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Issues with latest (1/12) Vizio firmware update - Page 6

post #151 of 187
5/3/12 at 10:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 8traxrule View Post

Is the T-Con Board the one that runs the backlight? Someone mentioned the "video board" being replaced which fixed the problem, which I think is the one near the top. The T-con board is closer to the side (left with the back facing you.)

Will be typing my letter to Vizio hopefully this weekend, and will print this thread out to send with it as soon as I get some more printer ink!

Not sure which one was the T Con board. I wasn't here when they replaced it. Now sometimes my tv randomly kicks off the signal displaying no signal. I have to turn the tv off and on again to get a signal back. Anyone else having this issue?
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #152 of 187
5/5/12 at 1:13pm
Hooked up another TV to the receiver and it works. They must have given me a bad part. Back to square 1!
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post #153 of 187
5/5/12 at 4:33pm
Displaying No Signal may mean a problem with your HDMI connection to the TV or with the new Main Board. Make sure the HDMI connection is not loose at either end also you may try a different HDMI port on the TV.,
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post #154 of 187
5/5/12 at 6:32pm
Tried the connection on another TV, no issues as well as another inout on the tv. Thinking a main board issue...
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post #155 of 187
5/6/12 at 1:12pm
Vizio is coming to replace the TV in a week now with a refurbished model...
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post #156 of 187
5/12/12 at 7:49pm
Just got the replacement with new firmware and it still stutters. I am about to throw in the towel...
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post #157 of 187
5/13/12 at 2:22am
Thread Starter 
So the replacement already had the newer firmware on it? The boards on mine that were replaced seemed to also.
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post #158 of 187
6/7/12 at 8:43pm
Oh crap, I'm getting a USED xvt423sv that I bought off ebay delivered tomorrow. eek.gif
knew the set had a nice picture, but never knew about these problems.
It came with a 30 day Warranty from the seller, and I was able to purchase a 2 year squaretrade warranty as well.

I have wireless setup , but is there a way to disable the TV from within the menu from connecting to the net ?
{ not even sure if this set already has the problem}

This is my 1st vizio set, and could be my last depending on how this turns out.

What firmware should I have ?

thanks,

EDIT
The TV looks brand new !, not a mark on it ,and packed very well,
the firmware is vizio_C1.2.22_RC2
I'm not setting up the network connection as I don't want that problem to appear.
Edited by billfish33 - 6/8/12 at 3:13pm
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post #159 of 187
6/12/12 at 2:54pm
Thread Starter 
I finally had time to write my letter to Vizio. It's printing right now, along with a copy of this thread (which will be MANY pages!) Here's my letter:

To all at Vizio,

I am writing to tell you about my experience with your “VIP Program” which started in late 2009. This was my first time buying a new TV in 13 years, and I had been considering several brands and models for a long time. I had been leaning towards Vizio because of its reasonable pricing yet focus on quality, as well as unique features such as the ability to display PAL-format video sources. I finally made the decision to buy the VF552XVT after applying for the VIP Program and being accepted. (Based on the application process, it seemed like Vizio was looking for people who were “into” technology, which I certainly am.) I thought that not only would this be a great chance to be one of the first owners of a revolutionary new TV (it was the first one I had heard of with internet apps, which have now become standard on most brands), but that the program would allow me to give direct feedback to the manufacturer on the TV’s performance. I assumed that at the very least, Vizio would want those participating in the program to gain great trust in the Vizio brand and recommend it to others, and spread the word about how great their TVs were. And call me crazy, but I thought also at the very least, if I were to run into any problems with the TV whatsoever, I would have excellent support from the company in remedying them.

Long story short, that isn’t how it turned out. The surveys were rather minimal and mostly focused on individual internet apps on the TV. On top of that, there were sound problems with both Netflix and Vudu which took several MONTHS to be corrected, despite my reporting them immediately. Although the apps were not my main reason for buying the TV, it was frustrating to have these problems and be met with indifference by those responsible. The last survey included an open-ended space for general comments and I submitted several paragraphs’ worth, but I’ll never know if they were actually read.

More serious was the way this TV’s “smart dimming” feature operated. It certainly delivered better black levels than other LCD TVs, but its flaw was that it cut out the backlight COMPLETELY when a scene would fade or cut to black, making it look like the TV was powering itself off in the middle of a movie. This was not a defect in my particular TV but the way the ‘feature’ was designed, but calling Vizio’s tech support department I was told that it should not be doing this. My TV ended up being replaced with a newer model, the XVT553SV, but upon receiving that I saw that the “smart dimming” had the SAME problem. I decided to just use the TV with that feature turned off, but was frustrated that it could have such a big design flaw and not be noticed by those in tech support. I’m sure it must have cost the company a significant amount to unnecessarily replace my TV.

That isn’t even what has prompted this letter however. Despite the flaws I was still mostly satisfied with the TV and was enjoying it until an unacceptable problem came up. In January of this year, the TV started having problems with the frame rate of filmed material. Although difficult to describe in words, it resulted in the picture sometimes appearing jittery, almost slow-motion at times. It seemed to start after the TV’s firmware had been updated- I certainly did not notice it before and this is the sort of thing I would have noticed right away. On a few internet forums, Avsforum.com in particular, I found that other Vizio TV owners were also noticing this problem. Additionally, I found that on PAL video sources the TV was forcing the “smooth motion” setting on the picture, making filmed material appear more like video, regardless of picture settings. This was disturbing since the ability to display PAL sources was one of my main reasons for choosing a Vizio.

The next few months were a nightmare. I contacted Vizio’s tech support informing them of the problem and was told it would be looked into. After a few weeks passed with no fixes, I called again and it was nearly impossible to explain the problem to some of the representatives. I quickly learned not even to bring up the PAL issue, as they had no idea what I was talking about and just became confused when I tried to explain it to them. Apparently one does not need to have very much knowledge of how video equipment works to work for an electronics company’s tech support department.

Luckily I had purchased the extended warranty, although that too was a nightmare. When it was obvious that Vizio’s tech support people were not very knowledgeable about their company’s products and apparently had NO communication at all with the people who actually designed and programmed them, I was advised to have a repair attempted. Long story short here was that the main board in the TV was replaced TWICE with NO changes to the problem. I quickly learned that many people employed in servicing TVs do not have very much knowledge of them either.

After this I futilely tried communicating again with Vizio’s support department. I had wanted to reach someone at the Irvine headquarters, but all calls were directed to the South Dakota office. There was much bantering back and forth between Vizio and “TWG”, the company handling the warranty, as to who would be the one to help me any further. It was finally decided that TWG would give me the choice between another Vizio TV or a refund check (less a few hundred dollars of the original price). The replacement TV from Vizio would only have a 90-day warranty, and after months of dealing with Vizio I was not willing to take any more chances and opted for the check instead. Last month I bought a new Sharp TV to replace the Vizio.

