So I passed on buying one of these at Costco last Friday night and now there are none available in my local area! I went to Costco tonight and they searched in northern Virginia and, according to the guy searching the inventory, no Costco in the area has them in stock.

Has anyone seen these in stock in their local stores? I'd be willing to drive around the DC area to get one! If not, I'll get on the phone tomorrow to try to find one...

Thanks!
DM

Both times it happened I waited quite a while before rebooting and even went through all the hdmi inputs with the remote and still got nothing. I will have to keep an eye on this..........

Just an FYI. I was looking at some video cards on New Egg and a bunch of reviews were complaining of similar problems with their HDMI cards...

Apparently, it's some issue with the video card, not the computer. Go check out the reviews if you want more info...I don't remember which one it is, sorry...

Or, go ask in the HTPC forum here, I'm sure they can help. Good news is that it doesn't sound like your TV.

I don't have a hdmi card, I have a dvi out card. I never had this problem with the monitor I had or the two tv's I have tried, one being a vizio lcd and the other a sammy plasma. It has to be the tv. Thanks for trying to help, I will check into it................

I don't have a hdmi card, I have a dvi out card. I never had this problem with the monitor I had or the two tv's I have tried, one being a vizio lcd and the other a sammy plasma. It has to be the tv. Thanks for trying to help, I will check into it................

Hmm. Sorry...I have a DVI out, but haven't tried it because I: 1) don't have a DVI->HDMI cable...and 2) have used both of the HDMI's on the back already with my PS3 and Cable box and don't want to mess up the pretty by having a cable run up the side of the TV...

Good luck!

After my flickering problems got worse and it started locking up more I just returned mined. Local store didn't have any in stock...drive ~110 miles to get one at the next closest Costco. Just got it hooked up and about to start calibration now.

Jeez what is wrong with these TVs. I was just watching a video on my Popcorn Hour without a problem...looked great...then I switched back to TV to see a VERY blue picture.

I checked my color settings...and somehow they had been reset. So I fixed them all back up but the picture was still very blue. I switched back to the PCH to see how it looked...I saw no problem so I switched back to TV and it looks just fine suddenly!

Jeez what is wrong with these TVs. I was just watching a video on my Popcorn Hour without a problem...looked great...then I switched back to TV to see a VERY blue picture.

I checked my color settings...and somehow they had been reset. So I fixed them all back up but the picture was still very blue. I switched back to the PCH to see how it looked...I saw no problem so I switched back to TV and it looks just fine suddenly!

Each input can be set differently. It sounds like you're just switching to a different input that isn't set up the same as your other input. Or am I reading your question wrong?

Oh wow I didn't know that each input could have different settings...but either way this was on the TV input that I originally set it up, and it's the one that was suddenly VERY blue with messed up color settings that didn't help.

It switched back after I changed inputs again and then went back to the TV input.

Does it allow different Audio settings (bass, treble, SRS) for each input as well? Oh and do all HDMI inputs share settings?

This is kind of a bummer. No more Vizio Plasmas?

From Engadget:

"We've certainly seen mixed reviews for VIZIO plasmas, but it seems that those very reviews will be the last of their breed. According to the New York Times, VIZIO co-founder Laynie Newsome has confirmed that its existing PDPs will be the last the company sells. Looking back, you'll notice that only LCDs were introduced by the outfit at CES, and while Pioneer may or may not completely abandon its TV initiatives, Americans can now definitively count on just three major players to provide for their plasma desires: LG, Samsung and Panasonic. Newsome stated that the decision was made for a number of reasons. First, PDP sets simply "don't show as well in big box stores," and VIZIO wanted to "devote all of its available shelf space to the technology that moves off the shelves fastest." We're a tad torn as to whether we should weep here, but regardless, a fond farewell is in order."

I really wanted to jump on the V505xvt but in my case the power consumption could have been a problem as I currently live in an older apartment with 15amp wiring. (which sucks btw)

I was hoping that like other brands Vizio would come out this year with a lower power consuming model equivalent to this set.

i have my heart set on this tv. i drove 150 miles to get one the other day to only find it sold out. i will not be able to get back down there for two weeks. i hope this does nto affetc costco's immediete supply

This is kind of a bummer. No more Vizio Plasmas?

From Engadget:

"We've certainly seen mixed reviews for VIZIO plasmas, but it seems that those very reviews will be the last of their breed. According to the New York Times, VIZIO co-founder Laynie Newsome has confirmed that its existing PDPs will be the last the company sells. Looking back, you'll notice that only LCDs were introduced by the outfit at CES, and while Pioneer may or may not completely abandon its TV initiatives, Americans can now definitively count on just three major players to provide for their plasma desires: LG, Samsung and Panasonic. Newsome stated that the decision was made for a number of reasons. First, PDP sets simply "don't show as well in big box stores," and VIZIO wanted to "devote all of its available shelf space to the technology that moves off the shelves fastest." We're a tad torn as to whether we should weep here, but regardless, a fond farewell is in order."

I really wanted to jump on the V505xvt but in my case the power consumption could have been a problem as I currently live in an older apartment with 15amp wiring. (which sucks btw)

I was hoping that like other brands Vizio would come out this year with a lower power consuming model equivalent to this set.

Why would 15 amp wiring be a problem? That is what most homes have.

Why would 15 amp wiring be a problem? That is what most homes have.

I should clarify and I may be ignorant here so please excuse me in advance :)

I believe most newer apartments / homes I've lived in within the US have had 20amp circuits @ 120v and enough of them to cover most modern appliances in the residence. I may be mistaken though and maybe I just need more 15amp circuits to cover my needs.

My current 2 bedroom apartment from the 1920's era has 4 15amp circuits (old fuse box style with cloth wrapped lines) to cover the entire apartment including the kitchen which is a problem when trying to run anything that requires decent wattage. (at least with the way they have the outlets spread across the separate circuits in my situation) Like, oh silly me, I left the lamp on while using the microwave - fuse blown - sucks:(.

Anyway, with 1 circuit in the living room giving me about 1,440 watts to play with (80% load on 15amp circuit/120v) I have to subtract ~450 - 500 watts just for the Vizio alone and then there's my surround system, pc and lighting etc..

Doable I guess but damn that's tight. Need more power or at least a good electrician :o

Others may have already figured this out, but I thought I'd pass it along to those who haven't.

When I originally hooked up my Comcast HD DVR cable box to the Vizio via HDMI, HD content looked great, but the SD content looked about the same as before. All of the aspect ratios and HQV image filters were grayed out, which I think also means that HQV was not processing the image and treating it like an HD source even though it obviously was not.

Today I went in to the the cable box's system menu (with the box turned off you just push the menu button on the front of the box to enter the menu). In the menu there is option to control 4:3 override. You can set the override to 480i, 480p, Stretch, or off(blank). By turning the override to 480i, on SD content, the cable box will do the least amount of video processing it can. After setting the override to 480i push the power button on the cable box to apply the changes and power down the box. (It will also work if you set it to 480p, but the cable box seemed to introduce more artifacts by processing the data)

Now turn the cable box back on and wah laa now on SD channels the aspect ratio can be tweaked and the HQV filters are enabled. I recommend setting the NR Temporal to Medium and NR Mpeg to Low (found in Advanced Video). My SD picture quality was significantly improved. I think by having the cable box send an unprocessed 480i signal, HQV is engaged resulting in the improved PQ. Note that you will need to readjust the Brightness, Contrast etc... as they are reset to the default the first time the HQV is enabled on the SD content (you only have to do this once); however, color temp settings are retained from your settings for HD channels.

