# Problem watching internet tv. Screen keeps blacking out. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 14, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-watching-internet-tv-screen-keeps-blacking-out/513824 "2009-10-14T19:49:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-watching-internet-tv-screen-keeps-blacking-out/513824/1 "2009-10-14T19:49:19Z")
It’s NOT my screensaver. I’ll be watching Hulu, ABC, NBC, etc… Then about twenty minutes into the show, the screen goes black. I can still hear the audio. I get my screen back if I hit a key or move the mouse. I know it’s not my screensaver because my screen will say “No signal”. Plus the windows logo doesn’t bounce around like it does with my actual screensaver. Any help is appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-watching-internet-tv-screen-keeps-blacking-out/513824/2 "2009-10-14T20:00:36Z")
The no signal is probably the monitor telling you there is no signal from the computer because the screen saver has shut it off to save power. My monitors will display some message like that for a little while after the signal from the computer has gone away. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-watching-internet-tv-screen-keeps-blacking-out/513824/3 "2009-10-14T20:04:05Z")
Some monitors have a built in screensaver independent of whatever settings you have in Windows. Its an energy saving feature that turns off the monitor and protects it from burn-in, or whatever its called when the image burns into the screen. Happens to mine too, but I don’t get any sound. One way to know for sure is if you notice an energy saver logo on your display when you first turn the computer on. I don’t know how to get rid of it though, sorry ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-watching-internet-tv-screen-keeps-blacking-out/513824/4 "2009-10-14T20:40:31Z")
It’s your screensaver. Whether the screensaver blanks the screen and shows the bouncing logo before progressing to the “turn the monitor off” stage is probably affected by being in full-screen-video mode in your browser. Check the power saving settings in your screensaver. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-watching-internet-tv-screen-keeps-blacking-out/513824/5 "2009-10-14T22:53:23Z")
I had behaviour something like this once. As I recall, my screensaver was turned off but the idle time till the screensaver (had there been one) came on was 20 minutes. When I changed 20 minutes to something long or infinite, the problem was solved. I think the idle-time option was disabled so I had to: 1. Set up a screensaver 2. change the idle-time 3. remove the screensaver Hope I’ve remembered this all correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Chickenwrangler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chickenwrangler/32/91_2.png) [@Chickenwrangler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chickenwrangler)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-watching-internet-tv-screen-keeps-blacking-out/513824/6 "2009-10-15T08:06:57Z")
In Windows try this, Right click on - Desktop - Properties - Screensaver - Monitor Power. Here you have the option to turn off at preset times, or never, the monitor the hard disks and system standby. Check the the setting on “Turn off Monitor” and set the time accordingly. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PuddingCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@PuddingCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PuddingCat)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-watching-internet-tv-screen-keeps-blacking-out/513824/7 "2009-10-15T10:19:51Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Some monitors have a built in screensaver independent of whatever settings you have in Windows. Its an energy saving feature that turns off the monitor and protects it from burn-in, or whatever its called when the image burns into the screen. Hi. This isn’t really a screen saver. If you think about it, it makes no sense for the monitor to periodically power-down if it’s getting a video signal. How does it know that nothing is going on? What you have is a power saving mode. Windows can send a signal to the monitor by adjusting the signals it sends (often using the sync pin) to say “User has not done anything in X minutes, please go to low power mode”. The monitor then shuts off the display until the user wakes Windows by moving the mouse or using the keyboard, or in fact many of the other options that will wake the PC - serial input, modem ringing and so on. To stop this follow the instructions another poster gave for Control Panel - Power Options. t. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-watching-internet-tv-screen-keeps-blacking-out/513824/8 "2009-10-15T12:18:34Z")
It is the power mode setting that is killing the screen. Do what trmatthe said to do. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-watching-internet-tv-screen-keeps-blacking-out/513824/9 "2009-10-15T15:33:33Z")
Thanks **trmatthe** , duly noted. Personally though, I think it _just knows…_