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Vizio E601-A3 Owners Thread - Page 52

post #1531 of 2658
1/23/13 at 11:09am
Well I hooked this up this morning and when I turned it on at lunch here it said it had updated to the new firmware (that was quick).

Anyway I'm going to be using the tv speakers for now. Should I be using the Dolby Digital setting under audio out for the PCM setting?

Also SRS true volume on or off?

I've only watched some bits and pieces of various programs but so far I'm pressed. The size alone going from 50" to 60" is awesome. I'll see how it goes over the next few days.

Thanks,

-Guru
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post #1532 of 2658
1/23/13 at 1:23pm
Hi Guys and Gals,

Vizio E601i-A3 (replaced my old Mitsubishi WS-55807 55" Rear ProjectionTV)
NETGEAR N600 Wireless Dual-Band Router
Comcast Triple Play (HDMI Input 1080i)
Vizio Audio out to my old Sony STR-DE405 Surround

I've been following this thread for a few days and I appreciate the valuable information and opinions you've all supplied on the Vizio E601i-A3.

Based on a couple of friends who have owned Vizio's for a while, plus reviews I've found here as well as other online sources, I pulled the trigger and purchased mine at my local Best Buy for $883.00 on December 27, just about a month ago, so my 30-day exchange deal at Best Buy was rapidly running out.

I'm very happy with the PQ and all the Smart features. I did however experience a bit of the out-of-sync issue discussed in this thread about every third day or so and I learned quickly on my own that simply changing to another channel and then back again seemed to cure it temporarily. The firmware that came with the TV was Version 1.1.4 and learned by reading through this thread that Version 1.1.5 included a fix for this known issue. I called Vizio yesterday and was told they could update the FW if I could connect the TV to my computer with an Ethernet cable. I didn't have one long enough (TV-Computer is around 20 feet) so I was told the unit could update automatically at some period of time. This morning however, in turning on the TV there was the on-screen notice that the FW had been undated to 1.1.5. So, time will tell if this fixed the sync issue once and for all.

I see the list price has now come down on the Vizio site to $899.00 as of this morning (includes Free Shipping):
http://store.vizio.com/via-hdtvs/e601ia3.html

Of course, the next concern was protecting my investment and after thoroughly investigating decided the Square Trade Warranty would be the way to go.

I called Square Trade this morning and their offer was 3-years at $109.00, but I happened to also click on a link with a "Limited Time" offer of $89.00 for 3-years , so I signed up with this one thinking the "limited time" could at the 30-day mark and I didn't want to miss out.
http://www.squaretrade.com/vizio-landing1

I was a little concerned about the fact that the Square Trade and Vizio one-year manufacturer's warranty ran concurrently instead of Square Trade picking up at the end of the Vizio warranty, but I suppose that's how it works. Kind of redundant I thought, having both running at the same time. The best reasoning/justification I could get from Square Trade is that I'm covered with Square Trade and NOT by Vizio in case of a "power surge". Never in my life so far have I ever experienced an electrical surge causing damage to electrical items so I though that excuse was rather flimsy. I suppose it depends on where one lives and how prevalent lightning strikes could be to ones abode.

I calibrated using the recommended settings at Cnet:
http://forums.cnet.com/7723-19410_102-574831/vizio-e601i-a3-picture-settings/
but have made my own tweaks building off of those.

So far I'm loving this TV and am looking forward to (hopefully) many years of good performance.

Thanks again, and I'll continue to follow this thread for more of your valuable input.

Gene smile.gif
Edited by iautotron - 1/23/13 at 1:30pm
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post #1533 of 2658
1/23/13 at 1:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jestermx6 View Post

I noticed this. How long do you have to get a difference refund on items at best buy? its only 40 bucks, but hey....its 40 bucks!
I believe Best buy has a 30 day policy, so you could maybe do a return re-buy. However if they already adjusted the price once they may not do it again.

Remember Best buy and the others make razor thin margins on TV's. They just get you in the door. The Extended warranties, and HDMI cables is what keeps the lights on. So if you bought a bunch of other stuff when you bought the TV, you're probably good. if you only bought the TV they may be a little non negotiable.
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post #1534 of 2658
1/23/13 at 1:53pm
i'll stop in and see what they say. we're 23 days into 2013 and i've already spent over 2000 dollars at their store.
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post #1535 of 2658
1/23/13 at 2:14pm
Hello everyone, we just got our E601-A3 on Christmas. Loving it so far! Blows my 2 year old Samsung LN40C630 out of the water!

