Like all flat screens, the screens of LCD or LED TVs can malfunction from time to time. The appearance of vertical lines on a TV screen is perhaps the most common issue users face with their flat-screen TVs. Countless TV owners have enquired about this issue on the Internet. Still, many are yet to find satisfactory answers to their questions.
If your TV has lines in it, you’re probably thinking about contacting a maintenance specialist. Don’t. There are many simple remedies that you can attempt without anyone’s assistance to fix this issue. We’ll explain these remedies in detail. Before that, let’s try to understand the reasons behind the appearance of annoying vertical lines on TV screens.
Do you have a particular question about vertical lines on TV screen? Then use the table of contents below to jump to the most relevant section. And you can always go back by clicking on the black arrow in the right bottom corner of the page. Also, please note that some of the links in this article may be affiliate links. For more details, check the Disclosure section at the bottom of the page.
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What Causes Vertical Lines on TV Screen?
There’s a long list of potential causes behind the appearance of vertical lines on TV screens. From corrupted T-Con boards to issues with the electric lines powering the TV – there are several potential causes. Here’s a list of all the possible reasons why your TV has lines on the screen:
Damaged T-Con Boards
T-Con (stands for Timing Control) boards are essential components in LCD & LED TV screens. Their main function is to turn the LED/LCD panels on TV units on or off. If the Timing Control is broken or damaged, your TV’s image quality will be impaired.
Vertical lines appear on TV screens when damaged T-Con Boards fail to connect with flat cables. Due to this misconnection, the images on the screen appear broken. Simply knocking on your TV’s backside can cause the vertical lines to disappear.
That’s because such TV units have loose T-Con Boards. Simple knocks cause these loose boards to move around & fall in place with the flat cables. But what if persistent knocking doesn’t cause the vertical black lines on the TV screen to disappear?
Then, your TV’s T-Con Board isn’t just loose – it’s probably broken. Here are the many ways in which your TV unit’s T-Con Board may be broken:
- The cable supposed to connect the T-Con board and the display panel is broken or rust-infected.
- The voltage in the T-Con board is gone; the loose voltage causes the appearance of vertical lines on the screen.
- The T-Con board’s IC Scan Driver is broken.
If a broken T-Con board is the culprit behind the vertical lines on your TV screen, replace it. Getting a brand-new T-Con board with new cables is the only solution.
Rusty TV Frame
Vertical lines may appear on your TV screen if your metal TV frame is rusty. This is because the rust can spread from the frame to other components of the TV (flat cable, T-Con Board, etc.). Getting a new LED TV frame is the only way to overcome this issue.
Damaged LED Panel
LED panels often get damaged due to external forces (e.g., being hit by a hard object). This causes the display screen to produce distorted images with vertical/horizontal lines. Fixing or replacing the damaged LED panel is the only solution.
Loose Connector Cable
Vertical white lines on the TV screen may appear because of a loose connector cable (located at the back of the TV). The loose connector cable creates distortions. Disconnecting the cable and re-connecting it is the best way to solve this issue.
Water Exposure
If you wipe your TV screen with a wet cloth, it may get water-damaged. Water damage leads to the appearance of white vertical lines on TV screens. To resolve this issue, turn off the TV, dry the screen (and any other wet TV component), & restart.
Overuse & A Lack of Maintenance
Sometimes overuse can cause vertical lines to appear on TV screens. Most LCD panels on TVs have backlight strips. Overheating causes these strips to fall off. That’s why all TVs need 5-8 hours of rest daily. TVs also need regular screen cleaning because buildups of dirt & debris may also cause similar damage.
Incompatible Picture Settings
If the video you’re playing doesn’t match your TV screen’s resolution, you may see vertical lines on your screen. To fix this mismatch, learn more about your TV’s resolution and only play compatible media files.
Corrupted Software
Corrupted apps, files, or operating systems may cause TV screens to appear damaged. Discovering & removing all corrupted files are the only ways to fix these software-related issues.
How to Fix Lines In TV?
Now that we know all the potential causes behind white/red/black or green lines on TV screens – let’s learn how to fix them. Firstly, you’ll need to inspect your TV to determine what exactly is causing those lines to appear. Then, you can try the following solutions, depending on your problem –
- Tap/knock on the back of your TV to determine whether the lines are being caused due to a damaged T-Con board. Knocking or tapping will solve the issue temporarily. But you’ll need to fix or replace the damaged T-Con board for a permanent fix.
- Change your TV’s input settings. Switch the input from AV or HDMI ports. If this doesn’t fix the issue, you can rule out this potential cause.
- Clean your TV screen with a soft & dry towel.
- Check your TV screen’s resolution display settings & run a picture test. If the test isn’t successful, your TV’s display unit is probably corrupted & it needs to be fixed by professionals.
- Update your TV’s graphics driver. Or downgrade your TV’s video card driver to a previous version.
- Perform a factory reset or a “clean boot” of your TV. Here’s a helpful video on how to clean boot Android TVs.
Can TV vertical lines Be Fixed?
Yes. Red, white, green, black, or blue lines on TV screens can be fixed in various ways. As you can see, there’s no definite answer to the question – how to fix the black line on TV? You’ll need to try out many of the solutions mentioned in this article to resolve this issue.
So, keep learning what the TV experts say on this matter. Then, try out the home remedies we mentioned on how to fix the black line on TV screens before spending money on repairs.
Credits: Thanks for the photo to Canva.
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