TV black screen but the sound works: the torch test
A two-minute test to find out whether your TV has a backlight failure, the most common fault on LED TVs, and how it’s repaired.
Updated
The torch test
- 1Turn the TV onPut on a channel or the menu, in a dark room.
- 2Shine a light up closeHold your phone’s torch a few centimetres from the panel, at an angle.
- 3LookIf you can make out the picture or menu through it, the panel and electronics work: it’s the backlight that’s off.
Why backlights fail
Behind the panel of an LED TV, strips of small LEDs light the picture. They’re wired in series: when a single LED burns out, the whole strip goes dark, and often the whole screen. It’s the most common fault on LED TVs after a few years.
Is it worth repairing?
In the vast majority of cases, yes: LED strips cost a fraction of a new TV. All the strips should be replaced at once, though, as the other LEDs are the same age.
A cracked panel or one with coloured lines, on the other hand, can’t be repaired cost-effectively.
Shuja Express repairs TVs by appointment in Villefranche-sur-Saône and the area, with a quote before any work.