On some occasions we find that we cannot use our TV set and the only thing we see on the screen is a label that indicates «No signal» (or no signal, in English). It is then that the questions arise: What is happening? Why does my TV tell me no signal? And, above all: what can I do to solve it?
There is no doubt that this is a somewhat frustrating situation. However, to solve it in many cases it is not necessary to resort to the technical assistance service. That is only the last resort. Before that, you can try some of the solutions which we explain in this article.
What does the “No signal” error mean?
Virtually all television brands equip their sets with a automatic connection mechanism. Under normal circumstances, this is used to detect the device and display it on the screen when we press the power button on the remote control.
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When there is a network connection problem, a message appears warning us that there is no signal that we have to fix using some of the methods detailed below:
Solutions to "My TV tells me no signal"
There are many ways to solve this annoying problem that we sometimes come across when we want to watch TV. Each of them will depend on the nature of the problem. These are the most frequent. We advise you to try them following the same order in which we proposed them:
Wait a few minutes
As absurd as it sounds, the first solution is this: do nothing, just wait. If, for example, we are watching a DTT channel, perhaps the error is due to a temporary connection problem that is usually solved quickly without us having to take any action.
Turn the TV on and off
This is the first solution that we should try, because on more than one occasion it is enough to fix things. Must turn off the device, wait a few minutes and then turn it on again for it to restart.
This is the equivalent of the classic "turn off and on" solution that all computer scientists use at some point in their lives to fix some situations. If the problem persists, you have to go to the next step.
Check the antenna socket
Maybe the antenna signal not reach our television correctly. In this case, check the antenna socket, checking that it is connected to the television. Sometimes the connection is fine, but the cable used is old or of poor quality and needs to be replaced.
Check the HDMI connection
My TV tells me no signal: in many cases the problem is in the cables or the HDMI ports (high definition multimedia interface). It is common for connections to "dance" or ports to be damaged. Possible solutions are to use another free HDMI port on the TV or replace the damaged port, a simple repair that any technician can perform.
See also: HDMI or DisplayPort? Advantages and disadvantages of each one
Troubleshoot HDCP errors
Although it is not a very common cause, it is worth carrying out this check if all of the above have not worked. Sometimes the TV does not display the signal due to a High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection error (HDCP), which is fixed by unplugging the connected external device that is causing the error. These days it is very rare to come across this as almost all modern TVs are HDCP compliant.
Restore factory settings
If all else has failed, the last bullet in the chamber is restore factory settings. By doing this, the “No signal” message will most likely disappear, but all channels and settings will also be deleted, which we will have to reconfigure.
Other common problems
Apart from the question of "my television tells me there is no signal", there are many other problems that we can encounter when turning on the television at home. These are some of the most frequent, with their respective solutions:
my tv won't turn on
When this happens, logic tells us that in the first place we must rule out simpler causes (which we sometimes overlook): check that the batteries of the remote control are not exhausted, and that the power cable of the TV is correctly plugged into the mains. And that there is electricity at home, of course.
Sometimes this is fixed by unplugging the cable, waiting half a minute, and plugging it back in. But if none of this works, you have no choice but to call technical support.
TV screen goes black
If the TV is on (the red light will tell us) but the screen appears black, it is most likely that the broadcast of the DTT or streaming channel has been interrupted for some reason. If it happens to us while we are connected to a external device such as a DVD player or a game console, you will have to look for the error in it. The black screen can also be due to a bad connection of the HDMI cable, which we will have to check.