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537K views 4K replies 595 participants last post by  paulsaz 
#1 ·
Did a quick search and didn't see an owners thread for this model let alone the e-series model.


Two major reviews out there:


hometheaterreview.com:

http://hometheaterreview.com/vizio-e601i-a3-60-inch-led-hdtv-reviewed/


cnet.com (includes video review):

http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/vizio-e601i-a3/4505-6482_7-35477662.html


----


I'm going to give this set a shot for the following reasons:


1) Decent reviews

2) Price

3) Not really wanting a 3D set yet

4) Not really wanting a smart tv - it has it but it seems vizio didn't put too much development into it to keep costs down - won't use the feature.

5) Want to get off an old plasma.

6) Wife will let me spend 999$ on this over the 3500 I wanted to spend on the UN65ES8000


I also have an i1pro meter and both HCFR and Calman so it will be fun tuning it. I plan on getting a higher-end oppo blu-ray player because its simply the best for the money at around 500$.


Feel free to agree/disagree with my opinions / talking points - would love a lively dialogue.


If you have a set, and if you've had it calibrated - please post some pictures! Lets see some uniformity tests/screenshots.


Hopefully, baring the birth of my second kid this weekend I'm going to pick one up (wife is due on the 16h so we're pretty close).


Best regards,

M
 
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#3,202 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by gsr852  /t/1433329/vizio-e601-a3-owners-thread/3180#post_24053353


I called Vizio again today and I have until October (9 months from the date of purchase) to buy a 3 or 4 year warranty from them.


It was explained to me that once you get to month 10, the only option is for a one year warranty extension.

I wonder what Vizio will tell me about my TV for a extended warranty..I get a two year factory warranty from them because my TV which works great to this day is part of the volunteer recall of 2012.


I'm just curious about this..I don't need an extended warranty..Got the two year factory warranty and asked AMEX customer service about this (my credit card company)..they told me when ever the factory warranty expires either 1 year or 5.. they will extend it after factory warranty expires for one full year at no cost.

So I got three years of warranty at no cost. In 4th year sell the old TV and get a new one.
 
#3,203 ·
I love these AVS forums, I read a lot about everything besides this Vizio TV and my eyes hurt so much reading them all..thousands of comments with good info.


What I like to know here..as I read a few new ones here..seems the newer E601i-A3 TV's have an updated firmware version at 2.0.25...I still have 2.0.21.


But I read somewhere on AVS not this forum and forgot where its at..the poster said he has a E601i-A3 Vizio TV and his firmware version was 2.0.33...anyone have any updates on this?


And as I also posted earlier..it seems the serial numbers for the E601i-A3 are going like every four months with a change in letters for dates made in 2013. WAP, then WBP, then WCP.
 
#3,204 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by gsr852  /t/1433329/vizio-e601-a3-owners-thread/3180#post_24053353


I called Vizio again today and I have until October (9 months from the date of purchase) to buy a 3 or 4 year warranty from them.


It was explained to me that once you get to month 10, the only option is for a one year warranty extension.

What was their cost for a warranty?
 
#3,205 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by crucial  /t/1433329/vizio-e601-a3-owners-thread/3180#post_24053763


What was their cost for a warranty?

crucial..not sure what gsr852 was told for price..but that Vizio web site for Square trade warranty is $89 (been on it a few hours ago)..funny thing is..no matter what price you put in..its $89 ( I put in $2400 for the TV cost and said $89 still) either that web site not working correct... or any TV is $89 for 3 year warranty...from that lowest price for this TV $688.

http://www.squaretrade.com/vizio-landing1
 
#3,206 ·
I did read your earlier post Internet2 and I thank you. I originally purchased the E601i-A3E on Black Friday for $688. When I realized it did not have the qwerty keyboard, I contacted the Walmart where I purchased the set and after speaking with management, they let me swap that set out for the E601i-A3. When I swapped tv's, the new receipt I was given shows a price of $998.00 (makes sense as the E601i-A3 was not what they were selling on Black Friday for $688). So, I am covered should they ever need to reimburse me the cost of a replacement.

