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Vizio E701i-A3 Owners Thread - Page 7

post #181 of 1196
12/1/12 at 11:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnTheDoe View Post

Oh ok -- yeah my stand is pretty firm too. But the TV flexes even putting HDMI cable. I dont plan to mount it, but probably looking for a way to put some sort of support on the sides and on the base behind the TV. Living in earthquake country (bay area, CA), I need to make sure it doesn't fall off the table.

Yeah that seems like a good idea! I've heard of people anchoring sets to walls but not sure about the rigging required.
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post #182 of 1196
12/1/12 at 11:37am
This TV is my first flat panel. I came from a 40" tube from 1996 so I'm in the process of deciphering what is "normal" PQ for edge lit LCD/LED. I dont want to be overly critical if there are inherent limitations due to the technology itself. I was originally going to get the. Panasonic GT65 plasma but saw this TV for $1489 at Costco so I pulled the trigger since it was $1000 less expensive.

Anyhow I have a few questions:

1) When the TV is on but not showing an image and dark, I don't see solid blackness - I see mostly black/gray with some light variances across the screen - kind of splotchy. This disappears when there's an actual image being shown however. Is this normal? I've tried turning the back light way down but then I don't enjoy viewing as much. Is this what they call screen "uniformity" and if so how much is acceptable due to the technology vs whether or not there is an actual problem with the set?

2) At the bottom edge of my screen there are three or four areas that have inconsistent brightness spanning upwards 6 or so inches. Is this want they call "flashlighting?" I only notice it when there's a solid color showing. Is this normal? I think I should have a solid image... It is very obvious to see.

3) sometimes when there is a scene with large amounts of bright white background the people and images in the foreground look a little blurry and washed out. Is the TV causing this?

4) what is bleeding?

5) what is clouding?

6) Anyone have streaming issues? I can only watch Hulu for about 10 minutes before it freezes and breaks up. I have tried both wireless and wired connections. I have the fastest download speeds available from Time Warner and consistently get 30 down when tested so bandwidth is not the issue. It is not a Hulu issue either as I tested my cheap Sony BluRay with Hulu and didn't have any issues at all. My guess is that the TV either doesn't buffer efficiently or there is not enough buffer memory available. It really does ruin my viewing experience when I have to turn the TV off and on every 10 minutes and get back to where I was. At certain points when this occurs i can't control anything at all on the tv except the power button. Very frustrating. Any suggestions?

Sorry for the long post. I really do like the TV but just need to make sure I'm not being overly critical. Your responses are appreciated - thanks!
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post #183 of 1196
12/1/12 at 3:27pm
Just took my set back to Costco. Watched the Amazing Spiderman and noticed clouding (splotchy in dark scenes) throughout the entire movie. I turned the backlight down to 40 which left a dark image. I cranked up the brightness to compensate but that left blacks very gray. I also noticed that the picture was soft compared to my 3 year old Samsung Plasma. I'm very disappointed. Really wanted to like this set (especially at $1500) but I just wasn't happy with the picture quality. Three kids and my wife all made comments that it wasn't as good as the Plasma. I thought the viewing angles were not too bad which was my biggest concern in going to LCD from Plasma. In the end, the clouding killed it for me. I know there are variances between sets but it wasn't worth the hassle to try another set. I was also very surprised that 70" only seemed a little bigger over 58".
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post #184 of 1196
12/1/12 at 5:46pm
Lucan I wish I'd posted this before your return. I continue to be happy with my 70" even with the backlight on 30 which pretty much eliminated the uneven backlighting.

However, in a "why not?" moment I tried the paint roller trick on my screen. First I cranked the backlight to 100 to really see the hot spots. I used a micro fiber blanket since I didn't have a paint roller laying around smile.gif Just soft gentle circles pressing/rubbing out from the spots into the blacker portions of the screen.

I am shocked to report a seriously dramatic improvement in the backlight. It is waaaaaaay more even now. Now, at Backlight 50, I have only one, barely visible spot in the lower right - and it's less visible than the spots were previously on 30. Really incredible.

Going to watch Dark Knight Rises tonight which should be a pretty good test of things. I'll report back tomorrow but in some casual TV watching just now (Alabama game, T2, Shrek, Starship Troopers) the picture was incredible, even on dark screens, and black transitions in and out of commercials for example.

