VIZIO VP505XVT 50" Plasma HDTV Review

These days, I feel like plasma technology is the Rodney Dangerfield of HDTVs. If you look at how LCDs are grabbing market share in the U.S., plasmas get no respect from the general buying public.

I'll admit that I am biased. I prize the production of deep blacks for which plasmas have earned a well-deserved reputation. And when I see a high performance plasma that is value priced like the VIZIO VP505XVT, I must bestow it our Highly Recommended rating.

Since it lacks certain features like Internet connectivity, I would not call this VIZIO a no-compromise HDTV. But if you are simply interested in enjoying prime-time TV and Blu-ray movies on a stunning 50" 1080p plasma display, then at its current street price, the VP505XVT is a no-brainer.

(Editor's Note: At this time, the VP505XVT is only available at Costco.)

The most distinctive design feature on this VIZIO is the half inch black mask all around the outside edge of the screen. I'm not talking about the normal piano black glossy bezel frame, which is a little over one and a half inches.

Inside the bezel, this mask is separate and is integrated into the glass of the screen. When the TV is on, the image comes right to the edge of the mask. I think it adds a dimensionality to the display that I like.

This almost four inch deep plasma TV is four hands full - and two strong backs - because it weighs 96 pounds with its non-swivel stand. I prefer the flexibility of a TV that rotates on its base, though with plasmas, unlike LCDs, you can sit really far off center and the image does not deteriorate.

A wide viewing angle is the good news with plasmas. Traditionally the bad news was that plasma screens tended to be reflective. Most of the plasmas produced in the last couple of years are implementing non-glare filters which solves much of the reflection problem. And I don't find this VIZIO to be particularly glary.

Right now the TV is turned off and my computer monitor, which is directly facing the VP505XVT, is shining bright. If I turn around, I can see the monitor reflecting in the darkened TV screen. But when I flip on the TV, the monitor can hardly be noticed.

And this next piece of advice holds true for any bright light that is directly reflecting into your plasma - or LCD for that matter. Turn it off if it bothers you, that's what I do with the computer monitor.

Below the screen, a cross-hatched, matte black, (with a hint of red), grille encloses the twin, integrated 10W speakers.

On the right side of this HDTV along the edge of the frame are the basic control buttons. A little farther back on that side are two HDMI inputs. That's it. Usually, there's a small convenience panel with at least a few other connections. Not on this TV.

Everything else is in the back. Unluckily, the designers at VIZIO are stubborn about placing all the sockets facing down. I have a hard enough time attaching HDMI cables when I can see the input slot. On these VIZIO's, it's always a matter of blind groping. At least they color code the connectors, if you are limber enough to see them by craning your neck around a four foot wide TV.

(This diagram of the panel has been split and stacked for the sake of readability.)

As you can see this panel contains two more HDMIs (with one stereo Audio In matched to the HDMI 2 input), one Component In (Y,Pb/Cb,Pr/Cr) with stereo Audio Ins, one Composite In (with a stereo Audio In), one S-Video In, one VGA PC input with an Audio In (stereo mini-jack), one stereo analog Audio Out, and one digital Audio Out (optical).

Notice the three Service Ports. The manual offers no reason for the need for three. It does give an ominous warning, "Use of this input for any purpose other than factory authorized service will void the manufacturer's warranty of this equipment."

The one RF antenna connector links to integrated NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuners. Since the tuner system is Clear QAM compatible, you can attach your cable TV signal directly into the RF connector and tune in unscrambled cable stations.

For those concerned about the DTV transition coming up, the ATSC tuner is the key. With the proper antenna, you will be able to tune in digital signals broadcast over the air.

At the Consumer Electronics Show, VIZIO was previewing a number of 2009 models that provide Internet connections to access online content. But these TVs will not be available for at least a few more months. And none of their 2008 TVs, including this VP505XVT, supply this functionality.

Also, this XVT does not provide a USB port or an SD Card reader for accessing photo, music or video files to play on the TV.

VIZIO continues to support picture-in-picture capabilities. In fact, their PIP and POP features are some of the best around. You still cannot combine two over-the-air TV sources side-by-side, but you can display a signal from either the HDMI 1 or 2 input next to an image from either HDMI 3 or 4.

I did run across one oddity when I first pushed the PIP button on the remote. I received a message to check the Parental Control feature. Really?

I admit I was stumped so I called Tech Support. After she walked me through the procedure, she demurely informed me that it was detailed in the manual on page 54. Indeed, it is. Though the manual doesn't explain why I have to turn off Parental Control to use the PIP.

VIZIO's remote controls always seem to be stylish as well as comfortable to use. This silver and black programmable remote supports up to four devices and is backlit when you push any of the buttons. The extra contrast afforded by the light is essential because the labels stenciled on some of the smaller buttons are difficult to read without it.

The EPA is now publishing a list of ENERGY STAR qualified TVs. (You can find it here.) Since this endeavor only started in November 2008, the list is not expansive and the VIZIO VP505XVT is not on the list.

Historically, plasma TVs have been the SUVs of HDTVs, big power guzzlers. I just received an email from the Plasma Display Coalition extolling the energy efficiency of new plasma models. Still, this 50" VIZIO does suck up its share of wattage. The manual states that the average power consumption is 440W.

When I see a high number like that, I have to remind myself that this is a 50" display, which is almost 1.7 times larger than a 42" screen. But even doing the math, this plasma ranks above most Energy Star 3 LCDs.

If you have your abacus handy, you may also wish to calculate an annual cost of running the TV. The formula that the EPA uses assumes that the TV is on five hours a day and in Standby for the other 19.

When we turned Off the VP505XVT, our meter dropped to 0. Let's be conservative and say that Standby Power Consumption is .3W and On mode is 440W. Then the Estimated Annual Energy Use would be 805 kWh/year.

You need to check your electric bill to see how much you are paying for a kWh. The national average is 10.4 cents. Doing the multiplication, at that rate, the yearly energy cost is $83.73 or about seven dollars a month.

If you would like to shave a little bit off the power consumption, some Picture Modes gobble up more electricity than others. For example, the brighter Game and Sports defaults are the worst offenders. The muted Movie mode is the most frugal.

To calibrate the TV, we use the Blu-ray version of the Digital Video Essentials DVD called HD Basics. We are playing the DVD on a Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray player connected to the HDTV with an HDMI cable.

We use the test patterns to adjust black level, white level, and color bias. The player is set to output a 1080p signal, which is the Maximum Resolution.' class=gloss>native resolution of the VP505XVT.

I usually begin by picking a Picture Mode. VIZIO offers five, Custom, Standard, Movie, Game and Sports. I suggest that you cycle through them as you are watching your favorite programs. If you see one that appeals to you, great. Class is dismissed.

Personally, I avoid brighter choices like Game and Sports. Even though Movie tends to be set too warm for me, I am beginning to favor the direction it takes.

For many people, Standard provides a good starting point from which to begin tweaking. I go straight to Custom because I can switch between it and the Standard and Movie defaults for comparison.

Next, I find the Color Temperature control, which is conveniently located in the main Picture menu. Again, four options are available, Cool, Normal, Warm or Custom.