Turned it on this AM to see there was a automatic firmware update to 1.1.5, S/N starts with 47. After reading a bit, this is supposed to fix the lip-sync issue. I was suffering from this issue on my Time Warner Cisco box so that is great news. Is there anywhere I can find the official release notes from Vizio? I tried their website and turned up nothing.

Thank you!
Edited by btswein - 1/23/13 at 3:48pm
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post #1536 of 2658
1/23/13 at 2:18pm
Anyone else notice much improved streaming performance from the built-in apps after the 1.1.5 update?

My E601i-A3 (SN begins with 42) would begin skipping and stuttering horribly on the Youtube or 'Web Videos' app with firmware version 1.1.4... it was quite annoying and this was using either Wifi or a direct ethernet connection.

After the 1.1.5 update the Youtube and Web Videos apps perform flawlessly when playing back videos - so FINALLY the 'smart' part of this 'smart TV' actually becomes a little useful. Once the HTPC is finished I doubt I'll use any of the built-in apps but until then I can finally play some content off the web.

Now I just gotta hope that my set isn't one of those with the panel that likes to go 'poof!'!
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post #1537 of 2658
1/23/13 at 2:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by iautotron View Post

I called Square Trade this morning and their offer was 3-years at $109.00, but I happened to also click on a link with a "Limited Time" offer of $89.00 for 3-years , so I signed up with this one thinking the "limited time" could at the 30-day mark and I didn't want to miss out.
http://www.squaretrade.com/vizio-landing1

My Square Trade Warranty only cost $60.00 for three years-is that because I bought directly from Costco?
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post #1538 of 2658
1/23/13 at 3:14pm
Well finally received the 1.1.5 fw update this morning (sn# 46) and i have yet to see any lip sync issues, i put it on the channel that had the the lip sync issue the worst and have yet to see it.. it's been on that channel all day and no problems finally

o yeah i have the samsung twc box
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post #1539 of 2658
1/23/13 at 3:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheGeekRedneck View Post

Anyone else notice much improved streaming performance from the built-in apps after the 1.1.5 update?

My E601i-A3 (SN begins with 42) would begin skipping and stuttering horribly on the Youtube or 'Web Videos' app with firmware version 1.1.4... it was quite annoying and this was using either Wifi or a direct ethernet connection.

After the 1.1.5 update the Youtube and Web Videos apps perform flawlessly when playing back videos - so FINALLY the 'smart' part of this 'smart TV' actually becomes a little useful. Once the HTPC is finished I doubt I'll use any of the built-in apps but until then I can finally play some content off the web.

Now I just gotta hope that my set isn't one of those with the panel that likes to go 'poof!'!

Mine was just the opposite. My apps worked flawlessly before the update, now skip badly.
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post #1540 of 2658
1/23/13 at 3:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Badfish740 View Post

My Square Trade Warranty only cost $60.00 for three years-is that because I bought directly from Costco?
I don't know about the Costco connection to Square Trade, but you obviously got a great deal.

Best Buy of course, with their Geek Squad thing, didn't offer me anything related to Square Trade, I found out about them from the Vizio site.

I suppose now I'm going to learn that with a bit more investigation, I could have paid $60 instead of $89 (I hate when that happens mad.gif ).

smile.gif

btw...knowing I was close to purchasing a new Smart TV and I was going to want to connect my computer to it (20 feet separates them) I knew I was going to need a long HDMI cable (25 ft)....

got this one that I ordered Christmas night and received the following week: ($8.09 - FREE Shipping)...
it works great:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/25-FT-HDMI-Cable-High-Speed-Premium-1-3-1080P-Male-AV-HDTV-PS3-DVD-LCD-xBox-25FT-/180916303601?pt=US_Video_Cables_Adapters&hash=item2a1f73b6f1

Note on this one however:
This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available.

smile.gif
Edited by iautotron - 1/23/13 at 3:34pm
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post #1541 of 2658
1/23/13 at 5:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jetfxr27 View Post

Just a heads up. It looks like there's been an across the board price drop for the e601i-A3 for Super bowel (finally). $879-$899 at most retailers and a lot are while supplies last.

