Great News Just Purchased The Vizio 42in Plasma Tonite. Fantastic Tv. Has The Burn Tool On It. Tuner Works Great. I Had Two Sony Lcd Rear Projection Both Went Bad, Just Had Rear Lg Crystals Blowup On 52in Lg Only Had It A Year. Had A Lcd Sceptre 37in Colors Faded Terrible Tv. This New Vizio Rocks. Great Blacks And Also The New Tuner Is Awsome. Hope It Last For A Long Long Time. Bought My At Costco. Not As Bright As The Spectre 37in Lcd. But Lots Clearer And Also Does Not Have The Jumping Prblem. Super Tv This 42in Plasma From Vizio Recommend Every One To Buy One.

Another data point for the "Pro" columm in my Vizio P42HDTV decision matrix :) What you're calling the Burn Tool... is that what's called the Image Cleaner? This is what I read about it in the P42's manual online:

Image Cleaner - activates a full white screen to clear image ghosts. If a stationary image is left too long on the screen it will be permanently burnt-in and this function will not remove it.

As much attention as burn-in gets where plasma displays are concerned, this is the only mention I see in the Vizio P42HDTV's manual about: burn-in, break-in periods, image retention, etc. I'm surprised that they don't give precautions about how to avoid it or prescribe any sort of procedure early on for 'breaking the display in'... Am I missing something here?

Can the " red push " be adjusted n the Philips?
If it can, I do see the " pop " in it..Or possibility there of.
Reason-In taking another look, the blacks were a bit better in the Philips.
I don't know what controls the Philips has. If you don't have access to the service menu, there is usually a setting called Picture Mode or some such. It usually swaps between a few predefined settings with different color balances and saturation levels. There might be one mode called User that's let's you tweak individual settings so you can try to produce a spot-on picture using Avia or DVE.

Good luck with your new set.

I'm trying to get out to the store in my area to check this set out. It seems that you can't go wrong for the money. I'll probably keep it in my family room for two years, then move it to the bedroom and get something bigger & better for the main TV at that time.

Scott

The Philips had a lot of "extra video goodies" that the Vizio does not (i.e., digital enhancements). When I turned all of those off, the Vizio had a markedly better picture than the Philips. However, that's why the extras are there - to help you get a better picture. It certainly added "pop" to the picture.

I have had the Philips for just over a month, and have been evaluating whether to keep it or not. One of the other options I had been considering was the Vizio. I have not seen the Vizio in person yet, but here are my impressions of the Philips (if anyone cares)...

Pros
2 HDMI inputs
Good (nor GREAT) PQ
I like the color pop of the TV, although there is some "red push". This can be controlled somewhat by reducing the color, but I generally prefer the "punchier" "eye candy" colors.
USB input for picture viewing and firmware upgrades
Good price (not as good as next week's Vizio price though)
Good stretch and zoom modes (has a nice automatic mode that automatically fills the picture for you, and a good zoom mode for SD pictures that does not distort too much)

Cons
Some blotchiness and noise in dark saturated areas. This can be adjusted away to some extent by sacrificing in other areas.
There has been a "black screen" issue reported here in the Philips thread, where the TV basically goes blank has to be unplugged to turn off and reset. This has in fact happened 2 times to my set.
Some say the speakers are not good. I find them fine for regular TV viewing, and I use a Home Theater system for movies, etc.

Overall, I have mixed feelings on the Philips, and I have decided to return it to the "warehouse" fro a refund. With such a large purchase, I feel like I am "compromising" a little more than I would like. I have also eliminated the new Vizio from consideration. I ended up ordering one of the new Panny's (from Panny direct) with some discounts that will end up VERY close to what I paid for the Philips at the "warehouse."

So I went to the store tonight to check out this disappointing P42HDTV and they did not have one on display. I didn't even see any Vizio 42" Plasmas there, so I went to the service desk to ask. He found one that had been deleted out of the system. I pressed him and he found one that was a new item. They did not have any in stock, but they did have some in transit.

Are you guys *positive* you are looking at he P42HDTV sets and not the old P42HDe sets? They look completely different, so I don't see how that is possible, but the old P42HDe had 5000:1 contrast vs. the new P42HDTV 10,000:1 contrast ratio that matches the P50 specs. I saw the P50 and the color on that set looked great. Also, the old P42HDe sets were listed for more than the new P42HDTV sets, so that would explain the price discrepance some people saw.

yes, positive. they had to get a set down from a rack for me. it wasn't displayed yet.

Great News Just Purchased The Vizio 42in Plasma Tonite. Fantastic Tv. Has The Burn Tool On It. .

did I miss something? Burn tool?? Info, per favore. Grazie.

i am getting more and more comfortable with the PQ on the Vizio all the time. none of you should take the PQ at the store as an indication of what it will look like at home! i don't know why, but it is 100 times better at home. maybe there is something about the LG glass in this thing that doesn't handle all of the flourescent lighting in the store very well? anyway, considering the price, i can't be too disappointed.

HD material is amazingly detailed, and i have been very pleased with most SD as well. Black levels are still lacking, but only in very dark scenes.

I, to, am having difficulty getting SD to fill the screen using HDMI. Aspect is set to "wide" and i have the Comcast DVR set to "stretch". There are some SD channels that get stretched, and some (most) don't. very frustrating.

overall, i am enjoying it.

did I miss something? Burn tool?? Info, per favore. Grazie.

its an "image cleaner". it displays a white screen for 1 hour to even out the phosphors.

ahh..thanks.

I downloaded/created the 'burn-in' disk from the other thread on this forum, so I'm sure I could just run that as well..

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=583089

I will write up a more thorough review (and include some pix) once my Vizio is fully set up, but let me provide a couple of quick observations:

1. The shape of the speakers is a little odd - they curve inwards towards the middle of the set, but when you see it in person, it looks like it adds a little bit of sculpted to the box. The black and silver combo match my TV stand decor, so it works well for me.

2. I finally temporaily hooked up an HD cable box to the set (via component), and it's a world of difference compared to a direct cable connection. The hockey game I watched last night looked amazing and later on it looked like Ryan Seacrest was (unfortuantely) in my living room. Interestingly enough, when I went to the bedroom to watch TV on my Aquos LCD, it was immediately apparent how much more vibrant the the picture on the Vizio was. And I love my Aquos.

3. A couple of minor complaints. First, when I mute the TV, it displays a small red "mute" on the screen. This is annoying since I like to mute the TV when using my receiver as the sound source. Instead I have to lower the volume to zero.

Second, I miss the "smart stretch" fearture that my Aquos has, for SD signals. The Vizio just stretchs the whole thing, which for SD signals really degrades the quality. SD signals in normal mode, however, look pretty good to me.

In sum, so far, so good. For a TV at this price point I can't really complain. I'm not expecting a Pioneer or a Panny because at this point in my life, I'm not willing to pony up that kind of cash for something that will be obsolete as soon as I bring it home. Just my opinion, of course.


[Edited for grammar and style]

great, Meltz! thanks for the review. i trust a fellow m*sshole. :D

later on it looked like Ryan Seacrest was (unfortuantely) in my living room.

HA HA, oh man, when i read that (and im at work) i laughed out loud so hard. Good thing my office right now is rather unoccupied!

I, to, am having difficulty getting SD to fill the screen using HDMI. Aspect is set to "wide" and i have the Comcast DVR set to "stretch". There are some SD channels that get stretched, and some (most) don't. very frustrating.



Thanks for the update. The same SD material that won't stretch using HDMI, have you tried displaying it via OTA, if you have that option available to you, that is?

Thanks for the update. The same SD material that won't stretch using HDMI, have you tried displaying it via OTA, if you have that option available to you, that is?


I think they will stretch via component - at least all the SD channels I checked out stretched without a problem.

I think they will stretch via component - at least all the SD channels I checked out stretched without a problem.

Ah... that being the case, would you say it's the Vizio's HDMI causing the problem or the cable box?

This brings on another question: when stretching 4:3 SD content, is it better to use "Wide" or "Zoom" mode on the Vizio?

Ah... that being the case, would you say it's the Vizio's HDMI causing the problem or the cable box?

This brings on another question: when stretching 4:3 SD content, is it better to use "Wide" or "Zoom" mode on the Vizio?

I don't know, actually. My cable box will have DVI out, which I'll connect to the HDMI input on the Vizio. When I connect the same cable box to the DVI input on my Aquos, I have no problem stretching.

When watching 4:3 content I don't like to use either wide or zoom actually, but I would choose wide over zoom.

Sorry this isn't more helpful.

first post in here, so be gentle. Quick question, anyone try analog TV signals on this Vizio? How does it look like? How is PQ? I know you guys all are having the DTV, but for some reason I am not ready to get it, so will keep watching regular signals from cable TV. Thanks

I dont have DTV (yet).

1. Off the air (H)DTV signals depend on the source. Local news broadcasts look stunning for stations that broadcast widescreen HD.

2. Last weekend's NASCAR (on Fox) over the air HD (widescreen) looked stunning. I could read some of the commercials on the cars. Racetrack looked stunning.

3. NTSC (Analog, non DTV) tuner is excellent and does as good a job as my old 36 Sony Vega (depends on the source, using Cable ready analog signals from Comcast).

4. Everything is subjective, your mileage may vary depending on your local stations, quality of analog feed etc.

Good luck!

first post in here, so be gentle. Quick question, anyone try analog TV signals on this Vizio? How does it look like? How is PQ? I know you guys all are having the DTV, but for some reason I am not ready to get it, so will keep watching regular signals from cable TV. Thanks

I dont have DTV (yet).

1. Off the air (H)DTV signals depend on the source. Local news broadcasts look stunning for stations that broadcast widescreen HD.

2. Last weekend's NASCAR (on Fox) over the air HD (widescreen) looked stunning. I could read some of the commercials on the cars. Racetrack looked stunning.

3. NTSC (Analog, non DTV) tuner is excellent and does as good as job as my old 36 Sony Vega (depends on the source, using Cable ready analog signals from Comcast).

4. Everything is subjective, your mileage may vary depending on your local stations, quality of analog feed etc.

Good luck!

thanks for the reply. When you said Off the air signals are they coming from cable box or antena? I am still debating whether I shall cancel Sceptre 42" LCD TV and go for this Vizio. I don't do gaming, most of time just DVD, TVs and bit of PC stuff showing onto the TV.

Off the air (OTA) implies antenna. I purchased a (temporary) preamplified indoor antenna from Radioshack and managed to receive most of the local HD channels.

I thought about getting the Sceptre as well (I thought that some people are already complaining about that TV, specfically the lettering issues, not exactly sure what they are talking about). Personally I cannot justify the additional costs, shipping, and dont like the proprietary box and the connection (I prefer having a tuner on the main unit). I want to ultimately get an LCD (Sony??) few years down the road.

Off the air (OTA) implies antenna. I purchased a (temporary) preamplified indoor antenna from Radioshack and managed to receive most of the local HD channels.

I thought about getting the Sceptre as well (I thought that some people are already complaining about that TV, specfically the lettering issues, not exactly sure what they are talking about). Personally I cannot justify the additional costs, shipping, and dont like the proprietary box and the connection (I prefer having a tuner on the main unit). I want to ultimately get an LCD (Sony??) few years down the road.

how much will that indoor antena be? Do you just place it on the table or TV or have to stick it out near the window? How about the signal? Is it stable?

Yeah, lettering issue is bothering me too (I ordered it, but may decide to cancel it). Never seen anything like that that costs around 2400 bucks with that fugly thing both for lettering, branding and the quality of cheap looking on the plastic.

Question - I've got a HD wmv file (720p) on my laptop. If I hook it into the RBG port on the P42HDTV, and play the file - It'll output 720p on the TV, right? Is there any restrictions on the type of signal thru the RGB port?

Meatloaf, I'm almost positive you wouldn't have a problem with that setup, but maybe someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

how much will that indoor antena be? Do you just place it on the table or TV or have to stick it out near the window? How about the signal? Is it stable?

Yeah, lettering issue is bothering me too (I ordered it, but may decide to cancel it). Never seen anything like that that costs around 2400 bucks with that fugly thing both for lettering, branding and the quality of cheap looking on the plastic.

I did not see it listed on Radioshack's web site, sorry cant post costs, PM me if you need costs. The antenna seems fairly directional, it is roughly 6 inches by 3 inches sort of a plastic white rectangle. I am planning on mounting it in my attic and adding the preamp in the basement.

I will post the item number and hopefully a picture here in a day or two. You will need to play with it to get the best reception. A number of folks have had success with Radioshack's fullblown ext antenna (Model VU-75 XR) mounted in the attic.

ALso check out antennaweb.org for your specific needs (just need a zipcode)

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103084

I went to my cable provider's offices today to inquire about HDTV service. It will cost me an additional $17.95 to get it, but that includes Digital Cable, which I currently don't have. A ton of stations are added with Digital, but only ~10 are HD. All the basic networks, plus: ESPNHD, Universal HD, Discovery HD Theater, HD Net, HDNet Movie. I'm tempted to go with an amplified indoor antenna because according to antenna.org, I'd be able to get all of the main networks with a small, multidirectional antenna. I could pick up one to do the job at Radio Shack for $29.95 MSRP.

When I asked whether their HDTV STB used HDMI or DVI, they gave me the deer in the headlights look... didn't have a clue what I was talking about, but this was a branch office and a general customer service rep. I then asked which manufacturer and box model # they used... didn't know. Fortunately, they had one that had come back for return, and they able to look at in the back and report back to me. It's a Pioneer Voyager HD3510. I've found little information on it on the net. I was hoping to at least find a manual, but no such luck.

About all I'm able to find on the HD3510 are press clippings. It looks like it uses DVI rather than HDMI. Should I anticipate any problems with this if I choose to buy a P42HDTV?

I will write up a more thorough review (and include some pix) once my Vizio is fully set up, but let me provide a couple of quick observations:

1. The shape of the speakers is a little odd - they curve inwards towards the middle of the set, but when you see it in person, it looks like it adds a little bit of sculpted to the box. The black and silver combo match my TV stand decor, so it works well for me.

2. I finally temporaily hooked up an HD cable box to the set (via component), and it's a world of difference compared to a direct cable connection. The hockey game I watched last night looked amazing and later on it looked like Ryan Seacrest was (unfortuantely) in my living room. Interestingly enough, when I went to the bedroom to watch TV on my Aquos LCD, it was immediately apparent how much more vibrant the the picture on the Vizio was. And I love my Aquos.

3. A couple of minor complaints. First, when I mute the TV, it displays a small red "mute" on the screen. This is annoying since I like to mute the TV when using my receiver as the sound source. Instead I have to lower the volume to zero.

Second, I miss the "smart stretch" fearture that my Aquos has, for SD signals. The Vizio just stretchs the whole thing, which for SD signals really degrades the quality. SD signals in normal mode, however, look pretty good to me.

In sum, so far, so good. For a TV at this price point I can't really complain. I'm not expecting a Pioneer or a Panny because at this point in my life, I'm not willing to pony up that kind of cash for something that will be obsolete as soon as I bring it home. Just my opinion, of course.


[Edited for grammar and style]

As far as the mute goes, you know you can just turn the speakers off in the audio menu for the tv? I believe this also instructs the tv to send the audio signal through whatever audio-out cables you may have hooked up. E.g. I just have the tv constantly putting out whatever source it may be set to out to my receiver.

If you have Comcast, you get these boxes. It appears that they have HDMI and DVI.

http://www.comcast.com/dvrselect/

If you have Comcast, you get these boxes. It appears that they have HDMI and DVI.

http://www.comcast.com/dvrselect/

I'm on a local/yocal service, Comporium: http://www.comporium.net. Isn't the consensus that HDMI is preferable to DVI? I have no experience or basis from which to form an opinion on this.

I believe this is only for HD DVR. I called comcast to verify that, for normal HD receiver, they only have DVI output. I wouldn't expect any big difference between HDMI and DVI since they are eventually the same protocol.

If you have Comcast, you get these boxes. It appears that they have HDMI and DVI.

http://www.comcast.com/dvrselect/

I actually looked into this exact issue, I was told by Comcast that the HD receiver is the exact same box without the hard drive (per Comcast). Is that not true ?

I believe so, but let's not go off tangent. There are specific cable provider threads that cover this information.