I usually split the difference between the bluish Cool and the reddish Warm and pick Normal. But for reasons that I will discuss later, I picked Cool, which is the default and the 9300K setting. Cool gives a nice crisp white.

Also, in the Advanced Video menu are settings for items like Flesh Tone and Adaptive Luma. When I am doing my initial setup, I turn these Off.

Back to the main Picture menu, I adjusted Brightness up a few notches from the midpoint of 50. Contrast was dialed down a few more turns below 50.

The test patterns indicated that Color (Saturation) should be around 56. When I switched to watching real video, skin tones were too red, so I tamped Color back to around 50. Tint (Hue) was fine.

The Sharpness slider runs from 0 to 7. Beginning at 2, I see fringing on test patterns. I'm not a big Sharpness fan, therefore I lean towards a 0 or 1 setting. If you want to impress your friends on how sharp your TV looks, push it to 4. Any farther and you are venturing into the Artificial zone.

With those basic adjustments, I was more than happy with the picture quality. Afterward, I did experiment with Adaptive Luma and went back and forth between On and Off. My rule is, if I can't decide, then leave it Off.

After ten minutes of setup from beginning to end, I was finished and content, which is good because the only real fine tuning control is nestled in the Color Temperature feature. If you pick Custom, then you are supplied two groups of adjustments, Gain and Offset. Each has Red, Green and Blue sliders.

Simply, the performance is excellent. VIZIO has implemented the well-respected HQV (Hollywood Quality Video) processing technology in the VP505XVT and it delivers.

I just finished watching the replay on my HD DVR of the amazing finish of the Super Bowl. The VIZIO caught the action as well as Larry Fitzgerald and Santonio Holmes nabbed pigskins.

You will read about 120Hz LCDs that are made for fast moving scenes. Well, plasmas like the VP505XVT operate differently than LCDs and this 120Hz discussion does not apply. Basically, plasmas are inherently capable of handling fast motion.

But if you really want to see the VP505XVT show off, pop in the Blu-ray of Speed Racer. From the opening kaleidoscopic Warner Brothers logo, your eyes will be overindulged in cotton candy color.

Now, I also have the Pioneer KURO 6020 plasma in for review and it's sitting a short two feet away from the VIZIO. Even though the Pioneer 60" KURO is quite a bit more expensive than the VP505XVT, I still thought it was informative to feed them both the same signal and compare.

The first thing I noticed was that to match the KURO's default color temperature, I needed to set the VP505XVT's to Cool. Next, KUROs are known as the kings of deep blacks and though the VIZIO acquitted itself well, the crown is still safely in the Pioneer camp.

I froze frames from a number of different Blu-rays and put my nose next to both screens. Occasionally, I could see how the Pioneer was doing a better job of handling fine detail like the fabric on a coat. Often there was no apparent difference in how the TVs rendered an image.

Remember I was inspecting the screens from only a few inches away, definitely not from a normal viewing distance. Let's just say that all but the most discriminating videophile should be pleased with the video performance of the VP505XVT.

I connected my laptop to the TV with a VGA cable. The manual said that this connection was capable of a 1920 x 1080 resolution and indeed, that is what my humble laptop produced. As you may imagine, high resolution photos looked great on this 50" plasma.

The audio output from the integrated speakers is pretty darn good - not home theater great - just prime-time good. I even like the more spacious effect produced by turning on the SRS TruSurround HD feature. Beyond SRS TDHD, VIZIO only provides the basic Treble, Bass, and Balance controls.

If you are in the market for a well-priced, high performance 50" plasma HDTV, look no farther than the VIZIO VP505XVT. It may not have all the bells and whistles, but we believe its video quality earns it our Highly Recommended rating.

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VIZIO VO37L LCD HDTV Review

Though VIZIO has grown significantly in the past two years, they are still a fairly lean company in the fact that they do not manufacture a wide range of models in any one size.

For example, currently, the VO37L is one of only four 37" HDTVs from VIZIO. All of them are 720p TVs. VIZIO doesn't produce Full HD 1080p TVs smaller than 42". Then again, when I'm viewing 37" TVs, I don't especially feel pixel envy with a 720p display.

We are in the midst of a roundup of 37" LCD HDTVs from different manufacturers. We will review each individually and then aggregate our opinions in a comparison article. This VIZIO is the fourth one in the corral. (You can read the review of the first, an LG 37LG50, here, the second, a Samsung LN37A550, here and the third, a Toshiba REGZA 37RV530U, here.)

(Editor's Note: VIZIO also makes the VO32L, which has similar specs to the VO37L and this review can be applied to it also. The VO37L is available at Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's. The VU37L has similar specs and can be found at Target, Circuit City, Sears, and Dell.)

This VIZIO sports a dual textured bezel, which measures less than two inches on the sides and top. The inside bevel of the frame is a glossy piano black. Then comes a matte black grid texture with a narrow outer lip of glossy black.

The almost four inch deep TV weighs less than 37 pounds with its non-swivel stand.

Recessed on the right side of the VO37L is a convenience panel with an HDMI In, a Component In, a set of Composite inputs and a Headphone stereo minijack.

Unlike most new TVs, VIZIO is still mounting the larger connection panel on the back and facing it down, which makes plugging in the cables more difficult. This 37" TV is not that troublesome to twist around, but it's still would be easier if the connections were facing out.

The panel contains two HDMI inputs (with one set of stereo Audio Ins), one Component input (YPbPr) with matching stereo Audio In, one VGA (15 pin D-Sub) with a minijack Audio In, one Composite (with Audio), a digital Audio Out (optical), a stereo analog Audio Out and a Service Port.

(This diagram of the panel has been split and stacked for the sake of readability.)

The one RF antenna input connects to integrated NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuners. Since the tuner system is Clear QAM compatible, you can attach your cable TV signal directly into the RF connector and tune in unscrambled cable stations.

The VO37L does not offer a USB port to upload JPEG and MP3 files to the TV. Nor does it have an Ethernet port to connect to your home computer network or the Internet, but none of the 37" TVs we are reviewing does have this feature.

VIZIO does offer both Picture-in-Picture and Picture-outside-Picture capabilities with controls for sizing and positioning insets. You are limited in the combinations of sources. For example, you cannot PIP two HDMI sources.

The remote control is unusual because of its size. Most remotes measure about 8 or 9" long. The VO37L remote is a compact 6 1/4" in length. It can pull off this shrinkage because it isn't a multi-function control. Therefore it doesn't contain the extra buttons for operations like DVD playback.

If you are wondering where the Menu button is, it's the orange and white V, which lights up when you press any of the buttons. Beyond that, the remote is not backlit.

We have begun to measure the power consumption of our review units. Our process is straightforward. We plug the TV into a watt meter, called Watts up? Pro, and take a simple sampling of readings during the playback of a full screen video clip.

The first measurement is at the TV's default picture settings, which are often some form of Vivid, which is exactly the label that VIZIO uses. This is usually a high number because it takes more power to maintain a bright picture.

Our Power Consumption measurement at the Vivid default was between 160 and 161 watts. In their specifications, VIZIO states the Power Consumption as 200W (max).