This experience in itself is pathetic, even more so considering I had obtained this TV through the “VIP Program” which I thought would enable me to communicate with the company more easily. It seemed I was forgotten about as soon as the last survey had been submitted, and it was no big deal that problems with the TV came up afterwards. I would have remained a loyal Vizio customer had this problem been properly handled and fixed, but after months of communicating with un-knowledgeable reps and failed service attempts I will likely avoid the brand now.

I am enclosing a print-out of a thread I started on Avsforum.com on this problem. You will see that I was not the only one to experience the faulty frame-rate, and that it was common for people who contacted Vizio about it to be told that it was the first time they had heard of such a problem. I also go into more detail about my dealings with Vizio’s representatives, the repair services and the warranty company.

I hope that this letter will be read by those who can prevent this from happening again to another customer.
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post #160 of 187
6/12/12 at 11:34pm
Thread Starter 
And this is just too perfect- I posted the text of that letter on Vizio's Facebook page, and not only was it deleted (I even posted it after business hours, thinking they'd take at least until tomorrow to do that) but they seem to have blocked me from ever posting on their page again! I wouldn't buy a toilet paper dispenser from Vizio now!
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post #161 of 187
6/14/12 at 9:34am
Something to think about:

http://consumerist.com/2007/05/how-to-launch-an-executive-email-carpet-bomb.html
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post #162 of 187
6/15/12 at 1:44am
Thread Starter 
Ha ha, just read a few comments on their Facebook page about a new firmware update which has caused some TVs not to turn on anymore! tongue.gif Can anyone who still has this TV comment?
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post #163 of 187
6/19/12 at 10:54am
I'm very glad to have found this thread because I started experiencing this issue a few months ago and thought I was going crazy! For me, the problem seems to appear with regular tv, blu-rays, and netflix. It definitely doesn't happen all the time, but when it happens, it drives me nuts.

As a few others mentioned, I think it has to do with an app running in the background or something because the problem doesn't happen 100% of the time while watching the exact same content. By that, I mean if I'm watching a blu-ray and I see it happen, if I rewind to before the motion problems and play it again, the problem will likely be gone. Same thing for watching cable television. If a show all of a sudden gets the motion bug, I can rewind with Tivo and then play the exact same segment again and it will play fine with no issues.

I haven't contacted Vizio at all because my television is out of warranty and with all the horror stories people have posted here, I figure it's probably best to just deal with the issue rather than having to also waste time and effort on the phone with incompetent and unaware support people.

For what it's worth, I do think the motion issue has been happening less lately. I still see it once in awhile, but it does seem to happen much less. When it first started happening, I swear it'd happen at least once each time I'd watch a movie or show. Now I get to watch a few movies/shows without issue before I see it pop up again.
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post #164 of 187
6/26/12 at 1:00pm
Hey 8traxrule,
So what was your final outcome?
Have they been back since replacing with a model that does the same thing?

I have a friend who because of MY recommendations bought the 47" 2 years ago (so out of their super long warranty period..) has this now happening after the firmware upgrade.
I have done the full wipe, but he really wants Netflix on it, so plugged the network back in, within a day it started doing the reboot cycle again.
It also can be REALLY slow at loading up/booting, it has taken a full 30 minutes to get back to a working picture.
I feel bad for him, because he is retired, disabled, and on a very tight income. He now has a 47" Vizio that he watches probably 10 hours a day that doesn't work for him, and he can't just buy another one.

If Vizio doesn't put out a firmware update to fix their last crappy one, I will also post on their facebook page in small doses every day (and have him do the same) until they recognize the power of social media smile.gif
For everyone else, I urge you to do what 8trax has done and post on their wall that you are having problems, and only sense their update.

On a technical side, there isn't much that can go wrong with a TV set that will fix itself with a simple reboot other than software.. They need to be honest and admit it.
Bad capacitors are one thing. You can at least replace them and be back working for a few years. Bad software you can't do anything about unless you can code your own..
G.
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post #165 of 187
7/2/12 at 3:22pm
Thread Starter 
I got some money back from the warranty company and bought a Sharp. They let me keep the Vizio so I sold it to some people who don't care about picture quality- they're happy with it. Still have had no word from Vizio about my letter, other than their banning me from their Facebook page. That speaks volumes about what kind of company they are.
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post #166 of 187
7/7/12 at 2:27pm
Does anyone know what part(s) to replace in order to roll back the firmware, assuming the new parts have the old firmware of course.

I took the back panel off to check part numbers and noticed that the main board has a sticker on it with a firmware number on it. (It reads xvt473sv C1.2.14-RC1). But it seems like people that have had the main board replaced still had a problem.
Edited by sarspants - 7/7/12 at 7:44pm
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post #167 of 187
1/5/13 at 6:45pm
Hey. I don't know what good posting on here would do since it seems like you all have given up but:

I've had my Vizio XVT373SV since March 2011. I connected it to the Internet once, but lost connection when we got a new router. I didn't buy the TV for the apps anyway, so I didn't care.

So my friend got a new Vizio recently and his let him turn the logo off. So I thought "Maybe a firmware update'll have that."

So Christmas Day I got a whole bunch of Blu-Rays and I thought if a new firmware could turn off the logo that'd be great.

So I connected it to the Internet and nothing happened. So I watched Purple Rain on Blu-Ray, no problems.

So I turned the TV off so I could go do something. When I turned it back on, it was installing a new firmware update dated for December 2011 I think.

So I watched X-Men First Class. This is where the problems started. The TV switched Smooth Motion Effect On and Off throughout the movie. Then the picture would "slow down" every now and then.

I Googled "X-Men First Class Blu-Ray PS3" to see if there was a problem. And it turns out X-Men First Class DID have issues playing on Playstation 3's.

So after that, I put in The Dark Knight Rises to the ballroom scene. Smooth Motion Effect was Off before the scene, but as soon as Bruce and Selina started dancing it turned it on.

So I noticed I was starting to have all of these issues as soon as the firmware updated. So I Googled something like "Vizio December 2011 firmware" and found this forum.

So I was like "Ok....."

I went to Clear Memory(Factory Default) which removed the new apps. I also re-watched X-Men First Class to see if I fixed the TV, and the Smooth Motion seemed to stay Off like I had it set.

So I was ok. Happy. Thanking God.

But when I watched X-Men First Class after doing Clear Memory(Factory Default) it still had that weird slowdown that I'd never seen playing a Blu-Ray, or on the TV period.

So I watched Austin Powers on Blu-Ray and the slowdown happened. I thought maybe those scenes were shot like that, so I brushed it off.