Can anyone tell me what type of cable the service cable is? I figured it'd be a RS-232 serial cable (or USB), but in the PDF manual (page 11), it almost looks like an RJ-45 or RJ-11. I'm trying to get the list of wires I need to run through my wall, and I'd like to have this available at all times (and hidden). Yes, I am anal retentive. =)

Any ideas?

BUYER BEWARE!!!

Very IRRITATED at this point. Just got back from that big club everybody is talking about. I called to verify that the Vizio was available for sale. The woman on the phone checked and said that it was. I went there and bought a membership and again asked if it was available and she said it was. The long and short of it is that the manager said if I had to buy one (he did not want to sell it because he was concerned with the other 14.9M members) I could, but only at the list price. To get the sale price, I would have to return it for a refund and buy another one. Don't assume that you will automatically get the $300 refund when you go back with your receipt if this manager is typical of Costco.

This was the store in Avon, MA!

I made a trip to the local store to view the 42" vizio in person since I've been waiting for this pdp for two months now. I did see the somewhat washed out look that others have mentioned about. It was sitting next to both the big brother P50HD and 42" Philips. Initially, they were playing different feeds so it wasn't a good comparison between the units. There was a remote laying around so I adjusted both the P50HD and P42HDTV. Afterwards, the TV guy then came over and switched all three to run the same feed loop. I then tweaked the setting some more and still couldn't get the P42 to be as good as the philips or the P50. I also noticed that the P50 had extra settings that the P42 didn't have.

To my unprofessional eyes, I was a little disappointed to see that the P42 didn't match the P50 in the same environment and feed. On top of that, the Philips looked better after some tweaking than the P42 but not as nice as the P50. I ended up not getting one as I wasn't going to risk the WAF since I already have the Maxent MX42X3 on my wall that has been problem free and nice picture.

It is a good buy at next week's price so most people will be happy with this pdp.

looks a MILLION times better at home than the store, for whatever reason. Trust me what you see at the store is not enough to make a decision on.

looks a MILLION times better at home than the store, for whatever reason. Trust me what you see at the store is not enough to make a decision on.

Gibson: what is your setup?

I have a Cox HD DVR hooked up via HDMI, looks amazing.
And my xbox 360 via Component, also amazing.

When people say it looks washed out it is funny because this set is anything but washed out.
The dash board on the X360 just jumpes off the screen.

I have a Cox HD DVR hooked up via HDMI, looks amazing.
And my xbox 360 via Component, also amazing.

When people say it looks washed out it is funny because this set is anything but washed out.
The dash board on the X360 just jumpes off the screen.

Pics? Pleaaase? Of the Dashboard and maybe a game or two? I'm hope hope hoping to get this set in a few weeks if I get my check. It would be used for 85% Xbox 360 gaming.

BUYER BEWARE!!!

Very IRRITATED at this point. Just got back from that big club everybody is talking about. I called to verify that the Vizio was available for sale. The woman on the phone checked and said that it was. I went there and bought a membership and again asked if it was available and she said it was. The long and short of it is that the manager said if I had to buy one (he did not want to sell it because he was concerned with the other 14.9M members) I could, but only at the list price. To get the sale price, I would have to return it for a refund and buy another one. Don't assume that you will automatically get the $XXX refund when you go back with your receipt if this manager is typical of C___o.

This was the store in Avon, MA!

The only surprise to me in this is that you were told you'd have to return your first one, and buy another one... that sounds a bit around the block. The 'special' doesn't start until Monday, so they can't do anything now but sell it a regular price. I didn't have the money to even attempt to buy it this week, but I will by Monday. I'm not sure I would have tried to use the price guarantee (or whatever they call it) anyway. I've been burned in the past by other retailers in similar circumstances, so I'll just wait until the official date is here.

This policy seems to vary by stores. That has not been my experience. Everything worked in my favor if you know what I mean (sorry, not trying to discuss pricing or stores :) )

pilot04, I can feel where you're coming from bro... been there! I've pretty much talked myself out of grieving about the apparent PQ relative to the two sets you used for comparison. It's not a marked enough difference for me to get worked over, given the difference (next week) in cost. The only possible buyer's remorse I fear at this point is over screen size, not picture quality. I had my heart set on a 50 to 52" screen when I was in rear projection shopping mode, but my concerns about reliability on the only sets whose technology lacked RBE, SSE, and SDE in my price range (the JVC DILA's), have a very checkered history of reliability. 42" is all I can swing with plasmas, so I've got to swallow my poison if I want one. I guess I can pull my recliner closer to the screen if it turns out to be a real problem.

I was told the same thing as Gibson, worst case scenario you say "so you want me to bring back my whole tv just so you can re sell me the same thing and then lose me as a customer?" The warehouse is very conscious about good customer service. That being said, i agree with the xbox 360 comment. I think that the 360 is like the most amazing thing played on this tv so far!

I can't say enough bad about my first experience with this store.

I honestly never gave any serious thought to using the price match approach because I wasn't in a position to buy it until tomorrow. Since I'll be working 12 hour days for the next 4 days, I don't have a choice but to wait until Monday.

Having seen the reaction that Pats & Sox fan got at his nearby 'store' when he inquired about it, I'm really wondering now what kind of run they're expecting on these P42HDTV's next week? If I've made my decision by then (and it now looks like a "go" on the buy - pyrophite's glowing reports on XBox 360 performance have all but sealed the deal :D ), I'll be there at 11:00 AM when members of my stripe are permitted into the 'store'. I probably shouldn't be surprised if they're already sold out from underneath me. I guess the worst case is that I'll get a raincheck, and I'll have to make another trip later.

I can't say enough bad about my first experience with this store.

[EDIT]

at any rate... perhaps we should get back on topic. I really don't want to see this thread get closed.

yup..probably gonna be a LOT of rainchecks that day...

then again..I've got the 'special' card that gets me in an hour earlier.

LOLOL!! I'm such a snob :D

Yes, were I in your shoes, I would opt for the Phillips.

hey everyone, i was wondering if anyone else is experiencing the shutdown issue or is it just a couple of defective units?

Without going into details that belong in the master thread, your scenario is not completely true. It's zero risk if you have a store nearby.

Shipping cost is refunded in full.

I would love to see a comparison between the new Vizio and the new Maxent MX-42HPM20.

listen, guys.

all of you that are talking about costs (anything with a $$$) need to knock it off. if you are a new member, i suggest you read the rules. if not a new member, you should know better!!

you all seem to be enjoying yourselves (especially you, onlooker), so why don't you offenders do us all a favor and stick to topic.

thanks

guadalahara is right.. this is really supposed to be a technical discussion. not about how, when, or where we can buy it. let's give the mods a break for a change. :)

I realy hate the silver bottom of the Vizio. It looks like the middle is dented.. For the life of me I'll never know why they make the speakers silver.

LOL, I had the same exact thought.
I wished it was all black.
Bought one anyhow.

LOL, I had the same exact thought.
I wished it was all black.
Bought one anyhow.
Cool, let us know what you think of it.

Sure wish the Maxent and/or the Phillips had removeable speakers. ARGH.

I don't mind the look of the Vizio, but that big silver speaker thing is just fugly.

Unfortunately, so far I agree with all the naysayers. I went yesterday and today (and probably tomorrow, and friday, and saturday etc...) and saw the new 42 in Vizio. The picture is definately washed out looking compared to the 50 in Vizio, panasonic, pioneer, phillips, and the 2 or 3 LCD sitting there. The colors seemed realistic and not overdone like many plasmas are. Dark scenes seemed a little mushy and not as rich looking or detailed. I tried all of the presets - vivid 1, vivid 2, vivid 3 - and all were still not very "vivid". Many of the 3D sports graphics and text just didn't bounce out at me like the other TVs. But after manually changing the settings on the set (BTW it didn't seem to have very many options for changing the picture quality) I got what I thought was a descent picture that was similar to the 50 in Vizio. In fact when I came back today I noticed nobody had changed the settings.

The looks- I really like them. Atleast it is not all silver. The speakers don't bother me at all. If they bother you at first I'm sure with time they will blend in to the scenery. A few months down the road, after you decide to keep it, a can of black spray paint would fix em. Also, I usually watch TV in a darkened room. I plan on mounting it above my redbrick fireplace. If you have experience with this let me know.

I really wanted this set but am not quite sure now. I guess once it is in my home and I get it all configured I would most likely not notice the weaknesses in picture. I really need something with built in HDTV since I mostly will be doing OTA evening local HDTV and then DVDs. Now I am starting to think of going for a 50 in like the Zenith which costs a little more but gives atleast bigger screen, better picture, more options, etc. After all this agony/time over a dumb TV I'll probably get it on Monday and be done with it. It has got to be better than my 12 year old 27 inch Zenith...and the wife gave me the go ahead!

One question- if I can explain it well- It looks like the PIP is not for watching both pictures from the same source like OTA being the big background and the smaller picture is OTA. It looks like the two screens have to be from 2 different input sources. Am I right? So big screen could be OTA HDTV and the little Composite or Antenna OTA and HDMI. Has anyone tried this out?

It has got to be better than my 12 year old 27 inch Zenith...and the wife gave me the go ahead! One question- if I can explain it well- It looks like the PIP is not for watching both pictures from the same source ...


:) I'm right there with ya.

re: PIP..what some people do is get a little splitter. Split the cable coming out of the wall BEFORE it goes to your Cable/DVR. Send one to the Cable box, the other directly to the TV (and let its built in tuner do its thing). Then you assign the PIP to the split cable signal.

For you...since you're routing an OTA antenna..you can use that as a PIP source as well.

I had BOUGHT the 50" Vizio. I loved it, but it took up the whole wall, and was just TOO damn big. Even from 11 feet back. Looke pixelated on a variety of sources..So, I'm sure I'll have a 42" SOMETHING...just still not sure WHAT that is.

I went to the warehouse and got my set this Monday after reading that it was avaliable in my area's stores.

First impression: Got home and install it in my upstair bedroom after struggling with my wife and "help" from my 5 years old. :) Connected the DTV input to my Comcast cable right off the wall. Scanned for DTV channels for about 3-5 minutes and found about 50-60 channels and thought to myself that this is not too bad. The first channel I got was a 1080i HD channel showing a documentary on Golden Gate and I thought this is great so I can show off the new set to my wife and made her feel better about the pain of moving the set up our stairs. :) But something was wrong, very wrong - my wife's first comment was that everything was hazy and she even thought that I forgot to take off some of the tapes from the front of the TV. The color was wash off and looked artifical. My son's comment was that the plants on the HD channel looked like candies instead of plants. You can imagine how disappointed I was. My wife was telling me to return the set and get the Pioneer 4306 as we originally planned...

Tuesday morning: I switched the cable connection to the analog TV input for the analog cable channels and it was still not right. So I played with it some more on the DTV sides for a couple of hours to no avail and I have given all hope and called my brother to come by this weekend to help me to return the set...

Tonight (Wednesday): I switched on the TV for a few hours on an HD channel without really paying attention to it as I was busy with other chores. Got a chance to sit on bed and looked at the set and something was different. I asked my wife to look at the unit and she was amazed by the picture. It is now sharp and the color is considerably more realistic. Some far away scenes still seems to "foggy" but it is enough improvement that my wife is now telling to hold on to the set for another week before we decide if it will be going back to the store. I will try to connect a DVD player via component cable this weekend and give it another test.

My question, does Plasma panel require break-in period for it to reach its optimal state? Or am I and my wife just getting used to the hazy display?

I'm not sure if I'm reading you correctly, but are you using straight coax? a few of the posters here have reporting that going with hdmi/dvi/component makes a world of difference.

Get used to the hazy picture. I went to a different warehouse to look at another Vizio 42''. I saw pretty much the same hazy picture I saw earlier at another store. What I discovered is that all the Vizio products, plasma tvs and lcd tvs, display the same haziness. This particular warehouse had all their tvs set up to display the same vertical sidebars with white, red and pink colors. The red and pink colors on the Panasonic, Philips, and Sony were pretty consistent, bright and vivid. The same colors from the Vizio tvs, both plasma and lcd, were much lighter. Have fun.

I have had my Vizio since Sunday. Charter installed the HD-DVR on Tuesday and my technical friend came over with his adjustment disks and fine tuned the picture. My friend works for a well know home theatre audio company and is well versed in both the audio and video aspects of HDTV.

Even before the adjustments, he asked again how much I paid for the set. He thought it was an incredible bargain compared to the TV's that he had seen at home and in the labs at work.

He also told me that I should not pay any attention to the reports on how the sets compare at the stores. It is just not a conducive environment to compare especially when you consider lighting, distance and video feed. I have the HDMI feed at home and there is nothing washed out about this picture. It is very sharp, the whites are white and the blacks are black. As I read earlier, Ryan Seacrest was in the room.

I am extremely pleased with the purchase. Now I just hope that I can get the coupon honored.

Anyway, here some of the settings that we came up with:
Brightness: 48
Contrast: 88
Color: 44
Tint: 50
Sharp: 0

It was made clear to me that the picture should realistic; not too bright without adding sharpness.

My kids use the the volume on the TV and the audio is ok but when I watch I have a digital feed to my old Bose Lifestyle 12 system.

So if you are looking for a great TV at and incredible price Vizio has done the job but if you can afford twice the money, by the name brand and it will be easier when you to tell your friends because nobody is going to be impressed when you tell them you bought a Vizio until they see it in person.
Rick
Westborough, MA

OK, I've been reading all the posts in this thread especially the reviews.... So far, I'm very confused and unsure if I should get this TV. I've never owned a plasma myself before, so it's tough for me to judge based on your feedbacks. I bought the TV on the weekend but it still sits in the box :-(

Here is the summary of what I've learned so far from you folks:

1) PQ quality seen in "the store" demo is bad compared to the other names and models - by the way, "the store" they use component cable. I saw it myself in the store and IMO the PQ is good compared to the others before I bought it.

2) But when people had it at home, most of you seem to like the PQ and reported good feedback.

3) It looks like this P42 is good with DVI/HDMI connection such as XBOX 360... and not so good with the others

4) It's only OK for SD signal.

5) Some of you mentioned that at first (few hours or days) the PQ seems to be washed out or not so good; but after a while, PQ seems to get better and in some cases even very sharp.

Anything you'd like to add or if I miss any?

Like I said, I'm now not sure if I should keep it or return back to the store. BTW, my wife just keeps asking me to open the box and try it out, she said we can always return it if not satisfied. The thing is I've never had the Plasma before so I wouldn't know if it's good or not.... or I should listen to my wife about this anyway.

my 2 cents,

Govee

I have had my Vizio since Sunday. Charter installed the HD-DVR on Tuesday and my technical friend came over with his adjustment disks and fine tuned the picture. My friend works for a well know home theatre audio company and is well versed in both the audio and video aspects of HDTV.

Even before the adjustments, he asked again how much I paid for the set. He thought it was an incredible bargain compared to the TV's that he had seen at home and in the labs at work.

He also told me that I should not pay any attention to the reports on how the sets compare at the stores. It is just not a conducive environment to compare especially when you consider lighting, distance and video feed. I have the HDMI feed at home and there is nothing washed out about this picture. It is very sharp, the whites are white and the blacks are black. As I read earlier, Ryan Seacrest was in the room.

I am extremely pleased with the purchase. Now I just hope that I can get the coupon honored.



Anyway, here some of the settings that we came up with:
Brightness: 48
Contrast: 88
Color: 44
Tint: 50
Sharp: 0

It was made clear to me that the picture should realistic; not too bright without adding sharpness.

My kids use the the volume on the TV and the audio is ok but when I watch I have a digital feed to my old Bose Lifestyle 12 system.

So if you are looking for a great TV at and incredible price Vizio has done the job but if you can afford twice the money, by the name brand and it will be easier when you to tell your friends because nobody is going to be impressed when you tell them you bought a Vizio until they see it in person.
Rick
Westborough, MA


I am new to this ....could you or someone elaborate a bit on what you mean by:
"adjustment disks and fine tuned the picture."

What are the "adjustment disks"?

The thing is I've never had the Plasma before so I wouldn't know if it's good or not.... or I should listen to my wife about this anyway.


does it even matter? if it looks good to you then keep it, if you aren't satisified bring it back. at this point it comes down to personal preference not what others think.

I have had my Vizio since Sunday. Charter installed the HD-DVR on Tuesday and my technical friend came over with his adjustment disks and fine tuned the picture. My friend works for a well know home theatre audio company and is well versed in both the audio and video aspects of HDTV.

