Vizio's 32 inch Plasma's are out [Text View] - Page 3

vaxick

06-14-08, 02:02 PM

My grandma's 2 year old RCA HDTV CRT just went out and the tv repairman that came out today said its not even worth repairing because they have a high failure rate (and plus the cost to fix would've been $250), He gave her a list of brands to *avoid* and unfortunately Vizio was one of them.. Not trying to be a downer just thought it was interesting.

It's terribly hard to form a opinion of a company like Vizio because their parts for various models are sourced from all over for their various sized sets. Plus that TV repairman has probably mostly only seen their LCD's since they sell at massively higher rates than their plasma line. I can't speak for their other plasma models, but the main guts in this particular set is from LG which has been a pretty reliable brand. Toshiba has also sourced from LG for some of their displays and they have been very reliable sets.

TV brands in general are really a pain in the butt to point out reliability on. Some lines from manufacturers rock where as others are sinking ships. Classic examples would be the Samsung Slim Fit CRT's and the Toshiba HDTV CRT's built after a certain year. Those TV's were just awful and yet were from brands that have a pretty good reliability reputation.

jgamikos

06-14-08, 04:20 PM

It's terribly hard to form a opinion of a company like Vizio because their parts for various models are sourced from all over for their various sized sets. Plus that TV repairman has probably mostly only seen their LCD's since they sell at massively higher rates than their plasma line. I can't speak for their other plasma models, but the main guts in this particular set is from LG which has been a pretty reliable brand. Toshiba has also sourced from LG for some of their displays and they have been very reliable sets.

TV brands in general are really a pain in the butt to point out reliability on. Some lines from manufacturers rock where as others are sinking ships. Classic examples would be the Samsung Slim Fit CRT's and the Toshiba HDTV CRT's built after a certain year. Those TV's were just awful and yet were from brands that have a pretty good reliability reputation.

I hear ya vaxick. Another good example would be the recent Sharp LCDs with banding issues. I think Sharp makes good products, but after visiting some of the Sharp LCD threads on AVS you almost have to wear SWAT gear to make it out intact.

As for the Vizio, My father just bought the 42" version and is ready to go with it. He is coming from a CRT and this is his first plasma. Is there anything he needs to worry about as long as he uses reasonable settings for his set? I don't think he is planning on running any break in dvd, so should he be worried about image retention under regular use?

If you guys recommend it, I can advise him to run it. Thanks.

Jaye71

06-14-08, 04:20 PM

Well, I am thinking about returning my set, I can't believe that these TVs can still get burn in this easy. It has been almost a week and I have ran image cleaner, the break-in DVD and have watched hours of TV and the logo still remains. What a pain in the butt to deal with. It is rather disappointing because I really liked the image on the TV, but my fears were confirmed. Oh well, I am still within the 90 day return period so I can still return it. I will try to give it a few more days to see if goes away, but after an initial fading it has remained unchanged for several days. In fact, it seems the images seem to be retained at a faster rate than when I originally purchased the TV. Has anyone else noticed this at all?

jgamikos

06-14-08, 05:20 PM

jaye,

why don't you return your set and get a new one? maybe you just got a faulty one. reason i think you should give it another try is because you mentioned liking the picture quality.

had quick question as well about panoramic and wide. how would I set it for panoramic for normal tv viewing, and wide for blu ray/hd dvd/dvd viewing since there does not appear to be button on the remote changing the aspect ratio.

thanks

Jason Bourne

06-14-08, 05:20 PM

From a financial point of view (as opposed to an environmental POV), if the VP322 is 100W higher than LCD and I watch it 6 hrs per day every day, it will cost me an extra ~$25/year in MA based on National Grid's current rates.

Doesn't sound like a lot, but then I thought WAIT, that means it costs $25 a year for each 100W light bulb in my house that runs 6 hrs per day.

Time to put in the compact fluorescents and watch MORE TV.

Hey Drew,

Thanks for finding out the standby energy usage. I had that question when I first picked up the TV, but for the life of me didn't think to look on the energy star website. It is good to see that it doesn't use that much energy in stand by (.68 watts). Nothing worse than a power hog when it is sitting there doing nothing. As for as usage while on, the manual states that it uses approximately 250 watts average. Pretty high when compared to a similarly sized LCD, but to be expected for a plasma. Once again, thanks for the info!

plympton

06-14-08, 06:15 PM

Or at least turn off the lights when you watch TV. :-)

MLBurks

06-14-08, 09:50 PM

As for the Vizio, My father just bought the 42" version and is ready to go with it. He is coming from a CRT and this is his first plasma. Is there anything he needs to worry about as long as he uses reasonable settings for his set? I don't think he is planning on running any break in dvd, so should he be worried about image retention under regular use?

If you guys recommend it, I can advise him to run it. Thanks.

I have had the 42" for three weeks now. I never used the break in DVD and I have had no issues whatsoever. I have no burn in to speak of. Sometimes if I pause an image and the DirecTV pause bar might appear burnt in but it is gone and not noticeable after five minutes. Also, same can happen after bringing up the TV menu. But after five minutes, you wouldn't see it. Even when the temporary burn in is there, it is not distracting and normally you wouldn't notice it unless you are looking at a dark scene. But again, it goes away. At least this is my experience.

ratcliff

06-14-08, 11:41 PM

I saw one of these in walmart while I was attempting to dodge legions of rednecks and illegal immigrants, it had the black level of Michael Jackson. Wasn't very impressed.

FARBES

06-15-08, 07:12 AM

Hi there!?

I am newbie to Plasma things. Would you excuse me for being ignorant about plasma since I purchased the vizio Plasma 42inch in few days ago. Anyway I read all thru 1 to 19. I don't sure why you guys are so concerning burn in / or fear what if happen in events that burn in plasma. Why should I have concerning/ or fear the burn in ?

So Can you example me more specify about burn in? Mmm

thank in advance! :D

Albo23

06-15-08, 10:42 AM

A few quick questions:

Does having a Plasma in 32" lower the quality in anyway?
Have you guys seen any type of improvement over an LCD of the same size?
I heard about these calibration CDs or something, do they help at all?

Jaye71

06-15-08, 10:52 AM

Jason Bourne

06-15-08, 09:15 PM

Ratcliff,

Unless you reviewed and adjusted the parameters in the picture menus, your opinion of the black levels must be taken with a large grain of salt.

I have two 8G Pioneer panels (4280 & 6010), both calibrated by umr, so I have some experience with excellent black levels.

I spent 45 minutes tweaking a VP322 at the Framingham, MA Walmart before buying one and, although I did not get 8G blacks, the VP322 blacks were pretty good with nice detail.

Other caveats to keep in mind when judging sets on the floor and assessing the black levels and detail are

1) the overhead fluorescents lights (although these pose an equivalent problem for all sets on the floor) and

2) the probability that Walmart staff ran the break-in DVD for 150 hrs is pretty dim

Don't take this personally; I just don't want other readers to shy away from this set which may just be the one of the best values out there.

Mine only has about 50 hrs with the break-in DVD, so it will be next June 21 or so before I have a chance to play with it and report how it stands up next to a calibrated Pioneer 4280.

I saw one of these in walmart while I was attempting to dodge legions of rednecks and illegal immigrants, it had the black level of Michael Jackson. Wasn't very impressed.

FARBES

06-15-08, 11:37 PM

Hey Farbes,

I have had the 32" version of this TV for a month, and I have experienced some burn-in from a channel logo being displayed for several hours. I did do all the proper break-in techniques and still ended up with some burn-in. I have tried many different techniques to get rid of the image, from watching full screen TV, running the break-in DVD for numerous hours, and I have also ran the image cleaner for about 15 hours. Unfortunately, the image of the logo is still there. Burn-in was one of my biggest concerns with buying a plasma and it seems like my fear was realized. Still, I do like the picture I get with the TV, and it was the best picture in that 32" range for the price.Now I understand what you are talking what the exact wikipedia has talked about plasma burnin like that..?

Just bought a Vizio plasma 42 inch which is my FIRST TIME, manufacturing date is June 2008,and just now this was informed me about the plasma burn in effect. Is it also applicable for my new vizio plasma?

Yeah I've heard the older plasma are more prone on burn, not the newly manufactured ones but is my tv still prone to burn even if its a new model? And what should i do if ever i experience the burn? How can i avoid it?

Oh Did i make a mistake buying 42inch vizio plasma? If so, I will return it and will exchange it for 42inc vizio LCD as certian.

yrly

06-16-08, 12:38 AM

I have a 50" Vizio plasma, I have since November, first couple of hundred hours I was very careful what I displayed, always full screen stretched content.

After that I've displayed just about anything, stationary logos, ticker bars, anything left less than a few hours never left anything that lasted more than 10 minutes of the image cleaner cycle thereafter.

The main thing I'd say is treat the set through a good break in. You'll thank me later. My set looks as good as new, you'd never know if anything stationary was ever displayed on there.

Burn in is a risk, but if you do what is recommended it is less of a concern than you'd think and the benefits of such outweigh the risks. As an owner of LCD and Plasma the black levels of the Plasma more than make up for the risks associated with the technology. Now the HDTV10A is not considered to be excellent in this respect but in the home it is still better than most LCDs, even better quality ones, in terms of black level.

FARBES

06-16-08, 09:04 AM

Well, I am thinking about returning my set, a) I can't believe that these TVs can still get burn in this easy. It has been almost a week and b) I have ran image cleaner, the break-in DVD and have watched hours of TV and the logo still remains. What a pain in the butt to deal with. It is rather disappointing because I really liked the image on the TV, but my fears were confirmed. c) Oh well, I am still within the 90 day return period so I can still return it. I will try to give it a few more days to see if goes away, but after an initial fading it has remained unchanged for several days. In fact, it seems the images seem to be retained at a faster rate than when I originally purchased the TV. d) Has anyone else noticed this at all?

a) Yes I agree with post.
b) I noticed that two image of logo like mtv and comcast. I wasn't disappoint about it. So I did run the image cleaner to got rid of these images.. these image logos are disappear after image cleaner ran for 3 hrs. the image cleaner is actually WORK for anti-burn in of image logo!
c) if you weren't happy with Plasma TV, then just return it without influence your feeling emotional fear nor panick.
d) Yes I noticed this too.. thank you for explain me and got me a picture. Now I understanding this where it came from. I am glad that this is new experience for me.

Jaye71

06-16-08, 09:21 AM

Farbes,

I really want to keep the TV as I liked the picture quality better than all the 32" LCDs in that price range. I already have a Samsung LCD in the living room as my main TV, but I really wanted to try plasma. I am happy with the TV besides the IR issue. It is rather annoying at times even though it doesn't really affect normal viewing. I have been running the image cleaner each day for several hours and I will say that the logo is almost gone. So, I am hoping that it is more of serious IR than actual burn-in.

chewreck

06-16-08, 01:18 PM

Hey everyone. This is my first post to this forum, so please bear with me.

I just purchased the Vizio VP322 yesterday morning, and so far I love the TV! This is my first venture into plasma screen TV's. I have a 3 year old Sony 50" LCD projection TV as my main television, and the Vizio is for my master bedroom.

My question is this:

As a first time plasma tv owner, is there anything I should be aware of regarding usage of my new TV?

I've seen several people mention a "break-in" dvd. What is that? Is it necessary? Where do I get one?

Thanks!

gallopingsalmon

06-16-08, 02:57 PM

is there one input that causes more IR than others?

My TV is connected to my cable via Component cables. Now I've watched the NBA finals with a few breaks, but I minimal IR. But when I connected my comp via HDMI I notice the IR quickly.

One more quick question I wanna change my component cables because I'm getting some faint dark lines that run across. I know that monster cables I waste of money. but which ones are the best bang for buck.

chad473

06-16-08, 03:06 PM

what are the settings on each input? is the contrast higher on the hdmi input by chance? that may explain it.

chrisherbert

06-16-08, 03:06 PM

vaxick

06-16-08, 03:43 PM

SGT.Baker

06-16-08, 04:17 PM

It does indeed take 1080p signals over HDMI.

VGA, I have no clue, I haven't hooked my PC up to it.

It's still purring along nicely, and I've noticed that although there is some IR from playing MotorStorm for a lengthy time(2+ Hrs), watching other material on the screen clears it up within 10 minutes.

But I can confirm that if you hook a PS3 to the VDP322 over HDMI, and select auto resolution, the PS3 reports it can handle 480i,480p,720p,1080i, and 1080p.
After having an old samsung that only did 480i,480p and 1080i, it sure is nice to be able to play games in the resolution the designers intended.

The difference in PQ between the VDP322 and my old Samsung Dyna-Flat 30" is like night and day.
I can honestly say gaming on this tv shows me way more detail than my old set.

From the perspective of a gamer, this set represents incredible value for the average gamer on a budget. :)

It's not going to compete with a $1500.00 plasma, but it will walk all over the comparatively priced LCD displays in picture quality.
Of course this is my opinion, and as more people get these sets in their homes, I'm sure we'll get more thoughts and opinions.
Sofo, would it probably accept 1080p from an hdmi xbox360 signal? im sure it would since theyre both pretty much the same but just askin. Played with the settings and it was much better than any other pq there

jalis

06-16-08, 05:12 PM

Sofo, would it probably accept 1080p from an hdmi xbox360 signal? im sure it would since theyre both pretty much the same but just askin. Played with the settings and it was much better than any other pq there

you got to remember that even though you are setting the
resolution output of your gaming console or any device that the TV is 1366x768 so it will be take the 1920x1080 res and scale it back down to the native resolution.

noney123

06-16-08, 05:32 PM

Hey gallopingsalmon,

I just got my 32" plasma last week and upgraded my dishnetwork service to HD last evening. The service tech guy used component cables to connect the receiver to the TV. I asked him for HDMI cables but he said they don't come with the receiver :( . Anyway, while watching the NBA finals last night and some other shows this morning, I noticed around 5-7 slightly slanted lines running across the screen. I'm wondering if that's because of the component cables I'm using. I'm pretty sure I didn't see any such lines when I had the coax connected. The PQ is amazing though with the Comp Cables. Would using an HDMI cable help with this??

Thanks in advance.

chrisherbert

06-16-08, 05:50 PM

gallopingsalmon

06-16-08, 06:14 PM

may be the cables themselves too. HDMI is the best way to go vs component.

noney123

06-16-08, 06:18 PM

Chris and Salmon,

Thanks for the replies. I'll probably get an HDMI cable sometime tomorrow. And I'll check out monoprice.com too. Will let you know if that helps solve the problem.

Jason Bourne

06-16-08, 06:50 PM

I've broken in two Pioneer 8G sets over the past year using D-Nice's settings in the 8G thread.

Following are the settings I'm using to break in my VP322. I arrived at them by comparing D-Nice's setting to the available range for the 8Gs and then picked the rough equivalent for the VP322. Credit goes to MKL for pointing out I had the Color Temp setting backwards.

