Why Is My LG TV Flickering?

You’ve been trying to watch TV for the past 30 minutes but cannot help but focus on your TV’s constantly flickering screen. One moment the picture is at full brightness only to dim the next. 

It’s infuriating and is beginning to give you a headache. 

Why is your LG TV flickering? What can you do to stop it? 

Keep reading to find out! 

1. You Must Perform a Picture Test

Performing a picture test on your LG TV will allow you to configure the picture settings, hopefully resolving any image issues, like flickering. 

Your TV will display several pictures followed by questions about the picture quality. Then, it will automatically adjust the picture settings according to your responses. 

The steps to run a picture test vary greatly depending on which LG TV model you have. 

To learn how to run a picture test on your LG model, check out the Troubleshooting Flickering Video – TV article on LG’s official website. 

2. Your TV Must Be Soft Reset

Glitches happen, especially if you’ve had your LG TV for a couple of years. 

Something may have gone wrong with the power supply or the software could have glitched when the TV started. Smart TVs, for instance, have quite complex software that can blip. 

Rebooting your TV will give the software and any apps the opportunity to start up correctly and resolve the flickering problem. 

The easiest way to soft reset your TV is through its power supply. This will work on both non-smart and smart TVs. 

Let’s learn how!

Step 1: Unplug your TV’s power cable. It’s also a good idea to unplug any other cables attached to it, such as video, Ethernet, or sound cables. 

Step 2: Wait about 30 seconds for all of your TV’s residual power to be drained. 

Step 3: Plug everything back into your TV and turn it on. 

Now, you can play something to see if the TV continues to flicker. 

Watch the video below demonstrating how to soft reset an LG TV, using one of their smart TVs as an example. 

3. Your Room’s Lighting Is Interfering with the Picture

Some types of light bulbs, namely fluorescent bulbs, can make your TV look like it’s flickering. 

This is due to the light bulb’s flicker rate, which is not usually noticeable to the naked eye, interfering with the appearance of your TV’s light. So, although your TV appears to be flickering, in reality, it is not. 

To see if your room’s lighting is interfering with your TV picture, try turning all of them off. If the TV stops flickering, then you’ve found your culprit. 

You may want to consider using a different type of light bulb to fix this problem or turn on lamps instead of the overhead lights. It’s also a good idea to slightly dim your lights to see if that helps. 

4. Energy Saving Mode Is On 

With electricity prices skyrocketing you may have enabled energy saving mode to save yourself some money on your electrical bill. 

While energy saving mode is good for your wallet and the planet, it can cause your TV to flicker as it’s trying to conserve power. So, you may have to turn it off to stop the flickering. 

The process to fix this will vary depending on how old your LG TV is.

Older LG TVs 

Follow the steps below to turn off energy saving mode on older LG TV models. 

Step 1: Press your TV remote’s Smart button, marked with an icon of a house. 

Step 2: Next, go to Settings. 

Step 3: Navigate to Picture. 

Step 4: Select Energy Saving Mode. 

Step 5: Select Off from the drop-down menu. 

Newer LG Smart TVs

Let’s learn how to disable energy saving mode on newer LG smart TVs. 

Step 1: On the Home page, go to Settings. 

Step 2: Head to All Settings. 

Step 3: Go to Support. 

Step 4: Select Energy Saving. 

Step 5: Check Off from the menu of options. 

Watch the video below from the LG USA Support YouTube channel demonstrating how to disable energy saving mode on an LG smart TV. 

5. Your TV Has Pending Updates

There could have been a bug in your TV’s latest software, causing the screen to flicker. Alternatively, your TV could have some pending updates resulting in software glitches. 

The easiest solution to fix this is to check and install any pending updates. If your TV does not have any available updates, proceed to the next solution. 

Please note that this solution is only applicable to LG smart TVs. 

Follow the instructions below for your LG TV’s webOS. 

webOS 1.0 to 4.5

Step 1: Navigate to the Settings. 

Step 2: Head to Advanced. 

Step 3: Click on General. 

Step 4: Select About This TV. 

Step 5: Click on Check for Updates. 

Step 6: If there are any available updates, select Install. 

Step 7: To prevent any pending updates from causing similar problems in the future, check Allow Automatic Updates. 

webOS 5.0 and Above

Step 1: Go to the Settings on the Homescreen. 

Step 2: Navigate to All Settings. 

Step 3: Select Support. 

Step 4: Go to Software Update. 

Step 5: If you see any available updates, select Download and Install. 

Step 6: Then, find Automatic Updates on the same page and toggle it On. 

Watch the tutorial below demonstrating how to update all webOS versions of LG TVs. 

6. The Video Cables Are Misplaced

Incorrectly attached cables (e.g. HDMI, S-Video, RCA, SCART, component, etc.) can cause several picture problems, including flickering. 

All of these cables have pins that must be in contact with the port’s pinholes, allowing them to transmit video signals smoothly. 

So, go to the back of your TV and carefully examine each of the connected video cables. 

You may also want to check that all of the cables and their connectors are in good condition. It’s also a good idea to take this opportunity to check that the ports are not clogged with dust or other debris. 

Try unplugging all of them before properly replacing them in their correct ports. 

You may also want to examine your connected input device, as it could be the origin of the flickering. 

7. Your Cable Converter Is Incorrectly Powered

If you’re using a cable converter (e.g. SCART/RCA/component to HDMI), it’s a good idea to check that it’s correctly powered. 

While passive converters do not need to be powered, many active converters do and come with the necessary charging cable. 

These charging cables may be USB cables that can be plugged into your TV USB ports. However, if your TV USB port is not powered or cannot supply sufficient power, it can lead to video irregularities, such as flickering. So, instead of plugging your converter into the TV USB port, try plugging it into a wall outlet with a USB power adapter .