Even before the adjustments, he asked again how much I paid for the set. He thought it was an incredible bargain compared to the TV's that he had seen at home and in the labs at work.

He also told me that I should not pay any attention to the reports on how the sets compare at the stores. It is just not a conducive environment to compare especially when you consider lighting, distance and video feed. I have the HDMI feed at home and there is nothing washed out about this picture. It is very sharp, the whites are white and the blacks are black. As I read earlier, Ryan Seacrest was in the room.

I am extremely pleased with the purchase. Now I just hope that I can get the coupon honored.

Anyway, here some of the settings that we came up with:
Brightness: 48
Contrast: 88
Color: 44
Tint: 50
Sharp: 0

It was made clear to me that the picture should realistic; not too bright without adding sharpness.

My kids use the the volume on the TV and the audio is ok but when I watch I have a digital feed to my old Bose Lifestyle 12 system.

So if you are looking for a great TV at and incredible price Vizio has done the job but if you can afford twice the money, by the name brand and it will be easier when you to tell your friends because nobody is going to be impressed when you tell them you bought a Vizio until they see it in person.
Rick
Westborough, MA

I would be careful with a contrast setting of 88. it has been suggested by many sources that the contrast level be set very low for the first 100 or so hours of the display's life to prevent burn-in.

Has anyone hooked this up to Directv Sat. I was wondering just how it looks and how it was connected. I have a HD DVR...

Yes, the constrast level of 88 seems alarming. What is the max contrast on this set?

I contacted Technical Support and was told not to worry about a break in period nor did he feel my settings were too high. I was told to be careful about image sticking and use the image cleaner when needed.
Rick
Westborough, MA

Get used to the hazy picture. I went to a different warehouse to look at another Vizio 42''. I saw pretty much the same hazy picture I saw earlier at another store. What I discovered is that all the Vizio products, plasma tvs and lcd tvs, display the same haziness. This particular warehouse had all their tvs set up to display the same vertical sidebars with white, red and pink colors. The red and pink colors on the Panasonic, Philips, and Sony were pretty consistent, bright and vivid. The same colors from the Vizio tvs, both plasma and lcd, were much lighter. Have fun.


Thank you for your in-store analysis, but most people are not seeing this hazy image in their home, if they are it seems to be very temporary. Have fun.

listen, guys.

all of you that are talking about costs (anything with a $$$) need to knock it off. if you are a new member, i suggest you read the rules. if not a new member, you should know better!!

you all seem to be enjoying yourselves (especially you, onlooker), so why don't you offenders do us all a favor and stick to topic.


I'm afraid I'm having too much fun with this... problem is that I ain't smart enough to know when to shut my yap. I get drug into taboo discussion areas too frequently. It looks like my latest infraction may have been a discussion of shipping costs with Scott. I ought to know better, but it' embarrassingly obvious that I don't. I'll just bow out of this thread and watch from the sidelines. I'd hate to see my actions result in getting it closed - I'm learning way too much from it to do that.

Well, my "store" doesn't have it on display stilll, but they do have them in stock. I am thinking once the money comes in, I might just buy it without even looking at it. With all the talk of how awesome it looks once it gets home, I won't have to worry knowing "what it looked like" in the store. So I can see it with fresh eyes, hooked up to true HD content right in my house.

Thank you for your in-store analysis, but most people are not seeing this hazy image in their home, if they are it seems to be very temporary. Have fun.

Does this really make any sense?? Why would it look hazy in the store and not in their homes?? Because, at home, they don't have any other plasma (being fed from the same source) to compare with!!

I just went to my local costco (I have been there many times lately) to look at Plasma tvs. They did not have 42" Vizio on display, but they had 50" sitting right in the middle of Pio and Panny. They also had one 50" Vizio sitting at the end of the isle by itself. I looked at it first and pic looked very good. I thought, I wouldn't mind buying this. But, then I went to the other one sitting between Pio and Panny and... ahaa!! Big difference in picture quality compared to Panny and Pio!!

Also, I think, most people are buying this Plasma is because of the store's generous return policy. Otherwise, they would think at least twice before buying this TV, even at this price.

Does this really make any sense?? Why would it look hazy in the store and not in their homes?? Because, at home, they don't have any other plasma (being fed from the same source) to compare with!!

I just went to my local costco (I have been there many times lately) to look at Plasma tvs. They did not have 42" Vizio on display, but they had 50" sitting right in the middle of Pio and Panny. They also had one 50" Vizio sitting at the end of the isle by itself. I looked at it first and pic looked very good. I thought, I wouldn't mind buying this. But, then I went to the other one sitting between Pio and Panny and... ahaa!! Big difference in picture quality compared to Panny and Pio!!

Also, I think, most people are buying this Plasma is because of the store's generous return policy. Otherwise, they would think at least twice before buying this TV, even at this price.

Um...actually, I did :D See my post a couple of pages up - there are pix of this unit next to the Philips unit, with the same HD source. I didn't notice the "haziness", but it's possible that I don't understand what people mean when they say "haziness".

Um...actually, I did :D See my post a couple of pages up - there are pix of this unit next to the Philips unit, with the same HD source. I didn't notice the "haziness", but it's possible that I don't understand what people mean when they say "haziness".

I would not consider Phillips at the level of Panny and Pio. Phillips is probably at the same level (pic quality) at 50" Vizio.

Does this really make any sense?? Why would it look hazy in the store and not in their homes?? Because, at home, they don't have any other plasma (being fed from the same source) to compare with!!


sure it makes sense as there are a few variables to take into consideration when viewing in-store. things like lighting and quality of signal/input are very important. owners are reporting that the TV looks incredible with a HD signal using HDMI. also thanks to z.mash, he was kind enough to do a side-by-side picture comparison between his Vizio and Phillips.

what really doesn't make any sense is what you just said.. if someone doesn't see the hazyness just because they don't have anything to compare it to then what? it doesn't matter at that point, as long as the owner is happy with the PQ.

Ok, here's a distinction i should make to clarify a bit. This is a really bizzare phenomenon with the initial hazy picture, but just like someoen else mentioned, when i first hooked the tv up it had the kinda washed out to it, and i was a bit let down this being my first plasma tv. But then something happened, it started to dissapear, and get darker, and sharper. Mind you, it looked washed out when i first hooked it up, yet not after some time has passed. I think this might actually be a full blown phenomenon. People at certain stores notice the haze, others dont. Perhaps by some bizzare fluke, this tv set has to "warm up" or whatever you want to call it to reach it's full potential. I'm no physicist, so i dont know the technical specs on this issue, but all i can say is that im super happy with my purchase, and i cant wait for my HD box to be hooked up on saturday! Until then, it's more xbox 360 for me!

I just went to my local costco (I have been there many times lately) to look at Plasma tvs. They did not have 42" Vizio on display, but they had 50" sitting right in the middle of Pio and Panny. They also had one 50" Vizio sitting at the end of the isle by itself. I looked at it first and pic looked very good. I thought, I wouldn't mind buying this. But, then I went to the other one sitting between Pio and Panny and... ahaa!! Big difference in picture quality compared to Panny and Pio!!


there's also a big difference in price. you need to re-evaluate your expectations.


Also, I think, most people are buying this Plasma is because of the store's generous return policy. Otherwise, they would think at least twice before buying this TV, even at this price.

i can't speak for everyone, but for myself it's the "bang for the buck" factor. i did my research and was able to set realistic expectations for this TV. i'm happy enough with what i've seen and read that i will buy this tv. if i am not happy with it, of course i will return it.. but then again what major store doesn't offer a return policy?

I would not consider Phillips at the level of Panny and Pio. Phillips is probably at the same level (pic quality) at 50" Vizio.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but it doesn't validate your statement a few posts up. The Vizio wasn't hazy, and I was comparing the two at home, not in the warehouse.

sure it makes sense as there are a few variables to take into consideration when viewing in-store. things like lighting and quality of signal/input are very important. owners are reporting that the TV looks incredible with a HD signal using HDMI.

Under the same variables for all the tvs we are comparing at the store, the other tvs (pio and Panny) are performing better. Therefore, technically, the other TVs are BETTER than Vizio.

what really doesn't make any sense is what you just said.. if someone doesn't see the hazyness just because they don't have anything to compare it to then what? it doesn't matter at that point, as long as the owner is happy with the PQ.

That is what THIS forum is about... for the people like me, those who don't know what they are missing out. From this forum I have learnt a lot. When I was sitting in my home watching a dvd on my 32" Sony tube tv with Sony ES series sound system (5 years old, but great sounding), I thought this was it. I did not know what I was missing. I found that out from this forum.

And the same goes for the people who are looking for honest opinion. They would really appreciate the facts.

So, pyrophite and others, how long did it take for the 'washed out' to go away? A few hours of the tv on? Or days? Just curious

Under the same variables for all the tvs we are comparing at the store, the other tvs (pio and Panny) are performing better. Therefore, technically, the other TVs are BETTER than Vizio.


well, you're entitled to your opinion. my in-store experience was not the same. i did not see the hazyness. i figured it was a given that the much more expensive Pio and Panny TV's were better, but the Vizio's PQ is still impressive. like i said, it's all about expectations. one of the major factors people are drawn to about the vizio is the price without a doubt. fortunately, it just that this tv happens to be a great performer for the money.

I am new to this ....could you or someone elaborate a bit on what you mean by:
"adjustment disks and fine tuned the picture."

What are the "adjustment disks"?

Avia or Digital Video Essentials. Both can be found at Amazon for a decent price.

has anyone done any comparisons between component and hdmi?

So, pyrophite and others, how long did it take for the 'washed out' to go away? A few hours of the tv on? Or days? Just curious

For me it was about maybe 4-6 hours of viewing? Perhaps less. Like someone else said, i had the tv on in the background and then i came back to it and noticed that the haze had lifted and made the PQ amazing.

i have a quick question, for SD right now i have it hooked up via my RCA input on the tv, but when i get my new cable box this weekend i assume it will have either HDMI or DVI, and if that's the case, will i get a better PQ from those connections even if it's still a SD program?

Did everyone notice this problem when using PIP? I had a splitter before the coxial cable comes to my cable box. So one end goes directly to DTV port, and the output coming from the cable box goes to AV1.

When I view DTV as the main source, and set PIP source to AV1, most of the times it's fine. But once in a while, I can see a yellow message in the PIP window, someting like "VCHIP_LOCKED" blah blah blah, and the PIP images are blurred. When I switch to AV1 full screen, no problem or what so ever.

I search in manual and the website, nothing cames up.

I am using Comcast digital cable. Not HD though...

OK, let me be on the negative side here....

If some people said it takes a few hours to "burn-in" (or whatever that means) for getting the better PQ, then how come, NOT in the store? I thought the local stores have it played all day everyday, and yet some people still see the "wash out".

Perhaps, you're mostly right, it's really based on our own expectations!!!

i have a quick question, for SD right now i have it hooked up via my RCA input on the tv, but when i get my new cable box this weekend i assume it will have either HDMI or DVI, and if that's the case, will i get a better PQ from those connections even if it's still a SD program?

It will be a higher quality signal, but it will still be SD :)

I think the local stores use component, that's why it's bad? And you guys (whoever already had P42) hook it with HDMI/DVI for HD at home, right? So yeah, the question is, did anyone compare the signal from component with HDMI?

well, you're entitled to your opinion. my in-store experience was not the same. i did not see the hazyness. i figured it was a given that the much more expensive Pio and Panny TV's were better, but the Vizio's PQ is still impressive. like i said, it's all about expectations. one of the major factors people are drawn to about the vizio is the price without a doubt. fortunately, it just that this tv happens to be a great performer for the money.

bump909, please don't get me wrong. I am not trying to put you or any product down. I may even join you guys and buy one, but, then I would have a good idea what I am getting (quality and cost). The things that attract me to this tv is price and return policy. And, I know I would be compromising pic quality for the price (compared to the best in class).

well, you're entitled to your opinion. my in-store experience was not the same. i did not see the hazyness.

Long-time lurker, first-time poster.

All you guys who can judge these units in the store are obviously better men than me. A couple of days ago, I went down to my local "national warehouse store." Couldn't see the 42" model, but I looked extensively at the 50" Vizio. They had it off to the side, away from the other plasmas. The other plasmas were all tuned to a BB game, very bright colors, they were all over-saturated to my eyes. I could see those bright red jerseys a hundred feet away. For the Vizio, they were showing a DVD of The Corpse Bride. :mad: No bright color, just a series of dark grays and blues. All of this is under 20,000 watt light bulbs hanging from a 50-ft ceiling. I might as well have been looking at this thing outside on the street corner at high noon. I don't think I could have judged the haziness if my life depended on it.

So, while I value everyone's opinions, I think those guys who actually have the units at home have a real advantage.

bump909, please don't get me wrong. I am not trying to put you or any product down. I may even join you guys and buy one, but, then I would have a good idea what I am getting (quality and cost). The things that attract me to this tv is price and return policy. And, I know I would be compromising pic quality for the price (compared to the best in class).

sorry if i came off a bit defensive. sounds like we're on the same page. :)

let me weigh in on this to give people another opinion by someone who actually owns the P42. For some reason, the set looked washed out at the one store that i went to. i bought the set, hooked it up, adjusted it, and it isn't washed out at all. (again, my only complaint is a somewhat sketchy black level) i am not sure why all of you are so worried about what it looks like in the store. for some reason, it looks washed out under millions of watts of flourescent lighting!! big deal. you are right in saying that the other plasmas next to it don't look quite as good, at the store. do you live at that store? is that where you are going to watch March Madness?

anybody remember last year when all you could buy was an Akai for this money? have you looked at the price tag?!? there are many, seemingly compotent, people on this forum that own the thing and like it! you can return it if it doesn't work for you! whats the problem??

Store vs. In-home:
I can see both sides of this debate. Owner's opinions should have greater value than people looking at them in stores.

With this being said, a side-by-side comparison in stores is also valid. These other plasmas are all under the same lighting conditions and have the same feeds. If the other plasmas are showing better performance, assuming they are properly calibrated, then one would assume they are better displays. I wouldn't be surprised that the Pioneer and Panasonic plasmas are better displays, and it seems that many have seen this in a side-by-side comparison. My guess is that if you did the same side-by-side comparison in a home with the same displays, the same trends would hold true. Maybe the picture quality gap would be narrowed a bit, but their would still be a difference. One just has to weigh price vs. picture quality and decide for themselves.

As far as a "break-in" period, I'm sure the store's Vizio displays have been broken in the same, if not longer, than the people who have them in their homes.

Im in the same boat as many on this board. I went to two different places to see the Vizio 42 and neither had them yet. I was able to see to 50 inch model. Interestingly at the first store I thought the model paled in comparison to other models. Abeit, much more expensive models. The second store was the exact opposite. The Vizio outperformed a 1K higher plasma of decent name. Not a Pana or Pioneer though. So i've concluded that if the 42 is like the 50 then i'll be very happy. Is this the cream of the crop in the 42 inch realm, probably not. But, when you ad the price tag then i think it's darn close. I keep trying to convince myself to look at the commerical Panasonic, but when after i throw on all the extras i'm about 1K more, and that's the only other model I think is a very good value. So i convinced myself to compare this within it's own class. It's not a Lexus, but probably a very functional Corolla.

i think one way you could look at this is that having the tv at home is COMPLETELY different from seeing it in the store. the main point is, if you haven't seen it at home with quality content, then you haven't seen it, period. I'm telling you, it is that much different. you all want to have a good looking plasma for this price, yet some you will never have it, because you are turned off by what you see in the worst possible environment, with the worst possible feed. YOU CAN RETURN IT IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT!!!

I would try and pretend that this set isn't available for viewing before purchase (much like a commercial Panny). using this forum (post from owners) and the one pro review we have seen, i can say that the choice is easy. seeing this set in the store is not one bit of help when it comes to PQ.

I would try and pretend that this set isn't available for viewing before purchase (much like a commercial Panny). using this forum (post from owners) and the one pro review we have seen, i can say that the choice is easy. seeing this set in the store is not one bit of help when it comes to PQ.

Could somebody please give the link for the pro review? I assumed it was in this thread somewhere, but I was unable to find it.

