# TV won't turn off **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 29, 2016, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508 "2016-02-29T15:23:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/1 "2016-02-29T15:23:55Z")
My 42" JVC tv won’t respond to the remote, either the original or the Comcast that we usually use. I am thinking about this at work and therefore do not have model number, but it is about 2 years old. Since I doubt both failed simultaneously I am thinking something is screwy with the TV itself. Any ideas. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/2 "2016-02-29T15:41:13Z")
Maybe your cat is blocking the infrared sensor on the TV. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/3 "2016-02-29T15:46:32Z")
Well, I kicked the cat and it ran screeching out of the room, and still neither remote works. Then I noticed my oldest child was behind the cat, and I kicked him too, and behind him was the elephant. ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/4 "2016-02-29T15:51:15Z")
My philosophy is to try the easiest fix first, and that would be to put fresh batteries in the remote. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/5 "2016-02-29T15:52:59Z")
Assume this is God’s way of telling you to watch \*more \*TV. ---
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/6 "2016-02-29T15:54:36Z")
Don’t forget to clean the tv’s sensor. Fingerprint smudges and cat hair can cause problems. It could be however, Big Brother is watching you! ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/7 "2016-02-29T15:55:39Z")
I’ve had that happen. Sometimes the buffers get full in the little memory chips, or something like that. The usual solution is to unplug everything, count to ten, then plug it back in. A battery pull on the remote can’t hurt, either. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/8 "2016-02-29T15:57:23Z")
Don’t TV sets still have an actual power button somewhere on them? And assuming you can use that to turn it off or on, how do the remote controls work for other things, like changing the volume or the channel? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/9 "2016-02-29T15:59:31Z")
Check around the room to see if there’s a remote somewhere with a button stuck down. The usual culprits are a remote under a stack of magazines/books or one that slipped into the couch cushions. But even if you have a couple of remotes stacked up, that could do it. Some devices won’t respond to a remote signal if there’s already one bouncing around in the room. A good trick for doing this is to turn the lights off in the room (at night) stand near the TV and point your camera phone or other digital camera around the room. On many cameras the IR from the remote will show up on the screen. You can test this before hand by just pointing an IR (FYI, Tivo uses RF) remote at camera lens to make sure it works, doesn’t work with all cameras. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/10 "2016-02-29T16:09:29Z")
> [@dauerbach](#): > > Well, I kicked the cat and it ran screeching out of the room, and still neither remote works. Then I noticed my oldest child was behind the cat, and I kicked him too, and behind him was the elephant. Don’t kick the elephant! ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/11 "2016-03-01T01:24:51Z")
Remotes can get dirty inside and the contacts on the buttons can get a little wonky. It’s not even all over, and certain buttons will decide not to work when others will. The ones you use the most are more likely to fail. If you have the interest, you can look up _How to Clean My Remote_ videos on youtube. I’ve done it and it’s not to hard. Some times the buttons lose some of the electronic contact paint. That’s fixable, but the repair kits are stupidly expensive. I learned how to do this because Verizon won’t replace broken remotes anymore. You gotta buy them. ---
**Author:** ![bonitahi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@bonitahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonitahi)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/12 "2016-03-01T02:05:15Z")
I’m assuming you have pulled the plug out of the wall and the tv still won’t go off. I’m really flummoxed. Possibly you live under power lines? ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/13 "2016-03-01T13:41:21Z")
It is all very strange. When I returned home from work yesterday the TV was OFF. Before I left I was fooling around with both remotes, plus the physical on/off button, but when I left the TV was ON. And when I turned it back on by pressing the remote it came on and has been working fine since. Does anyone have an explanation as to how this could occur? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/14 "2016-03-01T13:42:51Z")
Gremlins - obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/15 "2016-03-01T14:34:46Z")
> [@bonitahi2](#): > > I’m assuming you have pulled the plug out of the wall and the tv still won’t go off. > > I’m really flummoxed. > > Possibly you live under power lines? Demonic possession, only reasonable explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/16 "2016-03-01T15:05:47Z")
> [@dauerbach](#): > > It is all very strange. When I returned home from work yesterday the TV was OFF. Before I left I was fooling around with both remotes, plus the physical on/off button, but when I left the TV was ON. And when I turned it back on by pressing the remote it came on and has been working fine since. Does anyone have an explanation as to how this could occur? The main board on the TV is broken or one of the remotes (that can control the TV) is broken and throwing out codes when you’re not home. Next time you’re experimenting with this, try covering the IR receiver while you’re pushing the button or holding the remote (one at time) right up to the IR receiver and using your hands to block any other signal from getting in. If that changes anything, then you probably have another IR signal getting in and causing problems. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/17 "2016-03-01T15:58:42Z")
> [@dauerbach](#): > > Does anyone have an explanation as to how this could occur? My SWAG - Newer TVs don’t have simple logic (infrared receiver turns on relay) circuits anymore. Most have some form of programmable processors and have the processing power of a typical PC. You probably accomplished the equivalent of a “Blue Screen of Death” with your TV’s processor and it was stuck in a loop that finally iterated out and performed the next command in the stack which was - “Turn Off”. It may never happen again or it could happen infrequently if the progamming isn’t very good. Next time unplug the TV from it’s power source and plug it back in to see if the problem clears. My TVs (Samsung HD and UHD) have occasionally been stuck in some mode or another - On/of fails, source switching fails etc) I unplug it and plug it back in. It happens enough to be annoying but not enough to take it back. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-wont-turn-off/747508/18 "2016-03-03T22:01:53Z")
> [@dauerbach](#): > > It is all very strange. When I returned home from work yesterday the TV was OFF. Before I left I was fooling around with both remotes, plus the physical on/off button, but when I left the TV was ON. And when I turned it back on by pressing the remote it came on and has been working fine since. Does anyone have an explanation as to how this could occur? I assume you have no flashing clocks? Because my obvious thought was that the power went out.