I continue to be blown away by this set (for the price).
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post #185 of 1196
12/1/12 at 5:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by geant90 View Post

@Patrascu did you try several HDMI inputs and id you try other HDMI devices?

Funny you should ask. I did try multiple HDMI inputs but I don't have any other HDMI devices. Everything goes through my Mac Mini. Previously, I had an old plasma that I was running at 1366x768 through a Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter. I am using the same adapter with the new Vizio but am having the problem I explained earlier where I cannot get 1080P mode (1920x1080 @60Hz) to work properly. When I try switching to 1080P, I get vertical black bars on both edges of the TV. Since no one else seems to have encountered this, I'm guessing it's a problem with the Mac Mini or OSX Mountain Lion in general.

In the end, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get full resolution after I receive my new HDMI cable on Monday. Until then, I guess I'll be happy with 1600x900.
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post #186 of 1196
12/2/12 at 6:40am
Well Dark Knight Rises was pretty great on the set. There are a couple of very dark scenes where I could see the faint glow from the hotspot in the lower right hand corner. It has a slightly blue tint rather than black, as mentioned in some of the reviews, but it was largely because I looked for it. I think if I'd let myself focus only on the movie and didn't busy myself looking for flaws I'm pretty sure my eyes would not have been drawn to it. My wife didn't mention it for example, and she is pretty critical. And for most of the movie it wasn't noticeable at all.

Otoh I noticed two "light spikes" about 1" wide each that are middle left. Hadn't seen them before. They start at the bottom and extend up into the picture about 4-5" or just enough to cross the bottom black bar on the 2.35:1 picture and go into the picture area. On a full black screen they are different lengths from one another. Very faint, like the remaining splotch in the lower right corner. I didn't want to pause the movie to work on them but I'll try today.

Still very impressed for the price.
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post #187 of 1196
12/2/12 at 9:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by anthonymoody View Post

.....
I think if I'd let myself focus only on the movie and didn't busy myself looking for flaws I'm pretty sure my eyes would not have been drawn to it.
....
Still very impressed for the price.

Anthony hit it on the head. As long as there is no glaring in your face obvious issue with tv (like one guy had weird resolution which got fixed by itself), I think this is a great TV for the price. Sure, one can spend $5000 for a 70" Plasma and get a beautiful picture. But that 3x the price of this TV.

So far 1 week and I have tried various settings, but I am stick with most defaults, except lower backlight and little less Red/Green Push. My favorite scene is Bourne Identity Paris Apartment scene. I have watched that scene for like over 100 times in various TVs. When I watched it in this TV, I was simply amazed by the details I saw - there is a half empty soap bottle lying on the sink, you can read the toothpaste, you can see the fake currency bills under the $100 bundle, read every single line on the two papers, name, address, DOB, all vitals. The picture is simply amazing. And the car chase scene, you can read license plate of every single car, the store signs, the ad on the bus. Another of my favorite scene is U571 where the german ship tries to sink he U-boat. Its pretty dark, so blacks are important. The clarity inside the sub is simply amazing, every single drop of perspiration and details of every single instrument, it just jumps out (not to mention its a test of your subwoofer smile.gif

Anyway, I agree with Anthony -- just enjoy the picture if the colors/resolution is right. Not try to nit pick 1sq cm of a corner in a 2094 sq inch screen.
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post #188 of 1196
12/2/12 at 11:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gsferry View Post

Okay, so I just got the E701-A3 at Costco, and its great except that it keeps doing the off/on thing (turning off randomly). It's not clear if it's actually rebooting, as the power cycle it fairly quick. I also have an older 32" Vizio, and it never does this. I'm hoping its just a matter of time before Vizio sends the proper firmware updates over the wire to get it functioning properly, but not sure how long this might take. Got a Blu-ray player and xbox 360 hooked up to it, and seems more reliable to use the xbox for apps, for example Netflix, as when the TV cycles power I don't lose my entire context. Anyone else experiencing the same issue? I will likely be contacting Costco or Vizio soon. Not sure a new set would make any difference, unless it's an issue with the power supply or related part of the board.

