If your PlayStation 5 turns on to a solid white light but your TV reads No Signal, the most likely fault is the HDMI port on the console's motherboard — a physical connector that's been bent, cracked, or torn loose from its solder pads. We fix that at our Berkeley shop on Telegraph Avenue with board-level microsoldering under a microscope, for $159, confirmed at drop-off before any work begins. Same-day or next-day turnaround is often possible by appointment when the part and the schedule allow. It's the single most common console repair we do — we've replaced dozens of PS5 HDMI ports in the last year and a half — and it's rarely a reason to replace a $650 console.
This post covers why the port fails, why most shops send it away instead of fixing it, what the repair actually costs against your other options, and how a diagnostic tells the port apart from the encoder chip behind it.
Why PS5 HDMI ports fail
The HDMI port is a small metal connector soldered flat onto the motherboard, with nineteen fragile pins carrying high-speed video and audio. It fails in a few predictable ways:
- Bent or broken pins. The most common cause is mechanical. A cable yanked at an angle, the console knocked while a cable is plugged in, or a stiff HDMI cable levering against the port over time bends the internal pins or cracks the connector housing.
- Pads torn off the board. If the port is stressed hard enough, it lifts and takes its copper solder pads with it. Now there's nothing left to solder a new port onto without rebuilding the pads by hand — a real microsoldering job, not a swap.
- Electrical damage. A power surge, a failing TV port, or a cheap cable can burn the data lines or blow the small ESD protection diodes sitting next to the HDMI chip. Less common than pin damage, but we see it on the bench.
Replacing the port means removing the old connector with hot air, cleaning and often rebuilding the pads, and soldering a new port into place under magnification. It's slow, it needs the right tools and a steady hand, and one slip damages nearby components. That's why a lot of general repair counters won't touch it — they'll tell you to send the console to Sony or buy a new one. Board-level work under a microscope is the thing we actually specialize in, so this is bread-and-butter for our bench.
What it costs: us vs. Sony vs. a new console
Here's the honest comparison, with prices as of August 2026. Our HDMI port repair is $159, confirmed at drop-off — some jobs come in under that when the fix is simpler, so we quote you the real number in person before we start.
| Option | What you pay | What actually happens |
|---|---|---|
| iResurrect, Berkeley | $159, confirmed at drop-off | Walk it into our Telegraph Avenue shop for a targeted port repair; same-day or next-day is often available, and your original console and storage stay together |
| Sony out-of-warranty | Typically ~$200–$250+ | Get authorization, box and ship the console, wait through transit and factory service, and accept the possibility of a recertified-console or storage replacement |
| New PS5 | $599.99–$899.99 | Digital $599.99, Disc $649.99, PS5 Pro $899.99 as of April 2026 |
Sony's out-of-warranty path is not a local port appointment. You get a return authorization, box the console, ship it to an authorized service facility, and wait for the shipping round-trip plus factory service. PlayStation's own repair page currently warns of extended turnaround times. Its PS5 service policy also says service may replace the console or its storage with a factory-recertified unit and may cause loss of data or content. If a save, capture, or installed game exists only on that console, Sony tells you to back it up before shipping because it may not come back on the returned hardware.
Our repair stays local and targeted: we replace the failed HDMI port on your original board instead of treating the whole console as an exchangeable unit. Buying new only makes sense if the console is already failing in other ways. Sony raised prices across the line in April 2026 — the Digital Edition is $599.99, the Disc model $649.99, and the PS5 Pro $899.99 (Tom's Hardware on the 2026 price increase). A $159 local repair against a $600-plus replacement is an easy call when the port is the only thing wrong.
The port vs. the HDMI encoder chip
Behind the physical port sits the HDMI encoder IC — on the PS5 that's the Panasonic MN864739, the chip that takes the console's video and turns it into the high-speed HDMI signal your TV understands. Both a damaged port and a failed encoder produce the same visible symptom: the console powers up to a solid white light — the "White Light of Death" — with no picture.
That's exactly why the diagnostic matters. A $59 PS5 diagnostic tells us which of the two you're dealing with:
- Port only — bent pins, cracked housing, lifted pads. The common case, and the one the $159 repair covers.
- Encoder IC or its support circuitry — a fine-pitch chip in a QFN package that has to be reballed or replaced under the microscope, with the protection components around it checked and repaired. More involved, and we quote it after diagnosis before doing anything.
We don't guess between the two and hope. We confirm the fault, then confirm the price with you at drop-off. If it turns out to be the encoder side rather than the port, you hear the number before we proceed — no surprise line items.
If it won't power on at all
Everything above assumes your PS5 powers on — you get that white light, just no picture. If the console is completely dead, cycling on and off, or beeping and shutting down, that's a different fault tree pointing at the power supply or the board, not the HDMI port. Start with our companion guide on why a PS5 won't turn on, then bring it in for a diagnostic if the basics don't fix it.
To book the HDMI repair, start here: PS5 HDMI port repair. If you're not sure which fault you have, the PS5 diagnostic settles it, and our full PlayStation repair cost guide lays out every service and price. Questions before you come in? Reach us on the contact page.
FAQ
How long does a PS5 HDMI port repair take?
Same-day or next-day is common by appointment when the replacement port is on hand and the bench is open. Board-level work can't be rushed past the point where it's safe, so if the pads need rebuilding or the encoder chip is involved, we may hold the console a bit longer and tell you that up front. We confirm timing when you drop off.
Will I lose my games or save data?
No. The HDMI port and encoder chip are on the video-output side of the board and don't touch your storage. Your installed games, saves, and account stay put. As with any repair, a current backup — cloud saves through PlayStation Plus, or a USB backup — is always the safe habit, but a port repair doesn't wipe the console.
Do you fix PS4 and Xbox HDMI ports too?
Yes. PS4 HDMI port repair is $99 as of August 2026, and we handle Xbox HDMI ports as well — Xbox One and Series S at $159, Series X at $179. All of them are the same class of board-level microsoldering job. Prices are confirmed at drop-off.
What if the diagnostic finds it's not the HDMI port?
Then you don't pay for an HDMI port repair you didn't need. The $59 diagnostic tells us whether it's the port, the encoder IC, or something else entirely, and we quote the actual fix before starting. If it's the encoder side or a different board fault, you get that price in person and decide from there.