But then I just got Season 2 of Shameless (US) on Blu-Ray and I noticed the SAME slowdown throughout all 12 episodes. Even all the special features. This is how I now things were wrong.

I thought "maybe the Blu-Ray's messed up, maybe it's my PS3". So I put in a disc of season 2 or The OC, it started doing the slowdown again.

So I called them today. They had me change the Smooth Motion and Noise Reduction settings. I started watching Shameless and the slowdown came up.

I called again later on, she had me do Clean Storage (which I think one of you guys did) and it didn't work. She kept repeating "Playstation 3" almost like she was trying to blame that.

But I turn on to regular TV, which is connected by AV cords, and even though the quality is bad, I feel like I'm seeing the same slowdown on my TV.

Even one of my friends noticed it when he was watching Shameless with me.

And after the last call it was basically like "If this doesn't work this is as much as we can do for you".

An it's like, I've had this TV for almost two years, I was really happy about it, and in a matter of seconds it's screwed over by a firmware update that THEY made.

So I guess I'll call them tomorrow to let them know I THINK it's doing it from my DirectTV box so they don't blame it on my PS3.

But I've lost a lot of sleep over this. I can't afford another TV. And I shouldn't have to constantly pause and un-pause my movies to watch them. That's like manually rotating a generator to watch TV.

And yeah, I think the firmware is the issue. I've been buying a lot of Blu-Ray's recently and this slowdown issue didn't start until AFTER the firmware.

Seeing this forum isn't encouraging but it helps a little to know I'm not alone. I hope I can get some sleep tonight. If this TV situation isn't fixed I'm gonna be stuck reading books and comics all year.

: (

Maybe my post'll tip the scale : (

(If anyone is reading this, I'm sorry I used the word "so" so much)
Edited by TheNeonBlueOwl - 1/5/13 at 10:14pm
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post #168 of 187
1/7/13 at 1:36am
So far:

I've called Vizio Tech Support about five times this weekend.

One person had me do Clean Storage. That didn't help.

One person had me turn off all the advance picture settings to get "decent" (dull) picture. It just sounded scripted. That didn't help.

Everyone told me the same thing you all said you heard "firmware isn't the issue".

I actually had one person look at this forum. He told me "you might have a point", but I guess that's as much as he could do.

The last person, I was actually trying to call the Irvine office. But it rerouted me to South Dakota I think. I pretty much had to tell her I've done everything tech support's told me to do and that I was trying to call the main office. She told me that she saw my point. That I've had the same picture settings and set up for almost two years, and that it's not stupid for me to say that it's not a coincidence that everything started acting up as soon as I downloaded the firmware.

She also told me that the only way to directly contact Vizio (the actual company) was through their website. And I'd already sent a message through that online form. So hopefully they'll respond.

We also both basically said that this issue is bigger than tech support.

She gave me a number to the company that does Vizio repairs in Chicago I guess. But I already know they won't be able to help.

And I kinda agree that the "average" person doesn't know good quality TV. Not to sound cocky.

Before I went to go see Keane live, I used Skullcandy headphones. Then I saw them and I was like "wow, I've never heard that before". Then I researched other headphones, bought some better ones, and I couldn't believe that I thought Skullcandy's, or even Apple headphones were good. But Skullcandy's still sell 'cause people don't know any better.

And with HDTV being so new (I've only had my Vizio for like a year and ten months now), a lot of people don't know what's "right". People still look at HDTV's as "flatscreens", the design, and don't even know what "HD" is. I've only known the word for as long as I've had this TV (1 year, 10 months) myself.

So I think more TV's probably do have this, but most people don't notice it cause they don't see a slowdown (or a frame rate issue) in their TV's picture as a problem.

I think Vizio could do better than this.

I've had issues with my Playstation 3, Playstation 2, every phone I've ever had....

......but I've never felt like a neglected child trying to get it fixed. Those people sat down with me until the issue was solved. Big or small.

Most of the time I can look up an issue online on a forum and people can post the solution they got from the tech people. But you all are posting solutions that the company isn't even listening to.

This is like going to the doctor for a check up. They tell you to open your mouth to examine your throat. And they drop a random pill in your mouth. That you didn't ask for.

You tell your doctor you feel like there's lump in your throat, and they tell you they can't see it. They look through every textbook they have, but according to the textbook, you SHOULDN'T have a lump in your throat, even if you do.

So they just send you home. Even though YOU can feel something in your throat. Even though you DIDN'T put that pill in your mouth.

And because the pill isn't SUPPOSED to give you a lump—The End.

I understand "a job's a job", but yikes....

Even when my remote stopped working when I first got it. I asked the man what might make my remote stop working and he told me "Y'know, sometimes technology just has a mind of its own".......

All I can do right now is pray and hope Vizio responds to my message.

It'd be different if the TVs had the issue when we bought it. But we all had nice functioning TV's, then something the company did, out of our control, messed it up.

I can't even say "I'll never buy another Vizio again" all angry and stuff. I can't buy ANY TV. I'm only 20, I don't have a career. Gosh.

I just had to vent. Sorry.
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post #169 of 187
1/7/13 at 10:04am
I feel your pain, TheNeonBlueOwl. Unfortunately level 1 tech support at most consumer goods manufacturers is only as helpful as the scripts they are reading from. I'm not sure how easy it is to get escalated beyond that at Vizio, but it sure sounds like you have tried.

Part of me wants another firmware update to fix outstanding problems and add missing features, part of me wants Vizio to just leave it be for fear of what else might get broken.

In any case, I wish Vizio would have a more transparent update process, with the ability for users to opt out of updates *AND* roll back to previous versions (including *ALL* settings to factory defaults). That does not seem too much to ask.

Good luck getting your issues resolved.
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post #170 of 187
1/7/13 at 11:19pm
Thanks derek_m.
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post #171 of 187
1/19/13 at 4:57pm
So this what's happened so far:

I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I got the idea after a few people complained to Capcom last year over Street Fighter X Tekken.

A representative (from Irvine) called me and told me that he made his engineers aware of the problem and he will continue to. I mentioned the main board to him, but he told me I would have to pay for it myself. But at the end of the day I need game mode on my TV, so I don't think the initial firmware would satisfy me either. I can't afford it, and this is a software issue anyway. And even if I did buy it, all it takes is my little brother or mother turning on the Internet and re-installing the firmware. But the fact that he even feels that that's an appropriate solution is crazy. No disrespect to him. Like I said in my rebuttal, this is a software issue, not a parts issue.

But in his response to the complaint on the BBB website, he said something along the lines of "if a new firmware update becomes available you'll get it as long as you're connected to the Internet".

The problem with his response is the word "if". I'm not posting the exact correspondence right now because I don't know if I have the right to, but he basically made it seem like there's an unknown chance that this problem will be fixed.

