Hisense TV Red Light Blinks 2 Times? (Do THIS)

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If your Hisense TV red light blinks 2 times but get no picture, then you’re not alone.

I know just how frustrating it is to have a problem with your TV that should be easy to fix, but somehow nothing seems to work.

What does the red light blinking 2 times even mean, anyway?

Unfortunately, there’s no Hisense TV blinking codes that are accurate, as the meaning of the number of blinks varies between models, and often means nothing in any case.

But it is possible to get your TV to come on again, and if you follow the steps in this guide, I’m confident that you can get your TV up and running again without needing an expensive replacement.

Hisense TV Red Light Blinks 2 Times

If your Hisense TV red light blinks 2 times, this means that there is a problem with the power board, backlight or voltage inverter of your TV. Fix it by using a multimeter to see if your internal components are working, and replace those that are broken.

Power problems are the most usual suspect if your red light is blinking twice when you try to turn your Hisense TV on.

We’ll go over detailed steps for how to fix this below, starting with the easiest fixes before moving onto hardware fixes if none of those work.

1. Remove HDMI Cables

There’s a strong possibility that a poorly seated cable is automatically switching inputs on your TV, but as it’s not fully connected, it isn’t able to supply a signal and so it looks like your TV isn’t working, with the red standby light flashing 2 times.

This comes down to either a:

Faulty HDMI cable with a break in it
Damaged HDMI port with broken pins
Poor HDMI connection where the cable and connector are not fully making contact

To check your HDMI and other cables:

Switch off your TV.
Remove any HDMI or other physical cables connected to the back of your TV.
If you have any compressed air, use that to clean the contacts both of the cable and in the connector on the TV. If you don’t have compressed air, then blow gently on them.
Firmly push the cables back into their slots on the TV.
Switch your TV back on again.

It that hasn’t fixed the problem, then try using a different HDMI input. Most TVs have 3 or 4 HDMI ports.

If you have one that is on a different part of the TV then that would be the best one to try, as it this should have a separate connection to the TV’s main board.

Plug you HDMI cable into the new port, note the number next to it, then choose this HDMI input on your TV, by using the Input or Source button on your TV remote or the Input or Menu button on your TV itself.

You can also try removing all external devices, including those connected by Bluetooth and any coaxial or signal cables, so that the TV only has a power cable going into it.

This is because a flaw with the HDMI-CEC settings can stop your TV coming on properly if you have other devices, particularly games consoles, plugged into your TV.

HDMI-CEC allows two-way communication between your TV and console, allowing your console to switch your TV on automatically.

The problem is that if you do not switch inputs on your TV away from your console’s input before switching off your TV, then your TV will not “listen” to your remote, and will instead just blink its red lights.

Unplugging all cables will temporarily solve this, so if your TV’s red lights are no longer blinking and your TV is working as normal, then try switching off HDMI-CEC before re-instating the cables.

To switch off HDMI-CEC on a Hisense TV:

Press Home on your remote.
Scroll to the Gear Icon for settings.
Then Display & Sounds.
And HDMI-CEC device control.
You can switch it off by setting ARC/eARC to No.

2. Reset Your Hisense TV

Although this might seem a basic step, power cycling your TV is often the best way to fix your Hisense TV.

Running your Hisense TV through a power cycle will help to clear any potential issues that could be caused by its capacitors retaining charge or internal flash memory holding onto a glitch.

This is quick and painless and won’t cause you to lose any of your saved settings.

Unplug your Hisense TV and hold down the physical power button beneath the IR receiver on the TV for at least 15 seconds.
Wait for at least 30 minutes for any residual power to drain.
Plug your TV back in and try switching it on. You should see a red light come on once if you have been successful.

Make sure you do wait for the full 30 minutes before plugging your TV back in – you would be surpised how long the components within your TV can hold charge, and you want to make sure it has fully reset.

Although this seems a very basic step, don’t overlook it because in the vast majority of cases a simple soft reset fixes most issues.

Most people will now have their TV fixed and back up and running, but if this isn’t you, then we’ve got a few more basic fixes to try before getting into the hardware fixes.

3. Check Your Hisense Remote is Working

If the red light is blinking 2 times, this means that your TV is receiving power, but there is a chance that its not responding to you because your Hisense remote isn’t working.

If you are using an IR remote, then confirm that you have a good line of site to your TV.

If you are using an RF remote, confirm that it is connected to the same local network as your TV.

Don’t forget to check the batteries in your remote, replacing the existing ones with brand new batteries if you have no way of checking them.

For IR remotes, it’s possible to check if the remote is working by using your smartphone’s camera.

Simply point the IR transmitter on the end of your remote at your phone’s camera and you will see a red light appear when you press any button on the remote.

This doesn’t work for some cameras though, notably some iPhones, so check with another remote that you know works if in doubt about your camera.

4. Check for Power Supply Problems

It might seem obvious, but a very common reason why your Hisense TV’s red light blinks 2 times with no picture is because of a household power issue, rather than a problem with the TV itself.

First, you need to confirm that your wall socket is supplying enough power, and there is no interruption of supply during use.