We also take a reading after we adjust the picture to our preference, which is a much less bright image. The power consumption dropped to the range between 80 to 81W. Of course, depending on how you like to set up your TV, your mileage may vary.

We found that if you simply changed to the Standard default, the reading dropped to about 130W.

Finally, we turn off the TV and measure how much power it is using. Many older TVs still suck a lot of electricity even when they are switched off. When Off, this VIZIO doesn't even register on our meter. And indeed, they state that in Standby the consumption is less than one watt. Start up time from Standby is about six seconds.

To calibrate the monitor, we use the the Blu-ray version of the Digital Video Essentials DVD called HD Basics. We are playing the DVD on a Pioneer BDP-94HD Blu-ray player connected to the HDTV with an HDMI cable.

We use the test patterns to adjust black level, white level, and color bias. When we were testing the VO37L with the other 37" HDTVs, we usually set the player to output a 1080p signal. As I mentioned, this VIZIO's Maximum Resolution.' class=gloss>native resolution is 720p, but it does accept 1080p signals. When we were just setting up this TV, we told the Blu-ray player to output 720p.

The Picture menu provides the basic adjustments, Contrast, Brightness, Color (Saturation), Tint (Hue), Sharpness, and Backlight. When it comes to Picture Mode presets, VIZIO was in the sporting mood and offers Custom, Standard, Movie, Game, Vivid, Football, Golf, Basketball and Baseball. I'll leave it to you to switch between the modes and see if you can perceive the differences in color and sharpness.

I picked Custom and began by turning down the Backlight.

Next, I found the Color Temperature controls in the Advanced Video menu. You have four choices, Cool, Medium, Warm and Custom. The default is Cool, which is the 9300K setting. I chose Custom.

Under each option are Red, Green, and Blue sliders that allow you to fine tune the color. After I set Brightness, Contrast, Color, and Tint, I came back to this menu and lowered Green a little to fix a slight greenish shadow that I was seeing.

For me, the biggest adjustment from the defaults was Color, which I turned down because the picture was simply too saturated for my tastes. Even with the Color lowered, the soccer pitch in the Olympics was realistically green. At the higher setting, it tended to look overly fertilized.

It didn't take long to dial in a totally satisfactory picture. If you wish to tweak further, in the Advanced Video Features, VIZIO includes Color Enhancement, Advanced Adaptive Luma and Enhanced Full On/Off contrast measures the ratio of the light output of an all white image (full on) and the light output of an all black (full off) image. 2) ANSI contrast is measured with a pattern of 16 alternating black and white rectangles. The average light output from the white rectangles is divided by the average light output of the black rectangles to determine the ANSI contrast ratio. When comparing the contrast ratio of video devices make sure you are comparing the same type of contrast. Full On/Off contrast will always be a larger number than ANSI contrast for the same video device." class=gloss>Contrast Ratio. I like to leave these Off or in a neutral state when I am doing my initial setup.

When compared to the other 37" TVs lined up in our testing facility, the picture quality of the VIZIO VO37L held up very well. The colors are rich, while skin tones are true.

One of the questions is how does this 720p TV compare to the 1080p sets? If it is a matter of detail or sharpness, I can't see a difference - at least not at a normal viewing distance. Perhaps if you pulled out your monocle and went nose to screen, you could say that the 1080p TVs were sharper.

Once again, with standard definition material, I saw a tendency for this TV to crush the blacks, which makes the image look muddy. But, come on, we are talking about standard definition, which for me is synonymous with mud.

High definition content looks very good. I'm watching Tarsem Singh's visually compelling The Cell, and I'm pleased with the rendition. I just wish the screen were larger, which in its way is a compliment.

All LCDs like to claim that they have a 178 degree viewing angle, but in practice, you wouldn't want to seat your most obnoxious neighbor that far off center. The image simply is too washed out. With the VO37L, you experience this problem more on the vertical than the horizontal. If you are looking from above or below, the image deteriorates rather quickly. It is much better from the sides.

I connected my laptop through the VGA Out to the TV's VGA In. The highest compatible resolution is 1366 x 768, which is the TV's native resolution. The PC input has its own limited set of picture adjustments. After dropping Backlight to 50, reading Internet pages was comfortable.

The audio performance from the integrated pair of 12W speakers was good enough to make you wish it was better. I always hoped that I could make one more adjustment to squeeze out sound that would make me forget about a separate dedicated audio system.

The Audio menu has presets titled Flat, Rock, Pop, Classic and Jazz. If you open up the five band Equalizer, you will see how those modes differ. I like to turn down the higher frequencies. I also felt that the Surround feature made voices less distinct, so I turned it Off.

But as I said, no matter what I tried, I was never totally satisfied with the audio. It's definitely decent enough for viewing the Olympics and Oprah. But if you are planning on watching Chariots of Fire or The Color Purple, then be a champ and spring for an AV receiver and a good set of speakers.

The VO37L's video performance may surprise videophiles who turn up their noses at a 720p TV. For the rest of us hoi polloi, this VIZIO provides a value alternative to 1080p TVs.

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ViewSonic N4290p LCD HDTV Review

A few months ago, I reviewed ViewSonic's N4285p and loved its ease of use combined with great image quality. This slimmer, trimmer, new generation N4290p maintains that heritage while upgrading its feature list with items like a third

HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio, and interactive controls on a single cable. It transmits all ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committe) HDTV standards and supports 8-channel digital audio. First product releases using HDMI occurred in 2003." class=gloss>HDMI connection.

ViewSonic gained its reputation by making computer monitors. The four new models in this 90 Series expands their presence in the HDTV marketplace. If they stick to their blueprint of designing reasonably priced, straightforward, good looking TVs, then I foresee a bright future for them as a TV vendor.

(Editor's Note: Of the other three models in the 90 Series, the 47-inch N4790p, which ships in July, has similar specs to the N4290p and this review can be applied to it also. The 26-inch N2690p and the 32-inch N3290p are 720p HDTVs.)

Tipping the scales at 46 pounds (with its swivel stand), remarkably, this new N4290p has shed almost twenty pounds from its portlier N4285p cousin. This 90 is also about a third thinner with a depth of less than four inches.

Keeping with this slimming regime, the piano black bezel has been reduced to an inch and a half. Beyond the sleeker look, the TV is now simply easier to maneuver and will fit into tighter cabinets.

The front of the TV is only adorned with the ViewSonic name and the Power indicator light. The two speakers are encased in a textured matte black curve below the screen.

The Control Buttons panel is offset on the right edge of the TV. On the back on the left is an easily accessible connection panel that provides one HDMI input, one Composite (with Audio), an S-Video, a headphone jack and a Service port.

Next to that panel is a larger one with its connections facing out towards the back, which makes them still fairly easy to see and reach. This panel supplies two more HDMI inputs (one has matching stereo Audio Ins), two Component (YPbPr) with matching stereo Audio Ins, one Composite (with Audio), one VGA (15 pin D-Sub) with a minijack Audio In, an S-Video, an analog stereo Audio Out and an SPDIF (optical) digital Audio Out.