There are two minor quirks with the set-up. First, there will be a 3 or 4 second blackout when you switch between an HD channel and SD Channel because the cable box stops sending a signal for a second when it engages the override. Secondly, there was initially a small green band going down the right side of the SD picture when the 4:3 480i override was engaged. I remedied this by turning on overscan to Low, which zooms in about a half an inch off of all sides of the picture. I think the green bar is created because the cable box displays the guide and on screen menu in 480p even though channel is sent in 480i (green band doesn't show up with 480p 4:3 override, but then you get those artifacts mentioned earlier). At any rate the Low overscan fixed the problem and I was using it anyway b/c comcast does a piss poor job sending channels without a little static at the top of the frame on several channels.

Sorry for the longest post in AVS history, but my PQ improved so much I had to pass this along. I know this works for comcast, good luck to you non comcast customers.

If you haven't gotten one yet, you had better get one ASAP (http://www.dailytech.com/Vizio+to+End+Plasma+TV+Production/article14240.htm):

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6636950.html

Tough times.

So what ever comes first, warranty or tv, I guess its time for an LCD. ;)

Regarding the news of Vizio bailing out of the Plasma scene.....
Should we be concerned about parts in the future? Wonder how many common components are used with the LCD's?

Update,
I called up the "Costco Conceirge" for technial support from work, the tech had an idea but he said I have to be in front of the TV. OK, I go home and call them up only for the tech person to tell me to reset to factory settings. Did that and then I said now what? He puts me on hold and sure enough the problem happened while he had me on hold. He finally got back on and told me he had authorization to call the manufacturer. I told him I am returning the TV.

When I do lose video, it does happen within the first 10-15 minutes, after that it is OK. I would love to get this TV again but Costco by me does not have it in.


After finally having time, my brother in law came over with his PS3 and we hooked it up via HDMI and component bypassing the video switcher and no drop outs what so ever. So it appears to be the video switcher as I thought.

Bottom line, even though Vizio is getting out of the market. I will be keeping this TV. I am happy for what it does. To me things look great and is a vast improvment over my sony 27" tube tv.


Looked at LCD's this past weekend, imo opinion Plasma is better.

What manufacturer & model of HD DVR box are you using ?




Others may have already figured this out, but I thought I'd pass it along to those who haven't.

When I originally hooked up my Comcast HD DVR cable box to the Vizio via HDMI, HD content looked great, but the SD content looked about the same as before. All of the aspect ratios and HQV image filters were grayed out, which I think also means that HQV was not processing the image and treating it like an HD source even though it obviously was not.

Today I went in to the the cable box's system menu (with the box turned off you just push the menu button on the front of the box to enter the menu). In the menu there is option to control 4:3 override. You can set the override to 480i, 480p, Stretch, or off(blank). By turning the override to 480i, on SD content, the cable box will do the least amount of video processing it can. After setting the override to 480i push the power button on the cable box to apply the changes and power down the box. (It will also work if you set it to 480p, but the cable box seemed to introduce more artifacts by processing the data)

Now turn the cable box back on and wah laa now on SD channels the aspect ratio can be tweaked and the HQV filters are enabled. I recommend setting the NR Temporal to Medium and NR Mpeg to Low (found in Advanced Video). My SD picture quality was significantly improved. I think by having the cable box send an unprocessed 480i signal, HQV is engaged resulting in the improved PQ. Note that you will need to readjust the Brightness, Contrast etc... as they are reset to the default the first time the HQV is enabled on the SD content (you only have to do this once); however, color temp settings are retained from your settings for HD channels.

There are two minor quirks with the set-up. First, there will be a 3 or 4 second blackout when you switch between an HD channel and SD Channel because the cable box stops sending a signal for a second when it engages the override. Secondly, there was initially a small green band going down the right side of the SD picture when the 4:3 480i override was engaged. I remedied this by turning on overscan to Low, which zooms in about a half an inch off of all sides of the picture. I think the green bar is created because the cable box displays the guide and on screen menu in 480p even though channel is sent in 480i (green band doesn't show up with 480p 4:3 override, but then you get those artifacts mentioned earlier). At any rate the Low overscan fixed the problem and I was using it anyway b/c comcast does a piss poor job sending channels without a little static at the top of the frame on several channels.

Sorry for the longest post in AVS history, but my PQ improved so much I had to pass this along. I know this works for comcast, good luck to you non comcast customers.

Update,

When I do lose video, it does happen within the first 10-15 minutes, after that it is OK. I would love to get this TV again but Costco by me does not have it in.

That's EXACTLY why I returned mine!!!!! It had even gotten to the point where it was irritating the kids, and i had to answer questions from the wife - like I need more questions.

That's EXACTLY why I returned mine!!!!! It had even gotten to the point where it was irritating the kids, and i had to answer questions from the wife - like I need more questions.

The problem could potentially be a timing issue where the TV fails to acknowledge to a particular HDCP equipped box (i.e. Blu-Ray player, PS3, Set Top Box, etc) within the required window of time that it is safe to show HD content.

If so, it should be easy to fix since it would only require a firmware update. Popular Mechanics (http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/technology_news/4212508.html) found a similar problem with a PS3 and a Westinghouse HDTV a couple of years ago.

We're no longer in the analog world where you're simply transmitting the audio-video signal. Thanks to HDMI (which by spec supports HDCP), every component in your home theater that supports HDCP is REQUIRED to re-authenticate ever few milliseconds that it is on a secure connection (and therefore safe to show HD content). When the timing is off by a little bit, either the TV or the source of said content is required to blank out the display.

That's EXACTLY why I returned mine!!!!! It had even gotten to the point where it was irritating the kids, and i had to answer questions from the wife - like I need more questions.


My problem was the video switcher not the TV. Problems are resolved. :)

Good to hear it was *not* the tv. BTW, what kind of switch is it? So I'm guessing you have most of the devices hooked directly to the tv (or receiver, if any).

I returned mine and got a new one...I still haven't had a single issue with video dropping out with the new one.

My local Costco (I'm in the 91754) had about 10 in stock. At least 2 other customers followed me in with flatbed carts, so now there's just 7.

I'm now putting my new TV through burn-in "just 'cuz."

I noticed the TweakTV and UltimateAVMag recommended settings are close, but are somewhat different from the CNET settings. I went with the CNET settings for now, but I'm curious what settings most of you ended up using.

Issai:

I don't know what my settings are since I'm at work and can let you know what I have when I get back. In the meantime, might I recommend the following calibration bluray that Cnet, TweakTV, etc use-- its called Digital Video Essentials - HD Basics =>

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Video-Essentials-Basics-Blu-ray/dp/B000V6LST0/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1234876305&sr=8-1

Amazon has it cheaper than BestBuy so if you're willing to order online and wait a day or two, definitely get this bluray.

well, im getting my 505 on saurday >>>>>yes :):):):). i had my hear set on a kuro but just cant see it being worth twice the money of this set. the place im getting it from said i could return it in 90days and worst comes to worst i will get a kuro then. but i fully expect to be happy with the vizio...saturday cant get here fast enough

What manufacturer & model of HD DVR box are you using ?


Model is Motorola DHC3416, but it worked on my old motorola box before I replaced it with the newer model

My local Costco (I'm in the 91754) had about 10 in stock. At least 2 other customers followed me in with flatbed carts, so now there's just 7.

I'm now putting my new TV through burn-in "just 'cuz."

I noticed the TweakTV and UltimateAVMag recommended settings are close, but are somewhat different from the CNET settings. I went with the CNET settings for now, but I'm curious what settings most of you ended up using.

