Does your LG TV display an “Invalid Format’ error when you connect a device? Don’t worry! Generally, the issue occurs only when the video format of the device is unsupported to play on your LG TV. At times, the error occurs due to defective hardware, outdated LG TV firmware, and inappropriate settings. For your benefit, we have listed the possible fixes to prevent the error from happening again.
What Causes Invalid Format on Your LG TV
Here are the reasons that account for an invalid format error on LG TV.
- First, it could be the improper resolution of your LG TV which does not match your external device and causes an error.
- It may be the unmatched resolution of the set-top box.
- Due to a faulty HDMI cable and HDMI port.
- Because of outdated LG TV firmware might cause trouble.
- Due to damaged wires and defective TV components.
How to Fix Invalid Format Issue on Your LG TV
The following are troubleshooting methods to fix the issue if LG TV shows an error message that the format is invalid.
Change LG TV Resolution
The invalid format is the mismatched resolution of your LG TV and the external device. So try the most common fix of changing the resolution of your TV that is parallel with the external device resolution.
1. Grab your LG Magic Remote and press the Home button.
2. Choose Set up and click on the Display option.
3. Scroll down to choose Resolution.
Modify your LG TV’s resolution according to the resolution of your connected device.
Change Resolution on External Device
If changing the LG TV resolution doesn’t help to fix the invalid format issues, another option is to change your external device resolution. Each device has different directions which would not match the default format of your LG TV.
You can access the device’s resolution through the settings menu in the display section. Try to change the available resolution on your external device and check if it resolves the issue.
Change Resolution on Set-top Box
Another recommended fix is to change the resolution of a set-top box.
1. Select an HD channel on your set-top box.
2. Grab your TV remote and press the Cable and Power buttons to turn off the set-top box.
3. Click Settings on your remote.
4. Check the Output, it should be either 720 or 1080.
5. Press the Cable and Power buttons again to turn on the set-top box.
Use the set-top box and check if it fixes the invalid format issue on your LG TV.
Check HDMI Cables
There may be a problem with your HDMI cable and connections and that ends up disturbing the audio and video format of your LG TV. Check your HDMI cables and connections to fix the invalid format issue.
1. Correctly plug in your HDMI cables to your TV and the external device.
2. Check the HDMI cable’s condition, if you notice any damage like wear and tear, try replacing the cables to solve the issue.
3. Check for the faulty and damaged HDMI port and switch to a different HDMI port.
Check HDMI Format
If your HDMI cables pass the quality check, the problem is not caused by the HDMI cables. Also, check if the HDMI format is set right to your TV format. If HDMI is not working on LG TV or is unsupported, connect the cable to a new port or visit the nearest service center to fix it.
If you have connected a USB drive to an LG TV, ensure that it is in FAT32 or NTFS format. Otherwise, your Smart TV won’t detect a device even if it is connected.
Restart LG Smart TV
Restarting is the primary troubleshooting for most of the problems that occur on TV. Hence, you should restart the LG TV and see if it could fix the problems.
1. Turn off your LG TV and unplug the TV cord from the wall socket.
2. Leave it unplugged for 2-3 minutes.
3. Later, plug the TV power cord back into the source.
4. Press the physical power button to turn on your LG TV.
Hopefully, turning on your LG TV after the soft reset will fix the invalid format issue.
Update LG TV Firmware
If it fails, you can fix the invalid format issue by updating the LG TV firmware.
1. Press the Settings button on your remote.
2. Click on Support or Customer Support on the menu.
3. Select Software Update and click OK.
4. Select Check for Updates and press OK. Now the TV will check and show you the available firmware updates.
5. If an update is available, click Download and Install.
It will automatically restart your LG TV to finish installing the update. Later, check whether it resolves the invalid format issue.
Contact LG Support
Are you worn out from trying all the above-mentioned fixes and still your issue has not been resolved? Then you might need technical assistance to solve the issue if it cannot be fixed manually.
Mostly, the issues can be due to loose cabling, defective components, or bad HDMI ports. So as a final solution, you can contact LG Customer Support. With their guided instructions, you can repair the TV and get it fixed.
FAQ
Press and hold the Xbox and the Eject buttons, hold the Pair button if your console doesn’t have an eject button. Release when you hear a second beep and watch your Xbox on the lowest resolution possible.
Press Menu → Select Picture → Select Aspect Ratio or Picture Size → Change the format of your choice.
If LG TV shows an invalid format on HDMI connections, it means that the cable or the port has been damaged. Connect it to a different HDMI port and check if the issue repeats.
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