The red standby light blinking can indicate problems ranging from power board failure to T-Con errors and backlight failure, with a failed internal component being the most likely cause.

Luckily, this is something that you are easily capable of sorting out at home, with just a few basic tools, a little knowledge, and some time.

Because the blink codes for LG TVs that you might find online are not always accurate, it’s a good plan to use the steps below to definitively diagnose the cause, and fix your TV.

LG TV Red Light Blinking Possible Causes

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How to Fix an LG TV With a Flashing Red Light

Power problems are the most common suspect if your red light is blinking multiple times when you try to turn your LG TV on.

Although you might think that the number of flashes should give you an idea of the problem with your TV, this isn’t a very good diagnostic tool in general, so it doesn’t matter whether your LG TV red light blinks 3 times, 7 times, or however many times, the fixes you should try are pretty much the same.

You can see all of the fixes covered in brief in the video below, with more detail following in this article.

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

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1. Check If Your LG TV is Running a Software Update

Before rushing into these, you should first confirm that your LG TV isn’t running a software update via WiFi or Ethernet.

A flashing red light with the TV not responding to your remote is a potential sign that it is updating.

This should only last for a few minutes, but if the red light is still blinking after waiting 10 minutes then it’s possible that the software update has encountered a problem and is stuck in a loop.

In this case, it’s sensible to try to power cycle your LG TV to reset it.

About 30% of people who contact me either through email, YouTube, or who leave comments here, fix their problem with a power cycle.

To power cycle an LG TV:

1. Switch off and unplug your TV.
2. Hold down the physical power button on the TV for at least 15 seconds.
3. Wait for at least 30 minutes for any residual power to drain from the TV’s capacitors (which are capable of storing charge for several minutes).
4. Plug your TV back in and try switching it on. You should see a single red light if you have been successful.
5. It’s a good idea to try this a couple more times if it doesn’t work at first, as this can sometimes take a few goes to kick in.

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

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2. Check Your HDMI Settings

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 so it looks like your TV isn’t working, with the red standby light flashing.

HDMI problems affect about 5% of users.

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

Start by removing all HDMI and other cables apart from your power cable, then switch your TV on.

If you are now getting a picture, then:

1. Take a look at any HDMI or other physical cables that were connected to the back of your TV.
2. 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.
3. Make sure your TV is off, then firmly push the cables back into their slots on the TV.
4. Switch your TV back on again.

If 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 this should have a separate connection to the TV’s main board.

If your TV is now working, it could be because a flaw with the HDMI-CEC settings can stop your TV from coming on properly if you have other devices, particularly game consoles, plugged into your TV.

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

To switch off HDMI-CEC on an LG TV, look in the Settings -> General -> SimpLink (HDMI-CEC) menu for SimpLink, which is LG’s name for HDMI-CEC.

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3. Is Your LG TV Remote Working?

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

Remote control problems are unlikely to be the cause, but it’s worth checking just for completeness.

If you are using an IR remote, then confirm that you have a good line of sight 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 if in doubt about your camera.

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4. Check Wall Socket Voltage

In about 10% of cases, a fault within your household power supply, or more specifically within the surge protector or smart plug that your TV is plugged into is the cause of the problem.

To thoroughly test your power supply:

1. Unplug your LG TV from your wall socket.
2. Remove any surge interrupters or smart plugs so that you have a direct line to your wall socket.
3. Plug another large device that you know works into the same socket and check that the new device works as normal. (This device must draw approximately as much power as your TV, to confirm the socket is fully working).
4. Remove the other device and plug your TV back into this socket.
5. Switch on the power and switch on your TV using the physical power button located somewhere on its case (usually beneath the LG logo).
6. See if the red light is solid. If so, this means your TV is getting sufficient voltage.
7. If your 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, and be sure to carefully look at the power connector on your TV to confirm that the port is free from corrosion, dirt, and dust.

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5. Check for Main Board / Power Board Failure

If you’ve checked external connections, then all that’s left are internal connections, and in particular the main board and/or power board.

Burned-out components on the power board are the most likely cause of blinking lights on your TV.

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 LG to have them fix it.

Out-of-warranty fixes are likely to run $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.

CAUTION
Opening up your TV is potentially dangerous due to the risk of electric shock. If you are not confident in your skills, do not proceed.

The two things that you are looking for are:

1. If there is power received by the power socket on the power board, and if all components are receiving power from this.
2. 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 into 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 they are very cheap to replace if they have failed.

The final thing to check is if your backlight itself has failed.

If the inverter and cable are working normally, with normal voltages shown on your voltmeter, then it’s possible that your backlights themselves need replacing.

This is a slightly more involved job but it is completely possible to do at home. Follow the steps in the video below to see how to do this.

LG TV Red Light Blinks 3 Times

If your LG TV red light blinks 3 times, then there is either a software glitch or a problem with the main board, power board, or backlight.

You can see how to diagnose and fix this issue in the video below.

LG TV Support and Warranty

You can check your warranty information directly with LG.

Unfortunately, warranties typically only last a year unless you have already paid to extend it.

Because blinking red light issues can occur at any time, if your TV is under one year old, return your TV under warranty and get it fixed.

You can use the LG support site to help diagnose your problem, but if you are at this stage, then you are better off calling them directly at:

• 850-999-4934 or 843-243-0000 (Mon. – Sun., 8am – 9pm EST)

You can also email them directly, or even email the president of LG customer care!

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

LG TV Red Light Blinking: Quick Troubleshooting

• The most common cause of the red standby light blinking on your LG TV is a component failure on the power board, but main board component failure cannot be discounted.
• Use a multimeter to check the components if there is no obvious sign of burning or damage.
• Before opening up your TV, run through a power cycle, and check the HDMI connections and your household power supply, to ensure one of these simpler-to-fix causes is not the root of the problem.

I’m confident that these steps will fix your TV, although the later steps do require a bit more effort than the earlier ones.

Don’t forget that opening up your TV will void its warranty, but this can’t be helped in most cases.

If you need any further help, then I suggest contacting LG support directly or checking on YouTube where it’s much easier to see how to open up your TV, for example.

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