I'm afraid I'm having too much fun with this... problem is that I ain't smart enough to know when to shut my yap. I get drug into taboo discussion areas too frequently. It looks like my latest infraction may have been a discussion of shipping costs with Scott. I ought to know better, but it' embarrassingly obvious that I don't. I'll just bow out of this thread and watch from the sidelines. I'd hate to see my actions result getting it closed - I'm learning way too much from it to do that.Onlookerdelay: please keep participating in this thread. You are doing fine.:) Your participation will help the rest of the forum. All I did was remove a quote from your post that was coupon talk. Again, you did nothing wrong, from what I can tell.

This thread is in no danger of being closed. I've decided just to keep a close eye on it, and edit/delete problem posts.

Enjoy the thread guys.:)

w00t! welcome back to the party, onlooker. :D

Could somebody please give the link for the pro review? I assumed it was in this thread somewhere, but I was unable to find it.
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=1333

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=1333

Thanks! That is a very promising review. I think he summed it best with the following:
"one of the best overall values in plasma TVs today"

I'm happy to see that the color temperature can be attained out of the box with the limited picture controls.

The following quote pretty much agrees with what people have been saying in this thread:
"While its picture isn't perfect, most of the HDTV programs and DVDs I watched on it looked very good, and I often found myself struck by its crisp image, convincing shadow detail, and rich, natural color."

People who have seen this in the store, may not agree with the "crisp image" comment, but it seems that it is crisp in proper viewing conditions.


Thanks for the link!

Has anyone thought about calling Vinc to see if they know of any kinda technician's service menu that will allow us to make other adjustments?

i have a quick question, for SD right now i have it hooked up via my RCA input on the tv, but when i get my new cable box this weekend i assume it will have either HDMI or DVI, and if that's the case, will i get a better PQ from those connections even if it's still a SD program?

Simply put, NO. In fact the image might actually appear worse with a digital connection because you will be able to see all of the flaws in the SD feed.

Has anyone thought about calling Vinc to see if they know of any kinda technician's service menu that will allow us to make other adjustments?

service menu codes are only given to ISF certified calibration technicians.

Pfft certified, shmertified

I made my way down to the store today to preview the P42 today. I am going to purchase the television either this weekend or monday. The PQ looked very good and compared favorably to the others sets around it. I hope the one I purchase looks just like the demo unit. Can't wait to pick it up, just need dear old dads truck. Thanks to all the early birds who offered their input here.

service menu codes are only given to ISF certified calibration technicians.

I say someone trys calling them and saying they are "X" who works for "X" and see if they can get the code....... (i'd call but I don't own the tv, incase they need info/serials or something)

service menu codes are only given to ISF certified calibration technicians.

i can only imagine service menu codes with ISF techs are like magic tricks with magicians. sooner or later somone is going to find out how it's done.

I'm a newbie. Forgive the basic question but I couldn't quite find the exact answer in the faq's. Is the advantage of a having a built in tuner (like with the vizio 42") that you don't need the cable set top box to receive HDTV signals? Where I get confused is that this set doesn't have a cablecard slot. I thought without the cablecard slot, you still need the set top box. What am I missing?

I'm a newbie. Forgive the basic question but I couldn't quite find the exact answer in the faq's. Is the advantage of a having a built in tuner (like with the vizio 42") that you don't need the cable set top box to receive HDTV signals? Where I get confused is that this set doesn't have a cablecard slot. I thought without the cablecard slot, you still need the set top box. What am I missing?
CableCard allows you to receive "scrambled" digital channels (HD and SD alike). QAM w/out CableCard allows you to receive "unscrambled" digital channels. The most likely unscrambled HD channels would be your local broadcast channels. Every once in a while, you get lucky and receive a premium via QAM. I, for instance, receive ESPN HD via my QAM.

I'm a newbie. Forgive the basic question but I couldn't quite find the exact answer in the faq's. Is the advantage of a having a built in tuner (like with the vizio 42") that you don't need the cable set top box to receive HDTV signals? Where I get confused is that this set doesn't have a cablecard slot. I thought without the cablecard slot, you still need the set top box. What am I missing?

Many local stations are broadcasting HDTV signals now already, so with a built-in tuner you can pick those up out of the box for free. For HD service offered to you by a cable company you will need the box to get those signals they offer, since we are lacking a slot.

Onlookerdelay: please keep participating in this thread. You are doing fine.:) Your participation will help the rest of the forum. All I did was remove a quote from your post that was coupon talk. Again, you did nothing wrong, from what I can tell.

This thread is in no danger of being closed. I've decided just to keep a close eye on it, and edit/delete problem posts.

Enjoy the thread guys.:)

Woodrow, thanks for stepping in here. What I feared was that I had gotten too precise in discussing shipping costs with Scott in South Dakota. In retrospect, I'd say that I'm a bit negligent in not recognizing what is coupon talk, or could be construed to be coupon talk. There may have been some coupon talk in the text that I quoted from him, and I simply didn't recognize it as such. It was purely unintentional, but that still doesn't erase its inappropriateness.

I appreciate your encouraging me to continue participation in the thread. I'll keep an increased awareness of coupon talk henceforth.

We're getting some really good first hand reports on owners and observers of this set now. It is very helpful to me as a prospective buyer. Unless something changes between now and Monday morning, it looks like I'll be making the trek out to buy this set. I'll still be tuned into this thread for more information and insights!

But then something happened, it started to dissapear, and get darker, and sharper. Mind you, it looked washed out when i first hooked it up, yet not after some time has passed. I think this might actually be a full blown phenomenon. People at certain stores notice the haze, others dont. Perhaps by some bizzare fluke, this tv set has to "warm up" or whatever you want to call it to reach it's full potential.

It seems to me like there's some sort of strange phenomenon going on with this set based on what you've described above. It's almost like there's some "breakover" point that's reached and suddenly, the PQ makes a major step change. From what I've gathered in this thread, some users seem to have helped usher it in by doing input source experiments that might have been beyond the scope of their original plans.

I think what I perceived to be a "washed out" look when I previewed this set at the store is what some are calling hazy. Then again, I'll confess to be one who is drawn in by what many of you would call oversaturated "eye-candy". I began to see how I'm susceptible to this when I was viewing mash's comparison shots with the Phillips 42" plasma.

I'm no physicist, so i dont know the technical specs on this issue, but all i can say is that im super happy with my purchase, and i cant wait for my HD box to be hooked up on saturday! Until then, it's more xbox 360 for me!

I'm certainly not a physicist either, and I know good and well I'm not close to sniffing the status of being considered a "videophile". While I'll admit that I find the PQ on the Phillips more appealing to my eye, I have no problem accepting the minor compromise that I'm forced to make thanks to my budget. The Vizio P42HDTV is light years better than the 32" Toshiba SDTV I've got now. I may well have the same epiphany that many of you are having when I get it home and tweak it a bit!

Let me ask you this... are you seeing any image retention problems with your XBox 360 use? At least 1/3 of my display's life will be as 360 monitor. I just want to make sure that my family is prepared to make the necessary changes to their gaming habits to avoid jeapordizing a plasma display.

It seems to me like there's some sort of strange phenomenon going on with this set based on what you've described above. It's almost like there's some "breakover" point that's reached and suddenly, the PQ makes a major step change. From what I've gathered in this thread, some users seem to have helped usher it in by doing input source experiments that might have been beyond the scope of their original plans.

I think what I perceived to be a "washed out" look when I previewed this set at the store is what some are calling hazy. Then again, I'll confess to be one who is drawn in by what many of you would call oversaturated "eye-candy". I began to see how I'm susceptible to this when I was viewing mash's comparison shots with the Phillips 42" plasma.



I'm certainly not a physicist either, and I know good and well I'm not close to sniffing the status of being considered a "videophile". While I'll admit that I find the PQ on the Phillips more appealing to my eye, I have no problem accepting the minor compromise that I'm forced to make thanks to my budget. The Vizio P42HDTV is light years better than the 32" Toshiba SDTV I've got now. I may well have the same epiphany that many of you are having when I get it home and tweak it a bit!

Let me ask you this... are you seeing any image retention problems with your XBox 360 use? At least 1/3 of my display's life will be as 360 monitor. I just want to make sure that my family is prepared to make the necessary changes to their gaming habits to avoid jeapordizing a plasma display.


So far no, i have no image retention, however i play mostly Burnout revenge which doesnt have too much of a static HUD to speak of. I think it might be different with a game that has more static images like a FPS. However there have been other cases of image retention, such as pausing my DVR for a few minutes (yes it eventually goes into screen saver but not without leaving a small image retention). But that goes away using the screen wipe feature in the menu.

When it comes right down to it, i WILL admit that this screen is nowhere as good as some i've seen such as the one at bestbuy on display for $4999, but hey, if it's a battle between a tv that costs nearly as much as my car, or one that i can buy now for the cost of a single paycheck but still decent performance... i think i know what im going to choose.

CableCard allows you to receive "scrambled" digital channels (HD and SD alike). QAM w/out CableCard allows you to receive "unscrambled" digital channels. The most likely unscrambled HD channels would be your local broadcast channels. Every once in a while, you get lucky and receive a premium via QAM. I, for instance, receive ESPN HD via my QAM.
depends on the cable system..with time warner cable in akron oh, the only HD channel you can get without cable card is discovery hd...and nothing else. basically a qam tuner without cable card is USELESS

I contacted Technical Support and was told not to worry about a break in period nor did he feel my settings were too high.

Rick, thanks for sharing your settings. I'm a bit surprised to see the contrast at 88 myself. I never took it higher than 74 when I was tweaking it in the store. I think I was just conditioned to think it wasn't necessary to got that high with a plasma. I don't know why I should worry... my Toshiba CRT uses "80" for contrast when I have it on "Sports" setting.

I'm probably even more surprised that Vizio Tech Support didn't find your values were too high, particularly contrast. His comment on the break-in-period are also consistent with the manual that I've read online for the P42HDTV. There is no mention whatsoever of a break-in process in that manual, nor are there any cautions about settings. I'm not experienced with plasma displays beyond what I've read here and linked from here, in the last two months. Isn't this lack of break-in procedure an unusual practice with plasma displays?

I was told to be careful about image sticking and use the image cleaner when needed.

This will take some discipline for me and my family. Heck, I'm not sure myself what would constitute image sticking where I plasma display is concerned. I know that my XBox 360 use would certainly be a prime candidate for creating it though. I can see myself using the image cleaner as twice daily maintenance procedure ;)

When it comes right down to it, i WILL admit that this screen is nowhere as good as some i've seen such as the one at bestbuy on display for $4999, but hey, if it's a battle between a tv that costs nearly as much as my car, or one that i can buy now for the cost of a single paycheck but still decent performance... i think i know what im going to choose.

Amen Bro! Today at work I was in our power plant's work control center, where we have a 42" ViewSonic plasma display connected to a plant status and information computer. The plant dropped $6K on that display in 2002!? It looked absolutely horrible to me then, and it looks even worse today. It is the worst example of the the SDE I've ever seen. And the geometry.... uuuugghhh! It's one of the main reasons I've had a hard bias against plasma until only two months ago, when I started giving the contemporary models a new, fresh look. When I look at it and compare it to what I've seen from the Vizio P42HDTV, it's hard for me to believe that they are based on the same technology. The Vizio looks three or four generations better.

So, I've been watching a bit more on this TV, and right now I might be a little disappointed, unless what I'm about to describe is standard behavior for this size plasma.

I watched both the Return of the King and Star Wars on DVD on a regular DVD player via component cables. The aspects in which both are shot are such that when viewing in "normal" mode on the Vizio you see a thick black border all around the image. The picture looks great, but kind of small. If I switch to the "zoom" mode, you only see black bars on top and bottom, but in certain scenes, I start seeing pixels. It's not too bad, and probably most people wouldn't notice them, but since I'm in evaluation mode, I see them and it bothers me.

Is this normal for a non-upscaling DVD player, or is it a function of the TV.

return of the king was shot in 2.35:1 aspect ratio while the p42hdtv has an aspect ratio
of 1.78:1, so black bars should appear top and bottom when in the full or wide modes.

the dvd player should also be setup for a 1.78:1 (16:9) display.

if the proportions of circles and people's heads look correct when in the 'normal' mode,
the dvd player is set up for a 4:3 screen and probably isn't providing the full vertical
resolution of the dvd.

i'd check the dvd player settings for 16:9 operation, then check for the glitches again.

return of the king was shot in 2.35:1 aspect ratio while the p42hdtv has an aspect ratio
of 1.78:1, so black bars should appear top and bottom when in the full or wide modes.

the dvd player should also be setup for a 1.78:1 (16:9) display.

if the proportions of circles and people's heads look correct when in the 'normal' mode,
the dvd player is set up for a 4:3 screen and probably isn't providing the full vertical
resolution of the dvd.

i'd check the dvd player settings for 16:9 operation, then check for the glitches again.

Well, this is why I post to forums like this. I didn't realize my DVD player had a setting for 16:9. Now that I've set it properly (and put the DVD player in progressive mode) it looks great. I feel better now.

Thanks!

yup..gotta set the output of the DVD player :)

I'm pretty much done stressing about this. The price point/value of this Vizio is gonna just have to be good enough to replace my 12 year old 32" JVC crt unit. I spent the extra $$ I had on replacing my old amp with a new Outlaw Audio 1070, and I'd rather take the $$ difference in a 'better' TV, and replace the old Bose speakers with some kickass Axiom's or something like that.

and the REALITY of it is that I have a 12 x14' liviing room with BIG south facing windows and lots of sunlight.

This board has been a GREAT resource. I plan on keeping up the reading here, and, of course, once I get MY unit dialed in, I'll post my settings as well.

I did make a dvd of the 'break in/burn in' stuff that can be found on another part of this forum...Better safe than sorry for the first 100 hours.

more to come..I'll be at The Warehouse bright and early on monday with the Amex ;)

Ok, this TV has been on my wall for a week now and I still feel the same... for the money, it's a great TV.

One major problem though...I don't know what to call it, but during fast motion and high intensity color, the picture looks like crap. Everything becomes pixelated and blocky.

Couple of examples, at the end of Dodgball (on one of the Cox HD channels) they drop confetti which covers the entire screen... the entire panel just turns to crap during this part. Also watching Finding Nemo via DVD, any fast motion during this where there are a lot of colors, again, turns pixelated and blocky.

I assume this has something to do with the predictive nature of the way the panel draws color from pixel to pixel?

Anyone else?

I'd recommend considering the maxent 42" HD soon to come out!

i just saw it at bestbuy today and it looked pretty damn good, the bezel was majority black around the screen, and then on the bottom was a 2" tall speaker, still looked good though.

Ill see what i can do about getting a picture of it, the one on the maxent website BLOWS.

I'd recommend considering the maxent 42" HD soon to come out!

i just saw it at bestbuy today and it looked pretty damn good, the bezel was majority black around the screen, and then on the bottom was a 2" tall speaker, still looked good though.

Ill see what i can do about getting a picture of it, the one on the maxent website BLOWS.

Which model number is this one?

this Maxent??

http://www.maxentusa.com/_coreModules/eShopping/productDetail.aspx?productMasterID=27

Is it the same one?[/QUOTE]
Doesn't appear to be much interest in it:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=654141

You said you have actually seen it?

this Maxent??

http://www.maxentusa.com/_coreModules/eShopping/productDetail.aspx?productMasterID=27

Oh that's it? I like the looks of that monitor, even with it's silver speaker bezel, but there is virutually no information available on it on the net. I would like to hear more feedback on it before I'd seriously consider it. I know I didn't see it my local 'store' when I was in there last Tuesday, checking out the P42HDTV.

gotchaforce, you say you saw this monitor (the one referenced above) in Best Buy? I'd like to see it, but it's not in our Best Buy. I don't even see it in the catalog.

Doesn't appear to be much interest in it:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=654141

You said you have actually seen it?

I think the scarcity of information about it has some bearing on the lack of interest.

I think the scarcity of information about it has some bearing on the lack of interest.

You're probably right - that's why my interest was piqued when he said he had actually seen one!

One major problem though...I don't know what to call it, but during fast motion and high intensity color, the picture looks like crap. Everything becomes pixelated and blocky.

Couple of examples, at the end of Dodgball (on one of the Cox HD channels) they drop confetti which covers the entire screen... the entire panel just turns to crap during this part. Also watching Finding Nemo via DVD, any fast motion during this where there are a lot of colors, again, turns pixelated and blocky.