I went with the UltimateAVMag Settings, the CNET ones didn't appear right for me at all... but like the previous poster said get DVE it's great.

i've been lerking here since november 08... thanx to everyone who commented about this tv... i purchased it between 3 & 4 weeks ago and i love it :D

i started with the CNET settings but they just didn't look good... so i switched to the UltimateAVMag settings and it loox superb :D i will eventually get the DVE but just haven't yet...

this TV makes DVD's look amazing (the island DVD is eye popping)... i only have 2 blu-ray's and they look amazing... and mirror's edge on the PS3 looks sooo beautiful :D

I returned mine and got a new one...I still haven't had a single issue with video dropping out with the new one.

I am also in the unlucky group that this video drop-out is happening to. It seems that this issue should and could be an easy fix or an easily diagnosed (by now) since it is becoming a somewhat common problem. I keep holding out, hoping that someone has solved this problem and shares the info somewhere on the internet--before I have to take it off the wall, re-box, and lug this thing back for an exchange. The dropouts happen sporadically from as little as 3 times a day to a dozen or so. They never seem threatening, just very annoying. The set up (to a TivoXL HD, with a multistream cablecard and to a PS3 via HDMI) isn't the problem, since my Tivo is getting the info even when the video & audio drop out. I rewind to see what I miss during these 10-20 second blackouts.(Tech help @ Vizio hasn't given me any clear answers on this matter and has few ideas).

Anyway, the picture is great and I love this set, but I fear I'll have to haul it back to where it came from and try another. Before I do, does anyone out there have any further knowledge, ideas, experiences on this phenomenon?? (And for any of you who have exchanged it for a new 505XVT, how is it going so far??) All help is greatly appreciated!:)

(And for any of you who have exchanged it for a new 505XVT, how is it going so far??) All help is greatly appreciated!:)


This is a critical question for which I have been waiting an answer!

Have you contacted Vizio (or the Costco concierge if purchased from Costco) on the video dropouts?

Also, have you tried isolating the issue? Using a different HDMI/component cable? Plugging the device directly into the TV instead of a receiver if any?

I contacted both and they were both a waste of time. I don't want to go through the trouble of exchanging the TV and have the same problem. I would like to know if one of the folks here who has exchanged the TV has had their issues solved.

I bought my 505XVT last weekend, and have been loving it. I guess I need to take a look at the menu on my Dish HD receiver and adjust the settings so as to let the HQV chip do the upscaling.

That said, the one problem i'm having with the TV is that some SD channels, or HD channels which are showing SD content, have a line across the top. I can crop it out if I zoom in with my dish formatting, but that isn't really a solution, as I don't fancy watching distorted content.

Is this a problem with my individual 505, or is this a problem others are having, too? I know it is not the cable box, as it didn't appear on the Polaroid LCD I had hooked up prior to purchasing the 505. Will adjusting the settings on my dish box to let the TV do the upscaling get rid of this? Or do I need to return the TV to costco and swap it out for another?

Other than this one issue, the TV has been fantastic, and I am very pleased.

FYI, if any of you have Direct TV you should go into the options on your DTV Box and goto HDTV and set Native to On, and check all the resolutions... what this will do is let the TV and its superior HQV scaler do all the scaling, instead of the DTV box...
Does anybody know how to do this on the Dish HD receiver?

I bought my 505XVT last weekend, and have been loving it. I guess I need to take a look at the menu on my Dish HD receiver and adjust the settings so as to let the HQV chip do the upscaling.

That said, the one problem i'm having with the TV is that some SD channels, or HD channels which are showing SD content, have a line across the top. I can crop it out if I zoom in with my dish formatting, but that isn't really a solution, as I don't fancy watching distorted content.

Is this a problem with my individual 505, or is this a problem others are having, too? I know it is not the cable box, as it didn't appear on the Polaroid LCD I had hooked up prior to purchasing the 505. Will adjusting the settings on my dish box to let the TV do the upscaling get rid of this? Or do I need to return the TV to costco and swap it out for another?

Other than this one issue, the TV has been fantastic, and I am very pleased.
That's just the information from the program feed. Go to menu on your 505 remote go to second menu "screen adjust" go down to overscan click ,low that should clear it up if not go back and highlight medium

If anyone in the northern Virginia area is still looking for this TV, I saw two of them (one boxed, one floor model) in the Fairfax Costco on West Ox Road on Saturday.

non are availible in sc, nc or ga...i have been chasing one all weekend...looks like i will be getting a panny as a second choice

All Chicago area Costco stores are left with floor models only and they do not expect new ones any more since the model is discontinued. Unfortunately they do not plan to discount those since they have an option to return unsold units to the manufacturer.

Still I am seriously considering buying a floor model at full cost. There maybe even some advantages in doing it this way, e.g. the unit is likely to be broken in so I probably would not have to worry about IR common during the first hours of use. Also, I should be able to verify that the unit works properly right there in the store so hopefully I would not have to deal with returns and exchanges had I bought brand new but defective unit.

What are the known issues I should check against? How do I look for dead pixels and such?

Thank you in advance

Their was one left at the costco in Myrtle Beach, SC today

really? i called yesterday and they said no..i will call them in the morning thanks

really? i called yesterday and they said no..i will call them in the morning thanks

yeah, ask them to physically look and see if it is there. Better yet, ask for someone in the electronics department. If it is still there, and you ask really nicely, they may put it aside for you!

One of the worst things about this television is the lack of input, participation, experimentation, and obsessiveness about this television from its owners and members here. I suspect that's due to the low numbers of televisions actually sold of this model. Which I truly don't understand in the first place........................

One of the worst things about this television is the lack of input, participation, experimentation, and obsessiveness about this television from its owners and members here. I suspect that's due to the low numbers of televisions actually sold of this model. Which I truly don't understand in the first place........................

Whoa:eek: Take a deep breath..... you seem upset! What is it you need to know? Here is my input...I replaced my 504f for a 505xvt due to what I thought was an excessive noise/temporal dithering issue. When I owned the 504f model I noticed a lot of noise. When I looked up close I noticed excessive pixelation/sparkling of red green pixels. Yes, I know that when you look at a plasma up close you will see some crazy noise/pixelation, however what I noticed in comparison with other models of plasmas seemed unusual. It hard to explain, especially for a novice like myself, but what I was seeing just didn't seem right! Anyways I called Costco Concierge, who got me in touch with Vizio directly. I explained my issue with vizio and they told me to send them pictures. I Did! They called me back and said that there was a problem, and I could either return it or setup for a repair. I decided to return it because my 90 days was almost up, and I didn't want to take the chance. When I went to return it all they had was the 505xvt, so that is what I ended up with. I was excited at first, because I thought since it was a new model my issues would be solved. Alas, it wasn't. Even with the 505xvt I noticed the exact same type of noise. So, I did the whole Costco Concierge/Contact Vizio thing again. At this point I would like to point out that the Costco Concierge service and Vizio Customer service are EXCELLENT. Long story short, I eventually started going back and forth with a gentlemen at Vizio who was in contact with engineers directly. But it was eventually found out to be an inherent technology/flaw of the Panasonic glass that they use. Also, when I was speaking with Vizio customer service, I asked if they where having other issues that the 505xvt such as hdmi drop outs. The gentlemen proudly stated that compared previous models, they haven't really had any issues. I have not had any issues with Hdmi Dropouts/issues. However,if you are having issues I suggest you give Vizio a call and try to get an advanced technician on the phone to see if they can help! They were very courteous and helpful with me. All in all, I am really happy with the Vizio 505xvt. Yes, there is what I feel to be excessive noise issues, but may be that's just me! I have friends that come over and say that the picture is so clear they feel like their looking through a window. Honestly, I think I am a little OCD and I notice things that I shouldn't, such as the Little black speck embedded in the panel glass in the upper right hand corner, or excessive noise (which my wife says I am crazy for noticing). I admit it's definetly not a Pioneer (sigh), but for the price it sure is a nice looking set, and you know what? The picture isn't that bad either!

