4 Common Hisense TV Problems That Owners Run Into (And Fixes That Work)

There's something especially frustrating about sitting down in your living room, booting up your TV to watch your favorite program, and running into nothing but problems. While smart TVs have continued to give us more access to our favorite shows, it sometimes feels like they've also given us more problems to contend with. It's almost paramount now to look into the best smart TV brands before you buy one, and even then, any tech is prone to encountering issues here and there — especially as new firmware has a chance to introduce new bugs or problems.

One TV brand that has become pretty popular in recent years, especially thanks to its affordable pricing, is Hisense. And while Hisense TVs offer a lot for their price, like any tech, they might face issues at some point or another. In fact, there are a few common issues that seem to plague these TVs, and knowing how to address them can make dealing with them a good bit easier when they pop up. From black screens to missing sound, here's what you need to know to fix some of the most common problems Hisense TVs might run into.

One of the biggest benefits of smart TVs is being able to download and natively run different applications like Netflix, Apple TV, and Disney+. But what happens when some of these apps start crashing consistently? Well, the first thing you should do is make sure there aren't any updates available for the TV software. This can help rule out any possible issues that might have arisen from not updating, and you can usually check for updates on Hisense TVs by navigating to Settings > Support > System Upgrade. From there, you can select the Check Firmware Upgrade option and make sure you have Auto Firmware Upgrade turned on, too. This will help avoid any issues with running outdated firmware.

If this doesn't work, you can try a full reset of your Hisense TV, which you can do by going to Settings > Support (or System) > Factory Reset. Depending on the type of Hisense TV you own, the setting names might be slightly different. For instance, resetting a Hisense TV that uses Roku as the operating system will require you to go into Settings > System > Advanced System Settings > Factory Reset. Remember that factory resetting will erase any data or apps that you might have previously installed on your TV, so proceed only when app crashes become too frequent.

You might run into this issue at some point, where you turn on your Hisense TV and the screen starts to boot up, but it ultimately just remains black the entire time. This can be really frustrating, especially since you can't get into the TV's settings to see what is going on. If this happens, the first thing you'll want to do is restart the TV completely by unplugging it and plugging it back in. If the issue persists, then you'll want to check all of the power cables and ensure they are properly plugged in and not loose in any way.

If the issue still persists, then you can try resetting your TV. While you'd normally require the screen to work to do this, you can actually reset some Hisense TVs without the remote. First, access the back of the TV and check if it has a reset button, which is often visible as a small recessed button near the connectors on your TV. Using a paperclip or some other small object, press the button until the TV restarts, and then release it. This should reset your TV back to factory defaults, which can help alleviate any software issues that might have been causing the black screen.

Another common Hisense TV issue is the flickering of the picture when watching shows or browsing applications. If you notice this happening, the first thing you should do is check whether or not all of your video connections are secured, and that none of your HDMI cables are damaged in any way. If they are damaged, you'll want to replace them immediately. Even if there doesn't appear to be any physical damage, it is worth checking if another HDMI cable results in the same flickering, just to rule out any possible problems.

You can try changing your Hisense TV settings related to picture quality to ensure they aren't causing any issues. You can also try adjusting the brightness of the display if the problem persists. The reason you should try your cables and settings is because sometimes the issue can occur when a cable is not inserted into the connector well enough. This leads to additional signal noise, which can then lead to other problems such as the screen flickering. It's also worth checking to make sure there isn't a new firmware update available, and if there is, you can always download it and see if that resolves the issue.

Another common issue that you might face with your Hisense TVs is the no audio bug. The first thing to do if you run into this problem is to ensure you didn't accidentally mute the TV. You can do this by changing the volume on the remote. If that isn't the cause of the problem, then you'll want to move on to other troubleshooting steps.

First, try restarting the TV by unplugging it from the wall for 30 seconds to a minute. This gives the components and connections time to reset, and when you plug it back in, the issue may have resolved itself. If that isn't the case, though, boot up your TV completely and navigate to Settings > Sound and check the audio output to ensure it is going to the correct device. If you're using a soundbar with your TV, then make sure the soundbar's cables are properly seated in the TV's connectors, as if they have come loose, the TV won't be able to transfer sound data to the speakers.

If none of these fixes make a difference, then navigating to Settings > Sound and then choosing the Reset option can help clear out all the audio settings so you can start fresh. If, for some reason, that still hasn't resolved the issue, going for a full factory reset is your only remaining option.