Samsung TV Blinking Red Light (How to Fix)

I’ve owned a Samsung TV for a while now, and I’ve been satisfied with its quality and performance. I did come across this blinking red light on its front panel, and seeing red, I instantly thought it was not a good sign.

I personally delved and troubleshot why this was happening, and there are actually many different reasons for Samsung TV blinking red light. And the fixes are quite easy too!

Samsung TV Blinking Red Light

Soft reset your Samsung TV to fix the red light blinking issue. If this doesn’t help, try disconnecting any additional HDMI devices connected to your TV. Next, examine different components for damage,
including the HDMI cable, power cord, capacitors, wall outlet, and LED backlights. If there’s damage to any part, replace it.

What Does Samsung TV Flashing Red Light Mean?

A red light is never a good sign in the technological world. It shows something is wrong with your gadget.

If a red light blinks on your Samsung TV continuously, it means that it has software problems, technical glitches, power supply failure, or another hardware issue.

What Causes a Red Blinking Light on a Samsung TV?

There could be numerous reasons why your Samsung TV light blinks red. Here are some of them:

1. Insufficient Power Supply

A bad power supply is the most likely reason for a blinking red light. It could happen due to receiving too little or too much electricity. As a result, this might impact different components of your TV, including transistors or capacitors.

Capacitors are crucial components that store and release electricity in the TV. If these got blown or swollen, they would malfunction. As a result, your TV starts blinking red.

2. Improper Electricity Flow

If your TV doesn’t receive electricity properly in all its parts, it’ll malfunction. There could be several reasons for this; here are some of them:

A. Damaged Wall Outlet and Surge Protector

Sometimes, the fault is not with the TV but rather with the power outlet to which it’s connected. It means your surge protector or wall outlet may have been compromised.

B. Faulty Power Cord

A broken power cable could also cause the red light blinking issue.

C. Shorted LED Backlight Strips

Most TV manufacturers use LED strips to give the device a backlight effect that makes images brighter, cleaner, and sharper. If these LED strips short out, it may cause your Samsung TV to flash red light.

3. Automatic Initiation of Software Update

If your Samsung TV is set to update automatically, you may see a red light blinking because of an automatic software initialization by your TV. If that’s the case, don’t worry; your TV will turn back on and work normally.

However, if you disconnect your TV from the power source while it’s updating, then it may cause serious issues.

4. Incorrect Source Selection or HDMI Glitch

Some TV owners have reported that they often struggle to turn on their TVs. Surprisingly, there was one thing that was common among all of them, and it was a gaming console.

They all play games on their Samsung TVs, and after playing, they simply turn the TV off without switching the input source. That’s what causes the issue.

5. Corrupted Launch Configurations

There’s a possibility that the launch configurations on your TV might have been corrupted. These configurations decrease the startup time by saving certain information on your TV.

6. Physical Damage to TV

Your Samsung TV might not power up if you’ve accidentally splashed or dropped liquid on it. You can check all parts of your television to ensure that it’s in good condition.

How Do You Fix the Blinking Red Light on a Samsung TV?

Try these fixes to resolve your Samsung TV blinking red light issue:

1. Inspect Your TV

Before you try the fixes below, first discover what’s causing the issue and how it occurred. So you can simply try this solution and save time!

Follow these steps to inspect your TV:

• Plug the power cord into the wall outlet and turn it on.
• Check if you see a standby light (probably red) on the lower right side of the screen.
• If it’s turned on, take your Samsung TV remote and press the Power button. The light will now turn off in an instant. If it does, it means your TV is receiving a proper power supply.
• Next, lightly tap your fingers on the TV’s screen to check if it’s powered on. If the part of the screen you tapped on blinks, it means your Samsung TV is correctly connected to the power supply.
• If the standby light or TV screen doesn’t respond, it means the issue is with either the screen, power supply, or remote.

2. Power Cycle Your TV

Power cycling your TV is completely different from turning it on and off with the remote. It’s like an electrical reset, which drains all the power from your TV. Doing this helps resolve numerous issues, including a software glitch or blank screen.

Follow these steps to power cycle your Samsung TV:

• Turn off your TV and unplug it from the power source.
• Locate and press the power button on your TV, and hold it for 30 seconds.
• Doing this drains any remaining residual power in the TV.
• Next, wait for another 30 seconds, then turn on your TV.

Your TV should work now.

3. Switch to Correct Input Source and Disconnect Any Extra Devices

If you’ve connected any gaming console to your TV, there’s a probability that it might be preventing your Samsung TV from turning on.

It’s because of the HDMI-CEC or Anynet+ feature that automatically turns on your TV every time you turn on the console. It’s a great feature to save time, for sure!

However, if you don’t switch the input source before turning off your TV, it might cause your television to malfunction.

The solution is simple: disconnect any additional HDMI devices connected to your TV and change the input source. Here’s how:

• Unplug your TV from the power source and disconnect all HDMI-connected devices.
• Once done, turn on the TV and change the source to HDMI 1.
• Check if your TV is working fine. If it is, connect your gaming console to an HDMI 2 port.
• After that, switch between HDMI 1 and HDMI 2 sources to see if your TV responds well.

