Vizio's latest LCD HDTV:

The Vizio Gallevia GV46L features the latest in Vizio's unique high definition design, delivering vivid and accurate colors, a wide viewing angle, and a blazing response time. Featuring a piano black and silver cabinet design, removable speakers, and optional wall mounts, the GV46L turns any viewing experience into a work of art.

Available at Costco (?)

the contrast is 1200

anyone have any thoughts???


HIGH RESOLUTION 1366 X 768 PIXELS WIDE SCREEN 16X9

NO BRIGHT PIXEL DEFECTS GUARANTEED

NO PERMANENT BURN-IN GUARANTEED

IDEAL IN BRIGHT LIGHT ENVIRONMENTS - MINIMAL GLARE

DIGITAL HDTV & STANDARD TV COMBINATION TUNER

ALL TV FORMATS SUPPORTED (1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i)

COMPUTER MONITOR (RGB) UP TO 1366 X 768 WXGA

WALL MOUNTING CAPABLE WITH AND WITHOUT SPEAKERS

TYPICAL LAMP LIFE OF 50,000 HOURS, EQUIVALENT TO 22 YEARS*





Specification
Size: 46-in*
*Viewable: 46-in
Tuner: Integrated NTSC/ATSC/QAM HDTV Tuner

Format
1080i, 720p, 720i, 576p, 576i, 480p, 480i

Maximum Panel Resolution: 1366 x 768

Supported Native Resolutions
1366 x 768, 1280 x 720, 1024 x 768, 854 x 480, 800 x 600

Specification
Panel Type: 46" Diagonal*, 16:9 Wide Screen, Color TFT Active Matrix LCD
Panel Specifications: Anti-Static and hard coated surface
Pixel/Dot Pitch: 0.7455mm (H) x 0.7455mm (V)
Display Compatibility: HDTV (1080i)
Signal Compatibility: 480i (SDTV), 480P (EDTV), 720P (HDTV), 1080i (HDTV)
Response Time: 8 ms (typical)
Colors: 8 bit 16.77 Million colors
Brightness: 500 cd/m2 (typical)
Contrast Ratio: 1200:1 (Typical)
Viewable Angle: >178 degrees (horizontal and vertical)

Inputs
RF(F Connector for internal Tuner: 1
HDMI whith HDCP: 2
Analog Stereo Audio for HDMI Inputs: 1
Component YPbPr plus Stereo Audio: 2
Composite Video: 2
S-Video plus Stereo Audio: 2
Computer RGB plus Stereo Audio: 1
Service Port: 1 DTV, 1 Analog (RJ11)

Outputs
Analog Audio out (RCA): 1
5.1 SPDIF Digital Optical Audio: 1
Headphone (Stereo Mini-Jack): 1

Additional Information
Picture-in-Picture (PIP)
Picture-outside-Picture (POP)
Closed Caption (CC)
V-Chip
3D Comb Filter
Zoom
Freeze
DCDi De-Interlace
3:2 or 2:2 Reverse Pull-down
ATSC with 8VSB & QAM demodulation
ATSC with MPEG-2 decoding
NTSC Video decoding via RF: Yes, thru Antenna, Cable, or Satellite
NTSC Video decoding via Video: Yes, thru CVBS, S-Video, or Component
Progressive Scan Video: Yes, thru Component YPbPr, VGA or HDMI
HDTV: Yes, thru HDMI or Component YPbPr
Computer: 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768 thru VGA or 640x480 thru HDMI
Sound enhancement: Yes, SRS TrueSrround XT
Color Temperature: 6500K (standard), 5400K and 9300K
Color Fine Tuning: Independent Red, Green and Blue
Audio: Built-in 10W x 2 plus 20W x 1 Subwoofer
Lamp (LCD) / Panel (PDP) Life: 50000 hours
Power: IEC Connector for direct power line connection
Voltage Range100 ~ 240 Vac at 50/60 HzW average
Power Consumption: 280
Removable Base
Removable Speakers

Weight
Gross:97 lbs
Net: 82 lbs
Without Stand: 74 lbs
Without Speakers: 68 lbs

Dimensions
Carton: 51.2” W x 37.8” H x14.7” D
Net: 44.4" W x 31.0" H x 10.5" D
Without Stand: 44.4" W x 29.5" H x 5.4" D
Without Stand and Speakers: 44.4" W x 26.5" H x 4.8" D
Certifications: CSA, FCC Class B

I could not find this one in my local Costco store (central NJ).

The costco online does not have it, either.

Are Vizio LCD HDTV products good and reliable?

Does anyone know who makes the panel for this model?

This will be a hot item for this X'mas.

This has not shown up in Arizona yet either. Hopefully soon.

the contrast is 1200

The Vizio site has the spec in pdf file.

The contrast ratio documented in the pdf is 1600:1.

(Sorry, I am to new to post the link.) :mad:

1600 to 1 contrast ratio. can anyone tell me this. 1600 to 1 for this new vizio. 1300 to 1 for the bravia 46inch lcd, and 5000 to 1 for the samsung lns4692. if the sony bravia is comparable to the samsung at a much less contrast ratio, then what other things is the lower contrast ratio models doing to make up for it? because the bravia 46inch lcd and sammy 4692 look mildly similar.

i am trying to figure out if the new vizio will be a good buy

Its not available in California either, I called Vizio and they didn't know when Costco was going to get it, they did say they are working on a 1080P set but no time line....

I visited a local Costco store today. No GV46L yet.

Two employees were busy working on setting up the LCD and Plasma HDTVs for display. They told me the store wants to sell the in-stock sets and make room for the December holidays. This store has a few Vizio 42" and 37" sets available.

I asked them about the new Vizio 46" LCD HDTV; one told me maybe it will arrive in store during the X'mas shopping days.

I am hoping the price of LCD HDTVs will drop further during the X'mas holidays.

BTW, I compared the picture quality of a Vizio 42", a Vizio 37", a Sharp 32", a Sony 40" LCD on dispay there. It seems to me the picture quality of the Sony and Sharp is much better (i know they are more expensive).

If you have a Vizio *and* a Sony/Sharp LCD HDTV at home, would you please share your experence with me?

Thanks.

I visited a local Costco store today. No GV46L yet.

Two employees were busy working on setting up the LCD and Plasma HDTVs for display. They told me the store wants to sell the in-stock sets and make room for the December holidays. This store has a few Vizio 42" and 37" sets available.

I asked them about the new Vizio 46" LCD HDTV; one told me maybe it will arrive in store during the X'mas shopping days.

I am hoping the price of LCD HDTVs will drop further during the X'mas holidays.

BTW, I compared the picture quality of a Vizio 42", a Vizio 37", a Sharp 32", a Sony 40" LCD on dispay there. It seems to me the picture quality of the Sony and Sharp is much better (i know they are more expensive).

If you have a Vizio *and* a Sony/Sharp LCD HDTV at home, would you please share your experence with me?
Thanks.
--------
Definitely Look at GV46L - 46" LCD - $1999.99
http://www.vizioce.com/products/detail.aspx?pid=9

Vivid colors, wide viewing angle, and blazing response time, Piano black/silver cabinet, removable speakers, and avail wall mounts.

++++ I have the 42 inch Vizio GV42L, see 2 attached camera screen PIX taken yesterday: 1 photo of TODAY Show, and one of the Movie R/V.
(raw,unenhanced photos- lowered resolution to fit post; PM me for high rez pix)
Wife and I love the 42 inch VIZIO GV42L LCD.
The 46 inch Vizio GV46L might be even better. lcd-bob

moderator

sale/discount talk is not allowed

My local Costco in Arizona advised me that item #146461 is in the system. One store in Colorado has it on order, that's it. I plan on calling in once or twice a week to get an order date.

So Iv'e provided the item number, so if anyone gets an order date from their local Costco please post and let us know.

I hope the 46" has a frame like the 37" and not the 42". I didn't buy the 42" when i was looking because it had the finger print magnet frame. Not sure why Vizio would use such a reflective frame. The lights in the store reflected really bad on it and made it look cheap. I'm sure a room with lights and windows would not work well that glossy frame. I will buy the 46" if its got the better frame! please do!

1600 to 1 contrast ratio. can anyone tell me this. 1600 to 1 for this new vizio. 1300 to 1 for the bravia 46inch lcd, and 5000 to 1 for the samsung lns4692. if the sony bravia is comparable to the samsung at a much less contrast ratio, then what other things is the lower contrast ratio models doing to make up for it? because the bravia 46inch lcd and sammy 4692 look mildly similar.

i am trying to figure out if the new vizio will be a good buy

Who cares about the contrast ratio? You'll never know the difference unless your in a TOTALLY dark room. With even just one candle burning, you'll not be able to tell the difference between a 500:1 and 5000:1. Just another sales gimmick.

Personally, I like at least one light on for its easier on the eyes.

Who cares about the contrast ratio? You'll never know the difference unless your in a TOTALLY dark room. With even just one candle burning, you'll not be able to tell the difference between a 500:1 and 5000:1. Just another sales gimmick.

Please don't mis-inform people like this. Your statement is completely wrong and mis-informational to the casual observer here looking for help.

Please don't mis-inform people like this. Your statement is completely wrong and mis-informational to the casual observer here looking for help.

Appreciate the post. As an extremely casual observer I was hoping he was wrong or I had been wasting my time considering that spec as a factor. Is there "standards" (for lack of a better term) that manufacturers must uphold to show these numbers...is it really apples to apples when looking at contrast ratio, brightness, etc?

Please don't mis-inform people like this. Your statement is completely wrong and mis-informational to the casual observer here looking for help.

Check it out for yourself.

http://www.ausmedia.com.au/projector%20contrast%20ratio.htm

I read the article and all I know is what my eyes see. I watch a CRT and the black and white movies are great, I temporarily owned an lcd, with a contrast ratio of 700, and watched a black and white movie which looked green. Is it contrast ratio or something else?

I read the article and all I know is what my eyes see. I watch a CRT and the black and white movies are great, I temporarily owned an lcd, with a contrast ratio of 700, and watched a black and white movie which looked green. Is it contrast ratio or something else?

That is not contrast ratio. The"green" comes from an improperly adjusted grey scale. In a set with a good grey scale, A grey scale adjustment display shows a range of grey "blocks/steps" from black to white. They should all appear as different shades of grey with no color "tints" evident. It can be difficult to adjust a set for a good grey scale. My Vizio L37 LCD has a better grey scale than my 50" Toshiba CRT rear projection set.

Contrast ratio is loosely speaking, the range or difference between the brightest white and blackest black that can be displayed. Of couse the contrast ratio is better on the crt based Toshiba. That does NOT mean the viewed picture is better. The LCD has perfect convergence and almost perfect geometery that is not affected by temperature changes. I have to adjust the convergence frequently on the Toshiba crt and its good but NEVER perfect.

A 1080I HD live broadcast is good on my Toshiba crt rp but it is stunning on the LCD.

High LCD Contrast rations (especially dynamic ratios) are mostly marketing hype. I'm skeptical of any LCD quoted contast ratio of greater than 1000. ;)

That is not contrast ratio. The"green" comes from an improperly adjusted grey scale. In a set with a good grey scale, A grey scale adjustment display shows a range of grey "blocks/steps" from black to white. They should all appear as different shades of grey with no color "tints" evident. It can be difficult to adjust a set for a good grey scale. My Vizio L37 LCD has a better grey scale than my 50" Toshiba CRT rear projection set.

Contrast ratio is loosely speaking, the range or difference between the brightest white and blackest black that can be displayed. Of couse the contrast ratio is better on the crt based Toshiba. That does NOT mean the viewed picture is better. The LCD has perfect convergence and almost perfect geometery that is not affected by temperature changes. I have to adjust the convergence frequently on the Toshiba crt and its good but NEVER perfect.

A 1080I HD live broadcast is good on my Toshiba crt rp but it is stunning on the LCD.

High LCD Contrast rations (especially dynamic ratios) are mostly marketing hype. I'm skeptical of any LCD quoted contast ratio of greater than 1000. ;)

Thanks, Phil!

I was starting to feel like I was being jumped on by a Circuit City salesman or something. :p

Thank you Phil, I'm sorry for getting off topic but do all TV's have a grey scale adjustment display? I don't think I've ever seen one.

Guy in CC thread said he spotted it today in Charlotte, NC...other locations can't be too far behind.

I saw this model earlier today at my local costco store in southern california

I saw this model earlier today at my local costco store in southern california

Thoughts, opinions?

Thank you Phil, I'm sorry for getting off topic but do all TV's have a grey scale adjustment display? I don't think I've ever seen one.

No, most sets do not. However there are several DVD home theatre adjustment DVDs such as Avia that have the necessary displays.

Grey scale adjustments are usually done by a professional TV calibrator with special equiptment. I have done mine using the patterns in the Avia DVD test disc. It is difficult to do well as there are nearly always tradeoffs involved. In the Vizios, you would have to change the R-G-B values in the service menu.

I do no recommend that you try this. If your set has an prevalent green tint, you might turn the green value down by one or two in the service menu but change nothing until you have written all the values down in a safe place.

This is not for the faint of heart. ;)

I have seen the 46" vizio lcd at our costco in Ohio today. The exterior design is very nice to look at. It was drawing a lot of attention from all the customers walking in. It was playing "Chicken Little" (a common title at the stores in this area for some reason). I don't know at what resolution it was being played at, but it was not as sharp as I've seen on other hdtv's for some reason. I'm going to assume that it may simply be a matter of calibrating the settings properly to achieve a great picture on this set. In comparison to other lcd's that I've seen, only the Sony XBR2 impressed me more from an exterior design standpoint. I hope to hear that the picture is fantastic from others on this forum, because I was drooling at it on looks alone.

Thoughts, opinions?

There's not much difference from the GV42L model except that it's 4" bigger, has a different chic on the box,and the black frame has a silver reflective finish on it's sides( I may be mistaken on this part because I didn't notice this part until I was
quite a distance away while I was leaving the store)

When I was there I briefly looked at it and couldn't really evaulate the difference in contrast ratio from the GV42L's 1600:1 because the tv was too high up to adjust the settings and like 10 boxes of the tv prevented me from getting close. Also there was a lot of light shining on the display model, so that didn't help either.

Sorry I couldn't be more help, but Costco stores are getting the GV46L now.

I saw the Visio 46" LCD at Costco two days ago in the box. Very similar to the 42" there except the 46" has a "2.1 surround sound with a 20 watt subwoofer". That was the biggest difference I could see on the box.

My local Costco in Arizona advised me that item #146461 is in the system. One store in Colorado has it on order, that's it. I plan on calling in once or twice a week to get an order date.

So Iv'e provided the item number, so if anyone gets an order date from their local Costco please post and let us know.
just bought mine yesterday at costco in orlando . as near as i can make out they only had two

Can someoene please report the PQ & maybe post some fotos. Also, how does it sound with the subwoofer compared to the GV42L located?

just bought mine yesterday at costco in orlando . as near as i can make out they only had two

the Dedham Ma. store has it up on display right next to the 46" Sharp. I realize that one should never go by store displays-- but to my eye the Vizio looked a lot "sharper" than the Sharp.

BTW , I strolled around the store and counted at least a dozen up in the rafters.

I've purchased from Costco and have been using the 46" Vizio LCD for a few days now. I can attempt to answer any questions about the panel, although I'm not a geek and can provide only a layman's opinion.
I compared the set side by side with the 46" Sony Bravia LCD and the Sharp 46" LCD. In the showroom/warehouse, the Vizio looked comparable to the Sharp. Colors and black levels were not as vibrant compared to the 1080p Sony, but the cost is about a grand less for the Vizio.

Just saw this today. Not as elegant looking as the 42" Gallevia that I have (they added some CHEEZY chrome-like side casing. This will be 90% a non-issue once against the wall ... but just takes away from the set a little.

