It’s movie night.
You can’t wait to watch the new Batman.
But, once you hit ”Play”, it’s not Batman’s familiar cape that you see.
Instead, your screen is green. Just green and nothing else.
While the Earth may benefit from a little bit more green, your TV sure doesn’t.
Keep reading to discover:
- 5 reasons why your TV screen is green.
- What power cycling is and how it can help to fix green screen.
- How to fix the YouTube green screen glitch on Roku and Android TV.
- What is auto picture mode and how it affects the color of your screen.
- And so much more…
Why is my TV screen green?
Your TV screen is green because of a broken LCD/LED panel or an issue with the HDMI. Broken power adapters are also known to cause green TV screens. Otherwise, your ribbon cables may be damaged or unplugged. YouTube also has a green screen glitch on Roku and Android TV.
Green TV screen: 5 causes & fixes
#1: Settings issue
Most smart TVs nowadays implement an AI that can analyze your viewing habits. From that data, the AI builds an optimal setting to make your watching experience better.
However, it’s not perfect.
You might be surprised to see your TV one day with its contrasts cranked up to max. Or its brightness turned up to 100.
Your TV might turn incredibly vivid one day, then dark as a black hole next.
And sometimes, it can just suddenly turn green.
How to fix it:
If you’re using a Sony TV, you might have your Auto Picture mode turned on.
Here are the steps to turn this mode off:
- Go to ‘Home’ then select ‘Settings’.
- Choose ‘Picture & Display’.
- Select ‘Picture adjustments’.
- Turn ‘Auto Picture Mode’ off.
#2: Your LCD panel is broken
This is the most likely reason why your TV is green.
It starts as a harmless line that stretches from the top of your screen to the bottom.
Sure, it’s irritating but your brain has a habit of getting used to things. It won’t even matter after a while. But the lines will just keep on multiplying.
Soon it reaches a point where your TV is just green lines from end to end.
Sometimes it skips that entire phase. You just turn your TV on and see nothing but lime green.
How to fix it:
When the problem is your LCD board, the first course of action should be is to call a professional.
You cannot identify the underlying issue as to why your LCD board is broken by yourself.
To prevent further damaging the LCD panel, call the manufacturer’s customer service. Your local repairman could also fix this problem.
#3: Your TV is green because of a problem with your HDMI port or cable
You might be using one of these daily:
- Projectors.
- Cable boxes.
- DVD players.
- Game consoles.
- Streaming boxes.
If so, you’re familiar with what an HDMI connection is.
HDMI allows your TV to display video from another source.
If this connection is compromised, you may end up with a green screen glitch. This issue may stem from a:
- Broken cable.
- Bent HDMI pin.
- Dirty HDMI port.
How to fix it:
First, check if the problem is your HDMI port or your cable.
Bent pins
If any pins are bent, take some tweezers and try to straighten them out.
Dirt
If the problem is dirt, use any 99% isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber cloth. Wet the microfiber cloth with a little alcohol and wrap it around a toothpick. Clean the crevices of the HDMI port.
Note: If the problem is the cable, you can always buy a replacement cable.
If none of these worked, you should start calling your customer service representative.
#4: You have a faulty power adapter
Do you live in an area with frequent power outages?
If that’s the case, the constant on-and-off of your TV can affect its internals.
Constant drops in voltage from brownouts can cause irreparable harm to your TV. And that might not be the only reason.
A faulty socket or a broken power cord can also break your device.
When this happens, the effects usually manifest first with the TV’s display.
How to fix it:
The best way to check if your TV can still be saved is to power cycle it.
Power cycling enables your TV to go through a hard reset. This allows your device to reconfigure its hardware and fix possible power issues.
Power cycle your TV with these steps:
- Turn your TV off.
- Remove all cords from your TV.
- Hold your power button for 10 seconds.
- Plug all the cords back in.
Warning: When you power cycle your TV, you’re also effectively trying to also factory reset it. You will lose all information stored on your TV.
For more information about power cycling a TV, watch this:
#5: A loose ribbon cable
Think of a TV as a human body.
Every organ has its own role. A function it’s made to do.
As you know, the heart pumps blood. A stomach digests food. Kidneys clear waste.
And, between it, are the nerves that run through every major organ. Transmitting information from one part of the body to the next.
The ribbon cables are your TV’s central nervous system.
When it’s loose, your TV starts to miss one vital function that messes up how they work.
When a ribbon cable is broken, it may result in your screen acting weird. Even turning green.
How to fix it:
Unfortunately, the only way to fix faulty ribbon cables is to open the back of your TV.
For this, you will need to know how to properly remove the casing of your device. You will also need to purchase a replacement ribbon cable in case it’s damaged.
Note: This means that you might lose your warranty. Some companies like Apple and Toshiba frown upon self-repair. However, Apple did recently finally allow repairs outside their own repair centers.
BONUS: Your TV is green because of a YouTube glitch
I like to watch YouTube while eating.
And it would honestly piss me off if I turn on YouTube and all I’ll see is green.
Roku and Android TV users have been complaining about green screen for a while now. Weirdly, they only encounter it while watching YouTube.
Reading recommendation: Can You Use Roku On A Non-Smart TV? We Tested It
However, this isn’t limited to Roku and Android. Or to TVs alone.
YouTube users have experienced the green screen issue for years.
How to fix it:
If you encounter this issue when you’re using Roku TV, you can fix it by:
- Unplug Roku TV from your actual TV for 5 seconds then plug it back in.
- If that doesn’t work, try also unplugging your TV from the socket along with Roku.
- Turn off the Fast Start option from your Roku TV settings.
Turning off Fast Start ensures that your TV always does a fresh boot instead of being in sleep mode when it’s off.