Use at your own risk. :D:D

D-Nice's Pioneer Settings (Pioneer range)// Corresponding Vizio setting (Vizio range)
AV Selection: Standard // Picture Mode: Custom
Contrast: 50 (Pioneer range 0 to 60)// 83 (Vizio range 0 to 100)
Brightness: -2 (Pioneer range -30 to 30) // 46 (Vizio range 0 to 100)
Color: +15 (Pioneer range -30 to 30) // 75 (Vizio range 0 to 100)
Tint: 0 (Pioneer range Red 30 to Green 30)// 0 (Vizio range -32 to 32)
Sharpness: 0 (Pioneer range -15 to 15) // 3/4 (Vizio range 0 to 7)
Black Level: Off // Off
Color Temp: High // Cool
CTI: Off // Off
DNR: Off // Off

All other settings are Off.

And I'm running the break-in DVD 24-7 (same as I did for the Pios) on HDMI Input 3. Might as well stress test it now while it's still in the 90 day return period for Wallyworld. It's a little warm, but no buzz or issues, approaching hour 75.

MKL

06-16-08, 07:04 PM

I've broken in two Pioneer 8G sets over the past year using D-Nice's settings in the 8G thread.

Following are the settings I'm using to break in my VP322. I arrived at them by comparing D-Nice's setting to the available range for the 8Gs and then picked the rough equivalent for the VP322.

Use at your own risk.

D-Nice's Pioneer Settings (Pioneer range)// Corresponding Vizio setting (Vizio range)
AV Selection: Standard // Picture Mode: Custom
Contrast: 50 (Pioneer range 0 to 60)// 83 (Vizio range 0 to 100)
Brightness: -2 (Pioneer range -30 to 30) // 46 (Vizio range 0 to 100)
Color: +15 (Pioneer range -30 to 30) // 75 (Vizio range 0 to 100)
Tint: 0 (Pioneer range Red 30 to Green 30)// 0 (Vizio range -32 to 32)
Sharpness: 0 (Pioneer range -15 to 15) // 3/4 (Vizio range 0 to 7)
Black Level: Off // Off
Color Temp: High // Warm
CTI: Off // Off
DNR: Off // Off
Thanks for the info.

The 8Gs use a completely different chipset and run on completely different system perimeters, can you tell us what the Vizio looks like on these settings?
I'd say 83 contrast is a little too high and Vizio's sharpness should be 1 or 2. Also, I believe "Cool" colors are a result of HIGH color temperature.

vaxick

06-16-08, 07:25 PM

I've broken in two Pioneer 8G sets over the past year using D-Nice's settings in the 8G thread.

Following are the settings I'm using to break in my VP322. I arrived at them by comparing D-Nice's setting to the available range for the 8Gs and then picked the rough equivalent for the VP322.

Use at your own risk.

D-Nice's Pioneer Settings (Pioneer range)// Corresponding Vizio setting (Vizio range)
AV Selection: Standard // Picture Mode: Custom
Contrast: 50 (Pioneer range 0 to 60)// 83 (Vizio range 0 to 100)
Brightness: -2 (Pioneer range -30 to 30) // 46 (Vizio range 0 to 100)
Color: +15 (Pioneer range -30 to 30) // 75 (Vizio range 0 to 100)
Tint: 0 (Pioneer range Red 30 to Green 30)// 0 (Vizio range -32 to 32)
Sharpness: 0 (Pioneer range -15 to 15) // 3/4 (Vizio range 0 to 7)
Black Level: Off // Off
Color Temp: High // Warm
CTI: Off // Off
DNR: Off // Off

Sweet, been waiting for these. :D

Now I just gotta set this TV up in another room where I can run the DVD without having to stare at a flashing screen all day and night. Think I'm gonna have the TV do a marathon session of like 200 hours just to play it safe since I'll be doing a fair amount of gaming on it.

Jason Bourne

06-16-08, 08:00 PM

Thanks for the info.

The 8Gs use a completely different chipset and run on completely different system perimeters, can you tell us what the Vizio looks like on these settings?
I'd say 83 contrast is a little too high and Vizio's sharpness should be 1 or 2. Also, I believe "Cool" colors are a result of HIGH color temperature.

It's still breaking in...so it looks like the break in DVD. ;)

Although I broke in the 8Gs for 150 hrs, I will be breaking in the VP322 for 200 hrs given the numerous IR reports in this thread and others.

You're 100% right on the color temp. i confused myself because the 6010 is currently set to low which is a warmer (more orange, less blue). But D-Nice's break-in setting is High, which is Cool in Vizio's dialect. Will edit my earlier post; thanks.

Once break-in is complete, I will run through settings with the DVE disc and then fine-tune it by eyeballing it side by side with my Pio 4280 which has been calibrated by umr. Hard to justify spending $450 to have umr calibrate a $547 set. Have to save my calibration budget for next year when the 10Gs come out.:D:D:D

mr_america_117

06-16-08, 11:29 PM

I HAVE A PROBLEM! PLEASE HELP!!

Ok, I have a problem with my new Vizio 32 in Plasma, I was playing GTA IV on my PS3 today and the black levels were way off. This wasn’t like this before. Here’s the details…

My PS3 is set at 1080p in the XMB menu (the PS3’s dashboard). I check this before and after I play a game. I have a HDMI cable hooked up. The blacks for some reason are terrible on GTA IV, it wasn’t this bad yesterday. I can’t even see my character when it’s night out; he blends right in when he's in a dark spot, even in the save house. The TV Display’s it as 720p when I change the input to see what the TV is broadcasting it as. I set it up as 1080p. WTF? I thought when I checked it yesterday it said 1080p on the tv input when I changed channels and viewed it in the upper right hand corner, at least I think I remember it saying that. The blacks and the game looked great yesterday. Why is it changed so drastically? Everything is the same as yesterday!

Today I also went into the TV’s menu and looked at the settings then quit the tv menu and the game had an outlined rectangle of the menu, like a border of the menu temporally burnt-in. It wasn’t IR. I went back to the game and it was still there as I ran around on the street. It never did that for when I've had it. I've played GTA since Saturday when I got it. I ran image cleaner for the first time ever and it went away after I ran it for a minute. That shouldn’t happen that quickly.

I don’t know if it’s the TV or the HDMI cable. I use the TV just for gaming. I got the HDMI cable from Monoprice. Everything is new, including the Playstation but I think the PS3 is the last resort as an excuse. Very last…

UPDATE: I switched HDMI cables with my living room lcd, and there was no change in the black levels. Also, when I press guide, it shows what resolution it is. It goes from 1080p in the XMB to 720p when the game starts up.

Does anyone have a PS3 with a HDMI with this TV that could check? Because that would be great.

Is it the TV? Should I take it back? I just got it Saturday.

Please Help!!
THANKS

Mathesar

06-17-08, 12:13 AM

in your PS3's Settings try changing the RGB(HDMI) setting and see if it helps.

More info: http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/settings/rgbfullrange.html

Also double check the brightness & contrast settings found in GTA4 itself.

vaxick

06-17-08, 12:23 AM

UPDATE: I switched HDMI cables with my living room lcd, and there was no change in the black levels. Also, when I press guide, it shows what resolution it is. It goes from 1080p in the XMB to 720p when the game starts up.

Can't really answer your other questions at this point in time as my set just got here and will be breaking in for the next week, but what you said about your PS3 is completely normal. Your PS3 automatically switches to the resolution developers have selected as the optimal resolution. Even if a game says it supports 1080p does not mean it will run in 1080p unless you force it by changing video settings in the XMB. Uncharted for example can run at 1080p through upscaling within the system, but the optimal resolution of the game as determined by the developers is 720p so if your set can display 720p and has that option available to it in the XMB, it will run at 720p.

All I can comment to you on your TV issue is it sounds like you just used your TV straight outta the box without doing any breaking in. If your TV actually did make drastic video changes by itself than yes, return it, but check your PS3 before you do this. Have you turned something on or off by mistake without knowing it?

mr_america_117

06-17-08, 12:50 AM

Ok, I've figured out the 1080p settings. I got that down. I know that the brightness and contrast settings are in the game of GTA, but the black levels were this bad yesterday...

Sofo

06-17-08, 01:25 AM

Sofo, would it probably accept 1080p from an hdmi xbox360 signal? im sure it would since theyre both pretty much the same but just askin. Played with the settings and it was much better than any other pq there

Yes, it will SGT. Baker.

However, the TV's native resolution is 720p, your games will play better if you set your 360 to output 720p.

I have done this with my PS3, even in the xmb.

It will display the 1080p signal, but forces the TV to process it back down to 720p, which is just making the TV work harder for no benefit I can see.

One of my favorite features is the almost 0 screen lag the VP322 provides, and forcing it to output at 1080p might add more lag in the long run.

As far as the color goes SGT Baker, I agree.

It's a lot better than most LCD's out there, and compared to the other TV's for sale at wal-mart in it's price range, it stands alone in it's class for PQ.

For a gamer considering this TV, it will require a bit of 'responsibility' to use to it's fullest.
I mean don't leave your game paused over 10 minutes with static images displaying on the screen.

What I do to err on the side of caution, is when I pause a game to go get a drink, etc, I put the tv on Image Cleaner, take care of whatever caused me to pause the game, and just take Image Cleaner off when I get back.

It's like that old adage, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Jaye71, man I feel for you.

I have heard that displaying a TV station with no station on it (white noise, static, snow) can be very effective for removing burn in/Serious IR.

But, our TV's blue screen on a static signal through the tuner, so it would almost have to be a VCR displaying on the TV with no channel, or if there were such a beast, a DVD filled with white noise...

I wish you luck that it eventually fades out.

I saw the SOAP channel's logo today whilst channel surfing, and it almost sent chills down my spine when I saw it, thinking about your TV.

That thing is HUGE, and is 100% non-translucent. :mad:

Also, Kudos for getting a reply from Vizio regarding the broken Panoramic mode. Really the only big gripe I have about the VP322.

But I can imagine how bad it would be for a gamer, who does not read AVS Forum and just plugged the ol' console in and did a marathon gaming session out of the box.

Man, if it was an all niter, poor guy might have to stare at Master Chief for anything he watched for the next 2 months. :eek:

Jaye71

06-17-08, 09:56 AM

Hey Sofo,

I hear ya about the huge part. The worst part is that they never turn off the logo, or move it to a different location. I just can't seem to understand why these stations insist on permanently displaying these logos, I mean if you are watching the channel, obviously you know what station you are watching. Actually, I don't even care if they keep the logo, but at least make it translucent like most of the HD channels. Even TBS has a translucent logo on their non-HD programs. Another culprit is the History Channel, they have a huge solid yellow H as their logo. It is unbelievable that at this time when they know a lot of people have HD plasma TVs that they would continue using this type of station logo. They only good news is that after about 2 weeks of running image cleaner for about 5 hours a day they logo has faded quite a bit. Hopefully, I will be able to get rid of it permanently. I am still thinking about either returning of exchanging the TV, because I have about 300 hours on it and I think the IR has gotten worse. I now get IR in about 5 seconds if I have a station with any type of static image on it. It is really noticeable when switching channels (My contrast is set at 40). It goes away after about a minute on a new channel but I think that the IR is happening way to quick. I don't want to return it just yet, because I have put so many hours of break-in into the TV and I don't want to start over. I guess I will make my decision the closer I get to my 90 exchange period.

Hado

06-17-08, 10:36 AM

I've been slowly breaking in my set over the past couple of weeks with regular tv/dvd viewing combined with leaving the break-in dvd running for a few hours every now and then, so surely by now I've passed the 100hour mark.

The picture looks rather good in my opinion and I have no problem with the 'panoramic' view some others have reported earlier in the thread.

However, much like Jaye's set, IR seems to have gotten worse. Granted it goes away much faster now than it did when I first brought the set home, I'm just surprised I get IR so quickly. Trying to watch Battlestar Galactica with some 1-800 Number clearly visible from an ad a few moments earlier just gets me out of my Galactica groove. :( (Both my brightness and contrast settings are in the low 40s)

Thought about exchanging it for an LCD, but the only decent options in my bedroom tv price range would be a Sony KDL-32L4000, or a Samsung LN-32A330. Both lacking a few of the options my current Vizio has. So, I'm torn.

A couple pics I took last night:

Madagascar:
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/3475/dscn4695gm9.jpg

http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/452/dscn4687dm3.jpg

GRID(Xbox360 via RGB)
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/2016/dscn4686xj9.jpg

http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/3649/dscn4683uh3.jpg

b_scott

06-17-08, 11:30 AM

looks pretty good - blacks look a bit crushed, but that could be partially the camera.

ratcliff

06-17-08, 11:38 AM

A couple pics I took last night:

Madagascar:
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/3475/dscn4695gm9.jpg

http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/452/dscn4687dm3.jpg

GRID(Xbox360 via RGB)
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/2016/dscn4686xj9.jpg

http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/3649/dscn4683uh3.jpg

This must be some kind of trick because your screenshots look how a Kuro looks in person. This 32" thing looks nowhere near as good in person as those screenshots lol. I guess it's possible if you take pictures of a ghetto plasma in the dark you can make it seem to look much better than how it really does in real life with the lights on.

chad473

06-17-08, 11:57 AM

just to be clear, some of you guys are seeing IR under actual content. It's not just limited to blank inputs? A bit worrisome to me as there would probably be some gaming done on this set. Thank walmart for the 90 day return period I guess.

chrisherbert

06-17-08, 12:32 PM

This must be some kind of trick because your screenshots look how a Kuro looks in person. This 32" thing looks nowhere near as good in person as those screenshots lol. I guess it's possible if you take pictures of a ghetto plasma in the dark you can make it seem to look much better than how it really does in real life with the lights on.

Photos of TVs often make them look better than in real life, because the blacks will look blacker than they actually are.

Jaye71

06-17-08, 01:17 PM

Hey Chad,

yes the IR can be visible under normal viewing, My contrast is set at 40 and brightness at 51. I can use a similar example as Hado above, when I was watching the NBA finals the other day, and a commercial came on I could still see the scoreboard on the commercial. It also happens when a commercial comes on with a static phone number, the image is visible for a few moments when the regular broadcast comes back on.

cesslinger

06-17-08, 01:36 PM

Ok, I have read every posting. My 26 in viewsonic lcd bit the dust and the replacement parts do not exist. I can accept that this tv is not top of the line and am willing to take a risk. I have done a couple google searches but I am unable to find any flaws on a massive scale. The tv will go in my bedroom and will be used mostly for xbox 360 and streaming movies/shows. Any tv that is watched would be OTA hd tv. Should I risk the money on this plasma, or go back to lcd? I game like crazy, but I do not leave the game paused and leave on vacation. I use the sleep timer consistantly as well. The only thing holding me back is the IR. Will there be an issue after I complete the inital 100-150 hour burn in process?

chrisherbert

06-17-08, 01:58 PM

vaxick

06-17-08, 02:28 PM

This must be some kind of trick because your screenshots look how a Kuro looks in person. This 32" thing looks nowhere near as good in person as those screenshots lol. I guess it's possible if you take pictures of a ghetto plasma in the dark you can make it seem to look much better than how it really does in real life with the lights on.