The PQ looks to be on par with the 42"er though ... I'm just waiting on a special price till I can upgrade.

If you want to have it double as a computer monitor, you might want to look at the 1080p sets which have 1920x1080 pixels at that size.

If you are just watching movies, it should be fine...most plasmas at this size and up to 50+ are only using 1366 x768.

I hope Vizio brings out a true 1080p part with 1920x1080 soon. The competition at this level of panel is really driving down the prices(Sharp, Westy, Sceptre, Vizio)

Wondering if it has some of the same problems as the GV42L. It seems like the 42 has a few problems.

1. The set makes popping or cracking sounds for about 20 minutes while warming up. Have seen this on 3 or 4 sets.

2. The Info function does not work. It only shows the channel info and not the description. Seems to be an issue on all sets.

No popping on my GV42 here.

Also ... who cares about an info button ... its a television.

I agree to the above post that a computer monitor this size needs at least 1080 vertical lines ... it starts to look cartoonish at this size with 768

Got my 46 vizio lcd 3 days ago. I have not hooked it to my stereo system yet, the speakers/sub that are built in sound pretty darn good for factory speakers. Mine definately makes popping noises till it gets warmed up, I am new to the forum, if its a big problem with their other models, somebody please let me know, costco will exchange but its not exactly convenient to return. I have been waiting to see if the poping subsides before wall mounting it. HD dishnetwork looks amazing, remote buttons make sense, menu system is not goofy, xbox games-wow. My brother saw it last nite (he has sony xbr model and techno guy, he could not believe the picture for the price and size).

aurorafish;

I have had no such "popping" sounds on my Vizio 46". I tested the attached speakers only briefly, however, before running the audio via my home surround sound system, so I've had the attached speakers turned off after my initial tests. I was not impressed with the audio quality of the speakers, but that's not an issue for me as I don't use them.

I've encountered no significant problems yet, other than the cheesy "piano" black cabinet bezel. I assume the mfr uses this glossy black finish on the bezel for cost reasons, as it acts like a mirror and reflects all light and detracts from the picture. I have covered my glossy bezel with automotive "black-out" tape, which works well to matte the finish and is not visible from normal viewing distances. Otherwise the LCD blocks out window and lighting glare very well, unlike plasma displays which reflect glare.
I have not yet tested my "INFO"button the remote, as I really have no need for it.
Hope this helps.

CAWILLY

I bought one a couple of days ago, too. I noticed the faint popping noises as well when turning it on after it had been off for a while, but they went away within 10 seconds or so.

So far, I really like the picture (using a DVD) but I'm not real impressed with the black levels. Although I know this was to be expected with an LCD. I'm waiting to see how Dish HDTV looks before I make any decision to return it, unless the popping is a problem I don't want to deal with.

I'm interested in comments from others as well, and will provide an update on my experience if anything changes.

I don't have the speakers on and still get the popping. The noise is comming from the back of the unit. The popping has gotton worse over the past two months.

Finally got to see one in person at my local Costco.

They had one side by side with a GV42L

I set the picture settings to the same on both units and right off the bat the GV42 looked better, colorwise, black levels, and brightness. The picture quality also seemed a little sharper on the 42"

The popping will eventually go away once the plastic is done expanding and settling.

Don't waste an exchange for this reason, because the new one will just do it to.

tBam,

Thanks for the info. I really want to keep the TV, becaue other than the popping I like it. How long did it take for yours to stop popping? Do you think this is common on most LCDs?

Thanks, TBAM, thats kinda what I was thinking, it does run hot. I am not a hardcore videophile, but I have a nice dlp projector setup in the basement and the wife has never cared one bit about HD, now with the new lcd upstairs she actually seems to "notice" the difference.

Finally got to see one in person at my local Costco.

They had one side by side with a GV42L

I set the picture settings to the same on both units and right off the bat the GV42 looked better, colorwise, black levels, and brightness. The picture quality also seemed a little sharper on the 42"

The GV 46 has some benefits specifically in the audio dept with the 20 watt amplifier and subwoofer abilities. At the Lincoln Park Costco store, it provided plenty of distortionless "volume" with non of the aforementioned GV42 qualms.

Regarding PQ, I checked and played with both sets "custom" settings and was able to create virtually identical image quality. The GV46 "preset" settings included a "vivid" entry in addition to theatre, game, sports, and custom choices. One significant difference is the much better factory settings with no "too dark" issues inherant with the GV42.

Amongst the LCD's displayed, the Sharp sets come closest to these 2 Vizio's and the new Sony 1080P 3 plus grand set was a bit more "vivid" with heavier saturation of colors....yeah, I did utilize it's custom settings to mitigate and equalize the playing field.

I own the GV42 and have learned to live with or tolerate some of the mentioned weaknesses settling for "custom" PQ settings and a external sound system. The new 46 with it's well tuned preset factory settings are now where they should be as is the more than adequate sound system. Bezel width is slightly narrower by measurement and IMO a more intelligient way to package a already large device.

In the end, kudo's to Vizio for improving a fine display device and making it better.

Now the million dollar question....Is the extra real estate worth the 4 Benjamin Franklins over the previous SUPER BARGAIN DEAL with the GV42? :rolleyes:

Email me privately for specifics regarding the upcoming disount pricing Costco has already printed up and sent out for the GV46.

Tiggerzz

The GV 46 has some benefits specifically in the audio dept with the 20 watt amplifier and subwoofer abilities. At the Lincoln Park Costco store, it provided plenty of distortionless "volume" with non of the aforementioned GV42 qualms.
Can the speaker/subwoofer be fed externally?

I other words, I want to run my Yamaha dolby digital receiver, but want to use the built in speaker as a center channel. Is this is a dumb idea?

tBam,

Thanks for the info. I really want to keep the TV, becaue other than the popping I like it. How long did it take for yours to stop popping? Do you think this is common on most LCDs?


smsprague,

You really need to return the set or get Vizio to service it.
Clearly this is a big issue for you and you will never be 100% satisfied until you get the popping fixed. You posted a lot about this issue, and really, you just need to get it taken care of. Don't you think so?


Your pal, Stickboy2k

Stickboy2k,

I agree with you. I am going to give it another two weeks and hope it stops. Since this will be the second unit I have returned for the popping issue and since my Father has the same issue on his, I am going to switch brands. I think 3 out of 3 TVs is too much of a coincidence. So much for saving money. By the way my Father is happy with the TV (considers the popping a minor annoyance) and is keeping his. I am just too picky.

Can the speaker/subwoofer be fed externally?

I other words, I want to run my Yamaha dolby digital receiver, but want to use the built in speaker as a center channel. Is this is a dumb idea?

Check out the manual for the GV46L at: http://www.vinc.com/products/detail.aspx?pid=9

On my GV42, I'm using the audio output into Hafler preamp/dual power MOSFET amplifiers/Dahlquist DQ 10's speakers...the existing TV speakers ARE the center channel, though not discrete as they handle the entire audio bandwidth.

Doing what you suggest with the Yamaha will add significantly to the overall sound though it would not be surround sound I presume? .

Best of luck,

Tiggerzz

According to the Vizio website, the 46" has a lower contrast ratio (1200:1) versus the 42" at 1600:1.

I have the GV42L, and I can say I love it very much, it has a great picture, HD input channels are awesome. I like the glossy black frame, whoeve said it was a fingerprint magnet, that might be true, but are you planning on touching it with greasy fingers alot. I have had mine for a couple months with no fingerprints whatsoever. I like that the Vizio emblem lights up too. And I like that if you want to hang it on a wall, you can remove the base AND the speakers for a clean framed look (of course you would have to wire to external audio source, but that's easily done and can be camoflaged, or you can use a wireless system)

That "Chicken Little" movie the one commentor saw was probably coming from a DVD, which is only enhanced resolution, not HD, so it wouldn't demonstrate the capabilities of the display properly.

The 46" case design is exactly the same as the 42".

I also heard that Vizio displays are made by Samsung.

I love mine, and would highly recommend it to anyone.

:) :cool:

Anyone have a picture to post of the GV46L's frame and its silver/chrome side?

Has anyone noticed that the power consumption for the 42L is 380 W versus the 46L at 260W?

Bigger screen, less power?

Has anyone noticed that the power consumption for the 42L is 380 W versus the 46L at 260W?

Bigger screen, less power?

As posted on the 42 Vizio thread:

"If anyone is curious, I was testing pretty much everything in my house with my new kill-a-watt power consumption meter. Brightness & backlight were both around 60 on my gv42l. Power consumtion was pretty steady around 152 watts, small fluctuations on bright scenes up to 154. When the set was off, no current or wattage could be detected. I was pretty pleased to see power use far below what the box/manual indicate."

Lesson here, factory ratings are probably at highest consumption conditions including spikes and peaks. Until someone tests the GV46, we're pretty much in the dark currently.

Tiggerzz

<snip> we're pretty much in the dark currently.

Tiggerzz
OOOH Bad pun!!
But then the numbers I pulled were from the manual and they had a lower number on their spec page for the 42 - 280 watts.
So watts the difference?.

Check out the manual for the GV46L at: http://www.vinc.com/products/detail.aspx?pid=9

On my GV42, I'm using the audio output into Hafler preamp/dual power MOSFET amplifiers/Dahlquist DQ 10's speakers...the existing TV speakers ARE the center channel, though not discrete as they handle the entire audio bandwidth.

Doing what you suggest with the Yamaha will add significantly to the overall sound though it would not be surround sound I presume?

Hmmm... methinks your audio equipment out runs mine ;)

It should work out to be ac-3 dolby digital. Hopefully, Vizio's speakers will be sound compatible with the two front side speakers I have.

Thanks for the manual link. It says it all in the section "remove the speakers" where it says unplug the speaker wires from the gv46l at the rear of the tv. But I guess I will have to make up some relay deal to switch the speakers back and forth. A lot of times, people around here want just watch TV without firing up the Yamaha...

I saw this set at a Costco in Tempe AZ on an HD feed next to the Sony Bravia 46" V2500 and the lower resolutin 46 Sharp they carry. I have to admit althought the picture on the Sony V2500 (1080P) was slightly better the overall picture was very very similiar. Once you got it home I don't think you'd ever be dissipointed. My only concern is I use an HTPC and want to send 1080P resoulutions via HDMI (I also use the same HTPC with my projector so no weird resoultion solutions for my HDPC to keep things simple). I'd like to avoid the TV doing extra scaling that a native set wouldn't have to but this TV might still end up in my home.

I also heard that Vizio displays are made by Samsung.


Vizio lcds are made by a Taiwanese company called Amtran, if you google Amtran and Vizio you should find articles about it.

Vizio lcds are made by a Taiwanese company called Amtran, if you google Amtran and Vizio you should find articles about it.

Yes, indeed. See the news article below:

http://english.www.gov.tw/TaiwanHeadlines/index.jsp?categid=9&recordid=93623

But it's not clear who manufactures the panels for AmTRAN. Is it AmTRAN's own panel? Several articles mention that AMTRAN is an *integrator*.

Anyone have a picture to post of the GV46L's frame and its silver/chrome side?
2 attached pix, lcd-bob
1- from webpage TV Frame,
2 photo- dig-camera- from my TV sctreen

Vizio website says the following for GV46L:
DCDi BY FAROUDJA DE-INTERLACING PROCESSING FOR SUPERIOR VIDEO QUALITY

Can somebody who owns GV46L comment on how SD channels look on this LCD? I own GV42L and SD channel viewing is dissappointing - as expected. But with Faroudja de-interlacing, I'm hoping SD should look better on GV46L.

I was just in Costco in Reno, NV yesterday and saw at least 4 of these.

Those pictures above really don't show it. I didn't see a set out on display, but looking at the picture on the box, which is much larger than the GV42L carton, it is a very distinct chrome siding on the bezel.

[EDIT]

Vizio website says the following for GV46L:
DCDi BY FAROUDJA DE-INTERLACING PROCESSING FOR SUPERIOR VIDEO QUALITY

Can somebody who owns GV46L comment on how SD channels look on this LCD? I own GV42L and SD channel viewing is dissappointing - as expected. But with Faroudja de-interlacing, I'm hoping SD should look better on GV46L.

wondering same thing here. I know the 42 in. Westinghouse has it and apparantly, it gets great reviews...

Vizio website says the following for GV46L:
DCDi BY FAROUDJA DE-INTERLACING PROCESSING FOR SUPERIOR VIDEO QUALITY

Can somebody who owns GV46L comment on how SD channels look on this LCD? I own GV42L and SD channel viewing is dissappointing - as expected. But with Faroudja de-interlacing, I'm hoping SD should look better on GV46L.

Both models GV42L and GV46L use Faroudja’s DCDi deinterlacing. The specs for both models state so under “Additional Information”
http://www.vizioce.com/products/detail.aspx?pid=9
http://www.vizioce.com/products/detail.aspx?pid=10

DCDi was developed by Faroudja in 1996. Please see following link…
http://www.meridian-audio.com/faroudja/technology.html

So there should be no difference on how both models display SD signal, at least as far as the signal is processed.

Check it out for yourself.


You want us to trust the opinion of a site that can't even spell "Artefact" right?

:rolleyes:

Got my 46 vizio lcd 3 days ago. I have not hooked it to my stereo system yet, the speakers/sub that are built in sound pretty darn good for factory speakers. Mine definately makes popping noises till it gets warmed up, I am new to the forum, if its a big problem with their other models, somebody please let me know, costco will exchange but its not exactly convenient to return. I have been waiting to see if the poping subsides before wall mounting it. HD dishnetwork looks amazing, remote buttons make sense, menu system is not goofy, xbox games-wow. My brother saw it last nite (he has sony xbr model and techno guy, he could not believe the picture for the price and size).

Congrats!

Are all the buttons on the remote backlit like on the 42" Vizio LCD? My cousin has the 42 and I like how ALL of the buttons are backlit.

Congrats!

Are all the buttons on the remote backlit like on the 42" Vizio LCD? My cousin has the 42 and I like how ALL of the buttons are backlit.

Yes the buttons are backlit. I also like that too, helps a lot during the night time.

Like some others, I've recently seen the Vizio 46" next to the Bravia at *****. First, I was amazed to see either, since neither is on their website. Second - Wow!

The environment there is horid for any kind of comparison, that's for sure, but these two sets looked stunning compared to everything around it, including the Sharp, which had a sign indicating it was their last one (new model coming?)

The Sony was outstanding, as you would expect, and I'm wondering to myself if it has 1:1 for PC mapping at 1080. I'll look that up. But, in this case it doesn't matter, this set is going to be for "bedroom" viewing, I'll get a "real" HD display in another year or so.

The black levels, as far as they can be seen under the blue-white lasers they use to light the place ;-) where comparibly excellent. The two sets were less than two inches apart, so for what it's worth the comparison was easy to make (understanding both were probably in torch mode). If you don't consider the price, obviously the Sony was superior in every way. What suprised me (a lot!) was just how close the two looked. I could barely believe it. From black level, to mosquito noise, motion artifacts, color rendition (which shouldn't even be close, according to spec), the Vizio was very. very close in every respect. I'm buying one!

btw - the 58" Panasonic plasma looked very good, much better than the Hitachi 55", which I had considered at one point. This Chrismas I think Santa is going to be delivering a lot of great looking flat panels!

.... same MSRP as VIZIO 46 LCD.
New Westinghouse 46" LCD, HDTV- LTV-46w1 HD, HDTV/ClearQAM tuner built-in...

http://www.beststuff.com/categories/fromthewire/audiovideo-news/new-westinghouse-46-lcd-hdtv.html

New Westinghouse 46" LCD HDTV
Home » Categories » FromtheWire » AudioVideo News
September 25, 2006 - Westinghouse Digital Electronics, one of the top five LCD manufacturers in the U.S.*, debuts its biggest and best 720p LCD HDTV yet, the widescreen 46" LTV-46w1 HD with integrated HDTV tuner.

