CNET Editor's rating: 6.6 out of 10
Reviewed by
David Katzmaier
Review date: 09/13/07
Release date: 09/01/07
The good: Relatively accurate color; includes custom color temperature controls; comparatively uniform backlight; solid PC performance; excellent connectivity with four HDMI inputs; detachable speakers.
The bad: Produces a light shade of black; below-average shadow detail; poor off-angle viewing; backlight control not independent per input; emits faint humming sound when backlight is turned down.
The bottom line: Although a bargain by big-screen LCD standards, the 52-inch Vizio GV52LF has a hard time competing against similarly sized plasmas.
Every time Vizio enters a new screen-size category with its flat-panel HDTVs, the company seems to break a new price barrier in the process. The 52-inch GV52LF is another case in point. It's the first 1080p LCD we've seen at this size to dip below $2,000--provided you have the appropriate Costco coupon. As we've come to expect from the bargain flat-panel powerhouse, this Vizio's feature set compares well to costlier models, anchored by four HDMI inputs and plenty of picture controls. The set's picture quality itself is decent, although black-level performance and off-angle viewing could certainly stand improvement. However, when you consider that a number of 50-inch plasmas can be found for comparable prices, and that many of them offer superior picture quality despite lacking that magic "1080p" designation, the GV52LF becomes appealing mainly to people whose hearts are set on an LCD.
Design
Like its smaller brothers in the GVLF series, this 52-inch LCD has a relatively good-looking two-tone appearance. The stand and speakers are colored silver, while the frame around the screen itself is glossy black. The company logo lights up bluish-white when the TV's turned on, and turns orange when the TV's turned off. And like its line-mates, the GV52LF has bold text on the front that reads "GALLEVIA 1080 PROGRESSIVE LIQUID CRYSTAL HDTV." That's trying way too hard, and the words detract from the otherwise classy look of the set.
The Vizio GV52LF's detachable speaker.
Thanks to a set of screws, however, if you don't like the words you can remove the entire nameplate and expose the pedestal stand between the speakers. People with separate sound systems have the option to detach the speakers as well, chopping a good deal of bulk off the TV, and if you're hanging the set on the wall, the stand can also be removed. Including speakers and stand, the GV52LF measures 50.4 by 34.7 by 12.2 inches and weighs 110 pounds. Without speakers and stand, the panel measures 50.4 by 30.2 by 4.9 inches.
The GV52LF is the second model we've reviewed to feature Vizio's new, improved clicker. Every key on the midsized remote is illuminated, the exception being the big cursor control disc. The buttons are well-differentiated and -spaced, and we really liked the four dedicated keys for directly choosing inputs. We could complain about the mushy-feeling cursor disc and the fact that the aspect ratio key shares space with the less-important "record" button, and we don't love the prominent A, B, C, and D keys (which are only useful for controlling certain gear aside from the TV), but that's about it. The remote can command three other pieces of gear.
The set's menu system is straightforward and simple enough to use, although it was a bit confusing to have to use the menu key, as opposed to a dedicated "back" button, to move to a previous level in the menus. While the menu screen itself obediently disappears during most picture adjustments, it annoyingly remains overlaid during a few, including those in the Advanced video menu.
Features
As the nameplate proclaims, the GV52LF features a 1080p native resolution, which translates to 1,920x1,080 pixels., Those pixels enable the set to display every detail of 1080i and 1080p sources, the highest resolutions available today. All other sources, including 720p HDTV, DVD, standard-def TV and computers, are scaled to fit the available pixels.
The Vizio's backlight control is not independent per input.
We appreciated the numerous picture controls on the GV52LF. It offers three nonadjustable preset picture modes, along with a fourth Custom mode that's independent for each input. Yes, all four HDMI jacks can have different picture settings, unlike those of the Westinghouse TX-47F430S for example. Unfortunately, the important backlight control is an exception and remains at the same level for every input and picture mode, a limitation that prevents you from effectively using one setting for a bright room and another for the dark. We did like the ability to fine-tune the color temperature beyond the three available presets, of which Normal (not Warm) came closest to the standard. We weren't big fans of most of the options available in the Advanced picture menu, however, and ended up leaving them turned off for critical viewing of high-quality sources.
