A new TV and new problems.

[XCVG]

ARE YOU SURE IT IS THE TV?! Try the PS3 on a different TV or connect it to external speakers.

Also, HDMI is vastly superior to any analog signal. Why? The PS3 is a digital device. The TV is a digital device (not like the bad old days of CRTs). So basically with an analog signal, you convert that digital signal into analog and then convert it back. How good the conversion is depends on the converter, but conversion is never a good thing. Also, analog signals are a lot more susceptible to noise. So switch already!

 

[Twilight Wolf]

Zero:

First of all, thanks for the sympathy. It's appreciated.

Secondly, I have some external speakers - excellent ones, too. Unfortunately, though, there's no way to use them with my current setup because my TV, as far as I can remember, doesn't have audio outputs, and the input source switcher I used to have them connected to doesn't support anything higher than S-video, making it useless for my PS2 and PS3. Never had any issues using those, though.

Also, you're probably right about HDMI, but I'd still personally prefer to have cables made by a reputable brand. Not as cheap, but they probably have a higher-quality build. I want my stuff to last.

Aguiluz:

I tried switching the cables and it made no difference whatsoever. Used the other component input, too - same story.

XCVG: I am 100% sure it's the TV. My old one had no problems with audio.

As for the whole HDMI thing, it should make no difference in sound whatsoever whether I use component or HDMI. If it works with HDMI but not component, it's still broken, so I'd want to get a different one anyways. Since I already have cables capable of delivering any HD video signal I want, and I don't have a 7.1 Surround Sound setup that I would need to use HDMI for, I have no real reason to switch. However, I'm thinking of requesting some freebie HDMI cables from Vizio as compensation for all my trouble (since something like that would be really hard to screw up) so I might just use those in the future anyways.

EDIT: With a bit of fiddling, I got my external speakers hooked up and played through the "Mirror's Edge" demo with them on (twice). No issues. It's gotta be the TV.

 

[Twilight Wolf]

Right, I mailed a complaint letter to Vizio today (or yesterday, technically). What I've decided I'll do is look around and do some research on other TVs. I spotted a nice Samsung 32" LCD at Wal-Mart for a mere $10 more than the current price of the Vizio, but my main problem with it is that it only has one set of component inputs. However, if all goes well with my complaint letter to Vizio and I score a free HDMI cable from them for all the trouble I've had to go through, I'll only need one set anyways. I guess I'll just have to see what happens.

 

[Hifeno]

I have a vizio that I purchased from walmart 2 years ago. It was a 36 inch display model. I have never had any trouble with it whatsoever. The picture is great the sound is awesome.
One other thing it does not matter what hdmi cable you get branded or not. They are all the same and they will all last the same amount of time. I have like 30 different ones and every one of them work just as good as the last. I used to work for Directv and each receiver came with one and they were all different. They all work as good as any 60 or 70 dollar cable you buy at bestbuy or walmart. In fact dtv would sale you one for 50 that is the same one that comes out of their receiver boxes. You logic if flawed on that one friend.

 

[Twilight Wolf]

Great success!

I went to get the mail today, and in the mailbox, I found a letter from Vizio. In it, the person who wrote it basically apologized for the problems I had and thanked me for taking the time to write them about my experience. He then said that he had placed an order for an HDMI cable to be delivered to me free of charge and that I should receive it within 5 to 7 business days from the date on the letter. I felt great about it, and I looked forward to receiving it. To my pleasant surprise, about an hour later, FedEx knocked on the door and handed me a package from Vizio, and it had an HDMI cable in it, with a packing slip that said "Sent for customer satisfaction."

I feel proud of myself now! Because I spoke up when I had a problem instead of just sitting on my feelings and becoming bitter, I got some excellent results - and a free HDMI cable! The squeaky wheel gets the grease, guys. I'm currently writing up a letter of thanks to send to them for their service.

 

[hotdog-cart]

Funny thing is, I own an "Insignia" brand LCD TV. I've had it for a year now. It was uber cheap compared to others its size, and it works perfectly.

Never buy a "Prima" brand TV. They're crap.

 

[Twilight Wolf]

Well, I've said goodbye to a Vizio TV for the last time now, and yesterday I bought myself a 32" Samsung LCD. Saw it at RC Willey for about $10 cheaper than at Walmart, so I figured that if I could save ten bucks, why not buy it there? After getting my money back for the Vizio (probably the last time I'll be in possession of that much cash for quite a while), I went back to RC Willey and bought it from a guy who seemed anxious to make a sale. So far so good! I just pray to God I don't have any problems with this one...

Shifting to a new realm in the electronics world for me, I've gotten a phone! An LG Rumor 2, precisely. I was quite excited about it - it's my first phone, after all, and even though they weren't supposed to have the color I liked (blue) until late September, I still managed to get it. However, that excitement turned to anger, frustration, and stress within about an hour when I discovered the camera no longer worked. I took one picture and deleted it, and after that, nothing - I couldn't bring the camera up at all. It seems only one other person on the whole of the internet has had this issue, and the only advice was to take it back to the Sprint store the person got it at and have someone look at it. After another hour and resetting my phone to factory settings, it worked again for another hour, then it stopped again. Ten minutes later, it was fine, but the battery died after that.

