Hey! We’ll fix your LG TV showing a black screen and figure out whether it’s a simple setting/HDMI issue or a backlight/panel problem. Quick questions so we don’t miss the easy win:
• Do you have sound (volume clicks, app audio) while the screen is black?
• When you press Home or Volume on the remote, do you see any on-screen menu/volume bar?
• Is the black screen happening on all inputs (HDMI + internal apps), or only on one HDMI device?
• TV type/model (LG OLED vs LG LED/LCD) and roughly how old is it?

Thanks — sound but no picture on an LG TV narrows it down a lot.

In real life, an LG TV screen is black but sound works usually comes from one of these buckets:
• Backlight / dim panel: the TV is running, audio works, but the backlight isn’t lighting the screen (common on LED/LCD). It can look “off” even when it’s on.
• Video path issue: the TV’s menus don’t show, or it shows logo then goes black — could be a software crash, AV settings glitch, or a hardware board issue.
• Input/HDMI confusion: wrong input, HDMI handshake failure, or external device off — less likely since you said internal apps also play sound, but we’ll still check quickly.

We’ll do this safely: 1) confirm whether the TV can display its own menus, 2) run a proper power reset, 3) do a quick flashlight test for backlight, then 4) apply the right fix (settings/AV reset vs service-level symptoms).

Let’s do the fastest “restore picture” flow that also diagnoses the cause.

Step 1 — Check if the TV can draw its own on-screen menu
• With the TV “on”, press Volume + or Home on the LG remote (or the TV’s physical button).
• If you see a volume bar or any menu overlay, the panel can display and the issue is more likely input/settings/software.
• If you see nothing at all, we move to power reset + backlight test.

Step 2 — Do a proper LG TV power reset (hard reset)
1) Unplug the TV from the wall.
2) Hold the Power button on the TV (not just the remote) for 20–30 seconds to discharge stored power.
3) Wait 60 seconds, plug it back in, and turn it on.

This fixes a surprising number of cases where the LG TV turns on but screen stays black after a glitch or update.

That points strongly to no backlight / very dim picture (especially on LG LED/LCD). Here’s the quick diagnostic that doesn’t require tools.

Step 3 — Do the LG TV flashlight test (backlight test)
1) Turn the TV on and let it play something with sound (Netflix menu is fine).
2) In a dim room, shine a phone flashlight at the screen from the side, close to the panel.
3) Look for a faint image (menus, outlines, movement).

• If you see a faint image: your TV is working but the LED backlight (or its power) is failing, so the screen looks black.
• If you see absolutely nothing: it may be a deeper video/panel path issue (still troubleshootable, but different direction).

Tell me what you see with the flashlight — even “I can barely see shapes” is a big clue.

Yes — LG TV black screen but picture visible with flashlight is the classic sign the backlight is not lighting the panel (or it’s extremely dim). On many LG LED TVs, a setting can make it look “dead,” but your flashlight test suggests the TV is producing video.

Step 4 — Try the “screen too dark” and power saving checks
Even if the backlight is weak, these can sometimes bring it back temporarily:
• Turn off Energy Saving / Eco mode (it can aggressively dim the backlight).
• Change Picture Mode (Standard/Cinema/Game) — some modes push brightness/backlight differently.
• If you can access it: increase Backlight / Brightness (LG menus vary by model).

Important reality check: if the backlight strips or backlight driver is failing, settings may only help for a short time (or not at all). But we can still do a couple “recovery” steps to confirm it’s not a software/AV configuration problem.

Great questions. A software update can trigger odd behavior (especially AV settings), but it generally doesn’t “kill” a backlight — your flashlight result still leans hardware. That said, let’s do the safe configuration reset that LG recommends for display oddities, because it’s fast and sometimes restores a dim/black screen that’s actually a settings glitch.

Step 5 — Run an LG “AV Reset” (resets audio/video settings)
On many LG webOS models, an AV reset is accessed through an on-screen prompt sequence. If you can get any menu to appear at all (even faintly), run the AV reset to restore default picture settings.
• This can fix cases like LG TV dark screen, weird brightness behavior, or picture settings corrupted after an update.

Step 6 — Confirm it’s not “input only” (HDMI check)
Since internal apps have sound, HDMI isn’t the root cause — but for completeness: try switching to a different input and unplug external HDMI devices. Sometimes a bad HDMI device can cause strange behavior or force the TV into an unsupported mode.

If after power reset + AV reset the screen is still only visible by flashlight, then yes: it’s effectively a backlight hardware failure and repair is the long-term fix.

You’re describing it perfectly. The most useful “support phrase” is:
“LG TV has sound but no picture. Flashlight test shows a faint image.”

That single sentence tells an expert (or repair tech) it’s a backlight / backlight power problem and not a Wi-Fi/app issue.

Step 7 — What to record (helps fix it faster)
• TV model (from the back label or settings if you can see it).
• What happens at startup: LG logo then black screen, or instantly black.
• Whether menus/volume bar show at all.
• Any blinking indicator light pattern.

Safety note: It’s usually not dangerous for you personally, but repeated power-cycling and forcing it on/off can stress components. If it’s intermittently working, keep brightness reasonable and avoid endless reboot loops.

Totally fair — here’s the “100% confidence” decision tree.

If the flashlight test shows a faint image and you have sound, that means:
• The TV is generating video (the panel is receiving an image).
• The missing piece is the light source — the LED backlight system (or its power/driver) isn’t illuminating the screen.

What could still mimic it?
• Extreme energy saving / brightness set to minimum can make the screen look black — but usually menus still show and changing picture mode helps noticeably.
• A software crash could cause black screen, but it typically affects apps/menus too, and the flashlight test is less consistent.

You already did the two strongest differentiators: power reset and flashlight test. With your results, the odds are strongly in the backlight bucket.

If you want, in chat we can walk through your exact LG model’s picture/eco menu and AV reset steps to eliminate the “settings” possibility quickly.

You’re welcome — and good plan.

Summary: If an LG TV is showing a black screen, first check if the TV can display its own menus (Home/Volume bar). Then do a proper power reset. If the screen is still black but sound works, run the flashlight test:
• Faint image visible = backlight/dim screen problem (repair-level in most cases).
• No image at all = deeper video/panel path issue, still troubleshootable, but different steps.

Need help identifying your exact LG model, verifying settings (Eco/Picture/AV reset), and choosing the cheapest reliable fix? Open the chat and I’ll guide you step by step.