The Vizio offers a choice of just two aspect ratio modes for HD sources: one that zooms the image to cut off letterbox bars and one that happily provides a dot-by-dot version of 1080i and 1080p sources for the sharpest possible picture with no overscan. We did miss having a mode with some overscan, which can obscure the interference that appeared along the extreme edges of certain channels, like ESPNHD from our DirecTV feed. Happily, the Vizio provides a position control that you can tweak to eliminate visible interference. A healthier selection of four modes is available for standard-def sources.
In terms of conveniences, the GV45LF delivers an excellent, versatile picture-in-picture function that allows numerous combinations of sources, including RGB (aka computer) and HDMI. A freeze-frame function is also onboard for people who like to read the fine print in erectile dysfunction ads.
Four HDMI inputs highlight the GV52LF's jack pack.
Although the GV52LF is squarely entrenched in the "bargain" category, its connectivity rivals that of high-end HDTVs. As mentioned above, the highlight is the four HDMI inputs, allowing direct connection to, say, an HDMI-equipped cable box, a DVD recorder, a Sony PlayStation3, and an Xbox 360 Elite (if you don't have 4 HDMI devices, you're just not trying hard enough). The Vizio also offers two component-video inputs, one AV input with composite video, an RGB-style PC input (which accepts the full 1920x1080 resolution) and an RF input for the cable and/or antenna, including broadcasts to the ATSC tuner. There's also an optical digital output for surround soundtracks from said tuner, and a standard stereo audio output. The GV52LF's left side is home to another AV input equipped with S-Video and composite-video jacks.
The GV52LF's side-panel inputs include composite and S-video.
Performance
As with most Vizio HDTVs we've tested, the GV52LF's picture quality was good enough for most people, but it certainly won't please discerning viewers. Its main issue is lack of the ability to produce deep blacks, and while its color performance was quite solid, we were also disappointed in its off-angle viewing characteristics.
We began as usual by adjusting the Vizio for our darkened lab, which meant reducing the light output to around 40 FTL for comfortable viewing. We also noticed a very faint humming sound when we reduced the backlight to zero; it became progressively quieter as we increased the backlight, and was nearly inaudible at 100. Nonetheless we set the backlight to zero to coax the best black levels possible out of the GV52LF, and tweaked brightness and contrast accordingly. We also took advantage of the red, green, and blue color temperature sliders, which improved grayscale accuracy in dark areas especially. The set's grayscale wasn't very linear, however, dipping into red in mid-dark areas and up toward blue in brighter ones--we really could have used six controls instead of three. For our complete adjustments, click here or check out the Tips & Tricks section above.
For this comparison we used a number of more-expensive 50-something HDTVs we had on-hand, including the Pioneer PDP-5080HD plasma (our reference for black level), the Pioneer PRO-FHD1 plasma (our color reference), and two 52-inch LCDs, namely the Toshiba 52LX177 and the Sharp LC-52D64U. We watched The Departed on HD DVD played from the Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD player at 1080i resolution.
The Vizio GV52LF's panel doesn't muster as deep of a shade of black as the 42-inch GV42LF, and its picture certainly looked lighter than as any of the other more-expensive comparison HDTVs. During the warehouse meeting with Jack Nicholson's crew, for example, the letterbox bars, the black of Leonardo DiCaprio's shirt, and the metal of an Uzi didn't look as dark as on the other displays, which robbed the scene of some impact in comparison. The Vizio also delivered fewer details in shadows; the folds of DiCaprio's jacket when he types on his hidden cell phone appeared indistinct compared with the other LCDs and especially the plasmas.
