Smart TVs Have A Big Problem With Automatic Brightness - Here's How To Fix It

Smart TVs, like some other modern backlit devices, possess the convenient ability to automatically adjust screen brightness based on a room's lighting. However, this feature can be just as aggravating as it is well-meaning, and, in some cases, your device can seemingly take on a mind of its own and frequently brighten or dim at extreme levels based on a room's light level and what's on the screen at any given moment. Thus, it's important to know how to fix these settings on certain major TV brands.

Samsung TV owners should first go into their settings and turn off Contrast Enhancer. If you're still experiencing problems afterward, disable Brightness Optimization under the Power and Energy Saving settings. The same menu also features the Brightness Reduction option, which could thwart auto-brightness when disabled, and Motion Lighting, which disarms your TV's ability to change brightness based on screen movement when turned off. Motion Lighting may also be disabled if you enable the TV's Intelligent Mode (Adaptive Picture) function.

LG TV users will want to find the Energy Saving option under their TV's General settings. There, you'd select "Off," thus disabling the system's ability to adjust screen brightness based on surrounding light. 

Finally, Hisense owners should find their TV's Picture settings, followed by Expert Settings. From there, the Automatic Light Sensor option should be available. The feature may also be labeled Auto Brightness, Adaptive Brightness, Ambient Light Sensor, Dynamic Backlight, or Eco Sensor.

To some, auto-brightness may sound like a minor inconvenience. Other TV owners believe Eco Mode and other auto-brightness settings ruin their screen's brightness. "It's really distracting depending on the room the TV is in," one Redditor said. Some, however, said the problematic settings are something you may get used to over time. "I was fixated on it while playing the newest 'Ratchet & Clank' game for the longest time, but that was years ago and I haven't really thought about it since. My brain just sort of adjusted to compensate for flaw in the technology," another user wrote.

Settings like Samsung TV's Brightness Optimization and Motion Lighting can also alter a system's brightness at such a frequent rate and extreme level that makes it too obvious or eye-straining for viewers to look at. Although TV time is meant to be an opportunity for entertainment and relaxation from the comfort of your own home, it can easily become a major headache, both figuratively and literally, if one is subjected to constant flickering lights of varying light levels. Thus, toggling off such functions can help bring some joy back to your home theater.