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LG is a big name in the TV manufacturing business. They have some of the best and most expensive TVs on the market today. For all of that money and size, you get a gigantic wall window with incredible views and solid longevity.
What good is all of that technology, pixels, and cool vibe on your wall if you can’t see anything one moment and everything is clear the next? It’s like the LG TV is possessed, doing its own thing by dimming and brightening at the worst times.
It’s enough to make you rethink your investment. Unfortunately, LG is a victim of what many other big-name TV manufacturers are and that’s eco-friendly default settings. At least, we hope that’s all you’re dealing with and it’s not something worse. Fortunately, we’re here to walk you through making it stop so you can enjoy your LG TV.
Table of Contents
5 Fixes LG TV Brightness Keeps Changing
1. APS (Auto Power Save Mode)
No, we’re not knocking eco-friendliness. That’s important in its own right. We are knocking the fact that it’s often a default setting and you have to go digging to turn it off.
It’s also possible it was turned on by someone else if you’re not living alone and sharing the TV with family.
The point is, let’s turn it off. For the most part, LG remotes are the same for newer models and you have to go back a little to find older remotes with buttons in different places. So, when we say the “Settings” button, you’ll need to find it on your remote.
- Press the Settings button on your LG remote
- Select Picture Mode
- On newer LGs, you’ll get a tic tac bubble with bullet points and scrolling options
- Most likely, you’ll see APS (Auto Power Save) in the bubble
- Scroll left or right to get off of APS mode
On older LG TVs, its a little bit more complicated but not by much. One of the big differences is that older LGs don’t use the term, APS. Instead, It’s Energy Saver. It amounts to the same thing with different terminology.
- Press the Settings button on your LG remote
- Scroll down the column and select All Settings
- Select Picture Menu
- Select Energy Saver
- Turn it off
Whenever you adjust the settings, it’s always a good idea to turn the TV off and back on again. If you can immediately tell that it worked, don’t worry about it. If not, just turn the TV off with the power button, give it a few seconds, and turn it back on again.
2. Obstructions Around the LG TV
The newer LG Model TVs have tiny little sensors that detect if the room is bright or dark before dimming or brightening the screen.
If you have the TV settings on the stand instead of hanging on the wall, its easy enough to set something small in front of it and think nothing about it.
However, that something small might be enough to trip the sensor, making the LG TV think it’s dark in the room when it’s really not. A soundbar elevated in front of the TV may be enough to do just that, or maybe a little flower plant. You get the point.
Clear out everything in front of the LG right now and see if it changes anything in terms of the brightness. It’s also a good idea to routinely wipe down your TV. You don’t need anything more than a clean, microfiber cloth to do this. It will prevent dust accumulation on those sensors as well.
3. Update Your Firmware
Outdated firmware is liable to make things glitchy for you and that could possibly include the dimming and brightness you’re experiencing. Most LG TVs should come with automatic updates turned on by default. But, you never know.
- Press the Settings button on your LG remote
- Scroll to All Settings and select it
- Scroll down to Support and select it
- Select Software Update
- Turn on Auto Update
- Go ahead and update as well (if there is a firmware update available)
4. Check Your HDMI Cables and Inputs
This is probably one of the more rare situations but it doesn’t mean it can’t happen.
A good HDMI cable is imperative in any TV setup, especially if you’re rocking 4k and above, with a high frame rate. You need to make sure you stick with the HDMI cable that came with the TV or purchase a premium HDMI cable.
Make sure all of your connections are solid on the back of the TV. Inspect the HDMI cable to ensure there are no crimps in the line or damage.
Also, unplug the HDMI cable and look in the ports. Make sure there is no dirt or debris in there before you plug it back in.
It doesn’t take much, but a routine preventative maintenance check certainly won’t hurt anything and will only help you out in the long run.
5. Picture Mode
If you’ve noticed a dimming or brightening of your TV that seemingly just happened, you might have accidentally changed the Picture Mode.
LG TVs come with a variety of “Picture Modes” that you can select from, some of which are brighter than others.
If you watch TV in a well lit room, switch to standard mode. If you always watch TV in the Dark, Cinema or Vivid usually work pretty well.
- Press the Settings button on your LG remote
- Select the Picture icon
- Select Picture Mode Settings
- Scroll through until you find the one that works best for you
Once you find the right picture mode, simply select it and press the home button on your remote or back out the long way. The TV should remain in that mode until you change it.
Final Thoughts
That’s all there is to it. Unless your LG TV is old and failing or you managed to find one that’s defective (contact LG customer support and file a warranty claim), the brightness shouldn’t change all the time.
The only setting that will make it do that is the APS mode or the Energy Saving Mode (the latter of which is on older LG models).
The five troubleshooting options above should get your LG TV back in good working order so you can get back to streaming your favorite channels or gaming.