Quick update. Talked to Costco and Vizio support, and did a hard reset as well. Vizio says there is an updated firmware available, and they are sending it on a USB stick (rep couldn't give me a URL for download). They also said if I connect the set via Ethernet (vs wireless) that the update would come down automatically within 48 hours, but so far that has not worked either. As an aside, I had to move the set to get my Ethernet cable to reach, and it is plugged directly into the outlet. The symptoms have now evolved, and now instead of power cycling it just shuts off. I have turnit back on manually. It will typically drop adio a few seconds before it shuts off, so I know when to pause the movie or game, but REALLY ?!? I really hope firmware is the answer here.

In any case, what version of firmware are your sets running? Mine is 1.1.3.
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post #189 of 1196
12/2/12 at 12:47pm
[/quote]
In any case, what version of firmware are your sets running? Mine is 1.1.3.[/quote]

I am also at 1.1.3
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post #190 of 1196
12/2/12 at 3:01pm
I am at 1.1.3 too
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post #191 of 1196
12/2/12 at 3:33pm
Where do you go to check the firmware?
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post #192 of 1196
12/2/12 at 3:39pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Darth Indy View Post

Where do you go to check the firmware?

Menu>Help>System Info
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post #193 of 1196
12/2/12 at 7:28pm
Any one tried the dlna yet ? Its under VIA -> Media. I have a mythtv server as dlna. I can browse the recordings, but cant play anything. Will try something other dlna server tomorrow.
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post #194 of 1196
12/3/12 at 7:06am
I am on 1.1.3 as well.

Funny when I went through the initial set up it wouldn't connect to my wifi network despite repeated attempts. I meant to hard wire it down the road. Well, some time between set up and now it decided to connect. It tests at >15 down on the set so I assume I would get any updates without issue. Seem guys in the 60" thread are apparently on 1.1.4.

The set continues to amaze me for the $, and I am increasingly inclined to drop the qualifier. It's no Elite but man is this a great set.

Yesterday watched the Knicks, some football, Greys Anatomy from DVR, and Walking Dead. All looked phenomenal especially the Knicks, Colts, and Steelers games. WOW. Pristine feeds look absolutely incredible. Might hibernate this weekend for a LOTR EE blu ray marathon in advance of The Hobbit next week.
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post #195 of 1196
12/3/12 at 7:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pchain View Post

This TV is my first flat panel. I came from a 40" tube from 1996 so I'm in the process of deciphering what is "normal" PQ for edge lit LCD/LED. I dont want to be overly critical if there are inherent limitations due to the technology itself. I was originally going to get the. Panasonic GT65 plasma but saw this TV for $1489 at Costco so I pulled the trigger since it was $1000 less expensive.
Anyhow I have a few questions:
1) When the TV is on but not showing an image and dark, I don't see solid blackness - I see mostly black/gray with some light variances across the screen - kind of splotchy. This disappears when there's an actual image being shown however. Is this normal? I've tried turning the back light way down but then I don't enjoy viewing as much. Is this what they call screen "uniformity" and if so how much is acceptable due to the technology vs whether or not there is an actual problem with the set?
2) At the bottom edge of my screen there are three or four areas that have inconsistent brightness spanning upwards 6 or so inches. Is this want they call "flashlighting?" I only notice it when there's a solid color showing. Is this normal? I think I should have a solid image... It is very obvious to see.
3) sometimes when there is a scene with large amounts of bright white background the people and images in the foreground look a little blurry and washed out. Is the TV causing this?
4) what is bleeding?
5) what is clouding?
6) Anyone have streaming issues? I can only watch Hulu for about 10 minutes before it freezes and breaks up. I have tried both wireless and wired connections. I have the fastest download speeds available from Time Warner and consistently get 30 down when tested so bandwidth is not the issue. It is not a Hulu issue either as I tested my cheap Sony BluRay with Hulu and didn't have any issues at all. My guess is that the TV either doesn't buffer efficiently or there is not enough buffer memory available. It really does ruin my viewing experience when I have to turn the TV off and on every 10 minutes and get back to where I was. At certain points when this occurs i can't control anything at all on the tv except the power button. Very frustrating. Any suggestions?
Sorry for the long post. I really do like the TV but just need to make sure I'm not being overly critical. Your responses are appreciated - thanks!

