A dark BRAVIA picture is usually a power-saving or light-sensor setting. Sony's FAQ has a Picture and Screen section, and its troubleshooting article says to reset the picture settings when the image looks wrong. In Settings, Display and Sound, Picture, check the Picture mode: Vivid is brightest, Custom and Standard are moderate, and Cinema or Professional modes are dimmer by design. Raise Brightness or Backlight, and on OLED models OLED Light. Check the light sensor: Ambient light sensor lowers the picture in dark rooms, so switch it off to test. Check power saving under Settings, Device Preferences, Power and Energy, or Eco: Power saving mode dims the panel, so set it to Off. Check HDR: an HDR signal needs the TV's HDR setting on and the correct HDMI signal format;
The checks in more detail
Sony has an article on whether the TV is compatible with HDR. Check Local dimming and Peak luminance, which are set to Auto or High for the brightest mini LED picture. Check the room: bright windows make any TV look dark. Run a built-in picture test or compare a second source. Reset the picture, restart the TV and update the software. Persistent dimness in every mode may be a failing backlight on LCD models, which needs service, while OLED models have automatic brightness limiting for protection. Judge brightness after your eyes adjust and compare with a phone photo taken in the same light.
Turn off bias lighting and check the same scene in two apps. If dimness appears only at night, cover the light sensor with a finger to see whether the picture responds.
Differential
Likely causes of “Sony BRAVIA TV line picture is too dark or keeps dimming”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Power saving on
What separates it The picture is dim at all times because Power saving is switched on
How to confirm Turn Power saving off in the settings, and check the brightness again
- 2
The light sensor
What separates it The picture is dim in dark rooms because the light sensor lowers the brightness
How to confirm Turn the light sensor off, and see whether the picture becomes brighter
- 3
A dim picture mode
What separates it The picture is dim in Cinema or Professional mode because those modes are darker
How to confirm Choose a brighter mode, such as Vivid or Standard, for daytime viewing
- 4
Wrong HDR settings
What separates it HDR content looks dark because the HDR settings are wrong
How to confirm Set HDR and the HDMI format correctly, so that the source and the TV agree
- 5
A failing backlight
What separates it The picture is dark in every mode because the backlight is failing
How to confirm Contact Sony service, since a failing backlight needs a repair from a technician
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The picture mode and power saving setting
- Whether the light sensor is on
- Whether only one source looks dark
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedChange the picture mode
ReversibleChange the picture mode, and try Vivid or Standard, which give a brighter picture, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Turn off Power saving
ReversibleTurn off Power saving as a test, and see whether the picture becomes brighter, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Turn off the light sensor
ReversibleTurn off the light sensor as a test, since it dims the picture in a dark room.
Raise Backlight or OLED Light
ReversibleRaise the Backlight or OLED Light setting, or the peak luminance, to brighten the picture.
Check HDR settings
ReversibleCheck the HDR settings and the HDMI format, and make sure that they suit your source.
Reset the picture
ReversibleReset the picture settings, and then restart the TV and look at the picture again.
Update the software
ReversibleUpdate the software on the TV, and then retest the picture with the same source.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Mini LED
- BRAVIA 7 and 9 have local dimming zones.
- OLED
- BRAVIA OLED models limit brightness automatically to protect the panel.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit models A80L, A90J, A95L, BRAVIA 2 II LED TV, BRAVIA 5 Mini LED TV, BRAVIA 7 Mini LED TV, BRAVIA 8 II QD-OLED TV, BRAVIA 9 Mini LED TV, X85K, X900H, X90L, X95L.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the picture is dark in every mode and on every source, contact Sony
- !If one source is dark, check that source
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Index of Google TV help articles.
Restart, reset settings, update, Safe Mode and Clear data.
Google TV help topics.
Power cord, reset, TV button and external devices.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
Why is my BRAVIA dark?+
Power saving, the light sensor or the picture mode.
What is the light sensor?+
A sensor that dims the picture in dark rooms.
Where is Power saving?+
In Device Preferences, Power and Energy.
What is peak luminance?+
A setting for the brightest highlights.