follow the troubleshooting steps provided.

Troubleshooting

On the supplied remote control, press the HOME button. If the menu screen appears blurry, hazy, or looks dull, use the following steps to troubleshoot:
Note: Images may look like they are trailing or the screen may be dark when used in a cold place. This isn't a malfunction and will recover when the temperature rises back to normal.
1. Perform a power reset or restart your TV:
  - Android TV / Google TV models
    Power Reset
    
    Note: Skip this step if your TV power cord is inaccessible.
    - Unplug the TV power cord from the wall outlet, wait two minutes, then plug the power cord back in.
    Restart
    
    The menu items and steps may vary, follow the steps that best match your TV menu.
    - Restart the TV with the supplied remote control:
      Press and hold the POWER button until Power off appears on the screen
      Press and hold the POWER button until a menu appears, then select Restart
    - Restart using the TV menu:
      On the supplied remote, press the (Quick Settings) button, then select Settings → System → Restart → Restart
      On the supplied remote, press the HOME button, then select Settings → About → Restart → Restart
      On the supplied remote, press the HOME button, then select Settings → Device Preferences → About → Restart → Restart
    Note: When restarting with the remote or menu, the TV will automatically power off and back on after a short time.
  - Other TV models
    Follow these steps to perform a power reset.
    1. Turn off the TV.
      IMPORTANT: For a projection TV that uses an internal lamp, wait 5 minutes after turning off the TV to allow the lamp to cool before continuing.
    2. Unplug the TV power cord from the electrical outlet.
    3. Let the television remain without power for 60 seconds.
    4. Plug the power cord back into the electrical outlet.
      Note: If your TV was previously plugged into a power strip or surge protector, plug it directly into the wall outlet instead in case the power strip or surge protector was causing a problem.
    5. Turn on the TV.
2. Run the Self Diagnostics option on the TV (not available on all models).
3. Check if the menu screen still appears blurry, hazy, or dull.
  - If issues still occur, try to adjust the picture settings such as Sharpness, Contrast, etc.
4. If the issue continues, make sure to install the latest TV software. Downloads are posted on your model support page.
5. Clean your TV screen.
6. If the menu screen is still blurry, hazy, or looks dull, repair may be required. Go to Product Repair.
If the menu screen doesn't appear as blurry, hazy, or dull, check if the issue is resolved while watching TV. If the issue continues, an external source (such as a cable or satellite box, internet video device, or other devices like a DVD player) or cable connections could be the cause of the issue. Check the following to try to resolve the issue:
- For TVs with the Motionflow function, select Auto, Custom, Standard, or Off.
- If the issue only occurs when watching internet streaming videos from services like YouTube™, Netflix®, or Amazon Prime™, this could be due to your internet speed and network performance. The picture quality/resolution from video streaming apps automatically adjusts according to your network performance. If your internet speed and network performance are less than required for high-quality video, a lower-quality picture resolution will be shown. Additional information is available if your Internet streaming video will only play back in standard definition (SD) quality.
- The quality obtained from DVD discs recorded on home DVD recorders often varies due to different quality settings being used on the recorders. Picture quality from VHS tapes often appears to be significantly worse than other sources, symptoms often include a grainy and watery picture.
- Check if the cable is firmly connected to the TV and the connected device and make sure it is not loose.
- Use a spare cable to replace the currently used one and see if the situation will improve.
- Use another input terminal of the TV.
  1. Connect your device to other input terminals of your TV.
  2. On the TV's supplied remote control, press the Input button to switch to the input method that corresponds to the connected device and check if the situation improves.
- Connect another A/V device to your TV using the same input terminal to check whether the connected A/V device causes the issue.
- If using an antenna, adjust the antenna direction and location for better reception.
  - Nearby mountains or tall buildings that reflect the broadcast signals may cause ghosting in the picture.
- Reset your TV to the factory defaults. Check your manual for model-specific information.
  - Android TV / Google TV models
  - Other TV models

