Re: Vizio owners: how do you like your LCD?
My setup
was:
Sony 32" Trinitron
Yamaha RX-v890 receiver
Infinity 625 (2) left/right, 325 (2) surround, RS-Video center
various DVD players but currently Sony DVP-NC615
Motorola HDDVR Cable (comcast)
But after 13+ years the Sony died. So I retrieved one of my son's gaming TV's (27" RCA, Digital compatible) as the only viewing device - it was horrible. Much distortion, freezing, tiling, etc. And at about 9 feet away, small.
After looking for 3 or 4 months, reading all the on-line reviews I could find (all the time watching this horrible little TV) I wanted a Samsung LN52A650 52" 120Hz TV. But...
To use ANY 52" HDTV I would need to replace my entertainment center and my disk storage cabinets. Not a pretty picture.
Everyone I asked said get 52" or bigger, the 42, 46, etc just paled by comparison in stores. But not only can't I really justify a $2200 HDTV, I really could not spend an extra $1000 or so to replace my furniture components.
So again, I went off to view smaller HDTVs. And one day at SAMs Warehouse, I see the Vizio SV420XVT 120Hz for a then astounding $900. (Yes Dell has them for $800 and now they can be had for $700 - but my patience was wearing thin)
So I went back to the Internet and read every scrap of information I would find on Vizio (a totally unknown brand to me) and the SV420XVT in particular.
Reviewers liked it, users liked it. But I was not convinced that "I" would like it. So I haranged the poor people at SAMs to move the Vizio next to the Samsung and Sony TVs so I could (as best as possible given the lighting) see them side by side.
To me, hands down the Samsung had the best picture - period. But, again to me, the Vizio had a better picture than the Sony. I never would have believed it without seeing it, under the same conditions.
In these times price is always a consideration, so the differences between the Samsung and the Vizio were not worth the extra $900. And I bought the Vizio.
Being very sceptical - I decided on the way home, that I would only unpack it enough to make sure I would be satisfied - I would rather take it back and spend an additional $900 than live with something I was not happy with.
So after gingerly taking it out of the box and carefully removing only the plastic bag cover, I plugged it in.
WOW
I was simply blown away by the clarity. As noted above I have comcast and so I tuned it to a HD channel (1080i component) and double WOW.
I am sure part of the WOW factor was the change from a truly horrible TV to the HDTV, but even this factored in - double WOW. As others note, HD, even at 1080i has almost a 3D effect - again double WOW.
Now after reading more here and other forums I have begun the ominous task of fine tuning the display to my liking. Its even better than when first plugged in, and slowly getting better all the time as I make finer and finer adjustments.
For me, given my size limitations, price consideration, and WOW factor. I could not have made a better purchase. Not only does it fit in my entertainment center, for me, its big enough to really enjoy movies at a 9 foot viewing distance.
Now if this set lasts as long as the Sony, triple WOW
...gene
And oh yes, I did finish unpacking it
EDIT: Now that I have had this set for a couple of months I am still VERY happy
I have tuned the set for every anomaly I have encountered: overscan, brightness, contrast, color, morie, etc. I am impressed, and for my $900 - I got a deal.