1) some amount of this is normal. Crank the backlight to 100, then take a micro fiber cloth and GENTLY rub in circles around the screen, especially over the bright spots. This should help a great deal. You may have to do it more than once. Then backlight back to 50 and see how it looks.

2) some amount of this is common too. My set had two of these before I rubbed them out (heh)

3) not sure. There is a thing called dse dirty screen effect, which usually happens on white backgrounds during pans, eg ice hockey. My set has some, but not too bad. I don't notice the thing you are describing though.

4) bleeding is #2
5) clouding is #1

6) I use a ps3 for all my streaming so can't comment here. Maybe someone else can.

In terms of the bleeding and clouding, there is definitely variation from set to set. You can take steps to tame it. I got lucky in this regard. Mine was 'okay' ootb but after the micro fiber rubbing it's now very good to great. Some people spend months exchanging set after set to try to get one that is better ootb. Only you can determine whether you can live with it (as is or post rubbing...)

Good luck!
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post #196 of 1196
12/3/12 at 7:25am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by anthonymoody View Post

1) some amount of this is normal. Crank the backlight to 100, then take a micro fiber cloth and GENTLY rub in circles around the screen, especially over the bright spots. This should help a great deal. You may have to do it more than once. Then backlight back to 50 and see how it looks.
2) some amount of this is common too. My set had two of these before I rubbed them out (heh)
3) not sure. There is a thing called dse dirty screen effect, which usually happens on white backgrounds during pans, eg ice hockey. My set has some, but not too bad. I don't notice the thing you are describing though.
4) bleeding is #2
5) clouding is #1
6) I use a ps3 for all my streaming so can't comment here. Maybe someone else can.
In terms of the bleeding and clouding, there is definitely variation from set to set. You can take steps to tame it. I got lucky in this regard. Mine was 'okay' ootb but after the micro fiber rubbing it's now very good to great. Some people spend months exchanging set after set to try to get one that is better ootb. Only you can determine whether you can live with it (as is or post rubbing...)
Good luck!

anthonymoody loves his TV. He gives it massages, he likes to 'rub one out' with it and now he's taking it away for a long weekend alone with LOTR, probably in a half darkened room! Does AVS have any sort of intervention program??tongue.gif
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post #197 of 1196
12/3/12 at 7:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RichardCarver View Post

anthonymoody loves his TV. He gives it massages, he likes to 'rub one out' with it and now he's taking it away for a long weekend alone with LOTR, probably in a half darkened room! Does AVS have any sort of intervention program??tongue.gif

Monday morning funnies -- hahaha smile.gif
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post #198 of 1196
12/3/12 at 8:09am
so do we have consensus as to what is the most preferred settings for this set?
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post #199 of 1196
12/3/12 at 9:37am
Anybody hooked up a Darbee yet?
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post #200 of 1196
12/3/12 at 11:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pchain View Post

This TV is my first flat panel. I came from a 40" tube from 1996 so I'm in the process of deciphering what is "normal" PQ for edge lit LCD/LED. I dont want to be overly critical if there are inherent limitations due to the technology itself. I was originally going to get the. Panasonic GT65 plasma but saw this TV for $1489 at Costco so I pulled the trigger since it was $1000 less expensive.
Anyhow I have a few questions:
1) When the TV is on but not showing an image and dark, I don't see solid blackness - I see mostly black/gray with some light variances across the screen - kind of splotchy. This disappears when there's an actual image being shown however. Is this normal? I've tried turning the back light way down but then I don't enjoy viewing as much. Is this what they call screen "uniformity" and if so how much is acceptable due to the technology vs whether or not there is an actual problem with the set?
.........!

If you have a setting for Dynamic Contrast, or adaptive luma, go into the settings and turn it off, then recheck the same dark scenes and see if it helps.

Rick
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post #201 of 1196
12/3/12 at 6:54pm
well I got this last week but finally had a chance to get it set up tonight.... well color me impressed. right out of the box, ZERO clouding, light bleed etc etc.
And the pq out of the box looked quite good. Now I know it needs tweaking but this is the first tv in a long time ive had to do very little out of the box.

I will be looking for settings in the thread but I am very happy thus far. I will say one thing, it looks awful small compared to my 80 inch sharps though.
its amazing how quickly you get used to the size. Thankfully this is a bedroom tv smile.gif
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post #202 of 1196
12/3/12 at 8:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by andy sullivan View Post

Anybody hooked up a Darbee yet?

