Samsung TV Red Light Blinking: EASY Fix

Is your Samsung TV red light blinking?

The red light on your Samsung TV can start blinking for a handful of reasons, and you’re right in thinking that it is trying to tell you something.

Unfortunately, you can’t count the flashes to determine the exact problem – it doesn’t matter whether your Samsung TV red light is blinking 5 times, 6 times, 4 times or 10 times – the fact that the red light is blinking just tells you that there is a problem.

This guide covers everything you need to do if you see the red light flashing, and will help you get your TV back up and running again.

Samsung TV Red Light Blinking

A blinking red light on your Samsung TV means that there is a problem with the power supply or with the internal components of your TV. Fix it by changing wall sockets, using a different power cord and checking all cables are firmly connected to your TV.

Power problems are the most usual suspect if your red light is blinking multiple times when you try to turn your Samsung 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.

For a quick overview of the troubleshooting steps, you can take a look at my video below, with the full detail for each step in this guide.

1. Check Your TV is Getting the Correct Voltage

It might seem obvious, but the most common reason why your Samsung TV red light is blinking 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 Samsung 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 Samsung logo).
See if the red light is solid. If so, this means your TV is getting sufficient voltage.
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.

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

2. Check for a Damaged Power Cord

If you didn’t check when changing the wall socket that your TV is plugged into, you should now confirm that the power cord itself isn’t damaged.

In particular, look 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.

3. Check Your HDMI Inputs

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.

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.

If the red light is still blinking, then we need to rule out the remote as a cause.

4. Check Your Remote is Working

If the red light is blinking, this means that your TV is receiving power, but there is a chance that its not responding to you because the 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 if in doubt about your camera.

5. Check for Main Board / Power Board Failure

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

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 Samsung 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.

Samsung TV Red Light Blinking 2 Times

Your Samsung TV red light blinking 2 times means that there is either a software fault that can be resolved by resetting your TV, or a problem with one of the capacitors on the power board.

If you’ve tried restarting your TV, then you need to check the individual boards with a multimeter, paying particular attention to the power board.

If you see any capacitors that look like they are on their way out (they are either bulging or there are burn marks around them), then you can either replace those capacitors, or entire board.

This advice also applies for the Samsung TV red light blinking 3 times and the Samsung TV red light blinking 4 times problem.

Check out how to diagnose and fix this problem in the video below.

Samsung TV Red Light Blinking 5 Times

Your Samsung TV red light blinking 5 times indicates a fault with the main board. Open up your TV and look for burned out components. If you find any, then replace the main board.

This is the same as the Samsung TV red light blinking 6 times issue.

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

Samsung TV Support and Warranty

You can check your current warranty status at Samsung’s warranty site.

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

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

You can also try to contact Samsung support directly to see if they can offer any help.

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

1-800-SAMSUNG (726-7864)

They are in office 7am – 12am EST, 7 days a week, but their automated chatbot is available on their site 24/7.

Even if Samsung won’t fix your TV, they might still offer you a discount off a future model if you pester them hard enough! Always worth a try!

What to Do if Your Samsung TV Red Light is Blinking Multiple Times?

To wrap up, if your Samsung TV red light is blinking, then to fix it you can:

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 main board or power board failure.

If you haven’t been able to fix your problem using the steps above, then your next port of call should be to Samsung 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.