Anyways thats my obsessive input......

"obsessiveness" You said it....on the other side of things, it simply amazes me that some can be so into TV....maybe the folks here have lives that go beyond sitting in a dark room analyzing things to death. Maybe they're actually out there living in on the "Planet Earth" instead of watching it with a pint of ice cream adding to the diabetes crisis in this country. Life is funny it seems like the only time we chat about something is when there is a problem....maybe most have no issues and are just enjoying the new experience of HDTV;)

i guess i'm part of the problem as well... i have had no problems at all with my tv... once i used settings that i was happy with my TV looks stellar... i have not had any issues with HDMI dropouts or any pixel issues...
the only inputs i use on the TV are the RF TV input and HDMI1... i also use the optical out for sound from the TV... everything else goes thru my onkyo ht-s7100

bottom line... i am very very happy with my TV... i think i made a wise choice in buying this TV and am sad that vizio will not be making plasmas anymore

Yes, I think the lack of participation is because there really aren't many problems for the majority of us. I was an early adopter of the original vizio P50DHM as well and that had multiple posts daily complaining of buzz, fan noise, IR, access to service menus. This tv has hardly any posts and I think its because Vizio just got it right this time.

My only concern is that with my 90 day return window closing whether it makes sense to stay with this tv since Vizio no longer produces plasma and I expect support, replacement parts or firmware upgrades to be nonexistent in the future. The only other plasma I might consider would be a Pioneer but they will not be producing plasmas either. So for now I think its best to keep the set and hope nothing fails in the future like the pop of death.

Yes, I think the lack of participation is because there really aren't many problems for the majority of us. I was an early adopter of the original vizio P50DHM as well and that had multiple posts daily complaining of buzz, fan noise, IR, access to service menus. This tv has hardly any posts and I think its because Vizio just got it right this time.

My only concern is that with my 90 day return window closing whether it makes sense to stay with this tv since Vizio no longer produces plasma and I expect support, replacement parts or firmware upgrades to be nonexistent in the future. The only other plasma I might consider would be a Pioneer but they will not be producing plasmas either. So for now I think its best to keep the set and hope nothing fails in the future like the pop of death.

Vizio replacement parts are always non-existent and they've never issued firmware updates, so I don't think Vizio's decision to stop making plasmas should affect your decision.

The Pioneer will be a significantly better set but if you're happy with the Vizio I'd keep it.

The reason I am worried about Vizio and Pioneer's decision to stop making plasmas is what do I replace this tv with if it breaks in the future. I prefer this over the Panasonic and Samsung plasmas. Haven't seen the Pioneer to compare but a review said the vizio picture was 80 percent of the Pioneer so I think I would like the Pioneer better.

Well, I guess the next generation plasmas will improve so its not a big deal. This next gen Vizio is so much better than my original P50HDM which I was happy with before it died. Maybe ignorance is bliss since I'm extremely happy with this tv. I'll keep this one and try to avoid looking at a Pioneer!

Whoa:eek: Take a deep breath..... you seem upset! What is it you need to know? Here is my input...I replaced my 504f for a 505xvt due to what I thought was an excessive noise/temporal dithering issue. When I owned the 504f model I noticed a lot of noise. When I looked up close I noticed excessive pixelation/sparkling of red green pixels. Yes, I know that when you look at a plasma up close you will see some crazy noise/pixelation, however what I noticed in comparison with other models of plasmas seemed unusual. It hard to explain, especially for a novice like myself, but what I was seeing just didn't seem right! Anyways I called Costco Concierge, who got me in touch with Vizio directly. I explained my issue with vizio and they told me to send them pictures. I Did! They called me back and said that there was a problem, and I could either return it or setup for a repair. I decided to return it because my 90 days was almost up, and I didn't want to take the chance. When I went to return it all they had was the 505xvt, so that is what I ended up with. I was excited at first, because I thought since it was a new model my issues would be solved. Alas, it wasn't. Even with the 505xvt I noticed the exact same type of noise. So, I did the whole Costco Concierge/Contact Vizio thing again. At this point I would like to point out that the Costco Concierge service and Vizio Customer service are EXCELLENT. Long story short, I eventually started going back and forth with a gentlemen at Vizio who was in contact with engineers directly. But it was eventually found out to be an inherent technology/flaw of the Panasonic glass that they use. Also, when I was speaking with Vizio customer service, I asked if they where having other issues that the 505xvt such as hdmi drop outs. The gentlemen proudly stated that compared previous models, they haven't really had any issues. I have not had any issues with Hdmi Dropouts/issues. However,if you are having issues I suggest you give Vizio a call and try to get an advanced technician on the phone to see if they can help! They were very courteous and helpful with me. All in all, I am really happy with the Vizio 505xvt. Yes, there is what I feel to be excessive noise issues, but may be that's just me! I have friends that come over and say that the picture is so clear they feel like their looking through a window. Honestly, I think I am a little OCD and I notice things that I shouldn't, such as the Little black speck embedded in the panel glass in the upper right hand corner, or excessive noise (which my wife says I am crazy for noticing). I admit it's definetly not a Pioneer (sigh), but for the price it sure is a nice looking set, and you know what? The picture isn't that bad either!

Anyways thats my obsessive input......

I'm glad there's someone else who is as crazy as I am regarding noticing noise from this set. Many post earlier, I had described my experience with the 505 which I still have and I guess it's a transition from HD CRT to plasma.

The noise is excessive up close and I still see it from 8 ft away on bluray. I have spent many hours calibrating it with i1 and HFCR and have gotten it extremely close to D6500 with a delta of less than 2 from 30 IRE to 80IRE.
Color decoder is pretty decent.

The set looks much better calibrated. However, here is something I can't get over - I have a friend with an old panny 42PX60 (720p) and the black level, crispness (sharpness - no enhancement) and deep color just blows the 505 away. I can't believe it but the black level is in the same class as the Kuro. The demo was with Celine Dion live concert bluray.

When this panny is off, the panel appears black whereas the 505 is still dark greenish. I guess panny has gotten cheap and used a different panel for the newer sets pz800, 850.

Back to the noise issue, I have decided to live with it since the Kuro is almost twice the cost of the 505. With the new 551 LED LCD, I think it will probably take a few tries to iron out some of the new bugs.

http://www.hdtvsolutions.com/VIZIO_VP505XVT_Plasma_HDTV_Review.htm

Great review on it! check it out

I watched about 4 hours of Tennis Channel HD about 4 nights ago, and afterwards when I used the "Image Cleaner" for about 15 minutes, I can faintly see the "Tennis HD" logo IR'ed into the screen. The TV has been used on and off since.

About 5 minutes ago, I turned it on for the first time today and brought up the "Image Cleaner" again. The "Tennis HD" logo is still there!!

I don't think we've even used it for 100 hours yet. Is this normal? Is my unit toast? As much as I enjoy watching a lot of HD Tennis, how can I make the "Tennis HD" logo go away?

I watched about 4 hours of Tennis Channel HD about 4 nights ago, and afterwards when I used the "Image Cleaner" for about 15 minutes, I can faintly see the "Tennis HD" logo IR'ed into the screen. The TV has been used on and off since.

About 5 minutes ago, I turned it on for the first time today and brought up the "Image Cleaner" again. The "Tennis HD" logo is still there!!

I don't think we've even used it for 100 hours yet. Is this normal? Is my unit toast? As much as I enjoy watching a lot of HD Tennis, how can I make the "Tennis HD" logo go away?


