TV Audio Output Is Dead But Picture Quality Is Clear: Here’s Why and How to Fix It

The picture is clear but there’s no sound coming out of your TV? You’re not alone. This is a common problem with TVs and one that can have several different causes. In this article, we’ll present all the possible causes for this issue and their solutions so that you can get your TV up and running again in no time!

If the audio output on your TV is dead but the picture quality is clear, there might be several reasons behind it. In this article, we present all the possible reasons and their solutions for this kind of problem starting with the simplest ones and ending with the severe ones. So, let us begin!

Reasons for “ No Sound But Picture”

If you own a TV from a brand like Samsung, LG, Vizio, Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic, Sanyo, Insignia, etc, there might be a certain kind of issue where you can see the picture clearly, but you won’t hear any sound. Before you start panicking and pressing all the buttons on the TV remote, you need to figure out the exact reason behind the problem.

There can be several reasons for no sound but clear picture issue (not muted) and you should take your time to pinpoint the exact reason. Once you figure out the most viable reason, you will be able to solve it without any further complication and delay.

These are the possible reasons that can render the situation of “No Sound but Clear Picture” –

  • Your TV might be muted. This is the most common reason.
  • The Volume is dialed or turned down
  • There might be a reboot pending
  • Your TV might be configured or set to Secondary Audio Protocol (SAP)
  • You might have changed the TV Audio input to something like AUX
  • There might be a problem with the channel’s audio
  • A headphone or an earphone might be connected to your TV
  • One of the connection cables might have gotten loose and disconnected
  • The built-in speakers of your TV are damaged
  • There might be damaged elements on the mainboard of your TV
  • Damaged Signal Source
  • Your TV firmware needs an upgrade
  • Corrupted settings on your TV

Now that we have listed most of the possible reasons behind the “No Sound but Clear Picture” issue, we will look at the detailed solutions of each of them.

Solutions: “No Sound but Picture on TV”

Double Check Mute

The mute function on the remote can disable the audio output on your TV. This is one of the common and silliest reasons for no audio output from the TV. So, it is necessary to double-check the mute setting before moving forward.

There might be a case where someone other than you has muted the volume and you have no idea about it. We often miss the simplest details and this might be exactly the case.

So, it is recommended to verify the mute by checking it again even if you have checked it earlier. If the mute is off, we move further with the rest of the solutions.

Make Sure the Volume is not turned down to Zero

Sometimes, the volume is turned down to zero or to an extremely low level so that the audio output from the TV is inaudible. If someone else has done it on your TV without your knowledge, you might start panicking.

So, it is quite important to check the volume level using the remote or the manual buttons on the TV and make sure that the Volume level is sufficiently high for proper audio perception.

If you have connected your TV with external audio systems like a Soundbar or a Home Theatre System, check the volume of those speakers too. This is in fact quite common where the external speakers’ volume is dialed down and you are left wondering what is wrong with your TV’s audio.

Restart or Reboot the TV

All electronic devices start showing one problem or the other if you are running them continuously for an extended period. Your TV is not an exception. The audio drivers on your might not be capable of handling such stress and start showing issues like no audio output.

So, you will need to reboot or restart your TV from time to time after over usage to keep it running properly. Reboot for an electronic or electrical device acts like a soft reset where the device refreshes and the processor gets rid of minor bugs. This way, a lot of problems can be solved.

When you reboot your TV, you should reboot all other devices connected to it as peripherals, like external speakers, Set-top boxes, etc. You should wait for around 2 to 5 minutes before restarting your TV after a switch off.

Check for Secondary Audio Protocol (SAP)

Secondary Audio Protocol or Second Audio Program (SAP) allows the user to listen to audio tracks in another language other than the original language that was recorded for a content. It is a nice feature designed for cable television users who don’t speak or understand the native language of a program.

Through this channel, there are some TV broadcasters or channels who provide an auxiliary audio output to their audience so that they can watch the same program in their own mother tongue. But, this is not offered by all the TV channels and your TV will stop producing any audio output if SAP is turned on.

Sometimes, it might get toggled on accidentally. You will need to disable it to get audio output in the native language of the program.

Check the TV’s Audio Input Settings

It happens quite often that you or someone else has accidentally changed the audio input settings on the TV and the audio output through the TV’s speaker is dead. It is not a big issue as someone new to the remote can press some buttons and change the audio config. You can revert this easily.

