You turn your TV on and you’re stunned. Like a deer in the headlights.
Only you’re the deer.
Because your screen is brighter and whiter than a car’s headlight.
Luckily, there are a couple ways to resolve this issue.
Keep reading to discover:
- Why a broken power board turns your screen white.
- How to permanently fix the Samsung TV white screen glitch.
- 5 reasons why your TV screen is white and what you can do about it.
- And so much more…
Why is my TV screen white?
Your TV screen is white because of a broken power board. Broken internals like the T-con board, ribbon cables, or LCD panel could also cause a white screen. If you have white dots across your TV, your lenses have fallen. If you have a Samsung TV or an Apple TV plugin, you might have a glitch.
White TV screen: 5 causes & fixes
#1: Broken power board
Are there constant outages in your area?
If so, this can mean that your TV’s power board is broken.
The power board distributes electricity to all of the internal parts of your TV. When the board is broken, it can manifest as a bright white light from your LED panel.
When your TV has a short, it’s the power board that gets affected first. Here are some of the most common causes of a short:
- Age and use.
- Power surge.
- Rats and other vermins.
- Constant power outage.
What you can do
Fortunately, you can easily replace a broken power board with little technical know-how. You just need the proper tools, which include:
- Thin blade.
- Screwdriver.
- Binding screws.
Note: The power board handles your TV’s electricity. A small mistake can break other internals if done wrong.
- Buy a replacement power board that is compatible with your TV.
- Unplug the TV.
- Remove the back of your TV using the blade.
- Take a picture of the back of your TV so you can have a reference for when you put it back together later.
- Check the manual of your TV to identify which board is the power supply board.
- Disconnect all ribbon cables.
- Unscrew the board from the TV.
- Place the replacement power board and screw it in.
- Plug the ribbon cables back.
#2: Fallen lenses in the diffuser panel
Is there a bright white light at the bottom of your screen?
The diffuser panel is responsible for distributing the light evenly across your TV. It does this using a white sheet in front of the backlight array.
When a lens from the backlight drops, it can scatter the light unevenly. This will result in a bright white light near your bottom bezels where a lens might have dropped.
What you can do
Before you try to fix your TV, try to do a picture test first.
- Go to ‘Settings’.
- Select ‘Support’.
- Press ‘Self Diagnosis’.
- Choose ‘Picture Test’
If the white spots are still visible in the picture test, then your problem is with the diffuser panel.
Another indicator could be if you hear rattling when you were laying the TV down.
In this case, you can easily fix it by:
- Open the back of your TV carefully using a stiff blade.
- Remove all the bezels.
- Remove the white sheet to gain access to the diffuser panel.
- Gather all the fallen lenses.
- Check if the other lenses are also loose.
- Using epoxy, glue back the fallen lenses to their corresponding place in the panel.
Learn more: 3 Ways To Get Rid Of White Dots On Samsung TV (How-To)
#3: Faulty T-Con board
If your TV screen is white due to inverted colors, then the most likely culprit is the T-Con board.
The T-Con board controls your TV’s video display. It’s the part that connects your LCD board to the main panel of your TV.
When it’s damaged, your TV screen will show discoloration because the colors are inverted.
What you can do
Warning: The T-Con board is an extremely delicate part of your TV. Only try to fix it if you have prior experience in electronics.
- Buy a replacement T-con board that is compatible with your TV.
- Remove the back of your TV.
- If the T-Con board is behind a casing, remove the casing first.
- Carefully unplug all ribbon cables from the T-Con board.
- Unscrew the old T-Con board.
- Place the replacement T-Con board.
- Put everything back together.
#4: Loose or broken ribbon cable
Besides being white, does your screen also flicker every couple of seconds?
If this is the case, then a ribbon cable must be disconnected or damaged.
Ribbon cables link each part of your TV with each other. Think of it as telephone lines for your device’s internals.
When one of these connections is compromised, it will also reflect on the TV’s display.
What you can do
Buy a replacement ribbon cable online.
It’s also good practice to stock ribbon cables if you have a lot of TVs in your home. It’s relatively cheap and universal.
Once you have a replacement, here’s how to fix your ribbon cables:
- Remove the back of your TV.
- Follow the ribbon cables at the back of your TV. Do they appear broken or loose?
- If it’s loose, simply reattach the loose ribbon cable back in.
- If it’s broken, remove the old cable and replace it with the new cables.
#5: The Samsung TV Ambient mode glitch
Samsung has a feature called the Ambient mode.
Ambient mode allows your TV to display anything you want when it’s not in use. The setting is entirely customizable and has three options:
- Decor: shows Samsung’s handpicked images.
- Photo: allows you to display your own pictures on the TV.
- Info: displays the current time, weather information, and news headlines.
You might ask, “What does this have to do with a white TV screen?”
Some users have complained that they get a white screen whenever they try to enable Ambient mode.
But don’t panic just yet!
If you have a brand-new TV, the Ambient mode feature may take a while to set up. If you try to access it while it’s still installing, chances are you will get a white screen.
For more information about Samsung’s Ambient mode, watch this video:
What you can do
Don’t wait for the Ambient mode to stop downloading while you’re trying to use it.
- Exit out of Ambient mode.
- Return to it later once you’re sure that it’s finished downloading.
- Then restart your TV to fix the white screen glitch and use Ambient mode.
BONUS: Apple TV app glitch
When your Apple TV is unresponsive while opening apps, it will be stuck on a white screen.
Some users have reported a glitch in Apple TV where opening any app lags their TV.
While it’s certainly a hassle, this isn’t a lost cause.
What you can do
If you encounter this glitch, users have said that doing the following works:
- Restart your Apple TV.
- If you’re still getting stuck opening apps, go to the App Store.
- Try clicking on any app you own.
- Open it from the App Store.
If this doesn’t work, other users have claimed that a factory reset fixed their device.