Samsung TV Brightness Keeps Changing [How to Fix]
If your Samsung TV keeps changing its brightness automatically, you might be wondering why this happens.
In this post, I’ll explain the reasons behind this issue and how to go about it. Let’s get started.
Your Samsung TV brightness keeps changing because of certain preset features that constantly modify it. These features are Ambient Light Detection, Contrast Enhancer, Brightness Reduction, and Motion Lighting.
Outdated firmware and faulty HDMI port and cable could also cause this problem.
Keep reading to learn how to go about this.
How to Fix Samsung TV Brightness Issues
Disable Ambient Light Detection
Ambient Light Detection is a feature in Samsung TV that alters your screen’s brightness to match the amount of light in the room. This setting is also called Eco Sensor in some old models, and Brightness Optimization in more recent models.
If the Ambient Light Detection feature is ON, your screen will become brighter as the light in the room increases. However, if the room darkens, the screen will become dimmer.
To stop this feature from changing your TV brightness, you’ll have to turn it off.
The steps for disabling Ambient Light Detection differ across various Samsung TV model years. We’ll share how to de-activate the feature in each model year below:
2014 – 2016 Samsung TV
- Go to your Home screen and tap Menu.
- Then, select System.
- Choose Eco Solution.
- Scroll through the list that appears to find Eco Sensor.
- Finally, tap Off to disable the Ambient Light Detection feature.
2017 – 2023 Samsung TV
- Click on Menu on your Home screen.
- Tap Settings.
- Select General.
- Then, choose Ambient Light Detection.
- A slider will appear on your screen.
- Pull the slider to the OFF position to turn off the feature.
If you are using a new Samsung TV model, you might not find the Eco Sensor or Ambient Light Detection option in your Samsung TV settings. What this means is that the setting is saved as Brightness Optimization on your model.
Take the following steps to de-activate Brightness Optimization on your Samsung TV:
- Locate the Menu option on your Home screen.
- Tap the option to move on to the next step.
- Next, click on Settings.
- Select All Settings.
- Scroll to General and Privacy and click on it.
- Select Power and Energy Saving.
- Click on Brightness Optimization to turn off the feature.
- The system will disable Brightness Optimization and activate Intelligent Mode.
After completing these steps, resume watching your TV. If the brightness changes again, try the next tip.
Turn Off Contrast Enhancer
The Contrast Enhancer feature matches the brightness level of the image on your screen to its background. This ensures that the background doesn’t contrast excessively with the image.
As the brightness level of each scene changes, your Samsung TV screen may appear brighter or dimmer.
If you don’t want the brightness of the images on your screen to keep changing, you can turn off Contrast Enhancer.
Here’s how to do that:
- Click on Menu on your Home screen.
- Tap Settings and select All Settings.
- Then, choose Picture.
- Click on Expert Settings.
- Tap Contrast Enhancer to de-activate the setting.
Your Samsung TV should stop changing its brightness after this. However, if the device still switches its brightness, continue to the next step.
Disable Brightness Reduction
The purpose of Brightness Reduction is to automatically dim your screen to reduce power consumption. This feature comes into play when you’ve spent a few hours watching your Samsung TV.
If your screen keeps getting darker, you can tell that the Brightness Reduction feature is on.
Understandably, watching your TV with a dark screen may prevent you from seeing the images clearly. As such, you might want to turn off the feature.
Take the following steps to turn off the Brightness Reduction feature on your Samsung TV:
- Click on Menu and choose Settings.
- Next, tap All Settings.
- A list of options will appear.
- Find General & Privacy on the list and click on it.
- Select Power and Energy Saving.
- Click on Brightness Reduction to disable the feature.
Your Samsung TV screen should look brighter now. It should also stop dimming automatically.
Turn Off Motion Lighting
Does your TV brightness change as you move closer to the screen? If so, the Motion Lighting feature is responsible for the automatic change of your screen brightness level.
Your Samsung TV has a motion sensor which detects when someone moves closer to the screen. This information is necessary to prevent the screen brightness from damaging your eyes.
As you move closer to the screen, the Motion Lighting feature will automatically reduce its brightness level. If you want your screen to look brighter, you can either move backwards or disable the Motion Lighting feature.
If you decide to turn off the Motion Lighting feature, the guide below will help you:
- Open your Home screen.
- Click on Menu and tap Settings.
- Choose All Settings.
- Then, select General & Privacy.
- Tap Power and Energy Saving.
- Finally, click on Motion Lighting to de-activate the Motion Lighting feature.
Once you disable this feature, your screen brightness won’t change until you alter it intentionally.
Update Your Samsung TV Firmware
As you use your Samsung TV over time, the device may develop functional issues. These issues can make the TV change its screen brightness even when all brightness modification settings are off.
Fortunately, Samsung creates new firmware updates regularly to fix performance issues on its TVs. Installing these updates to your TV will eliminate the faults responsible for changing the screen brightness automatically.
The guide below will help you update your Samsung TV firmware:
- Locate and tap Menu on your Home screen.
- Click on Settings.
- Then, scroll to Support.
- Select Software Update.
- Tap on the update you see to install it on your TV.
After installing the firmware update to your TV, the device should stop changing its screen brightness. However, if you notice that the brightness still dims or increases automatically, continue to the next tip.
Plug your External Device into Another HDMI Port
Did you connect an external device to your Samsung TV through your HDMI port? If so, your HDMI port might be faulty.
The HDMI port on your Samsung TV weakens with each year of usage. A weak HDMI port will require excess power to function.
If you plug an external device into an HDMI port, the port may consume so much power from the TV that the screen dims automatically.
To check if you have a bad HDMI port, disconnect the external device from your current HDMI port and connect it to another port. If the brightness doesn’t change, the HDMI port might be faulty. In that case, you’ll need to fix the HDMI port.
In the meantime, you can connect your external devices to your Samsung TV using another HDMI port.
Replace Your HDMI Cable
Another reason why your Samsung TV may change its screen brightness automatically is a bad HDMI cable.
If you insert a bad HDMI cable into your Samsung TV, it may consume excess power from the TV. The force from the power consumption may cause the TV screen to become darker.
The only way to troubleshoot this issue is to connect another HDMI cable to your TV. If the new cable doesn’t make the screen dim, the cable is faulty. You can solve this problem by replacing your HDMI cable.
The brightness level on your Samsung TV screen should remain static after you’ve replaced your HDMI cable.
Wrapping Up
Once you’ve applied the tips above, your Samsung TV should stop changing its screen brightness frequently. However, if the screen brightness still keeps changing, you’ll need to contact Samsung Support.
The Samsung Support professionals will find an alternative solution to the problem.