Crucial, the cost of the 3 year warranty is $89. I don't recall the cost of the 4 year, but I can find it & post it should you be interested.
 
#3,207 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by gsr852  /t/1433329/vizio-e601-a3-owners-thread/3180#post_24054256


I did read your earlier post Internet2 and I thank you. I originally purchased the E601i-A3E on Black Friday for $688. When I realized it did not have the qwerty keyboard, I contacted the Walmart where I purchased the set and after speaking with management, they let me swap that set out for the E601i-A3. When I swapped tv's, the new receipt I was given shows a price of $998.00 (makes sense as the E601i-A3 was not what they were selling on Black Friday for $688). So, I am covered should they ever need to reimburse me the cost of a replacement.

Crucial, the cost of the 3 year warranty is $89. I don't recall the cost of the 4 year, but I can find it & post it should you be interested.

Well good to hear all came out OK for you..do enjoy the TV..I had my E601i-A3 over a year now with no problems..as all know not all TV's are perfect..I'm lucky no problems yet.


I fall a sleep with my TV on since I had it..its about running 12 hours a day ON (unless I'm not home)...after a year now must of been over 3000 hours of use I guess.
 
#3,208 ·
I been on this thread almost a year now. I have nothing against people who say this TV has problems whatever ( some do). All TV's can have problems even a $2000-$10,000 one's.

But this TV is the first LCD at 60 inches to be sold under $1000 in 2012 and maybe 2013. Yes some might have problems......just call up and get help..but at this price in 2012/2013 can't beat it..next few years (2014 or 2015) of course it be 50% less...better TV's be out!...that's life
 
#3,209 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by gsr852  /t/1433329/vizio-e601-a3-owners-thread/3180#post_24054256


I did read your earlier post Internet2 and I thank you. I originally purchased the E601i-A3E on Black Friday for $688. When I realized it did not have the qwerty keyboard, I contacted the Walmart where I purchased the set and after speaking with management, they let me swap that set out for the E601i-A3. When I swapped tv's, the new receipt I was given shows a price of $998.00 (makes sense as the E601i-A3 was not what they were selling on Black Friday for $688). So, I am covered should they ever need to reimburse me the cost of a replacement.

Crucial, the cost of the 3 year warranty is $89. I don't recall the cost of the 4 year, but I can find it & post it should you be interested.

Other than the remote did you find any difference int he set? What did you say to convince them to swap?
 
#3,210 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by crucial  /t/1433329/vizio-e601-a3-owners-thread/3180#post_24055865


Other than the remote did you find any difference int he set? What did you say to convince them to swap?

Truth be told, while I saw no difference & was told by Vizio there is no difference other than the qwerty remote, I spent only about 15 minutes using the set after setup... I had my sights set on the E601i-A3.


It did not take too much to convince them to swap sets. I simply stated that the set that was sold last Black Friday, the set I saw in the store for the last year leading up to Black Friday and the set displayed on Walmart.com was and is the E601i-A3. I also stated the ad was a bit misleading. When something goes on sale, one would think it is an in-stock item. Who would expect that Walmart made a deal with Vizio to produce the A3E only for the holiday sale? I then made the manager aware that I bought 2 sets on Black Friday but that I was only interested in swapping 1 of the sets. At that point I was given the green light to swap sets. The only condition was that I had to wait a week, since they did not have the A3 in-stock and I could only trade sets at the Walmart where I made the original purchase.
 
#3,211 ·

So just a follow-up to my situation with the banding, for future people who may come across this thread and my post.

 

I first chatted with Vizio and they opened up a case for me.  I sent them pictures of the TV and later my order confirmation from Dell.  They are going to be shipping be a brand new one from Cali, could take 8-13 business days.

 

Overall experience with their customer support has been great.  I did no have to wait long either for their chat or phone support, everyone was knowledgeable.  And the instant the one rep opened up my pictures she let me know that I will be receiving a new replacement.  They didn't give me any hassle, so the process has been pretty smooth.

