Why My Video Screen Was Black in Unreal Engine

Source: Dev.to

Importing the TV Mesh

• Downloaded a TV mesh from Fab and imported it into Unreal Engine.
• Placed the mesh in the level and inspected its material slots to identify the slot used for the screen.

Setting Up Video Playback

1. Create a Media Player

   • In the Content Browser, created a Media Player asset.
   • Enabled “Generate Media Texture” when prompted.

2. Import the Video

   • Imported the video file and linked it to the Media Player.

3. Media Texture Creation

   • Unreal automatically generated a Media Texture from the Media Player.

4. Create a Material

   • Made a new material.
   • Connected the Media Texture to the Base Color input.

5. Apply the Material

   • Assigned this material to the screen material slot of the TV mesh.

Common Issues & Solutions

• Black Screen

  • The screen remains black if the video is not playing.
  • The Media Player must be instructed to start playback.

• Understanding the Components

  • Media Player – controls video playback (play, pause, stop, autoplay).
  • Media Texture – only displays the video output; it does not start playback on its own.

• How to Start Playback

  • Enable Autoplay on the Media Player, or trigger playback via Blueprint logic (e.g., calling Play on BeginPlay).

Final Result

• After pressing Play on the Media Player (or using autoplay/Blueprint), the video appeared correctly on the TV screen.

Takeaways

• Video playback in Unreal Engine uses a Media Player → Media Texture → Material pipeline.
• Always verify that the material is applied to the correct mesh slot.
• Autoplay or explicit Blueprint logic is required to start the video.

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