I thought my rebuttal went through yesterday but it seems like it didn't. But I just re-sent it and it seems like it did.

So I guess all I can do is wait and hope the BBB sees my point. I know I have one.

This is a metaphor I made up yesterday:

Let's say you leave your house to go to work. When you get back you find workers fixing your front porch, who you never called, or asked to do anything. They finish their work on the porch and leave. Later that day you leave the house, but as soon as you walk out the porch and stairs crumble. Now you have to basically climb a wall to get into your house.

That's how I look at this situation. Maybe these workers meant well, but the whole thing is that it did more harm than good, and you didn't ask for it.

It's also like Magic Man from Adventure Time. You're just casually walking down the road and he decides to turn you into a bowel. You didn't ask him to, he just does it. And now you're stuck as a bowel, and the only one who can turn you back is the Magic Man. Vizio is the Magic Man, they zapped my TV with firmware and now it's a bowel.


Anyway, right now I have the extension of the guy who called me, and he said I can contact him if I have anymore questions or anything like that.

Quote:
Also, if I'm able to I'm going to send these links to whoever, to show them that this is a real problem:

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1391221/issues-with-latest-1-12-vizio-firmware-update (Pages 1-6. TV'S mentioned: XVT553SV, XVT3D554SV, VF552XVT)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0UpkcgXQ2E (TV mentioned: Unspecified XVT)

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1262413/official-vizio-xvt3sv-series-no-price-or-coupon-talk (Pages: 154-158. TV's mentioned: XVT423SV, XVT553SV, XVT373SV, XVT323SV, XVT473SV)

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/dvd-home-theater-gear/599178-anyone-else-here-have-vizio-tv-problem-after-latest-firmware-update.html (TV: Unspecified)

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/dvd-home-theater-gear/602407-vizio-bans-me-their-facebook-page-after-posting-letter.html (TV's Mentioned: XVT553SV)

http://www.amazon.com/review/REQT9QID4ZWK1/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B003GDFJTU&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag= (TV Mentioned: XVT373SV)

http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-XVT373SV-37-Inch-Internet-Application/product-reviews/B003GDFJTU/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_two?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addTwoStar&showViewpoints=0 (TV Mentioned: XVT373SV)

http://www.highdefforum.com/flat-panel-tvs/133879-vizio-xvt-frame-rate-issue.html (TV mentioned: Unspecified XVT)

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1277567/vizio-xvt3sv-rvr-random-vizio-reboot/180 (Page: 7. TV'S mentioned: SV552XVT, XVT3D554SV, XVT473SV)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53TzYkkUXxk (One of the posters on this forum, !!!Firmware!!!, who said this started happening after the firmware update TV mentioned: XVT3D554SV. It's wrong in the video, I used the one he posted on the forum.)

My TV: XVT373SV Firmware: VIZIO_C7.0.1.0-S

The great thing about these links is the dates of the post, and the dates mentioned. December 2011-January 2012. The same time the firmware was rolled out. So I think showing these links would make a great case at this point, and I think I have a shot if the BBB mediates or however that works. So I'm gonna post them here for my reference.
Quote:
Update 1/26/13:

After updating my list, and listing the TV models, all of them are a part of the XVT series. I'll make sure I bring that up to Gus the next time I talk to him.

My TV's also rebooted itsself at least five times this month. Four of those times were four days in a row. This used to happen once every other month. And when the screen comes back on, it seems to freeze the picture for a while. This has never happened after a reboot before. I've also noticed that the Vizio logo takes a little longer to cut on.

Update 1/27/13

After looking into it more it seems like this might be an issue with Vizio's smart TV's in general. Our XVT series seems to be having frame rate issues. But if you look at this TV, with "SV" at the end, this model seems to have firmware issues too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ealwt2vDA_o (TV Mentioned: Vizio M550SV)

And plenty of people in the comments say that they have an issue with the same TV.

http://www.fixya.com/support/t9124470-vizio_tv_mdl_m550sv

Another person with an unspecified TV, who said the random shutdown's were caused by firmware.

http://www.highdefforum.com/flat-panel-tvs/131656-vizio-firmware-issues.html

The other "awesome" thing that just came to me is a tech support person telling me that a firmware update can fix these shutdowns. So that basically means that firmware actually can affect the performance of the TV. And I figure if it's a known problem that the firmware has caused this in other TV's, it's not impossible to say that it's causing it in ours.

http://reviews.costco.com/2070/11595086/vizio-vizio-55-back-lit-led-lcd-hdtv-w-vizio-internet-apps-reviews/reviews.htm

Returned after 89 days

Pros: great picture blue tooth
Cons: firmware problems that never get resolved
"Had to return to Costco before 90 days were up. TV kept power cycling 1st month then stopped and then kept turning on 10 secs after turning off. The internet has several references to this problem with comments like Vizio knows about it and waiting for a firmware upgrade. Did not wait past the 90 days. Got a 60" Sharp with same specs and $350 in my pocket and the picture looks the same. It is interesting that this model has disappeared from all the stores."


http://reviews.costco.com/2070/11595086/vizio-vizio-55-back-lit-led-lcd-hdtv-w-vizio-internet-apps-reviews/reviews.htm?page=2

Terrible Customer Service!

Model Number: XVT553SV

"Bought this in Dec 2010, it turns on and off by itself, Vizio says it's supposed to, that it's rebooting like a computer! I think not, they said there is a known firmwware problem but could not tell me when a fix would be available! Thank goodness for Costco 90 day return policy, we'll be returning the Vizio to them and getting another brand of TV!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ealwt2vDA_o

Tyrant5RDFL

I did. I reset the TV back to the factory settings removing the latest firmware, and it correctd itself. I started receiving this problem about a week after the 1 year waranty. I just decided to turn the wifi off on the TV since I have a roku player.

(According to Vizio, you can't remove firmware. But if apps were removed, and it fixed the problem, it helps to show that the apps are the problem)

I've also heard that the TV reboots itself when it "feels" the TV isn't performing right. My TV's now rebooted itself six times this month. The only thing that changed....the firmware. If it's true that the TV is "troubleshooting" itself. Then Vizio is basically contradicting themselves.

http://www.amazon.com/review/RDD45O0LFYCQ2/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B003GDFJTU&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=

I'm pretty much putting my whole case in this box. So it's gonna keep getting longer.


I haven't played a video game since Christmas. And I haven't watched a movie with my little brother in weeks. It's killing me.

But at least I've been able to get some sleep since I filed the complaint.
Edited by TheNeonBlueOwl - 1/30/13 at 1:40pm
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post #172 of 187
1/19/13 at 8:01pm
Something else I meant to say:

Everyone at Vizio keeps saying "only the apps should be affected" in the firmware update. Let's say that's true.

