No picture — or picture but no 4K HDR — through an Onkyo receiver comes down to a few things: the input's HDMI assignment, a handshake, or the 4K passthrough/EDID setting, and on some older models the known HDMI board fault. Work the settings first; the failure pattern tells you if it's hardware.
If there's no picture at all
- Confirm the input assignment. The selected input must be mapped to the HDMI jack the source is in (Setup > Input/Source > HDMI assignment), and the TV on the receiver's HDMI MAIN OUT.
- Enable HDMI passthrough/standby-through so video reaches the TV even when relevant, and check the front-panel output indicator points at the right monitor out.
- Power-cycle in order. Unplug receiver, TV, and sources for at least 30 seconds; power the receiver first, then TV, then sources.
- Bypass to isolate. Source straight into the TV — if that works, the fault is the receiver's HDMI section.
If you have picture but no 4K HDR
- Set HDMI to the 4K-capable mode. Onkyo receivers have a per-input "4K" / picture mode / monitor-out resolution setting that, if set to a lower/standard mode, strips 4K HDR. Set the input's mode to the enhanced/4K (HDR) option.
- Match the TV's enhanced input. The TV port must also be in its full mode (LG Deep Color, Samsung Input Signal Plus, Sony Enhanced).
- Mind the bandwidth ceiling. Many older Onkyos pass 4K@60Hz max, not 4K@120Hz. A PS5/Xbox set to 120Hz through such a receiver can blank — drop to 4K60, or connect the console to the TV and use eARC back to the receiver for audio. The PS5 4K/120 passthrough fix covers the right HDMI 2.1 port and firmware patch.
- Use a certified Ultra High Speed cable on every 4K hop — a marginal cable drops HDR or the whole signal.
Reset the EDID
A stale EDID makes the receiver advertise the wrong capabilities, so the source won't send 4K HDR. Power-cycle the full chain in order; if the receiver has an EDID/Monitor option, try Standard then Enhanced to re-negotiate.
The known HDMI board fault
Some older Onkyo/Pioneer-era receivers have a documented HDMI board failure: audio works, but no video from any source, surviving every cable swap and power-cycle, often intermittently. If that's your exact pattern across all inputs and outputs, it's the board — a repair (re-flow/replacement) or an upgrade is the fix. The TX-NR646 HDMI-out guide details this fault on one of the affected models.
FAQ
Picture works but I can't get 4K HDR through my Onkyo. Set the input's HDMI/picture mode to the enhanced 4K (HDR) option, enable the TV's enhanced input, and use a certified cable. Older models may cap at 4K60.
No picture at all, but audio is fine. Check the input HDMI assignment and that the TV is on HDMI MAIN OUT; power-cycle receiver-first. If it persists across all inputs and a known-good cable, suspect the HDMI board. The reverse problem (picture fine, no TV-app sound) is covered in the Onkyo no-sound-from-TV-apps fix.
My console blacks out at 120Hz through the receiver. Many Onkyos only pass 4K60. Drop to 4K60, or run the console to the TV and use eARC for audio.
How do I reset the EDID? Power-cycle the whole chain in order; if there's an EDID/Monitor mode, switch it between Standard and Enhanced to force re-negotiation.