The LTV-46w1 HD features 1366 x 768 resolution, 720p output for optimum performance, and a new AllGlassTM design that incorporates a minimal bezel. The built-in ATSC/NTSC/ClearQAM digital tuner captures HD and SD content over the air or HD cable content without a set-top-box. HDMI connectivity provides quick installation of top quality video and audio through a single cable; and a total of 5 HD inputs and 2 Video inputs.

Westinghouse's proprietary SpineDesignTM ensures full and easy access to all connections -- even when the unit is mounted on a wall - as well as a superior image with less noise.

The Autosource system, another Westinghouse innovation, instantly detects whatever source is powered on - such as a game console or DVD - and automatically switches to it.

Westinghouse 46-inch HDTV is Affordable
http://www.electronichouse.com/columns/products/15892.html

http://www.westinghousedigital.com/pc-67-2-46-lcd-hdtv.aspx
lcd-bob

A close friend of mine, who is neither a videophile nor an audiophile by any strech of the terms, just bought home a GV46L from Costco last night. Because I have yet to see the set and have only talked to him over the phone, I'll restrict my comentary to only the setup/ease of use and the previously mentioned "popping and crackling" on power up issue.

Ease of setup & use: Must have been pretty simple because he didn't call me until he a) needed an explanation of "What the heck do the 720p-HD and 1080i-SD that keep showing up in the corner of the screen when I change channels on the RF feed mean? And what's the difference?" and b) "How do I reprogam the volume control on my D-Tivo remote?" (As if someone who owns five ReplayTV's is gonna have the first fracking clue how to answer that question...)

Crackling & popping noises at power-on: When powering up the tv this morning (he actually set it up last night, so this isn't the first power-up out of the box - maybe the third or fourth) he found the crackling and popping to be noticeable for "about the first minute, after that it went away."

More drivel, *err*, reports in a few weeks.

This is a general question. Im going to wall mount this tv, so Ill no longer use the stand. What is the best and inexpensive solution for shelving option for the dvd player and cable box? I want something simple and nice looking.

I just bought mine yesterday. And I completely agree with some of the above posts - this set looked absolutley incredible compared to the others and I realy could not tell a diference from it and the Sony.

Anyways, I am damn happy so far! I just need to do some searching now for the ideal picture adjustments. Anyone care to chime in while I search...

I just saw the 46" Visio LCD at Costco in Palm Desert, CA for the first time. It was right next to the 42" Visio LCD and a Sony Bravo 45?" LCD. I was very impressed with the new Visio 46". I couldnt get close enough to play with the menus to compare adjustments though. The glossy black frame is less wide compared to the 42". I like it, but the edge has a different shinier metal I dont like.

Picture wise, I think the 46" is a little cleaner. I noticed on the box that it had two things the 42" doesnt. The DCDi by Farouda and also a motion artifacts filter. That was one thing that stood out to me on the 46". The motion artifacts seemed less on it than on the 42" with the same video feed which was a HD demo feed. The contrast blooming seemed in check too. I do get that on my 42" but most of the time it's not really an issue with a good source. Very similar picture to the Sony.

Looking at the 46" Visio manual online, the menus are different altogether from the 42" LCD.

Like some others, I've recently seen the Vizio 46" next to the Bravia at *****. First, I was amazed to see either, since neither is on their website. Second - Wow!

The environment there is horid for any kind of comparison, that's for sure, but these two sets looked stunning compared to everything around it, including the Sharp, which had a sign indicating it was their last one (new model coming?)

The Sony was outstanding, as you would expect, and I'm wondering to myself if it has 1:1 for PC mapping at 1080. I'll look that up. But, in this case it doesn't matter, this set is going to be for "bedroom" viewing, I'll get a "real" HD display in another year or so.

The black levels, as far as they can be seen under the blue-white lasers they use to light the place ;-) where comparibly excellent. The two sets were less than two inches apart, so for what it's worth the comparison was easy to make (understanding both were probably in torch mode). If you don't consider the price, obviously the Sony was superior in every way. What suprised me (a lot!) was just how close the two looked. I could barely believe it. From black level, to mosquito noise, motion artifacts, color rendition (which shouldn't even be close, according to spec), the Vizio was very. very close in every respect. I'm buying one!

btw - the 58" Panasonic plasma looked very good, much better than the Hitachi 55", which I had considered at one point. This Chrismas I think Santa is going to be delivering a lot of great looking flat panels!
46" Sony Bravia LCD vs. 46" Vizio LCD;

The grass is greener on the Sony side of the fence.

I've owned the Vizio 46" Vizio LCD for a couple of weeks now. I purchased the Vizio from "The Big C" and it was on the warehouse floor next to the Sony Bravia. The color saturation and black levels are clearly more vibrant on the Sony, but the Vizio is a great value for over a grand less $. My hope was to get the Vizio home and be able to tweak the custom settings to approximate the colors on the Sony. No such luck.

I'm watching sports primarily on my Cox cabble HDTV DVR. I'm hopeful that maybe some of you sharp forum members out there can dissuade me from replacing the Vizio with the Sony, and breaking out my wallet for several hundred $ more to buy the Sony?

Anybody have recommendations on customizing the settings for optimal sports viewing? I've used the "sports" preset, but it does not match the Sony color saturation.
The Vizio is a great value, but if I'm going to own this set for at least 5 more years, I may be longing for the color quality of the Sony...

Also, I have been unable to locate any further information about the rumoured discounted price coupon on the Vizio 46" LCD. "The Big C" staff don't know anything about it either. Anybody have further information about this coupon that will pass the censure of this forum's editors (or can you send to me a private message?)?

In looking at the GV46L manual online it looks as though the digital audio output is only active with the RF input. Can anyone confirm this is how it works? I would hope it would output digital audio for any of the HD inputs.

Thanks

In looking at the GV46L manual online it looks as though the digital audio output is only active with the RF input. Can anyone confirm this is how it works? I would hope it would output digital audio for any of the HD inputs.

Thanks
Why would you hope that? It makes no sense. Whatever external HD device source you're using should have it's own digital audio out.

Just picked mine up yesterday at C*****. I am taking the Sceptre 42" later this week (2nd unit and still having problems). The PQ on SD is noticeable better than the Sceptre, HD being very similar. Agree with others that the chrome on the side is not that attractive. The sound is not very good, although will disconnect the stand and speakers and mount it on the wall as I really do not care for the silver accents at all and would rather listen through my HT system. Some may find the sound acceptable as it is pretty good for dialogue but not much else. My wife would have opted to listen through the television speakers until I got a remote with macros capabilities to make it easy for her. No popping yet! I thought it was very smart of them to put a clear plastic cover on the bezel to enable that piano gloss finish without the extra price. The set looks great!

[EDIT]

Thanks for the post Dignash was totally oblivious about the 30 day policy.

Actually at "The Big C" due to their "anytime" return policy, you could probably get a price match even after 30 days...just say that if you do not get the coupon price match, you think you will have to return the unit..maybe to buy another at the cheaper price.

46" Sony Bravia LCD vs. 46" Vizio LCD;

The grass is greener on the Sony side of the fence.

I've owned the Vizio 46" Vizio LCD for a couple of weeks now. I purchased the Vizio from "The Big C" and it was on the warehouse floor next to the Sony Bravia. The color saturation and black levels are clearly more vibrant on the Sony, but the Vizio is a great value for over a grand less $.
Also, I have been unable to locate any further information about the rumoured discounted price coupon on the Vizio 46" LCD. "The Big C" staff don't know ...
Anybody have further information about this coupon that will pass the censure of this forum's editors (or can you send to me a private message?)?
ANS
Yes, bring back your sales slip next week and get a couple of Ben Franklins.
lcd-bob

I hope this post gets hopping like the Vizio 50" plasma post. I need some more helpful hints and tweeks. Does anyone know of any reviews yet? I'm sure they would have some picture setting tips.

TRY THESE SETTINGS:
BACKLIGHT=85,CONTRAST=82,BRIGHT=58,COLOR=56 [lcd-bob]

I appreciate the help but those don't seem to coordinate with this set. For example "backlight" - you can either choose low, med, or high. You can also adjust RGB individually, so I am interested in people's settings on this. I personally took out a little red.

I purchased the 46" GV46L LCD from Vizio 7 days ago. I was blown away by the picture quality, brightness, and sound. The 2nd day I had it, I went to turn it on and saw green vertical lines all over the screen. This was the case on every input... even the on-screen menus had become corrupted and unreadable.

This worried me greatly so I took it back to the big 'C' and got another one. AFTER ONE DAY, THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED ON THE SECOND ONE! Rather than take it back, I simply unplugged the powercord, waited 10 seconds, and plugged it back in. The picture returned to normal. That was 5 days ago, I haven't had the problem show up again, but I find it odd that I would have the same issue happen with 2 consecutive units (both from the same manufacturing cluster I assume). If it acts back up again, I'll probably take it back, but when its functioning correctly, you can't beat that great a picture for that price.

Anyone else had this happen with the GV46L??

Just got mine today and no problems so far, no green lines either like the above post. HD pictures are clear OTA. Only thing I was wondering was how come the Vizio 42 inch plasma is soo much cheaper and so is the Maxent 50 Plasma? I did read on the Vizio 42 Plasma thread that they kept shutting off. Is that why its cheaper now? Trying to blow them out before the new stuff arrives? hopefully they upgraded the components in this model and it wont happen. Been running it for a few hours now, so far so good. Jay Leno's Tonight show looks amazing.

Is the humming on this set normal?

I was also wondering what factors went in when deciding this 46 inch LCD versus the 50 inch Plasma. I am new to this and wanted to see what others were thinking as well.

Thanks in advance,

G

Just got mine today and no problems so far, no green lines either like the above post. HD pictures are clear OTA. Only thing I was wondering was how come the Vizio 42 inch plasma is soo much cheaper and so is the Maxent 50 Plasma? I did read on the Vizio 42 Plasma thread that they kept shutting off. Is that why its cheaper now? Trying to blow them out before the new stuff arrives? hopefully they upgraded the components in this model and it wont happen. Been running it for a few hours now, so far so good. Jay Leno's Tonight show looks amazing.

Is the humming on this set normal?

I was also wondering what factors went in when deciding this 46 inch LCD versus the 50 inch Plasma. I am new to this and wanted to see what others were thinking as well.

Thanks in advance,

G
CG;

For me, the Plasma vs. LCD debate came down to the reflective nature of the Plasma screen and the non-glare screen of the LCD. My viewing environment has lots of windows with outdoor light and indoor lights at night. The LCD does not reflect glare. You can see this difference clearly even on the warehouse floor.

The other primary difference in the 46" vs. 50" comes down to viewing distance. Depending on your viewing distance from the screen, you can lose the benefit of the HD display if you are sitting so close that you see the pixelization on the large screen. Another tradeoff you need to consider is your viewing distance vs. screen size, in my opinion.

The professional HDTV review sights seem to be unanimous that plasma still has a slight edge for PQ vs. LCD, however. Personally, I don't see much difference.

Something I'm not sure of; does the plasma offer the same functionality as LCD when connecting to a PC? I anticipate that the future of TV content distribution is the computer and want to prepare for that future in my purchases. I'm sure other experts on this forum can address this question.

Thanks for the response Cawilly, I agree with you on the glare, definitely something I dont want given the windows in my room, and I always did find that annoying. The 42 plasma was soo tempting tho, it was 5 bills less than the GV46L, but im happy with it so far, only thing that is bugging is that humming when its on....is that normal for all flatscreens?

Btw, the discount at the C will be on friday which makes it only a bill above the GV42L

G

Hey everyone!
I was heading twards 1080p land but decided to stick with reg HDTV for now. With this coupon I am definately going with the 46" Vizio. My question to those who have it.
My living room is long and narrow. My sofa opposite wall of tv stand. 7.5 feet from the back of the tv stand to my butt on the sofa. Is this 46" LCD gonna be "WAY TO BRIGHT" should I drop down to the 42" even though the coupon is so great. thanks guys. I appreciate your efforts in sharing with us newbies.....

After reading the GV42L thread for a few hours, this is what I found, that stupid humming sound is feed back thru the speakers via the backlight. If you turn off the speakers, the hum goes away, if you turn up the back light up to high, it goes away. Anything short of that, and it is back, even at backlight at medium.

Anyone else have this problem?

G

CosterGuy,

Although it might be a lil close, the 100 bucks for the bigger screen is too hard to pass up. I have this in my bedroom, and it is a slightly big for the space, but it was too hard to pass up the bang for the buck. I have just under 10 feet form my bed to the tv

G

I work at the other warehouse club, and the 46" vizio is in the system, and we've got several on order, should be in the club within a week or so. I hope it's a lot better than the 42". The 42" I opened up for a display is terrible.

I just remeasured and it is is really nearly 10 feet.. so more likely 9.5 feet from screen to face.

this should be ok right?

Got a call last night from my friend who recently purchased a GV46L regarding an issue he had earlier in the day with the VGA computer input.

He had connected his notebook computer (a widescreen Dell from a few years back - I don't know the model number offhand) and was trying to do a simultanious display on both the GV46L and the Dell Notebook. The GV46L display was "all whacky" was the description of the problem (my guess is that he had the resolution set too high) and so he called VIZIO customer support and although he was a bit down about having to wait almost 45 minutes to get a CS rep on the phone (and the number is a 714 areacode - Riverside, CA - no 800/888 numbers) he was quite pleased at how helpfull the tech was and that the tech was not only able to figure out that the problem wasn't with the GV46L, but rather with the fact that he was using simultanious displays, and that the tech was able to instruct him on how to properly configure his Dell to work with the TV. So his overall impression of the TV is still a big thumbs-up.

Couple things I just noticed. Not sure if it's my COX DVR box or the TV. I just switched from a DVD (component 1) to hdmi input to watch cable and I had no sound. Checked the connections and decided to turn off the cable box and back on - still no sound. So I turned off the TV and turned it back on - I now have sound. Do you think it's the TV or something with the cable?

Also, it seems there is a little over scan (I think that's the right term). When watching HD through hdmi, the info bar at the bottom of ESPN HD for example is cut off a little. Does anyone know how to get into the service menu to adjust this? And is it normal?

On a similar note, when watching DVD the odd thing is that the 2.35:1 DVDs give a larger black box at the bottom than the top.

Other than these questions this set is incredible! I had a JVC HDILA 52" RPTV for a bit and the Sony 50"A10 RPTV - this Vizio is way better so far. With the latest coupon from Costco (I am going in this weekend for the credit) it simply can't be passed up.

I'm going to pick-up this Vizio 46"LCD on Friday when the new book comes out. Does anyone know if they also carry any decent wall mount hardware which can handle this unit?

I'm going to pick-up this Vizio 46"LCD on Friday when the new book comes out. Does anyone know if they also carry any decent wall mount hardware which can handle this unit?

All of my local Costco's were out of wall mounts so I decided to order from Costco online. Shipping was included in the price and it had an instant $30 off rebate.

You will love the TV by the way!

Hey everyone!
I was heading twards 1080p land but decided to stick with reg HDTV for now. With this coupon I am definately going with the 46" Vizio. My question to those who have it.
My living room is long and narrow. My sofa opposite wall of tv stand. 7.5 feet from the back of the tv stand to my butt on the sofa. Is this 46" LCD gonna be "WAY TO BRIGHT" should I drop down to the 42" even though the coupon is so great. thanks guys. I appreciate your efforts in sharing with us newbies.....

It might be a shock the first time you see it, but I think it will be great once you get used to it.

