Samsung TV Keeps Turning Off

We start by going after the low hanging fruit. For several of these fixes you will need to observe the TV to see if the problem has gone away.

Is your TV plugged into a switched outlet by accident? Usually this will result in your TV going off occasionally, seemingly at random.

• Sometimes an outlet in a room is set up to be operated by a switch. Often, only one receptacle of the two together will be switched.
• This is intended to allow a floor lamp to be turned generally as you enter the room.
• If you have your TV plugged in there and someone turns off the switch, off goes the TV for no apparent reason. Swapped plugs at an outlet can cause this, like when someone is cleaning and unplugs something.
• Look and see if there is a switch somewhere in the room that turns off your TV. If so plug the TV into a different outlet. Problem solved.
• If no such condition check the next item.

To perform a soft reset on your TV do the following:

• Unplug the TV for 30 seconds
• Hold the power button down for 15 seconds while the TV is unplugged.
• Plug the TV back into a known good outlet (like one you have checked with a lamp, to be sure it is working)
• Monitor the TV, if the shutting down problem persists go to the next item, if its gone, you're done!

If your TV is plugged into a surge protector, Try this:

• Plug the TV directly into a wall outlet.
• Power on the TV and observe to see if the problem goes away.
• If it does, replace your surge protector and recycle the old one.
• If it persists, go to the next possible cause below and remember to plug your TV back into the surge protector.

Sometimes TV weirdness can be traced to remote weirdness.

• Make sure there are no stuck buttons on the remote.
• Then power cycle your TV using the power button on the TV.
• While the TV is on, put fresh batteries in your remote.
• Then power cycle the TV with the remote.
• Monitor the TV, if the shutting down problem persists go to the next item, if its gone, you're done!

If you are operating your TV in an area with poor ventilation or in a warm room, the TV may experience thermal shutdowns. Try improving the ventilation to the TV or maybe see if directing a fan toward it causes the problem to disappear.

This is the next most common cause of Power Off weirdness, especially rapid power cycling. Modern smart TVs have so many features, that sometimes it it hard to keep track of them all, and you can inadvertently change one setting while trying to change something else. Your TV can also be connecting to other devices that you aren't aware of. Onward!

Note: Each time you change a setting, you should give the unit time to see if the malfunction returns or if your setting change fixed it.

Straightforward first try, disable the Auto Off Feature in Eco mode per your TV's instructions.

A big settings troublemaker. It lets other devices control your TV, and they will often be preconfigured to do it when they are being turned on or off or go to standby.

Disable it to prevent this from happening. It will prevent your remote from controlling other devices, but that is likely an acceptable tradeoff for control over your TV.

This setting is also associated with rapid power cycling.

Another feature, it allows you to control devices throughout your home, but it also allows other devices to control your TV. A common device is your phone. You may be able to configure the settings so that your phone is not permitted to have control over the TV.

Disable the sleep timer or check its settings if you like, then disable it. It is another source of seemingly random turn offs.

Make sure this is set to TV, otherwise another device (like an Apple TV) might assume control, and when it shuts down, so does your TV.

Like a computer (or because it is a computer in many respects, your Samsung TV can get a virus. Some models allow you to conduct a virus scan, and then have a procedure for removing the virus

Note: Only attempt this if the TV stays on for more than 30 minutes at a stretch. Otherwise interrupting an update may cause major issues with your TV.

Sometimes old software can cause erratic operation. A software update can help with this problem. Follow your TVs instructions to do this manually

Unfortunately, sometimes this update process, if set to happen automatically via WIFI can be the root cause of rapid power cycling. This is sometimes associated with trying to update using a WIFI connection. If the password for the connection is lost, an endless cycle of attempts to connect will ensue with the TV powering on and then powering down over and over when it can't connect.

Something of a nuclear option, this wipes out all the settings and restores factory defaults. If you do this be sure to record any settings you have customized and also any passwords, etc that you set up. You will need your password to execute this reset, the default is 0000 if you didn't change it.

HDMI Cables can lead to what appears to be a shutdown, as uncertified cables can lead to a black screen issue which looks like a shutdown.

Frequently repeated shutdowns will be cured by opening the back of the TV and systematically and carefully disconnecting and reconnecting each of the internal cables. You will need to be cautious.

• Make sure the TV is powered down and wait 5 minutes before opening the back. You can undo the screws on the back while you wait.
• Be careful with the ribbon cables (they are flat cables with a number of conductors side-by-side). The cables and associated connectors can be a little fragile, so don't pull on the cables until they are properly released from the connector, or if the connector is attached to the cable itself, make sure the connector is free from its socket on the board.
• Do this disconnecting-reconnecting with one connection at a time, so you have no chance of mixing anything up (pretty slight as most of the cables are different and will only go in one place). You might even want to use a marker to make a small mark next to each connection as you reconnect it, so you can keep track, of what you've done as you go.

Sometimes the problem is in the main board. Inspect it closely for fried, burnt or overheated (like the markings aren't readable any more) components. If you find such, replace the board. There may be failed capacitors (usually upright cylindrical components which shiny metal ends) which usually show up as bulged on the ends. If you see evidence of component failure, replace the board. You can also inspect the solder joints on the board for cracking, this can lead to weird behavior like vibration from the sound being turned up causing restarts. If you have some skill in that area you can resolder the joints. If everything looks OK go on the the next item.

Another candidate for causing these problems, especially in older TVs is the power supply board. If it is having problems with a steady output, the main board will keep restarting.

On older units there was a problem with the power supply capacitors. They often failed and caused erratic behavior especially on units from around 2008-2011.

Look for areas of discoloration on both sides of the board, sometimes components will heat the board underneath them and it will show on the back side.