As we mentioned above, the Vizio's color in dark areas remained true, unlike the Sharp and Toshiba, but it still had a tendency to redden lighter, mid-dark areas. We saw evidence of this in the encounter between DiCaprio and his psychologist in her apartment, where their skin appeared a bit less natural compared with the more-accurate PRO-FHD1. In brightly-lit scenes on the Vizio, some areas like the white-washed walls of a driving range looked a bit too blue compared with the other displays. In both cases, however, the effect wasn't egregious especially for a budget LCD. Color decoding was quite accurate as were primary colors, but the Vizio's apparent saturation was worsened by its lighter blacks.
With the advent of 120Hz displays like the Toshiba 52LX177, the topic of LCD motion blur is worth addressing. We did see some blur when watching the scrolling white-on-black text of the ESPN ticker, where the letters on the Vizio appeared softer around the edges than on the other displays. Blurring was nearly impossible to detect in the fast-motion from Departed, however, such as when DiCaprio apprehended Matt Damon on the rooftop. We switched gears to a football game and looked for blurring in long sweeps of the camera over the field following a kickoff or in the names on jerseys when players moved quickly, and again it was difficult to discern. Although the GV52LF displays worse blurring on the ticker than we've seen on many other LCDs, we don't think it'll be an issue for all but the most sensitive viewers.
Of course one of the Vizio's biggest selling points is its 1080p native resolution, and indeed the set was capable of resolving every detail of 1080i and 1080p sources. Like most HDTVs we've tested, it was incapable of correctly deinterlacing 1080i film-based content, but it did pass the test for video-based content (see the geek box below). Details in Departed looked excellent, as expected from such a high-quality source material, although compared with the 50-inch, lower-resolution (1,366x768) Pioneer PDP-5080HD, the Vizio didn't look any sharper. In fact, with the Pioneer's higher contrast ratio, it often looked more detailed than the 1080p Vizio.
We also compared the two with a 1080p source, the ultra-sharp Corpse Bride played from the Samsung BD-P1200, and the results were similar--when sitting about five feet from the screen staring hard at a paused image, we were able to detect the slightest amount of extra detail in the texture of the one of the sleeves of Finis Everglot, for example. At a normal seating distance with full-motion images, fine details on the two sets looked basically the same. The main benefit of the Vizio compared with the Pioneer was the former's lack of scaling artifacts in certain areas, like the horizontal Venetian blinds behind Martin Sheen's desk, which evinced some unnatural moving lines on the Pioneer but none on the Vizio.
The GV52LF evinced relatively even screen uniformity for a big flat-panel LCD. With completely black screens and less-so with letterbox bars, we noted that the top edge and the top-left corner appeared slightly brighter than the rest. With test patterns that fill the screen with flat gray fields, we did see slightly uneven brightness across the screen, but it was quite difficult to spot in normal program material. When seen from off-angle, however, the picture on the Vizio suffered more than those of most LCDs we've tested. Dark areas became noticeably redder, and the entire image became a good deal more washed out. Viewers seated more than a seat to either side of dead-center could notice the dropoff in picture fidelity, especially in dark scenes.
The Vizio resolved all of the details of the DVD source, and the stone bridge looked fine as long as we kept the sharpness control at the default 4 or higher (that setting induced edge enhancement, but we preferred that look with standard-def to softer alternatives). On the other hand, the Vizio left jagged edges along moving diagonal lines and on the stripes and folds of a waving American flag. The set's noise reduction did a mediocre job of cleaning up the snowy video noise from the skies and sunsets on the HQV disc; even at the highest setting we saw significantly more noise than on the other sets in the room, although the Toshiba was about equal. We did appreciate the quick detection and implementation of 2:3 pulldown, however.
