Vizio

Category Archives: Vizio

Vizio Announces Some Black Friday Deals

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Vizio has announced lower prices for some of their HDTVs including a few Black Friday deals. Here are the details:

Vizio’s Costco Black Friday Deal

The Vizio 37-inch VW37L 1080i LCD HDTV will be on sale for $499.99 at Costco for Black Friday weekend (11/28-11/30) while supplies last. The VW37L has 2 HDMI connections, 5500:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and weighs 55 lb. LCD Buying Guide has a review up of the VW37L, rating it a 78.5 out of 100, which appears to be a pretty average rating for their site.

Link to official Vizio VW37L page.
Link to our review of buying an HDTV at Costco.

Other Vizio Deals

Vizio 32-inch VP322 720p Plasma HDTV $437.00 at Walmart effective Wednesday. It’s a new everyday low price, so no rush.

Vizio 42-inch VS420 1080p LCD HDTV $698.00 at Sam’s Club locations nationwide while supplies last for the Holidays. Pretty sweet deal also.

Vizio 32-inch VOJ32LF 1080p LCD HDTV $559.99 (yawn) at Sears nationwide through Sunday, 11/30/08.

Link:

Official Vizio press release.

Filed in Black Friday, Costco, HDTV, Sam's Club, Vizio | Comments (0)

CNET Reviews Vizio VP505XVT 50-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Monday, November 24, 2008

Vizio previously made inroads into the world of HDTVs as a bargain brand, but their most recent HDTVs are starting to impress reviewers with their quality as well as their price.

CNET recently took a look at the new Vizio 50-inch VP505XVT 1080p plasma HDTV ($1499 msrp) and was extremely impressed, rating it a 7.7 out of 10, the highest rating yet for a Vizio television. Reviewer David Katzmaier had this to say:

Simply put, the Vizio VP505XVT is one of the better-performing plasma TVs we’ve tested this year from any manufacturer. It delivered deep black levels, relatively accurate color, and solid video processing, thanks in part to HQV.

That’s a pretty strong statement for a bargain HDTV.

Katzmaier liked the Vizio’s cheap price, deep black levels, realistic shadow detail, accurate grascale, extensive picture controls, and 4 HDMI inputs. They didn’t like the fact they noted some false contouring and an inaccurate green primary color reproduction. But overall, they found the set to be “Vizio’s best effort yet” and find it stands toe-to-toe with similar-sized but much more expensive models from other brands. Playback Magazine also reviewed the VP505XVT recently and was likewise impressed.

The Vizio’s $1499 price tag is the suggested manufacturer’s price and is likely to drop quickly in the near future. Be on the lookout for the Vizio VP505XVT on the shelves of Costco soon.

CNET reviews the Vizio VP505XVT

Official Vizio VP505XVT website

Playback Magazine review

Filed in CNET, Costco, David Katzmaier, HDTV, HDTV Reviews, Vizio | Comments (1)

Vizio 50-inch VP505XVT 1080p Plasma HDTV Reviewed

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The new Vizio 50-inch VP505XVT 1080p plasma HDTV ($1,499 msrp) is a sweet deal in terms of quality and screen size at a low price. PlayBack Magazine reviewed the Vizio VP505XVT and gave it some very high marks, including 10 out of 10 on their value scale. They summed up their review with this:

A true bargain, the Vizio sets the standard for affordable plasma excellence. With its high quality picture and equally good video
processing, this 50-inch set puts to shame other set out there that cost two to three times its highly affordable price.

They tested the set with the Blu-ray version of Seven Days in Tibet and found the color reproduction to be “full of expressive color” and “rich, but not overly saturated.” They also liked the set’s black levels and found shadow detail in dimly lit interior scenes to be “easily discernable,” an area where most bargain LCDs perform poorly.

Vizio XP505XVT specifications:

1080p
4 HDMI inputs
30,000:1 typical contrast ratio
1.073 billion colors
114.7 lb (with stand)

The Vizio VP505XVT is currently only available on Vizio’s website, where shipping costs ruin the bargain price, but hopefully it will be on the shelves of Costco soon. I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up as one of 2009’s bestsellers.