I assume this has something to do with the predictive nature of the way the panel draws color from pixel to pixel?

Anyone else?


I haven't watched any HD fast action scenes, but I did watch parts of Revenge of the Sith and Return of the King and I didn't see any pixellation errors during the Battle over Coruscant nor during the Battle at Minas Tirith in either movie. Both of those scenes are pretty complex and the TV performed beautifully (once I set my DVD player properly :))

Question for those of you who have an XBox 360 or a 480p DVD player and the Vizio 43PHDTV. Do 480p movies look markedly better than 480i? I'm used to seeing movies being played in 480i on my CRT SDTV, and I'm just wondering if I won't regret not having an upscaling DVD player for movie playback?

I dont think an upconverting player is that big of a deal. Although a there is a Toshiba progressive scan player at that "store" that sells the P42 for under fifty bones. That might be worth it if you dont have progressive scan.

Can the people with this TV comment on the PQ of SD broadcasts?

I read earlier that people were having difficulty getting the stretch mode to work on 4:3 material, i.e. they couldn't get rid of the black bars...have people resolved this issue?

Does the stretch mode work well for SD (does it make people look bloated or distorted)? Can someone post a pic? Last time I was in my warehouse store they'd didn't have the tv on display yet so I can't try it out for myself.

This will be a major factor for me since most of our tv viewing will still be SD initially. If the stretch doesn't work well, then we're really not gaining a whole lot of viewing space since 25% of the screen will be black bars. While plasmas that do this well (like the NEC) are twice as much, this combined with a better HD PQ could justify the extra cost for me.

Thanks

Here's my dilemma. Bought Vision L37 LCD in Nov. Love the set, but experiencing the famous "shutoffs" and slight greenish/violet hue in skin tones. I am returning the set on Monday, but do I get another possibly defective 37" LCD or go for the Visio 42HD. I have been to 2 stores and experienced that washed out effect at both. The LCD seems to have more "pop". This should be a no brainer. Of course go for the bigger one, but I wont be happy if it doesnt have that "pop" on HD channels. The 37 fits better it my cabinet, but I am willing to make adjustments for the larger screen. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Well guys, I saw it finally on display at my Costco. I HAD to look at it and fiddle.
I have to tell you, I DID notice diff's between that and the 50" panny next to it. The panny was totally brighter in color and just looked sharper. But the vizio looked freakin awesome. And for the price, it's a no brainer I will be buying it. It looked fantastic for it's price and I'd rather buy a cheaper (but great looking plasma) and use the money I saved on a bunch of Xbox 360 stuff to show off that new tv.

I messed with settings and really didnt notice a big change when I upped the brightness or contrast, but it still looked really good.

once I get the cash, I will buy it!!

mine fit in the back seat of my 96 accord - ofcourse out of the box which i donated to costco - [EDIT]. set looks excellent and am glad i returned the maxent mx42x3 which had a green tint no matter what tweaking. good luck

anyone has experience trying 1280x1024 via RGB on this TV thru computer? How is the image quality?

[EDIT]

Is it easy to upack and load it in the back seat of the car? How did you manage to have it sit upright? Do you have to have someone sitting next to it and hold it while on the way home?

I don't have a SUV and I'm thinking if it is possible to load it in my 03 camry... and keep the box in the car.

Is it easy to upack and load it in the back seat of the car? How did you manage to have it sit upright? Do you have to have someone sitting next to it and hold it while on the way home?

I don't have a SUV and I'm thinking if it is possible to load it in my 03 camry... and keep the box in the car.


After unpacking it from the box, I stuck it in the back seat of my '99 Galant - it ended up sitting at about a 30 degree angle from vertical, leaning against the two front seats. I folded up the box and stuck it in my trunk. I drove it about 30+ miles and didn't have a problem.

Fortunately, one of the warehouse employees helped me out, otherwise, it would have been a bit more difficult.

After unpacking it from the box, I stuck it in the back seat of my '99 Galant - it ended up sitting at about a 30 degree angle from vertical, leaning against the two front seats. I folded up the box and stuck it in my trunk. I drove it about 30+ miles and didn't have a problem.

Fortunately, one of the warehouse employees helped me out, otherwise, it would have been a bit more difficult.

how long did it take to open the box and unload the TV everything? The reason why I am asking is I don't want to be such a idiot unpacking in the middel of parking lot while ppl staring at me and thinking hey this guy can afford a SUV :D

seriously another question, did you lean the TV 30 degree against the two front seats while the front of TV facing the trunk?

Well thanks to this forum I will be buying the Vizio come monday! As an unemployed grad student I was drooling over the Hitachi's but I just can't justify spending over a grand more. From what it sounds like I will be more then happy!

Anyways - how do you have your plasma's hooked up? with only one HDMI input, do you connect your DVD? or your Cable box? Is it a matter of preference?

I have comcast cable so if any seattlites can pipe in that would be great!

how long did it take to open the box and unload the TV everything? The reason why I am asking is I don't want to be such a idiot unpacking in the middel of parking lot while ppl staring at me and thinking hey this guy can afford a SUV :D

seriously another question, did you lean the TV 30 degree against the two front seats while the front of TV facing the trunk?


Hmm.. it probably took about 10-15 minutes, most of which was devoted to trying to figure out how to load the TV inside its box into my car. I didn't worry about looking like an idiot, since most people walking by were envious of my new purchase :).

The front of the TV faced the two front seats, and the top of the bezel rested on the seats themselves. I forgot to mention that the bottom of the TV was still inside the styrofoam packaging. It's hard to explain (but obvious once you see the box), but the main section of the box lifts staight off the bottom. When I loaded it into the car, the TV was still in the bottom of the box, so when it was in my car, it didn't move at all.

Please - let's not go there. Unless a question has something to do with the actual TV, it's probably not allowed.

i'm off to pick one up as soon i get home and grab the truck.
i checked at lunch and the local store had many p42hdtv in the stacks.

i would have waited til next week, but my SO is on travel next week
and can't help me lug it into the house.

go figure, the one week of the year that she's travelling is next week.

Can the people with this TV comment on the PQ of SD broadcasts?

I read earlier that people were having difficulty getting the stretch mode to work on 4:3 material, i.e. they couldn't get rid of the black bars...have people resolved this issue?

Does the stretch mode work well for SD (does it make people look bloated or distorted)? Can someone post a pic? Last time I was in my warehouse store they'd didn't have the tv on display yet so I can't try it out for myself.

This will be a major factor for me since most of our tv viewing will still be SD initially. If the stretch doesn't work well, then we're really not gaining a whole lot of viewing space since 25% of the screen will be black bars. While plasmas that do this well (like the NEC) are twice as much, this combined with a better HD PQ could justify the extra cost for me.

Thanks

SD has looked surprisingly good to me. i live in an area where SD is digital, not analog. i did get my dvr to stretch to fill the screen, but it looks worse since there is more screen for the crappy SD feed to fill up. for me, there is no reason to stretch an image that is supposed to be 4:3 just to fill the screen.

SD has looked surprisingly good to me. i live in an area where SD is digital, not analog. i did get my dvr to stretch to fill the screen, but it looks worse since there is more screen for the crappy SD feed to fill up. for me, there is no reason to stretch an image that is supposed to be 4:3 just to fill the screen.

I bought this unit last night. I have hardly had any time to mess with it. SD quality is variable. At the moment comedy central is the worst looking SD channel. However, AZNTV, IFC, and some of the higher channels look really good.

during the burn in period I'm stretching the shows.

I think the store did a round about calibration on all sets because the difference from last week to this week is incredible. All the TVs look awesome. At least in my area this is true.

I will report after the weekend. hopefully I will have my avia disks.

Hi guys, like a lot of ppl in this thread, I'm waiting to get the vizio on Monday[EDIT]Maxent MX-42HPM20. It sounds very similar to the vizio. Anyone has anymore info on it besides the specs on maxentusa.com?


thanks

p.s. sorry about that, what I should say is that the Maxent 42" is also available that is comparable to the Vizio. I just couldn't find any info on it besides the maxent and costo websites.

I have comcast cable so if any seattlites can pipe in that would be great!

howdy, fellow Seattlite!

all you can do is try it both ways. Try HDMI out of the Comcast box and Component out of the DVD. Then switch them. See what combination give you the best pic.

There IS a thread around here regarding the Comcast Cable boxes...do a search..lots of good info. (and info about the HDMI issues).

Went to a "warehouse" store in SoCal to do a comparison today... have been waiting months for the Vizio to show up ever since receiving the ad in the mail.

Store had 4 plasmas in a row, Panasonic TH-42PM50U, Vizio P42HDTV, Philips 42PF7220A, and Vizio P50.

Was disappointed to find that I agree with the observation of "haziness" in the P42HDTV; however, playing around with settings improved matters somewhat. In my opinion, the most likely cause of the haziness is inferior black levels to the Panasonic, causing lower contrast levels and lower (apparent) color saturation.

In comparison to the Philips and Vizio 50", I would say the 42" had similar picture quality. The only downside to the Panasonic I could tell was SDE and some jagginess when viewed at less than 6'.

The other main problem with the Vizio picture, and this may be the same problem as the "haziness", is that no matter what adjustments I made, I could not get a satisfying blue tinge to the sky tones. Perhaps this could be fixed with access to service menus, I don't know. Then again, neither the Philips nor the 50" Vizio had a good blue sky color either.

Again, I have nothing at stake here since I don't own any PDP, I am just shopping for a 2nd TV (main TV is a Samsung 1080p DLP).

Price on that Vizio sure is great though... :)

I dont think an upconverting player is that big of a deal. Although a there is a Toshiba progressive scan player at that "store" that sells the P42 for under fifty bones. That might be worth it if you dont have progressive scan.

I'm wondering if most people would be able to spot the difference between 480p and 480i DVD playback on the same set from the same source? I've only been exposed to 480i DVD playback with my 32" CRT SDTV, but I've been very impressed with it.

I feel like I'd be slighting my HDTV if I fed it a 480p component video DVD signal, when it's no doubt going to best strut its stuff with an HDMI input at 720p, albeit an upscaled one. I guess I'll make that decision for myself when the time comes, but I was just a bit curious as to how others who are more experienced with this saw it.

I stopped by the store to see the P42HDTV tonight. Right away I was looking for the haziness that everyone is talking about, and sure enough I saw it. But after playing with the settings some (using some of the settings posted in this thread), the overall PQ increased dramatically. I also liked the canned VIVD 2 setting fairly well.

I left it on user setting with the contrast up in the 80's, and the color up a bit (60)and it looked great compared to the 42" Pioneer right next to it. The Pio beat it, but only by a small margin in my opinion.

One thing that I did notice in some of the scenes in the store demo where there was a lot of white in the background, particularly when the "INHD" logo shows up, the 42 Pioneer and the 50 Panasonic looked like they had a sligh blueish tint to the white. But the Vizio was pure white. Anyone else notice this?

Anyway, For the bang/buck factor here - its a clear choice for me - I'm buying it on Monday.

Hi Everyone,

First off I wanted to thank everyone for their posts to this thread. There has been a lot of good feedback on the set. After reading this thread for the last couple of weeks I thought I would contribute to it as well :)

I've had my Vizio for about 5 days now and I've shared similar experiences with many people on this thread.

At the store, the Vizio was right next to a Panny ED and the 50" Vizio. The Panny was both brighter and crisper than both the 42" an 50" which concerned me. Regardless I decided to buy it.

I decided to excercise the TV before hanging it. I currently have 3 video sources for the plasma (AV1: Super cheap portable DVD via composite cable, AV3: Tivo Series 2 with SD cable via an S-video cable, Component1: Motorola 6412 Dual Tuner HD DVR with Digital and HD cable via component cable). Cable feed is supplied by Comcast.

The first thing I did after I hooked everything up was to turn down the contrast and brightness to aroung 45. I want to be cautious and minimize any burn in risk. Based on Toy Story, Monster Inc., LOTR - Return of the King, the DVD signal looked very good ... even for a cheap composite connection (my portable unit only supports composite). Colors were crisp and the only time I saw any pixelation was with super deep black colors. The pixelation was very minor.

For the Tivo Series 2, I set the unit to "best". I won't say that the image quality was good or bad but I would say that it was very watchable. I assume the SD quality would be better without the Tivo box because it would not need to go thru a mpeg compression/conversion.

For HD DVR, the non-HD programming was similar to the Tivo Series 2 in appearance. If I were to compare the two, I would say that Tivo had a slightly better PQ for non-HD. I think I'm going to do some more tweaking so I'm hoping the Motorola DVR will look better.

Now for the HD PQ review. In a nutshell I was very impressed. I watched a HD program filmed by IMAX and it was simple amazing! Very crisp and vivid colors.

From an overall perspective I haven't experienced any auto shutdowns. Although I can't explain it, for some strange reason the PQ does seem to improve over time. I'm not crazy about the speaker design but for the price I can't complain. Overall build quality of the unit is good. The remote feels cheap but I'm sure most people will use a universal remote unit.

The next steps will be to connect the HD DVR via DVI/HDMI. My OPPO DVD should be coming soon so I'll also hook that up thru component video and DVI/HDMI to compare the differences. Stay tuned for more info.

In summary I thought that the Vizio had great HD PQ, average SD PQ (thru Tivo S2) and at the price I paid it is a great deal. I think the most important thing to consider is to make sure the settings are correct and to make your assessment in the right environment.

Anyone have any luck getting a hold of the service menu code yet? It seems like the "pro" reviews were able to get this info and tweak the grey scale further.

Spent 30 minutes at 'the' store checking out the PQ of the vizio. There is some hazyness as mentioned in previous posts, but not very bad. It is though the worst performing plasma at that particular store. It does not have much POP(3d feel) in the picture as the philips or the pioneer. But i thought the PQ is OK. For $$$ its a good buy for sure. Vizio P50 PQ is much better than the 42 inch unfourtunatly.

/Chris

Anyone have any luck getting a hold of the service menu code yet? It seems like the "pro" reviews were able to get this info and tweak the grey scale further.

Us P50 people have been trying to get the menu code since last August... :(

I am watching the NCAAs on my 24 hour old VIZIO and the picture in HD is very good/excellent.
When the players step up to the foul line the image is crystal clear and the colors are very true. I have done little tweaking thus far.

If someone explains how to post pictures I'd be more than happy to oblige.

I was a bit concerned about the postings here about the "washed out" look of this unit. I did notice it a bit at the local warehouse store but once it was in the house it has become a "non-issue". I do not have my Comcast HD box yet so the HD I am seeing is using the VIZIOs tuner. So far, so good.

Please - let's not go there. Unless a question has something to do with the actual TV, it's probably not allowed.


my bad- you are probably right...just trying to figure this all out!

Although I can't explain it, for some strange reason the PQ does seem to improve over time.

It’s been amusing to read the many reports of this supposed improvement over time and the corresponding "theories" as to why. Lack of any physical reasons for this hasn’t dissuaded those who want to believe. Improved lighting conditions at home and the absence of any side-by-side comparison will certainly help any display look better, but that doesn’t account for a change with time. I venture to guess the real reason for this “improvement” occurs for two reasons:

1) The lack of a fixed reference to compare it against allows one’s perception of what looks good to change over time.
2) The normal behavior to accept what becomes more familiar as more right. What looked “grey” compared to another set at the store begins to look pretty “black” after a while at home.

Of course in the end, all that matter is what the individual buyer thinks. As opinions tend to be subjective, I would agree with some of the others here who have suggested anyone considering this set simply purchase it, take it home, and see what they think. If they don’t like it, return it.

fisrt time poster:
I checked out the Visio today. I like the 50" and find the PQ very close to the Pio. I had hoped the new 42" was going to be just like the 50" but the PQ on the 42" was not as crisp as the 50" although I actually like the slightly muted picture (my last TV was an NEC with the smoked glass front, only took me six months to decide on that TV:)). The worst looking plasma in the place was the Phillips. Unfortunately, my local store never has the Panasonic so I can't compare. To me, all of the plasmas look better than the LCDs or DLPs.
stu

Stu's Six Phases of Plasma:

Shock & Denial
Anger (anger expressed outwardly)
Depression (anger expressed inwardly)
Bargaining
Sadness
Forgiveness – Resolution and Acceptance

Oh that's it? I like the looks of that monitor, even with it's silver speaker bezel, but there is virutually no information available on it on the net. I would like to hear more feedback on it before I'd seriously consider it. I know I didn't see it my local 'store' when I was in there last Tuesday, checking out the P42HDTV.

gotchaforce, you say you saw this monitor (the one referenced above) in Best Buy? I'd like to see it, but it's not in our Best Buy. I don't even see it in the catalog.