My eyeballs are 8feet away from my 56" RPTV screen and I LOVE it. Very immersive.

I am actually having trouble trying to figure out if the larger LCD screens are going to be big enough after this, particularly since they will be 2' farther away...

I work at the other warehouse club, and the 46" vizio is in the system, and we've got several on order, should be in the club within a week or so. I hope it's a lot better than the 42". The 42" I opened up for a display is terrible.
Let's see if the "other" club will aggressive sell it too... ;)

I just remeasured and it is is really nearly 10 feet.. so more likely 9.5 feet from screen to face.

this should be ok right?
I have my 46" about 7 feet away and can begin to see the pixelization on the screen as I get closer to it from this distance, even when viewing 1080i sources. I would seriously consider decreasing in size to the 42" if your viewing distance is any less than 7', unless you just want a BIG ASS image and seeing the pixels does not bother you.

No "popping" noises or "humming" sounds eminate from my 46" so far, although I do have the internal speakers turned off. The PQ is not up to the standard of the Sony, but at about half the price, it's a hell of a deal! So far, so good.

46" Sony Bravia LCD vs. 46" Vizio LCD;

The grass is greener on the Sony side of the fence.

I've owned the Vizio 46" Vizio LCD for a couple of weeks now. I purchased the Vizio from "The Big C" and it was on the warehouse floor next to the Sony Bravia. The color saturation and black levels are clearly more vibrant on the Sony, but the Vizio is a great value for over a grand less $. My hope was to get the Vizio home and be able to tweak the custom settings to approximate the colors on the Sony. No such luck.

I'm watching sports primarily on my Cox cabble HDTV DVR. I'm hopeful that maybe some of you sharp forum members out there can dissuade me from replacing the Vizio with the Sony, and breaking out my wallet for several hundred $ more to buy the Sony?

Anybody have recommendations on customizing the settings for optimal sports viewing? I've used the "sports" preset, but it does not match the Sony color saturation.
The Vizio is a great value, but if I'm going to own this set for at least 5 more years, I may be longing for the color quality of the Sony...

Also, I have been unable to locate any further information about the rumoured discounted price coupon on the Vizio 46" LCD. "The Big C" staff don't know anything about it either. Anybody have further information about this coupon that will pass the censure of this forum's editors (or can you send to me a private message?)?

Cawilly, try these settings on custom mode. I used them for my 42" and had to tweak them abit from these but the color and shadow detail is right on par with the sony's. http://reviews.cnet.com/Vizio_GV42L_HDTV/9603-6482_7-31987134.html?tag=tip-2506657&messageID=2506657

Also remember one thing. You are comparing the TV's not in your home. Did you take home the Sony and test it out in your lighting environment? You don't get the whole true picture comparison when one is in your livingroom and the other is in a warehouse with fluorescant lighting. In my case, the Vizio's looked better that the Sony in Costco, but I'm not sure how good I could make the Sony look under my lighting conditions. I don't even care to find out now that I bought the Vizio and tweaked the settings. It looks amazing. Try out the settings and let us know how you made out.

JP

Can someone try turning down their backlight to "low" and turn on their internal speakers but mute it and see if they have a humming sound coming out of the internal speakers

Thanks

G

Quick question for those that have the GV46L already. I read somewhere that it has an integrated HD OTA antenna built in, I can't find the article again and would like to know since D* install date for my HD DVR isn't until 11/3 and I will be picking up this unit on Friday.

Thanks!

I read somewhere that it has an integrated HD OTA antenna built in...
Guess you mean tuner. Yes, it does.

Guess you mean tuner. Yes, it does.

Thanks, and yes that's what I meant. I am hoping to be able to get some OTA HDTV between now and my D* install only live about 25 miles from downtown Chicago so I am hopeful.

SoCal costco due to have the set in tomorow I'll be picking mine up thurs. I know they are good for the two C notes on Friday. I'll let you know what I think. I'm going from a 40 bravia to this unit I hope I don't lose too much picture quality for size. We'll see.

Jay

Cawilly, try these settings on custom mode. I used them for my 42" and had to tweak them abit from these but the color and shadow detail is right on par with the sony's. http://reviews.cnet.com/Vizio_GV42L_HDTV/9603-6482_7-31987134.html?tag=tip-2506657&messageID=2506657

Also remember one thing. You are comparing the TV's not in your home. Did you take home the Sony and test it out in your lighting environment? You don't get the whole true picture comparison when one is in your livingroom and the other is in a warehouse with fluorescant lighting. In my case, the Vizio's looked better that the Sony in Costco, but I'm not sure how good I could make the Sony look under my lighting conditions. I don't even care to find out now that I bought the Vizio and tweaked the settings. It looks amazing. Try out the settings and let us know how you made out.

JP
Gmaxx;

Thanks for your suggested custom settings and the useful Cnet link. Unfortunately, the menu options on my 46" are different than Cnet suggests for the 42" and they do not correspond. The software must be different between the two sets. No review yet available on Cnet for the V 46".

I have owned the Sony Bravia 40" and the Sceptre 42". I was dissapointed with the PQ of the Sceptre. The Sony had the best PQ of the three LCDs I have owned, colors and black levels, but the 40" was too small for my space and distance.

Do any others out there have experience with callibration? Should I expect callibration to make a significant difference in PQ for the Vizio 46"? Can anyone suggest a useful tool for self-callibration (i.e., do it yoursef vs. paying a "professional")?

Use digital video essentials to calibrate your screen. Once you have the settings tuned via calibration, watch each source you plan to view, ie: hdtv, pc, gaming, dvd, etc, and fine tune to your liking. If these lcds have a backlight, I would set the backlight to 0 and start the calibration.

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Video-Essentials-Entertainment-Component/dp/B00005PJ70/sr=1-1/qid=1160539414/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-4340874-4927167?ie=UTF8&s=dvd

the Gv42L and the GV46L the exact same tv except for the chrome side and the menus look different? I am talking screen and speakers etc...

Hi,

I am considering to purchase Vizio LCD GV46L or GV42L. Actually, my selection has boiled down to these models and SONY KDF-46E2000 (rear projection LCD HD)

Question:

Do Vizio LCDs suffer with so called silk screen effect (google for silk screen effect)? I can't yet post URLs at AVS being new member.

If they do, how bad is it? I need unbiased opinion from people and especially from the owners of these sets. I hear that all LCDs in general are affected somewhat with this.

Amazon has some discussion of it from reviewers of SONY KDF-46E2000. Just search for SONY KDF-46E2000 and scroll down near bottom to check user reviews.

AVS does not let me post URLs as I haven't posted 5 messages on forum yet. :mad:

Thanks!

I have the popping on start up but it only lasts for a minute or so and seems to be getting less as the days go by. Is this not normal? I have seen a couple people post that they have no popping. I would hate to take it back as everything else is incredible about this set so far.

I have a 27" Sony Wega that still pops 5 yrs later here and there - it is plastic expansion - should be OK

If anyone is looking for the elusive coupon, my wife said something about it being mailed to the house...she threw ours away - Costco is usualy good with it though and usually apply the discount at the register just by saying that you can't find the coupon

Use digital video essentials to calibrate your screen. Once you have the settings tuned via calibration, watch each source you plan to view, ie: hdtv, pc, gaming, dvd, etc, and fine tune to your liking. If these lcds have a backlight, I would set the backlight to 0 and start the calibration.

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Video-Essentials-Entertainment-Component/dp/B00005PJ70/sr=1-1/qid=1160539414/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-4340874-4927167?ie=UTF8&s=dvd


If these LCD's have a backlight? ;)

Considering the target brightness for a properly calibrated display lands in the range of 30 cd/m2 give or take these days it is always best to set the backlight to it's lowest possible setting for a home theater environment. Even then it will be substantially brighter in the range of 50 cd/m2 or higher. Anything more should only be used to offset high amounts of ambient light in sunlit rooms during daytime viewing.

I have a 27" Sony Wega that still pops 5 yrs later here and there - it is plastic expansion - should be OK

If anyone is looking for the elusive coupon, my wife said something about it being mailed to the house...she threw ours away - Costco is usualy good with it though and usually apply the discount at the register just by saying that you can't find the coupon

See that's what I was thinking. I guess that's why I was thinking it was kind of strange that everyone was looking at it like a problem.

I hope this post gets hopping like the Vizio 50" plasma post. I need some more helpful hints and tweeks. Does anyone know of any reviews yet? I'm sure they would have some picture setting tips.watch for them on CNET and AVRev.com

Thanks Jim, I am anctiously awaiting their reveiws.

To everyone, sorry for reposting this but I have not had any responce to it yet...


Couple things I just noticed. Not sure if it's my COX DVR box or the TV. I just switched from a DVD (component 1) to hdmi input to watch cable and I had no sound. Checked the connections and decided to turn off the cable box and back on - still no sound. So I turned off the TV and turned it back on - I now have sound. Do you think it's the TV or something with the cable?

Also, it seems there is a little over scan (I think that's the right term). When watching HD through hdmi, the info bar at the bottom of ESPN HD for example is cut off a little. Does anyone know how to get into the service menu to adjust this? And is it normal?

On a similar note, when watching DVD the odd thing is that the 2.35:1 DVDs give a larger black box at the bottom than the top.

I have my 46" about 7 feet away and can begin to see the pixelization on the screen as I get closer to it from this distance, even when viewing 1080i sources. try setting your source output to 720p it will usually look better on the 768p GV42 or 46L TVs.

My choice was the 42 plasma or the 46 lcd, wife likes the idea of no glare so I guess she wins and it's the lcd , not that I'm complaining!

If you have to set the lamp to high, and the brightness and contrast to 80-90% to get a decent picture then you are shortening the life of the tv and it is not a good deal at any price. The lamp will slowly dull over time. If you are starting off at high, you will have a lousy picture in a year or 2.

If you want to have it double as a computer monitor, you might want to look at the 1080p sets which have 1920x1080 pixels at that size.

If you are just watching movies, it should be fine...most plasmas at this size and up to 50+ are only using 1366 x768.

I hope Vizio brings out a true 1080p part with 1920x1080 soon. The competition at this level of panel is really driving down the prices(Sharp, Westy, Sceptre, Vizio)


I'm very close to pulling the trigger and picking up this TV. But the above statement leaves me with a question. If I decide to use an HTPC to drive the TV will the 1366x768 resolution be a problem? Will I need a video card that can do component or HDMI out or won't that help?

Right now I'd just be using non PC inputs but with the upcoming iTV from Apple and the possibility that Vista's Media Center will support cable card I need to think about future-proofing a little bit.

Thanks-

Tom

I am wanting to go pick this tv up tomorrow. I am wondering how the sound is? I have a 2 piece hometheatre that a buddy wants to buy as I do not use it often. Is the sound on this tv FULL enough to not have a outside sound source with it. Or do I need to keep my theatre set. I have the Sound Matters Full Stage HD but, I live in an apartment and cannot turn it up very loud anyway... Thanks.

Keep your sound system, the speaks are okay, but even more annoying is that when you turn down the BackLight, there is feed back to the internal speakers causing them to buzz or humm, very annoying.

G

Anyone willing to post their custom settings?

Does anyone know if the generic wall mounts they sell at the big C will work with this tv? I downloaded the owners manual for the tv and it mentions something about there being a list of approved wall mounts on their web site, but I can't find it.

Thanks.

Does anyone know if the generic wall mounts they sell at the big C will work with this tv? I downloaded the owners manual for the tv and it mentions something about there being a list of approved wall mounts on their web site, but I can't find it.

Thanks.

Just got back from store #1 (Seattle) and there were 6 -46's when I got there, 3 when I left, I bought one along with the Simplicity mount which claims to hold up to a 50" flat panel @ 125 lbs. I'll know by Sunday if it works or not, I don't expect any problems...

Hi everyone, thx for the inputs. i'm currently debating between this Viz and the Max, [EDIT] . i think it maybe the Plasma vs LCD thing. wonder what's your take on it since you already brought the LCD. thx in advance.

I just got my 46" LCD today after experiencing burn-in issues with my 42" plasma unit. I would choose LCD (Viz) over plasma. I also noticed that the rear of the LCD unit is plastic - as opposed to metal - which indicates that the LCD may have fewer heat dissipation issues.

The sound is much better than 42" plasma units - DCDi technology appears to reduce jagged edges and the LCD screen is relatively bright (did not need close blinds to watch TV).

It is also my understanding that this LCD unit consumes less power as compared to the old 42" Plasma. Text (TV Guide), etc. appears to be relatively sharper.

i see, i mostly careless about the sound since i have a pretty good surround set up. from what i've read so far, CNET, Sound & Vision Mag, plasma produce better image than LCD, even some DLP is better than LCD.

I do connect it with my PC but use the display mostly for dvd and games. on the other hand i do like the design of the Viz. i am going to get one tomorrow, any advice for making the dicision is greatly apreciated.

Strangely, the picture quality of my old Vizio 42" plasma unit seemed to better/crisper. The 46" LCD does not seem as crisp (it is 46" - dont know if 4" bigger would cause this). However, IMHO the advantages of LCD outweigh those of plasma. Playing PS2 required a frequent cleaning of the display which was irritating. Unfortunately, burn-in was the biggest issue - my Visio 42" plasma unit also had experienced a lockup - which freaked me out, I returned it before things got worse. I have a couple of LCD monitors at home and this also steered me towards LCD.
D

... However, IMHO the advantages of LCD outweigh those of plasma. Playing PS2 required a frequent cleaning of the display which was irritating.

may i ask what you mean by "freq cleaning of the display"?

i was all but set on getting this LCD, i too generally like LCD better since i am on my laptop all the time and it has a WUXGA display. but after reading all the reviews on Plasma vs LCD, i am beginning to have doubts as in which one is better.

meditating hard on it now....

may i ask can this set do native resolution when connecting to PC??

More thoughts:

Pros:

1. The 46 LCD has really good sound (compared to the other Visio siblings)
2. LCD is "extremely" bright - this alone would be what differentiates it from plasma
3. Clarity is very similar to plasma - if you tweak the settings it may actually be sharper
4. Can now view HDMI sources with DTV in PIP mode (can't do this in the plasma models)
5. Contrast is exceptional - custom, movie, vivid, etc. modes similar to plasma
6. Good overall quality - if you have the space, go for this 46" LCD. I now prefer it (almost) 100% to plasma
7. No buzzing - heating issues (Vizio plasma had wierd buzzing noise(s))
8. No screen cleaning needed (it is a feature on plasma units - a menu option to display a white raster/background to clear out any burn-in marks)

Cons:

1. They reduced the AV inputs from 3 to 2 (plasma models have 3)
2. I liked having separate coax inputs for DTV and TV - this way I just could subscribe to analog cable and get HDTV for local stations OTA via the DTV coax - right now they integrated the two
3. Remote is lighted but for some very strange reason all buttons are now black :D so you now have a difficult time reading it during the day :D :D (the remote has very tiny keys, which is something I dislike)

more later!

I headed to Costco to check out this new 46" Vizio today and was amazed. Amazed is alway a subjective thing as everyone has there own taste. I myself am "very" picky when it comes to my electronics. I have 2 HDTV's and an HD projection room (not to brag) and have viewed alot of HDTV material on many sets.

With that said, I ended up walking out with this Vizio with its opening week discount coupon pricing. There were 4 units at my local Costco.

I had always thought of Vizio as a small no name brand and that was that. Either I was wrong or this company has grown into something quite well run and loaded full of the latest IP in HDTV's. Just good engineering. I am impressed with the TV build quality, picture, menu system, and yes sound system ( as I have read they have been weak in this area on previous sets). They must be reading this site and others in the interest of listening to their customers.

