The no signal message is one of the last pieces of consumer electronics design that has stayed almost unchanged for thirty years: a coloured box drifting slowly around an empty screen, occasionally bouncing off an edge. This page reproduces it.
What it simulates
A television or monitor that is powered on and receiving nothing , the floating status box on a dark field, moving at the deliberate crawl designed to stop a static message from burning into a panel.
Why the box moves
That drift is not decoration. A message left in one position for hours risks image retention on a panel, so manufacturers move it continuously. The same reasoning produced the bouncing DVD logo and every screensaver that came before it.
Where it works
- A prop for film and photography that needs a dead television without one.
- A joke on a TV or a monitor that somebody is about to use.
- A placeholder on a display between segments, which reads as a source problem rather than a broken screen.
- A visual for explaining the difference between a display fault and an input fault to someone troubleshooting at a distance.
How to run it
- Press Start fullscreen.
- Press Esc or tap Exit to end it.
If your screen really says no signal
It usually means the display is fine and the source is not reaching it. Check that the correct input is selected, that both ends of the cable are seated, and that the computer or box is actually powered and awake. A display that shows a no signal message is, by definition, working , it has power and it is drawing an image.
Related screens
White Noise for analogue static, DVD Bouncing Logo for the other drifting box, Broken Screen for actual panel failure.
No signal TV screen questions
Is my TV broken?
Not if it is showing this page. A no signal message means the screen is powered and drawing an image , the problem is the source or the cable, not the panel.
Why does the no signal box move around?
To avoid burning a static message into the panel. Anything left in one place for long enough risks image retention, so manufacturers keep the box drifting.