This series of articles looks at methods to improve the stereo performance of your surround setup. Here I’m going to investigate using a stereo integrated amplifier. Questions about a Microsoft or Nokia device not listed above? Check the user guide.

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Vizio M Series 2. Review (M4. 3- C1, M4. C1, M5. 0- C1, M5. C2, M6. 0- C3, M6. C1, M7. 0- C3, M7. C1, M8. 0- C3)2. 36 ANSWERED QUESTIONS.

RTINGS you guys have phenomenal reviews. The Vizio M5. 0- C1 is the single lowest quality product I have ever bought, electronic or not.

Yellow and green lines occasionally and literally slice through video on both Vizio televisions. This is not a quality product unless I bought two duds. Overall, this level of quality is unacceptable, and the lauding Vizio has received is spurious at best, from RTINGS as well.

What are you watching when you're encountering this issue? Which one is better, the new M- series or the P- series? I really can't decide. We always buy the TVs ourselves. We don't want manufacturers to cherry- pick the review samples to get a better review.

We bought our Vizio M 6. Change The Group Policy For Software Sassafras. It is only 1. 08. It also doesn't have motion interpolation. However, the E actually has less motion blur than the M and P, which is a bit of a surprise.

The M and the P are very similar. They have the same motion blur and overall picture quality.

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The only differences are the stand, the design (the M feels higher- end), the 1. M), the maximum luminosity (the P can get 2. P). The differences are minimal, so unless you specifically care about one of those elements, get the cheaper of the two. As a side note, if you want to know something that isn't covered in our review (or is not covered as well as you would like), let us know and we will test it out.

HDMI 1- 4 vs HDMI 5. HDMI 5 behaves differently than the rest of the HDMI inputs. It only slightly reduces the backlight, without making any visible change to the motion blur. The feature works well on the E. Both settings interpolate motion and create the soap opera effect (even 'Reduce Judder'). Note that the long lighter motion blur trail problem is the same no matter the settings you choose for those options.

Here are pictures of all different values, when fed 3. Reduce Judder 0. Reduce Judder 1. Reduce Judder 2. Reduce Judder 3. Reduce Judder 4. Reduce Judder 5. Reduce Judder 6. Reduce Judder 7. Reduce Judder 8. Reduce Judder 9.

Reduce Judder 1. 0'Reduce Motion Blur' affects a 6. Hz input. Here are pictures of all the different values, when fed 6. Reduce Motion Blur 0. Reduce Motion Blur 1. Reduce Motion Blur 2. Reduce Motion Blur 3.

Reduce Motion Blur 4. Reduce Motion Blur 5. Reduce Motion Blur 6. Reduce Motion Blur 7. Reduce Motion Blur 8. Reduce Motion Blur 9.

Reduce Motion Blur 1. Firmware issues. Reviewed version: 1. Very often in our testing, even if 'Reduce Motion Blur' and 'Reduce Judder' were set to 0, the picture became interpolated.

We had to reset it by setting 'Reduce Motion Blur' to 1 and then 0 again. Hopefully Vizio fixes this issue in a future firmware update, because it was frustrating. Update: As a workaround for the soap opera effect issue turning on by itself, turn on 'Game Low Latency'.

The downside of this approach is it will also disable 'Film Mode'. Update: Firmware version 1. UHD appears to have fixed the interpolation issue.

With the P Series, we could leave it at 0 for these tests, but it was blurrier on the M if we didn't increase it on those resolutions. Local Dimming. The local dimming on the M behaves slightly differently under the 'Calibrated' picture mode than it does in 'Calibrated Dark'. It is more aggressive under 'Calibrated Dark', but the difference is very subtle: Local dimming off.

Local dimming on under 'Calibrated'Local dimming on under 'Calibrated Dark'Local dimming off Local dimming on under 'Calibrated'Local dimming on under 'Calibrated Dark'. The local dimming looks a lot more like on the E than the P.

Like the E, it dimmed our white dot and cross in our tests, probably to reduce the appearance of blooming. The P keep the original brightness of the white elements. Therefore, if you care about the local dimming feature, the P is better, because it doesn't mess with the picture as much. Differences between sizes. I own the 5. 5 inch version of this TV and find that the .

It does not merely dim the backlight but rather activates a strobing effect. It's distracting in bright rooms but quite tolerable in a light- controlled environment. If you don't mind sending us an email with your TV's firmware version, we'd like to investigate this further. Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise Blue Edition Activated Charcoal Teeth here.

