The TV is not working at your parent's home

It is the most common call of all. Nearly always the cause is one of four things, and all of them can be solved from a distance if you take them in order.

First: find out what the screen shows

Ask them to read out exactly what it says. The words on the screen tell you which of the cases below you are dealing with. If the screen is completely black, ask whether a small light on the TV is lit, and what colour it is.

“No signal” or a blue or black screen: the wrong input

This is the cause more often than anything else. A TV has several inputs, usually called HDMI 1, HDMI 2 and so on, and it only shows the one that is selected. One accidental press on the remote changes it, and the picture is gone although nothing is broken.

  • Find the button on the TV's remote marked Source, Input or with a small square with an arrow going in.
  • Press it once. A list appears. Move down with the arrow keys and press OK on each input in turn until the picture comes back.
  • When you have found the right one, write down which it was.

Two remotes, and the wrong one in hand

Many homes have one remote for the TV and one for the box from the TV or broadband company. Volume may belong to one and channels to the other. Ask them to describe both, or to show them to you. Agree on names, for example “the long one” and “the small one”, and use those from then on.

The box needs a restart

If the right input is selected and the picture is still missing or frozen, restart the box, not the TV.

  • Pull out the box's power cable from the wall.
  • Wait half a minute.
  • Put it back and wait. It can take several minutes before the picture returns, and the box may show a logo or a progress bar meanwhile.

Picture but no sound

  • Check that the sound is not muted. Look for a crossed-out loudspeaker on the screen.
  • Raise the volume on both remotes, one at a time.
  • If there is a separate loudspeaker or soundbar, check that it is switched on.

Nothing happens at all

  • Is the small light on the TV lit? If not, check that the plug is in and that any switch on the extension lead is on.
  • Change the batteries in the remote. Weak batteries are a common and overlooked cause.
  • Try the power button on the TV itself, usually underneath or at the back.

Why this is so hard over the phone

Every step above is simple when you can see the remote. It is hard when you have to describe it. “The button with the square” can be three different buttons. If you can see the remote through their phone camera and put a ring around the right button, the same problem takes a minute instead of twenty.

When seeing is easier than explaining

HelpMom is made for exactly this: your parent presses one button, you see what their phone camera sees, and you can circle the right button on the picture. See how it works or get HelpMom.

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