Thanks for this AWESOME info. For anyone that bought this at Costco I just got off the phone with management at my local Costco and they told me to bring in my receipt to the membership desk and tell them I was given approval by the assistant general manager there and I can get the price adjustment....this was purchased 1.7.13 for $979 now it is $879....that is $100 price drop.

Want I found interesting is there were $1849 55" Samsungs that were dropped by $800 so these were a little over $1000. It just goes to show you what high markups the Samsung has. I bet Vizio does not have a very high markup because they want to be a low cost provdier. So say if there was gross profit of $200 per TV then on black friday alone they sold 100,000+ units = $20 million GP.....not a bad days work. I bet the GP might be even higher than that.
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post #1542 of 2658
1/23/13 at 5:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RichardCarver View Post

The E70 is on at Amazon for 1599. Couldn't resist, I had to snag one! For the price of a premium 55 last year I have a 60 and a 70...wow.

Same deal at Costco after $300 savings.
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post #1543 of 2658
1/23/13 at 5:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jestermx6 View Post

I noticed this. How long do you have to get a difference refund on items at best buy? its only 40 bucks, but hey....its 40 bucks!

If you are in the return window for BB then they should honor it.....not sure the return policy there. But if you are in the return window and they do not honor the sale price then I would tell them you will be returning the TV and buying it again. Do you really want that happen? Is that the way you are treating your customers.....no wonder BB is on the verge of bankruptcy.
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post #1544 of 2658
1/23/13 at 5:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ListedGuru View Post

What type of sound settings do you guys recommend if I'm going to just use the TV's speakers. Probably turn on the SRS surround? Anything else? I just use the TV speakers and they sound awesome at 15 or 25 volume anything louder than that and it is too loud. Here are my audio settings:

Audio Mode FLAT
Balance 0
Lip Sync 0
TV Speakers ON
SRS StudioSound HD Surround
SRS Volume ON
Advanced Audio
Digital Audio Out Dolby Digital
Analog Audio Out Fixed

I hooked it up earlier today but haven't spend but 5 minutes with it. Going to plug in some settings and see how I like it.

How do I check which version of fw I have? Menu > Help > System Info

Also does it take awhile for the lip synch issue to appear? I didn't notice any earlier but it was only on for about 5 minutes. Never had any lip synch issues I think most of these were with setup boxes or 3rd party players.

-Guru
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post #1545 of 2658
1/23/13 at 5:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fitty76 View Post

I'm on a wired connection with my TV. I don't mind the freezing with the app that much. (Whatever it happens). But the popping noise that's coming from the TV bothers me a lot more. I happens whenever I turn off the TV to fix the freezing issue. Like I said, I can't tell if the noise is coming from the speaker or the TV.

Try chatting with Vizio Support online and see what they say. Not sure why it is popping but that does not sound good and may cause issues over time. Where did you get the TV from? How long have you had it? I have not experienced anything like that.
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post #1546 of 2658
1/23/13 at 5:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Badfish740 View Post

Thanks! Now another dumb question-how does one download it since there's no browser?

Not a dumb question....if you do not know the answer:

V Button > Connected TV Store > Categories > Page 2 > Music > Pandora > Install App

back out to docking bar and select Pandora and you are ready to go.
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post #1547 of 2658
1/23/13 at 6:01pm
Yea it seems like almost all the major sites have gone to $899, which is a great price. Hope my Citi Price Rewind works like it should that will be a $100 back for me.
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post #1548 of 2658
1/23/13 at 6:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by iautotron View Post

Hi Guys and Gals,

Vizio E601i-A3 (replaced my old Mitsubishi WS-55807 55" Rear ProjectionTV)
NETGEAR N600 Wireless Dual-Band Router
Comcast Triple Play (HDMI Input 1080i)
Vizio Audio out to my old Sony STR-DE405 Surround

I've been following this thread for a few days and I appreciate the valuable information and opinions you've all supplied on the Vizio E601i-A3.

Based on a couple of friends who have owned Vizio's for a while, plus reviews I've found here as well as other online sources, I pulled the trigger and purchased mine at my local Best Buy for $883.00 on December 27, just about a month ago, so my 30-day exchange deal at Best Buy was rapidly running out.