There’s a few methods that you can use:

Unplug your Hisense TV from your wall socket.
Remove any surge interruptors or smart plugs so that you have a direct line to your wall socket.
Plug another large device that you know works into the same socket and check that the new device works as normal. (It’s important that this device draws approximately as much power as your TV, to confirm the socket is fully working).
Remove the other device and plug your TV back into this socket.
Switch on the power and switch on your TV using the physical power button located somewhere on its case (usually beneath the Hisense logo).
See if the red light is solid. If so, this means your TV is getting sufficient voltage.
If your Hisense TV’s red light is blinking 5, 6, 10 times or more, then repeat these steps with another wall socket to confirm your household electricity supply isn’t a problem.

You should also look at your power cord for kinks and knots in the power cable, which can damage the copper wires both mechanically and from increasing the electrical resistance, which generates heat, causing damage that may not necessarily be obvious.

Because of potential damage within the cable that you cannot see due to the protective sheath, it can be a good idea to use a new power cable, if you have one or can borrow one.

Also, be sure to carefully look at the power connector on your TV to confirm that the port is free from corrosion, dirt and dust.

If you’ve tried a number of sockets and are still seeing the red light flashing twice, then move onto the next step.

5. Check for Backlight Power Supply Failure

If you’ve checked external connections, then all that’s left is internal connections, and in particular the power board and voltage inverter for the backlight.

These are hidden away inside the case of your TV and can be checked for failure by simply taking your TV’s case apart and using a multimeter to check that voltages are correct across the boards.

You should note that this invalidates your warranty, so if you bought your TV in the last year, then contact Hisense to have them fix it.

Out of warranty fixes are likely to run to $200 – $400 to check and replace a main board, but if you do it yourself, you are looking at around $30 – $50 in parts from eBay.

Troubleshooting the main board and power board is easiest to see in video form, so take a look below for the full details on doing this.

The two things that you are looking for are:

If there is power received by the power socket on the power board, and if all components are receiving power from this.
No components are showing signs of damage. Particularly look at capacitors as these are prone to swelling after power surges which causes them to fail.

If both the power board and main boards look OK, then the most likely problem is a failure of the backlight inverter.

This powers the backlight of your TV by uprating the standard voltage and current of your home supply to the higher levels required by the backlight.

It’s a very small board in most TV models (although in some is integrated onto the power board). Check this board with your voltmeter, and don’t forget to also look at the cable. These boards are only around $10-15 on eBay, so are very cheap to replace if they have failed.

If this is also fine, then you should concentrate on the backlights themselves.

Many models of Hisense TVs will fail to come on with the red light blinking twice if there is a failed individual backlight or backlight strip.

Backlights on modern Hisense TVs come in LED strips of varying lengths. Older models used lengths that spanned the entire frame of the TV, but due to cost savings, more recent TVs use a set 16″ LED strip which is connected in series for each row to span your TV.

These cold soldered connectors are a notorious failure point on Hisense TVs, but can be easily fixed if you are willing to re-solder a joint yourself.

Equally commonly, the LED backlights themselves can fail. This is due to repeated current over powering, which over time causes thermal degradation of the LEDs leading to burnout.

You can replace any failed LEDs by just removing the entire strip and replacing it.

The problem with fixing the LEDs is that they are located in the most difficult to access part of your TV. So if you are not comfortable with a larger repair job, then now is a good time to seek help from a professional.

You need to remove the back panel, remove all of the circuit boards and connectors, then another layer of screws for the front panel, and only when you have fully removed the LCD panel can you get to the backlights.

You will also need a multimeter or TV backlight tester to test the backlight strips to find out where the problem lies.

Assuming you have followed the steps to check the Power and Main Boards:

Any wires or ribbons that are near the edge of the TV should be disconnected.
Then remove the screws around the edge that hold the bezel of the TV.
With some care, you should be able to remove the bezel, panel and reveal the TV backlight underneath, which will be in strips of LED lights.
Use a multimeter or TV backlight tester to check whether they are working, and replace any failures.

It’s also possible that one of the connectors linking the LED strips as they span the width of your TV has failed. This can be fixed by checking the connectors with a multimeter and re-soldering any broken connections. This article has a good study on this.

Hisense Support & Warranty

It goes without saying that if you are still within the one year warranty period, then you should contact Hisense, who will most likely come to you and simply replace the panel in your TV.

You can call Hisense on:

1-888-935-8880 (Mon – Fri, 9am – 9pm EST & Sat – Sun, 9am – 6pm EST)

Even if Hisense won’t fix your TV, they might still offer you a discount off a future model if you pester them hard enough! This is always worth a try in my experience.

What to Do if Your Hisense TV Red Light is Blinking 2 Times

To wrap up, if your Hisense TV red light is blinking 2 times with no picture, then to fix it you can:

Power cycle your TV.
Check your TV is receiving power by testing your wall sockets.
Look for damage to your power cable.
Check your HDMI cables are firmly connected.
Check your remote is working and has batteries.
Test for power board and backlight failure.

If you haven’t been able to fix your problem using the steps above, then your next port of call should be customer support, who can advise you if they are able to fix it.

If not, then you can try a local TV repair technician, but if they are unable to help, then unfortunately you are most probably looking at having to get a new TV.

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