The one RF connector can take either an antenna or a cable signal and links to the internal NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuners. Since the tuner system is Clear QAM compatible, you can attach your cable TV signal directly into the RF connector and tune in unscrambled cable stations. There is no CableCARD slot.

With the added third HDMI - the N4285p only provides two - the N4290p brings itself up to the current standard for 1080p HDTVs. Still, there is no USB input that accepts JPEGs photos or MP3 audio files and no Ethernet port for connecting to the Internet or home network. Also, the TV offers no picture-in-picture features.

The boxy rectangular universal remote makes up for its lack of ergonomic styling with big backlit buttons that are easy to see and operate. For a universal remote, the designers did a good job of organizing the layout. I would prefer dedicated buttons for individual video sources, but if you are only using one or two inputs, you won't feel deprived.

Our basic setup procedure has changed recently. To calibrate the monitor, we now are using the Blu-ray version of the Digital Video Essentials DVD titled HD Basics. We are playing the DVD on a Pioneer BDP-94HD Blu-ray player connected to the HDTV with an HDMI cable.

We use the test patterns to adjust black level, white level, and color bias. The player is set to output a 1080p signal, which is the Maximum Resolution.' class=gloss>native resolution of the ViewSonic N4290p.

In the Video menu, ViewSonic provides the basic adjustments, Contrast, Brightness, Sharpness, Color, Tint, and the ever more common, Backlight.

Oddly, the Color Temperature controls are squirreled away in a separate Feature menu, which made setup a bit more cumbersome. Normally, Color Temp is included in the Video menu. Since you usually set it once and leave it, not having it in its normal location is not a big inconvenience.

Except I had to search for it because, for some unexplained reason, the N4290p manual does not contain a section on the Video, Audio, or Feature menus. The rest of the manual seems to be complete. I can only assume this omission will be rectified with a online PDF of a full manual.

Now, back to setup, unlike many HDTVs, this ViewSonic does not come with preset Video modes like Vivid, Standard and Cinema. The default settings push Backlight to its max of 10, which gives a Vivid-like look.

The Backlight control adjusts the brightness of the internal lamp on an LCD TV, which effects the overall brightness of the TV. Since, our testing facility has controlled lighting, I have a tendency to push Backlight down.

I started by dropping it to 3. Depending on your room, your setting might be different. I suggest that you adjust Backlight and Color Temperature (for me, I pick Normal instead of Cool or Warm) before you move on to Brightness and Contrast.

According to the test patterns, I boosted Brightness a few notches from its default of 50. Dropped both Contrast and Color below 50. Tint was pulled towards Red, though my eye wanted to leave it in the middle, which is a neutral (not biased towards Red or Green) setting.

It didn't take long to dial in a highly acceptable image, which is good because this ViewSonic doesn't provide any fine color adjustment tools.

There is an Advanced Video menu that contains the wayward Color Temperature along with controls for Noise Reduction, 3D Y/C, and Dynamic Contrast. As always, I set these to Off until I finish my basic tweaks. Then I try them one at a time. I still haven't decided if I like Dynamic Contrast On or Off.

I appreciate a TV that you can tune in quickly and then sit back and enjoy without feeling the urge to constantly retweak the picture. This ViewSonic is that type of TV.

As I run through some of my reference scenes from high definition DVDs, I am quite satisfied with skin tones, landscapes and costumes. Colors are rich and true, and textures are detailed and luscious.

I didn't experience that astonishment at the depth of black levels that I did with the N4285p, but blacks were still very good for an LCD.

Though those deep blacks fade to dark gray if you are sitting off center from a straight on viewing angle. I think any more than 30 degrees off center and you'll definitely notice that the image is washing out, especially during dark scenes.

Luckily, this TV does swivel on its stand about 20 degrees each way, backwards and forwards, which gives you some flexibility in where you sit.

Also, as much as we can hope that standard definition content will look reasonably close to HD quality, this ViewSonic does not succeed in an extreme makeover of SD programming, which can still look nasty. But as more and more television shows are being produced in high def, that deficiency is less and less of a consideration.

Next, I plugged my laptop into this ViewSonic with a VGA cable. I set my video card to output 1920 x 1080 resolution, which the TV accepted. The image was shifted, cutting off a small slice of the left side of the Windows desktop. I solved that problem by switching on the Auto Adjust feature, which nudged the screen back in place.

My initial reaction was to reach for my shades because the white backgrounds of Internet pages were way too bright. I pushed the Backlight down from 7 to 3 so my retinas wouldn't revolt. The VGA Video menu only contains Brightness, Contrast, and Backlight controls, but no Color adjustments.

I found that the text on some sites was not fully formed, which made reading more difficult. But generally, browsing the Internet on a 42" screen is a pleasant though unsettling experience if you usually view a monitor that's one quarter the size.

On the other hand, looking at photographs full screen in Photoshop is an unmitigated delight. If you are performing color critical tasks, you will need to adjust color with your computer's software because of the VGA menu's lack of color controls.

Finally, the two 10W speakers are adequate for general soap opera and sports watching. Unlike the N4285p, the Audio Menu on this TV does not offer any Reverb or Equalizer features, which I enjoyed twiddling with.

If you plan on admiring the sonic qualities of a concert DVD like the Blu-ray of Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds performing Live at Radio City, please invest in a separate audio system. Your ears will thank you.

Like its colorful cousin, the N4285p, the ViewSonic N4290p displays a lush, saturated, satisfying image, especially when feeding it HD programs. Make sure that you sit front and center because the picture does wash out if you are watching off to the side.

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VIZIO XVT323SV LCD HDTV Review

32" 1080p Edge-lit LED LCD HDTV, $930

I recently reviewed VIZIO's XVT473SV and bestowed on it our Highly Recommended rating.

When the opportunity arose to test out the XVT323SV, which is the 32" model in VIZIO's king of the hill XVT series, I decided to take it for a spin and see how it compared to its XVT kin.

This smaller HDTV sports many of the same features as its bigger brothers like built-in Wi-Fi capability, a strong lineup of streaming Internet content providers and a cool customized Bluetooth Universal Remote Control with a slide out QWERTY keypad.

But it does not offer the exact same video technology. The major difference between the two models is in the method of backlighting the LCD screen.

Both TVs use LEDs, but the XVT473SV deploys a full array of LEDs directly behind the LCD display. This 32" XVT323SV places the LEDs along the edge of the screen.

I'm a fan of the direct-lit method over edge lighting because often edge-lit TVs do not disperse the light as evenly across the screen, which causes hot spots, (more brightness), along the edges.

As a rule, direct-lit LED TVs yield much more consistent blacks, which translates to better picture quality.

I found that the edge-lit XVT323SV does a better-than-most job of evenly spreading the light, though it still doesn't reach direct-lit quality. Then again, I don't know of a direct-lit LED TV in the 32" size.

Also, I have not encountered a consumer 32" TV that can play 3D content. And this VIZIO is no exception. It is not 3D-ready.

But if you are in the market for a high-end 32" TV with a truckload of features and a boatload of performance, then the XVT323SV should be high on your list.

