Official Vizio E470VL, E420VL, E550VL 120Hz 2010 Models - Page 7

Just got a new E420VL from Costco. I finally decided I didn't need all the features of the XVT LED version.

I'm adjusting settings (during the U.W. Husky vs.Syracuse game) and will be fine-tuning later. Right now I'm using the settings I noted from the XVT370 I returned a few months ago.

Can someone tell me why the CC (closed caption) mode is grayed out? I can't find anything in the user manual.

I asked: <<Can someone tell me why the CC (closed caption) mode is grayed out? I can't find anything in the user manual.>>

Allow me to try again with a simple question. When you go to the main menu, can you access the CC (closed caption) setting, or is it grayed out? Mine is grayed out.

The instruction manual shows several adjustments for the Closed Caption feature, but no info on how to activate it.

The same thing is true of the Backlight control---grayed out---UNLESS you know to defeat the Ambient Light Sensor. The instruction manual is clueless!

The manual also states that virtually all the picture controls (color, contrast, etc.) only work in Custom mode! This is untrue! One can only speculate that something got lost in translation.

OK let me see if I can help you a bit.
To be able to adjust the back light you have to turn off the Ambient Light Sensor then your able to adjust it mine is set to 50.
To turn it off go to the menu then picture go down to more click on advanced picture and it's on the very bottom.
Closed Caption should not be grayed out unless it's not available for that program.
If you go to the CC menu you have three choices.
analog Closed Caption,digital Closed Caption, and digital CC style.
you should be able to turn on either the analog Closed Caption,digital Closed Caption depending on what type of cable you have analog digital.
I have know idea what the difference is between cc1,cc2,cc3, and cc4.
Your going to have to just play with that and see what works.
I hope I have been some Help.

My problem is this I have analog cable and of course the picture is not that great.
When I watch any show that has a dark scene on it the blacks are very bad and they get worse if you turn on the dynamic contrast so I leave that off and the backs are not too black.
Now here is where it gets strange for me If I put a DVD in Blacks are great the picture is great I put my cable back on picture is not that good and the blacks are back.
Is this because of the "analog cable"?
I'm going to guess that it is because when I play a DVD it's sending the tv a Digital signal.
So I think if I get "Digital cable" not "HD Digital cable" I should have a great picture and the backs should be as good as I see them on my DVDs right?

Crazypurgatory says: <<To be able to adjust the back light you have to turn off the Ambient Light Sensor then your able to adjust it mine is set to 50. To turn it off go to the menu then picture go down to more click on advanced picture and it's on the very bottom.>>

Thanks, I knew this, but I guess I wasn't clear. I was making a point about the lack of info in the instruction manual under Backlight. Maybe this tricky point is elsewhere in the manual.

I'll check some programming again, but PBS Mystery always has closed captioning, and my CC is grayed out.

Incidentally, now that you mention your backlight setting, I also started at 50 but have found it's better to follow CNET's advice in reducing the backlight as far as seems feasible. They recommended 13 for the Vizio 553 (yes, that's an LED, but maybe you'd expect them to suggest a higher setting for that technology). Generally, they advise a low backlight setting and then adjusting brightness and contrast. At the moment, I have my Backlight at 17 in Movie mode (for dark room viewing), and Contrast and Brightness at 50 each. Color at 38. (Most people set the color way too high for realism.)

Also, most people don't know that Brightness adjusts the dark parts of the picture (essentially a black level control), while Contrast adjusts the bright parts. Backlight adjusts the whole shebang.

Let me try your other questions separately.

Yea I know that I did some reading about that.
I adjusted my Contrast and Brightness using a test partner with my computer hooked up to it.
Like I said when I play a DVD the blacks are great.
It's only when I'm watching analog cable.
I had the cable Co come by because of a problem I was having and they hooked up a "digital box" not an "HD digital box" and I could see the picture was much better so I think I need to give this tv digital cable to get the best picture out of it for standard definition channels.
I just hope to get this figured out before the firs week on Oct because my 90 day return is up then.

You really must get an HD signal to your TV. Standard-def won't look at all good on a TV made for HD viewing. I can't untangle your problem with blacks, for I don't have the expertise, but it would seem to have to do with the lower quality signal. Changing cables won't help unless you have an HD signal.

I called Vizio about my closed captioning problem. Turns out that the CC in the main menu is grayed out because the Comcast DVR box has to be Enabled for closed captioning.

So I called Comcast---and by a somewhat inconvenient method, enabled captioning in the DVR menu. Now the closed captioining works, but the CC in the Vizio main menu is still grayed out.

In other words, Vizio and Comcast aren't compatitible when it comes to CC and HDMI. You have to use the cable box menu by pushing a bunch of buttons in a complicated sequence on the Comcast remote.

And it ain't worth it if you don't need CC for other than trying to catch all the British dialogue on PBS Mystery.

I think I blame Comcast for this. Seems like they ought to have things set up to be compatible with the TV's menu control.

Yea I will be getting a cable box soon so the box controls everything not the tv.
yea I think I have to get digital cable to get my black levels looking right.
Because remember DVDs are not "HD" and the back levels on them are fine.
The DVD player is sending a digital signal to the tv.
That seams to be the key to getting a good picture and good black levels.

I think the Comcast box simply sends out the CC info as part of the PICTURE, not actual CC data through HDMI into the VIZIO. So either way the cc is grayed-out.

HDMI has been problmeatic with CC, and it bothers people whose mother tongue isn't English.

I replied, in part, to Stiggs: <<I'd be interested to know why such a difference exists between Standard and Custom defaults and what color temperatures are involved. In order to get rid of brownish whites in Standard Mode, I had to go to "cool." Since I haven't yet purchased the TV, I can't re-check this.>>

Now that I have the TV at home, I've re-checked and found that I prefer so-called Custom color temperature in all the picture modes I'm currently using (Standard, Custom, and Movie).

The "Custom" color temperature is part of the Picture Mode sub-menu, along with Normal, Warm, Cool, etc. Custom is cooler than Normal, but warmer than Cool. I don't know the color temperature in degrees.

I hope Stiggs will come back to discuss this. I've since read (I think it was on CNET) that many people don't like an ISF calibrated picture. I'm probably one of them. I've seen ISF calibrated TVs in stores and found them too warm.

That so many people agree is cause for further thought. I'm more concerned with realism than "pop," so there must be other factors involved in color perception. (As I mentioned, I had my Color at 38, but I dialed it one notch lower tonight to 37. I'm still fine tuning.)

My Backlight settings vary wildly depending on the mode. For daytime viewing in Standard, I have it set at 62, nighttime at 40 in Custom mode, and down at 17 for Movie mode in a completely dark room (but for a little ambient light behind the TV).

On the matter of color temperature again, I wonder if the brain simply doesn't register color the same that measurements indicate it should. I'm sure real colors measure as warm as Stiggs says, but perhaps we aren't experiencing them in that way, subjectively speaking. It might be interesting to start a thead on this subject and see who comes along with thoughts or observations. Maybe a thread probably already exists.

FYI: See "Clouding Question" thread for an experience I had with my E420VL. I noticed a slight amount of clouding that disappeared two days later. Very odd. Thought I'd post it widely to get responses.

Oops. No responses. And this board seems to have died. Odd, because I'll bet more people own "E" series Vizios than TruLED. (Also, see the current thread regarding LED vs. CCFL.)

Has anyone heard anything about the firmware update a previous poster mentioned that was to add a "game mode" to help alleviate the input lag problem? I have sent a couple emails to Vizio customer support and they either don't know or won't tell me. They keep wanting me to call technical support to "diagnose the problem". This TV sucks for gaming... That's the problem!

It did take me some time to get used to an ISF calibrated TV, after knowing that's what the directors intended.
I guess most of us are used to the monitor-style "paper" white (9300K), or even higher thanks to the torch modes.

My understanding is that this TV has an ambient light sensor - have you tried turning that on instead of manual adjusting backlight?

Now I've gone through the entire thread & I'm still wondering to which sets in particular have had input lag issues while gaming. I'm contemplating on grabbing the e470vl from Costco, but being a pretty hardcore MW2 multiplayer freak, all this talk about input lag is kinda making me lean towarrds the sony kdl-46ex701. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

I'll try the Ambient Light Sensor at some point again. But I believe it sets the Backlight way too high, if the defaults when I got the TV is any indication. CNET suggests setting the backlight as low as possible in Movie Mode. I have mine at 17, and I'm getting good blacks and decent shadow detail when viewing in a dark room.

I don't know what to make of the ISF calibrated picture. I know I don't like it. Insofar as what the director intended, I don't notice such a "warm" balance---or brownish whites---in a movie theater. We may have to start a thread on this topic.

From what I recall it's 66ms across the board. you may have better results through VGA if you're on Xbox.

You may want to get 1 home and try out if your K/D suffers you can bring it back

I'm a gamer and I don't experience a lag issue.

I'm all over Halo: Reach right now and the only problem I've had is I'm worse at it than Halo 3.

As long as you go through and VGA cable you will be fine. I have an E550VL and like you I am I huge MW2 player and was absolutely getting pwned when connected over HDMI. I ordered the 8 dollar VGA cable from Eforcity via amazon.com and now all is good. Picture is good too. Was just watching Arrested Development on Netflix streaming yesterday and it looks fine. Hope that helps.

Can someone tell me if the clear plastic label (with all the source symbols on it---HDMI, DTV, etc.) on the lower left of the bezel, peels off easily? I'd hate to start peeling it and have to clean up a mess.

Funny you should ask davenport, I just turned my TV off about 20 minutes ago and was kinda bugged by those logos when I set my remote down by them.

They are printed on a piece of film just like the protective film that was on the edges of the TV when it came out of the box. Just wash your hands/under your fingernails well before peeling it off. I didn't bother to and left a bunch of smudges (of course even those wiped off easily).


Also, as far as using this TV for gaming goes, I've been playing PS3 on my new E470VL for a little over a week (most of that on component calbes until my HDMIs came the other day). There is definitely some input lag, though to me it's not crippling. When I watch for it, I can sense it a bit, but when I just play without thinking about it, it's not as big a problem for me as it seems to be for some other posters here.

Overall I'm extremely satified with my purchase. This is my first HDTV and I think it's a great value for the price (under $700 at Costco). I took the advice in this thread as far as turning off the auto dimming features, setting color to custom, etc. and everything seems great. The only complaint I have is the ergonomics of the remote. I can't yet find a code that works for my LG home theater set that controls the TV.

Btw, thanks to the many posts I've seen all across this forum recommending monoprice.com for my HDMI cables, what a great deal!

Glad for the label-peeling coincidence. I'm going right now to peel that thing off. It was bugging more than the lighted Vizio logo. Go figure. That logo doesn't bother me at all!

I'll soon be posting my settings for daytime viewing (Standard mode), evening viewing (Custom mode), and Movie mode. Made by eye using a variety of sources, so everyone can argue with me. :-)

Mission complete. Very easy to peel off. (No smudges.)

Aside from ordering HDMI cables off the Net, people can keep their eye out for sales at Radio Shack. That's where I got mine---at a far lower price than Best Buy's straight retail---and they appear to be excellent.

I've been looking into getting a 42 or 47 inch and missed the day where the 47 was $689.They now are at $749. Just came from local BJs and the 47 is still $749 but the 42 is at $599 - $30 instant rebate for a total of $569. Plan on gong later and picking one up. Any comments on how much of a difference the 5 inches will make? It will be going into a bedroom for a while and then hopefully a living room. I'm upgrading from a 32 inch so I figure 42 should be fine , especially at that price. Both sizes look great.

5 inches more is a BIG difference in the bedroom :-)

Sorry, could not help it

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-19410_10...hreadID=410430

Related products:
Vizio E420VL
Vizio E550VL

Below you'll find the settings we found best for viewing the Vizio E470VL in a dark room via the HDMI input with a 1080p, film-based source. Your settings may vary depending on source, room conditions, and personal preference. Check out the Picture settings and calibration FAQ for more information.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9996461-1.html

---Picture settings menu---
Picture Mode: Movie
Backlight: 44
Brightness: 51
Contrast: 78
Color: 54
Tint: 0
Sharpness: 0

---Size & Position submenu---
Horiz. Position: 32
Vertical position: 16
Horizontal Size: 0 [grayed out]
Vertical Size: 0 [grayed out]

---Color Temperature submenu---
Color Temperature: Normal
Red Gain: 143
Green Gain: 147
Blue Gain: 128
Red Offset: 132
Green Offset: 132
Blue Offset: 128

--Advanced Picture submenu---
Smooth Motion Effect: Off
Real Cinema Mode: Off [grayed out]
Noise Reduction: Off
MPEG NR:
Color Enhancement: Off
Adaptive Luma: Off
Film Mode: Auto
Backlight Control: Off
Ambient Light Sensor: Off

I wonder why MPEG NR is blank.

These settings are quite far from what I'm using with my E420VL in a dark room (while watching in Movie mode). I can't see how they can possibly get decent blacks with Backlight at 44, and the 78 Contrast is just 2 points off of the sports modes---modes presumably for daytime viewing! The Color, too, is much higher than believable---but I have Color Enhancement turned on minimally. Maybe I'll turn it off and see where I go from there.

I notice that they turned off the Ambient Light Sensor, which I have done also. I experimented with this last night and decided it was too inconvenient IF one needed to adjust the overall illumination for differing sources or personal preference depending on room lighting. A simple Backlight adjustment usually does the trick, but with Ambient Light Sensor on, you can't do it that way.

I'm using Standard for normal daylight viewing, Custom for nighttime viewing (set a bit darker than Standard), and of course Movie for DVDs and Blu-ray.

I have to take back what I said earlier about Blu-ray. I think it's necessary for screens above 42"---and even on a 42, one can tell the difference (even with a good upscaler). But I think that with a 42" or smaller, Blu-ray offers rapidly diminishing returns---certainly given the high prices of the discs. (My plan is to join Netflix and wait until the prices for Blu-ray come down before collecting many more movies.)

Anyway, I find CNET's settings rather odd, considering how they constantly remind people that Color and Backlight are usually set too high. Their Contrast setting (for a dark room!) seems crazy. Mine is one point higher for every mode than the factory default of 50 .

Incidentally, there is no Warm color temp setting as I listed in an earlier post. I guess we owners know by now it's Custom, Cool, Computer, and Normal. I prefer Custom in all modes, but CNET takes the more scientifically accurate---and warmer---route. Custom is between Normal and Cool, and gives true white. I'm still open-minded on this issue, but I'd like to see some overall settings besides CNET.

And here's another thing about the CNET settings: They have Smooth Motion turned completely OFF. What about judder???

With the earlier Vizio XVTs like my 37", CNET recommended Smooth Motion on LOW and Real Cinema on PRECISION.

This works. It reduces judder AND avoids the soap opera effect.

What's with these guys? Who wants to watch Planet Earth, for example, with judder during camera pans or fly-over shots? Why not buy a 60hz TV?

I just got my E470vl after my old tube Panasonic bit the dust. Everything is great about it EXCEPT the PIP or POP which my old Panasonic had as three dedicated buttons on the remote. The Vizio seems to have to go to navigate thru menu, pip, audio, switch. Has anyone found a faster less button intense way to do this???