The first problem I noticed after the firmware update was smooth motion being turned On when I had it Off.

After I did Clear Memory, YouTube and Skype were taken off and the Smooth Motion problem was fixed.

So I had the idea that maybe the apps in the background were the problem since "only the apps were affected" in the update. So I tried deleting them all.

The TV didn't let me delete:

-Amazon Video
-Vudu
-Netflix

All apps that would stream video through the TV.

So right now with those three apps on the TV, I still have a frame rate issue.

Assuming one or more of those apps was updated between December 2011-January 2012, I have a theory that if I was able to delete one of those apps that the problem might be solved.

That if "only the apps were affected", something in one of those apps could be causing the frame rate to drop.

I don't know, maybe the TV is always on standby to open up those apps, so in certain scenes it can't handle it. It's too much memory. I don't know.

I've also noticed that the apps have been completely ignored in the whole conversation (between me and Vizio). They want to focus on settings...settings....settings...

They told me to turn off all the advance picture settings to make my picture quality look like an old newspaper, but never once recommended closing apps. But I remove an app, and one of my problems goes away.

I'm not done with the BBB complaint, but I called the person in Irvine and left a message. So hopefully I can pass this information on to his "engineers". Since this seems to be the only way to get information to the right people.

Update 1/26/13:

According to the engineer(s) they also said that they don't think the update caused the problem. Like I said in the other post, I've got more things to tell him. I actually think at this point that he brushed me off when my complaint said that I found evidence online. I couldn't fit all those links in there so the next time he calls I'm going to ask for an email address or ask him to look at the links I have on this page.

Crazy Thing I just learned 1/27/13

http://translate.google.com/#auto/en/Vizio

"Vizio" means "vice" in Itallian.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/vice

1. an immoral or evil habit or practice. Synonyms: fault, failing, foible, weakness.

2. immoral conduct; depraved or degrading behavior: a life of vice

3.sexual immorality, especially prostitution.

4. a particular form of depravity.

5.a fault, defect, or shortcoming: a minor vice in his literary style.
Edited by TheNeonBlueOwl - 1/27/13 at 12:42pm
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post #173 of 187
1/30/13 at 3:58pm
Well, I just got done talking to the person from Vizio. I couldn't really get through to him. I'm a bit upset.

We basically went around in circles. He raised his voice at one point, not exactly yelling, but....................

I don't know. I finally got his email to send him the links I have posted on this forum. He said he doesn't feel that this will fix anything, that he didn't wanna give me the idea that something could happen.

I'm just offended that they didn't have much faith that what I was saying was true.

My Playstation 3 was brought up again *sigh*

And he also brought up that anyone can post anything they want on the Internet. Yes, that's true. But I know I'm real. I know what I saw on my TV. I know I'm not the person on the Youtube video because I know I don't sound like that. And I doubt anyone would make multiple accounts to make Vizio look bad using an issue that isn't made up.

They're offering a one time deal, with me splitting the cost of the repairs. He got upset because I guess he thought I was out of my mind. He got upset when I brought up other companies that fix firmware with firmware.

He got upset when I asked if there was any way they can cover the cost too. I understand I'm one year out of warranty, I'm not stupid. But if I had millions of dollars at hand, and I accidentally hit a baseball into someone's window, or course I'm gonna pay for it. It's my fault. The problem is that Vizio doesn't want to admit that it's their fault. It's just really bad business.

He also got upset when I asked if there was any way they can look into things. "Figure out what's wrong", "diagnose", whatever word I used. I don't understand why he'd get upset over me asking that. They're supposed to know they're product. If I'm asking for information about something you built why would you get angry? It's not a dumb request. You haven't fixed my problem, so I'm trying to get something done. You shouldn't get angry because I'm overstepping a little. Asking for more than the inappropriate fix that you're offering me.

He also pretty much wanted to ignore the whole firmware issue. He kept focusing on the reboots. That the fix he's offering is for the reboots, not my picture quality. So you're going to help the TV stay on......not display a good picture......of course I wasn't gonna leave it at that. What good is a TV if it can't display the picture right? That's like someone telling, and maybe I'm exaggerating, "Here, I can help your iPhone turn on but I can't get the screen to respond. Does this help you use your phone?"

All I have to say after that phone call is:

1. I understand how a warranty works. My I.Q. is high enough to understand that I should have to pay if the warranty period is over.
2. It's bad business to not pay for your mistakes.

The Playstation Network gets hacked, they offer credit help and compensation.
SVC: Card Fighters DS has a glitch, they have a recall and exchange program.

Why can't they just take some responsibility on their side? Why are they disregarding everything?

3. I don't appreciate bringing up that your engineers are "professionals". Obviously......

But are these professionals sitting in front of the half a million XVT Vizio TV's.........no............

They might be the professionals. But if I, and a whole bunch of other people say we're seeing a fire, then we're obviously seeing a fire. If you're not here to witness that, how can you deny it?

But I kept being told "we (or they) don't see how this can be a problem".

4. He also told me "It's up to you to decided if I want to live with it" after I told him I couldn't afford the $85 repair cost. It's not up to me. I can't write firmware, it's up to you. If I can't afford your inappropriate fix then I can't afford it. I COULD probably, but I had plans for my money. And $85 for a fix that can be undone in a second, no........that's just not right. I don't have any fault on my side. I dust the TV every day. I make sure the power cord isn't being tugged and that it's loose. I have it plugged in to a surge protector. I shut it off right. I make sure my HDMI and AV cords are loose. I didn't do anything wrong.

(I like metaphors) It's like a home builder setting your house house on fire and saying "Well, I can replace the brick on your house for $5000, just make sure you don't turn the furnace I installed 90 degrees or else your house'll burn down again". It's terrible.

5. I pretty much compare the whole conversation to a mini debate, an argument. Which it was. I was trying to get a point across. I cut him off a few times to talk. He tried to talk over me. I was talking over him. He raised his voice. Mine raised a little. But I'm not gonna let someone brush me off or try to shut me up when I have valid points lined up. I'm not a submissive dog. I'm not a child frightened by adults. If I feel something is wrong, I'm gonna say something. If my doctor sends me home after I tell them I taste blood in my mouth, I'm not gonna just go home. I'm gonna tell them "Hey, I taste blood in my mouth, why are you sending me home?"

This was a great TV before the firmware update. I spent a month researching it before I bought it almost two years ago, I've watched so many movies and TV shows in widescreen, saw new detail in my video games......all gone because my TV's maker decides to screw it over. All those good reviews on Amazon, made before this firmware, are completely invalid right now.

