Think twice about buying a Vizio

[KC]

https://plus.google.com/photos/10375984 ... idybm5XdAQ

I purchased a Vizio 55" LED HDTV w/ built in WiFi almost three years ago. It was one of the first WiFi built in apps LED tv to come out that was actually affordable. I got it at WalMart for around 1300.00. You can buy the same today for about $850 I love the tv and the remote has a built in, slide out keyboard that comes in handy when searching for movies on Netflix or posting on Facebook or Twiter(if you are into that kind of thing). The first two years the TV was on a coffee table in a corner w/ plenty of air movement. For the last six months it has been closely wall-mounted in a large recess. It started turning itself off and restarting randomly at first then more and more often. I didn't think much of it. One night I left it on for 6-8 hours while remodeling the basement bathroom. I thought I heard a popping sound and then it went off and has never turned on again. After researching possible problems on the internet, I found tons of posts on all models of Vizio tvs with similar problems. Vizio is made by LG, South Korea's largest electronics manufacturer. I have LG washer and dryer that are almost 7 years old and still working great. I think most failures in their tvs are caused by poor air flow, thereby overheating the (undersized) electronics. I was unable to isolate the failed component and have ordered 2 new boards...the power supply board and the main vid/sound board for a total of 275.00. I'm going to mount it right back on the wall but try to keep it cooler with a usb computer fan. A person used to buy a cathode ray tube televsion for 150.00 and it lasted 20 to 30 years. Now we buy flat panels for 1500.00 and they last 2 to 3 years. HMMMM? (WTF is how I really feel)

[safiri]

Instead of remodeling a bathroom, shouldn't you be working on "our" [RF] SuperCross track?

I had a 22" LCD monitor go out recently. Similar in that a search of the net turned up lots of posts about the PS being undersized and thus failing due to heat. [Posts said the same PS was used for monitors from 17" up to 22", and the 22" was just too much draw.] Found a new PS for $15 (shipped from China) and figured the gamble was worth it considering a new monitor is $100. Wishing you the same luck I had.

[Bob Morgan]

I bought an el-cheapo lcd a few years back when they first came out for an affordable price. It is still alive.........but just barely. The Digital tuner quit several years ago, and you can only change channels by pressing them in. The company that made them is out of business now. I finally, just this winter, moved it into the bed room and retired the RCA picture tube monster that was in there. 17 years old and works like the day it was new.

I sent my DVR back to Cox, paid up for a Samsung LED, and bought a poor mans DVR from Wal-Mart on line. The unit will play DVD's, Record DVD's and has a 50 gig hard drive so you can to pause or record live TV. You can also schedule recording to the hard drive. It has it limitations, but does what I want it to do with no contract, and only $210 up front for the unit which the reviews say is reliable.

[KC]

Safiri said:

Instead of remodeling a bathroom, shouldn't you be working on "our" [RF] SuperCross track?

You called me out Man! I WAS working on the track too much, that's why the house remodel isn't completed yet!