How to Fix a TV Picture That’s Too Dark
By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.
TV Answer Man, I read your article on a LG TV picture being too dark. But the picture on my Sony is too dark, too. Any recommendations for a Sony TV being too dark? — Clancy, Las Vegas.
Clancy, here are several tips on how to fix your dark picture regardless of the set brand.
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1. If Picture mode is set to Cinema or Custom, the screen may become dark. If the screen is still dark after the picture quality mode is changed, change the setting Backlight, Picture, Brightness and adjust the brightness to your taste.
2. If Power Saving is set to Low or High, the screen becomes dark. Example of setting method: Select Settings – System Settings – Eco and set Power Saving to Normal, and then check whether the problem is resolved.
3. Some TVs have a Light Sensor; the picture will become brighter or lower depending on room lighting conditions. Turning off the Automatic Brightness Control may increase picture brightness.
4. View programming from a different source, such as a DVD player or VCR, to see if the issue is being caused by the device providing the signal to the TV.
5. If it is a projection TV, consider replacing the lamp. Sony notes that for projection TVs, a dim or dark picture may be an indication that the lamp needs to be replaced. Refer to the owner’s manual for more information about replacing the lamp.
One last tip: Unplug the AC power cord for 30 seconds to reset the television.
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
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Thank you. Turning off the light sensor worked wonders on my Sony x950h to brighten the picture and make the picture more lifelike
Sometimes these features do more harm than good. My TV packed in the other day it was a toshiba maybe I just need a new lamp it powers on but it’s just black. That tv was always dark I now have a smaller tv but can see it much better it’s a panasonic.
How do I get rid of a light spot on my screen
Thank you. This helped me a lot. Wondered for many days how our smart tv is so dark. I searched on Eco Settings and just found out that its on Power Consumption
I was watching a Blu-ray movie on my TV, got a phone call, tried to shut everything off fast, and afterwards when I turned the Blu-ray player and TV back on, the picture was very dark and nothing I did put it back to the way it was before. After two weeks of trying different internet solutions on both machines and getting nowhere, I found the solution. Below the power button on the TV remote is a button labeled “P. Mode”. I pushed that and the picture instantly became normal again. So happy.
watch it through a Now stick if you have one… works perfectly