The 55-inch Sony Bravia KDL-55XBR8 ($6,999) couldn’t knock off current overall HDTV champion, the Pioneer Elite Kuro PRO-111FD plasma, but as far as LCDs go, the Sony rules the roost, or at least according to CNET’s latest review.
They gave the Sony, which has the new LED backlight technology, an 8.7 out of 10 (the Pioneer has a 9.1), stating that the set has deepest blacks of any LCD they’ve tested, very accurate color reproduction and grayscale, superior dejudder capabilities, and comprehensive inputs (4 HDMI and one PC).
They only cons are that it’s “mind-boggingly expensive” and that it showed some blooming in areas of high contrast. They also didn’t like the unremovable speakers that jut out from the side.
This is a collection of reviews I’ve put together from the AVS Forums thread on the Vizio SV470XVT and SV420XVT. This is for your convenience so you don’t have to cull through dozens of pages of price questions, technical queries, and troubleshooting. (Note: The 47 inch and 42 inch models are exactly the same except for screen size.) The original thread can be found here.
CNET has reviewed the Vizio SV470XVT, a 47-inch 1080p LCD HDTV with a 120Hz refresh rate. They gave it a 7.3 out of 10, making it their highest-rated Vizio HDTV.
They liked the Vizio’s inexpensive price, “highly accurate color,” extensive picture controls, and 4 HDMI inputs and PC input. They didn’t like the poor black levels, somewhat “pedestrian design,” and some artifacts with the dejuddering processing.
The Vizio SV470XVT has a a msrp of $1,699, which is a big jump compared with Vizio’s other 47-inch 1080p LCD, the $1,199 Vizio V047LF. What do you get for that extra $500? Check out the chart:
SC470XVT
VO47LF
Screen size
47 inches
47 inches
Resolution
1080p
1080p
HDMI inputs
4
4
Refresh rate
120Hz
60Hz
Contrast ratio (w/ DCR)
6500:1
6500:1
Weight
77.8 lb
90.3 lb
PC input
Yes
Yes
Colors
1.06 billion
16.77 million
Vizio’s new XVT line is an attempt at breaking into the higher end LCD and plasma market. The CNET review score puts in on the same level as comparably featured sets from Sony and Samsung at an aggressive price. With Vizio’s history of price cutting, this should be a set to watch.
Vizio SV470XVT remote
*Update*
I’ve put together a collection of reviews for the Vizio SV470XVT here.