Other notes:

** Latest 46" LCD panel (unkown mfgr)
** has to be the best looking LCD out there.
** Awesome DCDi chipset that handles SD as well as HDTV quitre nicely.
** Seperatly switched HDTV/SDTV channel groupings
** Excellent owners manual and Quick start quide
** Very good color balance and control
** Much better blacks over other Vizio models seen

Again it's all subjective......but I recommend a look at this TV especially at its current price point. Will post an update in a week or so.

Cheers!

may i ask can this set do native resolution when connecting to PC??
Yes, 1366x768 at 60Hz

much thx guys. i think i will roll the dice on this set.

one more question, does the LCD need to run the "break-in" disc like the plasma?

Both models GV42L and GV46L use Faroudja’s DCDi deinterlacing. The specs for both models state so under “Additional Information”


DCDi was developed by Faroudja in 1996. Please see following link…


So there should be no difference on how both models display SD signal, at least as far as the signal is processed.

I see nothing on the link to the 42" that states this. I own the 42 and think it's a great value. So much that I'm going to get the 46 as well since I have a couple of different viewing areas. But this caught my eye and I had to check it out.

....chris

much thx guys. i think i will roll the dice on this set.

one more question, does the LCD need to run the "break-in" disc like the plasma?

I asked the same question in the break-in thread and received no answer. I too would like to know. I am pretty sure it does not since LCD can't get burn-in.

I just brought my 46 in home from the store - I also own the 42 in from the same maker.

On the 46, I have noticed 2 bright spots in my screen. In dark scenes, they appear as bright "clouds", or white spots, in the screen. The center of each spot is worst, and the fade into the surrounding areas of the screen.

Shall I return it and get a new one? Does this go away? Any input is appreciated.

Depending on your viewing room, try turning down the back light which is found in the lower setup area of the menu system. Often in darker rooms with the backlight (usually shipped at the high setting) will cause these hot spots in dark scenes. Mine is in a darker room and I run it in the low position on this 46. After this try the different preset video settings. I use Vivid or custom with everything lined up down the center. I still see some very slight glowing from the corners of the screen when completely black as in no input selected.

Also of note around the back light is the popping people hear when turning on and or off their LCD TV's. Some say it is the plastic crakling etc. I believe what folks are hearing is the CCFL( cold-cathode fluorescent lamp) high voltage (striking voltage) back light tube ignition kick starting many gas tubes. When turning off, the CCFL circuit discharges several times shuting back light tubes down softly. Their are many different CCFL circuit desigs to do this.....and some are noisier than others. This is normal and differs in noise level based on the circuit and components used in the back light design. Unfortunatly this popping noise causes a lot of returned TV's.

I have been very impressed with the ATSC HDTV off air reciever in this set. I have had 4 other TV's running of this very same antenna in my attic and this TV is pulling in "clearly with no static" 8 new channels I had never seen before!

Enjoy your set. Is it not a great looking design!

Cheers!

I have been very impressed with the ATSC HDTV off air reciever in this set. I have had 4 other TV's running of this very same antenna in my attic and this TV is pulling in "clearly with no static" 8 new channels I had never seen before!

Thanks for the input on that. I currently don't have any HDTV service from my cable company and was just planning to use the OTA HDTV for a bit until I made up mind on who to get HDTV from.

I just got mine home a couple of hours ago. I have the mount on the wall, now just waiting for the wife to get home to help me lift it up on the wall.

Should be a big change for me. The TV I am replacing is a Toshiba TW40F80.

much thx guys. i think i will roll the dice on this set.

one more question, does the LCD need to run the "break-in" disc like the plasma?
what is a break-in disc? does it come with one?

LCDs are impervious to burn-in.

2. I liked having separate coax inputs for DTV and TV - this way I just could subscribe to analog cable and get HDTV for local stations OTA via the DTV coax - right now they integrated the two
why not get a splitter or switch? i'm not not an electrical engineer but can't you merge both the landline analog and ota cables? how is that any different from just connecting one cable line that has both analog and digital signals transmitted on it?

I just brought my 46 in home from the store - I also own the 42 in from the same maker.

On the 46, I have noticed 2 bright spots in my screen. In dark scenes, they appear as bright "clouds", or white spots, in the screen. The center of each spot is worst, and the fade into the surrounding areas of the screen.

Shall I return it and get a new one? Does this go away? Any input is appreciated. I do not see any bright spots, how big are they? I would return it for another unit.

I must say I am very impressed with this unit, the sound is much better the more I listen to it. I was watching the Alaska expedition (Discovery HD) and the colors, and overall clarity is very good.

I do notice grainy reception using regular TV but that is to be expected - given the fact that it is a 46" unit, the NTSC tuner reception is great.

I also am very impressed with the motion pixelization control - I believe that is the DCDI. In prior generation TVs (I noticed this on my prior visits to Costcos over the past year or more), motion pixelization was very apparent.

I tried briefly watching a Harry Potter DVD - again quality is much superior to the 42" plasma.

One gripe - I wish that every input had its own color, brightness, etc. settings - colors seem to vary especially between DTV and other input types.

I am so excited I was able to get to the big C today and pick one up. I am gonna set it up in a bit and I already have the HDTV cable box here. I will post more when I get a chance to play probably tomorrow. My local store said thay had sold at least 6 today and had about 6 left with 4 on the way next week. Did you notice they lowered the price of the 42" this weekend.. It made me think twice but, I still went with the 46".
Should I spend the dough on a HDMI cable for my HDTV box or is the component good enough? thanks for future input on this ?.

Ok Now that you all have played with the set Any Settings you would like to share for pq.

Brightness Contrast Ect.

I just brought my 46 in home from the store - I also own the 42 in from the same maker.

On the 46, I have noticed 2 bright spots in my screen. In dark scenes, they appear as bright "clouds", or white spots, in the screen. The center of each spot is worst, and the fade into the surrounding areas of the screen.

Shall I return it and get a new one? Does this go away? Any input is appreciated.

The clouds wont go away and you should return it.

Shucks, I just got the second to the last one at my GV46L and now I've got a pretty constant crackling sound. It doesn't seem to be coming from the speakers. Since there was discussion about this possibly causing problems, I tried turning brightness and the backlight levels but this didn't affect the noise.

Does anyone else have any other suggestions?

I'm hoping to avoid having to take it back - it was pretty hard to take home and they may not have any left in town.

I ran into an issue with my set - check out the attachment. After owning it for < 24 hours and using it even less than that time, the unit developed a strange problem on the display (see attachment). It displayed a wierd pattern on the screen on every channel and input (av, component, hdmi).

I exchanged it from C***o. One more issue will cause me to get my money back and skip this unit for something else more reliable elsewhere (hopefully there will be an affordable Panasonic LCD) a few months from now - cant afford to pay a premium for LCD.

I am curious if you folks could share your customer service experience with Vizio - will they come over and fix problems promptly when under warranty ?

Thanks in advance!

Ok, mine is up and mounted. Looks great. Been on pretty much constantly since 3pm, no crackling or other issues so far.

OTA tuner is working fine. There is an old antenna in my attic and I hooked it up to that. Only one channel has some drop out issues. It might be due to the crappy coax connector on the end. Have to check out that antenna web site to be sure.

I also bought the Toshiba DVD player that upconverts to HDMI. I'm not really seeing any great difference between my normal dvd player hooked up via composite and the up converting one. Even put in two identical discs and watched them side by side with the PiP and I can't see where the picture is any better. Might take the dvd player back tomorrow.

I do not see any bright spots, how big are they? I would return it for another unit.

I must say I am very impressed with this unit, the sound is much better the more I listen to it. I was watching the Alaska expedition (Discovery HD) and the colors, and overall clarity is very good.

I do notice grainy reception using regular TV but that is to be expected - given the fact that it is a 46" unit, the NTSC tuner reception is great.

I also am very impressed with the motion pixelization control - I believe that is the DCDI. In prior generation TVs (I noticed this on my prior visits to Costcos over the past year or more), motion pixelization was very apparent.

I tried briefly watching a Harry Potter DVD - again quality is much superior to the 42" plasma.

One gripe - I wish that every input had its own color, brightness, etc. settings - colors seem to vary especially between DTV and other input types.

The custom picture setting works individually for all the inputs. I have my hdmi, component 1 and component 2 all on different picture settings and they all stick.

Ok, mine is up and mounted. Looks great. Been on pretty much constantly since 3pm, no crackling or other issues so far.

OTA tuner is working fine. There is an old antenna in my attic and I hooked it up to that. Only one channel has some drop out issues. It might be due to the crappy coax connector on the end. Have to check out that antenna web site to be sure.

I also bought the Toshiba DVD player that upconverts to HDMI. I'm not really seeing any great difference between my normal dvd player hooked up via composite and the up converting one. Even put in two identical discs and watched them side by side with the PiP and I can't see where the picture is any better. Might take the dvd player back tomorrow.
RAS;

I tried the same expiriment that you describe with the same results. I ended up returning the progressive scan DVD player with HDMI and will continue to use my existing player. I too cannot see much difference in PQ.

Had my 46" Vizio for a couple of weeks now and am really diggin' it (after trying the 42" Sceptre and 40" Sony Bravia). "Size" does matter! I've been back to my local Big C warehouse a few times since and they can't keep these things in stock.

I received my 200 bill rebate last Friday from the Big C with their 30 day price gaurentee, which realy sweetened the deal. They have me as a satisfied customer and I will continue to give them my business. Thanks to the forum members who tipped me off to this promotion, as I never did receive anything in the mail about it.

CaWilly

I just brought my 46 in home from the store - I also own the 42 in from the same maker.

On the 46, I have noticed 2 bright spots in my screen. In dark scenes, they appear as bright "clouds", or white spots, in the screen. The center of each spot is worst, and the fade into the surrounding areas of the screen.

Shall I return it and get a new one? Does this go away? Any input is appreciated.
there's a way to "massage" it to fix the problem. no kidding. but only works sometimes...use a microfiber cloth and use gentle pressure around the area...have the tv produce a black or very dark screen so you can see what you're doing. search the forums or the internet for articles on it. it's usually for dead pixels but it works on blacklight leakage as well.

Didn't intend on buying it yet, just went for a looksee. They had one up and running facing the entrance, can't miss it. The brightness of the Vizio in glaring warehouse lights made people stop. They're used to seeing plasmas, but funny how the Vizio 46 made people stop in their tracks.

Anyway, they were playing a dvd that looked great. I looked in back, and they were feeding it composite video from a non-progressive dvd player, with a cracked case nontheless.

To make a long story short, I ended up buying it there on the spot. They had several pallets, about half gone when I bought one. That left about eight units. Another guy was buying one.

By the way, I didn't expect to buy so I didn't have help with me. No problem, Costco will help you load the thing in your vehicle.

I picked up this tv today and so far so good. I did notice the annoying hum in the speakers when you turn the backlight down. Also, in DTV mode the channel changing is somewhat slow to tune and there is a clicking noise in the speakers each time you change the channel. I will be getting a comcast mororola stb and using a av receiver once I get it hooked up so hopefully those annoyances will go away.

KC

Can someone try turning down their backlight to "low" and turn on their internal speakers but mute it and see if they have a humming sound coming out of the internal speakers

Thanks

G

I have the same problem

So far I am amazed at this tv especially for the price compared to other 46" lcds out there. My speakers do hum a little mostly when the volume is down. I believe keeping the bass down helps as some of it is the subwoofer. I also believe that the design flaw for this could be the powersupply cord being so close to the left speaker plug. Back in my car audio days this was a no no.. Maybe maybe not I dunno.. Still well worth the money. I think the tv should not be taken back for these reasons as most of us know they existed and a new one will do the same. Bottom line it is a great TV for the money and what a picture.
I turned on INHD stations with cox hdtv cable box and was amazed at the 1080i signal .. I have not tweaked the picure AT ALL YET and it looks great. I am very happy so far. More tomorrow night.

The custom picture setting works individually for all the inputs. I have my hdmi, component 1 and component 2 all on different picture settings and they all stick.Hmmm ... I must be missing some step. I changed the sharpness control on TV and it altered the HDMI setting the same way.

Some more info .... my replacement TV is good except now I see the "cloud" in two places .... on the upper left and lower right. It is mild, noticeable .... but not overly intrusive.

I am to the point where I just dont have the energy to exchange this unit again. I would assume that some of you have this issue to some extent .... i.e. the black background is not 100% perfect.

I have not tried the hum detection, neither do I hear any popping.

Please share your issues/defects for the benefit of others. I am hopeful that these units can be fixed with upgraded/better firmware, etc.

I turned on INHD stations with cox hdtv cable box and was amazed at the 1080i signal .. Hey coasterguy :D

Glad you are liking your TV. I agree, the pros overshadow the annoying cons by a mile. How do you setup your box to receive 1080i? (for that matter, I am not sure what my comcast box is delivering to the TV, the box may have been setup to receive 720p). Thanks!

I too am glad to hear that most people are liking theirs and that my crackling noise seems to be an isolated defective unit.

I unplugged the left (as vieed from rear) speaker cable and the crackling was eliminated.

No real pattern, the crackling could go five minutes without occurring and then go for ten. Occurs with AND without audio input cables connected as well as muted and un-muted.

Perhaps it is a bad speaker or amplifier - too bad for Vizio/Costco to have to return a TV for a relatively low tech and value item.

Went to BB tonight to look around and saw the Westy LMV-42W2 42" 1080P LCD. With a coupon I can get it for $80 less than the GV46L. Does anybody think the 1080P resolution is worth losing the 4 inches of screen size? Westy is supposed to have some technical issues (lock-ups, etc.) that would also come into the equation.

I think the Vizio will still get the nod, especially with the retailers return policy.

Does anybody think the 1080P resolution is worth losing the 4 inches of screen size?I would sacrifice "p" for screen size (assuming that you have the appropriate viewing distance for the TV).

I had the Vizio 42" plasma that had burn-in and lockup issues - the 46" LCD is much nicer. I am not sure if 1080p would be noticeable on a 42" screen. I like the DCDI on the 46" - plus the liberal return policy which could be used to return when you have legit issue(s). Have you previewed the set? I am sure you will like it (especially if it is sitting close to a 42" LCD).

I've seen the 46 and am ready to buy... The Westy looked like crap in the store but at BB you really can't go by how things look on the sales floor. They had it hooked up to an LG upconverting DVD player and not the HD demo loop. If I went by in store only there would be no contest, the GV46L would be coming home. I'm going to wait until the end of the coupon period to by because I have to find a new home for my RCA 36100MM and two weight lifting champions to take it there.

Like you said the return policy eliminates so much risk it would take a really great deal to get me to buy elsewhere.

Thanks for the reply.

BTW my viewing distance is 10-11ft.

I've had my GV46L running straight for about a week now. No issues. Hooked up to Fios DVR via HDMI. SD PQ is great, HD is most sweet. Room is too small for a sound setup, so I'm just using the built in speakers. I agree with the above posts that the speakers sound quite good. I'd say as of right now, it's hard to beat this one for the price.

I was in Costco today and saw the unit.
Please, someone clue me in to the "coupon".
Does it take money off the posted price?

Where do I get one?

Thanks200 off. Bought my GV46L yesterday at Costco and picked up a coupon booklet in-store.

-------------------------------------------

Anyone tried the headphone jack on the back of the GV46L yet? I'm not sure if my problem is a design flaw or a bad unit.

I frequently use wireless headphones at night but the GV46L audio output is extremely low. The only way I have been able to get them to work is by turning off the speakers (via the menu) and then cranking up the volume to almost max. The problem with this method is you blow the house down if you forget to turn the volume down before turning the speakers back on.

I have the speaker hum also. It changes volume based on the backlight setting. Not a big deal for me, although I am not disconnecting the speakers I am turning them off and running the sound through my AV unit.