For instance, the AUX button is provided on the TV’s remote, and if someone who is new to the TV presses it, the audio output will be set to an AUX device such as headphones or external speakers. But, if no such devices are connected to the TV, there won’t be any audio output.

So, you will need to double-check all the audio settings on your TV before moving on to the next solution.

Change the TV Channel

It is quite possible that your TV is perfectly alright as far as audio output is concerned and the channel that is on has some transmission issues. This can mislead you into believing that your TV is not functioning right.

So, you can change or switch the channel to a different one to see if the problem of no audio persists. If you do not hear audio on any other channel, then only you can believe that the problem is on your end.

Check the Headphone or earphone port

If your TV is located at a significant distance from where you are sitting, you might not see a headphone or earphones plugged into it. 3.5mm ports for headphones or earphones are either provided at the front or at the back of the TV depending on the brand.

So. make sure that the headphone port is empty before you consider the yet-to-come solutions.

Check all the Connection Cables

If you have recently unplugged the cords of your TV and plugged them again or moved your TV to a new location by unplugging and then replugging, you might have inserted some of the cords loosely. This leads to no connection of the cable to the TV.

The loosely connected cable might be that of Audio output and you won’t hear any audio while still seeing the picture clearly. So you should check if all the connections are tight and proper. Check the wires properly to see for signs of wear and tear. Any damaged wire can be the reason for the no sound problem and should be replaced as soon as possible.

Reset the TV

Resetting the TV is a viable option when you have played a lot with the settings of your TV without knowing much about them. If you change the settings of your TV a lot and you have no idea what a particular setting option does, there is a chance that you have interfered with the Audio settings as well which has led to a “no audio” problem.

In such a situation, it is a wise decision to bring back the TV’s settings to their default configuration or out-of-the-box state. Resetting will delete all the custom data and settings but once it is done, you will be sure that the current setting or configuration is good.

This might solve your problem once and for all. If not, then you can proceed with other tricks knowing that the TV’s configuration is nothing to be worried about now. The ways of restoring a TV vary accordingly with the brands and model numbers. So, you should consult the manual of the TV. If you do not have a manual handy, you can always refer to the official web page of your TV and download the pdf format of the manual.

Update the TV’s Software or Firmware

If you own a smart or Android TV, you will need to update or upgrade its firmware just like you do on your smartphone and computers. Outdated software or drivers will eventually fail to keep up with the latest versions of apps on the TV and this will cause various issues like no sound output.

You should be informed about the current version of your TV’s software and look out for updates. If an update (no matter how minor) is available, you should do it as it might have the tool or upgrade to fix your issue.

If your TV is connected to the WiFi or the internet all the time, it will update automatically but if there is no live internet connection, you can put the update on a flash drive or a Pendrive from the official website and plug it into your TV’s USB port to update it.

Checking using External Speakers

 You can plug an external speaker like a soundbar or a surround sound system into your TV and check if the no audio issue is resolved. Sometimes, the audio drivers are working fine but there is an issue with the internal speakers of the TV which leads to this “no audio” issue.

If you cannot hear any audio output even with the external speakers, then the problem might be a serious one and you should investigate further.

Internal or Built-in Speakers on the TV might be damaged

If you can hear loud and crisp audio via the external speakers, but not without them, then it is most certainly possible that the internal speakers on your TV are damaged and you need to replace them. There might be a chance that some wirings or circuitry has gone bad which can be fixed easily by good TV mechanic.

Signal Source is weak or damaged

For your TV to audible output audio, the strength of the source signal should be greater than 20 Decibels (dB). So, sometimes, the audio is cut off due to a weak signal.

You can perform a diagnosis of the strength of the signal by opening the Settings menu on your TV. From there, go to the support option and then self-diagnosis. Here you can check for signal information. You can take the help of the manual if required.

The Mainboard elements of your TV might be damaged

The mainboard of a TV is equivalent to the motherboard of a computer. It is the heart and soul of the TV. Thus, any kind of damage to the mainboard might disable one or more functions of the TV. This can lead to issues like “No audio with a clear picture”.

If none of the methods mentioned above work for you, there is a higher chance that the mainboard is damaged partially. Thus, it should only be looked at by a professional. You can take your TV to a service center to get it examined and fixed.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *