Official Vizio XVT3SV Series NO PRICE or Coupon talk - Page 52

My set arrived today...only doing OTA at the moment but loving it!
pertinent info:

Model: xvt553sv
Country: Mexico
Firmware: C1.2.14_RC1
Source: OTA
Internet use: Yes
Receiver: Not yet
DVD: No
BlueRay: No
Purchased from: Amazon

Just upgraded to RC2 and I think it fixed internet apps freezing which I emailed Vizio a couple weeks ago. If you have RC2 see if your internet apps are freezing. About an hour of heavy using and not a single freeze I think RC2 fixed internet apps from freezing.

This makes no sense at all. Why would Vizio go through all the trouble of sending out Flash Drives to people who don't connect their sets to the network. If someone is emailing them or doing live chat they obviously have the internet.

Putting the FW on their site to download, like they do for some of their other sets, seems much more logical to me. Why are they making this FW upgrade so complicated and user unfriendly ?????

Just posting my impression of the 32" version of the "3" series. It's panel is obviously not even close to being a true "3" series HT size LED outside the remote and the cosmetic look.

The PQ is truly average and inferior to my older LCD's and the spec's of 1 million to one CR is total B.S. my two Sharps from over 4 years ago blow away it's PQ and it's black levels are disappointing and obvious Bull since my old panels beat it out with about 15K:1 CR and my Sony Z5100 easily bests this thing - the Sony Z PQ is what I expected to get and instead I'm seeing a dated Olevia budget look.

Not a big deal as I got it for half off and I can see why now as I simply bought it for viewing while I walk my treadmill but still the PQ is inferiror to my old LCD's in the house and I don't see how Vizio does an MSRP of $929 on this average blah panel with false spec's. So I'm giving it away to my daughter for video gaming use for her kids and replacing it with something far better and bigger and even my 23" Sony LCD in my kitchen that is close to 8 years old has better PQ.

Don't buy the 32" LED thinking it's going to be anything close the the PQ of the 55" favored panel - they are polar opposite and the 32" is blahfully average and more reminiscent of an old Olevia from about 6 years ago IMO --- what disappoints me is my viewing of the cheaper 320VT at Target was very impressive so I assumed this thing would beat out it's much cheaper brethren but hell no - it's simply an average panel that gets beat out by older CCFL panels - truly disappointing and lacking PQ Pop and hands down would choose a Sony, Samsung, LG, or Sharp instead in the 32" - 40" sizes.

Your report for the 323 is really different from Bub B's. Hope he will respond to your post, as he is really happy with his.

Tom

I did not find their wanting to send a flash drive complicated or unfriendly. But I agree, when the time comes for a hardware update, they could post it on their 3's support website for downloading with instructions on how to install it. They might just do it.

But not everybody, who isn't on an Ethernet connected TV, has a flash drive and/or the knowledge to format to Vizio's specs, download it to their computer and then install it on a flash drive. Maybe some do not even have an internet connection.

If Vizio does make a hardware update available via flash drive, I think that says a lot about wanting to make sure their non Ethernet customers have a successful update. It's a lot less complicated and less expensive than sending out a service tech to do a hardware upgrade.

Time will tell...

Tom

Time will tell them to get online, at least for an hour or so.

This is an "internet TV", the only reasons you need firmware upgrades is to update the VIA apps or fix other "software" problems. The first wave of TVs have only reported 1 possible firmware glitch not limited to the apps, the reboots.

It provides a wireless and hard wired connection, its not that hard to at least give it temporary access. A lot easier than fumbling around with the service port I imagine. Wifi is as common as dirt, ethernet cables go far and cellphones with hotspot apps are all the rage.

If it is "too hard" to put it online for a bit, why did they buy an internet TV in the first place? For those 3 people, I'm sure something will get worked out by customer support, worst case they send a tech out under warranty service. Nobody on this forum should really care since theirs is online, or they bought the wrong tv...

The built in apps are basically useless without internet anyways.

Can someone please tell me the manual remote code for a directv receiver? It may have been mentioned, but I can't find it.

Thanks!

Picked my set up from Costco (Arlington, VA) Friday and set it up last night. Picture looks good. They had 2 more sets remaining.

pertinent info:

Model: xvt553sv
Country: Mexico
Firmware: C1.2.14_RC1
Problems - none so far
Source: Cable
Internet use: Yes
Receiver: Onkyo
DVD: No
BlueRay: Sony bdp-s350
Purchased from: Costco

-James

Hi Westa6969,
I read your post on your 32" Vizio 323, I'm sorry to hear that you are not Happy!
I also wonder how your set is Connected, Calibrated, etc, etc..
I DO really like my 32!
I am watching the Saints play Steelers and the picture is really Great!
I also have my 32 setup to my Computer as an HTPC, which plays all of my Blu-Ray discs..
I do know that I like my 32 with the "Ambient Light Sensor" set to "Off" because my 32 is in a very dark room.
You may want to try that..Anything else that I can do to help you, let me know!

Bud B

There are probably many of us who have internet but are not blessed with broadband to which we can connect our Vizios.

At home I am forced to use either mobile broadband (USB stick into laptop, and not 3G yet) or dialup. I cannot use the widgets but if there were a performance upgrade, I'd like to get it, either by download or by it being sent to me.

Tom, I'm really interested in how this all works out for you.

Any professional calibrators work on this TV? What is your experience? Any major gotchas?

Thanks,

FYI - by way of Vizio on FaceBook 11/1/10:

"VIZIO - The firmware is released incrementally to all of our VIA televisions. this process can take a couple weeks. Please continue to check for the update."

Tom

I'm interested in either the "3" or the "4-3D" model. I've never owned a flat screen TV and will be mounting it on a concrete wall with some fairly specific limitations. I don't see a thread related to mounting TV's. Is there one that I'm missing? If not, I was thinking of posting my question here to see if anyone could help me.

Thanks.

FYI - the firmware on my 553 was updated last night.

Has anyone tried and Apple TV with he 3 series? I just bought the 47"er and I have very bad horizontal lines/sync problems. The TV says it is 720p which is correct. I called Apple support and they had no solution.

Anyone else experiencing this?

Model: xvt423sv
Country: Mexico
Firmware: C1.2.14_RC1
Problems - 2 rvr's,remote, and widescreen settings (see below)
Source: HDMI Charter Cable
Internet use: Yes
Receiver: NO
DVD: Yes-Upconverting Player but through av inputs
BlueRay: NO
VideoGame: Yes-Wii- av inputs as well
Purchased from: Sams on Aug 22nd

Had the tv for over two months and has Rvr'd twice, they were about a month apart (happened last time about 3 weeks ago.)

Did have a problem with the remote where the menu button was not working for only HDMI-2, called support and they just told me to reset to factory defaults and setup again- works fine now (apparently it might have been paired with a device during the initial setup although i do not know how.)
I am having trouble with widescreen settings. I keep my widescreen settings on normal (so i only get widescreen for HD channels and 4:3 for SD channels.) If i am on an SD channel and turn the tv off and then back on, it starts by default on widescreen, but goes away if i hit guide on the cable remote (i thought it was the signal through cable, but have realized it is not-ssems to be an issue with the TV.)

Also, I connect my DVD player and Wii thtough AV inputs and have the settings on both those devices set for 16:9 TV. But I only get 4:3 for both of those (i do keep the Vizio TV widescreen setting on normal.) Can you not get 16:9/Widescreen through AV inputs? ( I do not want to stretch a 4:3 to fit the widescreen. The movies i am trying to watch on DVD are all in widescreen format and not full screen.)

Yes, Sam's is discontinuing the 423-i called to try to get a $200 refund since i bought it for that much more. They cant do it, unless it is within 30 days AND they have MORE THAN 2 in stock (my local one only had a display and a return.) but i can buy it online for $200 buccks cheaper, get it shipped for $12 bucks and return the one i bought first within 90 days.)

FWIW, my 553 got the C1.2.22_RC1 update this evening.

Do you have your screen settings in the DVD player and Wii set for 16:9 screen size?

Before you swap the set, I would talk to the manager, if they know you are going to return a set just because of the price adjustment he may just do it. They would have to mark the set down and put it on the clearance rack anyway.

One of these days I'm afraid Sams is going to drop their return policy to 30 days on TV sets. My local club has a bunch on them on the clearance rack.

I know I'm dieing to hear, and I'm assuming others are too. Did the November firmware update...

1. enable the USB port on the 552 or 553 (I know, fat chance)
2. fix any of the issues that people have seen with halos/blooming
3. fix the smart dimming being very abrupt when a region (or was it the whole screen?) went completely black
4. anything else? feel free to add to this list...

Marc

Does anyone have the real reasoning behind Sam's dropping the 42" model? Seems it sells like crazy so why drop it?

I purchased my 47inch Vizio xvt3 from BJ's and am more than happy with the quality of the set. I had been looking for a set for many, many, many, many...MANY...MANYyyyy years..... I started this long tv tour by falling in love with the Sony XBR3s set way back in the day...retail cost for this was around 3k and I was all ready to buy...but....then the newer tv's came out, the XBR4s...and then more tvs....soon we went from 1080p no 24 frame pull down, to true 1080p...to 120hz...up to 240hz....from contrasts of 10k to contrasts of 10million....it seemed like every month a bigger and better TV was being produced. I had no choice but to wait! I didn't want to miss the technology bus...I wanted the best tv set!

Well along the way I realized that this is an ever growing, ever changing, ever evolving product line....there is always going to be a best tv, until the next best is produced.

Ultimately what you want in a tv is going to differ from what others demand. No TV is perfect. No TV is the end all be all. From the days of Sony, to the Sharp "banded" tvs, to every other set that has been produced...you have take these forum posts with a grain of salt....some points are legit, some folks are trolls, some work for the man..and others work for you, the consumer. Take all the information in and make the decision on your own.

My decision to pull the trigger on this tv was one I do not regret. The past three weeks I had been watching stand definition TV, last night I hooked up my new HD cable box....HOLY CRAP...this picture quality is just amazing!!!! I love everything about it.

Talks of blooming, random reboots, or washed out colors, etc...the average person is not going to notice it. Even the best out there may have a hard time deciphering picture or audio quality with one "monster" cable vs another...or with one tv manufacturer vs another....or one that outsources everything to get you the best quality at the lowest price.

Talk about the tv having the vizio 'logo' always lit....how can that really be a game changer for you? I actually like the look of this...it adds a level of quality imo. Granted, hooking up my center speaker last night now blocks that lit logo out....but in either case, it's still a great tv.

I highly recommend this set to anyone. It has tons of connections in the back and side...the ability to adjust the picture is broad enough to do damage, but not so much that you need an engineering degree to obtain a good picture quality.

The wireless internet feature is cool...I wont use it too much, but its a nice feature.

The remote control while feeling a bit 'cheap'...is what it is. It has a flip out keyboard, that ultimately needs to be redesigned to be a true game changer...this is still a good clicker. It syncs with all my devices and works as designed.

thanks to all who have contributed to AVS and helped me with my buying decisions...answering those curious questions and technical ones I have no clue about. I'm off to finally enjoy my new flat screen tv.

When I tell my XVT423SV to discover Bluetooth devices the only thing that shows on the screen is its own remote.

My new laptop is BT equipped, discovers my Blackberry, but cannot find the Vizio.

Is it worth pursuing why the Vizio is in stealth mode or is that a waste of effort?

The real question is: has anyone come up with a utility that permits controlling the TV from a laptop? That that be cool!

Same here

After reading the reviews and comments in this thread, I bought the XVT553SV from Costco about 10 days ago. After calibrating using CNET settings and then some fine tuning, I'm happy with the PQ. It replaced a Samsung HL56A650.

However, after watching ~10 hours of movies across 5 days (yes, not really much use), my set buzzed pretty loudly then shut off. The Vizio logo turned off completely and I could not get it to turn back on. I unplugged it for a few minutes and it still would not turn on nor would the Vizio logo light up amber. After talking with Costco concierge, it was determined that one of the circuit boards failed and would need servicing. Rather than schedule a technician, I took it back to Costco and exchanged it for another set. Luckily they still had a couple in stock and were happy to exchange it.

The set is plugged into a proper surge protector and I'm chalking this failure up to be defect with that specific set rather than a Vizio quality issue. BUT I am closely watching my 90-day return countdown because failing after 10 hours of use is pretty scary. I never considered Vizio (always been a Sony/Samsung fan) but this thread convinced me otherwise. Anyone else have a similar failure?

FYI

Looks like the 3D vizio is available for order on vizio.com, thinking about taking the plunge

From Team VIZIO: A new firmware release for VIZIO HDTVs with VIZIO Internet Apps is now rolling out with a few new features and updates.
It includes new apps such as Web Videos, Tune-In Radio, Yahoo! Sports and Yahoo! Video. It features an improved Dock and overall App performance, new Game Mode with reduced video latency, 5.1 audio output from streaming apps, and Bluetooth A2DP support.

VIA TVs in the field will automatically receive and install this firmware update over the course of the next few weeks. You may see a message onscreen that the TV is updating as it automatically receives and installs this firmware update. Others of you may just see the new update the next time you turn on your TV. Please be patient as it may take up to three weeks for your TV to receive the update as our servers roll out this major release across the country.

Jim Noyd, have you had the opportunity to use the DVDO Edge with the Vizio 553? If so, how did it compare with Vizio's internal upsampling?

Mr. Noyd,

Thank you for detailing for all of us about this latest firmware release. It is very much appreciated!

The big question for me and many others is: When will the USB ports be enabled?

I held off buying the 552 because the USB ports did not function. Now the 553 still has no functioning USB. I need a TV and won't buy a Vizio until the USB ports actually work. I guess you could say my patience is kinda waning. It seems silly to wait so long when the rest of the industry has had these working for ages.

What does your crystal ball have to say? When can we expect working USB ports?

Thank you very much for your help.

Guys,

After my research, my wife's efforts, and your help, I went on costco.com to order the 473. I checked and it was there, got my paperwork, my card, my phone AND it was gone: now out of stock. Costco tells me to keep watching the site. Costco response seemed generic. There is no costco near enough to me. Also, I have no means to transport it.

Amazon has it for the same price, but with only 30 day return and 1 year warranty, and will not ship for 1 to 2 months.

Do you know if costco usually does get this vizio back in stock? It hasn't been discontinued, has it? God help me, say it isn't so.

What about Thanksgiving sales?

Thanks for any advice or help you can offer. JD