Green Screen Verizon FIOS via HDMI

I recently had Verizon Fios TV (and internet) installed at my house. Overall, I was extremely impressed with the level of service in notifying me about the install and the technician that was sent to do the job. However, I am having a problem, and it turns out I am not the only one.

I have new Sharp 32" LCD 720p tv connected via HDMI cables to the QIP-7100 Motorola HD set-top box. After watching the tv for about 30 seconds, it will turn to a green screen, yet the audio works fine. I need to powercycle both the box and the tv in order to get picture again, yet it will just happend again immediately. I have switched out the cables, inputs, etc and nothing works. The box does work if I use the 5 component cables, however that is not an ideal solution for anyone that is trying not to have a million ugly wires running up the wall.

So far, I have found on other blogs, that this is a known issue with the Verizon box, and that it has gone unresolved for almost a year. That is unacceptable, I hope my decision to move to Verizon because of Comcast's idiotic technicians and support was not a bad decision.

I did read on another blog that a patch is on the way, so let's see if it actually happens.

TV Stand for Mitsubishi 60735

Cheap TV Stand For Mistusbishi 60" DLP
I recently purchased a Mitsubishi 60" DLP TV, model 60735 and needed a tv stand for it. Here is a quick review of an inexpensive, yet functional tv stand I found at Walmart for $109.

I did not want to spend $400 for the matching stand to the Mitsubishi 60735 (which was half the cost of the tv) and decided to take a chance on this one I found from Walmart.

The product was fairly easy to assemble, I did it with no assistance in about 40 minutes. There was one confusing part in the instructions, but other than that, very easy. If you can use a hammer and screwdriver and know how to read, you will have no problems.

I have a Mitsubishi 60" DLP TV on it, a full-sized 5.1 channel receiver, dvd player, ps3, roku box, and a cable box all under the unit, and still could probably fit another couple of DVD players if I for some reason needed to. On top of that, you then get storage on each side for discs, etc.
Of course, this is a finished partical board, so it is not the highest quality furniture, but it looks decent, even up close. If you get a nick in it (or scratch) unfortunately you will see white lines, but they can be covered with a marker.

The stand is very sturdy, and I have complete confidence in it supporting my tv and possibly even one that weighs more. (This tv was 60lbs.)

I would definitely recommend this as a cheap alternative to name brand tv stands.

Here it is Walmart TV stand for Mitsubishi 60735 60"

Cheap HDMI Cables

I recently purchased a Mitsubishi 60" DLP 1080p tv to replace an older 720p Toshiba I had. In order to get the best possible picture quality, I of course switched to HDMI cables.

As most of you probably know, HDMI cables are stupidly expensive. Especially if you buy the cables from a store like BestBuy or Circuit City, expect to pay $30-$50 bucks for a 6' cable. I had heard about a company, www.MonoPrice.com last year, but have not had the need to buy anything until now. So I figured I would give them a shot.

If you want hands down the most inexpensive HDMI cables (or any A/V cable for that matter) this is absolutely the place to buy them! I wound up getting several 6 ft HDMI cables (rated HDMI 1.3a) for $4.49 each.

I placed the order on a Sunday, and had the cables (to Philadelphia) by Wed afternoon of the same week. Last night I hooked them up. They appear to be solid and well manufactured, even the packaging they come in is very professionally done. I was half expecting to see cheaply made chinese crap, but this was not the case at all. I would say there is absolutely no difference in quality compared to the ridiculously expensive Monster Cables, and the picture/sound quality is perfect. FYI: Unless you have a $20,000 home theater set up in your home, NEVER NEVER NEVER waste your money on Monster HDMI cables. Keep in mind, HDMI is digital, there is relatively no intereference or signal loss like there is with older cables (rca, component, etc.), so if it works, it works, there is no grey area.

So, overall my review of MonoPrice.com is a 10 out of 10. I am very happy I purchased my HDMI cables from them.

Here is the link: Cheap HDMI Cable Note, for some reason, green cables are cheaper than black, but they have ever color you can imagine available at slightly different prices.