Vertical lines on your Vizio TV develop due to your TV’s column drivers not functioning as intended, though the specific reason behind their failure can vary a great deal.
Here’s a quick summary of all the info you need to remember:
- Vertical lines are far less common than horizontal lines on your Vizio TV.
- Column drivers work independently of one another. To get noticeable vertical lines on your Vizio TV screen, multiple column drivers need to malfunction at once.
- A faulty T-Con board has a good chance of being the reason you’re getting vertical lines, as that’s the component on your Vizio TV responsible for column driver signals.
- Vertical lines often indicate hardware problems, so they’re best handled by professionals.
Vertical lines on your TV screen are a lot less common than horizontal lines, but there are a few distinctions between the two problems that most people tend to overlook.
We’ll be going over everything in depth below and sincerely hope our findings on the topic help you figure some things out!
All You Need To Know About Vizio TV Vertical Lines
Vertical Lines vs Horizontal Lines
While it might seem like a problem with lots of overlap, there’s a reason why we had to split this topic with another article on the site!
We’ll start with a simplified technical breakdown of how TV drivers usually work.
The signal flow of normal TVs is transmitted to row drivers first – this includes the cues the column drivers need to function. The row drivers subsequently relay those instructions to the column drivers as intermediaries, with the process happening almost instantaneously.
- Row drivers prioritize coverage, timing, and synchronization. They’re in charge of maintaining adjustments that apply to every pixel on the screen (i.e. display presets) and keeping the video transitions smooth between scenes.
- Column drivers handle changes such as color and brightness on a per-pixel basis and are responsible for the images on-screen. They also handle some of the more advanced image functions, which aren’t relevant enough to cover here.
Row drivers function interdependently with one another, so a malfunction here typically leads to a cascading effect that rapidly gets out of hand. The horizontal lines on-screen are likely to either widen or increase in quantity, ruining a user’s display.
Column drivers, on the other hand, function independently from one another. Column drivers are more likely to malfunction than row drivers, but those problems would be isolated to a single set of pixels. A noticeable vertical line on your Vizio TV requires multiple columns to malfunction simultaneously, making it quite a rare development.
What’s More Likely to Cause Vertical Lines on Vizio TVs?
While most display problems typically cause horizontal lines, there is one particular issue that’s more likely to cause vertical lines on your Vizio TV: T-Con board problems.
T-Con boards are responsible for controlling the specific signals your TV’s drivers receive.
Row driver instructions are simple to process, with errors often spiraling out of hand, making them immediately apparent (i.e. bright spots or pink TV screens). Think of it like flipping a coin: you’d only have so many potential outcomes – even for the undesirable ones!
Column driver instructions are more demanding, as they not only handle specific pixel colors but also the timing of those changes. There are more failure points, and they’re not liable to cascade like they might for row drivers.
It’d be like bumping the table under a set of rolled dice, altering the intended outcome – in this instance, likely leading to the vertical lines on your Vizio TV.
Do note that this is simply an issue we highlighted, as truth be told horizontal lines on your display are far more common to encounter than vertical lines on your Vizio TV.
Faulty Column Drivers
There’s also a chance that your column drivers themselves are busted.
To reiterate an earlier point made, column driver function independently of one another, so malfunctions need to happen at the same time to become noticeable.
The only time you can reasonably expect this to happen, outside of the T-Con board problems, would be if something (or someone) collided with your TV’s display!
Dealing With Vertical Lines on Vizio TVs
Unfortunately, vertical lines on your Vizio TV often denote hardware problems.
While you could try the usual troubleshooting cycle of cold boot, update firmware, and factory resets, it’s unlikely to make a difference outside of very, very niche circumstances.
In most cases, you’d be better off sending your Vizio TV to a technician for repair. They’re probably going to replace a few components – typically only the T-Con board, but sometimes this may include the LCD panel or TV Backlight.
It’s also worth getting in touch with Vizio’s service team first. While they won’t offer much direct help for your current predicament, they could recommend a reliable service center nearby – potentially at a discount, if you’re still under warranty.
If there’s no incentive offered, remember that replacement TV components often lean on the pricy side. You might genuinely be better off buying a new TV in these situations!