I haven't tested it on video games yet because I didn't want to see the problem and it messes me up, but hopefully I'll have those for the next year or two until I can buy a new TV.

I don't know, I guess I can just take this as life lesson for now. I need to research reliability. A car might run smooth, but it might be a good idea to see what people say happens after it's been on the road for a few months.

But like I said, he gave me his email. Said it probably won't change anything to help this situation. But I can hope that something'll happen. If not, I don't know. Hopefully I can get a job and buy a new TV. Or maybe I can just stab my eyes and stop being a videophile (I'm kidding, with a stale face).

I don't think the XVT series is being made anymore, but if anyone else is having any these issues with their TV after the firmware update I hope you'll post on here. Maybe they'll release a new firmware to match their TV's up to newer models. I'll update this if anything new happens for other people's sake. If anyone else is having a battle with Vizio. If people need to know the things that could go wrong with a TV. Also, it seems like this is only happening with Vizio's smart TV's, since those are the TV's that came up after my search. Just wanted to say that.

Have a nice day. I guess I'm stuck with books for now. I can't wait to watch Wreck-It-Ralph in a year or two. Watch The Avengers after two new movies are released. Watch season 4 of the Clone Wars when episode VII is getting ready to come out. Alright, no more pity. I need to finish this so I can send them the links...........
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post #174 of 187
1/30/13 at 4:15pm
I also thought I'd post the letter I sent them just now, it has some new information about the problem that I've been trying to get to their engineers:
Quote:
Hi Gus. I realise this is a little long, but I'm asking for all of it to be read. This isn't a hate letter. This is all the information I found over the past few weeks. The "proof" that I hoped would convince your engineers that this is a problem. I'm asking whoever gets this to please read this and consider everything I've said about the firmware:

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1391221/issues-with-latest-1-12-vizio-firmware-update (Pages 1-6. TV'S mentioned: XVT553SV, XVT3D554SV, VF552XVT)

On this forum I'm TheNeonBlueOwl. Everything said by TheNeonBlueOwl is coming from me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0UpkcgXQ2E (TV mentioned: Unspecified XVT)

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1262413/official-vizio-xvt3sv-series-no-price-or-coupon-talk (Pages: 154-158. TV's mentioned: XVT423SV, XVT553SV, XVT373SV, XVT323SV, XVT473SV)

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/dvd-home-theater-gear/599178-anyone-else-here-have-vizio-tv-problem-after-latest-firmware-update.html (TV: Unspecified)

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/dvd-home-theater-gear/602407-vizio-bans-me-their-facebook-page-after-posting-letter.html (TV's Mentioned: XVT553SV)

http://www.amazon.com/review/REQT9QID4ZWK1/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B003GDFJTU&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag= (TV Mentioned: XVT373SV)

http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-XVT373SV-37-Inch-Internet-Application/product-reviews/B003GDFJTU/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_two?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addTwoStar&showViewpoints=0 (TV Mentioned: XVT373SV)

http://www.highdefforum.com/flat-panel-tvs/133879-vizio-xvt-frame-rate-issue.html (TV mentioned: Unspecified XVT)

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1277567/vizio-xvt3sv-rvr-random-vizio-reboot/180 (Page: 7. TV'S mentioned: SV552XVT, XVT3D554SV, XVT473SV)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53TzYkkUXxk (TV mentioned: XVT3D554SV. It's wrong in the video, I used the one he posted on the forum.)

My TV: XVT373SV Firmware: VIZIO_C7.0.1.0-S

I also feel that this could be an issue with how the TV is handling the frames per second. I'm not a TV expert but:

I was watching Doctor Who on Netflix. Bristish TV has always had this weird look to it. But I noticed it didn't happen when I was watching that.

But when I had Jersey Shore and Power Rangers on Netflix, American TV, I noticed the problem.

It's not an HDMI issue because my DirectTV is hooked up by AV cords, and I notice it on there too.

Also, like I've been mentioning, when YouTube and Skype widgets were deleted, my smooth motion problem went away. I honestly think the widgets themselves could be causing the problems. But since Amazon Video, Vudu, and Netflix can't be removed, I don't have any way to test that myself. Also because I don't have a changelog, I don't know what all could be affecting the TV.

I also read something about 24fps (frames per second) and that this might be an issue.

Also, when I pause the Blu-Ray or DVD and leave it alone for a few seconds, then play it again, the problem goes way. But they it comes back up minutes later. The same thing fixes the frame rate on Netflix.

That trick also seems to work on DirectTV. When the frame rate drops, I change the channel, then turn back (through the DirectTV remote, the Vizio remote doesn't control the box) and the frame rate is back to normal.

Another interesting thing is that I have a few AVI and MP4 files on my Playstation 3. Video downloaded from the internet. The frame rate issue doesn't seem to affect AVI and MP4's, and it's never affected YouTube.

I keep stressing, I've had the same settings, the same setup for two years, it's NOT a settings issue. This TV has been FINE. It was fine until the firmware update. I watched Purple Rain MINUTES before the update. Smooth motion stayed off, and the frame rate was fine. It's not an issue with the disc because I've put in several. The OC on DVD, Shameless on Blu-Ray, Austin Powers on Blu-Ray, The Dark Knight Rises. I'd watched The Dark Knight Rises twice on my TV with no problems, but after the update these problems started. I was also in the middle of re-watching The OC. I never had issues with any of these discs before, but after the update, the frame rate is messed up. I've also never noticed this slowdown in Netflix, or my DirectTV box in the almost two years that I've had this. The only variable is the firmware.

I'm going to tell you that I am upset at this point. Very upset. This was a great TV and I was enjoying A LOT five weeks ago before all this happened. But even though I am upset, I'm saying this in a calm tone. Not in anger:

The dates that these people started having problems is between December 2011-January 2012. They even acknowledge that they downloaded the firmware then the problems started happening. All of these TV's are in the XVT series. These are the only ones that seemed to have this issue. I looked up the problems my TV was having online and only the XVT series came up with these issue. I'm not making up a once sided argument, this is what I noticed after the research.

I realize that half a million XVT series TV's have been made, but just like you can't confirm that this problem is real, you also can't confirm that everyone who bought this TV has even connected it to the Internet, you can't confirm the number of people who actually have the eye to notice the problem, you can't confirm the number of people who noticed it but don't care. Just like my TV rebooting itself once a month, I never complained. I just "dealt with it", decided to live with it.

I realize that your engineers don't see a problem. That they don't see how this could be a problem. It's also obvious that anyone can go online and post whatever they want. But all of these people's problems line up with mine. I keep mentioning "others" because I'm trying to show you all that this isn't an isolated incident. I feel that I have valid evidence that the firmware is what's made the TV buggy.