I have seen in most cases trailing has been fairly significant with Sharp- based VA panels. However, once the demo models are in stores, we will bring a USB drive with our test materials and test multiple sizes on site. We will report back with results and comment on the differences.

I have a question: how about HEVC support? It had judder and the sound cut a few times. In comparison, the Samsung JU7.

The Vizio can do 4: 4: 4 4. K @ 3. 0 FPS just like the Sony does.

Also can you add a note that says that the Vizio M- series smaller than 6. FPS? Thanks for pointing that omission out to us. We'll keep our eyes peeled and we will post if we notice any major changes if/when we do get the update. If so, what video card was used?

We are using a GTX 9. It would also be good for connecting a PC, for the same reason. Something buyers may want to keep in mind. Could this be a software bug?

Do you think the same over- sharpening bug that was affecting the P series is affecting the other HDMI ports? It is intended, which is why Vizio says to use HDMI 1- 4 for better picture quality (for example, when you plug a 1. HDMI 5, there is a warning on the screen that advises you to use 1- 4 instead). HDMI 5 probably has a simpler processing pipeline to allow for additional bandwidth, as well as lower input lag. The over- sharpening bug that you mentioned on the P Series was only present in a earlier firmware version last year.

Vizio fixed it in a firmware update. However, it doesn't allow 1.

FPS even when I set the graphics card to show resolutions that the TV was not reporting that it could handle. Can you post the timings that you used for that? It locked up on me when I tried to force 1. FPS. The mouse disappears on a white background when I try it with my M5. None of them worked properly for those two resolutions and frame rates. It didn't required anything special except creating the custom resolution in the nvidia panel. It is possible that smaller sizes don't support these frame rates.

If somebody else confirm this problem too, we will update our review with that information. Furthermore, are the last set of pictures in the QA section labeled 4. K indicating the PQ resulting from native 4k sources on HDMI 1- 4 and HDMI5? The reason I ask is because I have an Onkyo TX- NR6. I can simply use as my upscaler, but it won't matter if PQ of HDMI 5 sucks regardless of the input resolution.

I'm very concerned that buying the M8. C3 will mean that in the future my UHD blu- ray device will be relegated to HDMI 5 b/c it's the only one to accept HDCP 2. PQ will be sub- par.

It's not a significant difference, and not really a of decreased quality on 4k input. The biggest difference is for the lower resolutions, especially interlaced 1. The overall picture will be good. It is only evident on Calibrated and Calibrated Dark picture settings. I took this picture. I can't figure out if it's a color processing issue, brightness of the LEDs, or something else. Regardless, I now understand that this is not an issue limited to a random defective TV.

Is anyone else noticing this, and is there anything that can be done? Our M6. 0- C3 doesn't have that problem. While you are the first that report this issue to us, the fact that you have exchanged it for another unit and still have the same issue means it is not just a one off problem. Thanks for letting us know and sharing your photo.

If other visitors also report this issue, we will update our review to mention it on the 5. Usually, it's only uniformity and sometimes motion blur that varies, unless there is one size that has an IPS panel (like the 5. In that case, the viewing angle is better, but the contrast ratio is worse. Vizio doesn't have a good track record of stable firmware.

Improving Stereo Performance of a Surround Sound Setup – Part 2 . Previously we considered some simple tweaks to the AV receiver’s configuration and the addition of a dedicated power amplifier. In this article I’m going to investigate using a stereo integrated amplifier along side your AV receiver. Integrated amplifiers. Looking back at the signal chain music must pass through, the next area to consider is the pre- amplifier.

A stereo integrated amplifier is essentially a pre- amp and power amp in one box. By using a stereo integrated amplifier, you can route all stereo sources through it, completely bypassing the AV receiver and take advantage of the better quality pre/power stages within the integrated amplifier. A dedicated stereo amplifier will give a cleaner sound, due to it containing less electronics that can cause interference. It will have its own power supply, again giving better performance. The laws of economics also help us: a . Finally, for stereo sound the AV receiver will not be used at all and can be switched off, which can save electricity. Many classic integrated amplifiers also featured good phono stages, for use with a turntable.

