Ethan Brooks
How To Fix a Sony TV Showing a Black Screen but Still Playing Sound
Having your Sony TV turn on with sound but the screen stays stubbornly black is beyond annoying. You hear everything working — power, menus, even volume — but no picture. Happens more often than you’d think, especially after firmware updates or power outages. The good news is, you don’t necessarily need a repair guy right away. Some straightforward troubleshooting steps might just get that display back without spending a fortune. From power cycles to checking cables and maybe even shining a flashlight at the screen, these fixes are pretty common in the user stories I’ve seen. No fancy tools needed, just some patience and a bit of trial-and-error.
How to Fix Sony TV Black Screen with Sound Issue
Perform a Power Cycle
This is basically the first, easiest thing to try. Sometimes TVs just get “stuck” or glitch out after updates or weird shutdowns, and a fresh power cycle often clears the cache of temporary bugs that mess with the display. On some setups, it takes a few tries or a longer wait.
- Unplug your TV from the wall socket.
- Wait at least 60 seconds. Some folks swear waiting longer, up to 2 minutes, helps clear residual power or weird states.
- Plug it back in, then turn it on using the remote or the power button on the TV.
On one setup, this did the trick immediately, but on another, it was like the TV needed a second round before showing anything. Weird, but worth a shot.
Execute a Physical Reset
If the power cycle doesn’t work, it’s worth doing a physical reset. This can clear out some stuck hardware states, especially after firmware updates or power outages. Basically, this involves holding down the power button for a bit while unplugged, which can help drain leftover charge and reset internal circuits.
- Unplug the TV.
- Find the physical power button. Usually underneath the Sony logo, or on the side/back — depends on your model.
- Press and hold that button for 60 seconds — not just a quick tap, hold it down.
- Release, then plug it back in and power on.
Some suggest this can reset the TV’s internal firmware or hardware states without needing fancy service menus. Worked on a couple of older Sony models I’ve tinkered with.
Reset the Circuit Breaker
This is more about ruling out power issues. If your socket is flaky or the breaker tripped, the TV could be getting power but not enough to fully boot up/display correctly.
- Unplug the TV.
- Head to your circuit breaker panel and find the switch controlling the room where the TV sits.
- Switch it off, wait about 5 to 10 seconds — sometimes a quick reset is all it takes.
- Flip it back on, then plug in the TV and see if the picture shows up.
Worth trying if you’ve recently had electrical issues. Just in case, also try plugging directly into a different outlet—sometimes outlets or surge protectors can cause weird problems.
Check External Devices
External gear like HDMI devices or USB sticks can sometimes mess with the signal—even if you’re not actively using them at the moment. Disconnect everything non-essential and see if the TV’s display comes back.
- Turn off and unplug the TV.
- Remove all external devices—HDMI cables, streaming boxes, game consoles, USB drives, etc.
- Plug only the power cord back in, then turn the TV on.
If the screen lights up after this, it’s likely one of those external devices or cables causing the issue. Might mean faulty hardware or maybe even some settings conflict when they’re plugged in.
Inspect HDMI Cables and Ports
If the issue lingers, check your HDMI cables and ports. Bad cables or a faulty port can leave your screen black despite sound, especially if your TV’s trying to switch to a different source or detect device.
- Unplug all HDMI cables from the TV.
- Reinsert them firmly — sometimes a loose connection is the culprit.
- Switch to a different HDMI port.
- If you have a spare HDMI cable or know one works, test with that.
This makes sure it’s not just the cable or port acting up, which seems to happen more than expected with some cheap or old cables.
Conduct a Flashlight Test
This one’s kind of weird, but it’s a classic for backlight problems. Basically, turn off all lights, turn the TV on, then shine a flashlight directly onto the screen while changing channels or menu options. If you see a faint outline or image, that indicates your LCD backlight or inverter might be dead, or at least partially dead.
- Darken the room completely.
- Turn on the TV.
- Hold a flashlight close to the screen and slowly move it around.
- While doing this, change channels or open menus.
If you can see a ghostly picture, then the backlight or inverter is the problem. Usually, fixing this involves professional repair or replacement parts, because of course, TVs have to make it harder than necessary.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
Beyond the steps above, a couple of quick checks might save you some headaches:
- Make sure your TV firmware is up to date. Sometimes firmware bugs affect display output — check Sony’s support site for updates.
- Confirm nothing is blocking the ambient light sensor or other sensors, which sometimes can cause picture blackout.
- Test a different power outlet — power issues can be sneaky, even if the TV powers on.
Wrap-up
Basically, if your Sony TV’s powered on and sounds are fine but the screen’s dead, start with the simple stuff — power cycling, unplugging external devices, then move on to checking cables and ports. Sometimes, you just need to reset the hardware or test if the backlight is an issue. Not foolproof, but it’s been enough to fix many black screen problems without diving into costly repairs. Fingers crossed this three-step process helps save some time and money.
Summary
- Unplug and wait for a minute or two, then power on again.
- Do a physical reset by holding the power button while unplugged.
- Check your circuit breaker and outlet, reset if needed.
- Disconnect external devices, then one by one reconnect to identify the culprit.
- Inspect HDMI cables and try different ports or cables.
- Use a flashlight in a dark room to test the backlight.
Final Thoughts
Most of the time, these steps fix the black screen with sound problem, especially if it just suddenly happened. Sometimes, the backlight is dead or some hardware is failing — that’s when it’s probably time to call a pro. But these DIY checks are a good first line. Hopefully, this shaves off a few hours messing around or saves you a trip to the repair shop. Good luck!