And should we point out to everybody the only time you've see the TV is at Walmart where you made complete judgement of a non calibrated set.

Jaye71

06-17-08, 02:36 PM

Hey cesslinger,

I wouldn't worry to much about burn-in. I think I am the only one who has actually experienced any sort of burn-in (possibly long-term IR) on the set, and it was from a station logo being on for about 8 straight hours. IR seems to be a real concern on the set as you can see in the forum. IR happens pretty quick (at least on my set), within a couple of seconds to minutes of a static image. This issue detracts from the overall picture quality, which by the way is much better than any LCD in this price range (I am and LCD person as well). I am well past the break-in period of the TV (I used the break-in DVD), but I still get IR pretty bad. I am going to keep the set until I get close to my 90 day exchange window and if it doesn't improve I am going to have to either exchange it or go with and LCD since there are no other plasmas in this size range. Well, good luck if you decide to purchase the set.

cesslinger

06-17-08, 03:29 PM

Thanks everyone. I think I will buy this set on Friday and check it out for 90 days to see how it works. I do like LCD tech, but I want the black levels for Condemned: Criminal Origins.

noney123

06-17-08, 03:51 PM

SGT.Baker

06-17-08, 04:04 PM

Thanks Sofo, would the 1080i be better on the tv with an xbox than the regular 720p? If so, is there really any need to buy an hdmi cable? And yea I plan to break it in first and not to game too long so as not to leave the static images up there for too long. definetly using it almost strictly for gaming after break-in.on another note, would this cable be an hdmi, or not, or just as good.

http://www.monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=3563

or this one?

http://www.ramelectronics.net/game-cables/127511/prod127511.html

mr_america_117

06-17-08, 04:29 PM

My PS3 looks good now. I switched under the display settings from RGB Full to Limited. The blacks look good now. The game looks real again.

Another thing. I was very surprised that the TV had an optical out on the side. So If I hooked up my PS3 and Xbox 360 with the red and white stereo channels into the tv and the tv output from optical to an optical surround sound, would that be true surround sound or wouldn't it because it's going from the red/white rca cables to the tv outputted to my surround sound system via optical cable.

Right now I have it optical directly to the surround sound system. This would make switching systems audio alot easier considering there's only one input for optical on my surround sound system (it's like 4 years old). Thanks!!!

Jaye71

06-17-08, 04:59 PM

Sgt. Baker,

There is no need to spend that kind of money on an HDMI cable, when a cable from monoprice will do the exact same job for a tenth of the price. I have bought many cables from there and they are all top quality.

chrisherbert

06-17-08, 05:10 PM

SGT.Baker

06-17-08, 05:19 PM

MLBurks

06-17-08, 05:41 PM

Unfortunately you'll need to run optical directly to the receiver. The optical output on the TV only does surround for HD channels from the set's OTA/QAM receiver.

That is the ONE thing I don't like. If it would output 5.1 from every 5.1 source, that would be great. But since I don't use OTA (all of my programming is from DirecTV) the optical output does me no good.

chrisherbert

06-17-08, 05:43 PM

Jason Bourne

06-17-08, 07:13 PM

Thanks everyone. I think I will buy this set on Friday and check it out for 90 days to see how it works. I do like LCD tech, but I want the black levels for Condemned: Criminal Origins.

Once you go over to the dark side (plasma) there is no return!

Jason Bourne

06-17-08, 07:15 PM

I think I am the only one who has actually experienced any sort of burn-in (possibly long-term IR) on the set,

Jaye,

What's keeping you from swapping it at Walmart or getting your money back?

Seems possible you just got a bum set, so why stick it out? Seems like the only downside to a swap is you go through the break in period again and get another lemon.

Just curious...

jalis

06-17-08, 07:30 PM

That is the ONE thing I don't like. If it would output 5.1 from every 5.1 source, that would be great. But since I don't use OTA (all of my programming is from DirecTV) the optical output does me no good.

This is how all TVs work I'm afraid.

read the manual on pg. 24 it talks about the optical audio out.

If your sound system has a SPDIF (optical) digital audio input you can connect it to the
optical DIGITAL AUDIO OUT (white area) at the left hand side of the PLASMA HDTV. This
is active when receiving audio with the program being viewed no matter what input (TV, AV,
Component or HDMI) is being used. - directly out of the manual

so if you connected a device that uses ver. 1.3 HDMI you could output 5.1 digital audio say out of a PS3 connected through HDMI and turn off the internal speakers so that the audio outputs through the optical audio out, you'll just want to make sure that you set the digital audio out to what application you need (i.e pcm or DD)

Albo23

06-17-08, 08:05 PM

Quick question. If I use red and white cables to connect my receiver to the analog sound output on the TV do I need to use my receivers remote to change the volume or can I use Vizio's?

FARBES

06-17-08, 08:05 PM

Please excuse me about my english is bad. but I try my best! ;)

Farbes,

I really want to keep the TV as I liked the picture quality better than all the 32" LCDs in that price range. I already have a Samsung LCD in the living room as my main TV, but I really wanted to try plasma. I am happy with the TV besides the IR issue. It is rather annoying at times even though it doesn't really affect normal viewing. I have been running the image cleaner each day for several hours and I will say that the logo is almost gone. So, I am hoping that it is more of serious IR than actual burn-in.Jaye, Oh you said "i really ant to keep the Plasma TV". but you have alot of doubt if you should keep it or not.. I can see load of fear & confusion in you more than once.

Oh yes You are right about IR issue what I had thought. My Plasma running for 120 hours now. I haven't see any visual IR on screen so far. But I have to evaluate it in few days to see what the result after 300-500 hours. Because I am very fascinate the plasma's IR issue my target of what I study and resource. I am fast-learner. I tell you what? Plasma has the history IR issue NEVER will be CLUE like cold, cancer, HIV since 1964 or something.

I notice that phosphor is more attract the white solid logo which is easy BURN IN and image retention period and permanently. You can't avoid static image with some white solid or full white solid can lead burn in.

Yes exactly I believe that all the Plasma TV have IR some issue or severe issues, because it easily can lead to burn in image end up to permanent/ eternal like character the symptom of powerful virus. as the basic concept: You have some technique treatments like white noise, screensaver, or other with the Plasma to get rid of IR like HIV person must has with some treatment of prescription medicine. Isn't this logic to you?

Please you correct me if I am wrong! :D

vaxick

06-17-08, 08:12 PM

Doh, I pulled my TV out of the box today to start the break in process and it's got issues. I quickly tested a movie on the TV just curious to see how the display looked. Noticed some very faint lines running through the screen with my component cables I can confirm have no issues being they are the cables I use for my cable box on my Sony XS CRT HDTV. Pulled out another DVD player of higher quality and had the same issue. Hooked my PS3 up to it with a DVI cable and still had the issue.

Bummer.

SGT.Baker

06-17-08, 08:58 PM

Originally Posted by Jaye71
Sgt. Baker,

There is no need to spend that kind of money on an HDMI cable, when a cable from monoprice will do the exact same job for a tenth of the price. I have bought many cables from there and they are all top quality.

o thanks, could anyone tell me which one would be good for this tv linked to an xbox 360? I dont understand all this coaxial /male-to-male crap.

mr_america_117

06-17-08, 09:42 PM

Ok, so I can use ps3 to hdmi to tv. From TV to Surround Sound via Optical and still get 5.1. I figured it. Just that the Xbox 360 I'm gonna have to swab it out.

Thanks for all your help! As a matter of fact. I'm typing this up right now on the tv via VGA!!!

Jaye71

06-17-08, 10:02 PM

Hi Sgt. Baker,

Does your Xbox 360 have the HDMI port on the back, or is it one of the originals with just the component out (if it is component only, than use the cable that came with it). If it has the HDMI port look on monoprice's website for HDMI 1.3a 6ft cable product ID 3992. They have them for under 5 bucks. To the moderators, I am not sure if the info I am giving is OK, if it is not please feel free to delete it.

Jaye71

06-17-08, 10:05 PM

Sofo

06-17-08, 10:28 PM

SGT. Baker, Jaye71 is right.

When it comes to HDMI cables, what held true for analog cables (component) does not hold true for HDMI.
A higher quality HDMI cable will offer no benefit over a less expensive one.
Since HDMI is totally digital, the cables either work, or they don't.

I'd set your xbox to 720p.

When my Elite gets back from M$, I intend to set mine to 720p over HDMI input 2.

What ever signal you feed to the tv will be converted to 720p.

It will tell you what the input signal is, 1080i, or 1080p, but will convert it itself to 720p the tv's native resolution. If your box is sending a 720p signal to begin with, then the tv just displays it as the xbox intended.
If you send anything higher than 720p to the VP322, it will just scale it back down to 720p, which is bound to introduce a few ms lag.

I can confirm as well that if you feed the TV a surround signal over HDMI, and use the optical port on the television to connect to your Surround Sound, the tv will pass the 5.1 from the HDMI input to the optical out on the tv.

blazerqb11

06-18-08, 02:26 AM

One of my favorite features is the almost 0 screen lag the VP322 provides, and forcing it to output at 1080p might add more lag in the long run.

That is nice to hear as that was another of my concerns.

Hado

06-18-08, 11:35 AM

Bored, bored, bored. After drooling at the Kuro picture thread I decided to take a few more pics. (DVDs using Sony DVP-NS77H/B upconverting player via HDMI). Still messing with brightness/contrast/color settings.

Zoolander:
http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/6051/dscn4715kl2.jpg

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/7098/dscn4717ij0.jpg
LotR:
http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/8128/dscn4719qv1.jpg
SPR:
http://img371.imageshack.us/img371/2323/dscn4721we8.jpg

I really need new movies. :(

maximus1284

06-18-08, 11:48 AM

So I bought this TV, hooked it up this past Friday, and I've basically ran it nonstop since then watching various things, leaving it on overnight on channels like HBO and discovery HD theater. Monday morning I got my HD box from the cable company. I've been following this thread and some others for some time now and wanted to comment on a few things.

I'd like to say I'm not the most experienced with TVs or HD sets, but I have done a lot of reading and research on this set and others prior to buying. I pick up on this kind of thing (electronics) pretty quick though. I do think the color and image quality is amazing, and better than other 32" LCDs in this price range (my price range was below $600). I'm also big on viewing angle, which is amazingly great with this TV. I also want to point out that some people here are taking TV comparisons from people who compared at Wal-Mart (vs. Circuit City, Best Buy, etc.) with a grain of salt saying that Wal-Mart employees probably know nothing about flat-screens and haven't calibrated the sets...well, I worked at a Circuit City and I know we never calibrated any of our LCD PC monitors and I'm pretty sure we didn't calibrate TV sets either - and I worked at the busiest Circuit City in town. I know several employees who actually didn't know that much about the products they were selling, and employees are commonly swapped from department to department.

First: IR. IR is very present on my display and shows up even in short instances (a couple seconds) of a high contrast image (bright text or bright colored menu on dark background, dark borders while watching standard broadcast), but the image cleaner usually cleans it up fairly quick, though sometimes it can take awhile. Good thing, though, is that IR never affects image quality in my opinion. I only notice IR when the cable box is turned off and the TV is left on (which leaves a black screen in this situation), and most cases I only notice it within about 3 feet of the set. I watch from about 8-10 feet away and never notice IR while watching TV, so for me it doesn't affect image quality. IR from dark borders is not noticed while watching other widescreen programs, and is cleared up by a widescreen channel or image cleaner. IR from logos (ESPN, CNN, History Channel), are not noticeable while watching a widescreen program but sometimes take longer to clear up, and may be noticeable within 3 feet while watching a 4:3 show with dark borders. I don't think that I have a "bum set," I actually feel like this is probably the normal operation of the TV. I have not had any burn-in that I can tell, but there is some IR from pretty much any object of high contrast.

Recommendation: If you are using this TV as a living room or bedroom TV for watching cable, movies, or playing video games then you should have no problems. IR should not be a deal-breaker for those purposes. You will likely have IR, but you'll likely be sitting 7 feet or beyond from the screen, and IR won't affect image quality for you. However, I definitely would not recommend this set for use as a PC Monitor, or for any situation in which you would be sitting within 3 feet from it.

Second: Component Cables. I noticed another person with this set said how they have some faint/fuzzy horizontal/diagonal-ish lines going across the screen, and that they were using component cables. I also notice that some times with my set, though most of the time it isn't noticeable. I also use Component Cables. The person said this problem cleared up after switching to HDMI cables. I've got some HDMI cables from monoprice due to arrive any day now (hopefully today!), so I hope to report back on this soon.

Third: Sound. Maybe it is just me, but I think the sound on this set is a little weak. I don't know, I'd like to see what others think. I turned off the default fake "Surround: On" setting because it sounds bad to me, slightly decreased treble and slightly increased base. I'm considering buying a solid 2.1 set for now until I can afford a wireless 5.1 or 7.1 set.

Fourth: HEAT! This set runs HOT! It will get so hot on the heat vents on the top that it hurts to the touch! I don't notice it affecting room temp (I have a small living room), but this concerns me. I can notice the warmth while standing about 2 feet from it, and the screen is fairly warm to the touch. I'm curious if heat has anything to do with IR.

Fifth: "Break-In." I've read up on this a lot and wondering if it is a myth. This is my first HD set, and obviously my first plasma, so I obviously have no experience from which to speak by other than with this set, but I'm seriously wondering if all this Break-In talk is little more than a myth or theory that caught some believers and snowballed. I still get lots of IR after "breaking in" my set watching HBO and Discovery HD theater. I honestly can't say I noticed IR in the first several hours of operation, but I also didn't know what to look for.

Sixth: Cable. I'm watching TV with a Cable Set Top box. I have personally found that it operates best after I enable all picture formats/settings/resolutions (480i through 1080i) on the cable box, and set the box to "pass-through" mode, as this changes the TV resolution to match that being outputted by the station/channel. this minimizes converting of signals. there is some slight delay when the TV switches resolutions, but normally just a couple seconds.

Seventh: Gaming. I plan to get a PS3 soon and plan to run it at 720p. why? 720p is the native resolution, so it probably operates best at this setting. also, 720p allows 60FPS if the game runs at 60FPS.

Eighth: Display Settings. I found the TV's default display settings were really good and produced great picture quality and color, but a little bright. so I decreased contrast, brightness, and sharpness down a bit to 45, 45, 2.

I think that is all for now...lol

Albo23

06-18-08, 11:54 AM

So has anyone here not seen any type of image-sticking or image retention at all?

maximus1284

06-18-08, 12:12 PM

I personally don't imagine that anyone would notice IR while watching another TV show, especially if that show were widescreen. I don't. This sets color and PQ is amazing, and I never notice a degradation in quality. I'm not even sure I notice TV logo IR when watching a show with black borders, but i will look for that. I'm curious when Jaye notices IR.

I only notice IR when the cable box is off, and the TV is on leaving a blank/black screen. This isn't a situation that people would typically use the TV, and for me is not a problem. I don't see why it would be a problem for others.

I will look for IR when a TV channel displays a black border or black screen.