I have the hum as well, it goes off for me when the backlight is set to high. Hopefully if Jim Noyd is reading this thread he could comment on this- maybe a future fix in the works? Otherwise, this set is awesome in all aspects, picture, features and it's look (my wife even likes it).

Does anyone else have a dish 622 STB hooked up to this unit? I have been trying to see which the best setting would be 720 or 1080 (currently using 720 on the 622).

I just wanted to say a bit for those of us who are not so "Into" the guts of the tvs out there. The people like me who just want a good tv for hard earned money and do not care about every little centimeter of the tv's performance and flaws. Not that their is anything wrong with being more into it.....
I have been without a tv for 2 months now and was just TIRED of going in and out of the local stores and seeing what was out there and having them all try to sell me something I did not need. I was contemplating, Plasma, then LCD then 1080P. Then I should get a blu ray too.. or a PS3 etc.... It was a never ending scenario of lets make a deal and I was fed up. I knew this as last friday night at BEST BUY I was completed annoyed and sick of a sales person who just would not stop and let me look at the tvs by myself. I knew then it was time to end this as it was not the salespersons fault that I could sell these things myself now. I had bought the 37" at the C 2 months ago and returned it just no being happy with the darkness of the overall picture. I contemplated returning it for the 42" then saw the new 46" and decided to look around some more until BB last friday night and my last conversatinon with yet another hardworking salesperson. MY FAULT not theirs..
In conclusion with the coupon and the peace of mind of COSTCOS return policy if something does go wrong with this "Newer" brand LCD tv. I went yesterday and bought the 46"....

I AM HAPPY !!!!!!!!!!!!! I do not know half of the lingo on this forum about every input and output. I know enough to make my HDTV work and MY upconverting DVD to play and that is enough for me.
This TV is Beautiful when it is off and the screen in HDTV is AMAZING and too me after looking at every tv out there under $3000 this is just as good as most of them.. I truly believe that.. Yes a slight hum in the speakers. and it is only annoying when the backlight is low. But the tv looks better with the backlight higher anyway.. I think for the money IT is an absolute STEAL and if your are as I was last month "contemplating" the " what if's?" then you need to go get one or a raincheck and rest assured you will not be sorry,, Especially if your not gonna analyze it like your filming "CSI LIVING ROOM" and must have the "Perfect tv set" I do not belive it exists.. I am a happy camper and am now hooking up my sound system and felt I should post something about my experience knowing their are many of "US" out there just looking for a satisfactory buying choice. I found it.. Good luck everyone and enjoy the show!!!!! thanks for your inputs this past month.....

[QUOTE=coasterguy]

I AM HAPPY !!!!!!!!!!!!!
This TV is Beautiful when it is off and the screen in HDTV is AMAZING and too me after looking at every tv out there under $3000 this is just as good as most of them.. I truly believe that.. [QUOTE=coasterguy]

Even tho I "only" have the 42" Vizio lcd, I too am happy. Nothing is perfect, and I did have to return the first set I got for a tuner problem. But for any of you who remember back a few years ago (rotary dial - 13 channels, ect), these are the good new days! Watch a hockey game in HD on these tvs after you are used to a crt in SD, WOW!

Here is a first cut in tuning this TV.

Backlight = High (unitl we figure out the Ho-"humming")

Brightness 44
Contrast 35
Saturation 35
Hue -10
Sharpness 12

All Custom Colors at 50

Any opinions or additional ideas?

Here is a first cut in tuning this TV.

Backlight = High (unitl we figure out the Ho-"humming")

Brightness 44
Contrast 35
Saturation 35
Hue -10
Sharpness 12

All Custom Colors at 50

Any opinions or additional ideas?

The humming is from the speakers, if you turn off the tv speakers the humming should go away, but that won't really help you much if you don't have anything else to use for sound.

Well in late may bought a Vizio 50 inch plasma from the Big C. Picture quality is great BUT it has issues with the inputs and handshaking problems with HDMI. Not to mention that this thing is like having a portable heater in the room, and usuing 440w, basically is like running a hair dryer all day!
Was waiting for my costco to get these 46 inchers, they finally came, and I like what I saw.

Thanks

Correct, the noise is eminating from the speakers but is not due to the speakers. It is tied to the CCFL back light circuit coupling noise into the either the power that runs to the speakers or the analog speaker signal itself. When the back light is set at high we seemingly cannot hear it but it is their just at a very high frequency. You will notice, as you step down the back light, the frequency drops and makes the low setting a lower "worse frequency" to listen to in the audible range.

I have tried clamping ferrite beads to the speaker cables with no luck thus I don't think it is coupling in on the shield of the speaker cables but on the speaker wires inside each of these cables. By defualt I clamp a ferrite to all my sensitve 110AC input cables.

I think Vizio needs to debug this issue and come up with a fix. Unfortunatly, I'd bet it will be a HW change and not FW.

I stopped by at the local C - it was Saturday noon time and place was packed.
It took me a while to find it - they put all stuff from the flyer next to the door.

Looks very impressive while playing standard DVD, they did not have a HD hookup.
I am planning to stop by tomorrow during lunch to make final decision, but looks like I will be getting it.

Here is a question:
If I have standard cable only and HD antenna, what will be the best way to connect?
can I use A-B switch?

Or it will be better run cable signal via another tuner like old VCR and connecting HD antenna directly?

I will need it until I add HD cable box ($$)

Thanks.

I went to C and I picked up the Vizio GV46L 46" LCD [EDIT]. What a set!!! Clear, crisp, bright and spectacular. I am SO HAPPY with this set!

This is obviously one person's opinion, and I'm not a video expert, but this set is amazing. I'm just a guy who watches HD cable and DVD's. All I know is that when I watch football on HD or PBSHD or a DVD movie, I can't imagine a better picture. By the way, no popping noises and the 4" screen size difference between this and a 50" is barely perceptible.

I pulled the switch on Friday, and haven't been out of the house since :)

Report:

For the "pro" section I won't repeat what everyone else has already said; the PQ is fantastic.

The packaging was very nice, with removable plastic tabs that allows you to unsheathe the set while in an upright position. Works very well. The display was in perfect condition, with polymer over all surfaces that could show fingerprints. Some have complained about the "chrome" on the outside of the bezel, personally I think it looks great.

The "Vizio" standby light is appropriately dim, and changes color with status.

The remote is lighted and programmable. To my surprise it was fully compatible with my Motorola HD Cable/DVR. Very nice feel with a (hard to describe) "rubberized" back that makes it even more comfortable. Having multiple buttons for different inputs is a huge plus.

I don't have a setup disk yet, so don't have any settings to report, but I can say that the range of the panel is impressive - from daylight torch mode to subtle cinema. The black detail is the best I've seen on anything under 3k (no price talk, I know).

I have not looked at every post in the 42" thread - is there a maintenance mode that can be entered on this set? Not that I need it, but if I wanted to get it professionally calibrated, would a pro have that available?

Now for the "cons".

Popping - Yup. At startup only. I was ready for it due to this forum, so it didn't phase me. Aside from the person who seems to get it at random times - I believe the ccfl initialization explanation. Why it would happen after startup is a mystery to me. I have not had it occur at any time but startup and it doesn't bother me at all. It appears to me somewhat temperature dependent. The colder the room the louder the snaps. In any case, it only lasts a few seconds. I do not consider it an issue at all.

Humming - Yup. I noticed that immediately, but surprisingly, it has seemed to subside over time, which might be a result of my changing the backlight level as previously described. Also a non-issue since I'll use and external sound processor, but I will be using the attached speakers for the center channel, so it will be interesting to see if the hum is only related to the internal amplifier (I'm convinced it is).

No other con to report, the set is otherwise wonderful, and at the price, hard to believe. The popping is only at startup so it's really a non-issue and the hum is so low it wouldn't bother me if I was using the internal audio, which I won't be anyway.

And the picture quality, wow. I was convinced I needed 1080p, and now I know better. My next HD display will be used with an HTPC, so it will need to have full 1920x1080 resolution, but for the viewing this set is intended for (HD cable and DVD), I would not even be able to tell the difference.

Another big "thanks" to those who alerted me to the additional discount off an already incredible price - for the quality this set is delivering. I'm usually on the bleeding-edge side of new technology, which is why my first HD was CRT based, that's all there was! I will need 1080p, but now I can relax and make that move when the price/performance point is more resonable.

I am still in love with my set and plan to keep it. I will say that now that I watched a lot of tv today after my run throught the park of coarse. In black out scenes I can make out a little bit of the back light coming through almost like a ring off to the left side of the screen.

anyone else see any white spots shining through.. I am not upset about it just curious if it is all of them like the hum in the backlight setting.
thanks guys.

I to like the remote and was suprised it at the quality and programmability. Usually you get el-cheapo remote and never use it after setup.

As for the pops..every one hears them. Better described as 4-5 "clicks" at startup which is indeed the back light tubes igniting. i have a Sharp and Panasonic LCD in other rooms in the house and they "Click" at startup as well. The larger the screen the more vertical back light tubes there are thus more clicks.

I have run AVIA via my Sony 1080i up converting DVD player and dialed in the custom settings. Here are the results.

First off:

* flesh tone option off
* Dynamic contrast = 0
* Backlight = high

Colors

*RED = 34 (reduce red push as seen through red Avia lens)
*Green = 50 (stock setting)
*Blue = 50 (stock setting)

********************
Avia settings:

* Brightness 47
* Contrast 62
* Saturation 72
* Hue 2
* Sharpness 12

Give them a try.

Looks great!

Here is a question:
If I have standard cable only and HD antenna, what will be the best way to connect?
can I use A-B switch?

Or it will be better run cable signal via another tuner like old VCR and connecting HD antenna directly?

I will need it until I add HD cable box ($$)


I ran my antenna straight to the tv. I have a DVR and a SVHS player and kept the analog cable hooked to those and ran those into the tv with component and svhs cables. Analog tv just looks like crap to me now, probably because I have been watching HD stuff since I got it.

So today when I turned on the set I had a little crackling, lasted less than 10 seconds.

One thing I don't like too much is the remote control. The buttons are a little small for my tastes Oh well, I guess a fancy learning remote is in my future.

Been watching the b-ball playoffs. Wife and I can't get over how awesome the game looks on this set.

Originally Posted by pvjavsforum
Here is a first cut in tuning this TV.

Backlight = High (unitl we figure out the Ho-"humming")

Brightness 44
Contrast 35
Saturation 35
Hue -10
Sharpness 12

All Custom Colors at 50


That is very close to what I am running while watching OTA HD shows. I cranked down the brightness to 40 and put the saturation to 40 and sharpness to 5.

Picked up mine on friday. Here's the report so far. I love the TV. Fantastic PQ, I am feeding it my basic cable feed and it's picking up the local HD feeds. It's very interesting to see the quality of the different feeds! A 720p looks much better to mee than a 1080i. Case in point CBS and Fox feed at 720p, NB at 1080i according to what the Vizio displays. The CBS and Fox pictures are better, more of a smoothness.

Right now I have played with the setting and am 40-50 in brightness 50 in contrast 60 in saturation and the rest are the defaults. I have the backlight at LOW. Also, my living room gets full sun from about 1p until 6p. Opened the blinds and was filled with all sorts of bright sun, didn't affect the picture at all.

The only issues I have right now are the startup crackling, very minor and only lasts about 15 seconds, and the humming at low volume. I really don't want to put the backlight at medium or high so I can live with the hum.

The sound on this is pretty darn good for a TV set, it certainly isn't what my Rotel/Paradigm can dish out but it's good for what it is.

Looking forward to my D* install on 11/3 so I can feed the Vizio a steady diet of 720p!

anyone else see any white spots shining through.. I am not upset about it just curious if it is all of them like the hum in the backlight setting.
thanks guys.I have the same issue in 2 spots, not serious enough to return it. On medium backlight, a completely dark image displays the differences on screen, I dont get a uniform black screen at all - there are spots of backlighting - I dont know if this is a bug or a feature :D ;)

Hello everyone. Just wanted to first of all thank thank you to all of those who have given so much great information on this set. I've literally been reading through posts for the past few weeks, trying to learn as much on HDTV and the 46 Vizio. I decided to take the plunge and purchased the 46 Vizio yesterday. I'm completely new to the whole HDTV arena and have a couple of questions. I've been reading and have some ideas, but I'm still a little confused as to exactly what I need to do.

I have comcast digital cable, haven't upgraded to the HD yet, because I just got the TV yesterday. I'm assuming I'd definitely need to upgrade to the comcast HD.

1. The set has a built in OTA antena. I was planning on purchasing one of the recommended indoor antenas from Radio Shack, or circuit city, in order to get better reception quality. Is this something I need to purchase, or will the TV handle this because of the integrated OTA tuner? I know, a stupid question, but none of th posts really made it clear from what I could find.

2. I was getting ready to purcahse a new DVD player. I obviously want an upconverting unit. I've been reading about all the different ones and it seems like the oppo 971, is a good choice. Is there really going to be a difference between that one I purchase and the sony that was $129 at the Big C, where I purchased the TV from?

I'll be hooking the TV up tomorrow, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks everyone. I really want to say that without this board and eveyones great input, I would have been completely lost and had absolutely no idea as to what to purchase, or what to do.

Cory

Cory,

I have that exact Sony 1080i upconverting DVD player from the big 'C' and like it just fine. I typically stay away from Sony products as of late as ther are better products out there. For the money it is a good buy and up has a nice picrue and menu interface. Save your 'big' money for later to buy a BlueRay HD DVD player.

As for the antenna, so long as you live in the city say within 20 miles of the tv towers a table top antenna will most likey work for OTA HD. The TV has the tuner not the antenna BTW. If your cable co. has HD local channels, just get the HD cable and call it good.

Have fun!

I was wthe one that had the crackling sound. It was definitely isolated to the speaker/cable/audio amplifier as it stopped when unplugged one speaker cord but not the other. It wasn't the more frequently reported CCF crackle.

Returned to Costco and exchanged it for another model. Haven't noticed any of the problems discussed to date.

1. The set has a built in OTA antena. I was planning on purchasing one of the recommended indoor antenas from Radio Shack, or circuit city, in order to get better reception quality. Is this something I need to purchase, or will the TV handle this because of the integrated OTA tuner? I know, a stupid question, but none of th posts really made it clear from what I could find.

The set has a built in OTA tuner (you posted it had a built in antenna, was not sure if that was a typo or not.). You need an antenna to get the OTA signal to the tv. I am not up on all the antenna stuff, I simply hooked mine up to an antenna that was in my attic already and it works great. If I had to buy an antenna I would research it on antennaweb.org first.

Here is one bug I noticed last night. While watching OTA HD in DTV mode. Using the "last" button on the remote to jump between two channels. After the jump is made there is no sound. I can make the sound come back by pressing the volume button on the remote. I have the speakers turned off and the audio output is set to a fixed volume. I tried changing the audio output to variable and had the same results. Anyone else notice this?

ADVICE:

Would it make any better picture difference if I switched from my current component hook up to HDMI on my HDTV cable box from cox communications? I hate to waste the money on an expensive cable to see no difference. thanks guys.

ADVICE:

Would it make any better picture difference if I switched from my current component hook up to HDMI on my HDTV cable box from cox communications? I hate to waste the money on an expensive cable to see no difference. thanks guys.
Coasterguy;

The HDMI connection made a very noticeable improvement in picture quality on my 46" vs. Component cables when viewing an HD source.

Also, for those considering the Costco Sony progressive scan DVD player, note that it includes a 6.7 foot HDMI cable, which goes for about $70 or so retail if purchased seperately, so the DVD player costs only a net ~ $60. Costco is creative about adding value for the customer in these "bundled" packages.

I compared this cable to the $150 "Gold Plated Monster...blah, blah, blah, cable from CC and found no difference in PQ.