Few AV receivers include this feature, and those that do, merely provide a basic implementation. Connecting It All Up. There are two ways to connect your integrated amp to your surround setup. The first uses a speaker switch to flip between the AV receiver and integrated amp driving the front left/right speakers. The second method uses the integrated amp to drive the front left/right speakers for both stereo and surround material .

Speaker Switch. With a speaker switch it’s possible to flip which amplifier drives the front left/right speakers. The speakers and both amps are plugged into the switch box, which can then manually be switched either way. Care must be taken that the switch box at no point, mid- switching, forms a connection between the speaker terminals of both amps. Conversely some amplifiers without protection circuits, can potentially be damaged when powered up with no load present on the speaker terminals. Thus, with this setup it is always best to turn off both amps prior to switching.

The big disadvantage of this approach, is you’re not taking advantage of the integrated amp when playing surround sound material. It simply isn’t used and the AV receiver drives the front left/right channels.

Using Integrated Amp as a Power Amp. The second method, effectively uses the integrated amp as though it is a power amp, for surround sound material, similar to the setup described in the last article in this series. While for stereo sources, the integrated amp is used in isolation.

To do this, you should connect all surround and digital sources to the AV receiver, and all analogue stereo sources to the integrated amp. Then the front left/right pre- out of the AV receiver needs to go to an input on the integrated amp, as it will be driving the front left/right speakers for surround sound material. Thus the front left/right speakers are plugged into the integrated amp and the other surround speakers left plugged into the AV receiver. When using an analogue stereo source, you only need to turn on the integrated amp and select the appropriate input (only right hand side of diagram above is used). When listening to surround sources, you turn on both amps, on the integrated amp select the input connected to the AV receivers pre- outs and then adjust its volume accordingly. It’s getting this volume correct that is crucial.

Connecting The AV receivers Front Pre- Outs to the Integrated Amp. Some stereo integrated amplifiers have a special input, called . This input will bypass the integrated amplifiers volume control, effectively using the amp as a power amp only. Just plug the AV receivers front left/right pre- outs to this special input. All other stereo inputs will continue to use the stereo amps volume as normal. This is a great feature, as it saves having to adjust the volume on the integrated amp whenever we wish to listen surround sources. Note: some amps have this feature as a switchable option on one input.

However if your integrated amp doesn’t have this unity gain feature, all is not lost. Connect the AV receivers front left/right pre- outs to any input on the stereo integrated amp (avoiding any phono /turntable inputs!).

Right now, you’ll find the volume too quiet on the front channels for surround material, so crank the integrated amps volume up to 1. O’Clock, then calibrate the speaker levels on the AV receiver. The integrated amp is now applying little volume attenuation, so is acting like a dedicated power amp. When playing stereo material, its important you turn down the volume, as it will likely be too loud and may damage your speakers and/or ears! O’Clock is chosen, purely as a memorable point on the volume gauge that can be returned to easily when playing surround sound material.

However almost any point on the volume control will suffice. Some people apply stickers to mark the point. So long as you consistently return to the same volume, that the AV receiver was calibrated against, the levels will be correct. Separate Pre- Amplifier. As mentioned above, a stereo integrated amplifier is essentially a stereo pre and power amp in one box. If desired, the setup described here could be implemented using a separate pre and power amp. If you’ve already followed the advice of the previous article, you may have a good stereo power amp and so will be half way there.

Exactly the same advice and setup is applicable to a separate pre- amp. Conclusion. Adding a stereo integrated amplifier to your setup is a straight forward addition, that can yield some big improvements in stereo performance. However looking only at amps with unity gain, may limit your choice too much.

Stereo Amplifiers with Unity Gain/AV Pass Through/Home Theatre Direct Input. Below is a list of stereo amplifiers that have a unity gain feature.

Well worth looking out for, as it saves the hassle of constantly changing the volume to 1. O’Clock when listing to surround sound sources. All the amps below, can be switched into unity gain mode, to act like a power amp. Excluded from this list are amps the merely have an external loop at the rear connecting pre and power amp sections (e. Although these amps can act as a power amplifier, cables need unplugging and swapping to switch between normal stereo mode and power amp mode, making them impractical for this use. Arcam A1. 8, A2. 8 and A3. Arcam A7. 5+, A8.

A8. 5, A9. 0Audiolab 8. SCambridge Audio 7. A, 8. 40. A integrated amps and 8. E preamp (each input can be configured to be fixed gain)Cyrus 6a, 8a (by naming an inpput . Please get in touch if you know of other examples.