Link:

Official Vizio VP505XVT website

Filed in LCD, Vizio | Comments (1)

Collection of Vizio SV470XVT and SV420XVT Reviews

Saturday, October 11, 2008

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.

Reviews:

Filed in 1080p, 120hz, AVS Forums, Bargain HDTVs, Costco, Full High Definition, HDTV, HDTV Reviews, LCD, Sam's Club, Sears, Vizio | Comments (1)

CNET Reviews the Vizio SV470XVT 47-inch 1080p LCD HDTV

Sunday, August 24, 2008

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.

Buying an HDTV at Costco: A Review

Saturday, March 29, 2008

When you set out to buy an HDTV, it’s unlikely you’ll start by researching the store you’ll buy it from. But buying from the right store can be important, especially for getting fair price or returning the TV in case something goes wrong.

When I eventually settled on the Vizio GV47LF for my HDTV, I noted it was available at Costco. As I began to work out the mechanics of purchasing the TV, I realized that you had to have a membership to shop there. $50 for the right to buy my HDTV? Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure that was the television I wanted.

However, with a little research, I realized the HDTV was too good a bargain to pass up. In the end, I was very happy buying the TV from Costco, as Costco offers many advantages over other big box stores, the biggest being their liberal 90-day return policy and 2-year extended warranty.

Membership

Yes, you need to have a membership to shop at a Costco retail store. When I bought my television last year, I found that the bargain cost of the television justified paying the membership fee. But there were bonus ways to save some money. Costco offers 2% cash back for “executive members.”

There are two tiers of membership. Regular membership costs $50 and you get no cash back. Executive is $100, and you get 2% cash back. If you buy a $2,000 television, you will get $40 cash back, which essentially pays for the upgrade to Executive. Plus, the 2% continues for future purchases. I did not know about this policy and had the regular membership at checkout, but the Costco cashier was paying attention and helped me upgrade.

I just got my check from Costco from the 2% cash back and was happy enough to renew my membership for another year.

Filed in Best Buy, Circuit City, Costco, Extended Warranty, GV47LF, HDTV, HDTV Buying Tips, HDTV Return Policy, Price Guarantee, Vizio | Comments (1)

CNET’s Review of the Vizio VO47L

Sunday, March 23, 2008

CNET’s HD guru David Katzmaier has published a thorough review of the Vizio VO47L, giving it a score of 6.2 out of 10. Positives for the television include a bargain price, good color reproduction, 4 HDMI inputs, good screen uniformity, good-looking all-black bezel and speakers, and a comfortable remote control. The cons are poor black levels, the need to adjust the color settings out of the box, and only two aspect ratios for viewing HD content.

“[The VO47L’s] image quality stands solidly in the middle of the road, with those lighter black levels and subpar off-angle viewing characteristics seen on many other budget LCDs, but balanced by good color accuracy, at least after adjustment. You can still find numerous larger, 50-inch plasmas available for around the same price, but if you must have LCD and want a big screen for smaller money, the VO47LF deserves strong consideration.”

The score Katzmaier assigns the VO47L, 6.2, seems surprisingly low, as the Vizio GV47LF, 47-inch Vizio LCD the VO47L replaced (and is essentially the same as), is rated at 6.6. Perhaps the low score is an indication of the scales tipping in favor of plasma televisions, which, on average, offer a must better viewing experience than LCDs. Just browsing through CNET’s scores shows lower scores on average for most LCDs compared with plasmas. The main justification for the VO47L’s low score seems to be poor black levels, which have tended to be a strength for plasma technology.