I'm very happy with the PQ and all the Smart features. I did however experience a bit of the out-of-sync issue discussed in this thread about every third day or so and I learned quickly on my own that simply changing to another channel and then back again seemed to cure it temporarily. The firmware that came with the TV was Version 1.1.4 and learned by reading through this thread that Version 1.1.5 included a fix for this known issue. I called Vizio yesterday and was told they could update the FW if I could connect the TV to my computer with an Ethernet cable. I didn't have one long enough (TV-Computer is around 20 feet) so I was told the unit could update automatically at some period of time. This morning however, in turning on the TV there was the on-screen notice that the FW had been undated to 1.1.5. So, time will tell if this fixed the sync issue once and for all.

I see the list price has now come down on the Vizio site to $899.00 as of this morning (includes Free Shipping):
http://store.vizio.com/via-hdtvs/e601ia3.html

Of course, the next concern was protecting my investment and after thoroughly investigating decided the Square Trade Warranty would be the way to go.

I called Square Trade this morning and their offer was 3-years at $109.00, but I happened to also click on a link with a "Limited Time" offer of $89.00 for 3-years , so I signed up with this one thinking the "limited time" could at the 30-day mark and I didn't want to miss out.
http://www.squaretrade.com/vizio-landing1

I was a little concerned about the fact that the Square Trade and Vizio one-year manufacturer's warranty ran concurrently instead of Square Trade picking up at the end of the Vizio warranty, but I suppose that's how it works. Kind of redundant I thought, having both running at the same time. The best reasoning/justification I could get from Square Trade is that I'm covered with Square Trade and NOT by Vizio in case of a "power surge". Never in my life so far have I ever experienced an electrical surge causing damage to electrical items so I though that excuse was rather flimsy. I suppose it depends on where one lives and how prevalent lightning strikes could be to ones abode.

I calibrated using the recommended settings at Cnet:
http://forums.cnet.com/7723-19410_102-574831/vizio-e601i-a3-picture-settings/
but have made my own tweaks building off of those.

So far I'm loving this TV and am looking forward to (hopefully) many years of good performance.

Thanks again, and I'll continue to follow this thread for more of your valuable input.

Gene smile.gif

Congrats in joining the forum and this awesome set.

Not sure if you have a Costco close by by this set is $879 NOW and you can get the 3yr square trade warranty for $59.99 that STARTS AFTER the 2 year Costco warranty. This is a special deal Costco has with them. The regular way ST works runs at the same time. Just and FYI.....you have time to return your set to BB.

Please update the tracking thread with your info:
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1450621/vizio-e601-a3-how-long-have-you-had-this-unit
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post #1549 of 2658
1/23/13 at 6:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by btswein View Post

Hello everyone, we just got our E601-A3 on Christmas. Loving it so far! Blows my 2 year old Samsung LN40C630 out of the water!

Turned it on this AM to see there was a automatic firmware update to 1.1.5, S/N starts with 47. After reading a bit, this is supposed to fix the lip-sync issue. I was suffering from this issue on my Time Warner Cisco box so that is great news. Is there anywhere I can find the official release notes from Vizio? I tried their website and turned up nothing.

Thank you!

Welcome please update my tracking thread with your info:
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1450621/vizio-e601-a3-how-long-have-you-had-this-unit

We are gathering significant data on this set over time.
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post #1550 of 2658
1/23/13 at 6:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheGeekRedneck View Post

Anyone else notice much improved streaming performance from the built-in apps after the 1.1.5 update?

My E601i-A3 (SN begins with 42) would begin skipping and stuttering horribly on the Youtube or 'Web Videos' app with firmware version 1.1.4... it was quite annoying and this was using either Wifi or a direct ethernet connection.

After the 1.1.5 update the Youtube and Web Videos apps perform flawlessly when playing back videos - so FINALLY the 'smart' part of this 'smart TV' actually becomes a little useful. Once the HTPC is finished I doubt I'll use any of the built-in apps but until then I can finally play some content off the web.

Now I just gotta hope that my set isn't one of those with the panel that likes to go 'poof!'!

Please update my tracking thread with your info:
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1450621/vizio-e601-a3-how-long-have-you-had-this-unit
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post #1551 of 2658
1/23/13 at 6:25pm
Ha, forgot I got it from Amazon and they have the 30 day price guarantee! $100 bucks back instantly and still may get the rewind.

