Solved HDMI not working on Raspberry Pi 3 for Vizio P-Series

There is the theory that the HDMI output of the Raspberry Pi is only initialized if a monitor/television is connected and powered up before a Raspberry Pi 3 is turned on.
Yet when I connect my Raspberry Pi 3 to a old Panasonic Plasma display the Raspberry Pi actually turns on the device and the screen activates every time.
Not so with the Vizio P series I just hung on the wall.

Aside: some of the Panasonic HDMI ports were damaged in a painting disaster…never use a 20lb weight to hold a tarp.

With the Vizio, whether the monitor is on or off and the correct HDMI port is selected or not, the Raspberry Pi 3 simply never brings up HDMI output.

Edit the /boot/config.txt file and uncomment these two lines

#hdmi_force_hotplug=1

#hdmi_drive=2

And the device works every time from every state.  The first line is as it appears, the second activates HDMI and enables sound rather than DVI mode which does not.

I did like that the Vizio takes edits the HDMI connection in its table to Raspberry

On The Bench: Google AIY Voice & Raspberry Pi

Setup my recently arrived Google AIY/Voice Project and am busy going about customizing the interface.  Short a MicroSD card but Amazon will fix that soon enough.

https://aiyprojects.withgoogle.com/

Note:  Enjoying the Linux nature of Raspberry Pi as well as all the Python tools and use.  Clearly a Confluence Project.

Should I Learn and Use a Raspberry Pi or Arduino Uno?

Yes

Why?  Which one? There is a short post at Make: reviewing these in general.  NOTE: kits, details, etc… are on the post, read it there, the information below is just to ensure it remains available for students.  Also, the article is over a year old

Here at Make: we see new, ingenious projects from our community every day. Many of these are made possible by the use of development boards. However, if you’re new to the subject, it can be confusing to parse out the differences between boards and the advantages of using one over another.

We’ve created this super simple guide to help you get started. Then, when you’re ready check out Arduino Uno and Raspberry Pi Starter Kits, which come with all the goodies you need for your inaugural projects. Not sure you want all those peripherals yet? Start with the essentials: Grab the board of your choice and bring yourself up to speed with our Getting Started With series for Arduino and for Raspberry Pi.

Courtesy of Tech Uni

Courtesy of Tech Uni

What is the difference between the two?

An Arduino is a microcontroller motherboard. A microcontroller is a simple computer that can run one program at a time, over and over again. It is very easy to use.

A Raspberry Pi is a general-purpose computer, usually with a Linux operating system, and the ability to run multiple programs. It is more complicated to use than an Arduino.

What would I use each for?

An Arduino board is best used for simple repetitive tasks: opening and closing a garage door, reading the outside temperature and reporting it to Twitter, driving a simple robot.

Raspberry Pi is best used when you need a full-fledged computer: driving a more complicated robot, performing multiple tasks, doing intense calculations (as for Bitcoin or encryption)

Is there a simple rule of thumb to help me decide?

Yes, there is! Think about what you want your project to do. If you can describe it with less than two ‘and’s, get an Arduino. If you need more than two ‘and’s, get a Raspberry Pi.

Examples:
“I want to monitor my plants and have them Tweet me when they need water.” That can best be done by an Arduino.

“I want to monitor my plants and have them Tweet me when they need water and check the National Weather Service, and if the forecast is for fair weather, turn on the irrigation system and if the forecast is for rain, do nothing.” That would best be handled by a Raspberry Pi.

Isn’t that rule of thumb oversimplifying what is actually a much more complex issue?

Yes. That’s what a rule of thumb is.

Look, this is confusing! Just tell me which one I should buy!

An Arduino. It’s a system designed for beginners.