Quote:
Originally Posted by homesecurity
Having set up and calibrated dozens of Freely-enabled smart TVs (including Hisense models running VIDAA OS), that black screen streaming issue requiring a hard mains power pull is a known quirk with how Hisense manages background sleep and streaming DRM buffers.
Here is what is happening and the two simple tweaks to fix it without crawling behind the tele to pull the plug:
1. The Cause: VIDAA "Fast Boot" Memory Stacking
Hisense TVs ship with "Fast Boot" (or "Enhanced Standby") enabled by default. When you press the red power button on the remote, the TV doesn't actually shut down Linux or clear system memory—it simply suspends the panel and keeps RAM powered in an instant-on state.
Over several days of streaming BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and Channel 4 via Freely's IP linear streams, the Widevine DRM / HDCP video decoders leak memory. Eventually, launching an IP stream results in an audio/video handshake timeout (black screen) because the hardware decoder has crashed in background memory. Pulling the mains plug forces a cold reboot, which clears the buffer—which is why it temporarily fixes it.
2. The Permanent Fix: Disable Fast Boot
You can force the TV to do a clean OS reboot every time you turn it on:
- Go to Settings -> System -> Advanced Settings.
- Look for Power On Mode (or Fast Boot / Quick Start).
- Change it from "Fast Boot" / "Last State" to "Standby" (or toggle Fast Boot OFF).
The TV will take about 10–12 seconds longer to boot up from the remote, but it boots fresh every single time with zero memory leaks, completely eliminating the black screen bug.
3. The Remote Soft-Reboot Trick (No Plug Pulling Needed):
If VIDAA ever locks up on an app or stream before you change that setting, you don't need to pull the mains plug. Simply point the Hisense remote at the TV and press and hold the Power button down continuously for 6 to 8 seconds. The TV will display a shutdown prompt and force a complete hardware reboot with the Hisense splash screen.
4. Router DNS / IPv6 Handshake:
One extra field note for Virgin Media Hubs (Hub 3/4/5): If you have IPv6 enabled on the Hub, Hisense TVs occasionally stall during the initial Freely DASH/HLS manifest lookup. If it ever acts sluggish loading the EPG channels, go into the TV's network settings and set primary DNS manually to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8.
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Thanks for sharing these tips—disabling Fast Power On / Auto Init Mode in VIDAA’s advanced system settings and using the long-press power button to reboot the TV are genuinely helpful workarounds that reliably clear up the Freely black-screen issue on Hisense sets. However, I take issue with a few of the technical explanations in your post:
Widevine DRM and HDCP: Neither of these is a video decoder (Widevine is a decryption module, and HDCP is external HDMI link protection), and there is no evidence that either progressively leaks memory.
Virgin Media IPv6: Residential Virgin Media UK connections run on IPv4 only, so there is no active IPv6 handshake to cause a stall.
Timeout / black screen cause: A stream timeout cannot simply be attributed to the hardware decoder crashing in background memory—it can stem from several different faults, most commonly a wake-from-standby state initialisation bug in VIDAA's HbbTV/Freely client stack: when the TV comes out of its default "Fast Power On" sleep state, the underlying browser middleware, active network sockets, and DASH media player handle fail to re-synchronise cleanly with the tuner, leaving the UI working while the live stream times out.
Changing DNS: A cold startup of a streaming service involves multiple steps (TLS handshakes, DRM licence exchanges, manifest fetches, and buffering), with DNS lookup being just one small part. Changing DNS isn't a guaranteed cure for sluggish EPG loading.