(Editor's Note: VIZIO also makes the 37" XVT373SV, which is similar to its 32" little brother and this review of the XVT323SV can apply to both.)

Performance: 4.5 As a rule, I'm adverse to giving LED edge-lit TVs any rating higher than 4.0 because currently the technology just can't match the picture quality from LED direct-lit TVs or plasmas. But the VIZIO XVT323SV comes reasonably close, which is high praise. And its audio quality is fine, though too bright. Features: 4.5 With a WiFi connection built-in and a host of Internet content partners, this HDTV is chock full of goodies. Though at this time, you cannot plug in a USB drive or access files on your home network. And if you are looking for a 3D-ready VIZIO TV, you will have to wait a while longer. Ease of Use: 4.5 VIZIO does a good job of guiding you through the setup process. Though to explore all of the features on the XVT323SV will take some time. Value: 4.0 With an MSRP of $930, this edge-lit LED 1080p HDTV is at the top end of VIZIO's line of 32" models. You are definitely paying for the Internet connectivity features and high-end performance of that XVT (Extreme VIZIO Technology).

Even with a street price up to $200 less, there are less expensive - albeit less impressive - 32" TVs in the marketplace. But this holiday season, if you can find the XVT323SV for under $650, then consider treating yourself to a 5 Star value.

Ratings are relative to when the review was written. The obvious example is Value, what you could purchase for $2000 two years ago or even two months ago would seem like a bad value for that price now. We have given only a precious few 5 Star ratings, which we reserve for truly outstanding accomplishment.

One of the advantages of edge-lit over direct-lit is that the edge-lit TVs are often thinner. And indeed, the XVT323SV, at two inches, is an inch skinnier than the XVT473SV.

Other than that, the two models are similar in design and features. But rather than referring you back to the earlier review, I will recycle some of my descriptions and use them in this review when appropriate.

When the TV is turned off, you can see that the glass on the front of the screen employs some sort of glare filter, which reduces the effect of any direct reflections. When the TV is on, glare is really not a problem for me.

The TV does not swivel on its stand, but the viewing angle is fairly good, though you will notice some washing out at severe viewing angles.

The VIZIO designers have combined all of the usual operational buttons (Power, Channels, Input Source, Volume) into one silver Jag wheel located along the back of left edge of the TV.

By pressing or turning the wheel, you can handle all the basic functions. To navigate deeper into the menus, you still need the remote control, which I will discuss later.

Above the Jag wheel on the left side is a convenience panel with one

HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio, and interactive controls on a single cable. It transmits all ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committe) HDTV standards and supports 8-channel digital audio. First product releases using HDMI occurred in 2003." class=gloss>HDMI input and three USB ports.

These three inputs are a bit of a mystery. The manual only says that they are "Reserved for future functions." I've been informed that they will be activated with a firmware update, but I was not told what those functions will be.

The major omission is that, at this time, the USB ports will not accept a USB flash drive containing music, photos or videos. Many of the VIZIO TVs that I have reviewed lately have included this capability. Why this top of the line series does not is puzzling.

(Editor's update: VIZIO has given me a target date of mid November for USB support. They say that "several codecs for USB playback are being worked on and at this moment we don't have the exact list of what will be included in the release. But, minimally we will support MP3 and JPEG. Additional codecs can be rolled out in Firmware updates as they are confirmed working.")

On the back of the TV are two groups of connections. The top collection is facing out and includes one set of Component video (YPbPr) Ins (with one matching stereo Audio In), and one Composite video In (with one matching stereo Audio In). (As always, I recommend using Composite only for troubleshooting.)

If you want to feed the audio out to a sound bar or another speaker system, VIZIO provides one stereo analog Audio Out and one optical digital Audio Out.

The LAN port is for connecting to the Internet with an Ethernet cable. The XVT323SV also has an integrated WiFi 802.11n dual-band wireless connection.

Below that group, with their connections facing down are three more HDMI inputs, one RGB PC In (with a matching stereo minijack Audio out above it), and one RF antenna connector, which links to integrated ATSC/QAM tuners.

Since the tuner system is Clear QAM compatible, you can attach your cable TV signal directly into the RF connector and tune in unscrambled cable stations.

With the ATSC tuner and the proper antenna, you also will be able to tune in digital signals broadcast over-the-air.

As more TV owners are looking to double purpose their big screen for viewing less traditional programming, streaming Internet content is becoming a popular alternative.

To access VIZIO's content providers, you press the VIA (VIZIO Internet Apps) button on the remote.

VIZIO has teamed up with many of the big names for streaming movies and TV programs, Netflix, Vudu, and Amazon on Demand.

I will continue to repeat the following piece of advice because I believe it will make your streaming experience more pleasurable. If you are serious about obtaining good streaming video picture quality, you will need fast and robust bandwidth from your Internet provider, ideally around 10Mbps.

Some sites suggest as low as 2.5Mbps, but if anyone else in your house is accessing the network, the video playback will deteriorate. At least try to have around 5Mbps.

One last point, I know wireless is the craze and I hate running Ethernet cables from here to kingdom come, but a wired connection is still the best bet, especially when you are streaming HD content. Even the VIZIO manual states, "A wired connection may provide a more consistent connection depending on the conditions in your home environment."

But if you are set on going wireless, I suggest that you opt for a 802.11n router to feed the dual band wireless adapter that VIZIO has built in to the XVT473SV.

Beyond the streaming movie widgets, VIZIO provides other video streaming apps. For a wider range of programs, I particularly like the 40 channels that are aggregated under the Web Videos widget. Major outlets like CBS, Fox, WB and PBS usually offer only clips from their programs.

The real fun comes in exploring offerings from sites like Atom (comedy) or crunchyroll (Japanese anime). Occasionally, you'll find a gem like the TED channel's (Technology, Entertainment, Design - ideas worth spreading) presentation by Carter Emmart demoing the 3D Atlas of the Universe.

Or you can pig out watching DeliciousTV, then feel fat after viewing Ford Models Fashion, and finally slim back down with ExerciseTV.

For the social butterflies among you, VIZIO furnishes both Facebook and Twitter widgets.

Music lovers will revel in the choices from Rhapsody and Pandora. Photo freaks can feast on Flickr.

And the list goes on. I counted 39 widgets including the basic News, Business and Sports from Yahoo and your city's temperature and forecast from AccuWeather.

The one obvious MIA VIA is YouTube. It is currently not offered.

The other major feature that is not provided is the ability to connect the XVT323SV to your home network. Add that to the lack of USB support for flash drives and you cannot directly playback your stash of music, photos or video files on to your TV.

If you want USB playback and YouTube, you can find any number of Blu-ray players or standalone media servers that supply these capabilities.

This 32" TV does include both PIP (Picture-in-Picture) and POP (Picture-outside-picture) modes. But as with most TVs, the combination of sources is limited. For example, you cannot mix two HDMI sources at once.

The non-backlit remote control is stubbier than usual, but the buttons are well laid out and the labels are easy to read.

The real surprise is when you slide the bottom of the remote out to reveal a QWERTY keyboard, which makes tweeting so much easier.