Don't worry this is perfectly normal, it will go away over time with normal TV viewing. If you want you can run the image cleaner when you go to bed. It will run for about an hour and then turn the TV off automatically. Actually, running the image cleaner for only 15 minutes won't do much. leaving the TV off doesn't help to remove the information/logo from the screen either. Also the IR will get much better after your TV breaks in more. The best thing you can do is to just watch your TV (preferably full screen)

I'm glad there's someone else who is as crazy as I am regarding noticing noise from this set. Many post earlier, I had described my experience with the 505 which I still have and I guess it's a transition from HD CRT to plasma.

The noise is excessive up close and I still see it from 8 ft away on bluray. I have spent many hours calibrating it with i1 and HFCR and have gotten it extremely close to D6500 with a delta of less than 2 from 30 IRE to 80IRE.
Color decoder is pretty decent.

The set looks much better calibrated. However, here is something I can't get over - I have a friend with an old panny 42PX60 (720p) and the black level, crispness (sharpness - no enhancement) and deep color just blows the 505 away. I can't believe it but the black level is in the same class as the Kuro. The demo was with Celine Dion live concert bluray.

When this panny is off, the panel appears black whereas the 505 is still dark greenish. I guess panny has gotten cheap and used a different panel for the newer sets pz800, 850.

Back to the noise issue, I have decided to live with it since the Kuro is almost twice the cost of the 505. With the new 551 LED LCD, I think it will probably take a few tries to iron out some of the new bugs.

I too am noticing a lot of noise up close, like more than I feel there should be, but when i sit back on my couch I can't notice it at all. I have had my set for about 6 weeks... I am new to plasma so I plan on going to take a look at other plasma's close up to see if they have more or less the same amount of noise I have.

Don't worry this is perfectly normal, it will go away over time with normal TV viewing. If you want you can run the image cleaner when you go to bed. It will run for about an hour and then turn the TV off automatically. Actually, running the image cleaner for only 15 minutes won't do much. leaving the TV off doesn't help to remove the information/logo from the screen either. Also the IR will get much better after your TV breaks in more. The best thing you can do is to just watch your TV (preferably full screen)

Cool, thanks for the assurance.

I contacted both and they were both a waste of time. I don't want to go through the trouble of exchanging the TV and have the same problem. I would like to know if one of the folks here who has exchanged the TV has had their issues solved.
I have owned the 505 about 60 days, was having the input dropping issue several have mentioned. Contacted Vizio support directly and they diagnosed that the main board needed to be replaced (board with hdmi/component inputs) . I had purchased the floor model at a discount so did not want to return it and pay the higher price for a new one.

Tech replaced the main board a week ago with a new (not re-manufactured) board and it seems to have resolved the issue. If it starts happening again I will haul it back to Costco. If I had purchased at the full price I probably would have exchanged it but if you are interested in going this route it does seem to fix the problem.

Love the picture on this set by the way, using the avmag settings with a few tweaks.

Hello,

I've been a lurker for a while, and this is my first official post. I've spent hours reading the great stuff at this site! The VP505XVT is my first plasma (from Costco), and I have owned it about 3 weeks now. Overall, it's very nice but I have a few minor issues.

1. Using my Comcast remote (or the Vizio remote for cable box purposes) the volume randomly changes +/- 5. Generally changing channels or accessing the "guide." This may be a Comcast box issue - something is falsely triggering the volume input on the Vizio. If I hit mute/unmute between manually changing the volume, it goes away. But returns immediately upon changing the volume. A minor pain. Anyone else have a similar issue?

2. Noticeable buzz within one foot of TV when room is quite. Is this normal for a plasma? It's not really an issue watching at even low volume, but it appears to get slightly louder if the TV is one for a long time.

3. Slightly gray whites, pinkish flesh tones. I'm using the UltimateAVMag settings, but the colors still look a bit off. Perhaps this is simply because I'm used to LCDs, but should probably pick up that calibration DVD everyone speaks of.


-Irastus

Hello,

I've been a lurker for a while, and this is my first official post. I've spent hours reading the great stuff at this site! The VP505XVT is my first plasma (from Costco), and I have owned it about 3 weeks now. Overall, it's very nice but I have a few minor issues.

1. Using my Comcast remote (or the Vizio remote for cable box purposes) the volume randomly changes +/- 5. Generally changing channels or accessing the "guide." This may be a Comcast box issue - something is falsely triggering the volume input on the Vizio. If I hit mute/unmute between manually changing the volume, it goes away. But returns immediately upon changing the volume. A minor pain. Anyone else have a similar issue?

2. Noticeable buzz within one foot of TV when room is quite. Is this normal for a plasma? It's not really an issue watching at even low volume, but it appears to get slightly louder if the TV is one for a long time.

3. Slightly gray whites, pinkish flesh tones. I'm using the UltimateAVMag settings, but the colors still look a bit off. Perhaps this is simply because I'm used to LCDs, but should probably pick up that calibration DVD everyone speaks of.


-Irastus

1. I don't have Comacast so I cant comment.
2. I think Plasmas buzz, at least Vizios do. Mine buzzes louder than yours it seems since I can hear it 10 ft away at low volumes. Usually is louder with bright screens but I got used to it. Previous Vizio plasma did the same thing.
3. Don't see this issue. I used the same settings and the picture is great.

I also used UltimateAVMag's settings, and even after I calibrated my set they were ever so slightly different from UltimateAVMag's. They deffinately have the best settings sans calibrating it yourself.

well i thought i had the drop out issues last night... turned out to be a faulty hdmi cable (i was rearranging stuff and must have pulled on it too hard or something)
so lesson learned... unplug all cables when moving stuff...
good thing my tv is still great :D

1. Using my Comcast remote (or the Vizio remote for cable box purposes) the volume randomly changes +/- 5. Generally changing channels or accessing the "guide." This may be a Comcast box issue - something is falsely triggering the volume input on the Vizio. If I hit mute/unmute between manually changing the volume, it goes away. But returns immediately upon changing the volume. A minor pain. Anyone else have a similar issue?
I've had the same problem with my Dish Network remote, but it is only a +/- of 3, so i've just learned to deal with it.

Has anyone experience clicking noises from the 505 when it is in use? Like the creaking expansion of the plastic casing? Will this go away?

what kind of clicking noises?
when my 505 and my onkyo ht-s7100 do hdmi handshaking there is a "clicking" noise that occurs as it changes resolutions or whatever... i believe this clicking noise is from the 7100, but not sure... it does it 1-3 times and then it is done until i change the input

Has anyone noticed some vertical banding / striping on their units, when the screen is of one color?

I notice what you call "vertical banding", when the image cleaner is on. But never any other time. When I first got the TV, I watched a lot of SD tv, so I ended up with the Bars on the side of the picture. SSince then I have run the image cleaner numerous times and have been watching a lot of HD tv and the bars are just about gone. This TV has gotten better as it has gotten used more. I don't hear any buzzing. I do notice the volume bar comes up sometimes, even though I don't use the I turned the speakers off on the TV. 2 months ago I switched from Time Warner cable to ATT Uverse because TW HD channels only worked half of the time. What a big mistake. AT&Ts picture is horrible. I don't know how to explain it, but it looks like the picture is constantly moving and it really sucks. My parents have a Sony LCD, and I don't like watching it all compared to mine.

I have a question for you guys though, Is the HQV processor always on? I see were there are a lot of controls automatically turned off in the menu.

what kind of clicking noises?
when my 505 and my onkyo ht-s7100 do hdmi handshaking there is a "clicking" noise that occurs as it changes resolutions or whatever... i believe this clicking noise is from the 7100, but not sure... it does it 1-3 times and then it is done until i change the input
It is more like creaking than clicking, i suppose. And there is no definable pattern to the creaking.

Hmmm, I don't think I've heard the creaking or clicking that is described. I'll do some tests tonight. Maybe I did hear it early on during my initial 100-hr break in period but I'm almost positive there was no creaking.