With PC sources, the Vizio produced very good results. We started by connecting a PC's DVI output to one of the GV52LF's HDMI inputs and setting our video card to match the display's 1920x1080 resolution. According to DisplayMate, the set resolved every detail of the signal, and text looked great with no overscan. When we connected our PC via VGA the results were less impressive. The set took the 1920x1080 signal well and displayed an image with no overscan, but the horizontal resolution was truncated significantly, to about half. As a result text looked a good deal softer than it should, although it was still legible. We had better results setting our PC to output at 1,366x768, where text looked a bit sharper. Of course, with the Vizio's four HDMI inputs you'll likely have an extra to use with a PC, so going VGA won't be necessary as long as your PC has a DVI output.
Intro:
The Vizio GV52LF is a 52-inch, liquid crystal display television.Compared to other liquid crystal display TVs on the market, it is expensive at around $2,500.This TV is an LCD display, which is generally the best kind of flat-panel screen for viewing in brightly-lit rooms.
Noteworthy Features:
Has a 52-inch screen size.This is larger than the average TV on the market today, but is to be expected for a TV of this price.This set can display images that are sharper and more realistic than analog television when hooked up to a high definition signal.The 3:2 pulldown feature of this unit reduces artifacts that can occur when motion pictures are transferred to a digital format such as DVD.
Weaker Features:
Has only a rear connector location.
Suitability:
Made for those who want to enjoy an ultra-sharp picture from an ultra-thin TV.In general, a wide aspect TV such as this one is ideal for DVD movies recorded in the popular 16:9 format, as well as high definition programming.
Value:
Overall, this TV's price seems a bit steep, with respect to its features.
Suggestions:
(1) For assistance in shopping for a new HDTV, read CNET editors' Ultimate HDTV Buying Guide.(2) If donating or repurposing your old TV is not a viable option, CNET encourages households to recycle their electronics.Please explore the following website to find a recycling center in your area Electronics Take Back Coalition.
Receiving HDTV broadcast:
The three common methods to receive HDTV broadcasts are via satellite-TV set-top box, cable system set-top box, and over-the-air reception from a digital HDTV broadcast station.
True HDTV:
True HDTV programming is now available in three resolutions: 720p, 1080i, or 1080p.
Tuner options:
An HDTV-ready satellite or cable box will act as an outboard HDTV tuner for your digital TV set that lacks a built-in HD tuner.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Side by Side Vizio GV52LF The Sharp LC-52D64U's & The Sony KDL-52XBR2
So, Me and 2 of my friends ran a Side-by-Side on these 3 units using Sony playstation 3's for ...
So, Me and 2 of my friends ran a Side-by-Side on these 3 units using Sony playstation 3's for blu-ray and game play as well as my Dell XPS 720 Black Playing Oblivion, CofD 3, Fear and MS Flight Sim X. We Watched 3 Blu-Ray's: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer & The Chronicles of Narnia. (All with lots of CGI and plenty of dark scenes.) And we watched 2-3 hours of 480p cable programming over a good connection. Over all the Sony had the most accurate and even picture although it seemed to perform poorer at 480p than the others. The Sharp was a bit of a disappointment (So much so that my friend took it back and bought a Panasonic TH-58PZ700U Plasma. (Which if you watch more movies and do less PC gaming is a great TV) The Sharps uniformity & color were worst over all and the blacks and were no better than the Vizio or the Sony. Over all The Vizio Held it's own very well in all of the categories and when watching Blu-Ray the performance of the Sony and the Vizio other than the Sony having a slight color advantage (which I doubt you would notice if the TV's weren't Side-by-Side) is very comparable. If anyone wants to argue about the over all greatness of the Sony, don't bother (I concede) However I can get a the Vizio, the Play-station 3, a Wall Mount and A decent home-theater-in-a-Box and still have change to by games or movies or I can get the Sony and know I have the best or the Sharp so I can have?regrets???. My over-all conclusion on a scale of 1-10 in over-all performance, the Sony is and 9, The Vizio is an 8 (A 9 if you consider price) and the Disappointing Sharp is a 6.5. If you want Great but don't have to have perfection (and like I said the Sony still has some minor flaws), you can't beat the Vizio. On a reviewers note?If you look at the CNet reviews for Vizio, they all seem to rate at the 6.6 I think that considering the very much improved processor, picture quality, contrast ratio, color, uniformity, 4 HDMI Ports, and numerous new adjustments made available in the on-screen menus, as well as the improved remote over all of the previous generations of Vizio LCD TV's, this TV should be getting at least low 7's (The Sharp received a 7.5 yet rated the same in the performance category which we found to be far from the case and other than the Sharps sleek black look (which when the Vizio is wall mounted it looks better than the Sharp?), we found the Vizio to be equal in design, having more useful features and easier to set up. As to the CNet Review talking about the back lighting, the light shades of black, viewing angle issues and shadow problems we saw little to no discernable differences in these areas in the Vizio as compared to the Sony?)