YEP i was looking at the new panny 42" HD and lo and behold there was this maxent that i saw reference to a certain wholesale warehouse site... i will take some pictures if you guys want me to (ill just take my smaller casio into the bestbuy and snap a few shots)

it looks a LOT better in person

It’s been amusing to read the many reports of this supposed improvement over time and the corresponding "theories" as to why. Lack of any physical reasons for this hasn’t dissuaded those who want to believe.

Can you really assume that there are no valid physical reasons for this "improvement" to take place? Personally, I wouldn't rule it out until I had absolute proof that there wasn't some quirk about this sets design that was ameliorated by some heretofore unknown action or operation by the user. I've read this report too frequently from too many users of varying stripes. Some were highly skeptical of this set and were near the point of returning it. The accounts are just too widespread for me to simply discount the phenomena as buyer rationalization.

Of course in the end, all that matter is what the individual buyer thinks. As opinions tend to be subjective, I would agree with some of the others here who have suggested anyone considering this set simply purchase it, take it home, and see what they think. If they don’t like it, return it.

I've had an hour of hands-on with this set at the 'store' and I can honestly say that I was never able to get rid of the haziness that many of you have also seen in its PQ. I didn't try settings as seemingly extreme as what Rick has adopted for his set, but I can see where they would come closer to yielding the kind of "pop" that most of us are expecting from a plasma. I'm primed to by this set on Monday morning, knowing all of this. Does that make me more likely to "drink the Kool Aid" and become a believer in the transcendent PQ of the Vizio P42HDTV? I honestly can't answer that, but I'm a hard sell on matters like this, even though I keep an open mind to the possibility that there could be something going on with this set which explains why there *may* be a sudden transition for 'hazy" to "sharp".

I think most of us are conditioned to think that contrast settings that high in the early life of a plasma are not Kosher. There may or may not be valid reasons for that philosophy. However, Vizio's response to Rick, indicating that they had no concern over his settings, nor do they or their manual prescribe a "break-in" period tells me that Vizio doesn't feel any of this is necessary for their design. Whether there are grounds for their approach to this will be proven in time.

YEP i was looking at the new panny 42" HD and lo and behold there was this maxent that i saw reference to a certain wholesale warehouse site... i will take some pictures if you guys want me to (ill just take my smaller casio into the bestbuy and snap a few shots)

it looks a LOT better in person

Holy cow! I have to wonder if the same incentive to buy it on this chain's website, beginning March 27th, will also apply to their B&M locations? This would certainly be an alternative I would like to explore if that would be the case, because there would be no difference between the two in terms of my ability to fit either of them into my budget. Even in the screen shots I've seen of the Maxent, I like the styling better.

[edit].... nevermind about the availability of the Maxent in the store I have in mind [EDIT]it's a different chain from where you saw the set. I'd still like to look at it in person. I'll call and see my my local BB has it in stock. I won't be able to afford their price though.

i picked up a P42HDTV at my local store last night.
apparently, the availability for sale depends on the store location.
at my local store, the P42hdtv's were all in the upper stacks,
and weren't to be in the SKU system til monday.

but, they released one to me since i had been there at lunch and
they knew i was coming w/ my truck later.

so far, the set has been very good at home.

the no-name brand deinterlacer is doing a good job w/ 480i.
my torture disk of 'that touch of mink' which is letteredboxed (nonanamorphic)
and mastered w/ the wrong flags for proper cadence looks fantastic.

(poor deinterlacers show lots of herringbone w/ this particular disk)

OTA and HD-Lite from my DirecTV HTL-HD looks fantastic over my el-cheapo
3 foot component cables at 720p. no visible geometric aspect ratio distortion
as reported for the P50HDM. (my HTL-HD is set to insert pillarbars for SD content,
so i don't have to fool w/ the WIDE button on the P42HDTV remote)

and the highlight is that 1280x720 RGB from my ibook looks incredible crisp.
(slideshows of my digital photos from monterey bay aquarium and my air tour
of denali look great w/ very natural looking colors!!). this is a big plus
since the extra resolution over the same slide show in 480p is quite apparent.

the only glitch is that AV3 S-Video input is not working correctly.
(i need this for laserdisk playback).
only the Y part of the Y/C appears to be working, so only grey scale images.
i tried three different S-Video devices and two different cables, so i'm pretty
sure it's the P42HDTV.

i'll get a chance to play w/ the settings using my AVIA disk tonight,
but out of the box, the settings look pretty good. no apparently
haziness or lack of black level.

my only other issue is that the P42HDTV doesn't like the 540p output
of my DTC100 for non-HD content over either the RGB or the component
using a audio authority AA960 transcoder)

but i picked up a cheap hughes HTL-HD from ebay just in case.

i'll probably spend the next couple of days getting my harmony 880 configured
to control the new setup since both the display and the High Def DirecTV boxes
were changed. i'll probably move the old sony 37" LCD display and RCA DTC 100
to the exercise room along w/ the matching cinema 7 remote.

Can you really assume that there are no valid physical reasons for this "improvement" to take place?

No, only there is no known reason for it, just a lot of speculation and wishful thinking. I expect the effect is more psychological then physical.

Again, all that matters are what you or any other buyer (myself included) thinks of the PQ for themselves. I'm only cautioning not to let others do the thinking for you.



However, Vizio's response to Rick, indicating that they had no concern over his settings, nor do they or their manual prescribe a "break-in" period tells me that Vizio doesn't feel any of this is necessary for their design.

Well all I can say is take that with a grain of salt. Tech support isn’t all knowing. They are usually not engineers. They know what they are told. As to owners manuals, errors and omissions can occur as well. This is one area where I would follow the "conventional wisdom."

I venture to guess the real reason for this “improvement” occurs for two reasons:

1) The lack of a fixed reference to compare it against allows one’s perception of what looks good to change over time.
2) The normal behavior to accept what becomes more familiar as more right. What looked “grey” compared to another set at the store begins to look pretty “black” after a while at home.
I really think you've hit the nail on the head. Everyone wants this display to be a Panny killer, but no amount of wishful thinking is going to make it so. The "improvement over time" theory just doesn't make any logical sense, and it is certainly not evidenced by the model I've seen on display multiple times over the past week. It's certainly odd that the P42HDTV doesn't appear to be living up to the PQ expectations created by the Vizio 50 inch model, but I also think we simply have to live with that as a fact. Although this model may be a great "dollar" value, and many people will undoubtedly be happy purchasing it, I think the real issue is whether the P42HDTV is an appropriate model for someone who wants PQ that's truly comparable to the models its competing against. I hesitate spending money on the P42HDTV that could instead go towards a model with significantly better PQ.

I am wondering if the build date of the sets could make a difference? This could account for the few who have said their set has gotten better with time. If this first run of sets have the settings slightly off will Vizio readjust them in the future? Has anyone called Vizio to ask why this set is a little washed out?

I have been to look at this set 4-5 x over the last week and the picture has not changed. All the other sets under the same lighting etc look better. Yet I still find myself wanting to buy!

I am wondering if the build date of the sets could make a difference? This could account for the few who have said their set has gotten better with time.

I'm not so sure that it's only a function of time that may be at play here. It seems to me like just about every one of these seemingly miraculous PQ improvements have come about after the user had experimented with various input sources and then switched back to something else. I know it's a stretch to those who are trying to lay this off pure psychological buyer rationaliztation, but there *might* be something happening here that is a result of some physical change brought about by the user.

One thing that you have to keep in mind is that in the 'store' they're only using one input - component 1. That *may* be why we never see any change in the store, no matter how much time they've been on, yet the others who are making the input changes at home are seeing it. I'm not saying that this is the case, but it is worth considering as a possibility.

I just talked to Visio support and they told me that if you put in the new Harry Potter movie, Scene 6 (where Harry says some latin spell) your picture will instantaneously improve and be as sharp as the high end Panny's. Wll, maybe not, but its as good a theory as anyone else has. I'll be returning my Visio L37 on Monday and exchanging it for the 42. Hope I am happy with the PQ.

just cancelled Sceptre 42" and will go for this Vizio 42" on Monday

The only way to improve the picture on this set is to look at your wallet first. :p

The only way to improve the picture on this set is to look at your wallet first. :p
Use a HD Input Source

I just got back from the Manhattan Beach, CA Costco and they had the VIZIO P50HDM, and Pioneer 42 hooked up to HD Component Video and the VIZIO P42HDTV to just RF.

I asked and they put the Component Video cables to the VIZIO P42HDTV and the picture quality was "Night and Day" better. There were about 3 of us that saw how much better the picture was, instantly.

I went to C*stco today to look at the new Vizio. I was impressed. First off, the casing looks great. i like the piano black. Even the silver speakers didn't bother me.

The picture looked great to me. It looked just like the 50 inch Vizio, looked much better than the Akai, and better than the 37 Inch Vizio LCD. Granted, they're not much to compete with but this set is a steal for the price.

Will they start selling them Monday morning? I would hate to have to drag my brother in law there only to find out that they sold out.

I went to C*stco today to look at the new Vizio. I was impressed. First off, the casing looks great. i like the piano black. Even the silver speakers didn't bother me.

The picture looked great to me. It looked just like the 50 inch Vizio, looked much better than the Akai, and better than the 37 Inch Vizio LCD. Granted, they're not much to compete with but this set is a steal for the price.

Will they start selling them Monday morning? I would hate to have to drag my brother in law there only to find out that they sold out.

with coupon yes... but ppl already jumped on this deal with full Pr** long before big Monday sale.

Great to hear you find this TV impressive.

Well all I can say is take that with a grain of salt. Tech support isn’t all knowing. They are usually not engineers. They know what they are told. As to owners manuals, errors and omissions can occur as well. This is one area where I would follow the "conventional wisdom."

The quality of tech support one receives on most consumer electronics today is mostly questionable, at least in my experience. We're talking about pretty basic policy here though. I don't think Vizio's failure to mention break-in procedure in the manual was an oversight. They do mention the image cleaner in the same statement that they talk about static images creating images that cannot be remedied with the image cleaner. Then a tech support person doesn't express concern with settings, nor emphasize any sort of break-in process to an owner?

This sounds to me like its corporate policy for Vizio to treat break-in as a non-factor. I find this strange that they would adopt such a posture unless they have some technological breakthrough that makes their plasmas immune to most of the problems commonly associated with plasma displays. Even more puzzling though is that if they do have such a technology, they sure aren't touting it in their advertising and promotion of the set.

I'm with you on being safe here and applying conventional wisdom. I'm going to practice the tried and true break-in procedures prescribed by Panasonic. But I bet I'll be up on the 80's on contrast when all is said and done, 100 hours later.... well unless the new Harry Potter movie, Scene 6 exercise snaps mine into PQ virtuosity :D

Use a HD Input Source

I just got back from the Manhattan Beach, CA Costco and they had the VIZIO P50HDM, and Pioneer 42 hooked up to HD Component Video and the VIZIO P42HDTV to just RF.


This is the first report I've read of one being connected to an RF source, but yes, this wouldn't make for a fair comparison. I don't think the store intentionally did it, but I'm surprised that one of their own employees didn't catch it.

Use a HD Input Source


anyone running and HDMI signal into this thing yet???

I just talked to Visio support and they told me that if you put in the new Harry Potter movie, Scene 6 (where Harry says some latin spell) your picture will instantaneously improve and be as sharp as the high end Panny's. Wll, maybe not, but its as good a theory as anyone else has. I'll be returning my Visio L37 on Monday and exchanging it for the 42. Hope I am happy with the PQ.

They told me I have to massage the Vizio for about an hour and the picture will improve dramatically. I think there is some real physics behind this method.

They told me I have to massage the Vizio for about an hour and the picture will improve dramatically. I think there is some real physics behind this method.


what is that supposed to entail? changing the settings? change the channels? change the input?

I think someone is trying to put the "shuck" on us. (a very old expression)

Jay

Just went to Costco in Cypress Ca. & I thought the 42'' Vizio picture was soft & contrast was low compared to the 42'' Philips next to it. I tried to play around with contrast & brightness but in no way that it could compare with the Philips. The Philips was brighter & clearer. Well i guess you get what you pay for doesn't it ?

I wonder why the set looked so good to me? They were using components on the one that I saw. I was impressed with it. I wonder if some people are mistaking it with the old silver one with the speakers on the sides.

I have been waiting for this plasma for quite sometime. I finally went to 3 costcos in the bay area this week to check out the model hoping in some store I will find this vizio to my liking. The colors on this vizio 42" do look washed out as compared to panny, phillips and pioneer in all the three stores. The white (snow) did not look pure white as compared to other PDPs. The blue (the sky color) does not look as vibrant as on other models. I tried to change the settings too in all the three stores but could not match to adjacent models. I am hoping costco has a similar coupon on phillips for the next passport coupon booklet. I am backing out of this vizio for the time being.

Has anyone who is considering this set also considered the Sony KDF-E42A10? That's a 42 inch 3LCD microdisplay set that seems to get good reviews and is priced comparably to this new 42 inch Vizio. Whatever I get is going to be put on a stand and not wall-mounted so the Sony would be a viable option. I already have the 50 inch Vizio which I'm quite pleased with and was hoping that this new 42 inch model would be as well-reviewed. Looking for a 42 inch set for my bedroom but not ready to pull the trigger on this new Vizio, at least at this point.

I just unpacked the TV and everything.
It looks fine to me but the again I never had anything to compare to.

The thing that bothers the most is the cosmetic.
I love the black bezel but the silver speakers on the bottom is the most retarded design ever.
Not ony it doesn't matches, its built to where it looks dented.
Yeah, it looks retarded......I wished the speakers were seperatable.
Just black alone would definately make me keep this TV.

and the highlight is that 1280x720 RGB from my ibook looks incredible crisp.
(slideshows of my digital photos from monterey bay aquarium and my air tour
of denali look great w/ very natural looking colors!!). this is a big plus
since the extra resolution over the same slide show in 480p is quite apparent.


This is great news. My biggest concern was that a plasma would to poorly with a computer input. I also plan on connecting component cables from my videocard to the TV, so knowing the picture quality will be good is a huge plus. I guess it's just the native PC inputs (VGA,DVI) that don't work well with plasmas but do work well with LCD TVs.

I don't think Vizio's failure to mention break-in procedure in the manual was an oversight. ...

This sounds to me like its corporate policy for Vizio to treat break-in as a non-factor. ...

I'm going to practice the tried and true break-in procedures prescribed by Panasonic.


While a break-in proceedure is described in a Panasonic "white paper," they also fail to mention it in their user manual for the TH-42PX50U for example. At least a search for the words "break" "burn" or "stick" fail to come up with anything break-in related in that manual.

So much for consistent corporate policy. :)

i picked up a P42HDTV at my local store last night.
apparently, the availability for sale depends on the store location.
at my local store, the P42hdtv's were all in the upper stacks,
and weren't to be in the SKU system til monday.

but, they released one to me since i had been there at lunch and
they knew i was coming w/ my truck later.

so far, the set has been very good at home.

the no-name brand deinterlacer is doing a good job w/ 480i.
my torture disk of 'that touch of mink' which is letteredboxed (nonanamorphic)
and mastered w/ the wrong flags for proper cadence looks fantastic.

(poor deinterlacers show lots of herringbone w/ this particular disk)

OTA and HD-Lite from my DirecTV HTL-HD looks fantastic over my el-cheapo
3 foot component cables at 720p. no visible geometric aspect ratio distortion
as reported for the P50HDM. (my HTL-HD is set to insert pillarbars for SD content,
so i don't have to fool w/ the WIDE button on the P42HDTV remote)

and the highlight is that 1280x720 RGB from my ibook looks incredible crisp.
(slideshows of my digital photos from monterey bay aquarium and my air tour
of denali look great w/ very natural looking colors!!). this is a big plus
since the extra resolution over the same slide show in 480p is quite apparent.

the only glitch is that AV3 S-Video input is not working correctly.
(i need this for laserdisk playback).
only the Y part of the Y/C appears to be working, so only grey scale images.
i tried three different S-Video devices and two different cables, so i'm pretty
sure it's the P42HDTV.

i'll get a chance to play w/ the settings using my AVIA disk tonight,
but out of the box, the settings look pretty good. no apparently
haziness or lack of black level.

my only other issue is that the P42HDTV doesn't like the 540p output
of my DTC100 for non-HD content over either the RGB or the component
using a audio authority AA960 transcoder)

but i picked up a cheap hughes HTL-HD from ebay just in case.

i'll probably spend the next couple of days getting my harmony 880 configured
to control the new setup since both the display and the High Def DirecTV boxes
were changed. i'll probably move the old sony 37" LCD display and RCA DTC 100
to the exercise room along w/ the matching cinema 7 remote.