Note: Always switch back to HDMI 1 before turning off your Samsung TV.

If this doesn’t help, try disabling Anynet+ in your TV settings. Here’s how:

• Press the Home button on your remote.
• Navigate to Settings and select General > External Device Manager.
• Next, choose Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) from the list and turn it off.

That’s all!

4. Replace the HDMI Cable

If you’re still facing the Samsung TV blinking red light issue, there may be a fault with the HDMI cable. The only way to resolve a malfunctioning cord is to replace it.

Before buying a new one, test the old one on other devices like a Blu-ray disc player or a DVD player.

5. Try Another Power Outlet or Surge Protector

Now that you’ve tested your HDMI cable and found it in working condition, it’s time to test the power outlet or surge protector.

Simply plug your TV into a different power source (using an extension cord if needed).

If your TV is working fine, the problem lies with either the power outlet or surge protector.

The only way to resolve this is to contact an electrician and get the wall outlet fixed or buy a new surge protector if yours is damaged.

6. Replace Remote Control Batteries

If your Samsung TV remote not working and blinking a red light, it’s because of dead batteries. Some users have reported that replacing the remote’s batteries helped resolve the issue. So, it’s worth a try.

7. Examine TV’s Components

There is a chance that your television’s internal or external component was shorted due to insufficient electricity flow. If your TV’s power is faulty or there’s been a lightning storm in your area, you may see a flashing red light on your TV every time you turn it on.

Most of the time, the excessive surge damages the following components:

• Power board (a compact piece that converts 110V electric current flow from the power source into something the television can handle)
• Power cable
• LED backlight strips
• Wall outlet or surge protector

Here you need to determine where the power flow is interrupted; just replace that part once you figure it out. You’ve already examined the wall outlet, surge protector, and HDMI cord. So, skip them all and look at the LED backlight strips, power board, and power cord.

A. Use a Voltmeter to Figure Out the Root Cause of the Problem

You can use a voltmeter to determine which components have failed among the LED strips, power board, and power cord.

Voltmeters give you an idea of where the problem lies. Moreover, they are easy to use and cheap.

Follow these steps to use a voltmeter correctly:

• Turn on your TV, take the voltmeter near a working power source, and check the reading on the device. If you don’t see any reading on it, it means the power cord is damaged.
• If it displays a reading at the outlet, move the device to the power cord input on the back side of the TV. Measure the reading; if it doesn’t show anything, it means the power board is not working.
• If it gives a reading, remove the back panel of the TV and test both the LED backlights and capacitors. But make sure that you first unplug the TV from the power source before opening it.

Note: If you don’t have a voltmeter, don’t worry. But the device will really be helpful in figuring out what you need: a new power board or a new power cord.

B. Replace Blown or Swollen Capacitors

After investigating your TV for shorted components and figuring out that the problem is with the power board, try replacing the capacitors. These are smaller components of the power board that might have blown or swollen due to an excessive power supply.

You can buy them at a lower price and replace them with the right tools!

If you don’t think you can do it, seek professional assistance from a nearby repair shop.

C. Replace Any Broken LED Backlight Strips

If you think the LED backlight strips have shorted, get new ones. You can use Samsung’s genuine spare parts finder to get the ones that will work with your Samsung television.

Once you get the parts, replace them with the right tools. If you don’t have a tool kit, don’t worry, as you can do the job with a screwdriver.

Note: Try not to open the TV if it’s under warranty or if you don’t know how to properly do the technical part.

8. Contact Samsung Customer Service

If, after trying all the fixes above, you still face the Samsung TV blinking red light issue, it’s time to check your TV’s warranty.

The best thing is that the Samsung TV warranty covers power supply failure defects as long as they aren’t the result of damage or neglect.

However, Samsung only offers a traditional one-year warranty on most of its products. It’s not good news for old Samsung TV owners.

Luckily, problems like power supply or power board failures mostly happen during the first year of purchase. If your under-warranty Samsung TV stopped working and all the troubleshooting fixes you’ve tried didn’t work, Samsung will repair your television or ship a new one for free.

However, you may have to pay the shipping fee to send your damaged TV to them.

You can contact Samsung in the following ways:

From the Samsung support website

From this number: 1(800) 726-7864

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

If you see a red light blinking on your Samsung TV, it’s because of either a power supply failure or a power board failure. Luckily, you can get your Samsung TV working again with these fixes in no time!

1. Inspect your TV
2. Power cycle your TV
3. Correct input source and disconnect any extra connected devices
4. Replace the HDMI cable
5. Try another power outlet or surge protector
6. Replace the remote’s batteries
7. Examine the TV’s components

Hopefully, one of these fixes has worked for you. If you figure out the problem is with the power board or LED backlight strips, try contacting Samsung Support for further assistance.

Were you able to stop the blinking red light on your Samsung TV? If so, let us know what worked in the comments below!