Hisense Roku TV Picture Dark? (Adjust These Settings Now!)

If you’re worried because the Hisense Roku TV picture dark and struggling to bring scenes to life, you’re not alone.

This is a common problem that can often be fixed with a few adjustments. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through simple steps to brighten up your Hisense Roku TV screen, from tweaking brightness and backlight to resetting the TV.

Let’s jump straight in and light up your viewing experience!

Hisense Roku TV Picture Dark – 5 Ultimate Ways To Fix!

Note: Have you tried streaming something else? Perhaps the darkness is coming from the media or the TV show you’re currently watching.

1. Adjust Backlight Settings

If your Hisense Roku TV picture settings look too dark, adjusting the backlight can help. The backlight setting controls the illumination of the screen.

To tweak it, press the Star (*) button on the Roku remote while watching, go to Picture Settings, and select Customize Picture.

From there, you can adjust the backlight percentage to brighten things up. We recommend going over 60%, even up to 75–80% if needed.

Note: The best percentage for the backlight setting depends on the room’s lighting conditions.

2. Dynamic Backlight Control

The Dynamic Backlight Control is a handy feature that auto-adjusts the backlight based on what’s shown on-screen.

It increases the setting for bright scenes or dials down for darker ones, enhancing the contrast along the way.

The option is found under the general “Backlight” menu in Picture Settings → Customize Picture.

Whenever you find the option, set it to Low or Medium, or turn it off for manual control. 

Tip: The Medium setting often provides a nice balance!

3. Configure the TV Brightness

If your Hisense Roku TV picture is dark and blurry after tweaking the backlight, adjusting the TV brightness is your next best step.

So, go to the same menu by pressing the Star (*) button on the Roku remote, then heading to Picture Settings and selecting the Customize Picture menu.

Here, you can tweak the brightness to reduce the shadowy areas.

However, the brightness may not be the only culprit since several subsettings might be dimming the TV picture.

• Brightness: The Brightness configures how dark or gray black areas will be, so set it to 50% for a balanced output that keeps shadows crisp.
• Contrast: The Contrast adjusts the difference between bright whites and dark blacks, increasing the vibrancy, so aim for around 50%.
• Black Level: Black Level fine-tunes the depth of dark areas. Keep it at 0 to maintain balanced blacks without losing detail.
• Dark Detail: Dark Detail enhances visibility in shadows without over-brightening blacks, so leave it off unless dark scenes feel too murky.
• Gamma: Gamma shapes the brightness curve for mid-tone balance, so stick to 2.2 for a natural depth across most shows or movies.
• Active Contrast: The Active Contrast feature configures the contrast as per the scene currently shown on the screen, so turn it off to avoid sudden changes.
• HDMI Dynamic Range: The HDMI Dynamic Range enhances the color and brightness on the feed coming from HDMI devices, and we recommend setting it to Auto.

Tweaking these brightness settings will reduce the darkness in the picture on the Hisense TV!

Note: Settings might slightly vary depending on your Hisense Roku TV model, so if something looks different, check your TV’s manual or on-screen options for guidance.

4. Optimize Lighting Conditions

Even with your Hisense Roku TV settings are perfectly configured for a bright picture and vivid visuals, some media like movies or TV shows with HDR can still have super dark or dim scenes.

HDR content often pushes contrast to extremes, which makes dark moments almost pitch-black by design, which is intentional.

Well, to get the most out of your viewing experience, we advise optimizing your room’s lighting for a theater-like viewing.

Turning off the lights, blocking direct sources from hitting the screen, and adjusting your space can make a big difference.

Here are some quick solutions:

• Turn off room lights: Dim or switch off any lights to reduce screen reflection and allow the TV’s contrast to stand out.
• Close curtains or blinds: You should block direct sunlight or street lights from shining through the windows onto the display.
• Reposition lamps: Relocate any nearby light sources so they don’t shine directly onto the Hisense TV screen.
• Avoid reflective surfaces: Relocate furniture or decor that might reflect light onto the display of your TV.

With your lighting optimized, the dark HDR scenes on the Hisense TV should feel immersive, not invisible. When these lighting tweaks are combined with correctly adjusted settings, the darkness should disappear.

Note: Lighting requirements might change depending on the time of day or specific content, so feel free to adjust as you go.

5. Reset your Hisense Roku TV

If you still have the Hisense Roku TV dark picture, despite all the adjustments, a software glitch or an accidental setting tweak might be the reason.

You can reset the TV in two ways to tackle the issue: either via power cycle (no data loss) or via factory reset (irreversible data loss).

How to Soft-Reset Roku TV:

To soft reset your Hisense Roku TV, unplug it from the power outlet, wait 30 seconds, and then plug it back in.

This quick system refresh can fix minor software issues affecting your display.

How to Hard-Reset Roku TV:

If nothing else works and your Hisense Roku TV’s picture or apps are still off, a factory reset is the last resort to reinstall the system and start fresh.

Here’s how to factory reset a Hisense Roku TV in easy steps:

• First, grab your Roku TV remote and press the Home button.
• Go to “Settings”, then “System”, and “Advanced system settings.”
• Select “Factory Reset” and insert the prompted 4-digit code.
• Confirm with “Reset” and then “OK” to start the factory reset.

Your TV will restart, reinstall the OS, and prompt you to set it up again, including connecting to the internet and adjusting everything from scratch.

Warning: This wipes all downloaded channels and settings, resetting everything to default.

How to Identify a Defective TV Backlight:

If you can’t identify why your Hisense Roku TV picture is dark, even after factory resetting the TV, the backlight itself might be defective. 

A quick way to test this is the flashlight method. It’s easy and can reveal whether the backlight is failing while the screen still functions. 

Here’s how to do it:

Turn on your TV, turn off the lights, and shine a flashlight onto the Hisense TV screen.

If you can see silhouettes or the menu moving behind the dark display, the backlight is likely the issue, not the screen itself.

This means the TV is still working and showing visuals, but the light (backlight) behind it isn’t working.

If that’s the case, it’s time to consider a television repair or replacement.

Note: If your Hisense Roku TV’s warranty is intact and the backlight seems defective, get in touch with Hisense customer service for more help.