I notice what you call "vertical banding", when the image cleaner is on. But never any other time. When I first got the TV, I watched a lot of SD tv, so I ended up with the Bars on the side of the picture. SSince then I have run the image cleaner numerous times and have been watching a lot of HD tv and the bars are just about gone. This TV has gotten better as it has gotten used more. I don't hear any buzzing. I do notice the volume bar comes up sometimes, even though I don't use the I turned the speakers off on the TV. 2 months ago I switched from Time Warner cable to ATT Uverse because TW HD channels only worked half of the time. What a big mistake. AT&Ts picture is horrible. I don't know how to explain it, but it looks like the picture is constantly moving and it really sucks. My parents have a Sony LCD, and I don't like watching it all compared to mine.

I have a question for you guys though, Is the HQV processor always on? I see were there are a lot of controls automatically turned off in the menu.

I'm not positive but I'm guessing it is on all the time. I think its only really used though when the incoming source/signal is less than 720p. I'll see if I can find the answer when I try some tests tonight.

Have had my VP505XVT since Jan 9th. Being my first plasma, I was caught off guard by the burn in images after playing PS3 or even after having watch ESPN HD or any channel for that matter with a fixed word in the lower right hand corner. Image cleaner does the trick and I definitely don't notice it as much as when I first started utilizing it. Haven't had any issues with it so far. Picture looks great. Haven't had it professionally calibrated but use a few different websites suggestions when watching movies etc. Very happy with it so far. My friend recently purchased a 46 1080P 120 hz Samsung with auto motion. Even though the auto motion on high levels gives it that 3D look it is very choppy and juddery. When its off I guess its the most comparable to a plasma and I prefer the VP505XVT look MUCH more than their 2,000.00 Samsung. Much sharper and crisp in my opinion with absolutely no judder. All in all, very happy.

Two questions:

One, if I had somebody professionally calibrate my TV would it be any different from the websites (CNET, TWEAK MY TV, AVS, HD Solutions) that have their preferences? I understand that it all has to do with the room settings but would it make that much more of a difference?

One thing that is bugging me with the VP505XVT is when watching cable (sports, movies, etc) I see a reflection of the image when standing to the side. For example, if watching an NBA game on ESPN HD, and I move two feet to the right or two feet to the left, I notice a reflection of the player when the camera is showing a close up of a player. This is just one example. Looking straight into the TV I don't notice it at all. When I go all the way to the side and very close to the TV I can see an entirely new image of the one being projected. its almost like there are two layers. Again, new to Plasmas, but I thought Plasmas were supposed to have better viewing angles. I almost feel like its not aligned right but I know it has to be since I cant see it when looking directly into it from the middle. Def don't notice this with Blue rays. Any thoughts or anybody else have this issue?

Appreciate feedback.

One thing that is bugging me with the VP505XVT is when watching cable (sports, movies, etc) I see a reflection of the image when standing to the side. For example, if watching an NBA game on ESPN HD, and I move two feet to the right or two feet to the left, I notice a reflection of the player when the camera is showing a close up of a player. This is just one example. Looking straight into the TV I don't notice it at all. When I go all the way to the side and very close to the TV I can see an entirely new image of the one being projected. its almost like there are two layers. Again, new to Plasmas, but I thought Plasmas were supposed to have better viewing angles. I almost feel like its not aligned right but I know it has to be since I cant see it when looking directly into it from the middle. Def don't notice this with Blue rays. Any thoughts or anybody else have this issue?

Appreciate feedback.

Being based on Panasonic panels, the 505's have two sheets of glass. What you're seeing is the reflection of the image on the outside sheet of glass. You have to be pretty far off to the side for it to be noticeable and it's way, way way way way better than any LCD for viewing angles.

I have a question for you guys though, Is the HQV processor always on? I see were there are a lot of controls automatically turned off in the menu.[/QUOTE]


The HQV is always on for SD and does not apply to HD. I called Costco concierge service and they were clueless. Then I called Vizio tech support and the first level guy was clueless--he was not aware of the HQV processor in the 505. He put me on hold an walked over to another tech, and came back to say it was always on to process SD. Made me scared to call with a real question.

I called because I noticed different levels of compression on different SD channels, but I'm pretty sure it's just a function of how much the content providers compress their feed. Some do it better than others, and the HQV works better on some channels, probably the ones with a better picture to start with.

Hmmm, I don't think I've heard the creaking or clicking that is described. I'll do some tests tonight. Maybe I did hear it early on during my initial 100-hr break in period but I'm almost positive there was no creaking.


I also have the creaking noise as the set heats up and cools down. It is just the plastic frame around the TV. I don't know if there is any fix for it or not. I'd rather the TV not be opened up, as I feel more things will tend to happen once someone goes inside. Don't fix what's not really broken.

The volume bar issue. I have seen a few people mention this. I also have this issue. When I use the guide button on my Dish network remote, the volume bar will come up. I don't know what the problem is, I might call into VIZIO and find out.
:o
Other than that, I have been really happy with the TV since I purchased it back in November 2008.

I notice what you call "vertical banding", when the image cleaner is on. But never any other time. When I first got the TV, I watched a lot of SD tv, so I ended up with the Bars on the side of the picture. SSince then I have run the image cleaner numerous times and have been watching a lot of HD tv and the bars are just about gone. This TV has gotten better as it has gotten used more. I don't hear any buzzing. I do notice the volume bar comes up sometimes, even though I don't use the I turned the speakers off on the TV. 2 months ago I switched from Time Warner cable to ATT Uverse because TW HD channels only worked half of the time. What a big mistake. AT&Ts picture is horrible. I don't know how to explain it, but it looks like the picture is constantly moving and it really sucks. My parents have a Sony LCD, and I don't like watching it all compared to mine.


At viewing distance, I hear a faint buzzing noise when it's dead silent around me and the TV's on mute. Otherwise, I don't hear the buzzing. This is tolerable to me.

I haven't encountered unexpected volume bar instances.

I've had chances to run the image cleaner and the "burn-in" DVD for a bit since my last post. I'll check to see if I still see the faint banding. Maybe I'll even photograph it and post it here. But this is only noticeable if the screen is filled with one color.

As OCD as I am, I'm very impressed with this TV. If the faint banding still persists and gets any worse, I'll simply hit up Costco RMA. Otherwise, she's a keeper!

At viewing distance, I hear a faint buzzing noise when it's dead silent around me and the TV's on mute. Otherwise, I don't hear the buzzing. This is tolerable to me.

I haven't encountered unexpected volume bar instances.

I've had chances to run the image cleaner and the "burn-in" DVD for a bit since my last post. I'll check to see if I still see the faint banding. Maybe I'll even photograph it and post it here. But this is only noticeable if the screen is filled with one color.

As OCD as I am, I'm very impressed with this TV. If the faint banding still persists and gets any worse, I'll simply hit up Costco RMA. Otherwise, she's a keeper!
Buzz is probably the fans.

Boy am I getting old. Everyone talks in CAP letters instead of words. All things change nothing stays the same.

Buzz is probably the fans.

Doubt it-- the fans I see appear to be the same brushless types used in computers. The sounds they make, if they make any, are nasty nail-scraping type noises when they collect a lot of dust. But I stand to be corrected.

The Vizio 505 is getting countless thumbs up, saw it in HOME THEATER magazine as a top pick.

Hope I can find one in store

Our 505 experience was sub-optimal...we bought at costco jan 2nd....

The drop out problem occurs every night after 30 mins approx. -
happens on any source. hdmi sources lose sync and have to be
restarted, except for Dish which stays up.