And I also realize that this information could be ignored. I'm not trying to accuse you of being a villain, but it's a possibility. I'm asking your engineers at least, to have faith in the people saying that they're having these problems. To have faith that I (and the rest of these people) know what we're talking about.

I'm asking your engineers, or whoever gets this information to have faith that it's all true. To actually read all of this information that I'm sending. Descriptions and comments on the YouTube videos, and all the post (the specific pages I have in parenthesis) on the forum post I'm sending. Some of them might have swear words or use angry language, attack the company, etc. But I really need you to look at the information. The dates, the timing, the problems, the TV models, it's not a coincidence, I can't leave open the idea that it is.

I think it's hard to deny that something happened after these people, including myself, downloaded the new firmware for the XVT series. Many people had issues with the frame rate. A few people had issues with apps. A few people had reboot issues. I feel that if you read what these people have been saying, you'll see what I see, and I have faith that you will.

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1391221/issues-with-latest-1-12-vizio-firmware-update/150#post_22852465

In this specific post, I found people talking about the reboot issue in the second quote box. My TV's reboot frequency has increased since the update, with five times last week. If it's true that the TV reboots itself to fix any operating problems, I think that helps my case to say that something in the firmware is causing the TV to be buggy, that my TV is rebooting itself more.

I realize that the engineers at Vizio, professionals, don't see a problem. Don't see how it could be a problem. But even medical processionals come across new things they don't know how to treat. But this is technology. I know a solution can be found to this problem. Even if you guys don't "see" the problem, there is one, and I'm asking for a solution. It's okay if you don't know what's going on, I'm asking you to find out, because I'm powerless on this side, and only you guys can do anything about it.

My email address is: [censored]
My phone number is: [censored]
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post #175 of 187
1/30/13 at 5:15pm
Those of us who have been through this feel your pain. I have a 552 sitting in my basement collecting dust. I got fed up with the issues a year ago from the firmware update and replaced it with a 70" Sharp. Good luck.
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post #176 of 187
1/30/13 at 6:27pm
Caveat Emptor when it comes to buying a Vizio.
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post #177 of 187
2/4/13 at 11:20am
...or even just give us access to an archive of firmware versions. Let us take our pick of what best suits our needs. That would be brain-dead simple for Vizio, and resolve most of our issues.
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post #178 of 187
2/8/13 at 1:57pm
lokilarry thanks for the empathy. God knows I need it.

Otto Pylot, thanks for teaching me that phrase.

rkodey Exactly! That's one of the fixes I asked for in my BBB complaint! But according to the person I've been talking to, once a firmware's been uploaded it can't be removed. It can't go back. That's the case with my PSP and Playstation 3, but in Vizio's case, they don't stay on their firmware. They downgraded our TV's.

I'll probably updating this post over the next few days. So much's happened in the past week with this TV. Or maybe I'll remember it all now:

Well, I sent the information to the guy I've been talking to. Two emails. One with basically all the information I have in the post with the quote boxes, and the other updating him on how I didn't really notice it on Disney Jr's 3D shows He told me that he sent the information off. I know don't even know who to.

Also, my BBB complaint is closed. I emailed them and they told me that the next step would be legal action. They gave me a number and told me that my case would stay on public record for three years or something like that.

This also happened


https://twitter.com/TheNeonBlueOwl/status/298556647146659840

I hope it's readable.

I've been tagging @Vizio whenever I decide to cry about my TV. Hah hah hah! smile.gif

Just to put it on record, Vizio told me that Vizio Support would tell me what they found. I'm pretty much giving them a month before I contact them again.

I sent an email afterwards to the guy I'm talking to, apologizing for constantly mentioning @Vizio in my Tweets, and I pretty much gave him an emotional appeal. Trying to explain why this TV means so much to me.

I don't know at this point, I could try to take legal action if this isn't figured out. But I don't know how that would work. Plus, they're in California, I'm in Chicago......I just want them to make the freaking firmware, I shouldn't have to stress two months over this. I don't want it to get to that point.

He also told me something like:

"I'm not doubting that your TV is experiencing problems, but because you're out of warranty there's a limited amount of things we can do"..........................

He's still missing the point! This TV came out like three years ago. Almost everyone is out of warranty! Plus, it's like, you're only gonna fix the mistake if I'm still in warranty. Dude, this isn't something tech support or physical repair can help with, I thought we figured out. The warranty doesn't matter.

And I've been holding off posting this but this is basically part of the conversation we had the last time we talked on the phone. Like a week ago:

Quote:
Me: "There're all these post online. If you type in 'Vizio Firmware' in Google, the fourth result is literally a bunch of people (this forum) talking about the same problems I'm having."

Him: "I know you say you're seeing this stuff online. But you know......anyone can go online and post about Bigfoot if they wanted to."

Or maybe it was something more like:

Him: "I know you say you're seeing this stuff online. But you know, there's hundreds of post about Bigfoot online."

The whole point is, he compared all this to Bigfoot. Heh heh heh heh! It's funny to me, but he's basically saying that all the complaints online could be completely made up. And what if I believed in Bigfoot? I'd be offended.

But it's like him as an individual doesn't have any faith in all these complaints. It's annoying. He keeps pushing this stuff away. I still feel like to this day he hasn't looked at it himself, based off him constantly using the word "you". I can't really remember him saying "I". He didn't give any hint that he actually saw it for himself.

But like I said, he said that he passed the information off. On. Whatever word he used.

That's all I have to say at this point. I'm just gonna wait a month at this point. And I'll see what happens.

Basically:

-They can respond and tell me that they found nothing.
-They can respond and tell me that they have some theories and they'll work with me to fix this.
-They can respond and tell me that after a lot of research about frame rates and their apps, they figured out what's wrong.
-They can say absolutely nothing at all. I'll never hear from them again unless I say something first.

Those're the tangents at this point.

P.S. I still haven't gotten a clear answer about the booting/rebooting. My TV hasn't turned itsself off this week. But every now and then, after I turn it off, the logo starts blinking. White....orange...white.....orange. It used to only do that after it rebooted itsself. It's never happened after I turned it off myself. So I still don't know what's going on there.

But this is the only thing he said the fix was for, but he never gave me a clear answer as to why it's been acting funky lately. I think we started talking about it, but he never gave me any technical details. He never said anything like "It does this to [reason why it does this]" or "When [complicated technical talk] happens the TV [complicated technical talk] to [complicated technical talk". It was something really general I think, but I don't remember what he said.

There's nothing wrong with just saying "I don't know" either. It's not like he's an engineer. But according to him "You're talking to the right person". Not like......."I know how to fix your problem" but more like "This is my job title, all problems like this go to me, I'm doing my job. This stuff is in my job description to handle things like BBB complaints".

Of course he didn't actually say that, but that's basically what he meant by "the right person".

