Vizio settles for $3M after saying 60 Hz TVs had 120 Hz “effective refresh rate” | Vizio claimed backlight scanning made refresh rates seem twice as high.::Vizio claimed backlight scanning made refresh rates seem twice as high.

  • draughtcyclist@programming.dev
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    11 months ago

    Hell, I bought a 4k 60 hz TV from them and inputs are limited to 30 hz. I’ll never buy a Vizio anything again, sounds like this is their business as usual.

        • GingeyBook
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          11 months ago

          Had nothing with bad “luck” with LG.

          Sony is the way

          • MetricIsRight@lemmy.ca
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            11 months ago

            Not sure where you live but around here Sony isn’t an option for TV’s not financially anyway, 30-40% more than the competition for no damned reason.

            • Vqhm@lemmy.world
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              11 months ago

              There is a reason it’s slightly more expensive tho. They don’t even bother to force or nag you to connect to Wi-Fi / Internet so the manufacturer can start selling data on what you watch… Sony charges a little more because the TV is for profit, instead of your data being the profit product.

              They aren’t all that much more expensive at Costco anyway. Also it’s not like I’m buying a TV ever few years.

              Shit my Sony Trinitron CRT still works. That really is buy it for life. Less can be said about Walmart specials.

              • Fishytricks@lemmy.world
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                11 months ago

                I’ve always thought they were slightly more expensive because they used LG/Samsung panels for their TV.

                I avoided Samsung and it was a no brainer for me to get LG. My LG has been treating me well and doesn’t prompt me to get on the internet. And I got them for discounted prices as well, a 65”GX and 42?” C3.

              • Nommer@sh.itjust.works
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                11 months ago

                Sony has always been more expensive compared to the competition. Even way back before data collection was a thing. It’s why I don’t really buy their products.

          • Psythik@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            Aren’t Sony TVs using LG panels? At least their OLEDs are (or were). I have an LG C2 in the gaming room and a SONY A80J in the living room.

            They both have the exact same panel, but the LG has more/better features for PC gaming and the SONY is better as a smart TV cause it runs on Android. But the picture quality is identical.

          • Gamoc@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            We have a 60" oled LG that is absolutely the best TV I’ve ever looked at. We only have it because my uncle, the previous owner, upgraded to a 65". It also plays basically every single video file I throw at it.

      • huquad@lemmy.ml
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        11 months ago

        Bought a Vizio cause it was cheap. Ended up seeing vertical lines just outside of the warranty window.

        You get what you pay for. Now I have a Sony, and no looking back

      • keyez@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        They have some snuck in there, I am still rocking a M55 from 2017 and with a lot of calibrating I don’t see too much difference in 4K HDR to new under 1k TCLs and cheaper samsungs. Though next year I want an LG OLED.

        • Pika@sh.itjust.works
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          11 months ago

          I’ll never go LG for OLED, they are suspectible to massive burn in. We had an OLED display at work, it had a moving picture that had a mostly static bottom bar, after awhile when you turned it off you could see the burn in spot and it was basically junk when the source was changed to not have the bar cause the burn in was still there.

  • dtc@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Who gets the 3m? I’m gonna go out on a limb and say it isn’t the people who were deceived/lied to.

    • GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.org
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      11 months ago

      Under the settlement terms [PDF] spotted by The Verge, people who bought a Vizio TV in California after April 30, 2014, can file a claim. They’ll receive $17 or up to $50 if the fund allows it. The individual payout may also be under $17 if the claims exceed the $3 million fund. Vizio will also pay attorney fees. People have until March 30 to submit their claims. The final approval hearing is scheduled for June 20.

      These class-actions are always peanuts in the end.

      • Nommer@sh.itjust.works
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        11 months ago

        Companies should not only pay out much more for a class action but also replace the product sold. It’s insane how they can just constantly steal from us and just get a tiny fine.

      • dtc@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Yes for real, something tells me they pocketed more than $17 per victim.

      • QuadratureSurfer@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        The only one that’s been amazing (that I can think of) so far was the class action settled against Toyota for a few years worth of the Prius.

        They now have to cover the inverter under warranty for 20 years from the date that the car was first used. If your car fails because of the inverter they also pay for the tow, the car rental, and all of the repairs.

      • frezik@midwest.social
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        11 months ago

        Ever read about the Iomega Zip Drive class action? Early Zip drives had a “click of death” that killed it early. The settlement was paid in coupons for more Iomega products.

    • currycourier@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      3M also seems like a pittance? From a quick look their revenue is like $1.7B. Granted their margins are small but still

      • dtc@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        I feel like if they doubled the specs of their device to make sales they should have to pay back HALF of what they made from the sales. Not just the profit margin, a plain 50% of gross.

  • narc0tic_bird
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    11 months ago

    I remember when TVs advertised bs like “600 Hz clear motion rate”.

  • Verdant Banana@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    was this not the same with all the tvs

    always had to buy 120hz to get 60hz from most any brand except for element and a few other cheap ones

    • Patches@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      Yes but we have no consumer protection in the United States. This didn’t even cover consumers outside of the state. And it absolutely doesn’t cover the money they made lying.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    11 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    Vizio has agreed to pay $3 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleged the company misled customers about the refresh rates of its TVs.

    Vizio was referring to the backlight scanning (or black frame insertion) ability, which it claimed made the TVs look like they were operating at a refresh rate that was twice as fast as they are capable of.

    Under the settlement terms [PDF] spotted by The Verge, people who bought a Vizio TV in California after April 30, 2014, can file a claim.

    Vizio also agreed to stop advertising their TVs with 120 and 240 Hz “effective” refresh rates but “will not be obligated to recall or modify labeling for any Vizio-branded television model that has already been sold or distributed to a third party,” according to the agreement.

    The settlement comes as tactics for fighting motion blur, like backlight scanning and frame interpolation (known for causing the “soap opera effect”), have been maligned for often making the viewing experience worse.

    Class-action cases like Vizio’s that end up having a negative cost for OEMs provide further incentive for them to at least stop using the ability as a way to superficially boost spec sheets.


    The original article contains 539 words, the summary contains 198 words. Saved 63%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

  • LWD
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    10 months ago

    deleted by creator