Thanks

one of the beter reviews

To me , the ice breaker was the review on the non Faro-Deint...
According to your exp, it did just fine!

To me, this is worth a try

I am going down tomorrow, to buy this.
HECK, if I do not like it. Well, at least I can return it or exh

I went with the wife yesterday and I think I'm gonna pull the trigger Monday. Not worried about raincheck because I counted about 42 of the sets in store. The price is too good. I can't justify spending more on a TV. The extra $ will go toward other stuff.

The picture on the set looked the same as previous- a little washed out but true colors. Anyways if I get it home and the picture looks like it does in store then I will try the Harry Potter Movie scene 6 trick. I only have Goblet - Does it work with this one too? LOL

Does anyone who's gotten this TV have any comment on the quality of the HD images their getting from their cable feeds? I feel like I'm getting some mixed results, whether it's coming via component or HDMI. Some of the stations look amazing (HDnet, HBO, etc), and some look fairly grainy and sometimes blurry. Is this purely the function of the signal, or is this a refection of this TV's inability to handle less than perfect signals.

I just unpacked the TV and everything.
It looks fine to me but the again I never had anything to compare to.

The thing that bothers the most is the cosmetic.
I love the black bezel but the silver speakers on the bottom is the most retarded design ever.
Not ony it doesn't matches, its built to where it looks dented.
Yeah, it looks retarded......I wished the speakers were seperatable.
Just black alone would definately make me keep this TV.

I'm not a fan of the style myself. I would prefer flat black to a glossy piano black because of the reflection properties, and I also would have prefered a flat black speaker grill. The set's design is too cosmopolitan for my tastes (and for my wife's decor), but we've both agree we can 'live with it'. I'm going to try to make a false front black speaker grill for it out of some sort of sonically transparent material (although I doubt I'll be using the internal speakers much, if at all) to hide the silver panel. Once the warranty has expired on the set, I'll spray the silver speaker panel(s) flat black.

Did anyone purchase this 42" at the discounted price of $$$$. If so, how?

**** coupon? It's $$$$ at my local ****.

Please read the posting rules, none of this type of discusion is allowed! :(

When I looked at the set at the store, it looked like the speakers may be removable with a bit of work. They didnt appear to be molded into the frame, but separately screwed on from behind. I really dont know what is involved, but it may be worth looking into. I personally dont mind them, but I would prefer a flat black bezel over a shiny black. Has anyone asked Visio tech about the "washed out" look? I looked at 2 different stores, both with component hookups and immediately noticed the lack of "pop".

When I looked at the set at the store, it looked like the speakers may be removable with a bit of work. They didnt appear to be molded into the frame, but separately screwed on from behind. I really dont know what is involved, but it may be worth looking into. I personally dont mind them, but I would prefer a flat black bezel over a shiny black.

I actually just checked this on my set...not because I mind them at all, but out of curiousity. There are 20 screws (10x2) on the back along the bottom that mount the grills to the set. I took out 10 (the right half of the set), and the grill starts to come off. It looks as if the speakers themselves are mounted to the grills. I didnt want to remove all 20 screws, but I assume if you take them all out, the grill and speaker assembly will come out.

For those who don't like the silver color and are talking about spraypainting the grills black (after warranty is up), why not simply buy some speaker grill cloth and wrap the silver plastic grill with it? I held some cloth speaker fabric against mine, and the silver color doesnt really show through...that way you can get rid of the silver, and not void your warranty (or wait till the warranty is up).

I'm looking for a cantilever mount for this set. Does anyone know if an Omnimount UCL-X model will work? I've never mounted one before, and want to make absolutely sure I do it correctly. Also, anyone have any tips for mounting to a plaster wall?

Thanks!

After much deliberation, I'm putting my purchase on hold for a while until my head stops exploding from too much information.

I have a wall mounting system I had originally purchased for the 50" Vizio I bought (and took back because it was way too big for my room). It's unopened, in the box. I purchased directly from Vizioce.com.

http://www.vizioce.com/site/products/product_vmf37-57.html

I'd prefer to sell it to someone in Seattle to save the shipping fees. Feel free to PM me.

My first post here. Anyone compared these two models? Which one you prefer? I have had the vizio for couple of days.......just a cosmetic nuisance with the speakers.....PQ is great so far. Since the 42X3 hs received so much priase on this forum, I am thinking about swapping my vizio with the 42X3. Besides the panny panel on 42X3 versus LG panel on the Vizio, anything else worth considering?

Good move? or I am bettter off keeping the Vizio. FYI.....42X3 costs $200 more.

My first post here. Anyone compared these two models? Which one you prefer? I have had the vizio for couple of days.......just a cosmetic nuisance with the speakers.....PQ is great so far. Since the 42X3 hs received so much priase on this forum, I am thinking about swapping my vizio with the 42X3. Besides the panny panel on 42X3 versus LG panel on the Vizio, anything else worth considering?

Good move? or I am bettter off keeping the Vizio. FYI.....42X3 costs $more.

Hi, first, have you tried taking the speakers off? A few posts above yours says it looks like it's possible. If I get this TV, I'm going to try taking them off.

nooB question here.
I bought an antenna for OTA reception.

I pretty much got all the major loca channeIs but some of them I get 4:3 and some of them 16:9....you know the 2 side bars.
Is this norma ?? what causes this ??

Like I was watching the NCAA and I get beautiful HD feed with widescreen and then they switched to another game and I get 4:3 with the side bars.
I'm guessing this particuar game wasn't HD which is why the side bars ??

i picked up a P42HDTV at my local store last night.
apparently, the availability for sale depends on the store location.
at my local store, the P42hdtv's were all in the upper stacks,
and weren't to be in the SKU system til monday.

but, they released one to me since i had been there at lunch and
they knew i was coming w/ my truck later.

so far, the set has been very good at home.

the no-name brand deinterlacer is doing a good job w/ 480i.
my torture disk of 'that touch of mink' which is letteredboxed (nonanamorphic)
and mastered w/ the wrong flags for proper cadence looks fantastic.

(poor deinterlacers show lots of herringbone w/ this particular disk)

Excellent review of the P42HDTV Icubed! It capped my decision to "attempt" to buy it tomorrow. You've answered a few niggling questions I had about the set, and gave me a degree of comfort with the MTK deinterlacer. I'm not sure whether I'll actually be able to score one tomorrow... I have no idea how the demand will run for this set in my area, but I know that I'll be admitted an hour late to the party due to my position in the club pecking order ;) I'll at least come home with a rain check... but that would be a bummer if that's all I come home with :(

I haven't planned this out very well though. I don't have a piece of furniture that's even remotely suited to accommodate this set. I'll have to stick it on an old beat up, but solid as a rock coffee table (a bit taller than average), and create a makeshift shelf underneath for my XBox 360 and surround sound receiver. I thought about building a custom TV stand, but it's going to be over a month before I'll have the time to get started on it. I've seen one stand 'kit' that I like (the Ikea Markor), but it costs as much to ship it as the kit itself). I have no clue where this will end up, but my P42HDTV is going to look pretty silly sitting on a light pine coffee table in the interrum.

I've still got analog cable and will have to set up an appointment to have an HDTV STB installed (Pioneer Voyager). It will be nearly two weeks before I'm off again on a weekday to be at home for the cable service provider to "install" it.... (sigh). I may take a chance on an antenna and see what I can do with OTA HDTV reception. Antennas.org says I need a "yellow" indoor multidirectional antenna for my region. Any recommendations on that front anyone?

So..... out of the gate, the only true HD source I'll have will be the 720p games on the XBox 360, and the handful of 720p music videos that XBox Live has for download. I hear that the 480p DVD playback on the XBox 360 is nice, but I'd like to pick up an upscaling DVD player eventually, just to get me a little closer to HDTV'ness.

Anyone else noticed that the white's look kinda yellowish on this set? I think this is the reason for the lack of pop. Blacks are OK i think. I noticed the P50 have similar issue with white's. Both the philips and pioneer have much better white's.

/Chris

I haven't planned this out very well though. I don't have a piece of furniture that's even remotely suited to accommodate this set. I'll have to stick it on an old beat up, but solid as a rock coffee table (a bit taller than average), and create a makeshift shelf underneath for my XBox 360 and surround sound receiver. I thought about building a custom TV stand, but it's going to be over a month before I'll have the time to get started on it. I've seen one stand 'kit' that I like (the Ikea Markor), but it costs as much to ship it as the kit itself). I have no clue where this will end up, but my P42HDTV is going to look pretty silly sitting on a light pine coffee table in the interrum.

I've still got analog cable and will have to set up an appointment to have an HDTV STB installed (Pioneer Voyager). It will be nearly two weeks before I'm off again on a weekday to be at home for the cable service provider to "install" it.... (sigh). I may take a chance on an antenna and see what I can do with OTA HDTV reception. Antennas.org says I need a "yellow" indoor multidirectional antenna for my region. Any recommendations on that front anyone?



i'm currently using an ikea IVAR tv stand:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15561&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=32419&langId=-1&parentCats=15561*15641*15962

it's been beefed up w/ a couple of extra wheels under the central pillar to
take the extra weight. as soon as i get a replacement set w/ a working
s-video input, it's getting wall mounted using a peerless ST660.
our favorite warehouse store sells this online as the wallmount for up to 61"
flat panel tv's.

as for the antenna, i'd start w/ a pair of rabbit ears from radio shack.
if multipath is a big problem and indoor antenna is a requirement,
i'd look for a zenith silver surfer. (these used to be carried at sears, CC).

right at the moment, i'm using the p42hdtv as a pure monitor w/
the htl-hd as the primary tuner. the internal tuner, surprisingly,
picks up some stations which the htl-hd doesn't.

as far as the harmony 880 goes, for the most part, the P42HDTV uses
all the same codes as the P50HD. i've had to add an AV3 input and
still haven't added the DTV/TV codes/activities.

hopefully, they'll still have some replacements available on friday
since i still want S-Video functionality. otherwise, i'm thrilled
w/ the p42hdtv. the H880 remote has been doing a great job
integrating the functions of my old universal remote, the new HTL-HD
remote, and the new p42hdtv remote.

Anyone else noticed that the white's look kinda yellowish on this set? I think this is the reason for the lack of pop. Blacks are OK i think. I noticed the P50 have similar issue with white's. Both the philips and pioneer have much better white's.

/Chris

I noticed that during my in store comparisons with both Vizio sets. It's one of the shortcomings of the P42HDTV that I decided I had to accept to be able to afford a plasma display. I don't think there's any adjustment available to the average user that is going to totally correct the yellowish whites. I thought it was a little odd that this wasn't mentioned in the Sound & Video Magazine review of the set, but then again, they had a professional calibration performed on their review set. In fairness though, they mention the before and after calibration results, but this isn't discussed to my recollection.

i'm currently using an ikea IVAR tv stand:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15561&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=32419&langId=-1&parentCats=15561*15641*15962

it's been beefed up w/ a couple of extra wheels under the central pillar to
take the extra weight.

That's not a bad deal for the price, although I wouldn't be able to dress it up enough to suit my wife. Ikea has some really good designs at reasonable prices. I just wish they didn't charge a king's ransom for shipping!

as for the antenna, i'd start w/ a pair of rabbit ears from radio shack.
if multipath is a big problem and indoor antenna is a requirement,
i'd look for a zenith silver surfer. (these used to be carried at sears, CC).

I'm at least going to do that, just for curiosity (the Radio Shack rabbit ears). Our cable provider is embroiled in a contract dispute with the NBC affiliate in our area, and refuses to carry their HDTV signal because they want to charge a $5 premium for it... our cable company says they'd have to pass that cost along to the customer. So if I want to see any NBC HDTV programming (I really don't watch that much on NBC anymore), I'll have to receive it OTA.

right at the moment, i'm using the p42hdtv as a pure monitor w/
the htl-hd as the primary tuner. the internal tuner, surprisingly,
picks up some stations which the htl-hd doesn't.

Interesting to learn this... another feather in the P42HDTV's cap, IMO.

as far as the harmony 880 goes, for the most part, the P42HDTV uses
all the same codes as the P50HD. i've had to add an AV3 input and
still haven't added the DTV/TV codes/activities.

I imagine I'll eventually pick up at Harmony 880.

hopefully, they'll still have some replacements available on friday
since i still want S-Video functionality. otherwise, i'm thrilled
w/ the p42hdtv. the H880 remote has been doing a great job
integrating the functions of my old universal remote, the new HTL-HD
remote, and the new p42hdtv remote.

I hope you'll get a replacement that has a functional S-Video. I might one day experiment with hooking up my PS2 to the S-Video input on the set, just to see how Grand Turismo 3 looks on it. I wouldn't leave it permanently connected because I rarely play the PS2 anymore, but this would be a curiosity with me.

Anyone else noticed that the white's look kinda yellowish on this set? I think this is the reason for the lack of pop. Blacks are OK i think. I noticed the P50 have similar issue with white's. Both the philips and pioneer have much better white's.

/Chris
Great, I was all set to get this set and now this.. :confused:

It is exactly one week of usage and I started seeing some retention. This is esily noticable when you pull up any kind of menus or hit info button and then create a blank screen situation - like "no signal" or in between input switch. This is not permament but it annoys me. BTW I have my contrast and brightness at high 40's.

Secondly, the TV looks amazing in the evening. But during day, there is too much glare from the screen. Is there any solution for this problem other than changing the TV position ?

change your seating position??

It is exactly one week of usage and I started seeing some retention. This is esily noticable when you pull up any kind of menus or hit info button and then create a blank screen situation - like "no signal" or in between input switch. This is not permament but it annoys me. BTW I have my contrast and brightness at high 40's.

Secondly, the TV looks amazing in the evening. But during day, there is too much glare from the screen. Is there any solution for this problem other than changing the TV position ?
I would think high 40's wouldn't be a big deal. My guess is the image retention would go away after the proper break in period. Geez, I'm not sure if I should get this or not.

I noticed that during my in store comparisons with both Vizio sets. It's one of the shortcomings of the P42HDTV that I decided I had to accept to be able to afford a plasma display. I don't think there's any adjustment available to the average user that is going to totally correct the yellowish whites. I thought it was a little odd that this wasn't mentioned in the Sound & Video Magazine review of the set, but then again, they had a professional calibration performed on their review set. In fairness though, they mention the before and after calibration results, but this isn't discussed to my recollection.

I've never seen a review of the P50 with anything about yellowish whites...I've only heard good things about the whites...hmmm...

nooB question here.
I bought an antenna for OTA reception.

I pretty much got all the major loca channeIs but some of them I get 4:3 and some of them 16:9....you know the 2 side bars.
Is this norma ?? what causes this ??

Like I was watching the NCAA and I get beautiful HD feed with widescreen and then they switched to another game and I get 4:3 with the side bars.
I'm guessing this particuar game wasn't HD which is why the side bars ??

Any help ?

Geez, I'm not sure if I should get this or not.

Why is everyone here so paranoid that everytime someone sneezes, they have second thoughts about whether to buy this PDP or not. If you're remotely interested in it, buy it and see if you like it. If you have any problems with it, return it.

What could be simpler? ;)

Any help ?

Yes, that particular game was not in HD. Due to limited capacity on the satellites, equipment, HD trucks, etc, not every game can be in HD. CBS even added a blue background with the logo in the sidebars, I guess to keep people from being confused. This is what ESPNHD does as well with non-HD content. I much prefer it to stretching to fill the screen.

Commercials and other programs that aren't in HD appear in a pillarbox as well. Get used to it, we are many years off from everything being in HD.

I've never seen a review of the P50 with anything about yellowish whites...I've only heard good things about the whites...hmmm...