Been thinking about this. I poked around in the Darbee thread and consensus is that the better the source the greater the improvement. I was kind of dreaming of the opposite since blu ray and the best hd feeds already look pretty amazing. Would prefer a big improvement from lesser sources (I'm sort of forced to watch a lot of DVDs as industry screeners are stuck in the 90's).
Quote:
Originally Posted by RichardCarver View Post

anthonymoody loves his TV. He gives it massages, he likes to 'rub one out' with it and now he's taking it away for a long weekend alone with LOTR, probably in a half darkened room! Does AVS have any sort of intervention program??tongue.gif

Hey now, come on. The room will be completely dark.

EDIT. - Suzook glad you like yours. Sounds like you got a good sample too.
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post #203 of 1196
12/3/12 at 9:00pm
I have to check if the onboard NIC is 100 or 1000 cause then could stream my mvoies without xbmc but xbmc owns!
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post #204 of 1196
12/3/12 at 9:08pm
Suzook, if you think the 70 looks small next to the 80, you need to see the 60 next to it. I may have to follow you yet again, and pick up a 70 for the bedroom.
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post #205 of 1196
12/3/12 at 9:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by anthonymoody View Post

Been thinking about this. I poked around in the Darbee thread and consensus is that the better the source the greater the improvement. I was kind of dreaming of the opposite since blu ray and the best hd feeds already look pretty amazing. Would prefer a big improvement from lesser sources (I'm sort of forced to watch a lot of DVDs as industry screeners are stuck in the 90's).
Hey now, come on. The room will be completely dark.
EDIT. - Suzook glad you like yours. Sounds like you got a good sample too.
You are correct about the better source allowing for the best results. Also the bigger the screen the more obvious the increase in PQ. I've had my Darbee for several months and I can tell you two things (Sony 60A3000) when I turn it off the difference is dramatic and when I show it to friends they pretty much all say "WOW". I just read a review on the Dish Network Hopper. The reviewer mentioned that the picture would look even better hooked up to a Darbee.
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post #206 of 1196
12/4/12 at 5:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by andy sullivan View Post

You are correct about the better source allowing for the best results. Also the bigger the screen the more obvious the increase in PQ. I've had my Darbee for several months and I can tell you two things (Sony 60A3000) when I turn it off the difference is dramatic and when I show it to friends they pretty much all say "WOW". I just read a review on the Dish Network Hopper. The reviewer mentioned that the picture would look even better hooked up to a Darbee.

Cool thanks for this. I think I'm going to wait to see what they announce at CES. If nothing I'll order the existing model. Have a feeling that a basic model will continue to exist, and get cheaper over time, while they have a higher end model with more bells and whistles.
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post #207 of 1196
12/4/12 at 10:48am
Does rubbing out the screen cause the bright spots to darken?

I definitely notice the bottom left/right corners of the TV are clouding (especially initially when the Vizio logo appears on powerup). I have to admit though that part of this is because the TV is not at the correct height. I am sitting quite close and with the TV on a low cabinet/shelf. I believe that from my position, the angle of my eyes are able to "peer" the bottom corner edges of the screen which gives the clouding some noticeable illumination. If I duck down (equivalent to raising the TV higher), the cloudiness darkens dramatically.

Quote:
Originally Posted by anthonymoody View Post

1) some amount of this is normal. Crank the backlight to 100, then take a micro fiber cloth and GENTLY rub in circles around the screen, especially over the bright spots. This should help a great deal. You may have to do it more than once. Then backlight back to 50 and see how it looks.
2) some amount of this is common too. My set had two of these before I rubbed them out (heh)
3) not sure. There is a thing called dse dirty screen effect, which usually happens on white backgrounds during pans, eg ice hockey. My set has some, but not too bad. I don't notice the thing you are describing though.
4) bleeding is #2
5) clouding is #1
6) I use a ps3 for all my streaming so can't comment here. Maybe someone else can.
In terms of the bleeding and clouding, there is definitely variation from set to set. You can take steps to tame it. I got lucky in this regard. Mine was 'okay' ootb but after the micro fiber rubbing it's now very good to great. Some people spend months exchanging set after set to try to get one that is better ootb. Only you can determine whether you can live with it (as is or post rubbing...)
Good luck!
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post #208 of 1196
12/4/12 at 5:49pm
I don't know if anyone else cares about connecting a Mac to this TV but I finally got my new HDMI cable and I'm extremely disappointed. The cable works but the picture quality is atrocious and it makes you want to throw something at the TV when you see it (especially the shadows around all text). It turns out the that Macs have not been able to output a proper 1080p signal to TVs over HDMI for many years and Apple doesn't care to fix the problem. Just google the words "mac tv hdmi 1080p" without the quotes if you want to find out more. There are endless discussions about this issue but no real solutions. In addition to my Mac mini, I tried using my girlfriend's Macbook air with the same results.

