One of the weirder habits of Samsung TVs finally got a logical explanation. Although on paper the restart looks simple: press and hold the power button, in practice it often happens that the TV does not restart, but just goes into “sleep” mode. Same remote, same button, same press duration, but different result.
The reason is not a software bug, but the way Samsung works SolarCell Remote. Although it relies on Bluetooth in everyday use, it uses an old but reliable technology for one single action – an infrared signal. In particular, when the TV restarts, the remote must be pointed directly at the TV, because then the IR transmitter is used, not the Bluetooth connection.
Why does the Samsung TV sometimes restart and sometimes just shut down
On the top of the remote control there is a small cover under which the infrared emitter is hidden. It is almost never used, except in this specific case. If the remote is not facing the TV, the command is sent via Bluetooth, which does not trigger a restart, but only puts the device into sleep mode. That’s why the whole process seems random and unpredictable.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that Samsung has not clearly explained this. The instructions for the remote list numerous shortcuts and combinations, but this detail is not mentioned at all. As users are used to the Bluetooth remote working regardless of the direction, no one expects that for a restart it is necessary to “target” the TV as in the past.
When the remote is pointed correctly and the power button is held down for a few seconds, the TV will restart every time. This can be recognized by the re-display of the Tizen, Knox or OLED/NeoQLED logos when booting.
In other words, the behavior was never random, but oddly implemented. And now, when the reason is clear, restarting the Samsung TV can finally work safely every time, reports Sammobile.