VIZIO's display guide covers missing, washed-out or unusual colors together with lines and distortion. Power cycle the TV first, then open the TV's menu or home screen: colors that look wrong there point at the TV, while normal menu colors point at the connected device, input, cable, app or source. Check connections by turning off the TV and the device, disconnecting and reconnecting the HDMI cable, confirming it is on the right input, and trying a different HDMI cable, port or device, connecting directly and bypassing any receiver or switch.
The checks in more detail
Open Picture and try Standard, Calibrated or Movie instead of a vivid mode, then Reset Picture Mode or restore defaults; if a problem shows with only one type of content, turn motion enhancement or noise reduction on or off. Check the device's HDR and range: the flicker article advises temporarily disabling HDR to see whether it contributes and using an HDMI 2.0 or newer cable for 4K HDR, since older lower-bandwidth cables cause signal drops and color faults.
Inspect the screen for cracks, impact marks or dark spots without pressing it. Reset the TV under Menu, System, Reset & Admin, Reset TV to Factory Defaults if settings changes do not help. VIZIO says to request service when lines or distortion appear on the menu, the fault shows on every input and app, resets do not help or the screen is damaged. The quickest way to separate TV from source is the TV's own menu, since its colors never come from the HDMI signal. A second person's opinion helps: if they see the tint too, it is the TV, and if not, your eyes have adapted to the room.
Compare against a second screen playing the same content, such as a phone, to see whether the colors are the content or the TV.
Differential
Likely causes of “VIZIO TV line colors look wrong, washed out or tinted”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A vivid picture mode
What separates it The color looks oversaturated because a vivid picture mode is selected
How to confirm Choose Standard or Calibrated picture mode, which give more natural colors
- 2
An HDR mismatch
What separates it The picture looks washed or tinted because of an HDR mismatch
How to confirm Turn HDR off as a test, and see whether the colors look right
- 3
An old HDMI cable
What separates it There are color faults and drops because the HDMI cable is old
How to confirm Use an HDMI 2.0 or newer cable, which can carry the signal reliably
- 4
A source problem
What separates it Only one input looks wrong because of a problem with that source
How to confirm Check that device, and its output settings, since the fault is in the source
- 5
A panel fault
What separates it There are lines or bands in the menu because of a panel fault
How to confirm Request service, since lines and bands in the menu point to a panel fault
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether the TV's own menu shows the problem too
- The input and the device that you are using
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedPower cycle
ReversiblePower cycle the TV, and then check the colors of the menu on the screen.
Reseat HDMI
ReversibleReseat the HDMI cable at both ends, and try another cable if you have one.
Choose Standard or Calibrated
ReversibleChoose Standard or Calibrated picture mode, and avoid the vivid modes, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Reset the picture
ReversibleReset the picture settings to their defaults, and then look at the colors again, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Turn HDR off
ReversibleTurn HDR off to test, and see whether the colors look right without it, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Test another input
ReversibleTest another input, to isolate whether the fault is with one source or the TV.
Factory reset
ReversibleFactory reset the TV if nothing helps, since it clears any setting that is causing it.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Calibrated
- Calibrated mode is the most accurate on many models.
- OLED H1
- OLED sets can show a panel fault as bands.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit the Quantum 4K QLED TV, V-Series 4K TV, M-Series Quantum X TV, OLED H1 TV.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If lines or bands show in the menu, request service
- !If the screen is damaged, request service, since it cannot be fixed at home
- !If only one source is wrong, check it
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Menu test, picture modes and service triggers.
HDMI cable, HDR and picture features.
Power, menu test, input and backlight service.
Power cycle, flashing light and CEC steps.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
Which picture mode is best?+
Calibrated or Movie are the best picture modes, for natural color.
Can I reset the picture?+
Yes, you can reset the picture settings, from the picture menu of the TV.
Should I try motion settings off?+
Try the motion settings off, for faults that show only on certain content.