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by GrumpyGrinder (see profile) -
October 16, 2007
76 out of 76 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 out of 10 - Excellent Great Picture for the size and price
It's not the best picture I've seen, but it's pretty damm good in HD mode. I wanted ...
It's not the best picture I've seen, but it's pretty damm good in HD mode. I wanted the sharp 52D92U but decided to give this unit a try before I spend the extra money. The speakers on this unit are much better then the vizio 47" unit, and the remote is much easier to operate and understand. Overall I'm happy with this unit, it seems as if I got more then what I paid for. And there is nothing wrong with getting a deal.!!
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by thumper7777 (see profile) -
August 27, 2007
31 out of 31 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Good pic, Great value!
I worked in electronic retail for about a year and learned a lot about Home Theater. I was going to ...
I worked in electronic retail for about a year and learned a lot about Home Theater. I was going to see if the price on a Sharp Aquos would go down, but then I saw this TV. Standing right next to the Sharp, there was no better way to compare the picture. I turned off the "surround" option on the speakers and turned down the red saturation, and I saw the most beautiful picture I've ever seen on a TV this price. Also works wonderfully with PC's and has great "zoom", "wide", and "panoramic" options. Definitely worth the money.
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by joeseph0404 (see profile) -
September 13, 2007
20 out of 20 users found this user opinion helpful.
I got this TV right after it came out. ...
If you are interested in this TV set, read my review.
I got this TV right after it came out. I was debating on which 52" LCD to buy when I saw Vizio released this new TV.
I am very picky when it comes to audio and video, but I am also picky when it comes to many other things, like price, quality, performance, and choosing good deals. I was lucky that I didn't get to choose a TV when this TV came out. I was in fact going to try to buy a Sony.
Lets face it, if you want very good quality and performance, you need to pay for it. As I am writing this, as per my own research and in accordance to most reviews, Sony has the best of the best on LCD TV (and more when it comes to 52"). But Vizio has the best of the best when it comes to a good deal. This is why I chose to buy this TV.
I saw many Vizio TVs before, and I knew their quality, which is not the best, but is fairly good. I must say that after turning ON my new 52" Vizio TV I was surprised. The colors are so good and bright, that I thought I was looking at a Plasma TV. It is just amazing.
Since I haven't have the TV for too long, I can't say it is perfect when it comes to any problems with the hardware, but as I said, I know what I am getting into, so I got my extended warranty just in case. This is the best deal for the price. And again, unless you are very picky about the picture in your TV and you are looking for a good deal, this is the way to go.
About the TV itself, it is very nice all around. The colors are very bright and even, you don't see a fade effect anywhere. I connected a new computer (HP) with Vista to this TV using the RGB connection. I tested multiple screens with different colors and to my taste, it passed with A+ (and to my surprise!).
Video is a different story. The Response Time is claimed to be 5ms, still, I see it a little slow (don't forget I'm picky). Compared to the Sony TV, if you give Sony A+, then Vizio deserves a good A-. I am based on the fact that most LCD TVs out there actually look about just the same, so it would be unfair to give it a lower score.
