The other day I ran into an issue with my Hitachi 42-inch LCD TV.
I went to turn it on but noticed that while the blue power light came on, the screen itself stayed black and showed no picture.
Here are the key points from my blog post on how I fixed my Hitachi TV that had the blue light on but no picture:
The Problem
- Hitachi 42-inch LCD TV had blue power light on but no picture on the screen
Initial Troubleshooting
- Power cycled the TV by unplugging it and plugging it back in
- Checked that all video and audio cables were securely connected
Further Troubleshooting
- Tested different HDMI cables and ports by connecting them one-by-one
- Still had blue power light but no picture displaying
The Fix
- Tried using the remote control from another Hitachi TV
- Remote turned on the TV and brought the picture back instantly
The Takeaway
- The root cause was a faulty original remote control
- Keep spare remotes handy for troubleshooting purposes
- Changing remotes can fix power on but no picture issues
As an avid DIYer and lover of all things tech, I rolled up my sleeves to try diagnosing and fixing the issue myself before shelling out money for professional repairs or a brand new TV.
Here’s how I managed to get my Hitachi TV working again after the dreaded “blue light of death” struck.
First Steps – Power Cycling and Checking Connections
My first step was to do a basic power cycle on the TV. I unplugged it from the wall outlet, waited 30 seconds, and plugged it back in. I hit the power button on the TV, but unfortunately still saw the same result – blue power light but no picture.
Next, I checked all the video and audio connections on the back of the TV. I made sure that:
- The power cable was securely plugged into the TV and wall outlet
- The HDMI cable box and game console cables were all firmly connected
- There were no loose HDMI ports on the back of the TV
Despite the solid connections, I still ran into the infuriating blue light with no display issue. On to more troubleshooting!
Testing Different HDMI Ports and Cables
My next phase of troubleshooting involved testing different combinations of HDMI inputs/outputs on the TV itself:
- I disconnected all devices from the TV’s HDMI ports first
- I then tested different HDMI cables one-by-one by connecting them to different HDMI ports on the TV
- For each test, I would turn on the TV and see if the picture came on
Unfortunately this round of testing yielded no positive results. The TV kept showing the glowing blue light minus any picture through the various HDMI port and cable combinations.
The Fix – Using a Different Remote Control
I was scratching my head wondering what could possibly be going on with this TV. As one last resort, I decided to try using the remote control from my other Hitachi TV in the house. Lo and behold, when I turned on the problematic TV using the other Hitachi remote – the picture flashed on instantly!
Apparently the issue was with the original TV remote the whole time. Perhaps the IR sensor or power button was acting flaky on that specific remote. By using the remote from the other Hitachi TV, I was able to turn the TV on and function normally once again.
The moral of the story? Always have spare remote controls handy! Especially if you have multiple devices of the same model around the house. Had I known this simple trick earlier, it would have saved me all that troubleshooting time and effort.
