# The display is black or shows no picture

Most of the time the cause is simple: the TV is on the wrong input, a cable is loose, or the TV is in standby. Work through the causes from the top, the most common first.

> **Type:** troubleshooting
> **For:** anyone standing in front of a display that stays black
> **Prerequisite:** none. For the checks in the portal, access to the display.
> **Where in the portal:** **Displays** › display › **Overview**

## First, look at the display page

Open the display in the portal. On the **Overview** tab, the status says whether the device reports in, the second line says what the TV shows, such as **Showing nothing** or **No cable**, and a warning band at the top names the problem. A device can be **Online** and still show no picture, so read all three.

## The TV is off or on the wrong input

Check whether the TV is switched on and set to the HDMI input the player is plugged into. Press the Source or Input button on the remote control and choose that input. If people keep switching the input, lock the TV's buttons, see [Set up the TV for all-day use](/devices/tv-settings).

## A cable is loose

Check the HDMI cable at both ends and the player's power supply. Plug them in firmly and wait a minute, because the player needs that long to start. If the portal shows **No cable**, the player detects no TV at its connector. Try another cable, and connect the player directly, without a switch or adapter in between.

## The TV is in standby

If the warning band says **This display shows no picture** and mentions standby, someone switched the TV off. Open the **Screen** tab and click **Turn on** in the **Turn the screen on and off** card, or use the remote control. If the TV keeps switching itself off, see [The TV switches off, or the picture is cut off](/help/tv-turns-off).

## The display software has stopped

The warning bands **Display output hung**, **This display shows no picture**, or **Display is starting up** for more than a minute mean the player runs, but its picture doesn't. In the **More** menu at the top of the display page, choose **Restart …**. The whole device restarts, and the picture is gone for about a minute. On a web display, reload the page in the browser instead.

## The second TV of a Player Pro stays black

Check the cable and input of the second TV first. If it says **No display is set up for this screen yet**, the player belongs to you, and only the display for this TV is missing. Click **Create second display** on the device page, or follow [Pair a display](/displays/pair-display).

## It isn't black, it shows a message

| What you see | What it means | Where to continue |
|---|---|---|
| **Off air** with a time | A planned blank period, not a fault | [Schedule off-air time](/programs/schedule-off-air) |
| Your logo, or **No active scene** | Nothing is assigned or planned for now | [Content doesn't appear or is out of date](/help/content-troubleshooting) |
| A pairing code | The device isn't paired yet | [Pairing doesn't work](/help/pairing-troubleshooting) |
| A setup card with a QR code | The device has no network | [Connect to the network: cable, Wi-Fi, company network, time](/devices/connect-network) |
| **Service not reachable**, **Permanently offline**, or **Connection closed** | The display can't reach us, or was disconnected on purpose | [A display shows Offline or Delayed](/help/display-offline) |

All messages are explained in [The pairing screen and other messages on the display](/devices/pairing-screen).

## If nothing helps

Contact support. On a player, the report from the [service menu](/devices/service-menu) tells us the most: open it with **OK** pressed five times on the remote control, and send us the QR code under **Info** › **Report to your phone**. See [Support: where to turn and what to send](/help/support).

## Related

- [A display shows Offline or Delayed](/help/display-offline)
- [The TV switches off, or the picture is cut off](/help/tv-turns-off)
- [The pairing screen and other messages on the display](/devices/pairing-screen)