When watching 480 resolution programming, you can see some defects on the image, but it is expected and most HDTVs out there have the same problem (if not all). 720 Resolution looks just as great as expected. No complains there.
1080 Resolution from both Satellite and DVD is very good. I would give it an A. I should add that the Default Video settings out of the box (Custom Settings) are pretty good, but you might want to use the Movie option for watching DVD movies (assuming you are on a dark room) as the settings are darker.
There are other Video settings to be adjusted too, but after playing with them, I didn't notice too much of a difference with most of the changes, so I decided to leave it Factory Original as it looks pretty good.
Sound is very good as well. The small detachable speakers actually generate a very good and clear sound including bass signals (to my surprise again!). The surround effect is very good and you do actually feel like you are getting sound from behind you. Very impressive. Of course, if you wish to have real sound, you must use a Receiver with 5.1 or 7.1 speaker setup in order to re-create the Movie Theater effect. But for regular everyday TV the speakers are very good.
I was also surprised to find 4 HDMI connections on this set, together with 2 AVI, 2 Components, 1 RGB PC and both RCA and Optical Digital Audio Out. I have tested each connection and they all deliver a very good quality of both picture and sound according to the type of connection of course.
I have not tested the HDTV receiver part as I do not have an aerial antenna in my house and I only use satellite (DirecTV) but I read in the manual some things about it, and I'm sure most people will find it each feature very nice including the on-screen guide and the Parental Blocking as well.
Watching TV is a little tricky on any wide screen HDTV because you have to choose what format to watch, and how to display it on the screen. I particularly like to watch anything on the screen with the original or "Native" aspect ratio to preserve the original picture size. This has a good side and a bad side. The good is that you get to see everything the way it was meant to be (no "fat" people on 4:3 format using the Letter-Box option). The bad is that you will get the black (or gray) boxes on each side of the picture.
Another bad thing is that many 4:3 TV shows are now displayed as "widescreen" as they were filmed like that. I get in this case black boxes all around the picture, but it can be fixed using the "Zoom" mode so it fills up the screen (sometimes the edges will be cut). Again, this is more of a personal preference so each individual will have to play with the settings and choose what fits their taste better The viewing options are Normal, Wide, Zoom and Panoramic.
For those that have DirecTV like me, I recommend that you set the DirecTV Receiver as "Native" Resolution, and set the TV type as capable of displaying all 480, 720 and 1080 formats. I found out this is the best way to watch TV as the Receiver will switch to whichever resolution the channel is, giving a better picture, at least for the combination of DirecTV and the Vizio 52" HDTV. Otherwise, if you set the Receiver as 1080 only, lower resolution programming will look weird and with a lot of "digitalization" very visible.
Hardware wise, I put the TV on top of a table as I didn't want to hang in on the wall (I don't trust hanging 110 lb on the wall, but that's just me), so I didn't order the Wall Mount Hardware. As per the TV itself, it comes with a small strap or metal cable and a screw to attach the unit to the wall behind to avoid tipping. I didn't use it as I don't think a small screw (even using an anchor) will stop 110 Lb from tipping and falling to the floor. The weight is good enough to keep the unit stable and I don't think anything else is needed. But again, each individual will decide on their own.
I liked the Vizio logo right on the Middle under the screen. When the TV is OFF, it lights up Orange (just like the remote), and once you turn ON the TV, it lights up pure white, and fades to low white in a matter of seconds. Same effect when you turn it OFF but with the orange color.
I don't know if the TV has fans inside or not, but I would think it does. Anyways, I haven't heard them at all, so if it does have fans, they are very silent. The screen itself gets hot after watching TV for awhile, but is not very hot compared to other LCD and Plasmas. And I like the fact that if on RGB mode, if the PC shuts down or the video goes down (PC goes to sleep or Stand By), the TV acts like a regular monitor, and it also goes to sleep, turning OFF the screen, and will wake up when the PC is awaken just like a regular monitor again.