 

I would recommend Vizio just on their support experience alone, never mind the fact that they sell good TV's at a great price.  I had horrible problems with Samsung TV support before.  This is my first experience with Vizio and yes I'm bummed about the initial TV quality, but I'm hopeful they're good customer service and replacement will fix everything.
 
#3,213 ·
Again, the Costco website is showing the set Out of Stock, but your local Costco may have it in stock, selling for $889.99 until 14 Dec and the 3 year Square Trade warranty beginning in year 3 at $59.99. PS - I do not work at Costco or own any Costco stock (although I wish I had bought some shares several years ago).
 
#3,214 ·
I had purchased my E601-A3 at last year's Walmart Black Friday event and the set worked great until a couple of months ago. I started have issues with the TV picture sporadically cutting out for a second then coming back on. I had contacted Vizio support immediately and was told to send photos of my set (??) along with a sales receipt and that they would get in contact with me. After not hearing from them for a week I contacted them again and they said they never received the emailed photos, so I went through the process again. I eventually had a follow up conversation with one of their technicians who informed me that my set's serial number fell within range of the early problematic units and offered either a repair or new set. I went for the new set.


The new set took about a week for delivery through Mana and they subcontracted to a local delivery service which arrived as promised, installed the set and took away the old one. Later in the evening I noticed that the set looked "odd" especially the reflections on the screen when the set was off. Sure enough, I looked at the screen from the edge and the set was taco'ed! The screen was bent vertically with a a bend offset of at least 1/2". I contacted Vizio again and they had me send more photos showing the bend. When Vizio called back they told me that the set was likely damaged in transit and that they had to file a claim with Mana. They then told me to hang tight and they'd get in contact with me. After a week with no answer I called back and they said that they were still processing the replacement set and that they would send a request to the warehouse to ship out another set. That request took another few days and then finally they scheduled another delivery, which eventually worked out okay. All in all the whole process took me about 5 weeks, but I finally received a replacement in good working order.


I think Vizio's customer service is pretty decent and everyone I talked to were very pleasant and apologetic about the ordeal, but I still felt I had to keep on their case to move thing along. Do I like the set? You bet. I've owned another Vizio set for several years with no problems and it still has a great picture. Hopefully, this one will do the trick. Their customer service has some of the nicest reps I think I've ever dealt with, but in my case, I felt like I had to be proactive to get answers or responses. All in all, I would still buy another Vizio and would recommend their products to other people
 
#3,216 ·
Hello everyone!!


Member from Canada here!


I have recently bought this TV online (BestBuy black friday sale) and will be driving down to visit family and pick it up.

Just wondering what the main things to look out for when QCing this TV.

I really don't want to drive back with a bad TV and be outside my return period.

Warranty might be a bit more difficult in the first year through Vizio, but should be easier through squaretrade after.


So far:

Display a solid screen with the following colours: Black, White, Red, Green, Blue.

Look for any dead/stuck pixels, look for clouding/bleeding on the black screen.

Test wireless, test netflix.


I've already checked out other member's settings, and I'm looking forward to tinkering around with it and hopefully coming up with some good ones.

Then the next step will be to find a decent hassle-free soundbar, and getting everything to work well with my computer and xbox!


Thanks!
 
#3,217 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by gsr852  /t/1433329/vizio-e601-a3-owners-thread/3210#post_24057105


Just curious... Since the original calibration settings that were posted not long after this thread was started (from CNET & Best Buy tech), are there any new sources that have released info with the "best" settings for the A3?

Someone posted a spreadsheet with settings from different users.

search the thread to find it.
 
#3,218 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by gsr852  /t/1433329/vizio-e601-a3-owners-thread/3210#post_24057105


Just curious... Since the original calibration settings that were posted not long after this thread was started (from CNET & Best Buy tech), are there any new sources that have released info with the "best" settings for the A3?

