Are you happily watching your Sony TV but have noticed that frustrating blinking red light? Once you’ve noticed it you can’t unsee it, and it makes watching your favorite shows very frustrating.
Your Sony TV’s red light is likely blinking because your TV software needs updating or there is some dust trapped inside some of the tv vents/slots. To fix this, you’ll need to update your TV software and regularly dust your tv to ensure dirt doesn’t get trapped inside the mechanisms.
There could be other reasons why this is happening too. Continue reading to find more ways to stop the red blinking light on your Sony TV.
Turn TV On and Off Again / Unplug
If you’ve spotted the red blinking light while watching a tv program, simply turn off your tv and switch it back on again. This sounds simple, but it could just be a one-off and won’t require any in-depth fixing.
Sometimes televisions do just have minor glitches and so resetting it could solve the problem.
You should also try switching your TV off and on again at the plug socket if you’ve found resetting it via your remote doesn’t make any difference.
Remove any Dust or Dirt from TV Vents / Slots
It could be that dirt/dust has become trapped inside the intricate slots and vents of your television. This could be causing problems inside your TV’s mechanisms. A red flashing light can often mean your TV is trying to tell you there’s an issue, and if your TV is full of dust it could be trying to tell you that this is affecting how well it can perform.
We recommend giving your TV a clean and dust to help dislodge any dirt that has built up and causing potential problems. It’s worth keeping up with this regularly; so that you don’t get a build-up of dirt that could affect how well your TV works.
You could also blow into any deeper-looking vents to remove any dust that is more difficult to get to.
Disconnect Other Devices from Your TV (USBs, HDMI devices, etc)
Many TVs are connected to other devices such as USBs, HDMI devices, or game consoles. If this is the case, we recommend removing all of these in case one of them is causing the red light to blink on and off.
Providing the light stops blinking once all external devices have been removed, you can start to reintroduce the devices one by one so that you can determine which device was causing the issue.
Remember that it may not be a device that’s causing the problems. The cable or port its using may be at fault instead. For example, if the red light blinks every time you reintroduce your Nintendo Switch it may not be an issue with the console, but with the HDMI port/cable that you’re using to connect it.
Make Sure TV Software is Up To Date
A software/firmware update may be needed to stop the red blinking light on your Sony TV. If your TV is connected to the internet, navigate to the settings menu and you can usually find Software Updates under Product Support or Contact Sony.
If there is an update available, make sure that you download the update and restart your television afterward. We’d also recommend enabling Automatic Software Updates on your TV if the option is available to you. This will keep your TV up to date and working efficiently.
If your Sony TV is an older model of television, it’s unlikely that this is the issue with your red light blinking as it’s mainly newer Sony TVs that can be manually updated. If your TV connects to the internet this is usually a sign that they’re a newer model and can be manually updated via the Settings menu.
Check Media Box is Connected
If your Sony TV is connected to a media box such as a Virgin Media box or a NOW TV box, the red blinking light could signify that there’s an issue with the connection between the Sony TV and the media box.
We recommend disconnecting your media box from the TV and reconnecting it to see if this stops the flashing light. Sometimes reconnecting the two can reset any issues there were connection-wise and resolve the problem.
It could also be the cable between the two that is making the red light flash. If you have a spare HDMI cable you could also change it out to see if this helps that would be worth trying too.
Perform a Factory Reset
If all else fails, a Factory Reset is the last step we’d recommend. This is the last resort as you could lose recordings or video calibration settings on your TV, but a Factory Reset may be what your TV needs to reset its red blinking light.
Follow the below instructions to return your TV to factory settings:
- Press the Home button
- Click Settings
- Select System Settings
- Select Customer Support
- Click Factory Settings
- Click OK
After a few minutes, your TV should reset and the red light should also reset too.
Conclusion
We hope that after trying the above steps the red light has stopped blinking on your Sony TV and you can now enjoy your favorite programs/films in peace. Watching TV uninterrupted is certainly something we take for granted, so hopefully you can now enjoy yourself without that annoying red light blinking constantly.
If you’re still having issues with this problem, we recommend contacting the Sony Support team. There could be a manufacturing issue with your specific model of television. If it’s within warranty you may be able to request a replacement.
It’s worth potentially contacting the store you purchased your TV from if you bought it from a larger retailer. They may be able to assist you if your TV needs repairing/replacing.