On my final thoughts, I do think that if you want a nice TV set, you want an LCD instead of Plasma (to avoid image burning), and you are looking for a good deal inside a "small" budget to buy a 52" size HDTV, your answer is Vizio. If you need to find out more, I suggest doing a lot of online researches, looking up at the different TVs physically inside a store, and reading the documentation for each set (you can find the Owner's Manual for most brands for Electronic Equipments online under the Customer or Technical Support). Vizio has each Manual online in case you want to look at it.
Assuming you are reading this because you are considering this TV, I can tell you that is a very good set and you shouldn't be disappointed. Just be sure to understand that you are not dealing with a top brand like Sony, Samsung, LG, Pioneer, etc, so buying an extended warranty is a good idea, and also will help you if you do get a defective set from factory (is not the first time it happens, even with top brands).
Now let me go and enjoy my TV (when my wife decides to let me use it of course?)
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by toocrazy999 (see profile) -
September 13, 2007
16 out of 16 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 out of 10 - Perfect WOW! GV52LF is an Amazing Value
I've been shopping for a new HDTV for some time. Fortunately for me Vizio launched the GV52LF before I ...
I've been shopping for a new HDTV for some time. Fortunately for me Vizio launched the GV52LF before I purchased a more expensive 52" LCD with only marginally better picture quality. This HDTV is an amazing value!
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by Gman456 (see profile) -
August 27, 2007
11 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
2 out of 10 - Terrible The worst purchase
Bottom line, I returned this televisions to S@ms club. You get what you pay for with a low end ...
Bottom line, I returned this televisions to S@ms club. You get what you pay for with a low end television from a low end company. The remote is wonderful and wish other companies would include a nice remote with their televisions.
The 1000:1 contrast ratio is terrible for viewing this television anywhere in the room except straight on or +/- 10 degrees off angle. I cold not figure out why the screen started graying out as I moved around the room and then after some research I discovered that it was because of the contrast ratio.
DO NOT BUY a TV with LOW contrast ratio.
My father has a 1080p LCD Samsung that looks beautiful wherever you are in the room. That is why I went with a 1080p LCD. But this contrast ratio destroyed the viewing experience.
Then there is the wwhite band across the top of the TV during some programs. I thought it was the Cable signal or the cable box, but it was Vizio's way of turning the 1080i signal into 1080p. Thus strike 2 for Vizio.
Then day 29 of owning the TV comes and the right speaker starts making a terrible wind tunnel noise. I could not figure out what was causing the noise. Again I blamed the cable or the HDMI cable. But it also made the noise when I turned on the DVD player and the 360. Thus it was the TV. I unplugged the right speaker and it went away.
I give this product a 2 because it had a great picture when being fed a 1080p source and viewing it at a direct angle as well as the nice remote. Other than that this baby was garbage and I returned it to the store and bought a different one. Lets see how this turns out.
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by CajunSuperJeff (see profile) -
January 13, 2008
10 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 out of 10 - Excellent Best LCD for the money
I returned the philips 52 inch for this one, and I have been VERY happy. The philips had some very ...
I returned the philips 52 inch for this one, and I have been VERY happy. The philips had some very big issues- maybe just the one I got, but it seemed like the issues were inherent to the TV. read my review of the philips 52 inch LCD for details, but I would stay away from that TV.
Anyway, I can respond to the two main concerns from some people on these posts- the viewing angle (i.e. contrast ratio) and the "white bars" seen in some programs.
First the viewing angle- This does have a lower contrast ratio than others, but I got the philips with that in mind, which has double the contrast ratio, and not only could I not tell a difference in the viewing angle, but the philips picture was actually worse- much worse. And a good deal of my tv watching is done from the kitchen while I do dishes, etc, so my viewing angle to the TV is about 60 degrees off center, which is a pretty good angle- I just watched the Cowboys-Giants game last night from the kitchen and the picture was a bright as can be. Any further off to the side, and I wouldn't be able see the actual screen itself . Why would anyone want to watch TV from way over there?
