NUC11 i5 Screen Goes Black Intermittently

[NTrin1]

Hi,

I just got delivery of an NUC11PAHi5, and generally I'm happy with it. I have performed a fresh install of Windows to  avoid any driver conflicts etc but have one annoying issue:

The Computer is connected to my Samsung Series 7 TV via an HDMI cable (Tested as working fine), and the video is generally OK but every now and again the screen goes black for a second and then comes back on.

This happened before I reinstalled Windows and with the current and previous iteration of intel display drivers. I have also reinstalled the drivers, just to check.

This also happens with HDR on (horrible as the TV is really dark and contrast is unusable) and off.

I hope someone has a recommendation to fix this.

[David_G_Intel]

Hello NTrin1 

Thank you for posting on the Intel️® communities. We need more information to provide recommendations:

• Does this happen with other monitors/TVs?
• Did you test different HDMI cables?
• Do you use any adapters/converters?
• Is the TV firmware up to date?
• Does this happen with the HDMI port only?
• Does this happen on a specific application or is it random?
• Please share the Intel® System Support Utility (Intel® SSU) results 
  • Download the Intel SSU https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility-for-Windows- 
  • Open the application and select "Everything" click on "Scan" to see the system and device information. By default, Intel® SSU will take you to the "Summary View".  
  • Click on the menu where it says "Summary" to change to "Detailed View".  
  • To save your scan, click on "Next", then "Save".  

Regards,

David G 

Intel Customer Support Technician 

[NTrin1]

Thanks for the reply David,

• Does this happen with other monitors/TVs?  Weirdly, when I plug in my portable USB-C monitor the "flickering" is no longer happening as far as I can see (including when both the TV and monitor are connected)
• Did you test different HDMI cables? I don't have any others to check, but this cable worked perfectly with my old NUC7i5 and NUC8i5 computers in 4K res and 60hz refresh rate with the same TV.
• Do you use any adapters/converters? No
• Is the TV firmware up to date? Yes
• Does this happen with the HDMI port only? It seems so
• Does this happen on a specific application or is it random? random, all apps, even on desktop with no apps running
• Please share the Intel® System Support Utility (Intel® SSU) results. Please see attached

[NTrin1]

On further investigation, when I run my USB-C monitor it does not go black while the HDMI connected TV does )both connected at the same time)

[David_G_Intel]

To confirm if this is an HDMI port or cable issue, you'll need to test another HDMI monitor and HDMI cables. The NUC seems to be up to date on BIOS, drivers and OS so this troubleshooting step will help us identify where this problem might be coming from.

Regards,

David G 

Intel Customer Support Technician 

[NTrin1]

Thanks for your reply, we're on lockdown in Indonesia right now so I don't have access to another TV or HDMI cable.

However, I have a USB-C adaptor with an HDMI port, so I've put the TV through that from the rear thunderbolt port and there is no black flickering screen at all.

Note, It seems that it runs at 30Hz maximum instead of 60Hz, which i suppose is a limitation of the adaptor.

[David_G_Intel]

Thank you for the information provided, adapters could limit resolution, refresh rate and cause some other display issues. We recommend using straight connections to avoid that, once you can test the system without the adapter and different cables please let us know to continue with support.

Regards,

David G 

Intel Customer Support Technician 

[NTrin1]

OK, I'll try to find a TV and cable to try it with.

I have been experimenting with HDR and noticed that there is no black screen issue with the computer in HDR mode. It is unusable in HDR sadly, however, as the colours are extremely washed out and there is no contrast. Any tips to improve the quality of the image with HDR on?!

[David_G_Intel]

Let us know once you finish the testing. You can find more information on HDR in our article:

• Tips for Playing 4K, HDR or 3D Content on Intel® NUC
  • https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000029357/intel-nuc.html

Regards,

David G 

Intel Customer Support Technician 

[David_G_Intel]

Did you try our previous recommendations?  

Let us know if you still need assistance.  

Best regards,  

David G.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  

[NTrin1]

Hi,

I still don't have access to another monitor connectable via HDMI. However, the issue seems to have stopped now after I changed refresh rate to 30Hz. Not ideal but I don't have further tools to troubleshoot other than my USB-C monitor.

Nick

[David_G_Intel]

Thank you for the update NTrin1.

We will close this thread for now, once you have the option to test another cable you can open a new thread to let us know the results and make reference to this one, or you can contact live support if you want to continue with the process that way. Here are pages where you can lookup contact information, including local/country phone numbers, by geography: 

U.S. and Canada: Intel Customer Support 

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/contact-support.html 

Europe, Middle East and Africa: Intel Customer Support EMEA  

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/contact-support/emea-contact.html 

Asia-Pacific: Intel Customer Support APAC  

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/contact-support/apac-contact.html 

Latin America: Intel Customer Support LAR  

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/contact-support/lar-contact.html 

You can use the online forms service or email, but I actually recommend calling them directly. The above links provide local or toll-free numbers in most countries and support most local languages. 

Please keep in mind that this thread will no longer be monitored by Intel. Thank you for your understanding.  

Best regards, 

David G 

Intel Customer Support Technician