Try this link from Sound and Vision magazine. Not any newer but never hurts to compare settings.

http://www.soundandvision.com/content/vizio-e60li-a3-lcd-hdtv-settings
 
#3,219 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by gsr852  /t/1433329/vizio-e601-a3-owners-thread/3210#post_24057105


Just curious... Since the original calibration settings that were posted not long after this thread was started (from CNET & Best Buy tech), are there any new sources that have released info with the "best" settings for the A3?
Best settings are those you get using a setup disc on your own set.  Any other means is just guessing and if that is the case why not set them to what you like vs what someone else likes?
 
#3,222 ·
I was too late to get the tv at Walmart's Black Friday by about 3 people, but with their guarantee I went ahead and bought it and had it shipped to the store and just picked it up yesterday. Huge improvement over my old Philips 42".


I have one issue, though. Is this flashlighting or something else? I'm assuming that I need to take it back and exchange it.



There are these slightly brighter blob shapes around the center of the screen. Easier to see on lighter images.
 
#3,223 ·
Flashlighting is seen on dark screens and comes in from the corners. This looks like an issue with the panel itself to me. If it were my set I would try to gently rub the screen with a microfiber cloth to see if it changes those blobs at all. Unless they went away completely I would probably return it. Can you notice it on anything other than a pure white background?
 
#3,224 ·
Ahhh, gotcha, I think I understand what flashlighting is now.


I've tried rubbing the panel a bit, but it doesn't get rid of the blobs. It's not as noticeable on darker backgrounds or when there's movement on the screen, but it's still there.


I called Walmart and they told me that they can't exchange it for the same model because that model was only for Black Friday so they basically want me to return and then pay more for another tv. I emailed Vizio tech support to see what they say.
 
#3,225 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vorkosigan  /t/1433329/vizio-e601-a3-owners-thread/3210#post_24061070


I was too late to get the tv at Walmart's Black Friday by about 3 people, but with their guarantee I went ahead and bought it and had it shipped to the store and just picked it up yesterday. Huge improvement over my old Philips 42".


I have one issue, though. Is this flashlighting or something else? I'm assuming that I need to take it back and exchange it.



There are these slightly brighter blob shapes around the center of the screen. Easier to see on lighter images.

Just last week another poster here (post # 3139) was talking about this same problem and posted pictures they found here from eight months ago..seems same as those pictures they said.


What I recall from eight months ago I asked the poster what is that on the screen showing..not a TV broadcast..he said its his chrome (computer view-looks like a large folder) seems your picture is also a display by computer..correct??? I don't see many having problems like that with a TV broadcast of APP use..not saying they don't but never saw a post on it here a lot about those halo effects/blobs..


I don't have chrome/browser ..I use windows/explorer ...but I did a test and sent a folder to my TV from computer and expanded it the width of screen..yes I got the halo effect... I made the screen smaller it went away. This was my test eight months ago for another poster who had same problem as you now.
 
#3,226 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Internet2  /t/1433329/vizio-e601-a3-owners-thread/3210#post_24063349


Just last week another poster here (post # 3139) was talking about this same problem and posted pictures they found here from eight months ago..seems same as those pictures they said.


What I recall from eight months ago I asked the poster what is that on the screen showing..not a TV broadcast..he said its his chrome (computer view-looks like a large folder) seems your picture is also a display by computer..correct??? I don't see many having problems like that with a TV broadcast of APP use..not saying they don't but never saw a post on it here a lot about those halo effects/blobs..


I don't have chrome/browser ..I use windows/explorer ...but I did a test and sent a folder to my TV from computer and expanded it the width of screen..yes I got the halo effect... I made the screen smaller it went away. This was my test eight months ago for another poster who had same problem as you now.

I saw that post as well as I attempted to read through this whole thread. After awhile, all of the posts kind of blurred together. It does seem similar, though mine looks more like blobs while his had an almost circular look to it.


You are correct, I have this tv hooked up to a HTPC. It's running Windows 7 and in my picture it was the Firefox browser. I'm not sure what you mean about sending a folder to the tv from the computer? I can, however, try the Netflix app on the tv and see if I notice the same thing there and I can also probably see about hooking up an OTA antenna and/or maybe hooking the cable directly to the tv and see if there are any differences.
 
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