EDIT: I noticed some IR on black borders/black backgrounds, but it was only noticeable at close distances and it clears up quick. IR is not noticeable on more colorful screens. So while you wouldn't notice IR on colored screens, I still stand by my original recommendation: This TV is great for the living room/bed room, but should not be used as a PC monitor where you will sit closely

PS - I'm really curious what past/current owners of other Plasmas have to say about IR on their displays

noney123

06-18-08, 01:13 PM

Vaxick--try using an HDMI cable to connect to the TV. That should clear up all the interference you're seeing with the component. If it doesn't then that's probably something unique to your set.

I agree with whatever Maximus has said. One difference between a cable box and my Dish Network set is that when my box is turned off, I get a blue screen. I've found out a way to keep the screen black in order to check for IR. I press and hold the "AV" input button and keep it pressed and at the same time look for any IR. I'm right up close to the TV when I'm doing this. The ABC channel logo was still on this morning after watching last night's blowout closing game (GO CELTICS!!!). I ran Image Cleaner for a while and watched some full screen DVDs and it's slowly disappearing. Like Maximus said, the IR has never interfered with the PQ when watching anything.

TommyV

06-18-08, 01:39 PM

My Panny plasma has some IR from time to time. It really is not an issue and I do not think about. My Pioneer on the other hand literally has zero IR and it is almost amazing. I even use it as a PC monitor and do web surfing and desktop tasks on it and have never seen any IR on it.

I saw this Vizio at Wal-Mart and I was pretty impressed by the PQ. It kills all the LCD 32" sets. I was trying to dream up a reason why I needed it. The only one I could come up with was to replace my 20" LCD above my treadmill. That one probably is not going to happen . . . well maybe it will get me in there more :D

SGT.Baker

06-18-08, 02:11 PM

Thank you so much guys you saved me from wasting money. I have the newer premium xbox. I also heard that other(not microsoft) cable is too big for the other wires to fit in the xbox is this true? I found a page on how to cut part of cable thing in half. Will I need to do that rith these cables?

Link to page:
http://www.chadledford.com/?p=50

Jaye71

06-18-08, 02:34 PM

SGT. Baker,

Did you have any luck getting your HDMI cables? if you run the Xbox360 through HDMI it will also carry the audio. So you would not use the cable that came with the 360, just the HDMI cable. Trust me only using HDMI makes the setup so much cleaner looking.

Jaye71

06-18-08, 02:41 PM

Hey Maximus,

I only sit about 4-5 feet away from my TV as it is located in my bedroom. I can notice IR when a logo (Yellow History Channel) or a scoreboard has been on my TV for several minutes, It is mostly noticeable when changing channels, but it also becomes noticeable if watching a broadcast that displays dark images. If you aren't looking for it or you are in a brightly light room it isn't something you are going to notice. I think I notice it more because my bedroom is dark when I watch TV. To try and remedy the IR issue, I have decreased my contrast setting to 30 and my brightness to 40 and the IR has decreased a little. Enough to the point that it doesn't bother me that much.

emmyud

06-18-08, 02:48 PM

I'm all over this one

jgamikos

06-18-08, 04:00 PM

Maximus,

Thanks for posting all of that info. It really is helpful to those who are curious about this set, and even for those who already have it.

My father picked up the 42" version the other day and is very happy with this set. He really feels that he got a great deal on it. What he likes most is the outstanding picture quality and the great viewing angles. His first foray into hdtv and he's really happy.

When you get your hdmi cables from monoprice let us know what you think.

jg

SGT.Baker

06-18-08, 04:46 PM

alright thanks Jaye, I'm planning on ordering them when I get the T.v.. One final question, if my xbox and tv are set to 720p will the cables just make the audio better or will it make the 720p/graphics better?

Jaye71

06-18-08, 07:00 PM

Hey SGT. Baker,

HDMI is supposed to allow for the best possible picture and audio quality available, but I really don't think you are going to see a huge difference from the component cable.

CHolleman

06-18-08, 07:57 PM

First: IR. IR is very present on my display and shows up even in short instances (a couple seconds) of a high contrast image (bright text or bright colored menu on dark background, dark borders while watching standard broadcast), but the image cleaner usually cleans it up fairly quick, though sometimes it can take awhile. Good thing, though, is that IR never affects image quality in my opinion. I only notice IR when the cable box is turned off and the TV is left on (which leaves a black screen in this situation), and most cases I only notice it within about 3 feet of the set. I watch from about 8-10 feet away and never notice IR while watching TV, so for me it doesn't affect image quality. IR from dark borders is not noticed while watching other widescreen programs, and is cleared up by a widescreen channel or image cleaner. IR from logos (ESPN, CNN, History Channel), are not noticeable while watching a widescreen program but sometimes take longer to clear up, and may be noticeable within 3 feet while watching a 4:3 show with dark borders. I don't think that I have a "bum set," I actually feel like this is probably the normal operation of the TV. I have not had any burn-in that I can tell, but there is some IR from pretty much any object of high contrast.

pretty much exactly my experiences and sentiments.

sinnian

06-18-08, 08:45 PM

I am very impressed by my set overall, but am concerned about the heat output. I have 3 other HD's in my house, all LCD's which produce no measurable heat. THIS set as previously mentioned is HOT. Is that typical of plasmas or Vizio plasmas?

Thanks ~ Jeff

FARBES

06-18-08, 08:56 PM

Maximus, your post is awesome explain and more detials. thank you!

So has anyone here not seen any type of image-sticking or image retention at all?Honestly, I havent seen any IS or IR at all after I watch tv and play video game (X360).. Why should I have worry or concerning about IR or Screen burn-in? No! I really nothing worry about IR or IS at all, because i feeling more confidence myself with Plasma TV.. VIZIO plasma had anti-burn in/ IR technique like Image cleaner. You know what? There is no longer risk about burn in/IR, because all Plasma TV has some program techinque such as Image Cleaner, Screensaver, others to prevent Burn-in (aka IR/IS). You should have to learn Plasma's History & aware what the plasma TV's traditional phosphor design and techin.

Please read Maximus's post #611.

FARBES

06-18-08, 09:01 PM

Farbes,

I still have my doubts about the TV, but the picture quality is very good for the price point. I still have 2 months left on my 90 day exchange period and in that time I will decide if I am going to keep it or not. Hopefully, when the TV gets to about 500 hours it will run a lot smoother, but only time will tell.Dude Jaye, I agree Vizio Plasma has awesome PQ. So anyway, You have plenty time to consider about keep your PTV or not.

Good Luck!

BTW, thank you for share your experiences and feedbacck with me, I really appreciate it.

MKL

06-18-08, 09:04 PM

SGT.Baker

06-18-08, 09:17 PM

thanks Jaye Youve answered all my questions for now,you guys have been a great help. I'll follow this thread and pop a random question.

gallopingsalmon

06-18-08, 09:23 PM

excuse the noob question but whats is PQ

Albo23

06-18-08, 09:24 PM

How good is the build quality on these? Would anyone take this over a LN32A330?

Andy0192

06-18-08, 09:39 PM

excuse the noob question but whats is PQ

PQ = Picture Quality.

I just picked up one of these units after checking out some of the reviews. This is going to belong to a buddy of mine for his basement bar TV. Mainly used for sports, so I discouraged him from getting an LCD.

First impressions out of the box are pretty good. The unit is nicely packaged and easy to set up. I'm burning it in right now, sitting next to my 42" Hitachi P42H01, which was bought because it was a sub $900 42" Plasma with decent reviews last year.

I have to say I think this Vizio has better detail & flesh tones. Seems like a good value for the money. Black detail is better than my Hitachi, and the overall depth of color seems better.

blazerqb11

06-18-08, 09:47 PM

excuse the noob question but whats is PQ

PQ stands for "Picture Quality".(Oh, didn't see someone had already answered this)

Mathesar

06-18-08, 10:18 PM

Those pics appear to be sharpened unnaturally, try to leave them untouched out of the camera and it might not look so harsh? (Or turn the TV's sharpness down).

Then again it's not easy getting good quality TV shots. To many factors involved.

Jaye71

06-18-08, 10:45 PM

Hey Farbes & SGT. Baker,

No prob, Over the next couple of weeks I will keep on eye on the TV in regards to IR. I am also interested to hear any other reviews of the TV. So if you have them, please post them for all of us to read!

TommyV

06-19-08, 12:43 AM

FARBES

06-19-08, 01:09 AM

On the IR topic, I have only seen one plasma that had what I would call an issue with IR. It was a 42" LG set in a Hotel I stayed at for about a week. This was my first experience using a plasma for an extended period of time and the IR issue was extremely bad. Even bright white scrolling credits would leave temporary streaks across the screen.

I am not sure of what gen model these LGs were but the 2 plasmas I own have come a long way since then and I do not see IR as an issue to obsess about. I can notice it if I really look hard for it on my Panny and I can not even find it on my Pio. My guess is that all current plasmas including these Vizios do not have an issue with IR that should be worried about. Some brands show it a little more than others and I believe Pio is the best on that as well as most every other aspect but if you spend all your time obsessing over IR on your new plasma, you will probably miss out on enjoying it.

The PQ on these Vizios really looks sweet from what I saw in the store. I would take it any day over a 32" LCD and the price is a steal. I really wish all the other plasma makers were pushing similar models.TommyV, Yeah thats totally true! thats what I currently notice some people who obessing about IR over their new Plasma. thats what I don't want to have obess or preoccupy over IR/Burn-in on Plasma screen at all like other does.

they knew the facts that Plasma TV had existance of history IR issues since 1964 or something.. But they really ignored the fact and keep their complaint and obsess with IR/Burn in for their rest of lifetime.

*[don't take personal serious]: I think some people should go to see IR therapist. LOL! (jk)*

blazerqb11

06-19-08, 05:39 AM

I quickly tested a movie on the TV just curious to see how the display looked. Noticed some very faint lines running through the screen with my component cables I can confirm have no issues being they are the cables I use for my cable box on my Sony XS CRT HDTV. Pulled out another DVD player of higher quality and had the same issue. Hooked my PS3 up to it with a DVI cable and still had the issue.

Anyway, while watching the NBA finals last night and some other shows this morning, I noticed around 5-7 slightly slanted lines running across the screen. I'm wondering if that's because of the component cables I'm using. I'm pretty sure I didn't see any such lines when I had the coax connected.

Is anyone else noticing this kind of an issue with component cables? The TV at Wal-mart was hooked up through component and I don't think I saw anything, so hopefully it is not inherent to this set.

dj640

06-19-08, 11:30 AM

I have had this set since May 12, and I am very pleased with it.

First thing I did was to set the color temp. to warm(6500k), the default is cool(9300k), I checked out the custom temp. of 128, found out that it is the same as the cool temp. I then calibrated the rest of the settings with the DVE disk, then fine-tuned to my eye.

The PQ is absolutely Great! I watch mostly hdtv over cable/settop box, and
SD/DVD's, both set to output 720p over hdmi, and I couldn't be happier with
the PG, color depth, the blacks to my eye are dead on, a lot of shadow detail, the whites are white. The set has a 3D quality to it.

I am retired and watch a lot of tv, average 16hrs a day(not everyday;)) and have not had a IR issue that lasted more than a couple minutes, I don"t play
games so can't comment on that. I did not run a break in dvd, I just watched
it from the get-go as I would any other TV, and am enjoying it.

DJ

FARBES

06-19-08, 12:41 PM

You all need to check out other thread: Master Burn-In/IR/Break In (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=14116694&postcount=552) (<~click) thats what I discovered and some pictures what you really need to know.

noney123

06-19-08, 02:20 PM

As part of the break-in process I usually just play Planet Earth DVDs. Last night I had a dvd playing but I fell asleep before it got done. Luckily, I'd set the sleep timer on the TV and so when the episode ended the menu didn't stay on the screen for too long--definitely less than 45 minutes. In the morning, using my "press and hold AV" method to check for IR, I was able to see the menu quite clearly with my face almost pressed up against the screen. I ran image cleaner for about 3-5 minutes and it wiped the screen clear as a slate---no IR remained at all!!! :)

In one of my earlier posts I talked about seeing lines on the screen while using component cables. I have the same cable connected to my DVD player(SD player) but I don't see those lines anymore. I guess they only came when connected to an HD source.

Also, the HDMI cables I ordered from monoprice arrived today. I'm still at work and will check them out once I get home.

noney123

06-19-08, 02:44 PM

Would someone please post the recommended levels for contrast/brightness/color/sharpness/color temp/ etc ?? This for the break-in phase. My CUSTOM settings right now are:
Contrast:40
Brightness:44
Color:42
Color temp:Cool
Sharpness:0(or 4..I'm not sure :D)
Tint:0

maximus1284

06-20-08, 11:52 PM

Is anyone else noticing this kind of an issue with component cables? The TV at Wal-mart was hooked up through component and I don't think I saw anything, so hopefully it is not inherent to this set.

I notice it too with component. apparently it doesn't happen with HDMI cables. just got my monoprice HDMI cables in today, still testing them so I should know by the end of the weekend if it is gone for sure. I do notice it when using component cables with my standard def DVD player

I do have a weird thing going on with my standard def DVD player, at least I think its weird. I've tested 2 standard def DVDs so far, and they are widescreen, and neither take up the full area on my TV. is this normal? it is kind of frustrating. could it be the DVD player (it might be like 5 years old) or could it be because of the 1024x720 ratio of the TV?

the 2 DVDs I tested are Hot Fuzz (anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1) and Superbad (anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1). both of these movies have black bars across the top and bottom AND the sides

cesslinger

06-21-08, 12:58 AM

blazerqb11

06-21-08, 05:04 AM

I notice it too with component. apparently it doesn't happen with HDMI cables. just got my monoprice HDMI cables in today, still testing them so I should know by the end of the weekend if it is gone for sure. I do notice it when using component cables with my standard def DVD player

I do have a weird thing going on with my standard def DVD player, at least I think its weird. I've tested 2 standard def DVDs so far, and they are widescreen, and neither take up the full area on my TV. is this normal? it is kind of frustrating. could it be the DVD player (it might be like 5 years old) or could it be because of the 1024x720 ratio of the TV?

the 2 DVDs I tested are Hot Fuzz (anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1) and Superbad (anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1). both of these movies have black bars across the top and bottom AND the sides

That is really too bad, I wonder if this TV is just more susceptible to analog interference than most TVs. However, if that is the case it should be happening with all analog inputs, shouldn't it? Either way that puts a pretty big damper on this TV for me as there are some devices I must use that have no HDMI output.

As to your question, it is normal to have black bars on the top and bottom with both 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 content on a 16:9 TV, but obviously not both sides as well. It sounds like the DVD player is outputting a 4:3 signal, are you sure you have it set to output widescreen? I doubt it is because of the 4:3 resolution.

sinnian

06-21-08, 08:47 AM

excuse the noob question but whats is PQ

Picture (P) Quality (Q) --> PQ

Bonzi

06-21-08, 10:33 AM

Hey thought I'd join and post a pic of mine.
Inputs:
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/5085/3395405259vx9.jpg
Side View:
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/9690/3395405261xb4.jpg
Front:
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/4976/3395405256tl1.jpg

The Vizio has a comparable PQ with my Sony after you tweak some settings and the set itself looks nice. The clincher for me [and I think for a lot of people] is the price. If it was subpar PQ or was a clunker, I'd have passed even at that price point.