The other issue is the white bars that sometime show up on the outskirts of the picture. I saw this too when I first turned it on. Please note- these white bars, which measure about 2 millimeters thick if you measured it with a ruler, are not actually ON the picture, but just outside the picture. Meaning that with a VERY slight adjustment of the picture's horizontal and vertical placement, you can move these bars so they are no longer seen- accomplished in about 1 minute. And since they are actually no IN the picture, you don't have to cut off any of the picture. The amount you have to move the picture is so minimal, you would never notice it. Problem solved. I have had other LCD tvs that did this too, and it is not uncommon, which is why they put in an option to move the picture that way.
I have heard that Costco and sams club are no longer selling the 52inch LCD because the 50inch vizio plasma TVs are selling so well. That is unfortunate. But I benefited from getting their last one for under $1800. Can't beat that. IN general, I would rate this very well. Absolutely no complaints, and as soon as I can afford it, I am replacing all my other TVs in my house with Vizio LCD tvs.
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by viper20619 (see profile) -
January 14, 2008
6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Beautiful picture, low price
I replaced a 51" rear projection 1080i set with this one. The difference was like night and day. My wife, ...
I replaced a 51" rear projection 1080i set with this one. The difference was like night and day. My wife, who is normally indifferent to stuff like this used words such as "stunning" and "incredible" when we watch an episode of Planet Earth on this set. The picture is bright, crisp, and so real that I actually felt a sense of vertigo during the views of Earth from space in the Planet Earth shows.
Xbox 360 games look great too. I was surprised at how much better 1080p looks than 1080i. It just seems to have this "pop", things really stand out, and it's made games more enjoyable, and I know I've gotten a few more kills in my FPS games because I can see the other players better now.
I found it funny that the CNET editors claimed that this set has issues at angle viewing, that's been one of the things that both my wife and I have been really impressed with, how good it looks even from an extreme angle.
Bottom line, if you are a videophile you probably aren't considering this TV anyway, as you'd probably need to spend the extra $1000 - $2000 on a Sharp or Sony to be truely satisfied, but if you are an average TV watching Joe like me, you'll be very happy with this set, and even happier with all the money you saved.
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by JethroXP (see profile) -
September 22, 2007
6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Everything I expected
I read the CNET reviews before buying, I was concerned as I'm very picking especially as to picture quality. ...
I read the CNET reviews before buying, I was concerned as I'm very picking especially as to picture quality. Even though there were many good reviews, I tended to dwell on the negative ones. Since I was assured at Sam's Club that I could return it if not satisfied, I went ahead and bought the unit ($1889.00) very good price. Set the TV up, turned it on and everything was fine. Left the unit on factory settings, didn't change anything and I'm 100% satisfied.
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by ad44203 (see profile) -
December 1, 2007
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Best bang for the buck and better than some other 52 in LCDs costing much more
This LCD HDTV is great, period. It displays everything that I have connected to it without any problems whatsoever! Picture ...
This LCD HDTV is great, period. It displays everything that I have connected to it without any problems whatsoever! Picture quality is outstanding.
1. Philips DVP5982 1080P upscaling DVD player (connected via HDMI) 2. 6+ year old Toshiba Progressive DVD player (connected via component) 3. 4+ year old Sony Vaio PCV-RZ24G with original factory installed videocard (connected via DVI - HDMI) 4. Scientific Atlanta Explorer 4250HD cable box from Cablevision (connected via HDMI) 5. Canon Optura 60 camcorder (connected via s-video and RCA audio) 6. Radio Shack Indoor VHF/UHF/HDTV Antenna with RF Remote Control #15-1892 (connected via coax)
All cables used from monoprice, excellent.
As I mentioned in cons, no vertical size fine adjustment option in menu. It would have been nice to have, considering they included the horizontal adjustment, h and v positions.
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by pbxny (see profile) -
September 14, 2007
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