ADVICE:

Would it make any better picture difference if I switched from my current component hook up to HDMI on my HDTV cable box from cox communications? I hate to waste the money on an expensive cable to see no difference. thanks guys.
Coasterguy;

Addendum to my previous reply; I ended up with a $40 HDMI 6 foot cable from R. Shack (store brand). It look the same as the $160 Monster cable from CC.

Look at the top of this page and you will find a site called MonoPrice.com, best price on all your cable needs, under $10 for hdmi 6 ft cables shipped, best prices on the web for high quailty cables.....hope this will help

Why are those prices so cheap? is it junk?

Also, I have an upconverting DVD player via DVI. Would the DVI to HDMI cable be as good for me as a new dvd player with HDMI upconvert? thanks a bunch guys you rock!

The cables are just fine, I'm using the hdmi on my JVC LT-46FN97 1080P 46" lcd to Comcast HD dvr box and on my SamsungDVD-HD860 upconverting player, and they both look Great, no problems what so ever, just try them what have you got to lose $10??????

Here's a link to a review of the cables.....

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024004&p_id=2412&style=&seq=1&format=4#feedback

Hello everyone. Just wanted to first of all thank thank you to all of those who have given so much great information on this set. I've literally been reading through posts for the past few weeks, trying to learn as much on HDTV and the 46 Vizio. I decided to take the plunge and purchased the 46 Vizio yesterday.
I have comcast digital cable, haven't upgraded to the HD yet, because I just got the TV yesterday. I'm assuming I'd definitely need to upgrade to the comcast HD. I'll be hooking the TV up tomorrow, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Cory
I have extended Basic COMCAST Cable, not Digital like you. Even so, when I plugged the Comcast Cable (skipped the set top box) directly into the Vizio and did a seach for channels scan, the TV foung 71 Analog, and 42 Digital channels. When i tuned thru the dig channels, I found the 6 of the digitals were High Def, including all major TV networks. Then I decided to go to the VCR first, then out to the Vizio with the RF cable into the TV input. This way, I can tape the Analog channels. VCR passes thru all channels to TV, dig and High Def. Bring back your digital box to COMCAST, downgrade service to extended basic, and save the bucks since the VIZIO has this built in digital cable box, called a QAM digital tuner. lcd-bob

Does anyone know what type of mounting will fit the 46 lcd Vizio? I found a real good price for an Omni mount with a cantilever arm. It is compatible with VESA 75,VESA 100,VESA 100 x 200, VESA 200. Does this Vizio have one of these mountings?

Cory,

I have that exact Sony 1080i upconverting DVD player from the big 'C' and like it just fine. I typically stay away from Sony products as of late as ther are better products out there. For the money it is a good buy and up has a nice picrue and menu interface. Save your 'big' money for later to buy a BlueRay HD DVD player.

As for the antenna, so long as you live in the city say within 20 miles of the tv towers a table top antenna will most likey work for OTA HD. The TV has the tuner not the antenna BTW. If your cable co. has HD local channels, just get the HD cable and call it good.

Have fun!

Thank you very much for the insight on the sony model. I will go pick that one up this afternoon and get to hooking this bad boy up tonight. I'm excited and can't wait! That's great there's already a nice cable that comes in the box from the big C. I'll utilize that cable and see how it all works out. I'll let everyone know! Thanks again!

Does anyone know what type of mounting will fit the 46 lcd Vizio? I found a real good price for an Omni mount with a cantilever arm. It is compatible with VESA 75,VESA 100,VESA 100 x 200, VESA 200. Does this Vizio have one of these mountings?

According to the Vizio site the mount for the 46" uses the LR/29 hole pattern. Not sure if that helps at all. I got the mount that C* had and it works very well. Took about 30 minutes to install and setup.

I have extended Basic COMCAST Cable, not Digital like you. Even so, when I plugged the Comcast Cable (skipped the set top box) directly into the Vizio and did a seach for channels scan, the TV foung 71 Analog, and 42 Digital channels. When i tuned thru the dig channels, I found the 6 of the digitals were High Def, including all major TV networks. Then I decided to go to the VCR first, then out to the Vizio with the RF cable into the TV input. This way, I can tape the Analog channels. VCR passes thru all channels to TV, dig and High Def. Bring back your digital box to COMCAST, downgrade service to extended basic, and save the bucks since the VIZIO has this built in digital cable box, called a QAM digital tuner. lcd-bob

LCD-BOB.... thanks for the udpate on the comcast situation. I'm definitely down to save a few bucks on comcast. I swear, their is just no way around those guys.

On a side note.... and it's somewhat related to this but, could end up being a whole other discussion. Are you familar with a company called USDTV. They only service a few areas, such as salt lake city. However, they ended up going Bankrupt a little while ago. THey provide over an antenna, DVD quality HD programming for roughly 35 channels. I don't think I can post the link in here since I'm new, but my question is, aren't those the channels I'd be picking up with my own antenna anyways?

I to like the remote and was suprised it at the quality and programmability. Usually you get el-cheapo remote and never use it after setup.

As for the pops..every one hears them. Better described as 4-5 "clicks" at startup which is indeed the back light tubes igniting. i have a Sharp and Panasonic LCD in other rooms in the house and they "Click" at startup as well. The larger the screen the more vertical back light tubes there are thus more clicks.

I have run AVIA via my Sony 1080i up converting DVD player and dialed in the custom settings. Here are the results.

First off:

* flesh tone option off
* Dynamic contrast = 0
* Backlight = high

Colors

*RED = 34 (reduce red push as seen through red Avia lens)
*Green = 50 (stock setting)
*Blue = 50 (stock setting)

********************
Avia settings:

* Brightness 47
* Contrast 62
* Saturation 72
* Hue 2
* Sharpness 12

Give them a try.

Looks great!
PVJAV;

I tried your suggested custom settings and they look great for watching sports on my COX cable HD DVR. I prefer these settings to the mfr presets. Maybe I don't need to buy one of the callibaration DVDs now. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll be interested to learn what others identify for the custom settings.

CaWilly

Anyone?

Again, I have an upconverting samsung DVD player via DVI. Should I sell it and get the HDMI kind or get the DVI to HDMI cable instead? Will this cable be the same quality? thanks guys.

Anyone?

Again, I have an upconverting samsung DVD player via DVI. Should I sell it and get the HDMI kind or get the DVI to HDMI cable instead? Will this cable be the same quality? thanks guys.

Philips USA DVP5960 upconverting DVD Player with HDMI

I bought this at BestBuy for $89. It even has a USB port so you can hook up a portable memory drive, or USB cable from your camera to this player instead of a PC, and get Actual HD photos on VIZIO. I had no idea my photos could look so great. It produces incredible DVDs too!, very detailed, saturated 1080i upconverted HDMI movies. .. can't believe it's not an HD DVD disk playing. It plays Divx, MPEG4,and other movies I downloaded off the Internet to PC. PLays AVI, etc ... plays everything!!! lcd-bob

Philips USA DVP5960 upconverting DVD Player with HDMI
Be impressed with this Philips DVD player with HDMI digital video and audio connection. Step into another home entertainment arena as you immerse yourself with High Definition video (720p / 1080i).

# Unrivalled video performance
# HDMI out for digital high-definition video and digital audio
# Video Upscaling for improved resolution of up to 1080i lines
# Displays high definition pictures (JPEG) in true resolution
# Progressive Scan for razor-sharp and flicker free images
# 192kHz/24-bit audio DAC delivers high-quality audio
# Movies: DVD, DVD+R/RW, (S)VCD, DivX 3.11/4.x/5.x/6.x, MPEG4
# Music: CD, MP3-CD, CD-R/RW & Windows Media(tm) Audio
# Photos: Picture CD (JPEG)

CNET review "7.7 Rating"
http://reviews.cnet.com/Philips_DVP5960_37/4505-6463_7-31871079.html

Coaster guy,

You can simply pick up a DVI to HDMI cable...although....

* make sure your DVD players DVI output is "HDCP" compliant otherwise you will not get full bandwidth (highest res.) video across the DVI port to your TV.

* you will have to also connect seperate audio L/R cables as DVI does not carry audio across the cable as does HDMI. If you are already using an external receiver than this is a given and hopefully you are using the better "optical" Vizio output.

I personally would upgrade as "I did". Today's cost is minimal including the cable from the big 'C'. (Sony DVP-NS71HP)

Also, HDMI cables are a pure digital connect. Thus paying 2,3,4,5,10x the cost of one cable barnd to another is useless especially if you are only running less than a meter or two. Digital either works or it does not.....ones and zeros vs an RGB analog type connection where quality cables matter.

Cables are "the" biggest margined up sell accessory stores sell.

I have an HD projection system and run HDMI across a 25ft HDMI/HDMI cable purchased from monoprice dot comm.......no problems.

[QUOTE=lcd-bob]Philips USA DVP5960 upconverting DVD Player with HDMI

I bought this at BestBuy for $89. It even has a USB port so you can hook up a portable memory drive, or USB cable from your camera to this player instead of a PC, and get Actual HD photos on VIZIO. I had no idea my photos could look so great. It produces incredible DVDs too!, very detailed, saturated 1080i upconverted HDMI movies. .. can't believe it's not an HD DVD disk playing. It plays Divx, MPEG4,and other movies I downloaded off the Internet to PC. PLays AVI, etc ... plays everything!!! lcd-bob

Philips USA DVP5960 upconverting DVD Player with HDMI
Be impressed with this Philips DVD player with HDMI digital video and audio connection. Step into another home entertainment arena as you immerse yourself with High Definition video (720p / 1080i).

# Unrivalled video performance
# HDMI out for digital high-definition video and digital audio
# Video Upscaling for improved resolution of up to 1080i lines
# Displays high definition pictures (JPEG) in true resolution
# Progressive Scan for razor-sharp and flicker free images
# 192kHz/24-bit audio DAC delivers high-quality audio
# Movies: DVD, DVD+R/RW, (S)VCD, DivX 3.11/4.x/5.x/6.x, MPEG4
# Music: CD, MP3-CD, CD-R/RW & Windows Media(tm) Audio
# Photos: Picture CD (JPEG)

QUOTE]

BOB- would you recommed this Philips DVD or the Sony one you have from the Big C?

Thanks,

I was going to ask as well. Also at the Big C... where I just purchased this great looking LCD from, they had a HD Cable Accesorie package for $75 or so. Is that kit worth it? Or should I Just go purchase a few on the monoprice site?

Thanks Again everyone. I don't mean to ask too many questions, but I'm just making sure I've got all my ducks in a row. lol

How do I do this?
I have an Onkyo receiver that has a Center Channel output.
I don't know the name of the connection on the Onkyo but it is simply where you insert 2 bare wires and tighten them down.
Where would I connect these on the Vizio?
I presume I would disconnect the 2 speaker cables on the Vizio- which I have done anyway the eliminate the hum associated with the backlight.

And of course the question of whether anyone would recommend using the Vizio speaker in this way.
I presume it is designed to handle 2 channel sound as well as subwoofer, since this is how the ports are marked.
I like the idea of using it but realize it may not be suitable.
I do have another separate center channel speaker- a Bose.

Thanks for your input.

Very happy with the Vizio.
Quite a deal

I have a question.

How is the 46" when it comes to backlight leakage/backlight bleeding?

i4c1978:

Hard question to answer w/o knowing all of your components. I saw the package at Big C, but did not look it over. Overall you can probably save money ordering specific cables through one a retailer such as MonoPrice. You also will avoid paying for items you may not need with your setup.

i4c1978:

Hard question to answer w/o knowing all of your components. I saw the package at Big C, but did not look it over. Overall you can probably save money ordering specific cables through one a retailer such as MonoPrice. You also will avoid paying for items you may not need with your setup.

AppleGuy - that's what I was thinking. I thought there were far too many cables in the package. Ones of which I'm not going to need. I think what I'm going to do is just purchase the Philips DVP5960 DVD player tonight from BB, and just try using the cable that comes with it. If that cable is crap, then I'll pick one up from monoprice.

Quote:
Originally Posted by randomharmony
may i ask can this set do native resolution when connecting to PC??

Yes, 1366x768 at 60Hz


Jim,

Are you sure about this? Did you try it actually? The native resolution is 1366 x 768 pixels but according to it's feature on page 67 of the pdf manual, it says "Computer 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768 via VGA or 640x480 via HDMI". :confused:

Or, could someone owned this unit to help us to confirm about this issue (by which port to get what resolution), thanks.

Simon

Quote:
Originally Posted by randomharmony
may i ask can this set do native resolution when connecting to PC??

Yes, 1366x768 at 60Hz


Jim,

Are you sure about this? Did you try it actually? The native resolution is 1366 x 768 pixels but according to it's feature on page 67 of the pdf manual, it says "Computer 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768 via VGA or 640x480 via HDMI". :confused:

Or, could someone owned this unit to help us to confirm about this issue (by which port to get what resolution), thanks.

Simon

Just called my local Costco to see if they had any left. They sold all 18 they had over the weekend. He expects 4 in tomorrow. He did say there would be no rainchecks on this item. If this is true it may cause me to "yell" a little bit if i can't get one with the coupon. I'll try to get there tomorrow night.

SOLUTION FOR GLOSSY BEZEL COVER?

To all forum members;

Anybody have any suggestions or solutions to cover the glossy black frame on the Vizio 46" LCD. I don't care for the reflective glare that is created by the glossy bezel and effectively want to achieve a "matte" black finish (lots of windows in my viewing environment). I've noticed that the higher-end TVs generally use a matte finish on the bezel.

This is really one of the few issues I have with this set so far.

Any ideas from you creative folks out there?

CaWilly

Just called my local Costco to see if they had any left. They sold all 18 they had over the weekend. He expects 4 in tomorrow. He did say there would be no rainchecks on this item. If this is true it may cause me to "yell" a little bit if i can't get one with the coupon. I'll try to get there tomorrow night.


This is annoying.... Does anyone know if they will hold a TV for pickup after you purchase it? I don't think it will fit in my car so I'll need to borrow something bigger. I would want to make sure I could get the TV before doing that.

Tom

This is annoying.... Does anyone know if they will hold a TV for pickup after you purchase it? I don't think it will fit in my car so I'll need to borrow something bigger. I would want to make sure I could get the TV before doing that.

Tom
I shoulda asked about holding one when I called. I'm in the same boat as you, need to borrow my son's minivan as it might fit in my car but it would be close. I'll be going tomorrow night and will post what happens.

I shoulda asked about holding one when I called. I'm in the same boat as you, need to borrow my son's minivan as it might fit in my car but it would be close. I'll be going tomorrow night and will post what happens.


It probably depends on the store manager. My local one will hold any purchase till they close that day. I have bought something, then returned later that day (with the receipt) to pick it up. Good luck!

I shoulda asked about holding one when I called. I'm in the same boat as you, need to borrow my son's minivan as it might fit in my car but it would be close. I'll be going tomorrow night and will post what happens.

The box was not going to fit in my small Saturn station wagon...
SO... we took the TV out of the box, then i "collapsed the box", and off i went.
The TV is packed in such a way that this is a relatively easy procedure,
However, it still may not fit in your vehicle.
It has never been more true to say YMMV (your mileage may vary)

They are giving rainchecks. They will hold it if it is paid for so you can pick it up later. They will not hold it over the phone or if it has not been paid for.
Said my local store this past weekend to me. Break down the box and leave it at the store you do not need it to return the tv. "In case"

i was in my C on Saturday and saw the Vizio and went home to think about it.
I came back early Sunday and my heart sunk when i didn't see any in the place where they had been the day before.
They had put the 42" model there.
My heart then leapt when I found it down the aisle.

I was able to talk the supervisor into giving me a coupon- it wasn't easy.
In return I upgraded to an executive membership- which refunds 2%.