I'd like to know your opinions about whether or not I should use HDMI cable from my cable box for HDTV broadcasts? I am using component now and I heard there is little or no difference in PQ between the two.

Thanks.

maximus1284

06-21-08, 03:36 PM

That is really too bad, I wonder if this TV is just more susceptible to analog interference than most TVs. However, if that is the case it should be happening with all analog inputs, shouldn't it? Either way that puts a pretty big damper on this TV for me as there are some devices I must use that have no HDMI output.

As to your question, it is normal to have black bars on the top and bottom with both 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 content on a 16:9 TV, but obviously not both sides as well. It sounds like the DVD player is outputting a 4:3 signal, are you sure you have it set to output widescreen? I doubt it is because of the 4:3 resolution.

yep, had my DVD player set to 4:3, not 16:9

the analog interference is kind of annoying, but it is only noticeable a small percentage of the time. if you will be using analog a small percentage of the time I wouldn't let that issue discourage you from buying this set. I doubt you'll find anything with better PQ in this price range, and who knows, you could easily have the same problem with another set, but I don't know if this is a problem with LCDs...

so far I don't notice the "lines" with my HDMI cables, but I still need to do some more viewing to be sure. I don't know what causes those lines with component cables, but I live in a large apartment complex and my cables are within 3 feet of my wifi router, so I'm probably a good candidate for "analog interference," if that is indeed what causes the lines

I will say, though, that while the PQ between HDMI and component is basically the same, HDMI looks "cleaner" - I suppose because of less analog interference. its hard to explain, but I can tell that HDMI is digital. its like when switching from analog to DVI with an LCD pc monitor. the image looks more precise and defined. the component PQ appeared a little "grainy." however, I do think I'm noticing some minor "jitteriness" or "jumpiness" in the image with the HDMI cables, particularly when reading text

EDIT: Apparently this occasional but slight jitteriness in the image (most noticeable with text) that I'm seeing is called "handshake." it sometimes happens when using HDMI with your cable box. I think I prefer the slight text jitter over occasional faint lines across the screen. pros and cons of HDMI vs. component, meh.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1023866&highlight=hdmi+handshake

maximus1284

06-21-08, 03:39 PM

I just picked this tv up this afternoon. The picture is better than the broken LCD that it is replacing. I am really impressed that the digital audio passes through the optical out when using hdmi (xbox360). I also like how the vertical and horizontal size and position can be adjusted to get rid of overscan with hdmi. I just burned the break in dvd and am starting the process.

so when you hook up your 360 via HDMI, the digital audio from the 360 is output through the TV's optical out to the speakers? that is pretty cool

what do you mean by overscan with hdmi? elaborate please ;)

FARBES

06-21-08, 04:51 PM

VIZIO Plasma Owners,

Yesterday I took it back and exchange it for VIZIO LCD 1080P FHDTV. I am happy with LCDTV. but I really love and miss the plasma TV, because Vizio plasma has awesome PQ & crisp; and lowest price that is good deal. But it turned me off that My Plasma already had burned-in screen, Because the Closed Caption made the burn in screen itself easily, [see other thread: My single post #552 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=14116694&postcount=552) <~click] If I wanted to keep Plasma with screen burned-in and will get worse and more worse to affect when I watching TV eventually. I don't want to send tv directly vizio to replace it and get it back. Plasma will have screen burn in again as fro and back, due closed caption & vizio won't cover it under warranty. what the joke? (thank vizio, they acknowledged and admitted me about Plasma has screen burn-in. they told me truth if i kept it, screen burn-in will get worse and worse; it will affect when I watching tv eventually.) after I called vizio. I had thinking twice about it and switched from Plasma HDTV to LCD HDTV.

Note: don't recommend the plasma hdtv for deaf people.

I wish you all good luck and enjoy with your beautiful Plasma HDTV and take care of it. ;)

Buckeye911

06-21-08, 05:23 PM

TommyV

06-21-08, 07:13 PM

I would not think CC would be that big of a prob because the letters are constantly changing.

jumbo11

06-21-08, 07:16 PM

TommyV

06-21-08, 08:08 PM

Well I am not accusing anyone of not being untruthful but I did go to Wal-Mart last night and take another look at this set. I tried to see any excessive IR and could not find any. I waited until white logos were there for a while and even tried switching inputs to see sign of IR on a full black screen. I really did not notice any any IR at all.

The set was hooked up component and I thought I MIGHT have seen the lines people were talking about but can not be for sure because it was so brief and I saw nothing else for the long time I was standing there. For a moment I think there were a few horizontal lines that went up and down toward the top of the screen but who knows what they are using to source this thing and if that was to blame.

There was quite a bit of heat coming from the top but this was late and I believe they run those sets 24/7 at Wal-Mart which is pretty brutal. Overall the set still looks great to me and the first Vizio I have considered. At this point I will definitely suggest it to someone shopping for a TV.

They had a note that offered an additional 2 year warranty for less than $200. I never buy extended warranties but I think it would be worth it on this one considering how cheap it is already. 32" plasma with a great picture and 3 years of warranty for around $800.

cesslinger

06-21-08, 09:15 PM

so when you hook up your 360 via HDMI, the digital audio from the 360 is output through the TV's optical out to the speakers? that is pretty cool

what do you mean by overscan with hdmi? elaborate please ;)

Well, I compared the picture quality between vga and hdmi. The hdmi had noticeable overscan compared to the vga cable. I watch subbed animation, and now that there are 720p versions the subtitles are smaller and closer to the edge of the screen.

So, I found by reading the manual thoroughly (for a change), the hdmi menu had the option to adjust the picture size and placement. I set the veritcal size on the hdmi from 4 to 0 and the overscan cleared right up. The horizontal setting was already at 0, which I thought was a little strange.

googleme7

06-21-08, 09:25 PM

Funny how you go into a store and look at their plasma sets running 14 hours a day, with black bars, logos, menus, etc. and there's nothing "burned in" on the screen..

While it's great that people choose to contribute as much as possible, you have to wonder how much of that info is really true, and how much is exaggerated, how many people understand the difference between IR and burn-in, etc.

Because those sets have had a chance to break in. I would not be surprised if these Vizio Plasma's would leave a ghost during the first few days or weeks of operation. As you said, most of these people don't understand the difference between image retention and actual burn-in.

The only thing I still question about this set is it's price. Even with the crappy Walmart house feed I was looking at, it had a better picture than the Samsung A330 I sitting beside it ($699 retail). So it still seems kind of questionable to me that Vizio would price a Plasma TV lower than any other LCD, theirs included.

I mean if it were as easy as Vizio is making it look, Panasonic would own the 32" Plasma market. I'm sure Panasonic is taking a beating in the LCD market trying to keep up with Samsung and lets be honest here, the only thing Panasonic really does well is make Plasma TV's.

MKL

06-22-08, 12:30 AM

Because those sets have had a chance to break in. I would not be surprised if these Vizio Plasma's would leave a ghost during the first few days or weeks of operation. As you said, most of these people don't understand the difference between image retention and actual burn-in.

The only thing I still question about this set is it's price. Even with the crappy Walmart house feed I was looking at, it had a better picture than the Samsung A330 I sitting beside it ($699 retail). So it still seems kind of questionable to me that Vizio would price a Plasma TV lower than any other LCD, theirs included.

I mean if it were as easy as Vizio is making it look, Panasonic would own the 32" Plasma market. I'm sure Panasonic is taking a beating in the LCD market trying to keep up with Samsung and lets be honest here, the only thing Panasonic really does well is make Plasma TV's.

Plasma's sales have been dropping so much Panny has to drop the 37". Maybe the public thinks plasmas are power hogs and prone to burn in?

blazerqb11

06-22-08, 04:45 AM

Plasma's sales have been dropping so much Panny has to drop the 37". Maybe the public thinks plasmas are power hogs and prone to burn in?

I have to agree with you there. Looking online it is hard to find sites that accurately compare LCDs and Plasmas; almost all of them say something along the lines of "both have advantages and disadvantages" but often times don't really mention anything about Plasma's PQ advantages. Because of that, burn-in was enough to scare me away at first, that is until I had an extended experience with an LCD. What really kills Plasma is that the average person shopping for a TV doesn't really appreciate the difference between great PQ and sub par PQ and certainly doesn't distinguish between good and just OK. They're all apparently just concerned with how bright the TV looks on the shore shelves.

The point to all of this is that Vizio knew they couldn't move a Plasma unless they sold it for less than their 32" LCD, I mean why would you want a Plasma when you can have the shining, bright white of an LCD.

FARBES

06-22-08, 07:03 AM

I'm sorry the plasma didn't work out for you. It would be interesting to hear from anyone using a top tier plasma with closed captions. Anyway, I hope you enjoy your LCD.Buckeye911, Yes I would love to hear from anyone who using top plasma tv with CC asap.

But You shouldn't have to worry vizio plasma tv, because you don't use cc all times. :D

jgamikos

06-22-08, 07:23 AM

I remember reading an article somewhere about the founder of Vizio, William Wang, that said he felt that plasmas offered better picture quality. That's why he wanted to keep offering them.

As for the lower prices, he said he wanted to offer lcds and plasmas without all the bells and whistles in order to actually achieve the lower prices. I believe he said he could do it without sacrificing picture quality.

Personally, I'm happy there's a company out there that trys to offer a good prices and choices for its customers. 32" and 42" plasmas for well under $1000 that offer good picture quality? They've made me a believer.

FARBES

06-22-08, 07:32 AM

I would not think CC would be that big of a prob because the letters are constantly changing.TommyV, Yes same thing with me of what I thought CC won't have big of problem, because the letters constantly changing and moving. But I am totally wrong, CC did destoryed burn-in inside screen. My fiancee and I are profoundly deaf, so we strongly mandated to having the CC on all times. We had our plasma HDTV for a week only. Now see our plasma already got burn-in screen. I believe that CC would have big problem that black background where it causing. Like on phone, I called VIZIO CO., they did tell me about their acknowledge that. they admittedly warned me it has began and will be getting worse and worse where phosphor burn-in,[known as] screen burn, is a permanent disfigurement of areas on a Plasma display affect when I watching TV like:
http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/7744/640pxplasmaburninatdfwajh1.jpg.

Now you get a picture?

FARBES

06-22-08, 07:44 AM

Jumbo and TommyV, You are right about there's nothing burn-in on screen at store. I did check it out at walmart is 24 hours. I was curiously see if there has burn in. I did not see anything burn in or IR on screen for more hours than 24 hours when plasma has walmart commercial for 24 hours and everyday without turn off. Wow, thats amazing! but I realized that there's not turn CC on. IF CC is turn on, it could be possibly screen burn-in. who knows.

Yes, most of these people don't understand the difference between image retention and burn-in.

Funny how you go into a store and look at their plasma sets running 14 hours a day, with black bars, logos, menus, etc. and there's nothing "burned in" on the screen..

While it's great that people choose to contribute as much as possible, you have to wonder how much of that info is really true, and how much is exaggerated, how many people understand the difference between IR and burn-in, etc.

Well I am not accusing anyone of not being untruthful but I did go to Wal-Mart last night and take another look at this set. I tried to see any excessive IR and could not find any. I waited until white logos were there for a while and even tried switching inputs to see sign of IR on a full black screen. I really did not notice any any IR at all.

The set was hooked up component and I thought I MIGHT have seen the lines people were talking about but can not be for sure because it was so brief and I saw nothing else for the long time I was standing there. For a moment I think there were a few horizontal lines that went up and down toward the top of the screen but who knows what they are using to source this thing and if that was to blame.

There was quite a bit of heat coming from the top but this was late and I believe they run those sets 24/7 at Wal-Mart which is pretty brutal. Overall the set still looks great to me and the first Vizio I have considered. At this point I will definitely suggest it to someone shopping for a TV.

They had a note that offered an additional 2 year warranty for less than $200. I never buy extended warranties but I think it would be worth it on this one considering how cheap it is already. 32" plasma with a great picture and 3 years of warranty for around $800.

FARBES

06-22-08, 07:54 AM

neihrick

06-22-08, 09:33 AM

b_scott

06-22-08, 10:53 AM

one tiny cable is a lot better thank 5 thick ones though, if you're mounting it. that's just an annoying issue.

Hado

06-22-08, 11:34 AM

I too returned to Walmart to inspect their display model trying to see if the set gets IR as quickly as mine, but didn't even notice a hint of it at all.

So I'm guessing mine just needs a longer break-in period. (I've been running the break-in dvd whenever the tv isn't being used for regular viewing) Does anyone know if this tv has a service menu where I can check the total viewing hours so far?

It does seem to be getting better though. I recall playing Dirt on the Xbox 360 a while back and seeing IR from the static gauges/map after racing one track, while last night I played the game for roughly 40 minutes and saw no image retention what so ever.

Fringing isn't as noticable to me anymore either. Perhaps my eyes are getting used to it. (Odd considering they never got used to DLP rainbows)

The only problem I have is the lack of a zoom feature and the inability to use wide/panoramic modes to stretch 4:3 programs on HD channels.

Sofo

06-22-08, 12:24 PM

Hello All,

Thought I would let you guys know I played 4 1/2 hours straight of Rock Band on my PS3 last night.
No breaks, no image cleaner, full burn so to speak.

After I quit playing I noticed some very noticeable IR.
You could see the lines that define the fretboard and other very noticeable parts of the game that are static.
They never move while playing.

I'm happy to report 20 minutes of Image Cleaner washed them away to barely noticeable levels.
I had to get to within 1" of the screen to even discern the IR from regular flat black.
10 minutes of regular SD cable after that and the IR was totally, completely gone.
I couldn't even see ANY of the static image retention from 1" away after 10 minutes of cable.

My TV is well over the 500hr mark by now though, it's constantly being used by me, or my family.

I believe this lack of burn-in is because of the LG panel that is used in these sets.

A word of advice to prospective buyers:
You will get unbelievable IR if you just use it out of the box for gaming.

Seriously.

10 minutes of gaming out of the box on mine caused some pretty severe IR.
I ran the break-in DVD for the minimum of 100 hours and do use care when I game.

If I pause the game, I put the TV on Image Cleaner until I get back ready to play.

But after last night's marathon Rock Band session, I'm nowhere NEAR as concerned with IR as I was.

I don't know about the build quality of these sets in general, but mine has been a trooper with easily 14 hours a day put on it by my family.

Bottom Line:
IR goes away much faster as the TV's panel ages.
Once you're past the 500 hr mark.
It 'almost' becomes a non-issue.

I guess if you left it on static images for a few days after the 500 hr mark, it would burn-in, but if you just use the TV as a TV and not a picture frame, I think you'll be fine.:D

awesomefabulous

06-22-08, 01:43 PM

Hello

Obviously I am new to the forums and this is pretty much the only place on the web I could find real discourse on the new Vizio so kudos for that.

