Brand new Vizio 42 in from Sams has a 5 inch vertical grey stripe from top to bottom-any help removing it?

That vertical stripe is not fixable in plasma TVs.
Well, easily 99% of them.
The reason is that what goes bad is actually embedded in the display itself and not subject to servicing or replacement.
1% , possibly less, of the plasma TVs out there have that part outside of the display and as such subject to replacement.
Sorry for the new and please do not kill the messenger!

http://www.coppelltvrepair.com

Try changing the input device to some other like a DVD player and if you notice same problem, it is better to have the TV checked by a qualified service technician, as back cover has to be opened for investigation.

Check all the connection sockets from T'Con board to LCD panel for any loose. Re-seat them. If this do not help you, T'Con board is faulty, and should be replaced.

400mm Horizon, 200mm Vertical, M6, 1mm pitch screw thread.
It is in the user manual, download it here: http://tv.manualsonline.com/manuals/mfg/vizio/vo42lf.html

suspect panel logic board . you did not give the model number?

bad display panel

its ur diaplay problem.. go for a change of new display...

We originally had a red stripe roughly 3" wide running vertically on the ride edge area of our Panasonic 52" Viera plasma tv. It has now been joined by a solid black stripe of the same width running from the top to the bottom. Living in Germany and purchased at local PX long enough ago that the warranty is likely expired. Now what?

The bad news, it sounds like tou have a bad plasma panel.One of the vertical drive arrays are in the process of failing.This part is part of the display panel.

The address module that is at the bottom of the PDP in that location is the suspect and the cheapest repair. There is usually 3 to 4 modules at the bottom of the PDP and each one addresses information vertically. If it were just one pixe wide then the PDP would be bad.