But yeah, I don't know what to do at this point. But I'm giving it a month. Hopefully they're actually looking into it. If not, thanks for wasting my time (when I could've been making my own decisions about this TV. Like to sell it, or to start looking into the legal stuff).

Luckily this forum is about TV's and stuff. Or else I'd just look like a crazy person going crazy over my TV. Or maybe I do, I don't know.

I just want this to be over (It's almost Valentines Day. I've been dealing with this since Christmas).
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post #179 of 187
2/8/13 at 4:33pm
Thread Starter 
Hey Owl- I'm the one who started this thread and just saw your posts. I'd probably still be in your position too if I hadn't been able to replace it with a different TV. I was lucky enough to get money from the warranty company, and since they let me keep the Vizio I sold it to people who didn't notice the problem with it. I'm still furious that not only did this happen, but that they have STILL done absolutely NOTHING to fix it, other than keep denying that there ever was a problem, AND they saw fit to block me from posting on their Facebook page rather than intelligently respond to my comments. Plus their whole "VIP" program was a complete joke.

I think legal action is the only solution at this point- send me a message if you want any help. I'll be glad to lend my name to anything. I was most likely on their "problem customers" list when this happened.
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post #180 of 187
2/10/13 at 12:20pm
8traxrule, that would be awesome.

But the way things are right now, I don't think I'd be able to take any legal action. I have plans for my money for months, and I don't wanna take a gamble to sue a company that can afford all their court fees and probably have lawyers lined up. But if they can look in their files and find your name, and find some of the same complaints, that would be awesome.

But just to clarify the email, there's actually three options. I thought it was all under the same thing:

1. Legal action.
2. Contacting my State Attorney General, whatever that is.
3. And/or contacting The Federal Trade Commission, whatever that is.

I'll have to look into all those.

But yeah, I think legal action is the only solution. The best solution. I just can't do that right now. I might be able to take it to small claims court later this year if I can get a job. But I don't think small claims court is really gonna do anything for a bigger issue.

And, in all honesty, I don't think I'm gonna give Vizio an entire month to deal with this. I told the guy in my email I'd try my best to be patient, but I've been talking to them for like five to six weeks. And I just looked at the calender on my phone and just realized that I haven't been able to watch movies in seven weekends. And I told him that this information was out there. If he didn't wanna look into all this time, that's on him. I've been gathering it for the same time I've been talking to them. If he chose not to look at it, I shouldn't have to sit here and watch time go by because he was being stubborn. Again, no offense to him. I've been trying to be as polite as possible, but honestly, if I'm allowed to say it on this forum, I'm pretty pissed.

I've actually been looking some stuff up while I've been typing this. I'm not sure what contacting my State Attorney General'll do. So I'll probably email the BBB to get clarification on that so I don't email her and look stupid.

But I'll probably do something with The Federal Trade Commission tomorrow. I'm trying to enjoy my day right now. Even without my TV.

But yeah, 8traxrule, I'll probably PM you now.

Also:

I wanted to say that this issue might be affecting my video games too. I finally just decided to pop in a few games this past week to see if I noticed any issues with my video games. I remember one user, !!!Firmware!!!, said his problem was noticeable on his Xbox 360 logo and menu. I haven't seen that issue with my Playstation 3 menu, but......


I know that the Xbox 360 logo has a lot of movement in it. It's like all directions happening at once.

So my cousin was playing Marvel vs Capcom 3 last week, I didn't see anything, but it's such a wild game, so it's easy to miss a lot of things.

So today I put in Street Fighter X Tekken. I didn't see any problems. This is a game I've had for a year, I know how it's supposed to look.

But when I put in Tekken Tag Tournament 2, I think I might have seen some problems.

The difference between Tekken and 2D fighting games is that it uses a 360 degree field. Meaning that there's way more movement on the screen.

I only had a few weeks worth of play time before this firmware was downloaded.

I'd been waiting for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 for over a year, and one thing I'd been excited about were the graphics. So when I finally got the game on Black Friday, I remember looking at the models up close to see the detail. It was good.

So I put it in today, and things don't look as sharp. The image almost looks like it gets "fuzzy" in fights. Specifically when the characters are fighting and moving. And it does seem to affect the entire screen, not just the 3D models.

It's more difficult to tell with video games, and I've only really seen this game on my TV for maybe 10-15 hours, but this might be another problem I'm having.

And just in case anyone from Vizio is reading this, I'm not just making stuff up. Like I've been saying, I haven't really played any video games in the past seven weeks. I finally decided to test it out today to see if those were affected as well. And it seems like they might be.

I also said that on Disney Jr's 3D shows that I didn't see any problems. But like some other people have said, it's like curtain things, the same scenes, the same "happenings" in movies seem to trigger this frame rate issue. Even when I let my Shameless Blu-Ray play, it was always the exact same scenes. The two times I painfully watched X-Men First Class, it was always the same scenes. When I put in The Dark Knight Rises, the same scenes.

So we can't completely rule out that non-filmed material isn't affected. If it can mess up the Xbox 360's logo and menu, I can easily believe that it can affect non-movie material.

Update 2/12/13:

I might have some typos cause I'm sleepy.

But after giving 8traxrule's information, I was told that he can't comment on another persons case. But the whole point was to see if the problems lined up, so they can see for themselves that this isn't an individual case.

He used the word that's been pissing me off lately, "if". "If there are any changes or updates......."

You know what I mean. That's like saying "If the weathers good enough we'll take a drive downtown." Well, if the weather isn't good enough, then it's not gonna happen. And that's pretty much where I feel like I am.

He's not telling me that the engineers are working on it. He hasn't said, "They're discussing it", it's just "I have passed this along to where it needs to go within our engineering department." Ok.......

I can pass along a short story to a magazine if I wanted to. It doesn't mean it's gonna get published.

I'll see what The Federal Trade Commission or The State Attorney General can do. I'm trying to be polite here and give them time, but they're on my time right now. This is extra time I'm not gonna have a TV. More time for the TV to go down in value if I'm lucky enough to be able to sell it for parts. That's more time I'm waiting, staring at this thing in my room, while they're all at home comfortable.

But yeah, I'm pretty much getting a great unknown from him right now.

And something else I thought of:

The possibility that they may never find out what's wrong. The idea that a new firmware update won't be helpful. Y'know, sometimes accidents happen, and you can't see the what's, why, where's, how's all that.

They need to work from the firmware they had before, and work from that. Not build on something that's already broken. That would be really dumb. Especially if they have no clue what's causing this. Just take a step back, then go forward. I'd tell him this myself, but I'm pretty sure he'd just brush everything off that I have to say.
Edited by TheNeonBlueOwl - 2/12/13 at 8:30am
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