My question is between this television and a Samsung 32" LCD for about $700

[link removed, I didn't see that rule]

The price is pretty good on the Samsung and I know people usually love their stuff but I have never owned an HD TV. As I understnad it in-store displays are meaningless because of the massive amount of ambient light but to me the Samsung and Vizio were practically identical in Wal*Mart (I actually tried tweaking a setting or two on the Vizio plasma and it actually looked better, skin tones were much more natural and warm).

A few things concern me though, I basically only want this for DVDs and video games. A few pages back a user stated that the picture quality from an upconverting DVD HDMI player was poor and since I was about to order one to go with my TV that is a large concern. I really have no interest in BLURAY at this point as it is just way too expensive so I need to make sure this TV can do DVD and do it right. I was going to get a Philips DVP5982/37 DVD player that can also take external HDs

[link removed, I didn't see that rule]

Does this TV come with a DVD to help calibrate it also??? I am just dead tired of watching movies on a dark CRT (movies are pretty much my only real hobby) and I want a good experience for my apartment/dorm.

As a side note, how is Wal*Mart with warranty, service, return policy etc? I am severly not a big fan of Wal*Mart but since I can only get this TV there I don't have a choice. I saw on the sign there was a 2 year extended warranty but it seemed damn expensive. Though I bet it would be better to go in-store for a purchase this big since I can only get a cheap Samsung online.

Please share some experience/wisdom and save me from a 19" POS from the early 90s.

Thank you

Andy0192

06-22-08, 01:56 PM

, I basically only want this for DVDs and video games.
DVD's - great choice
Video Games - not so great due to issues with IR/burn in.

Does this TV come with a DVD to help calibrate it also???
No, it does not. I used a few of the examples here to get a baseline, and tweaked it from there to my liking. There is a thread here in AVS that gives you more details on Calibration & downloading a setup DVD if you want to go that way.

how is Wal*Mart with warranty, service, return policy etc? I am severly not a big fan of Wal*Mart but since I can only get this TV there I don't have a choice. I saw on the sign there was a 2 year extended warranty but it seemed damn expensive.

At this price - you should skip the extended warranty in my opinion. If it's going to fail completely - it will most likely happen out of the box, or within the first few hours of use. So, their return policy covers you there.

I don't do much gaming, so for me Plasma is a clear winner. I think LCD sucks for fast action & sports. If I was a gamer, maybe I'd look harder at LCD.

awesomefabulous

06-22-08, 01:59 PM

DVD's - great choice
Video Games - not so great due to issues with IR/burn in.

Thanks for the reply. I was curious whether IR would be a large problem but I think I should specify that my DVD/Gaming ratio is easily 70/30. So I would have no problem taking breaks/avoiding gaming for the first 100 hours or turning off static HUD graphics if the option is available. I just loved how this TV looked, so gorgeous.
Something else I forgot, are plasmas useless for PC because of IR with a task bar and such? If I kept it to only gaming on a PC would it be alright?

Andy0192

06-22-08, 02:53 PM

awesomefabulous

06-22-08, 03:25 PM

Task bar can be set for "hidden" - right click for properties - then check auto-hide.

I use MY PC with Beyond TV for getting DVR functions - so yeah, this can be used with a PC.

In my opinion, if you are aware of the issues, and you're careful with what you do, 90% of IR issues can be overcome. As someone else said - did you want a picture frame? or a TV ? Static images are the problem, so avoid them.

The only person who will make the ultimate decision is you.

I knew about auto-hide, I was mainly thinking menu bars and such for Windows but that can be easily overcome. Thanks for the advice though. Plus, I wouldn't use my PC on it for a bit anyway just to be safe.

One thing I forgot is that I have what most people don't - a truly pitch black viewing area. Until I move back into the dorms in the Fall I live in a window-less basement apartment, so I think it would actually be even easier to avoid IR because initially I can drop the contrast a bit.

maximus1284

06-22-08, 05:19 PM

Bottom Line:
IR goes away much faster as the TV's panel ages.
Once you're past the 500 hr mark.
It 'almost' becomes a non-issue.

I hope so. I've been running mine almost nonstop since 6/13 and still easily get some amount of IR on basically anything. I'm sure I'm between the 150-200hr mark. I try to watch a lot of discovery HD and HBO (leaving these channels on overnight, but some ESPN and SD channels as well. I get some IR whether it be borders from watching an SD channel, or pulling up a menu from the TV when black, TV logos, score displays, or from "the bottom line" (espn, cnn, etc.). it doesn't have to be on the channel very long for IR. it does usually clear up pretty quick with the image cleaner, but ESPNHD's logo in the bottom right can be quite pesky and can take a long time to get rid of, especially since I like watching euro 2008 and it has no commercials! what probably annoys me the most is that I can switch to an SD channel w/ black borders, watch it for a little while, then switch to a widescreen HD channel and see the IR from the black borders as my cable switches signals. occasionally I can still see a very faint outline of an IR image (like that damn ESPN logo) if I get up very close to the screen with all black displayed as Sofo was saying, but if I ran image cleaner for a few hours it would probably be gone. I'm not very concerned of an image actually "burning in," unless I left it on ESPN for like 24 hours straight - I think the image cleaner can clear everything up. my set still has an IR issue and is sensitive to even brief displays of a high contrast image. it doesn't affect PQ, but is still annoying. I will say, though, that when there is IR it is really only noticeable on a black background (which is rare), or when I have cable off and TV on (even more rare, and not even a practical use)

as far as gaming vs. use as a pc monitor...I think the ultimate deciding factor is how close you will be sitting. I wouldn't use this TV for either if I planned to sit within 3 feet. gaming should be fine though, I wouldn't be overly concerned about burn in as I think the image cleaner can probably clear up pretty much anything (I've had my experience with tv logos). might want to run image cleaner for awhile after an extended gaming session just to be on the safe side, otherwise I think it could be great for gaming. I probably wouldn't recommend it for PC use though if you plan to sit close the screen. IR is more noticeable the closer you sit (though its really only noticeable when the TV displays lots of black), though sometimes I notice it at distance

awesomefabulous: I think this TV would be great for your intended uses

anyone who is "on the fence" in trying to decide whether to buy this TV vs. an LCD of similar price, I say take the chance. the picture quality and color will be better. viewing angles are excellent. you have 90 days to return it. most of the IR gripes you read are probably exaggerated. at most, IR is probably just more of a minor annoyance for me right now. if there is IR you really only notice it on a black background. so far I'd say burn in risk is fairly low. all things considered I think this is a great set and great value

btw, I think I can say for sure that the faint lines are totally gone after switching from Component to HDMI cables. I can't say for sure if the faint lines are an issue with this TV + Component, or more of a general analog signal interference issue

googleme7

06-22-08, 08:55 PM

beastmar

06-22-08, 09:39 PM

Where can I find the burn in dvd? Also there are these annoying faint lines that go across the screen. You can really see it when I am playing the my xbox 360 and when the screen is black. Is that just the tv or what? Thanks Guys

awesomefabulous

06-22-08, 09:51 PM

awesomefabulous: I think this TV would be great for your intended uses

btw, I think I can say for sure that the faint lines are totally gone after switching from Component to HDMI cables. I can't say for sure if the faint lines are an issue with this TV + Component, or more of a general analog signal interference issue

Also there are these annoying faint lines that go across the screen. You can really see it when I am playing the my xbox 360 and when the screen is black. Is that just the tv or what? Thanks Guys

Thanks for your input maximus, I am basically sold on this set and this point and may very well go get it tomorrow (I am probably going to submit my newegg order for a DVD player and cables and such tonight) and the only thing I am concerned with now is what is mentioned here. I can only hook up a wii with component as far as I know (and that is my only game system) so what is going on with these lines? The display set at Wal*Mart was on component and looked fine.

I also saw that someone mentioned perhaps it is only with an HD source (and I don't think the Wii counts) so perhaps it will be fine.

Bonzi

06-22-08, 09:53 PM

The founder of "Vizio" is named William Wang? Surely you must be joking :)

Believe it, and he survived a plane crash, my kinda people :)

Do a Google for vizio founder inc.com

Jason Bourne

06-22-08, 10:23 PM

...I mean why would you want a Plasma when you can have the shining, bright white of an LCD.

Simple; plasma has better picture quality.

awesomefabulous

06-23-08, 11:52 AM

Hey, what wall mounts are you guys using for this (if you are)? I was hoping to get one to save some dorm space....

blazerqb11

06-23-08, 12:52 PM

The founder of "Vizio" is named William Wang? Surely you must be joking :)

Actually I believe it is Richard Wang.;)

Simple; plasma has better picture quality.

*I was being sarcastic*

cesslinger

06-23-08, 01:08 PM

Well, I have had the tv for about 72 hours. I have been running the break in dvd when I am not watching the tv. I played NG2 for a couple of hours last night, the IR from the health bar disappeard in less than 2 min. So I can assume that the set will only get better from now on. One thing though, there is one stuck pixel on the right side of the screen that is constantly white. I am only able to notice the pixel when the background is completely black. I am not to worried about it since it is only 1 pixel and it is hard to point out to other people. I have done some quick research and it seems that stuck pixels may clear themselves up over time. Either way, for the price this tv is outstanding.

noney123

06-23-08, 01:32 PM

Hey Maximus,

I'm a big soccer fan too and have been watching all games during euro2008. Yesterday's qtr-final which went on to more than 120 minutes left ESPN's logo and the scoreboard imprinted on the display. I ran image-cleaner for about an hour but both were still there--especially the logo. I left a Planet Earth DVD on repeat during the whole night and by this morning no IR remained. Was I relieved or what!!..This was the worst case of IR I've experienced so far. Even though it didn't interfere with the picture in anyway, just knowing that the IR was still there, bothered me. Anyway, I'm glad to say it's gone.

I asked this once before but no one replied---if anyone would be so kind as to post calibrated settings for the TV, I would really appreciate it.

cesslinger

06-23-08, 01:44 PM

The calibrated settings from a different user will not work for your tv. The calibration is dependent on the source. Every source that is introduced to the tv will need to have a seperate calibration for the best effect. If I calibrate my tv with Avia using an Xbox360 via hdmi, the settings will be different than using a sony dvd player using component. Your best bet is to obtain a calibration dvd.

noney123

06-23-08, 02:41 PM

That's news to me. I didn't know that calibration was source specific. Thanks for the info Cesslinger.

cesslinger

06-23-08, 02:43 PM

Do you like the tv noney? I was a little skeptical at first, but I am thouroghly impressed. I have the best pq in the house compared to a 52-in rp sony and 27-in phillips lcd.

CHolleman

06-23-08, 03:14 PM

Hey, what wall mounts are you guys using for this (if you are)? I was hoping to get one to save some dorm space....

i used this one from monoprice.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082807&p_id=4116&seq=1&format=2

the fit and finish aren't quite as nice as the Sanus that holds my other plasma downstairs, but this one doesn't cost over $100 either. It's been holding the vizio nicely for a few weeks now.

noney123

06-23-08, 03:27 PM

Do you like the tv noney? I was a little skeptical at first, but I am thouroghly impressed. I have the best pq in the house compared to a 52-in rp sony and 27-in phillips lcd.

This is my first HDTV and I didn't want to go overboard with a huge tv. Just testing the waters for now. As far as the TV is concerned, I was extremely skeptical as well. Vizio was a name that did not catch my attention in any of my earlier research--well, not until my google search led me to this thread :) . Like you, I'm very impressed with the PQ of this TV. But coming from a guy who's comparing this to a 26" CRT, that's not saying much. That's one area where this thread helped in my decision making process. I initially bought the TV with plans of returning it within a month in exchange for an LCD---I'm the paranoid type and so the whole burn-in issue was a huge obstacle for me. It's been almost three weeks now and I have scrapped my plans of returning this babyy :D. Keeping my fingers crossed though and hopefully nothing will go wrong. Did I mention that I'm paranoid? :D

MKL

06-23-08, 04:35 PM

Thanks for your input maximus, I am basically sold on this set and this point and may very well go get it tomorrow (I am probably going to submit my newegg order for a DVD player and cables and such tonight) and the only thing I am concerned with now is what is mentioned here. I can only hook up a wii with component as far as I know (and that is my only game system) so what is going on with these lines? The display set at Wal*Mart was on component and looked fine.

I also saw that someone mentioned perhaps it is only with an HD source (and I don't think the Wii counts) so perhaps it will be fine.

Welcome to AVS. :)
You may want to try using your existing DVD player before purchasing an upconverting one. The scalar chip on the TV is actually pretty good, it's even better than some of the upconverting DVD players.

And yes, Vizio is founded by William Wang.

awesomefabulous

06-23-08, 05:31 PM

One thing though, there is one stuck pixel on the right side of the screen that is constantly white. I am only able to notice the pixel when the background is completely black.

I'd say either in-store return it or talk to Vizio. They have a zero bright pixel policy.

http://www.vizio.com/support/vip_services/warranty_information.aspx#9

That's news to me. I didn't know that calibration was source specific. Thanks for the info Cesslinger.

Good to know.

i used this one from monoprice.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082807&p_id=4116&seq=1&format=2

the fit and finish aren't quite as nice as the Sanus that holds my other plasma downstairs, but this one doesn't cost over $100 either. It's been holding the vizio nicely for a few weeks now.

I'll probably order that up then. Good to see one with personal experience, I was contemplating the Vizio one just cause they make it but it is $75. Now just to find out if there is a stud where I want to put it in the dorm :/

Welcome to AVS. :)
You may want to try using your existing DVD player before purchasing an upconverting one. The scalar chip on the TV is actually pretty good, it's even better than some of the upconverting DVD players.

I already ordered it up right after I posted that but trust me, I am using a PS2 on composite right now. I think it'll be worth it. Is there a way to switch between one or the other scaling it to see if there is a difference?

I will be getting this either tonight or tomorrow most likely and will see what happens! DVD player and component for Wii won't be here for a day or two though, so I think I'll just be seeing stretched cable...

blazerqb11

06-23-08, 06:00 PM

I notice it too with component. apparently it doesn't happen with HDMI cables. just got my monoprice HDMI cables in today, still testing them so I should know by the end of the weekend if it is gone for sure. I do notice it when using component cables with my standard def DVD player

...the only thing I am concerned with now is what is mentioned here. I can only hook up a wii with component as far as I know (and that is my only game system) so what is going on with these lines? The display set at Wal*Mart was on component and looked fine.

I also saw that someone mentioned perhaps it is only with an HD source (and I don't think the Wii counts) so perhaps it will be fine.

