The symptom

The TV shows 'No Signal', 'Check cable', or a black screen on the HDMI input your streaming device is connected to.

The likely causes

Work from the top — the list runs from most common to least common.

  1. The TV is on the wrong input
  2. The HDMI cable is loose or damaged
  3. The streaming device lost power or crashed
  4. An HDMI handshake failure after a power flicker
  5. A failing HDMI port on the TV

The fixes, in order

  1. Confirm the input

    Press Input/Source on the TV remote and select the exact HDMI port the device is plugged into. Give it ten seconds — the handshake isn't instant.

  2. Check the device has power

    Look for a status light on the stick or box. No light means no power: reseat the power cable and try the wall adapter instead of a TV USB port.

  3. Reseat both ends of the HDMI cable

    Unplug the cable from the TV and the device, check the connectors for bent pins or debris, and plug them back in firmly.

  4. Power-cycle in order

    Turn the TV off, unplug the streaming device from power for 30 seconds, plug it back in, then turn the TV on and select the input. This forces a fresh HDMI handshake and fixes most cases.

  5. Try a different HDMI port and cable

    Move the device to another HDMI port on the TV. If the picture appears, the original port may be failing. If not, swap in a known-good HDMI cable.

  6. Test the device on another TV

    If it works on a second TV, the first TV's port or settings are the problem. If it doesn't, the device itself may have failed.

When to contact the manufacturer

If the device shows no sign of life on any TV with any cable — no light, no picture — contact the device maker's support about warranty service. If every device shows 'No Signal' on one TV's ports, contact the TV manufacturer.

FoxStream publishes guides and is not an official support channel for any brand — always use the manufacturer's official support site or the number printed in your device's documentation.

Worth knowing

  • Label your HDMI inputs ('Roku', 'Fire Stick') so the wrong-input problem stops happening.
  • Cheap HDMI switches and splitters cause handshake failures — bypass them while testing.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming the device is dead before checking its power light.
  • Testing with the same possibly-bad cable the whole time.

Research basis: Samsung, LG, TCL, Hisense, Sony and Vizio TVs with HDMI streaming devices. Fixes checked against current manufacturer documentation as of the last-updated date above.