False contouring is constant and annoying. Motion blur is evident,
and a green tail follows the mouse pointer with HTPC source.

colors and black levels were good after pro calibration, but it is never
really black compared to CRT FP.....

Also, can't understand the lack of aspect ratio or stretch or overscan
controls, or why NR can't be used in hdmi. Also don't like the way
an input is completely shut down unless selected, the htcp using
either dvi>hdmi or vga blanks video if I want to surf DishNetwork
(or another player) and then has to be rebooted, as does the
HD-DVD player.

Price was good, and probably would have kept it except for the
cut-out problem - no way I was going to have a new set repaired.

We are getting the samsung PN50A760 - good price until 4/5 at costco.com
Better luck this time we hope.

Calibration results(accupel@1080i, getrag macbeth eye one pro. colorfacts)

Bright=40
contrast=48
color=44
tint=2
sharp=0

Blue gain = 158
Green Gain= 233
Red Gain= 231

Blue offset= 121
Green O= 119
red O= 112

Calibration results (accupel @1080P, eye-one pro, colorfacts)
B=40
C=53
color=45
tint=0
sharp=0

B G = 158
G G = 233
R G = 225

B O = 120
G O = 117
R O = 116

On the good side, s-video performance was startlingly good, overall
fit and finish was best in class at this price point, and really like
the metal rear panel with the recessed and downfacing inputs.

G

Perhaps you have a bad set? False countouring happens but rarely on mine. Maybe I see it about once per movie. Watched Bolt on blu-ray last night and didn't see any. The overscan controls work fine on my set with otpions for off, low, med and high. I think there may be a trick to enable that and the PIP which I got from the professional reviews. Aspect ratios also work but only for 480i/p sources which I view as more of a feature than a con.

Too bad about the hdmi cut-out problem. Do you think you have a bad set or its a problem with all of the VP505s with certain hdmi sources? I don't have any problems with a SA3250 STB and a PS3.

Anyhow, I hope you have better luck with the Samsung. I'd be interested to know how it compares. Almost got a Samsung instead but we didn't like the reflection off the bezel.

Why do my laptops only work on VGA (PC) input and not on HDMI using DVI->HDMI cable?

Why do my laptops only work on VGA (PC) input and not on HDMI using DVI->HDMI cable?

What laptop, or specifically what video chipset is it using? I know my Dell Latitude D820 works on VGA and DVI. Also, have you updated your video drivers and BIOS firmware?

Dell XPX 1730, dual 8800, Vista 64, nforce 179.24

HDMI to HDMI worked on my HP dv9000; took some work, but finally got a signal to the TV

HDMI 2 HDMI worked fine for me on my HP DV9700 Never tried DVI...

It's a driver issue with Vista 64 and the most current nVidia driver.

GeForce 8M Series
• GeForce 8800M GTX: External HDMI TV cannot be set to single‐display mode, and
cannot be set as the primary Clone mode or Dualview mode display.[470434]

There are other 'hacked' desktop drivers but many of those do not work in SLI mode....a real hassle. Hopefully to be resolved soon.

I have a dishnetwork box and just got my vp505xvt from costco, display unit $950, three year warranty with amex purchase.

I am a complete novice. I see where I need to have my dish network box set to a certain setting so that the HQV chip can do its magic. What is that setting, 480i, 480p, 720p or 1080i? Which of these should I have the dishnetwork box set to. If it makes a difference, I watch only HDTV channels.

Also, any other dish network settings I should know about would be greatly appreciated.

I have an HDMI cable running from the dish network box to the tv.

Also, a different question. I have my 42 inch samsung 4254 plamsa in the bedroom, running of the coaxial cable from the wall through the surge protector. The dish network box model is the VIP622. Is there anyway to get a better picture for the bedroom samsung? The samsung in the bedroom looks like crap compared to the vizio. I can still tell a difference between the sd and hd chanels on the samsung, but the hd doesn't look wanywhere close to the quality of the vizio. Before I moved the samsung into the bedroom and had it hooked up via the hmdi cable, the picture was awesome.

Will I have to get anothe rdish network box for the bedroom in order to improve quality?

Thanks.

I am a complete novice. I see where I need to have my dish network box set to a certain setting so that the HQV chip can do its magic. What is that setting, 480i, 480p, 720p or 1080i? Which of these should I have the dishnetwork box set to. If it makes a difference, I watch only HDTV channels.


There should be a setting that says 'native' . That will let the TV do its magic. The numbers are forcing the signal to a certain resolution. The higher the number, the higher the resolution, so 1080i would be the best choice out of those, but, the best choice is native so that the TV can do its own conversion.

I finally called repair about the occasional dropouts. The repairman that came blew the TV up so that it did not work at all. I just received a new replacement from Vizio and it is fantastic. No dropouts. Also I noticed that when my Tivo HD changed resolutions, say, from 1080i video to the Tivo menu (720p) everything on the old TV looked like the TV was all scrambled for about 0.25 seconds. The new TV does not behave this way - it displays a brief gray screen. Much nicer looking.

There should be a setting that says 'native' . That will let the TV do its magic. The numbers are forcing the signal to a certain resolution. The higher the number, the higher the resolution, so 1080i would be the best choice out of those, but, the best choice is native so that the TV can do its own conversion.

Unfortunately my Dish 722 doesn't have that setting (not sure about any other HD receivers), so I have to set it at 1080i and dream of the day i can actually get some use out of the Vizio's better upscaling. Same issue with my blue ray and hd-dvd players, if i want to let the vizio upscale regular dvd, i have to manually switch to 480i every time i play a dvd. Kind of annoying :mad:

Looking through this thread again makes me glad I didn't put up with this set anymore and returned it a SECOND time...never to look back. My new Panny P50S1 looks better, makes quick work of ALL the Vizio's shortcomings, and actually cost me $3 less than that Vizio did.

The second I saw that stupid dropout problem on the second set I knew I was done with it.

These Panasonic paneled Reon chipped Vizio Plasmas look fantastic! I gave up waiting on them, but they finally shipped in December, aparently! And the Panny panel is quite a surprise!

Im going to run out and check these out!

Looking through this thread again makes me glad I didn't put up with this set anymore and returned it a SECOND time...never to look back. My new Panny P50S1 looks better, makes quick work of ALL the Vizio's shortcomings, and actually cost me $3 less than that Vizio did.

The second I saw that stupid dropout problem on the second set I knew I was done with it.
You sound like you're trying to convince yourself.

I went to Costco today to look at this Vizio 50" 505 plasma. They didnt have any, and the Costco department employee told me Vizio has gotten out of the plasma business early this year....which I dont believe....maybe he just meant that Costco doesnt stock Vizio plasmas anymore.

Where are these 505 Vizios available? And where can I possibly go to see them before purchase. Thanks for your help.

I went to Costco today to look at this Vizio 50" 505 plasma. They didnt have any, and the Costco department employee told me Vizio has gotten out of the plasma business early this year....which I dont believe....maybe he just meant that Costco doesnt stock Vizio plasmas anymore.

Where are these 505 Vizios available? And where can I possibly go to see them before purchase. Thanks for your help.

He was right. Vizio is out of the plasma business.

Damn, they just released their best plasma ever the Panasonic panel with the Reon chip in 1080p and then decided to fold on plasmas.

That sucks.

Anybody know where I might be able to pick one up or check one out? Did Costco have them?

Vizio still has some of them for sale on thier web site
www(dot)vizio(dot)com/productCatalog.aspx?id=1502


I bought mine as a Costco display model. My only complaints are a slight snapping noise when the TV heats up. The large very thin metal case and plastic frame expand as the parts warm up. This is annoying but my Jeff Rowland Model 1 amplifier cooling fins make faint popping noises when it heats up as well.

