I just got a brand new ps3 and plugged it into my hd tv and went to change the tv settings to 500i when it...?

May be...

just went off. the ps3 and the tv stay on but i cannot see anything on my screen. can anyone help me with this please?

it is either the hook up you have it set on or the tv will not read 500i. if you have an hdtv, i dont know why your using 500i. ok for example. if your changing the settings from HDMI back to RCA cables, and both the hdmi cable is plugged in and the rca cables are plugged in, they are veiwing on different channels. so when you go under settings and change it from HDMI to RCA cables, the screen will go blank. this is because (on my tv) when you want to play ps3 with hdmi, i push the input button. so when i want to play with rca cables (not that i do ever haha) i have to go to the video settings. when i go to the video settings, it says "do you want to save these changes". so both tv and console are on, but you have changed how you view the ps3. so you have to find the 'channel' in which it is being emitted. i assume the same thing is happening with the 500i. if you have an hdtv, why dont you put it on 1080p? (for the best gaming experience). or if your hdtv is hd ready, put it on 720p (720p is better than 1080i, but 1080p is the best overall). nothing is wrong with youpr tv or ps3, its just how it is being veiwed on your tv. you have to find the right channel, whether its the input area or the tv/video settings. i hope this makes sense i had to figure it out on my own a while back, so it might be a little confusing. i would think it doesntl like being emitted in 500i, but i could be wrong on that part