Why can't my TV see my HDMI cable and what to do about it?

Modern TVs have a HDMI connector. This abbreviation should be understood as a digital interface with high performance, which is used to transfer and exchange media content. Media content includes photographs, audio and video recordings, illustrations of entertainment content that can be viewed on a TV by transferring them there from a laptop or computer using an HDMI cable. It happens that some users have difficulty connecting HDMI. The reasons for the incorrect operation of the cable can be different. To fix them, you need to know how to do it.

If the TV does not see the HDMI cable, information appears on its screen - the system says “no signal”. Do not think that the connected wire is to blame for the malfunction - it may be quite serviceable. A mistake can be made when connecting the cable to the television device. Diagnosis of possible causes must be carried out in a certain way.

1. Inspect your HDMI cable. Factory defect, although rare, still happens even with eminent manufacturers. Inspect the wire and check its integrity, and pay attention to the plug part. If used carelessly, the wire or its contacts are damaged. You can determine the operability of an HDMI cable if you install a similar device instead, in the serviceability of which you are 100% sure.
2. Determine the correct input source. Take the TV remote and go to the menu. Find the external input option, it will be labeled Source or Input. In some televisions, the input point is simply labeled HDMI. Moving further through the menu, you will see a list of possible login options for connecting. Find the desired one and activate the action with the OK or Enter button. If everything is done accurately, the HDMI wire will start working.
3. Determine the correct TV connection mode. When the TV screen acts as a monitor, when it is connected to HDMI, the system automatically finds it. In the case when you want to synchronously connect a TV and a laptop, you will have to make some settings. On the laptop desktop, go to the "Screen Resolution" or "Graphics Specifications" menu (the menu depends on the Windows version) and then select the option to mirror two screens. You can do the same by pressing the Fn and F4 keys at the same time (F3 on some models).
4. Determine if the drivers are up-to-date for your video card. Using the menu on your computer, find information about what version of drivers your video card has, then go to the manufacturer's website for the latest one and find the latest updates there. If your drivers are outdated, download and install the new version on your laptop or computer. In rare cases, the TV receiver does not detect the HDMI cable when it has an irrelevant Smart platform in its operating system.
5. Test your laptop or computer for viruses or other malware. Sometimes a laptop infection can cause it to malfunction.
6. Inspect the integrity of the HDMI port located on the TV panel and on the laptop (or computer). Plugs may be damaged during repeated connections.Sometimes such a port burns out if you connect the cable to an equipment working from outlets, ignoring the rules of use.
7. Some older TVs may not see HDMI cable due to the fact that they do not have an additional power option on a video card that works with external devices.

After checking all possible causes of malfunctions, you can take the next step aimed at eliminating them.

Let's take a look at the most common HDMI cable connection problems. Provided that the equipment is in good working order, it is not so difficult to eliminate them.

• If the desired image appears on the TV screen, but there is no sound, this means that the option to activate the audio stream output to an external device (TV) is not set correctly on the computer. Find the speaker icon on the right side of the screen (bottom) of your computer. Go to the menu and find the "Playback Devices" option. Next, you need to turn off all devices except the TV speakers. Then you just have to adjust the sound level.
• The TV receiver, after a while after the settings, suddenly stopped recognizing the HDMI cable. This situation happens if you changed something in the previously connected equipment. For example, a new video card was connected. With this action, the TV automatically reset the previously set settings, and now they need to be done again.
• The computer does not recognize the HDMI cable. To fix the problem, you will need to find the source of the signal output from your TV receiver. In order for the TV and the computer to see each other, you need to use the same version of the video card. For example, if the devices worked with a v1.3 video card, then with a graphics adapter of a different version, you can get the disappearance of the image. You can fix the situation by manually adjusting the video card.

To receive sound and image on a TV screen by transferring media content from a computer, you need to properly connect and configure the equipment. There are several ways to cope with this task.

If another device was previously connected to the TV set via an HDMI cable, then most TV models cannot automatically find the signal source we need - a computer - in automatic mode. To do this, we will have to manually enter the necessary settings.

• A laptop or a computer is connected to the TV via an HDMI cable. Next, you need to make sure that the contacts fit, the wire is intact, all connections are correct.
• Take your TV remote and look for a button labeled HDMI, Source, or Input. By clicking on this button, we get to the menu for selecting a connection source.
• In the menu, select the number of the HDMI port (there are two of them), which is written on the TV case near the connector. To select the desired port, we move through the menu using the channel switching buttons, in some models of TV sets this can be done by pressing numbers 2 and 8.
• To activate the port, you need to press OK or Enter, sometimes the input is done by clicking the option "Apply" or Apply in the menu.

Incorrect configuration of computer equipment can also cause the HDMI connection to remain inactive. The tuning algorithm for the Windows operating system version 7, 8, or 10 consists of a series of sequential steps.

• Open the menu with the right mouse button and find the option "Screen settings" or "Screen resolution".
• Under the screen shown and the number "1" you need to find the option "Find" or "Find". After activating this option, the operating system will find and automatically connect the TV.
• Next, you need to enter the "Display Manager" menu, in this area perform the screen settings. If you made the connection correctly, then next to the screen image and the number "1" you will see a second screen with the same number "2". In case you do not see the second screen, check the connection order again.
• In the "Display Manager" menu, go to the options that display data about the screen with the number "2". Your attention will be offered 3 options for the development of events - you need to select the "Duplicate" option, and you will see that the same images appeared on both screens. If you select the Expand Screens option, the picture will scatter across two screens, and they will complement each other. If you select Display Desktop 1: 2, the image will only appear on one of the two screens. To view the media content, you must select the "Duplicate" option.

When choosing an image, you need to remember that the HDMI system makes it possible to transfer content only through a single-stream connection, while performing correct operation on one screen, for this reason, unnecessary duplicating devices (computer monitor) are recommended to be turned off or to use the option of the mode “Display desktop 1: 2 ".

Before connecting the HDMI system, it is recommended to check the specifications of your computer's video card, since not all types of graphics adapters can support the transfer of content to 2 displays simultaneously. This information is contained in the documentation for the video card or computer. If the video card requires updating the drivers, then this can be done according to the algorithm.

• Go to the menu and find "Control Panel" there. Go to the "Displays" option, then go to "Small icons" and go to the "Device Manager".
• Next, go to the "Video adapters" option, select the "Update drivers" function. As a result of this action, the system will automatically start updating, and you just have to wait for the process to end.

To update drivers, they are sometimes downloaded from the Internet by going to the website of the official video card manufacturer. On the site you need to find the model of your adapter and download the necessary software.

It is very rare, but it happens that the reason for the inability to connect the HDMI system is viruses and malware. If you have tried all the connection methods, but the result remains zero, you can clean your computer from possible infection. To do this, you need a free or paid antivirus program. The most common anti-virus program is Kaspersky, which has a free demo mode for 30 days.

• The program is installed on the computer and a test cycle is started.
• To detect infection and eliminate it, select the "Full scan" option. The cycle of detecting suspicious files can take several hours. The program will delete some files on its own, while others will offer you to delete them.
• When the test cycle is over, you can try to connect the HDMI system again.

Problems associated with the HDMI connection are quite rare for working equipment, and if there is no mechanical damage to the cable or transmitting devices, you can correct the situation by adjusting the settings.

For information on how to connect a laptop to a TV via HDMI, see the next video.