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Product Review (submitted on May 20, 2010):

I bought this TV on Sunday 5/16/10 @ Sam's Club for $830 to replace a Magnavox 42" Plasma that died on me the same day after only 4 years of heavy use.
So, my first experience with an HDTV did not go too well. Yes, I used my TV for everything from Blu-ray movies to HD Gaming but that is still too short of a life span. In contrast, I can't kill my old 32" CRT. Why did I choose a Vizio? Well I must give credit to my wife as she wanted to get a Vizio as our next HDTV after seeing how much better the picture was next to the more expensive Sony's back around Christmas. I took her word for it and she was right, the picture is great and the sound is better than expected but I had pretty low expectations coming from my Plasma which had horrible, tinny-sounding speakers. To first test out the new TV, I used only Component cables since that was all I had on hand for HD but that is what I had used before so it was good to see a Component comparison between the sets to start with rather than going right into the premium connection type. I have since bought (4) HDMI cables, 1 for each HDMI Input. Right away there was a noticeable picture improvement, much more detail is viewable using the HDMI cables, at least to me.

There are a ton of picture adjustments you can make but the factory settings are correct for the most part. I actually tried to calibrate my system but in the end it looked too washed out and I reset to the factory picture settings. For now I am just using the preset Picture Modes as they look the best to my eye. I may revist this in the future but I think they did a good job with their picture settings they included. The setup was easy and I was able to program my DirecTV HD DVR (4th choice), connect to my Wireless-N router and register the TV without any problems. The internet apps are great and this is highly recommended for all NetFlix customers. The TV also has the best audio I have ever heard from TV speakers. I use my Surround Sound system normally but now I don't have to for everything. I appreciate all the connections and was a little worried about it only (1) Component connection but with (4) HDMI connections, I currently do not even have anything connected to it. Everything is labeled clearly and the remote is by far the best I have seen packaged with a TV. Black levels looked good right out of the box. Sets with only 120 Hz selling for much more.

Pros-

Picture: 240 Hz SPS, 50,000:1 DCR, Preset Picture Modes look good
Sound: SRS TruSurround HD™ & SRS TruVolume™, best stock sound
VIA™: VIZIO Internet Apps™, connect to the internet without a computer!
Remote: Universal w/ slide-out keyboard, best stock remote I have ever seen
Connections: (4) HDMI plus all previous technology connections
Green: Energy Star 3.0
Weight: Lightweight, easy to move w/ 1 person, much lighter than my Plasma
Setup: Basic setup to view a picture and connect to internet very easy
Casing/Trim: Very attractive black display. Silver
Customer service: From what I have read they are very helpful

Cons-

USB: Service only, Future Use
Cables: Need to buy your own, check Monoprice & Amazon, don't pay more than $10 ea for HDMI cables, I bought (4) Mediabridge Ultra Series - 6ft High Speed HDMI Cable - Category 2 Certified - Supports 3D - 1440p - 1080p - Blu-Ray - PS3 - XBox 360

Issues:

Input: When turning the TV on or switching Inputs, mostly with my HD DVR I get a gray screen have to change the channel for it to clear. Not sure who's fault this is, TV or HD DVR since switching to 1080p but it is annoying.

Component Setup Notes:

Step 1: First off, turn off all systems before plugging in any cables, incl. the TV itself, trust me.

Step 2: Connect all cables from all systems to the TV. Make sure to connect that extra Composite cable to the PS3, if you have one. Also connect any additional audio cables such as optical from your sources to your TV or your Surround Sound receiver. Note: For the Xbox 360, you will need to use a special adapter which contains an optical output plus RCA red/white outputs. The other end is the big connector which connects directly to the Xbox 360.

Step 3: Turn on the TV and the systems and go through each Input, 1 by 1, to set everything up, my systems are listed below, maybe this will help you:

3a. DirecTV HD DVR [HR21-200]- (HDMI) Go into setup & select the HDTV tab, then pick TV Resolutions, click on 1080p. You may experience some trouble at first, I displayed a pink screen but the confirmation text was still displayed. To fix this go under HDTV>Video, set Native to Off which helps to eliminate the issue with a Pink screen being displayed. You may also need to switch inputs to clear the pink screen, just select another device using the Input button and then go back to the D*TV HD DVR Input, this should clear it.

3b. PS3 - (HDMI) This was the trickiest system to hookup, because it is not simply plug & play. Find your PS3 Composite (not Component) connector that came with your PS3, good luck finding it!, the HDMI input connection will not display on its own. Connect this cable to the AV connections, really just the Video is needed. Select the AV Input on the TV and it should detect that an HDMI connection exists, if you have an HDMI cable connected. Click on the HDMI choice to set the HDMI input. Now turn off the PS3 and then back on. Switch the TV Input to the corresponding HDMI connection to the PS3 and it should display in 1080p. On the PS3, select Settings>Display Settings>Video Output Settings>HDMI>Change>Check all resolutions supported by your TV (Standard (NTSC), 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, next set the TV type: 16:9. Save settings (press X). Next go to Settings>Display Settings>RGB Full Range (HDMI)>Full. Next go to Settings>Display Settings>Y Pb / Cb Pr / Cr Super-White (HDMI)>On. If settings this to on, you will also need to go to Settings>Video Settings>BD / DVD Video Output Format (HDMI)>Automatic. Onto the sound, go to: Settings>Sound Settings>Audio Multi-Output>On, if using multiple audio connections like Optical & HDMI. This will enable you to use your TV and/or your Surround Sound. Next go to Settings>Sound Settings>Select all the audio output formats that your equipment can support. That should cover the basic PS3 HD setup.

3c. Xbox 360 - Xbox Dashboard>System>Console Settings>Display>Display Settings>HDTV Settings>1080p, keep settings, if screen can be seen. Now go to Xbox Dashboard>System>Console Settings>Display>Display Settings>Reference Levels>Expanded. Now onto the sound - Xbox Dashboard>System>Console Settings>Audio>Audio Settings>Dolby Digital 5.1. That's it, much simpler than the PS3.

3d. Upconverting DVD player - I have it connected but I haven't used it yet so no notes here. It should be plug and play but there might be some setup in the menus for the new HDMI connection established.

3e. JVC Surround Sound (Optical) - I actually don't use the Optical connection on the TV, I just use the Optical connections on each system directly to the receiver: HD DVR, PS3, 360. If there are no HDMI connections on your receiver, there is no need to have any video cables connected.

3f. Wireless-N router - Connect wirelessly or wired, your choice. Since both the TV and the router are stationary devices and I had a spare Cat-6 cable and port available, I chose to use the Ethernet port on the back of the TV.

TV setup notes:

Firmware - If you are connected to the internet, see Wireless-N setup above, the first time you power the TV off, it should perform a Firmware update and the VIZIO logo on the front of the TV will be flashing. DO NOT touch the TV, wait for it to power itself off before using it. You can verify that it was updated in the Information section below

Audio - You need to turn off the SRS Trusurround HD to get the equalizer to show. It is under Audio in the User Manual.

Inputs - I recommend renaming all the inputs so you can visually discern each one esp. with 4 HDMI Inputs, it gets confusing. Also, setup the remote for all the devices that you can. For now I only have the D*TV HD DVR programmed. I couldn't get the PS3 to work on the remote.

Information - Click the VIA button on remote, Select Help, Select System Information. Here you can check your Firmware version, IP Address, MAC Address, etc.

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Recommendation: Buy now! Perfect for Sports, Video Gaming, scripted TV, Movies and Internet-viewing. Price can't be beat for all of the features offered. Buy @ Sam's Club, BJ's, Amazon & more, priced @ $830-$949.