Love, love, love Amazon.
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post #1552 of 2658
1/23/13 at 6:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jtyettis View Post

Yea it seems like almost all the major sites have gone to $899, which is a great price. Hope my Citi Price Rewind works like it should that will be a $100 back for me.
All due respects...$688 is a "great" price wink.gif
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post #1553 of 2658
1/23/13 at 6:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hamerdown View Post

All due respects...$688 is a "great" price wink.gif

Was buying my dream home. Had to hold off until after closing. smile.gif


Though yes it is a great price. May put aside that $100 for another one if these prices keep dropping. Still need something for the man cave. Though I may hold out until this year's Black Friday for something this size with even more bells and whistles.
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post #1554 of 2658
1/23/13 at 7:07pm
Shoot at $999.00 this is a great price considering the PQ once dialed in. Yeah I got mine on BF but I'd pay a grand and not even bat an eye. I bought a 1700.00 Sharp a few yrs. ago which has excellent PQ but doesn't hold a candle to this Vizio.
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post #1555 of 2658
1/23/13 at 7:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by montecore View Post

Thanks for this AWESOME info. For anyone that bought this at Costco I just got off the phone with management at my local Costco and they told me to bring in my receipt to the membership desk and tell them I was given approval by the assistant general manager there and I can get the price adjustment....this was purchased 1.7.13 for $979 now it is $879....that is $100 price drop.

Want I found interesting is there were $1849 55" Samsungs that were dropped by $800 so these were a little over $1000. It just goes to show you what high markups the Samsung has. I bet Vizio does not have a very high markup because they want to be a low cost provdier. So say if there was gross profit of $200 per TV then on black friday alone they sold 100,000+ units = $20 million GP.....not a bad days work. I bet the GP might be even higher than that.

just so you know, you didnt need any special approval to get the lower price and get your 100 bucks back....thats costcos standard pricing policy...i went in this morning with my reciept and got the 100 bucks put in my pocket....now lets keep our fingers crossed that our tv's dont crap the bed....
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post #1556 of 2658
1/23/13 at 7:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hamerdown View Post

All due respects...$688 is a "great" price wink.gif

True that is a great price....but I also believe this is where there were a lot of defective sets unloaded. From what I can remember in the past any sets that are made for WalMart do not contain the exact same parts therefore are different from the original manufacturer. They use to just make sets sold directly to WalMart and pass them off as the original. In the past they used lower quality parts that were less expensive to acquire so they could be the low cost provider. WalMart negotiates the contract with the vendor and the vendor builds a special line for WalMart. That is why I never buy electronics from WalMart.
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post #1557 of 2658
1/23/13 at 7:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinnier6 View Post

just so you know, you didnt need any special approval to get the lower price and get your 100 bucks back....thats costcos standard pricing policy...i went in this morning with my reciept and got the 100 bucks put in my pocket....now lets keep our fingers crossed that our tv's dont crap the bed....

Great News....I just wanted to get management backup just in case I need to play that card. I just called them and have not made it to the store. Great time to be getting this set with the Super Bowl around the corner and the price drop.
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post #1558 of 2658
1/23/13 at 7:53pm
Just to let everyone know......Vizio will not release what each firmware update is suppose to improve or correct. I am not sure why this is such a secret so we will never know what they are meant to do.

Someone at Vizio leaked what the 1.1.5 update was meant to correct and that was lip sync.
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post #1559 of 2658
1/23/13 at 8:58pm
My remote became unresponsive about an hour ago and I'll share my experience with Vizio support and the process used to get it working again. When it died I put in fresh batteries and it was still not working so I called Vizio hoping for a fresh remote but darned if she didn't fix it!

Remove batteries
Press each key twice (I asked about the purpose; it's to make sure the keys aren't stuck)
Reinsert batteries

If no joy: (Do reset)
Use the set button to turn it off
Unplug the set.
Hold the power button down for 30 seconds
Replug the set.

At this point I had a functioning remote again. I'm not sure of the science behind this working but it did. I updated to 115 this morning and I don't know if that had anything to do with it but people have reported strange things after this update.

At any rate, should your remote fail give this a try before trying to score a new remote from Vizio!
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post #1560 of 2658
1/24/13 at 6:02am
Does that reset your settings?

Also, wondering - if you have a Harmony or other universal...do those not work either? IOW was it the set or the remote not being right?
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