LG Smart TV: Unknown Kill Screen
The LG TV kill screen is an obscure screen that puts your TV in danger. Many have deemed the screen unsettling, especially on the later screens. The exact cause is unknown. Many have reported this screen appearing when they screen shared their phones or tablets. The Kill Screen appears on all TVs that have webOS installed. This TV was bought on eBay and the parts were not good and the screen was smashed. The seller said the TV was broken from a rage of the game “Terraria”. I replaced the screen with a cheap $5 capture card with a $1 1GB MicroSD Card. I also hooked up a Dev Kit to monitor what is happening. I have recorded the screen in its entirety. Please note most of the footage has been cut to keep it interesting. The screen can occur when the TV is on, or on most occasions, when the TV is turned on. Some have even reported the screen appearing when the TV was Off.
The first screen has the LG and WebOS logos in the corners of the screen. It says “An error has occurred. Please call support to fix the TV.” A link and a phone number for support appear in the bottom. The error code is in the bottom left corner. It says that the TV will shut down automatically. It shuts down in 1 minute, however, it stays 10 minutes to an hour when it turns on by itself. The screen turns black for a little before showing the next screen.
The next screen is very similar to the last screen but it shows a warning symbol. “Please turn off your TV and call support. Failure to do so will brick your TV and void your warranty. The rest of the screen is the same but the error code changes. This screen shows for 5 minutes before cutting black again.
The next screen is almost identical in design but has a rhombus warning symbol instead of the classic triangle. It says “System Files are Corrupt and CPU temperature is at 208 degrees Celsius. Call Support Now!” The rest (except the error code of course) stays the same. Many have stated that smoke puffed out of their TVs. The LG and WebOS logos are corrupted. This screen shows for 15 minutes.
The next screen has a giant LG logo and scared some (not as much as the later screens). It says you are about to enter Recovery Mode and says you will not be held responsible for the damages caused. The error code has letters strangely. The screen appears for 45 minutes.
The long recovery mode processes begins. First it enters recovery mode. Then a spinning globe appears, much like the macOS Internet recovery screen, but 3D; with the text “Downloading webOS installation file...”. Then webOS reinstalls. Later, a text appears that says “Almost Done...”. A screen then says Preparing. Another says Reinstalling Apps pops up as it reinstalls the user’s previous apps before the kill screen. A screen then appears saying “Finalizing” while it does general final work an attempts to restore settings, App Data, photos, videos, music, etc.
Then it is the juicy part. A screen appears with a giant Omega symbol, accompanied by many other smaller omega symbols in the background. Many have reported being paralyzed by the screen, like the infamous Wario Apparition. A tone plays in the background. The Dev Kit from earlier taught the TV was disconnected, but it wasn’t. A sentence appears that is written in Korean. A Korean signature appears a few seconds later. A few seconds later, the tone stops and the Omegas and the Sentences disappear into the blackness.
Then the LG logo comes back and says “An irreparable error has occurred with the TV.” “The Warranty has been voided. Unlike other kill screens, it gives you a link to recycle the TV. A few seconds later, a message says “Thank you for choosing LG!” joined with the “LG America” signature a few seconds later. Later, it says the TV will shut off and then it cuts to black and it ends. A surviver even said that their TV exploded and lit on fire. The TV’s parts have been used to make a Gaming PC.