I had a similar experience at Wal-Mart(not seeing any lines), although as far as I know the lines are supposed to appear only in certain circumstances and I was only looking for general PQ and not any minor defects. I'm hoping it is not too bad, as a lot of people have said, because I am in a similar situation as you. Unfortunately, as you can see in that first quote, some people have experienced this problem with a standard def signal.

gallopingsalmon

06-23-08, 06:02 PM

i actually had a bright pixel on my set, but i figured that it would be less of a hassle to return to Wal-Mart.

cesslinger

06-23-08, 06:37 PM

Crap, I guess I will box it up and go to walmart tonight. Man, I have been breaking this sucker in all weekend too.

cesslinger

06-23-08, 08:15 PM

FARBES

06-23-08, 09:50 PM

This is my first HDTV and I didn't want to go overboard with a huge tv. a) Just testing the waters for now. As far as the TV is concerned, I was extremely skeptical as well. Vizio was a name that did not catch my attention in any of my earlier research--well, not until my google search led me to this thread :) . b) Like you, I'm very impressed with the PQ of this TV. But coming from a guy who's comparing this to a 26" CRT, that's not saying much. That's one area where this thread helped in my decision making process. c) I initially bought the TV with plans of returning it within a month in exchange for an LCD---I'm the paranoid type and so the whole burn-in issue was a huge obstacle for me. It's been almost three weeks now and I have scrapped my plans of returning this babyy :D. Keeping my fingers crossed though and hopefully nothing will go wrong. d) Did I mention that I'm paranoid? :D

a) Yeah if you just test the waters for now? why you feel careful with Plasma. You shouldn't have to worry that walmart offering you 90 days for exchange/ or full refund. So You can be experiment and rough with plasma to see what the result. No need to be careful nor paranoid. if this is right one for you or not.

b) I am 100% agree that Plasma has the excellent PQ, ;)

c) You don't have worry/ paranoid too much about IR. But you should have some concerning about burn-in, because it is total different from IR. a single pixel of burn in is evident destory anywhere inside screen. anyway I dislike some in way the Plasma TV make people's limit options, & control people's their emotional fear/ paranoid, pleasure is very limit.

d) Ha, This find me a good laughable. :D U no need to have too paraniod about IR or Burn-In. walmart offer 90days for exchange or full refund without re-stocking fee. :D

awesomefabulous

06-23-08, 09:55 PM

Scratch that, I can only see the pixel if the screen is completely black and I am trying to see it. I am not going to test my luck.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a sub $150.00 upscaling dvd player?

I ordered up a Philips DVP5982/37 and I will let you know my results with DVDs via HDMI in this set once it is delivered (Wed probably).

Just got done setting up the set and all I can say is WOW. This thing is an incredible steal, the PQ is insane (I am only getting some HD via coaxial right now since the rest of my cables and DVD player are on the way) but it looks intense. I still have loads more testing to do and some image tweaking to play with but so far I see no visual peculiarities, artifacts, or problems even with a crap input. I can maybe see some minor IR if text is too bright and the commercial is too long, or after I had the Wii on for 5 mins, but it dissipates within flipping a channel or two (and this thing is basically an hour out of the box and I'm sure I'll be turning the contrast down even more).

No bright pixels I have noticed yet, no problems whatsoever. This thing is SPECTACULAR. Pics and more once I know more :)

MKL

06-23-08, 10:35 PM

I already ordered it up right after I posted that but trust me, I am using a PS2 on composite right now. I think it'll be worth it. Is there a way to switch between one or the other scaling it to see if there is a difference?

I will be getting this either tonight or tomorrow most likely and will see what happens! DVD player and component for Wii won't be here for a day or two though, so I think I'll just be seeing stretched cable...

Since you're outputting SD on composite, the TV is now doing the upscaling. Once you get your new DVD player set it on 480i (so the TV will upscale), then compare it with 720p output (DVD Player doing the upscale). Anything other than these 2 (1080i, etc) results in double processing.

There's an anti-burn in mode on the Wii. If you left it on pause for some time the screen will dim.

awesomefabulous

06-24-08, 12:38 AM

spincut

06-24-08, 04:30 AM

Night 1 report: So after my first night with the set I still love it and i will give an honest report.

Only visual aberration (which I hesitate to mention since it is likely a setting I know nothing about, and it is like looking for a small mark on an otherwise flawless image) was a slight "shimmering" kinda like an interlacing animation, in the very far background lines of a building on the set of Leno. This visual was quite unnoticable and far away and small and fleeting.

Played a few tracks on Wii Mario Kart and saw IR of track outline minimaps and place indicator. Disappeared quickly, often before the next track began.

Only thing IR related that is annoying is the rapid speed with which black bars on 4:3 stick, during a typical ~3 min commercial break in 4:3 from 16:9 programming there will be very noticeable IR that fades in under a minute or two. Basically just forces you to change the channel. I do not know how to stretch digital signals in TV mode (I have not gotten an HDMI comcast box yet).

Keep in mind this is also only about 5 hours on, and I am too paranoid to leave it on when I am asleep or at work so it will take a bit to work in properly.

wow, usually the 4:3 uneven wear takes a little longer than that (maybe if you dont burn in it it pops up really quick like that, and behaves more like IR, but be careful, it wont get "burnt in" but it can get out of sync age wise and be hard to fix after a while).

Are you using grey bars with 4:3 stuff? or is it just black bars?

Still keep in mind, when that happens it isnt IR and it isnt Burn In, it's uneven wear and slightly less preventative than IR/Burn in since there havent been a whole lot of advances specifically made to deal with that if you have alot of inactive 4:3 side bars.

awesomefabulous

06-24-08, 08:12 AM

Are you using grey bars with 4:3 stuff? or is it just black bars?

Black, I couldn't find a place to change it.

Perhaps IR isn't a good word, because it isn't a slightly lighter area like the Mario kart stuff, it just looks uneven as you say (you can see a border between where the bars and the image used to meet).

drum714

06-24-08, 09:24 AM

After reading through all these posts I finally pulled the trigger and bought this TV on saturday. So far I'm very happy with the set, but it's still very early. I do have a couple questions and a comment.

-- My panoramic setting deffinetly works as defined in the manual, only the sides are streched.

-- Is the image cleaner just a static nasty looing gold/beige/yellow screen? This seems odd to me to use a static image, but I guess it could be using all colors evenly and have the same effect.

-- I notices last night while watching The Bourne Supremacy that I am getting very faint horizontal lines through the screen. These lines are not solid lines, in fact they are kind of checkered and there are about 4 lines from the top of the screen to about 6 inches from the bottom of the screen and each set of lines increases in the amount of rows of checkers. It's kind of hard to explain. Kind of looks like this (numbers are only a representation):

222255552222555522225555

222255552222555522225555
555522225555222255552222

222255552222555522225555
555522225555222255552222
222255552222555522225555

222255552222555522225555
555522225555222255552222
222255552222555522225555
555522225555222255552222

I am only getting these lines when whaching DVDs(not an up converter) hooked up through component video. I don't see anything when waching SD or HD cable. My Initial thought is that it is an issue with my component cables, but I'm not sure. Any Ideas you have would be greatly appreciated.

awesomefabulous

06-24-08, 11:23 AM

After reading through all these posts I finally pulled the trigger and bought this TV on saturday. So far I'm very happy with the set, but it's still very early. I do have a couple questions and a comment.

-- My panoramic setting deffinetly works as defined in the manual, only the sides are streched.

My panoramic works properly too, looks a lot better than wide.

-- Is the image cleaner just a static nasty looing gold/beige/yellow screen? This seems odd to me to use a static image, but I guess it could be using all colors evenly and have the same effect.

It lights the phosphors evenly across the whole screen, that is all that matters.

-- I notices last night while watching The Bourne Supremacy that I am getting very faint horizontal lines through the screen. These lines are not solid lines, in fact they are kind of checkered and there are about 4 lines from the top of the screen to about 6 inches from the bottom of the screen and each set of lines increases in the amount of rows of checkers. It's kind of hard to explain. Kind of looks like this (numbers are only a representation):

222255552222555522225555

222255552222555522225555
555522225555222255552222

222255552222555522225555
555522225555222255552222
222255552222555522225555

222255552222555522225555
555522225555222255552222
222255552222555522225555
555522225555222255552222

I am only getting these lines when whaching DVDs(not an up converter) hooked up through component video. I don't see anything when waching SD or HD cable. My Initial thought is that it is an issue with my component cables, but I'm not sure. Any Ideas you have would be greatly appreciated.

As of now I do not have the component cables for my Wii but I hope it does not do this. I will let you know. Probably wouldn't be a deal breaker for me since Wii is acceptable with composite since it isn't hi-def, but it would be a shame if an entire input was crap and I can't use the $15 cable I ordered :/
Are you watching the cable through component as well or am I reading that wrong?

cesslinger

06-24-08, 12:18 PM

It seems that this TV is not so great with analog connections. I wouldn't know myself, I have only used HDMI, VGA, and the digital coax.

I will be taking my set back to Wally World today though. I could see that stuck pixel everytime I was waiting in the Halo 3 lobby. Rats, I thought I could ignore it. Oh well.

NHSheep

06-24-08, 12:22 PM

I ended up returning this set after getting tired of the IR problems. The PQ is amazing, but it was more of a hassle for me to have to run the image cleaner after having the menu open for 5 seconds (No joke, five seconds and the outline was clearly visible in darker scenes). I broke the TV in for over 100 hours, and still had extreme IR issues. I think I had a bad set, because it took about a minute of regular viewing for the menu to dissipate enough that I couldn't see it from 5' away. I also had an issue with vertical lines on composite inputs.

It seems more like a fluke than anything, but I thought I would share my experience. I own a Panasonic plasma which is a few years old now, and I never had any issues with it. I ended up switching out for a more expensive LCD, as the Vizio's PQ had me spoiled. I had to pay ~$150 more for an LCD with comparable PQ.

awesomefabulous

06-24-08, 12:38 PM

NHSheep

06-24-08, 12:51 PM

Contrast and brightness were both below 50. I did not keep the actual settings, but when I calibrated, it ended up being somewhere in the low 40's for both if I'm not mistaken. Like I said, I think I may have just had a bad unit.

I read the break in thread, which you can find stickied at the top of this board, and following the recommendations.

I ended up downloading the zipped version with the images (instead of the iso), burning them to a cd, and running them as a repeating slideshow on my Xbox 360.

noney123

06-24-08, 12:56 PM

It seems more like a fluke than anything, but I thought I would share my experience. I own a Panasonic plasma which is a few years old now, and I never had any issues with it. I ended up switching out for a more expensive LCD, as the Vizio's PQ had me spoiled. I had to pay ~$150 more for an LCD with comparable PQ.

What set did you get?That option has been one I'm considering cos I just want to watch anything I want without worrying about IR or burn-in.

-- I notices last night while watching The Bourne Supremacy that I am getting very faint horizontal lines through the screen. These lines are not solid lines, in fact they are kind of checkered and there are about 4 lines from the top of the screen to about 6 inches from the bottom of the screen and each set of lines increases in the amount of rows of checkers. It's kind of hard to explain. Kind of looks like this (numbers are only a representation):

My Initial thought is that it is an issue with my component cables, but I'm not sure. Any Ideas you have would be greatly appreciated.

I'd agree with your initial thought since I had the same problem when I used component cables to connect my HD receiver to the TV. I'm using HDMI now and there aren't any lines. The component cables now connect my SD DVD player and I see those lines that you tried to represent with those numbers. I'm not too worried about that since I know it's the component cable that's generating the interference.

NHSheep

06-24-08, 01:43 PM

What set did you get?That option has been one I'm considering cos I just want to watch anything I want without worrying about IR or burn-in.

I'd agree with your initial thought since I had the same problem when I used component cables to connect my HD receiver to the TV. I'm using HDMI now and there aren't any lines. The component cables now connect my SD DVD player and I see those lines that you tried to represent with those numbers. I'm not too worried about that since I know it's the component cable that's generating the interference.

I ended up picking up a LN32A450. So far, it has been a solid performer. After getting a service plan, it was actually only $127 more. I will admit, the Vizio still has amazing PQ for the price, but the new unit is pretty much equal for me, with much better sound to boot.

awesomefabulous

06-24-08, 02:13 PM

I read the break in thread, which you can find stickied at the top of this board, and following the recommendations.

Thanks, I burned the DVD version of it.

Question though, what contrast/brightness should I be breaking it in at with this DVD?

drum714

06-24-08, 03:13 PM

I'd agree with your initial thought since I had the same problem when I used component cables to connect my HD receiver to the TV. I'm using HDMI now and there aren't any lines. The component cables now connect my SD DVD player and I see those lines that you tried to represent with those numbers. I'm not too worried about that since I know it's the component cable that's generating the interference.

Thanks for all the info!

Could these lines be remidied by purchasing a better set of cabels or do you guys think that it is the imput jacks that are the issue. I don't really see myself dropping the money on a upconverting dvd player for a while, and I just want to make sure that these lines are'nt going to cause any issues down the road, ie. uneven pixel wear.

awesomefabulous

06-24-08, 03:50 PM

Thanks for all the info!

Could these lines be remidied by purchasing a better set of cabels or do you guys think that it is the imput jacks that are the issue. I don't really see myself dropping the money on a upconverting dvd player for a while, and I just want to make sure that these lines are'nt going to cause any issues down the road, ie. uneven pixel wear.

Like I said I will let you know what happens with highly rated (on NewEgg) Wii component cables. Just a thought: did you try moving the cable at all to see if it changes?? Making sure it is far away from the power cable and such.

awesomefabulous

06-24-08, 04:13 PM

perhaps unapplicable side question:

If I make my background on my computer a flat color and remove menu bars, will I suffer any potential IR when playing media files and stuff if it sits on the desktop for a bitf?

noney123

06-24-08, 05:13 PM

I ended up picking up a LN32A450. So far, it has been a solid performer. After getting a service plan, it was actually only $127 more. I will admit, the Vizio still has amazing PQ for the price, but the new unit is pretty much equal for me, with much better sound to boot.

I've PMed you.

spincut

06-24-08, 05:21 PM

Black, I couldn't find a place to change it.

Perhaps IR isn't a good word, because it isn't a slightly lighter area like the Mario kart stuff, it just looks uneven as you say (you can see a border between where the bars and the image used to meet).

That's because it is uneven wear, a common issue that in my opinion is harder to prevent and has had less done about it over IR/Burn In at this point. It woul cause me quite a bit of paranoa to run black bars on the side, wondering how long it will take until they become out of sync, i wish that and that alone was not an issue with plasmas personally.

I hate stretching and black is better looking than grey though.

I ended up returning this set after getting tired of the IR problems. The PQ is amazing, but it was more of a hassle for me to have to run the image cleaner after having the menu open for 5 seconds (No joke, five seconds and the outline was clearly visible in darker scenes). I broke the TV in for over 100 hours, and still had extreme IR issues. I think I had a bad set, because it took about a minute of regular viewing for the menu to dissipate enough that I couldn't see it from 5' away. I also had an issue with vertical lines on composite inputs.