I am constantly amazed how packed my local C is.

Just called my local Costco to see if they had any left. They sold all 18 they had over the weekend. He expects 4 in tomorrow. He did say there would be no rainchecks on this item. If this is true it may cause me to "yell" a little bit if i can't get one with the coupon. I'll try to get there tomorrow night.

I call BS on the no rainchecks, on the back of the actual coupon it says rainchecks may be issued during the promotion if items are out of stock.

By the way the 46 Visio in the box, fit in the back of my PT Cruiser with 1" to spare...

Settings:

When watching Deal or no Deal I switched the settings to the "vivid" factory setting and the picture looked fine to me. Leaving it that way for Heroes and so far I like it there also.

This is for an OTA broadcast.

Looks like 46" got new home in my house!

First: c-p-n said that they will do raincheck - read fine print. Out of 12-16 units I saw Saturday only 4 left, one of them is sitting here.

I can confirm all sound issues discussed before.

But rest of it really good:

My standard basic cable has broadcast HD channels - big surprise, but my co-worker told me it this morning. So standard set NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, PBS, Discovery and TNT plus 3-4 channels I never saw along with about 30 music channels (sound only)
ESPN HD is missing and this is the only channel they have sports tonight.
Standard channels (analog cable) look little noisy, but I did not expect better quality, I may upgrade to basic digital now.

HD picture is amazing, was watching a little.

Get it, don't wait!

I am going to get one tomorrow if I have to go to every Big C store in town. Does anyone use the peerless swivel mount at big C? I think it was 95 bucks.

Also, for those considering the Costco Sony progressive scan DVD player, note that it includes a 6.7 foot HDMI cable, which goes for about $70 or so retail

O'Rly ? (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024004&p_id=2412&seq=1&format=2&style=)

BTW.. they are a forum sponsor.

By the way the 46 Visio in the box, fit in the back of my PT Cruiser with 1" to spare...

Suh-weet! The one thing I needed to know! Will it fit in my Cruiser?! :D

One question - did you have to take both back seats out?

-- Ghique

I have the same issue in 2 spots, not serious enough to return it. On medium backlight, a completely dark image displays the differences on screen, I dont get a uniform black screen at all - there are spots of backlighting - I dont know if this is a bug or a feature :D ;)


so... even the 46" has the backlight leakage.
:(

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR VEHICLE?

For those considering vehicle fit; "The big C" does not require that you retain the packaging in the event of a return. They only want the hardware that is included inside the box. I've returned 2 previous sets before going with the Vizio. The V 46" measurements when out of the box;
H: 32"
W: 44"

Leave the cardboard at the store.

I too hear the humming noise when switching to either Medium or Low Backlight. Has anyone contact Vizio about this yet to see what they have to say about it? Anyone taken one back for this reason and recieve a unit that does not do it anymore? or has anyone found a fix for it?

Has anyone figured out how to set the motion filters? I'm drawing a blank on what exactly it's called but it;s under the advaced menu.

Just picked up 46GVL yesterday and playing around w/ it. The HD feed is incredible. Love it. However, SD feed is not good (seems like all LCDs have not so good SD feed). The picture is just not clear to our eyes.

There are only about 4-5 HD channles that I've found. Rest of the channles are SD (which is my 80+ % viewing), I wonder how others feel about SD feed on this unit.

USColorado,

I too hear the humming noise when switching to either Medium or Low Backlight. Is it a defect in TV?

btw, is it possible to save the Aspect Ratio for each input? Everytime I change input (e.g. from HDMI to TV or AV1,etc.) or turn off TV, it defaults back to 16:9 and I have to go into MENU to change it to 4:3 everytime. Annoying. Tx.

Hoping to pick mine up from the Warehouse tomorrow, reviews have really been impressive thus far and TV looked good to me on novice in-store viewing

Anyone happen to know of any hational chains or local places in AZ that rent trucks hourly? I really don't feel like paying the U-Haul 1 day rate for an hour of usage.

They get $10 for 75 minutes or so.

I used my Chrysler minivan to bring it home:
I removed rear seats and it did fit vertically in the box but with 1/4" clearance only - box is about 37-38" high and minivan's 39" entry is not flat a the bottom.

I probably could lay it flat, but did not try.
It was all way up to the middle seat row with only 2 " to close the gate.

Inside the box it has about 4"clearance on every side, but no side support at the top - be carefull laying it flat

At the cash register old couple asked how we will take it home and my son said : "I will carry it"

btw, is it possible to save the Aspect Ratio for each input? Everytime I change input (e.g. from HDMI to TV or AV1,etc.) or turn off TV, it defaults back to 16:9 and I have to go into MENU to change it to 4:3 everytime. Annoying. Tx.
You do not have to go into the menu everytime, just press the WIDE button, also the red RECORD button and that will switch it.

About the humming noise no one really seems to know what is causing it. Some have theories I guess. I dont think anyone has taken the TV back for this reason yet. I just leave mine in high until someone figures something out.

SOLUTION FOR GLOSSY BEZEL COVER?

To all forum members;

Anybody have any suggestions or solutions to cover the glossy black frame on the Vizio 46" LCD. I don't care for the reflective glare that is created by the glossy bezel and effectively want to achieve a "matte" black finish (lots of windows in my viewing environment). I've noticed that the higher-end TVs generally use a matte finish on the bezel.

This is really one of the few issues I have with this set so far.

Any ideas from you creative folks out there?

CaWilly


You could take down the dimentions of the existing bezel cover and have a new one made. Contact a shop that deals in acrylics. You should be able to pick from a variety of colors. You can apply it with two sided tape. If you look around you can find some really thin clear two sided tape that you could use to affix the new bezel over the top of the old one.

Anyone using DTV with this set?

How is the SD picture, have not upgraded to HD yet.

Going to C today.

Thanks for any info.

Anyone using DTV with this set?

How is the SD picture, have not upgraded to HD yet.

Going to C today.

Thanks for any info.
yes, Please, opinions on SD- I know it depends a lot on signal, if those responding could tell us what they are using for signal-
I have dish and most stations have great picture but those of you who are less than thrilled who is your provider?

Apols if this has been discussed in other forums/places.

Is it "ok" to transport the LCD panel laying on it's back or in any other orientation other than with the "bottom down"?

Thx in advance!

--
greg

Suh-weet! The one thing I needed to know! Will it fit in my Cruiser?! :D

One question - did you have to take both back seats out?

-- Ghique

Don't bother taking the seats out, just fold them down. You will have to lay the unit flat, just be careful and you'll be fine. I even loaded it myself by just tipping it up from the flatbed cart to the liftgate. You will love this TV fellow cruiser...

Apols if this has been discussed in other forums/places.

Is it "ok" to transport the LCD panel laying on it's back or in any other orientation other than with the "bottom down"?

Thx in advance!

--
greg

It would not fit "box down" in my pickup truck because of my camper shell. I layed it over at a 45 degree angle and rested the box on some other items. I had no problems.

yes, Please, opinions on SD- I know it depends a lot on signal, if those responding could tell us what they are using for signal
I think this set does a great job handling SD but if the signal you feed it is bad, do not expect miracles. I have Directv and some channels look very good, some are just fine and other are pretty bad.
I must say that I was expecting the SD picture quality to be worse; it is bothering me no more that it was bothering me on my old 27" CRT.
What I mainly notice is lack of details and having a bigger picture is actully helping a little. For example reading the credits of a show is easier.
In the few days I had this set I have not seen much motion artifacts even watching sport.

Is it "ok" to transport the LCD panel laying on it's back or in any other orientation other than with the "bottom down"?
gregPersonally, I would not lay it in orientation other than the bottom down. This is based on store recommendation, plus all the soft foam padding/packaging for the TV is at top and bottom.

I would worry that the LCD screen might get damaged/cracked based on slight bending stress(es) (especially if the floor is not flat) and/or the weight of the stand hitting the screen sideways. For plasmas, laying it on its side was a no-no, based on what the store told me.

There is also a note on the box that says IMPORTANT: KEEP UPRIGHT (although that was part of unpacking instructions). Even when its upright, I would probably take like a few pillows or soft packing to secure the box (I had them push it in between the two cushioned minivan seats and secure the bottom back with a pillow), to ensure that the unit does not bounce, flop around during transportation.

FYI, the box dimensions are roughly ~38" high, ~51" wide/long, 14" deep. Gross weight (probably meaning w/packaging, box) per spec is approx 101 lbs.

You could take down the dimentions of the existing bezel cover and have a new one made. Contact a shop that deals in acrylics. You should be able to pick from a variety of colors. You can apply it with two sided tape. If you look around you can find some really thin clear two sided tape that you could use to affix the new bezel over the top of the old one.
RasT;

Creative idea to cover the bezel, thanks for the suggestion.

To others considering transporting the set horizontally; more than one of Costco's customer service reps tell me that the majority of returns they see on problematic TVs coming back are the result of customers transporting the TV horizontally and not keeping the set upgright. Apparently the plasmas are more sensitive to this, but it seems risky nonetheless.

The Vizio 46" fits fine oriented vertically in my "Exploder" (Explorer) once removed from the packaging, so it is not all that huge once the packaging is removed.

I've had this TV for a few days now, and I've noticed a few problems and annoyances, including a few that have not been described in this thread yet. I also have a Westinghouse LTV-32W3, which I really like and which I've been comparing it against. At this point, I'm leaning towards returning it, but I'm going to give it a few more days first.

Popping Noises: I have the popping noises, both when powering on and off. Not too annoying, especially since it is replacing a CRT which had its own crackling noises when powering on and off.


Speaker Hum: I've also noticed the speaker hum when attempting to lower the backlight.


Volume: I cannot get the volume to go low enough when watching a digital channel late at night (when I don't want to wake the kids). The analog tuner volume does go pretty low. To be fair, my Westy has this same problem.


Channel Surfing: I tried "channel surfing" with the QAM tuner last night, and twice it suddenly jumped to the first digital channel. I thought I had bumped some other button when it first happened, but then it happened again a few minutes later.


Missing Channels: There are a few digital cable channels which my Westy picks up, but the sound is missing. One of them is Fox Sports. I'm happy to listen to the radio broadcast while watching a game though. But the Vizio doesn't even recognize these channels. And there doesn't appear to be a way to force it to add a channel that it can't scan. This is my main problem with it.


Aspect Adjustment: My Westy appears to save the aspect ratio for each channel (or at least it defaults correctly). I need to keep switching it for each channel on this TV. Quite annoying.

I'm thinking about getting the Sony KDL-46V25L1 and comparing the two sets side-by-side before returning the Vizio. I know it's a lot more money, but I don't think I can live with all of these deficiencies.

I am just curious on something....

Why are so many of you using the tuner. In this day and age would it not make sense to have a set top box or HDTV cable etc... HDTV is made to work at its best with digital devices right? I have seen lots of people describing the tuner. Maybe it is just me. This tv works great with my Cable box and HDTV. SD look just ok but I can live with it.
The popping noises (everyone has) my last sony xbr tube did it way worse as it heated up and cooled down. It is not an issue with me..

I really think some, not all of you are looking for excuses to return this thing. Maybe cause you really did not want to buy a new namebrand.
I think this TV is great. A few flaws, but, for the money it is AMAZING. My friends came over during the weekend and could not believe what they saw before I even turned it on.
I think the only reall VIZO Flaws here are the minor backlight leakeage, and the hum when you lower the back light.
Good enough for now though...

Why are so many of you using the tuner.
Because it gives you free OTA HDTV and because it gives you all unencrypted channels that cable offers. The only thing you are missing are the paid channels on cable that, depending on your system, are not that many.

Thanks for the info I will give it a shot and see what happens..

Skipping cable box... the SD channels look much better because the TV tuner is always better than a cheap ANALOG tuner in a cable box. Try plugging your cable house feed RF cable into the VIZIO and voila!. [lcd-bob]

P.S. The VIZIO is a "Digital Device" and perfectly extracts the digital channels from the basic RF cable feed.
P.S.2 You're paying hundreds of dollars per year for the HD cable service and set top box.

Not quite.

I am glad it is working for you..but it sounds like most people are having better luck with their cable boxes than with this TV's tuner. I have seen complaints of slow channel changes, incorrect screen ratios, etc.
I would also imagine that the cable box has as good a tuner as this low end hybrid tuner based TV.

What channels are you getting "for free" over cable? Just the OTA channels? If I was happy with OTA, I would not even have cable.

For a couple bucks a month, I get Discovery HD(the best PQ), INHD(carries NHL hockey in HD), FSN Bay Area(A's, Giant's, Shark's, Warrior's in HD), ESPNHD(Sports), ESPN2HD(more sports), TNTHD(NBA in HD), MHD(Concerts in HD) and NFL TVHD.

I am just curious on something....

Why are so many of you using the tuner. In this day and age would it not make sense to have a set top box or HDTV cable etc... HDTV is made to work at its best with digital devices right? I have seen lots of people describing the tuner. Maybe it is just me. This tv works great with my Cable box and HDTV. SD look just ok but I can live with it.
The popping noises (everyone has) my last sony xbr tube did it way worse as it heated up and cooled down. It is not an issue with me..

I really think some, not all of you are looking for excuses to return this thing. Maybe cause you really did not want to buy a new namebrand.
I think this TV is great. A few flaws, but, for the money it is AMAZING. My friends came over during the weekend and could not believe what they saw before I even turned it on.
I think the only reall VIZO Flaws here are the minor backlight leakeage, and the hum when you lower the back light.
Good enough for now though...
FYI, OTA is better than cable. My TWC SA 8300HD DVR crops the HD picture quite a bit (this is on the 42" but I'm sure this 46" will do the same). Component or HDMI makes no difference to the cropping.

Plus, more importantly, I can record two shows on the DVR and, at the same time, watch something else OTA. e.g., baseball and two other shows that my family likes to record.

Well, I just tried to ditch the cable box. run a quick scan on the DTV input and it only came up with the local stations.
With my wasted money on my HDTV cable box. I am at least getting 10 HD stations that look and sound amazing. not to mention my DVR, and my premium channels..
Yes it cost me $90.00 per month right now including my Cable modem. But, if I am spending $1800 on a tv then I want to use it to its fullest and enjoy it..
It works for me. thanks guys.

So does unhooking the factory speakers and hooking up a surround sound system keep the TV from humming when the backlight is changed to Low or Medium? This would be a good excuse for me to get a new surround sound system

I used these setting and the picture is awesome! Thanks
KC

I to like the remote and was suprised it at the quality and programmability. Usually you get el-cheapo remote and never use it after setup.

As for the pops..every one hears them. Better described as 4-5 "clicks" at startup which is indeed the back light tubes igniting. i have a Sharp and Panasonic LCD in other rooms in the house and they "Click" at startup as well. The larger the screen the more vertical back light tubes there are thus more clicks.

I have run AVIA via my Sony 1080i up converting DVD player and dialed in the custom settings. Here are the results.

First off:

* flesh tone option off
* Dynamic contrast = 0
* Backlight = high

Colors

*RED = 34 (reduce red push as seen through red Avia lens)
*Green = 50 (stock setting)
*Blue = 50 (stock setting)

********************
Avia settings:

* Brightness 47
* Contrast 62
* Saturation 72
* Hue 2
* Sharpness 12

Give them a try.

Looks great!

I shoulda asked about holding one when I called. I'm in the same boat as you, need to borrow my son's minivan as it might fit in my car but it would be close. I'll be going tomorrow night and will post what happens.
FWIW, the carton easily fits vertically in the current generation Sienna. That is 2004 to current 2007. Fold everything down to get the unit in there, then raise the 60 side of 60/40 to keep the carton from tipping over.

The Costco dude was surprised, up until mine he had to break down every carton.