Katzmaier’s mention of the VO47L’s better than average screen uniformity comes as a surprise, as Vizios (and most LCDs, in fact) are notorius for a clouding effect on dark screens. The VO47L’s good screen uniformity should come as a big plus for those thinking about buying the television, as it’s a rare attribute for bargain televisions. However, Katzmaier does mention noticing one corner of the screen is brighter than the rest. I’ve had a similar experience with my Vizio GV47LF, but it’s interesting to note that my screen uniformity has improved over time.

Link to review.

Also checkout our collection of VO47L customer reviews.

Filed in 1080p, CNET, Clouding Effect, David Katzmaier, Full High Definition, HDTV, High Definition, LCD, V047L, V047L Review, V047LF Customer Reviews, VO47L, VO47LF, Vizio | Comments (2)

Collection of Vizio VO47L HDTV Reviews

Sunday, March 2, 2008

I’ve put together a large collection of owner reviews from the AVS Forums Vo47LF thread, so there’s no need to cull through 15 pages of questions, troubleshooting, etc to see the reviews. Reviews are after the break.

Filed in GV47LF, V047L, V047L Review, V047LF Customer Reviews, VO47L, VO47LF, Vizio | Comments (7)

2008’s Vizio 47-inch LCD VO47L to Replace 2007’s GV47LF

Saturday, January 19, 2008

It’s a new year, and along with it Vizio has introduced its 2008 LCDs. How much of an update is this year’s 47-inch 1080p LCD, the VO47L, over 2007’s GV47LF? There are few nice tweaks, but not enough to call it a major update.

Vizio added two more HDMI inputs for a total of four on the VO47L, as opposed to two on 2007’s GV47LF. Also, the VO47L comes with a 6-foot HDMI cable, a nice consumer-friendly touch from Vizio.

Vizio also updated the TV’s look. The VO47L now has black speakers along its undercarriage as opposed to the awkward silver look from last year’s GV47LF. A very smart design move. Although it now appears the speakers are no longer detachable.

Compare the pictures below:

2008’s VO47L:

2007’s GV47LF:

However, a big disappointment is an apparent lack of picture improvement for the 2008 model. The technical specs from Vizio’s site has the contrast ratio staying the same at 2000:1 contrast ratio (with DCR). Contrast ratio was one of the biggest weaknesses from last year’s model, so it’s a little surprising they didn’t choose to improve it. Until CNET gets around to reviewing the unit, potential buyers should probably check out reviews of last year’s GV47LF. Also, check out the V047L thread on the AVS Forums. New owners will report their reviews and problems there.

There are reports the VO47L is selling now in some Costco stores for $1,399. Other Costsco stores are reportedly holding back until they clear current inventory (probably the GV47LF). Vizio.com has the manufacturer’s price at $1,499. That is a lot less than last year’s GV47LF’s starting price of $1799.

*Update* I’ve gathered together customer reviews for the VO47L from the AVS forums here. There’s also a CNET review of television.

Links:

Official Vizio page for the VO47LF Evolution.

VO47L thread on AVS Forums.

EngadgetHD news blurb about all the new Vizios.

Filed in 1080p, Costco, GV47L, GV47LF, LCD, V047L, VO47L, VO47LF, Vizio | Comments (0)

Black Friday: 52″ 1080p Vizio for $1900 at Sam’s Club

Sunday, November 18, 2007

The Vizio GV52L is on sale at Sam’s Club for Black Friday for $1890 (link). That is only $110 less than its price at launch when it had a $200 off coupon. I think they can do better than that. The 42″ Sharp Aqous for $900 is a much, much better deal. That is a great television.

Check out Costco’s Black Friday deals. They are offering a 47″ Philips 1080p TV for $1,499.

It is a great time to buy a television. Of course, things will always get cheaper, and better televisions are always being made. But the quality of even the cheap televisions is enough to satisfy most people.

Filed in 1080p, Black Friday, Costco, GV52LF, HDTV, Hot Deals, LCD, Vizio | Comments (0)

Category Archives: Vizio

Vizio’s Costco Black Friday Deal

Other Vizio Deals

Links

Link:

Reviews:

*Update*

Other Helpful Links:

Membership

Update