It seems more like a fluke than anything, but I thought I would share my experience. I own a Panasonic plasma which is a few years old now, and I never had any issues with it. I ended up switching out for a more expensive LCD, as the Vizio's PQ had me spoiled. I had to pay ~$150 more for an LCD with comparable PQ.

wait, so you had a panasonic that was a few years older and didnt have this problem but you still begrudginly switched to an LCD? Why not just get it replaced, or get a different brand of plasma?

noney123

06-24-08, 05:25 PM

a) Yeah if you just test the waters for now? why you feel careful with Plasma. You shouldn't have to worry that walmart offering you 90 days for exchange/ or full refund. So You can be experiment and rough with plasma to see what the result. No need to be careful nor paranoid. if this is right one for you or not.

Yeah Farbes, I see your point. But I was hoping to see some improvements(WRT IR) in my set after almost 100 hours of breaking-in. I guess I'm just being impatient :). Well, I have another 60 odd days to decide and I really hope this lives up to my expectations.

NHSheep

06-24-08, 05:33 PM

wait, so you had a panasonic that was a few years older and didnt have this problem but you still begrudginly switched to an LCD? Why not just get it replaced, or get a different brand of plasma?

I was buying this TV for my bedroom, to replace my old Toshiba tube TV (the Panasonic is in my living room). I did not have the need nor the budget to get a different brand plasma. All of the plasmas in a comparable size are more expensive than what I paid for the LCD.

spincut

06-24-08, 05:37 PM

cesslinger

06-24-08, 08:39 PM

I swapped the set ,out and hooked it up to the xbox. I ran the break in dvd and guess what... no dead pixels this time. To add icing to the cake, the new game Alone in the Dark was on the shelf for $29.99 hahahaha. Take that walmart. You ate a tv with one bad pixel and ate $30.00 because someone didn't put a 7 cent sticker where it was supposed to go.

awesomefabulous

06-24-08, 10:10 PM

I was buying this TV for my bedroom, to replace my old Toshiba tube TV (the Panasonic is in my living room). I did not have the need nor the budget to get a different brand plasma. All of the plasmas in a comparable size are more expensive than what I paid for the LCD.

I would have given this another shot personally, to me it just keeps getting better.

I swapped the set ,out and hooked it up to the xbox. I ran the break in dvd and guess what... no dead pixels this time. To add icing to the cake, the new game Alone in the Dark was on the shelf for $29.99 hahahaha. Take that walmart. You ate a tv with one bad pixel and ate $30.00 because someone didn't put a 7 cent sticker where it was supposed to go.

I want AItD HARD. My roommate is bringing his 360 in a week or two so I might pick it up early if it is only $30. Just as cool, I just found out my roommate for the fall bought a PS3.

So night 2: That fake IR I reported is basically gone. black bars for a few minutes dissipate within seconds, played Brawl and Mario Kart and both had no residual images, at best lingering for a few seconds if it took a bit to connect to a new game. (take note that this is referenced during all black loading screens after static menus, after an actual race/battle there is NO ghost). So it seems that there is virtually NO detectable image retainment if static images remain for under 10 mins and are followed by movement (I have no desire to test this with marathon sessions of games with persistent HUDs yet). That basically means that multiplayer games are perfectly fine.

Only issue was that Brawl seems to suffer from an input lag while Kart doesn't. I expect this to go away with 480p.

Should get my DVD player, cables for Wii tomorrow and true HD receiver soon.

spincut

06-24-08, 11:12 PM

awesomefabulous

06-25-08, 12:15 AM

still might want to be careful with the black bars, no company has invented some magic no uneven wear method fr a tv that is run too much like that, and there is no image on said bars to retain even, so as i said be careful.

if you arent, one day you'll be watching and ice hockey game and realize what you did to the tv.....

Oh I know, I have no desire to watch anything with black bars at all. I am just happy it won't flip on when they pop up every now and then.

spincut

06-25-08, 12:20 AM

Oh I know, I have no desire to watch anything with black bars at all. I am just happy it won't flip on when they pop up every now and then.

well it takes a little bit for it to get out of sync, especially i think if it was broken in first, but its not exacting.

noney123

06-25-08, 02:59 PM

well it takes a little bit for it to get out of sync, especially i think if it was broken in first, but its not exacting.

Did you mean "if it was NOT broken in first" ?

EDIT--oh nevermind...i see what you meant :D..it would take a lot longer for it to get out of sync, especially if the set was broken in first.

BlitzK

06-25-08, 06:06 PM

Blue

06-25-08, 06:22 PM

awesomefabulous

06-25-08, 06:54 PM

Hey guys... I put my break-in DVD in a crappy portable player I have and hit play... It shows up 2.39:1. I tried adjusting the "wide" settings on the tv, I can get it to be a smaller box in the middle of the screen but thats it. I can't find a "zoom" setting.

I don't have another dvd player with me right now, but could it be the tv?

What inputs??? You might be able to do it like I did below...

This is actually related to my own personal question. How do I get a DVD player or TV to automatically scale wide screen to fit 16:9??? Only way I see now is to manually change the H. and V. size under the menu (which you can do with HDMI but I am not sure about other input choices). I can not find an option to auto-do this (I assumed this would be part of my DVD player but my only choice is zooming and as for the TV, it does not allow normal "wide/panoramic" choices in a digital stream.

In other news, component with Wii works perfectly smooth. The people with lines may have cable issues or set flaws.

spincut

06-25-08, 08:49 PM

Is this ever going to be sold at Costco, or does Wally have it locked up as an exclusive indefinitely? I would get a discount at Costco, plus it's right by my house which would be nice if I have to return the set based on IR or dead pixels like others have experienced.

Also, is there an LCD in this size or at 37" that performs comparably at a decent price? I am a little concerned about the IR and uneven wear, particularly because I despise the look of stretched 4:3 content, and so would be using side bars about 40% of the time.

well that's why uneven wear sucks so much, it often will happen a bit later than right away (especially if you're using grey bars....although i ahvent been able to definitvely find out if it happening even when somebody uses grey bars is isolated or not).

EscapeVelocity

06-25-08, 10:18 PM

How is everyone liking their Vizio VP322?

CHolleman

06-25-08, 11:50 PM

How is everyone liking their Vizio VP322?

so far so good. a little IR present when the input is turned off and the tv is still on but not at all detectable durring normal tv viewing. i'm one of the few that watches this tv strictly SD only, and i strech the material. i hate side bars.

awesomefabulous

06-26-08, 01:09 AM

I just noticed a small faint purple blotch at the very edge of the top left-hand corner this evening. Am leaving it unplugged from the wall and cable overnight for the hell of it to see if it goes away. I can't imagine it was there before. I am now seeing it on whiter backgrounds and I have been watching this TV intently since I got it. Anyone else see anything like this or know what it is? I thought plasmas didn't magnetize.

Only thing that changed today is I switched to component cables for the Wii and hooked up an HDMI DVD player. Unplugged coax/component because it appears directly in front of where the coax/component goes in on the side.

Jason Bourne

06-26-08, 09:08 AM

How is everyone liking their Vizio VP322?

Great so far. Did 175hrs straight on break-in DVD. Mostly watch sports on it so a bit of IR but nothing the Image Cleaner can't handle.

I'm spoiled since we have two Pioneer 8Gs and the Vizio black level isn't even close. But the Vizio value is unbeatable.

However, I just read Pioneer will have a Kuro 32" LCD on the market in Europe in July. If the black levels live up to the Kuro name and Pio blesses it with their usual video processing magic, I will definitely be toting the VP322 back to Walmart in early September before my 90 days are up.

awesomefabulous

06-26-08, 09:15 AM

Buckeye911

06-26-08, 02:48 PM

Does anyone know anything about this color aberration??? Now that I know it exists it is driving me crazy thinking about it. If I need to exchange it I think I will be going for a 3 strikes policy, and then assume some higher power doesn't want me to have an enjoyable TV.

If it interferes with your viewing pleasure then definitely exchange it. Hopefully the next one will be better.

awesomefabulous

06-26-08, 02:50 PM

If it interferes with your viewing pleasure then definitely exchange it. Hopefully the next one will be better.

yeah, I'm doing that tonight, besides that the TV is a gem.

mr_america_117

06-26-08, 04:46 PM

Alot of people have problems with the component cables hooked up to this TV. Add me to the list of people.

My Xbox 360 is hooked up via component cables to the TV and it's not the component cables, it's the TV. Alot of you have had problems hooking up DVD players, videogame systems and even DVR boxes and whatnot. I too get the bands of lines across the screen.

Something's got to be done. It's got to be the TV, and I don't think we all have faulty sets...do we?

I emailed Vizio today, I'll let you know what they say about it.

And I'm looking into taking pictures of the TV sometime, (I don't know about the "soon" part..)

drum714

06-27-08, 08:15 AM

awesomefabulous

06-27-08, 10:40 AM

The Lines are crazy annoying. I am, as most are, only getting the lines via the component Imput. I might try to go back to RCA cables to see if the issue is only the component imput. I am currently only using a small antena and no cable/satalite, and my Antena picture does not have the annoying lines. So The issue isn't just with the non-digital imputs.

It should be interesting to flesh out what the deal with this is, it seems far too common to attribute to pure luck (perhaps a common manufacturing blunder with the televisions). I'm anxious to know what Vizio says. I am stuck with the purpleish spot until I can get a ride next week to exchange it so in the interest of investigation, can anyone with component lines that can try the cable/device on another TV let us know of your results? Also put the cable and device.

For me:

Nyko component cables with a Wii has no lines. I have no other component devices at the moment

awesomefabulous

06-27-08, 10:43 AM

so far so good. a little IR present when the input is turned off and the tv is still on but not at all detectable durring normal tv viewing. i'm one of the few that watches this tv strictly SD only, and i strech the material. i hate side bars.

Do you watch a lot of news? It sounds odd that you would be getting IR on stretched SD. Right now that is a good 75% of my TVs use and the only time I have seen any remain after the set has been off is with the news ticker.

CHolleman

06-27-08, 12:49 PM

Do you watch a lot of news? It sounds odd that you would be getting IR on stretched SD. Right now that is a good 75% of my TVs use and the only time I have seen any remain after the set has been off is with the news ticker.

it occurs after watching the weather channel mostly. they have a "box" or section of the screen for radar/forecasts and other areas of the screen that are boxed for other information such as the forecasts for major cities at the bottom. it's the outlines of these boxes that i can see, but ONLY when the STB is powered off and the tv is on. other than that, i can't see any other IR during normal viewing. as the tv ages, i've been seeing less and less of it.

mr_america_117

06-27-08, 01:46 PM

OK, Vizio emailed me back wanting to know if the lines are fixed or moving. I'm emailing them back right now telling them that they are fixed

I was planning on sending them a photo, but my digital camera is a piece of crap, and we have no batteries. I tried videotaping it, but it won't show up; I thought I could capture stills off of it and send it to them...

Can anybody else with this problem take a picture of the bands?

This sounds really weird but the bands seem to have start slowly disappearing, they are still there but their more faint than ever...

rtluc

06-28-08, 04:55 AM

I'm moving into the UCSB dorms in September, and I'm planning on getting a television set to play the PS3 my roommate is bringing. Do you guys recommend getting the VP322? It's so friggin' cheap, I kinda want to just get it for home, but I can't afford to get this one to leave at home and still get a smaller one to bring to school. So, what is the effect of long-term (probably 4 hours at a time) gaming on a plasma set?

My other option was the Samsung 26 inch series4 LCD, which is $50 dollars more than the 32inch Vizio plasma set. I really don't know what to do. Going with the LCD = smaller screen size, which is a plus for that room, but what about when I bring it back home? :confused:

And it also sounds unwise to pay $50 dollars more for 6 inches less real estate on the screen. Not to mention that the plasma -should- have a better picture than the Samsung, which comes in at 5000:1 on the cr, but to my understanding, that's pretty decent for a smaller size LCD.

james.92

06-28-08, 07:51 AM

And it also sounds unwise to pay $50 dollars more for 6 inches less real estate on the screen.

They don't teach trig at UCSB anymore?:) 6 inches more diagonally is a lot more area than it sounds.

26 inches seems too small to me if you plan on watching DVDs, etc. unless you plan on viewing from very close up.

Good luck.:)

FARBES

06-28-08, 04:51 PM

Do you guys recommend getting the VP322?

My other option was the Samsung 26 inch series4 LCD, which is $50 dollars more than the 32inch Vizio plasma set. I really don't know what to do.rtluc, If I were you, I would give a try for few days. what if you arent happy with plasma, due IR or burn-in that is really anony you, then take it back to store and exchange for Samsumg LCD. thats simple. Because walmart offering exchange or fully refund for 90 days. its up to you..

good luck with your decisions! ;)

veyladrone

06-28-08, 10:36 PM

Recently bought this TV at my local walmart, wanted to give it a try and liked the price. I had always heard nightmare stories of IR and burn in on plasma, but figured what the hell, give it a try.

Only thing i can complain about is what i wanna ask advice on:
I've read most of this thread, and have seen issues with IR being not all that bad, and 1 or 2 posts of what i'm having a problem with.

if im watching a dark movie (Batman Begins, Dracula, etc.) i bring ANYTHING up (menu, volume, DVD info), or a scene passes by with brighter images for even just a few SECONDS, i'm left with IR that lasts for a good 3-5 minutes.

I've followed all the advice for lowering contrast and brightness. I watch DVDs through my XBOX 360 connected via the VGA input. Only thing i havent done is run a break in DVD: i dont have a DVD player that will play SVCD and my laptop doesnt have a DVD burner.

I only have about 35-40 hours clocked in since purchase. Would you folks suggest i wait until i reach that 100 hour "break in" mark before exchanging it?
Or are my chances slim that breaking it in would help out my "super speedy IR", and should just make the trip into town to exchange it now in hopes i just got a gimpy unit?

Bonzi

06-29-08, 08:09 AM

I'm getting the faint lines too, aww hell I knew this was too good to be true.
*gets out the box*

Here's a picture of them that I sent to Vizio.

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/7432/linesvp322tu2.jpg

Hado

06-29-08, 10:50 AM

Bonzi: I've noticed similar looking lines on my set, but only during very bright scenes or when using the Image Cleaner.

Veyladrone: I too am having the exact same "super speedy" IR issues even after 200+ hours on the set. (Break-in DVD and regular TV viewing). Any menu, be it TV, DVD or even from adjusting volume gives me noticable IR after a mere 1-3 seconds on screen.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, with 200+ hours on my set the IR does go away faster now, but I'm still finding it very distracting as I tend to watch darker movies and TV show and my eyes get drawn to the IR right away. With bright, colorful movies such as Transformers its hard to notice it at all, but anything dark like Battlestar Galactica makes it very, very annoying.

If only a few of us are getting the speedy IR, then maybe we do have faulty sets afterall.

And while I'm on my rant, I'm going to go out and say I'm not too impressed with the black levels. I know, for the price I shouldn't be expecting anything remotely close to Kuro blacks, but still, the greenish gray looking "blacks" bug me.

Veyladrone: What resolution is your Xbox360 set to for VGA output?

I've really tried to like this set, the styling, color and overall PQ are great, but as the days go by I'm just finding more and more things that bother me. Speedy IR, poor black levels, audio has stopped all together on 3 occasions now....

Not really sure what to do.