Now, I would just give up on HDMI if I could get 1080p to work with VGA. Unfortunately, I get those dreaded black bars. I'm using vga with 1600x900 for now but I really want a solution that gives me a proper 1080p signal. I know I can just get a Windows PC as those work fine but I don't have money to throw away right now nor do I have the time to rebuild my media center. I've spent a lot of time setting up the Mac Mini and I really hope someone can give me an idea.
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post #209 of 1196
12/4/12 at 6:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by patrascu View Post

I don't know if anyone else cares about connecting a Mac to this TV but I finally got my new HDMI cable and I'm extremely disappointed. The cable works but the picture quality is atrocious and it makes you want to throw something at the TV when you see it (especially the shadows around all text). It turns out the that Macs have not been able to output a proper 1080p signal to TVs over HDMI for many years and Apple doesn't care to fix the problem. Just google the words "mac tv hdmi 1080p" without the quotes if you want to find out more. There are endless discussions about this issue but no real solutions. In addition to my Mac mini, I tried using my girlfriend's Macbook air with the same results.
Now, I would just give up on HDMI if I could get 1080p to work with VGA. Unfortunately, I get those dreaded black bars. I'm using vga with 1600x900 for now but I really want a solution that gives me a proper 1080p signal. I know I can just get a Windows PC as those work fine but I don't have money to throw away right now nor do I have the time to rebuild my media center. I've spent a lot of time setting up the Mac Mini and I really hope someone can give me an idea.

Can you try install plex on the mac and see if plex is able to do that job by any chance ?

http://www.plexapp.com/
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post #210 of 1196
12/4/12 at 6:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dracore View Post

Does rubbing out the screen cause the bright spots to darken?
I definitely notice the bottom left/right corners of the TV are clouding (especially initially when the Vizio logo appears on powerup). I have to admit though that part of this is because the TV is not at the correct height. I am sitting quite close and with the TV on a low cabinet/shelf. I believe that from my position, the angle of my eyes are able to "peer" the bottom corner edges of the screen which gives the clouding some noticeable illumination. If I duck down (equivalent to raising the TV higher), the cloudiness darkens dramatically.

Yes it definitely darkened the spots so they either disappeared completely or darkened enough to be barely noticeable. BUT if I were you I might adjust the set to a higher viewing height (assuming you otherwise intend to do this) to get a better sense for the degree of the problem in every day usage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by patrascu View Post

I don't know if anyone else cares about connecting a Mac to this TV but I finally got my new HDMI cable and I'm extremely disappointed. The cable works but the picture quality is atrocious and it makes you want to throw something at the TV when you see it (especially the shadows around all text). It turns out the that Macs have not been able to output a proper 1080p signal to TVs over HDMI for many years and Apple doesn't care to fix the problem. Just google the words "mac tv hdmi 1080p" without the quotes if you want to find out more. There are endless discussions about this issue but no real solutions. In addition to my Mac mini, I tried using my girlfriend's Macbook air with the same results.
Now, I would just give up on HDMI if I could get 1080p to work with VGA. Unfortunately, I get those dreaded black bars. I'm using vga with 1600x900 for now but I really want a solution that gives me a proper 1080p signal. I know I can just get a Windows PC as those work fine but I don't have money to throw away right now nor do I have the time to rebuild my media center. I've spent a lot of time setting up the Mac Mini and I really hope someone can give me an idea.

An expensive proposition for a cheap 70" TV but I wonder if a Mac Pro with one of the various step-up graphics cards (or even one you install yourself) would work? Or is it something endemic to OSX?
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