This remote can be operated in either IR or Bluetooth mode. IR (infrared) is the traditional method, but it requires you to point the remote at the TV.

Bluetooth has a similar range of around 30 feet, but you do not have to aim the remote at the TV for it to work.

If you want the convenience of the Bluetooth mode, you will need to pair it with the television. During the initial power-up of the XVT323SV, the Setup App will lead you through the simple procedure.

If you want to activate Bluetooth later, the manual is well written with photos and screen shots that guide you through setting up and using all aspects of the TV.

To its credit, the manual does a better than average job of explaining items like the Advanced Picture options.

On May 1, 2010, the EPA implemented Version 4.1 of the ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for TVs. They are now publishing a list of TVs that that meet this stricter standard. (You can find it here.) The VIZIO XVT323SV is on the list.

The EPA states that this VIZIO's On Mode Power is 69W and Standby Power Consumption is .7W. Based on the formula that the TV is on five hours a day and in Standby for the other 19, the Estimated Annual Energy Use is 130.78 kWh/year.

You need to check your electric bill to see how much you are paying for a kWh. The rate that I have been using in previous reviews is 10.4 cents. Doing the multiplication, at that rate, the yearly energy cost is $13.60.

Since manufacturers are not attaching those yellow ENERGY STAR tags that you find on air conditioners and refrigerators, you will have to study the ENERGY STAR list to see how the XVT323SV compares to other 32" TVs.

From a quick perusal, this VIZIO is perhaps a little more power hungry than the average but still in the ballpark. (The Maximum On Mode Power for Energy Star Qualification is 76W for 32" screens.)

The first time that you ever turn on this TV, the Setup App will walk you through procedures like turning on the Bluetooth feature on your remote and more importantly, on connecting your TV to the Internet.

To calibrate the TV, we have added a third disc, WOW (World of Wonder) from Disney, to our usual two, the Blu-ray version of the Digital Video Essentials DVD called HD Basics and the Spears & Munsil High Definition Benchmark Blu-ray DVD.

For this TV, we played the DVDs on two Blu-ray players, first on the LG BD590 and then later on the Samsung BDP-2500, both connected to the HDTV with an HDMI cable.

My experience with the two players is why I hesitate to give exact settings because I had to adjust the TV differently for each player. And my adjustments will probably differ from yours in small or big ways.

With that said, I will describe my process and results.

We use the test patterns to adjust black level, white level, and color bias. The player is set to output a 1080p signal, which is the Maximum Resolution.' class=gloss>native resolution of the XVT323SV.

I always suggest that you test drive the Picture modes provided by the TV. If you find one that you like, pick it and quit. Life's one big picnic.

VIZIO offers a long list of Picture modes: Standard, Movie, Game, Vivid, Football, Golf, Basketball, Baseball, and Custom.

Cruising through them, you can be educated by examining what adjustments were made to achieve a certain quality. For example, Basketball pumps up the color by changing the Color Enhancement setting to Rich Color.

Take a long, hard look at the Movie default, which is closest to a "proper" calibration setting. Though I realize that Movie may be too muted for some of you, especially if you are watching sports.

I chose Custom and went into the Advanced Picture Settings and turned Off everything like Color Enhancement, Adaptive Luma, and Ambient Light Sensor.

I like to adjust initial settings without the interference of these options. For example, if Ambient Light Sensor is On, then you have no control over the Backlight setting.

There is one exception with the XVT323SV, I left Smart Dimming turned On. I really like this feature and therefore I figured that I should have it engaged when I am setting up the display.

Then, I began with Color Temperature. The choices are Cool, Computer, Normal and Custom. Notice that Warm isn't an option.

I picked Normal, which tends to be a little Warm. (For the geeks, Normal sets the White Point to 6500K.)

If you really want to tweak, you can individually adjust the Gain and Offset for Red, Green and Blue.

Next I worked my way down the Picture Settings menu. I moved Backlight to its midpoint of 50. Your number may vary depending on the lighting conditions in your room.

Of course, if the light really varies, then you might consider turning on the Ambient Light Sensor and letting it adjust the Backlight according to the light in the room.

Moving on, according to the test patterns, (when using the Samsung player), Brightness was 51, Contrast dropped to 51, and Color to 47. Tint was unchanged.

Any setting over 4 for Sharpness started to create fringing on the edges of lines. I left it at 4.

This initial process was quick and easy. Better yet, the results were quite satisfactory. With other TVs, often I have to go back and turn Color down even more because skin tones look too red. But with the XVT323SV, skin tones looked natural after the initial adjustments.

I was very pleased with the results. If you wish to fiddle, then proceed back to the Advanced Picture menu and experiment with Adaptive Luma and Color Enhancement.

Before we leave this menu, we should cover the Smooth Motion Effect and Real Cinema mode features. This VIZIO LCD is a 120Hz display.

I have often discussed the MEMC (motion estimation, motion compensation) technology that interpolates 60 frame per second content (60Hz) and creates 120 frames per second (120Hz). You can read a lengthy description of the process in my earlier review of the VIZIO SV471XVT.

Let me cut to the chase. Basically, you should be fine with Smooth Motion at Low and Real Cinema at Smooth.

Even at these settings, I found that the Alice in Wonderland Blu-ray was way too sharp and video-like, disconcertingly so. When watching movies, try turning off Real Cinema and Smooth Motion for a softer, more film-like image.

Finally, before you can enjoy many of the Internet apps, you must initialize them. Some, like Netflix, require a subscription and then you activate your TV on the Netflix site. Others, like Facebook or Pandora, simply require you to enter your ID and password.

If you read my review of the XVT473SV, you'll know that I was over the moon about its full-array TruLED backlighting with Smart Dimming. I'm not as enamored with the edge lighting on the XVT323SV.

The blacks are just not as deep or silky as they are on the direct-lit 47" model. But I will admit that VIZIO did an admirable job of eliminating those hot spots that are often seen with edge-lit TVs and producing some of the best picture quality that I have experienced from this technology.

In addition, I realize that a 32" screen might seem too big to do double duty as a computer monitor, but times are changing. I hooked it up to my computer using a It can also carry an analog signal and comes as DVI-I (integrated - analog and digital), DVI-D (digital only) and DVI-A (analog only). Dual link DVI connections add additional resolution capabilities. Digital cable lengths should not exceed 15 feet. Specifications on DVI are available at www.ddwg.org. Click for more details on DVI." class=gloss>DVI to HDMI cable, and the Internet looked great. Text was easy to read. I asked myself, why not use it in a home office?

As for audio performance, I often cringe when I think about the audio that comes out of those underpowered speakers that are usually integrated into TVs. But with the XVT323SV, the audio quality from the pair of 10W speakers is surprisingly good, definitely fine for everyday purposes.

The speakers are too bright for me, which means that they are a bit too responsive in the mid and high range and can't reproduce the full bodied lower notes.

Though when I paired the TV with a sound bar and subwoofer, the aural reproduction from the combination was quite satisfactory, especially for a small TV viewing room.

VIZIO does offer a few audio enhancements like SRS TruSurround HD (that expands the sound) and SRS TruVolume (that smooths out spikes in volume).

