Do you have trouble watching HBO Max and can only hear the sound without seeing any picture? Want to find out why it plays without pictures but with sound?
There have been numerous reports of HBO Max users reporting that their screen goes black or glitchy and they can only hear the sound.
I have dealt with it earlier and although it is quite a bother and spoils our watching experience, it is very easy to fix.
In this guide, I will explain why it happens, what it’s caused by, and how to easily fix it yourself.
Initially, it had been reported on Android, Apple TV, Firestick, PC, and some Smart TVs, but after researching about it through numerous forums, contacting HBO support, and speaking with my developer friends, I found that all of the devices are vulnerable to this.
It occurs mainly when we try to watch high-resolution videos on devices that are not supported for high-resolution video, which causes a technical glitch or say video codec issue in technical terms.
However, the other common causes of the issue such as corrupted cache and cookies, application glitches, and internet issues cannot be overlooked, which is why I have covered them in this guide as well and outlined them in a way that you will be able to resolve this issue immediately.
Table of Contents
Why is HBO Max playing sound but no Picture?
HBO Max app plays sound but does not display pictures due to an internal setting conflict, an app glitch, and the device’s video incompatibility.
Users of Smart TVs such as Samsung TVs, Windows 10 PCs or Mac computers, Android phones, Apple TV set-top boxes, and Roku players commonly experience HBO Max app black screen with sound issues.
Depending on the device from which you are streaming HBO Max, the reason varies, but on a basic level, the reason is similar for all of them.
If you are not able to see video but can hear the sound while streaming HBO Max on your Smart TV or Apple TV, You may have a problem with your HDMI connection. Your Internet connection may be experiencing difficulties. Or, the HBO Max servers may have gone down for no apparent reason.
Similarly, if you encounter this issue on your PC, laptop, or Android device, it is likely caused by corrupt cache and other static data that glitches with HBO Max and HBO Max trying to provide a much higher video resolution than the device can handle.
The HBO max player is set to play at the highest possible resolution, so it is reading that something is 4K supported, but either the monitor or HDMI cable may not be able to show the image at that resolution.
Nevertheless, you can easily fix it and I outlined the step-by-step process through which you can easily fix it on all of your devices.
How To Fix HBO Max No Picture but Sound Issue?
The process to fix this issue varies depending on the device, for example, if you are experiencing this issue on an Android phone or PC, deleting the cache and cookies will resolve the issue while on a smart TV, resetting the app, or replacing the HDMI cable will fix it.
In order to make things easier, I’ve provided multiple steps which may be followed depending on the device you’ll be using and your HBO Max app will be fixed.
Here are several fixes you can follow in order to solve HBO Max black screens with sound issue:
- Restart device and HBO Max app
- Clear Cache and Cookies
- Reinstall the HBO Max app
- Reset your Device
- Replace HDMI Cable
Power Cycle Device and Open HBO Max App
There is a possibility that a minor glitch led to this and you should try power cycling your device, which will work as a soft reset and resolve any temporary settings that got saved.
In order to perform a power cycle, you should not just turn off and turn on the device, because that will not remove any temporary settings. Once the device is turned off, wait for at least 3-5 minutes and then turn it on and open the app.
Clear Cache and Cookies
If you are getting the black screen with sound on your laptop or android devices, the corrupted stored data like cache and cookies might be the reason and you need to delete them from your browser.
Caches and cookies, which help load websites faster, are temporary files stored on your device by browsers. However, over time, these files can accumulate and become corrupted.
If you have trouble streaming movies or TV shows from HBO Max, try clearing your browsing data.
Here are the steps to clear your browser cache and cookies:
- To get started, open your browser and click More Options.
- Next, click Settings and select Privacy and Security.
- Select Clear Browsing Data from the options.
- Make sure that the time range includes “all time” and includes “caches and cookies”.
- In the final step, click Clear Data to delete your stored browsing data.
Once that’s done, go back to HBO Max to see if the videos now appear on your device.
Reinstall the HBO Max App
In the event that you experience a problem with the HBO Max app and are unable to see the video but can hear the sound, you need to uninstall and reinstall the app.
Reset your Device
Those who are experiencing this issue on Smart TVs, Apple TVs, Rokus, Firesticks, or other streaming devices should reset the device because settings stored in HBO Max are conflicting with video and the only sound is working as a result.
Occasionally HBO Max’s installation files may become severely corrupted and are no longer fixable. In this scenario, resetting your device to factory settings will clear all data and fix the HBO Max issue.
Replace HDMI Cable
Whenever you have this issue, and even after trying a few fixes, the picture on your HBO Max goes black and you can only hear the sound, you need to replace your HDMI cable as it doesn’t provide complete Audio/Video data transfer.
Wrapping It Up
HBO Max no picture or black screen with sound issues can be caused by a number of factors, but the most common reason is a video codec issue on your device.
With the help of the above guide, you should be able to fix the problem on your device and be able to stream HBO Max hassle-free again. The above steps will work on any and all devices, and you just need to follow the instructions one by one.
To quickly wrap it up here’s what you should do when you hear sound but no picture on HBO Max:
- Restart Device and App
- Clear Cache Cookies and App data
- Reinstall the App
- Reset Device
- Replace HDMI Cable
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Kazhiko Kuro is the Founder of StreamingStash.com. Over a span of 8+ years, He has tested, researched, and written hundreds of articles and guides on how to fix common issues with TVs, streaming media players, streaming services, and related devices. See our Editorial Guidelines and Content Integrity.