I am just pissed - this brand-new phone, only a few hours old, already doesn't work right at all. I absolutely hate how almost every piece of modern electronics I acquire (aside from my PS3) is broken when I get it. I mean, holy crap, can't I get anything that works how it's supposed to the first time around?

Am I the only person here who seems to just attract broken electronics?

 

[jleemero]

Twilight Wolf.
Hey, buddy, hey, woah.

That's normal.

Cellphones nowadays are crap.
All of them.

ALL OF THEM.

Oh, and by the way, you almost never get a 'new' one.
'New' is this silly cellphone term for 'refurbished'.
'Refurbished' is a silly cellphone term for 'Broken Phone in a new Cardboard Box'.



Have fun.

 

[XCVG]

I've never had any problems with any of my phones... except the one that died on me randomly. I'd had it for years at that time though so hardly a surprise. Right now I have a J706 from Samsung, it was $90 no contract, has a camera and microSD slot, and is working fine.

And yes, you seem to attract dead electronics. I usually attract things with missing parts.

 

[Twilight Wolf]

Re: A new PHONE and new problems.

Well, as I discovered yesterday, the finnicky camera isn't the only problem - it has this tendency to go straight to voicemail even when the phone's on. I went to the Sprint store yesterday to see about getting a replacement, but I guess I got the last blue one they had in stock, and the blues are backordered until mid-September or so. I guess I'll have to wait a few weeks to get a replacement now...

I really love this phone; I just wish it would work the way it's supposed to.

 

[Twilight Wolf]

OMGWTFBBQ

...or something. I got a second HDMI cable from Vizio today. My only question is... why? I only requested one in my original letter and I sent a thank-you letter back saying that I had received it and appreciated it. Not that I mind having another cable, but I have nothing to do with this one - the first cable I got from them is connecting my DVD player to my TV, and I bought a Sony cable for use with my PS3. Those are the only HDMI devices I have and the only two HDMI ports I've got. So... any ideas as to what I should do with it?

Oh, yeah, the new TV works excellently, by the way. No more crackling in my games! Samsung is my friend now.

As for the phone, I'm starting to consider getting a completely different one since I keep running into problems with my current one (I can't read all my texts, getting IMs causes my screen to stay on indefinitely, causing burn-in, still have the issue with calls going to voicemail, etc.) and I really don't want to risk another TV-type series of events. The problem is, though, I don't know if I would be able to get a different one or not. Since I got this phone with the plan, I don't know if by switching it with a new one I could just pay the same price as if I had bought that phone with the plan, as it would essentially be the phone I got with the plan and not just buying an extra, or I'd have to pay full price for the new phone, in which case I can say goodbye to that idea.

 

[nevermind1534]

Does the phone have a card that you could stick in a new one?

 

[Twilight Wolf]

It looks like it, but it's got some kind of warranty sticker on top of it.

 

[nevermind1534]

It looks like it, but it's got some kind of warranty sticker on top of it.

Has the warranty expired yet?

 

[Twilight Wolf]

I would assume not, since it's only been three weeks or so since I got the phone.

 

[XCVG]

There's a reason I don't buy phones with plans...

Also, you could give the HDMI cable to me.

 

[Twilight Wolf]

There's a reason I don't buy phones with plans...

Not much of an option for me, because I would either be getting a really cheap phone that can't do anything or paying through the nose for something good. Phones be hella expensive.

Also, you could give the HDMI cable to me.

I could...

Anyways, I decided I'd try to see if I could get the Blackberry Curve. Guess what? I can't, and the reason is, and pardon my French, bullflax. Now, to use it, I need an unlimited data plan. I have one, except it's not an actual plan but an add-on. Is there any actual, functional difference between the two? Nope, not at all that I can find. Nobody I talked to could tell me if there was, either. This tells me the only real difference is that the one I need in order to get the Blackberry would cost us $40 more per month. I'm now stuck with two options: either stick with the so far incredibly unreliable LG Rumor 2, or get a phone I don't want. Either way, I'm not gonna be happy with what I'll be stuck with for the next two years.

Go to Heck, Sprint.

 

[Yoshilime M.R.]

I have the samsung Aliesis 2, which is great for texting and calling. i love it. has more, to lazy. you have verizon correct? well, this phone has high reviews. And, it's samsung, it's win win!

 

[Aguiluz]

Wait what? Cellphone screens get burn in? Is that phone LCD based?

I got the Nokia N90. Nice phone. Good pictures. Reliable too. But my bulletproof phone is a Sharp GX10, where I would take and use that phone when I go to some tough places I can't risk the N90. When I mean "bulletproof," I mean it got dropped infinite times, kicked twice, I went underwater with it two times with no protection, basically abused around. It even has sand all coated in the internals when I got it wet on a freshwater stream. And all it needed was a good whack. Literally. when it stopped receiving a signal when it went for a swim, I accidentally brushed it off the desk, hit the concrete floor and voila: it receives messages again!

 

[PalmerTech]

The Palm Pre is only $100 on contract on Amazon right now.

"On Contract"... Oh well, only 8 more months till our family plan expires, maybe then.