I see some contour lines on ATT U-verse programming in very dark scenes and in scenes that have a bright sun such as in Lawrence of Arabia. I think this is more a problem with the poor source material from U-verse than this TV. The overall picture is so much better than my Sony Bravia KDL32 M3000.

This is an incredible screen when given a great source. I just got the Oppo BDP-83 Blue ray player and have been tranfixed by the wonderful picture with Blue Rays and ordinary wide screen DVDs. I know there are better TVs out there but at this price very few can compete.

I bet that in a few months there will be a final close out on these plasmas from Vizio and one of the large warehouse clubs will help push them out the door.

Vizio still has some of them for sale on thier web site
www(dot)vizio(dot)com/productCatalog.aspx?id=1502


I bought mine as a Costco display model. My only complaints are a slight snapping noise when the TV heats up. The large very thin metal case and plastic frame expand as the parts warm up. This is annoying but my Jeff Rowland Model 1 amplifier cooling fins make faint popping noises when it heats up as well.

I see some contour lines on ATT U-verse programming in very dark scenes and in scenes that have a bright sun such as in Lawrence of Arabia. I think this is more a problem with the poor source material from U-verse than this TV. The overall picture is so much better than my Sony Bravia KDL32 M3000.

This is an incredible screen when given a great source. I just got the Oppo BDP-83 Blue ray player and have been tranfixed by the wonderful picture with Blue Rays and ordinary wide screen DVDs. I know there are better TVs out there but at this price very few can compete.

I bet that in a few months there will be a final close out on these plasmas from Vizio and one of the large warehouse clubs will help push them out the door.
I have had my 505 since 11/08. Had popping also. After several months of use popping has stopped. I have not had one issue that has been discussed in this thread. As we would say in Vietnam, "LOVE YOU LONG TIME"

Anyone know where/if these TVs are still available? A cursory investigation online yields no retailers and emails to sales@vizio dot com have gone unanswered. Thanks!

It boggles my mind that they stopped making these! This is an amazing TV! I've got a PS3 hooked up to it for BluRay and they look amazing! No ghosting or artifacts...nothing.

I've got my HTPC hooking up via the RGB input (for now) and it's spectacular too.

FWIW, I haven't had a single issue with dropouts or popping or anything else. It does make a "click" when you turn it on and off, but that's just it turning on and off.

If you find a good deal on one of these, I'd get it!

I think its safe to say that they're all gone. What's more, if you find any available, they are likely going to be returns or refurbs - sets that have been floating around channels.

Basing this on my experience last week. I went to Vizio site - they had the lower line 504 for a closeout price of 900 bucks. I jumped on it; I've had good experience with Vizio for the money, and it wasn't going to be my #1 set.

Within a day, my wife got a call from their rep, offering to upgrade me to a discontinued LCD set for only a hundred dollars more. When I called back, the offer was improved to free upgrade. (Not really an upgrade - they offered a 52" lcd that was so old and obscure that it was not even listed on the Vizio website.) I said no thanks, if you want to upgrade me, I'll take a 505, thank-you very much. :)

Was told at that time that there were no 505s left. And while he wouldn't admit it, I'd guess that there weren't very many 504s.

Nothing happened for several days; I called customer service, they disappeared for a while, and then said it would be shipped soon. You can imagine my joy when I got an email saying Vizio was going to substitute a 505XVT for the lesser 504.

Awesome. Got it yesterday. All seems good. But I wouldn't hold my breath for any NIB Vizio plasmas to be surfacing at an outlet site.

I think its safe to say that they're all gone. What's more, if you find any available, they are likely going to be returns or refurbs - sets that have been floating around channels.

Basing this on my experience last week. I went to Vizio site - they had the lower line 504 for a closeout price of 900 bucks. I jumped on it; I've had good experience with Vizio for the money, and it wasn't going to be my #1 set.

Within a day, my wife got a call from their rep, offering to upgrade me to a discontinued LCD set for only a hundred dollars more. When I called back, the offer was improved to free upgrade. (Not really an upgrade - they offered a 52" lcd that was so old and obscure that it was not even listed on the Vizio website.) I said no thanks, if you want to upgrade me, I'll take a 505, thank-you very much. :)

Was told at that time that there were no 505s left. And while he wouldn't admit it, I'd guess that there weren't very many 504s.

Nothing happened for several days; I called customer service, they disappeared for a while, and then said it would be shipped soon. You can imagine my joy when I got an email saying Vizio was going to substitute a 505XVT for the lesser 504.

Awesome. Got it yesterday. All seems good. But I wouldn't hold my breath for any NIB Vizio plasmas to be surfacing at an outlet site.

Hey are you part of the birdsandmoons forums? :)

Hey are you part of the birdsandmoons forums? :)

Shouldn't that be a PM or something... Anyways Yea I don't think any 505's exist anymore they've all been purchased... quite the shame Vizio fled from plasma tech :(. I love my 505 though awesome TV. It deffinately made me realize how much better plasma's are than LCD's and my next TV will probably be a Plasma as long as someone is still making them :)

Is anyone using a 505 with only an OTA antenna? I just got a 505 last week during Vizio's closeout sale, and it has a couple of strange defects that make it a sub-par set for using with over the air HD:

1) You can't add or delete sub-channels manually. The only channel delete function I can find is the "Skip Channel" menu, and it only deletes the analog channel number, not any of the digital channels, even though the manual says it's for digital channels. For instance, if I skip channel 36, it deletes the analog channel 36, but digital 36-1 and 36-2 still show up and there's nothing I can do about it.

2) No aspect ratio control of digital channels. When viewing a digital channel over the air, the "wide" button doesn't work, and all the image controls in the menu are disabled. This wouldn't be a problem if the TV scaled images correctly, but digital 480i signals (e.g. all the -2 and -3 channels in my area) are 4:3 images, but the TV stretches them to 16:9, which is really annoying.

Anyone know of fixes for either of these, short of buying an external ATSC tuner?

just wondering if anyone has had an issue using the input button on the side of the TV. for example when you push the input button on the TV it will not change the input but will bring you right back to the original input that you were on no matter how many times you push it?

I tried it for the first time and it works exactly as pressing the input button on the remote. I found that you can use the channel up/down to select the input source and then press input to change to it.

So it doesn't cycle through the inputs as you would expect. But it works the same as the remote so I think its by design.

I'm definitely experiencing the signal loss issue. The screen goes black, I pause the Tivo, and wait about 10 seconds. The picture always comes back as if it never happened. Anyone else seeing this? Any solutions?

just wondering if anyone has had an issue using the input button on the side of the TV. for example when you push the input button on the TV it will not change the input but will bring you right back to the original input that you were on no matter how many times you push it?

Once you get to the input you need, press the input button again

I'm definitely experiencing the signal loss issue. The screen goes black, I pause the Tivo, and wait about 10 seconds. The picture always comes back as if it never happened. Anyone else seeing this? Any solutions?

Has anyone contacted Vizio about this?

I had mine replaced AFTER the repairwoman blew it up. The replacement does not exhibit this symptom.

I had mine replaced AFTER the repairwoman blew it up. The replacement does not exhibit this symptom.

What I'm starting to get worried about is whether Vizio still has any 505s for replacement. They stopped making them awhile ago.

Bought mine several months ago as they were running out. There was only the display model left at the store I was in, and no others available at any of the other Costco stores in the area. Got $100 off the already low price for the display model, took it home face up on the floor of my pick up, and have been using it ever since with no issues. I have it hooked up to a PR SC886 pre/pro in a 5.1 system. Too bad they stopped making them. It was one of the best video displays for price vs performance out there.

Has anyone had signal drop issues with the 505? At least once a day, the signal will drop and come back after about 10 seconds. I think it might be a heat issue.