If you turn off TruSurround, you can adjust the audio with a five band equalizer.

VIZIO has stuffed a bundle of compelling features into the 32" LED edge-lit XVT323SV. With top notch picture quality, this 1080p HDTV would be ideal in the bedroom or a home office.

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VIZIO VM60P 60" Plasma HDTV

VIZIO VM60P 60" Plasma HDTV Review
Dick De Jong
April 7, 2007
HDTV Solutions

Five feet. Any discussion about VIZIO's VM60P Plasma HDTV must begin with that mammoth measurement and end with this price punctuation – under $3000. Inches and dollars might not be the greatest gauge of the quality of an HDTV, but a 60" plasma for $2895 is an awfully big elephant in our review facility that must be acknowledged. VIZIO has good reason to call this TV, MAXIMVS.

Since we are throwing around numbers, here's another that must be added to the equation, 1366 x 768 Maximum Resolution.' class=gloss>native resolution. This VIZIO is a 720p plasma even though it accepts 1080p sources, which it downscales to 720p. And finally, let's add a little spice to our spec soup, 7000:1. That's the Full On/Off contrast measures the ratio of the light output of an all white image (full on) and the light output of an all black (full off) image. 2) ANSI contrast is measured with a pattern of 16 alternating black and white rectangles. The average light output from the white rectangles is divided by the average light output of the black rectangles to determine the ANSI contrast ratio. When comparing the contrast ratio of video devices make sure you are comparing the same type of contrast. Full On/Off contrast will always be a larger number than ANSI contrast for the same video device." class=gloss>contrast ratio of this beast of a plasma TV. While the newest LCD models are boasting twice that, most LCDs are still languishing in the under 1500:1 range.

Of course, all the impressive stats don't mean a lick unless the TV can hit with men on base. (Can you tell that baseball season just started?) With HD content, the VM60P consistently hits for extra bases. Standard definition programs can be like wicked curve balls.

O.K., we'll stop with the sports metaphors. Perhaps VIZIO's self admonition that they print on their box says it best, "This VIZIO TV is optimized for HDTV, without an HD source, it's just an ordinary TV." And at five feet, it can reveal that ordinariness in a grand manner.

Now, I've received emails chastising me for not holding VIZIO's feet to the fire and demanding that they make a TV that does a great job of displaying SD material. From my viewpoint, I admire VIZIO for their candor. If they touted their HDTVs as great handlers of SD material and didn't deliver, then it would be my duty to kindle a blaze.

With that said, this plasma does not do a bad job with SD. Sometimes, it looks quite good. But occasionally, it looks like chopped liver. HD material, on the other hand, can look great and in glorious 60". Though don't expect the fine detailed sharpness that a 1080p TV can provide.

Out of the Box
This Maximus was the first TV that really tested the limits of the two of us lifting it out of the box and maneuvering it onto its table. At 179 pounds, this HDTV demands at least a couple of strong backs and a sturdy resting place. If you are planning to hang it on a wall, make sure your mount is firmly attached to stout studs.

With the VM60P, VIZIO has departed from its usual palette of a black bezel and silver speakers. This plasma sports a brushed copper bezel. To maintain a svelte profile, VIZIO enclosed the pair of 20W speakers inside the bezel below the screen. Since they point downward, a snap-on translucent sound reflector is included, which directs the sound out to the audience.

The control buttons are inset on the left side. The only adornment on the front is an illuminated VIZIO that changes from yellow to white when the TV is turned on. The other way that you can tell this TV is switched on is by the noise it makes when this colossus is running. It's not loud or distracting, but you do get the impression that there's some heavy lifting going on inside to present a 60" image.

Once again, the connectors are located on the back of the TV facing downward. Now we have complained about this ad nauseum and with smaller TVs, the location has been more of an annoyance. With this unit, it is definitely an obstacle. If you place your TV on a stand near the wall, with a lighter model, it is fairly easy for one person to maneuver it so you can reach around back and attach a cable. With a 180 pound monster, swiveling is not a one person task. Even if you do turn it at an angle, reaching around a five foot screen is a job for the limber and long armed.

At least, once you traverse back there, you are greeted with the most

HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio, and interactive controls on a single cable. It transmits all ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committe) HDTV standards and supports 8-channel digital audio. First product releases using HDMI occurred in 2003." class=gloss>HDMI connectors (4) that we have seen on a TV. Adding to the mix are a stereo pair of Audio inputs, (which are linked to the HDMIs), two Component inputs (YPbPr) with matching stereo Audio Ins, two Composite (with Audio), two S-Video (with Audio), one VGA (15 pin D-Sub) with a stereo Audio In mini-plug, and a Service port.

Also on the panel is a stereo pair of analog Audio Outs, which is unamplified. So you would connect them to your home theater receiver and not directly to a set of external speakers. In addition, an SPDIF (optical) digital Audio Out is provided and is active when you are receiving digital audio from programs from the tuner input (see below). If you are bypassing the TV's speakers, you can turn them off in the Audio Settings menu.

The one RF connector links to the internal NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuner. The tuners are not integrated in that the digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) channels are segregated. To switch from one to the other, you have to hit the TV button on the remote to cycle from DTV to TV. Also, in Setup, you have to scan the channels separately. We would prefer a more integrated system where you could surf from analog to digital channels by simply hitting the Channel buttons. Since the tuner system is also Clear QAM compatible, you can attach your cable TV signal directly into the RF connector and tune in unscrambled cable stations.

One of us here is a dual-tasker and loves the VIZIO's PIP and POP features. Considering the size of the screen, with the side by side POP, you basically can display two 30" pictures at once. Since not that long ago, we thought that a 27" TV was enormous, this POP is luxurious. An added benefit on this side by side configuration is that each image is being displayed at approximately SD resolution, which makes SD content look much better.

The backlit, black remote is not for the aging eyes. Though we like the layout of the buttons, in low light, those little stenciled descriptors are not the easiest to read. We do definitely appreciate the separate buttons for different Input categories, (HDMI, TV, AV, Component). Though it was a bit odd that the RGB button was bunched in with the PIP controls.

On a remote related topic, we have noticed the other VIZIOs we have reviewed seem particularly susceptible to other remotes. For example, with the VM60P, it turns on when we hit the +10 button on our Oppo remote.

Setup
Our basic setup procedure remains the same. We're using the Oppo DV981HD DVD player and the Digital Video Essentials DVD, (the SD version), to calibrate the monitor. We attached the Oppo's HDMI out to the HDMI input on the VIZIO and used test patterns to adjust black level, white level, and color bias. The DV981HD can upconvert a standard definition DVD to 1080p; and since the VM60P accepts 1080p sources, we set the Oppo output to 1080p.

The Video Settings Menu on the VIZIO provides the basic controls: Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Hue and Sharpness. Also, you have Picture Mode presets labeled Vivid, Sport, Game, and Movie, as well as a Custom choice. Interestingly, if you select the Reset to default, Vivid is chosen. Since we like to have a full range of adjustments, we always pick Custom and work from there.

