Ryland Woodruff, that is a tough question. Since you do not have a remote, it is possible that the brightness is not properly setup. So I would start by trying to get a remote for this TV. Even a Universal one should work. you may not have the same access to all the menu's but it should most certainly give you the basics, like brightness. If after that it still should not brighten up, replace the lamp. Use [guide|15607|this guide for that.] BTW, that is a pretty good TV if the price was right:-)