topic Re: Screen goes black on advert breaks in Sky Q

Screen goes black on advert breaks

CLennonM — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 20:29:19 GMT

I noticed this a couple of weeks ago and have been trying to work out what's been going on.

Seems to only happen during ad breaks. The TV screen just goes black.

It's 100% a Sky issue as I watch Netflix, YTube, run Playstation for hours on end with no issue.

The only way to resolve the issue in the moment seems to be to change chanel and go back.

I know there is a thred on the Sky Glass board about this but we have a box and a dish so must be a different issue.

That board didn't post how the issue was resolved, just that they 'think they have fixed the issue'.

please can someone let mw know a) if this is happening to them and b) how it cam be fixed.

Clocked - 5 mins of black screen (hoping it would come back on when I guess the aderts had finished but nope) gave up and switch chanels back and forth to fix

Re: Screen goes black on advert breaks

oldfella — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 21:07:51 GMT

Hi @CLennonM

Try a Reset Settings in the main Q box hidden menu.
To enter hidden menu press Home and navigate down to Settings but do not select Settings.
With Settings highlighted press 0 0 1 Select.
Only Carry out the first Reset (Reset Settings) as the other two will wipe all recordings.
After the Reset you will have to re pair your Bluetooth remote If you use one.
If you cannot switch the Q box on with the remote after the Reset press the Standby button (Amber led) on the front of the box.
To re pair the remote press 1 & 3 together on the remote and follow onscreen instructions to re pair.

Make sure that you are pointing the remote at the Q box when you press 1 & 3 together.

Resetting the settings will also reset:

Audio visual settings, such as picture resolution and HDMI control
Settings changed within the hidden engineer menu, include LNB type. If on a communal dish you need to reset the LNB to SCR in the hidden menu. After changing the LNB type you need to reboot the Q box.

Re: Screen goes black on advert breaks

Chodley — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 07:19:59 GMT

What TV is it?

Re: Screen goes black on advert breaks

CLennonM — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 08:43:21 GMT

The secrect menu reset seems to have resolved the issue. Thank you very much.

Re: Screen goes black on advert breaks

CLennonM — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:19:31 GMT

This issue seems to have come back.

While I appreciate that this 'secret menu' might resolve the issue temporarily... I want a perm solution.

How do I raise this formally with SKY ?

Re: Screen goes black on advert breaks

Chodley — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 19:50:55 GMT

Ring them

it's probably the ad insertion tech playing up. Is this on live or downloaded shows?

Re: Screen goes black on advert breaks

Anonymous — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 20:07:30 GMT

@CLennonM to build on what @Chodley said, Sky swap ad breaks for ads more tailored to what they think you'd like. You're probably experiencing these problems when it switches from satellite to internet (I assume) based broadcast.

You could try disabling tailored advertising on your account to see if this fixes it for youhttps://www.sky.com/help/articles/tailored-advertising-with-sky-adsmart

Re: Screen goes black on advert breaks

xenon81 — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 20:31:00 GMT

The Adsmart ads are sent via satellite and recorded to the hard drive, they should play out seamlessly and be no different to any other ad but I agree in this case it seems something isn't working properly. It would be interesting to know what channels are affected as most non-Sky channels don't use AdSmart and shouldn't have problems if this is the cause.

Re: Screen goes black on advert breaks

Anonymous — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 20:41:26 GMT

Good to know re: them recording from satellite 👍

Re: Screen goes black on advert breaks

CLennonM — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 20:59:23 GMT

Hi,

This is Live TV

Re: Screen goes black on advert breaks

CLennonM — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 21:00:30 GMT

I mostly just have comedy central on during the day as back ground whichnis where I notice it the most.

But it has happened on other channels too.

Re: Screen goes black on advert breaks

Chodley — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 19:40:50 GMT

@xenon81 wrote:
The Adsmart ads are sent via satellite and recorded to the hard drive, they should play out seamlessly and be no different to any other ad but I agree in this case it seems something isn't working properly. It would be interesting to know what channels are affected as most non-Sky channels don't use AdSmart and shouldn't have problems if this is the cause.

That's quite clever. Assumed they were only on streamed content. Maybe a hard drive issue then?

Re: Screen goes black on advert breaks

xenon81 — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 11:41:01 GMT

@Chodley wrote:
@xenon81 wrote:
The Adsmart ads are sent via satellite and recorded to the hard drive, they should play out seamlessly and be no different to any other ad but I agree in this case it seems something isn't working properly. It would be interesting to know what channels are affected as most non-Sky channels don't use AdSmart and shouldn't have problems if this is the cause.
That's quite clever. Assumed they were only on streamed content. Maybe a hard drive issue then?

Yes it's quite possibly a hard drive issue, or one of the stored ads is corrupted causing the blank screen when it tries to play.

Comedy Central uses AdSmart so that adds up, you can see all the channels that use it at https://www.skymedia.co.uk/channels/ and click AdSmart.

Re: Screen goes black on advert breaks

CLennonM — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 12:49:17 GMT

Are the smart ads on the primary accou t holders configurations?

This account here is mine for the forum but the sky account is my wife's.

thanks

Re: Screen goes black on advert breaks

Chodley — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 20:26:45 GMT

Yes, the account holder.