Under the Advanced submenu are controls for Noise Reduction, Fleshtone, Dynamic Contrast, and Color Temperature. The Color Temperature selections are User, Cool, Standard and Warm. For added control, User includes sliders for Red, Green, and Blue, which default to a midpoint of 50. At those settings, User was the coolest of the four choices. Cool was a little warmer (slight yellow tinge), Standard was even warmer, and Warm was downright yellow. We stuck with User.

According to our test patterns, the screen produced even displays of gray scale and color across the 60" expanse. The Brightness and Contrast controls were robust enough to allow us to tune in those settings to our satisfaction. We're not giving exact numbers because they changed depending on the Input. And we know it will vary for you depending on your setup.

In the beginning, we like to turn most of the advanced features either way down or off, which is what we did for Fleshtone and Dynamic Contrast. (In later tests, we did not really like the artifacts caused by turning on Fleshtone or Dynamic Contrast, so we always left them off.) Noise Reduction has two controls, Motion and Digital. We set Motion to Adaptive and Digital down to 10.

As an additional test for deinterlacing and noise reduction, we have been running our review units through their paces with a DVD full of video processing tests. This HQV disc is produced by Silicon Optix, who makes their own brand of video processing chips. Even so, we find that the DVD offers some good tests that we can use to compare TVs. We just received the HD-DVD version of the HQV disc so we popped it into our Xbox 360 HD-DVD player and set the output to 1080i, which let's us check the VIZIO's deinterlacing prowess. The HDTV performed excellently on both jaggies and noise tests.

Performance
If you had asked us early on in the reviewing process what we thought of the VM60P, we would have admitted that it was making us work to achieve real world results that we liked. But somewhere in the midst of exposing this TV to a gauntlet of different SD and HD material, we seemed to hit the comfort zone – that place where you are not constantly reaching for the remote to make tweaks to the picture and you can sit back and enjoy the program.

We would suggest starting with HD material to get a feel for the picture settings that you want. SD programming is just too fickle especially with the VM60P. You will feel that you are constantly chasing your tail trying to settle on a satisfying skin tone or saturation level. With HD sources, especially HD-DVDs, we had a higher quality, more stable picture to adjust.

Once dialed in, we could partake in the joys of the plasma's extended contrast range. Many of the shadows in the spooky corners of Sleepy Hollow were made visible in creepy corporeality. Often with LCDs, the darker grays were all crushed to black. The sets on West Side Story (broadcast on HDNet Movies) were radiantly Technicolor. And the swirling, sanguine seas in the Japanese classic Kwaidan were surrealistically supernatural.

The NBA in HD on a five foot screen may not be as good as a front row seat next to Jack at a Lakers game, but you're definitely close enough to read the tattoos on Kobe's arms. And baseball in high definition, it's like sitting behind the dugout at Wrigley Field.

Now, to rein in our enthusiasm, when we played the HD-DVD of Casablanca, (which, for all you youngsters, was shot in B&W), when we looked closely at Ingrid Bergman's face, we saw the VM60P working hard to maintain a smooth shading. Every so often, it would lose the battle and we noticed a slight banding. To be fair, we're standing much closer to the screen than normal; and at a proper viewing distance, only the most discerning eagle eyed would see this.

Gears of War on the Xbox looked great, though occasionally the interstitials would be a little sparkly. If anything at 60", slogging through bloody, dismembered body parts might be a bit too graphic for the squeamish.

With playing back both HD-DVDs and Gears on the Xbox, we tried both the VGA and Component cables. The VGA color seemed more stable but at the cost of saturation, which you cannot adjust in the VGA Video Settings menu. We usually opted for the Component cable. Also, we compared the 1080p and 720p signals from the Xbox. Remember that the VIZIO downscales 1080p to the HDTV's native resolution of 720p. We would go back and forth on whether there was a difference and what it was. Let's just say, try it for yourself and let us know what you think.

Next, we connected our laptop to the VM60P with a VGA cable. The manual suggests that for the best picture quality that we set the computer's resolution to 1024 x 768, which we dutifully tried. But we were not surprised to see that it stretched the computer image horizontally. So, since the native resolution of the VIZIO is 1366 x 768, we figured that we should set the laptop to that also. After engaging the Auto Adjustment feature in the Video Settings menu, the image on the TV was perfectly positioned and not stretched.

Looking at photos of a scarlet haired Finnish singer on the big 60" screen was extreme. If you zoomed in, you could easily read the number on her wristband and scrutinize the bug suspended in her necklace. Internet pages were sharp and easy to read.

But I would hesitate to use this plasma for computer use because of the slight possibility of image retention. Simply, if an image stays too long on the TV, it may leave a ghost on the screen that is visible when the image is no longer displayed. Often the ghost will disappear over time, but in extreme cases it could burn-in to the screen and never go away. To be clear, we never encountered burn-in on the VM60P.

In the past, plasma TVs gained a reputation for being susceptible to image retention. Newer models in the last few years have come up with techniques to essentially eliminate the problem. With the VM60P, we did notice ghosting when a particularly bright screen image would change to a solid dark background. We must say that in normal viewing, as images were constantly moving and changing, we never noticed ghosting.

VIZIO does provide an Image Cleaner feature, which will remove ghosts. Though they warn, "This feature will not remove images that have been displayed too long." We have never encountered any problems with burn-ins on plasmas. But if you are spooked by ghosting, then you should consider an LCD.

As we have said, we like plasmas for their high contrast ratio and also for their truly wide viewing angles. This VIZIO does not disappoint. Even from a severe angle, the color remains saturated and the picture sharp. Of course, one of the drawbacks of plasmas is that their front glass is more reflective than LCDs. Indeed, the VM60P does reflect bright backgrounds, though it really isn't distracting when the TV is on.

Finally, the stereo 20W speakers will not rock and roll your world even when the volume is turned all the way up. The flip side is that even at full volume, the speakers don't rattle and the sound fidelity is good. But if you want sonic booms that fit the size of this HDTV, you need to invest in a more muscular receiver and speaker system.

Conclusion
We like the VIZIO VM60P and its expansive five foot plasma screen, especially when it's displaying high definition programs. Is it a perfect videophile's HDTV? No. But if you are waiting for a 1080p 60" plasma - for under $3000 – then, we hope that you are a patient soul.

Star Ratings
First, realize, that ratings are relative to when the review was written. The obvious example is Value, what you could purchase for $2000 two years ago or even two months ago would seem like a bad value for that price now.

Second, we have given only two 5 Star ratings, which we reserve for truly outstanding accomplishment.

Performance: 4.5
We can't give the VM60P an unqualified thumbs up. Its HD display over it 60" screen is consistently impressive. But by VIZIO's own admission, with SD content, the TV becomes more ordinary.

Features: 4.5
The VM60P offers the standard features and then ups the ante with four HDMI inputs. With 60" of real estate, side by side POPs become an attractive, functional plus.

Ease of Use: 4.5
The menu makes setting up the TV easy and the remote is well organized with buttons to directly select Inputs. We would prefer having a more integrated TV/DTV system.

Value: 4.5
If we were to judge Value simply as the first 60" plasma to be priced under $3000, then our rating would be 5. But as we have said before, we are tough raters on Value.

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