Double or ghost images

Abnormal screen, bright spots, or cloudy

Contrast issues (too bright or dark)

Gray screen

Odd colors on the screen (solarization, no color, faded, intermixing, or spreading of color)

If odd colors appear or the screen is mostly yellow or gray, or red, blue, and purple, check the troubleshooting steps provided:

Troubleshooting

On the supplied remote control, press the HOME button to view the TV menu screen.
If the odd colors also appear on the menu screen, use the following steps to troubleshoot:
- Adjust the picture color settings:
- If your TV has a reset function for picture settings, follow the instructions provided to reset the settings:
  Note: If your remote has an OPTIONS button, press it then select Picture or Picture Mode → Reset.
  1. On the supplied remote control, press either the (Quick Settings), HOME, or Menu button (depending on the model).
  2. The next steps vary. follow the steps that best match your TV menu:
    - Select Settings → Display & Sound → Picture → Reset picture settings for xx.
    - Select Settings → Display & Sound → Picture & Display or Display → Picture or Picture adjustments → Advanced settings → Reset.
    - Select Settings → Display → Picture → Reset.
    - Select → System Settings → Picture → Reset.
- Run the Self Diagnostics option on the TV (not available on all models).
- Perform a power reset or restart your TV:
  - Android TV / Google TV models
    Power Reset
    
    Note: Skip this step if your TV power cord is inaccessible.
    - Unplug the TV power cord from the wall outlet, wait two minutes, then plug the power cord back in.
    Restart
    
    The menu items and steps may vary, follow the steps that best match your TV menu.
    - Restart the TV with the supplied remote control:
      Press and hold the POWER button until Power off appears on the screen
      Press and hold the POWER button until a menu appears, then select Restart
    - Restart using the TV menu:
      On the supplied remote, press the (Quick Settings) button, then select Settings → System → Restart → Restart
      On the supplied remote, press the HOME button, then select Settings → About → Restart → Restart
      On the supplied remote, press the HOME button, then select Settings → Device Preferences → About → Restart → Restart
    Note: When restarting with the remote or menu, the TV will automatically power off and back on after a short time.
  - Other TV models
    Follow these steps to perform a power reset.
    1. Turn off the TV.
      IMPORTANT: For a projection TV that uses an internal lamp, wait 5 minutes after turning off the TV to allow the lamp to cool before continuing.
    2. Unplug the TV power cord from the electrical outlet.
    3. Let the television remain without power for 60 seconds.
    4. Plug the power cord back into the electrical outlet.
      Note: If your TV was previously plugged into a power strip or surge protector, plug it directly into the wall outlet instead in case the power strip or surge protector was causing a problem.
    5. Turn on the TV.
- If the issue continues, make sure to install the latest TV software. Downloads are posted on your model support page.
Press the HOME button again to display the TV menu screen.
- If your TV menu screen doesn't show odd colors, your TV settings, broadcast signal source (such as cable or satellite box, internet video device, or other devices such as a DVD player), or cable connections could be the cause of the issue. Check the following to help resolve the issue:
  - Check if the cable is firmly connected to the TV and the connected device and make sure it is not loose.
  - Use a spare cable to replace the currently used one and see if the situation will improve.
  - Use another input terminal of the TV.
    1. Connect your device to other input terminals of your TV.
    2. On the TV's supplied remote control, press the Input button to switch to the input method that corresponds to the connected device and check if the situation improves.
  - Connect another A/V device to your TV using the same input terminal to check whether the connected A/V device causes the issue.
  - If using an antenna, adjust the antenna direction and location for better reception.
    - Nearby mountain or tall buildings that reflects the broadcast signals may cause ghosting in the picture.
  - Turn off any electrical or battery-operated devices that may create radio frequency (RF) interference.
  - Reset your TV to the factory defaults. Check your manual for model-specific information.
- If the TV menu still displays odd colors, repair may be required. Go to Product Repair.

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My TV has lines on the screen, blurred picture, double images, or odd colors

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