Yeah, I'm not so sure about the P50, spent only couple minutes in front of that one, but been watching the P42HDTV for several longer periods of time.

/Chris

Why is everyone here so paranoid that everytime someone sneezes, they have second thoughts about whether to buy this PDP or not. If you're remotely interested in it, buy it and see if you like it. If you have any problems with it, return it.

What could be simpler? ;)Could not agree more :)

1. We live in an imperfect world
2. You get what you pay for
3. There is no free lunch
4. Happiness, satisfaction is a very personal and relative thingy
5. ... on and on and on ... :) ;)
6. This appears to be a very good deal at the present time (IMHO, of course).

I am curious to see how many of you folks will end up returning this unit (I fully intend to keep mine, I've had it for the past 10 days and have had no issues thus far ... knock on wood :D ).

Anyone else noticed that the white's look kinda yellowish on this set? I think this is the reason for the lack of pop. Blacks are OK i think. I noticed the P50 have similar issue with white's. Both the philips and pioneer have much better white's.

/Chris

My experience was exactly the opposite. I thought the whites were a little better on the vizio than either the pio or phillips. It's the blacks that didn't compare favorably (at least to the pio).
stu

I've never seen a review of the P50 with anything about yellowish whites...I've only heard good things about the whites...hmmm...

I've only read one professional review of both the P50 and the P42. Neither of them mentioned "yellowish" whites. If I had not seen the P50 or the P42 in comparison to the Pioneer, Phillips, and Panasonic, I would not have thught the whites I was looking at were "yellowish". It's only when I see the comparison that I draw this conclusion. Maybe the whites on the others are falsely white? It's not enough of a difference to put it out of my plans because the Vizio seems to be free of motion blur and artifacting, which are my biggest bugaboos.

My experience was exactly the opposite. I thought the whites were a little better on the vizio than either the pio or phillips. It's the blacks that didn't compare favorably (at least to the pio).
stu

I'm glad you weighed in with this because I certainly don't want my and one other person's impression that the whites are yellowish on the Vizio to be adopted as proof that they actually are. We're all seeing these sets under varying conditions with settings that are unique to each. I thought the blacks were mostly okay with the Vizios, but I do see some pixel distortion in some scenes. Not enough to become an issue with me though. I'm sure it would bother others with a more discriminating eye.

I've only read one professional review of both the P50 and the P42. Neither of them mentioned "yellowish" whites. If I had not seen the P50 or the P42 in comparison to the Pioneer, Phillips, and Panasonic, I would not have thught the whites I was looking at were "yellowish". It's only when I see the comparison that I draw this conclusion. Maybe the whites on the others are falsely white? It's not enough of a difference to put it out of my plans because the Vizio seems to be free of motion blur and artifacting, which are my biggest bugaboos.

I haven't seen the P42 yet(going today after work), but the P50 had much more true colors that the other displays I've seen in the store. The Panny's tend to have this sickly green-push with greenish/blue whites. The Pio seems to be closer to "real," but still a bit blue on the whites. The Vizio looks very realistic IMO, which makes it not really "pop" out for most viewers, but I don't like the color of the other sets out of the box and on the Theater/Movie preset.

Samsungs have a really nasty red-push regardless of what I did to the set as well.


I really want an OTA tuner, so I might buy the P42 if it strikes my fancy at first look and then see how it looks at my viewing distance. I did do my taxes yesterday and am getting back more than enough to buy a P50 though, so I might just "go big" from the start. I guess moving over halfway across the country to start a job has some perks(big deductions!)!

Why is everyone here so paranoid that everytime someone sneezes, they have second thoughts about whether to buy this PDP or not. If you're remotely interested in it, buy it and see if you like it. If you have any problems with it, return it.

What could be simpler? ;)
I'm not a big fan of returning things. It's a pain in the a** as far as I'm concerned. I know there will be tradeoffs but I'm not sure I want to deal with yellow whites. I'm glad others are saying it's not true. When I buy something i like to be sure it's what I want.

I can't say I've noticed the yellow whites phenomenon at all. Maybe I'm just don't have that much of a discerning eye, but to me the whites look white and the blacks look black.

Also, as a point of interest, the cable guy who installed my HD box complimented the picture on the TV, so much so that after I told him where to get it, he told me he was going to get one.

My hubby and I ran down to Costco on Friday and picked up this set. We had originally ordered the 42 Sceptre but cancelled based on the ship time and the look of the TV. Right now, we have it hooked up to our Cox Cable DVR and are only getting SD (HD is being setup tomorrow) but I think it looks awesome! We have the viewing expanded to 16:9 because I am afraid of burn-in and it looks good. It's almost embarrassing to say what we are upgrading from but this is a great TV for the price. I can't seem to get my kids away from it.

Fortunately, we have a fairly dark family room due to a screened in porch off the back of the house. I noticed a slight glare late in the evening so I would not recommend this TV for anyone with a bright room. As for the setup, we picked up a piece of furniture from JCPennys for several hundred and it works perfect for this set. I saw the same type furniture at the Big Screen store for more than double what I paid(which I thought was ridiculous).

This forum is a great source of information. Thanks to all!

i returned maxent mx42x3 for the vizio p42. much better pq and osd interface. same poor speakers. much more documentation i ie a manual and same costco return policy if unhappy for any reason.

I have no issues with the whites or the blacks in my set. I'm partial Red Green colorblind so... I also have no issues with those colors as well. haha. Overall I'm satisfied and I'm keeping mine. TNTHD and discoveryHD look really good. SDTV varies from channel to channel. amazon still hasn't shipped my avia disk either.

Certainly don't take my word as gospel... but I think the one area where it might bother some is how sports look. I watched part of the college games on CBS this weekend and I "think" they could have been better. But when I say that... my standard is very high. While it's 2000% better than my old POS sharp tube... it's probably 75% of a top end HDTV. I can only make this comparison because when you're at the stores... they play basketball on every single TV... so I'm actually able to make a comparison and a judgement on good/bad. But there is no way in hell i'd pay 100% more than I did so that I got the absolute best picture ever.

I would not classify myself as a hardcore avsforum member. This is my first hdtv. If the flaws people mention in this thread bother you... don't settle. I have really have no issues with this set.

Just picked up the set from the warhouse in Avon, MA... No time to unpack it, just dropped it off at the house, will set it up later tonight. BTW, they had a total of 4 sets, 1 demo and 3 for sale. I was at the store at exactly 10AM, no one else was there for a set, other than me. I also have the P50 in the Home Theater, so I am a fan of Vizio.

Mitch

Just picked up the set from the warhouse in Avon, MA... No time to unpack it, just dropped it off at the house, will set it up later tonight. BTW, they had a total of 4 sets, 1 demo and 3 for sale. I was at the store at exactly 10AM, no one else was there for a set, other than me. I also have the P50 in the Home Theater, so I am a fan of Vizio.

Mitch
3 frickin sets? That's all.. Great, that's where I was intending on picking it up tonight.. LOL!. I might have to try Dedham.

Just picked up the set from the warhouse in Avon, MA... No time to unpack it, just dropped it off at the house, will set it up later tonight. BTW, they had a total of 4 sets, 1 demo and 3 for sale. I was at the store at exactly 10AM, no one else was there for a set, other than me. I also have the P50 in the Home Theater, so I am a fan of Vizio.

Mitch
I just called the Avon C*stco and they said they have plenty. He said I will be fine as long as I come in today.

I purchased the P42 last Sunday in Nashua, Nh at MSRP. Today, I arrived at 10 am in Waltham, MA with my coupon and was given a refund.

8 days later, I am very happy with the Vizio. Soprano's was awesome in HD and I am looking forward to 24.
Rick
Westborough, MA

Does anyone have a referral for an antenna for local HD?

Here is the radio shack offering. Anyone running ?

UHF/VHF and HD, 3 in one, but it's super ugly.
vs.
HD only Terk. Both same price.

There were 5 or 6 out on the floor in the store near me this morning. Looking at the serial numbers, I noticed there were some G04 builds and G06 builds. Any word on differences with newer the builds?

Does anyone have a referral for an antenna for local HD?

It all depends - how close are you to the towers (can you get by with and indoor antenna), are different staions on different towers, are they in different directions from you, how much power they are transmitting, are they VHF or UHF, etc, etc.

OTA FAQ:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=611957

also antennaweb.org can help you select the right antenna:
http://www.antennaweb.org/

Greetings,
I have been watching for the Visio at my local warehouse club since last week. I had previously noticed the slightly hazy, out of focus look others have mentioned. In visiting the same retailer this morning, I had noticed that the unit was moved into an aisle location, had the coupon price attached to it and it had obviously been readjusted to make the colors look more vibrant.
However, in the background of light colored scenes I noticed what I would describe as faint rolling bands of color. Could this be due to the power supply issues that had been mentioned on other Visio models?
I'm not looking to rain on anyone's parade, but rather I'm just curious. Even with the punched up settings, there was still a bit more pop to the DLP and LCD units, although they were all more expensive.
Even so, this deal is still an outstanding value.
YMMV,
b.

Does anyone have a referral for an antenna for local HD?

Here is the radio shack offering. Anyone running ?

UHF/VHF and HD, 3 in one, but it's super ugly.
vs.
HD only Terk. Both same price.


There is no such thing as an "HD" antenna. HD is transmitted on UHF and VHF. See the FAQ (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=611957). If someone is advertising an antenna as "HD only" that that sounds like a scam. Depending on where you live, HD may be on one or both sets of frequencies.

Generally from my experience Terk antennas are crap.

Thanks Chris, very helpful! I'm picking up the 42" tonight. I'll run progressive scan dvd and an indoor antenna to get hd local, until I buck up for hd cable.

Ok, purchased and hooked it up today. Manufacturing date 2/06, G07 is in serial number. Hooked up with HDMI, nice picture, but not as good as my Visio L37 LCD that I returned. No matter what I do, I cannot get that "pop". Picture is very good, but again it is washed out and flat looking. Even the INHD channels with HDMI hookup is just good. I was used to "wow" with my LCD. SD is about the same as LCD which was acceptable (varies channel to channel, some good, some not so good). Right now it is in my living room with a lot of light coming in through the window. I know it will better in the dark. We'll see how 24 looks tonight. Would love to get a response from Visio tech about this haziness. Hate to have to return another set.

I've had my Vizio P42HDTV for about a week now and have had zero problems. I used to have Comcast cable but canceled it years ago when I switched to DirecTV but they never disconnected it from my house. I connected the P42's DTV port to the cable and did a channel scan and was surprised to get over 50 channels! Turns out that about 40 were music only but I also got most networks, some movie channels and even HBO in HD. The clear QAM tuner turns out to be very handy for me.

Out of the box the picture quality is pretty good once you turn the brightness down and tweak it a bit. The colors are vibrant but not too much (I also turned down the color setting a little), the picture is nice and sharp and skin tones are very natural. Sometimes blacks seem like they could be blacker but it varies from channel to channel and show to show. HBO has one of the best pictures and some of the PBS stuff looked really good too. Also, on my set the whites are very white, not yellow at all. I also have not seen any "banding" that someone else reported. I also thought that the built-in speakers sounded pretty good for what they are. They were clear and easy to understand. Not HiFi by any means but better than many I've heard.

I totally agree that you get what you pay for and my expectations were that I would get a "good" PDP for what I paid and the P42HDTV has exceeded that.

Thanks for this thread, picked mine up this morning. The line clerk commented that they were really flying out the door, and I can confirm I saw 3 others headed out in the time I was there with just 2 left. Getting it into my small car was a bit of a challenge, and hopefully it survives the ride home intact! Looking forward to hooking it up tonight.

I wonder if it's better to open the box and put the set in my Olds Intrigue or have my brother in law help me with his truck. I would think I would have to ride in the back because I can't lay the set flat.

I purchased the P42 last Sunday in Nashua, Nh at MSRP. Today, I arrived at 10 am in Waltham, MA with my coupon and was given a refund.



I guess I should have gone to Waltham instead of back to Nashua. The folks at Nashua made me buy another TV and then return it with my old receipt. :rolleyes:

I wonder if it's better to open the box and put the set in my Olds Intrigue or have my brother in law help me with his truck. I would think I would have to ride in the back because I can't lay the set flat.

If you just want to put in the back seat of your Intrigue, you should be fine. I took mine out of the box and put it in the backseat of my car (which is smaller than yours) and had it lean against the front seats. It arrived home in perfect cosmetic and working condition. Just be gentle when loading and unloading it.

I just got 42" set up a few minutes ago. I have Comcast and am using the SA8300HD cable box. I can't get 480i or 480p to work with the HDMI cable. Tech support said there may be a handshake issue between the SA8300D and the set using HDMI. He suggested that I try the AV cables that came in the box. If it works I have to call back and get put on the list for some kind of fix that is supposed to take care of the problem. He couldn't tell me when a fix would be coming out.

Anyone have an alternative to the Vizio mount? It's a bit pricey.

I actually bought one in Avon, MA (11AM) this morning and I saw a number of them up on the racks.

Anyone have an alternative to the Vizio mount? It's a bit pricey.


well..define pricey..$150 ain't much to guarantee a proper, secure fit to your wall...

please see my posts regarding an official VIZIO mount that I bought, never opened, and want to sell.

I bought the next to the last set they had at the Charlotte, NC store. I'm not sure how many they had starting out, but I know there were at least 16 on the floor when I was in there last week. We got there at 11:30 and it was clear that the shelves had already been gutted. There were two left on the shelf. My son and I saw 4 other P42HDTV's on carts moving about the store, and we pulled the box we got out beside a guy who was trying to figure out where to get a cart. The only problem I had was when I went to pay for it, my debit card - unbeknownst to me - had a $1,000 daily limit on it, and I couldn't get my bank to give me a one day increase over the phone. This store won't accept credit cards, which the bank told me this same card (it's a combo card) would have allowed the purchase!? I'm such a dweeb with stuff like this :o

The 'store' held my set for me while I drove 14 miles back to the nearest branch of this bank to get the cash. For some reason, anytime I undertake a purchase of this size, there's always some new administrative hurdle I have to jump to 'get 'er done' :mad:

Anyway, I went back and got it and just got home with it. I was so uncertain that I was going to be able to nab a set that I didn't tear down my existing entertainment center to relocate it. That's going to be a couple hour operation itself. It might be 6:00 PM, or later before I'm in 'bidness.'

I actually was looking at the $180 one. I agree it's not astonomical, but if I can save a few bucks I would.

Well, I bought one this morning and it's setup.

Pros:
1. Appearance: I have read many who don't like it. I think it looks great.
2. PQ: HD is very good, SD is OK.
3. Great packaging

Cons:
1. OTA tuner sensitivity is not as good as my 30" Sony CRT HDTV
2. HDMI problem with my OPPO DVD player. There are green sparkling dots that come up periodically especially during motion.
3. Sound: speakers aren't bad, but I was hoing for a little better. This TV is in a room without a surround sound system.

Overall, a decent set but they need to sort out the HDMI interface. I will be calling shortly. The component output looks decent but not great (OPPO DVD).

If you just want to put in the back seat of your Intrigue, you should be fine. I took mine out of the box and put it in the backseat of my car (which is smaller than yours) and had it lean against the front seats. It arrived home in perfect cosmetic and working condition. Just be gentle when loading and unloading it.
Thanks, Meltz. I'll try that if I get it..

Anyone know if the QAM tuner will do 64 and 256, or just 256?

Anyone have an alternative to the Vizio mount? It's a bit pricey.


http://www.mountsandmore.com/

Well, I bought one this morning and it's setup.

2. HDMI problem with my OPPO DVD player. There are green sparkling dots that come up periodically especially during motion.

Overall, a decent set but they need to sort out the HDMI interface. I will be calling shortly. The component output looks decent but not great (OPPO DVD).

How long is the HDMI cable? Sparklies are usually an issue with DVI/HDMI cables that are too long or cheaply made. I believe it's an indication that data is lost over the connection. If the same cable worked fine on your Sony HDTV though, not sure what is going on.

Just picked mine up today
Got there about 11AM

They had about 12 all right in front of the entrance on pallets.
When I checked out the Supervisor that signed off on the coupon, said Dang, this is the 8th one of these sets that he signed off on. Store was only opened for an hour.

When I got to the exit, the person that signs the receipt, said the same exact thing.

I will hopefully, get this hooked up tonight or sometime tomorrow.
Heading over to RS to get an antenna