Customer Reviews
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33 of 33 people found the following review helpful.
Good bang for the Buck!
By R. Kadash
I've had this TV about a month now and am generally pleased with its performance VS price. I purchased this TV to replace a 44" 720P Rear Projection that was in my living room. This TV easily out performs that old TV. This TV is really very good when viewing HD sources. I matched a Visio Blu Ray player to use with this TV and there is amazing clarity. But, there is a noticable drop off when viewing non-HD sources like standard TV channels. Seriously, I don't think there are many 1080p sets that offer great standard definition viewing performance. Also, please note that there is an illuminated VISIO faceplate on the face of the TV that stays lit all the time. Now, using the TV in my living room this is not a problem for me, but if I had the TV in my bedroom it would drive me insane as it would probably illuminate half the bedroom! So far the only way I know to turn that light off is to unplug the tv from the power source. Please note that the remote for the VISIO TV was smaller than the remote for the VISIO Blu Ray player-that just seemed a bit odd to me. I also have difficulty menu-editing as when you are done editing they tell you to hit a button with a symbol on it that does not appear on the remote! Note sound output is pretty good-better than my 40" Sony Bravia, but I also am using a 5.1 HDMI theater sound system with it so I can pump it up even to higher levels when needed. On one BD I even had to turn the sharpness down bacause the main actor had 5 o'clock shadow that was so clear it was making me dizzy.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful.
A Few Quirks, but the Quality Makes Up For It.
By Canis Majoris
So how about we get right down to it?There are a few things with this set that are a little annoying:- Sometimes, for no reason at all, the set will turn off and turn back on. The set will also turn off when going through the setup menu after pressing the 'Ok i.e. Select' button. The latter does not happen everytime, but it does it do it.- This kind of goes along with the above. Startup is kind of slow at about 10 seconds. Time between channel switching is about 3 seconds, which also feels a little slow.- The stand that came with this TV will not swivel to the right (when you are facing the TV), but will turn to the left.- Setup. Took about 30 minutes for this to fully search, and program all of the analog/digital channels in my area (about 120). This is not an issue if you have satellite or a cable box.- Sometimes when I am switching channels, the sound from the channel I eventually end up on distorts greatly and sometimes does not come on at all. To fix this, I have to switch channels and then back again.****As you can see there are a few problems with this TV, and although I still do not consider them a deal breaker --only if the price of the TV is such that it is much lower than its competitors, note what you might be getting should you purchase this set.However, because of the good price and relatively moderate annoyances of the above dislikes, this is still a great set to buy.Here are the upsides:- Picture quality. It looks fantastic on HD channels, and when watching sports. This is a 120Hz TV to help with watching sports and/or video games. On this particular TV the latter setting is called "Smooth Control". I left the smooth motion on high when watching basketball and football names, which greatly reduced blurring so that it was not really noticeable at all. Moreover, there are three different settings to adjust the smooth control : Low, Medium, and High. I did not notice any difference between them. Yes you can adjust this setting to stay completely off, leaving your movies in their normal framerate (24fps) instead of the "soap opera effect", which looks like 30fps. The setting is located under Menu----TV----More.- Sound. Speakers on these TVs will never compare to aftermarket speaker systems, but I must say that the wait until you do purchase that system will not be terrible one. The audio, especially in surround sound, does very well at filling a room with a robust volume and with a variety of different sounds/instruments.- Automatic picture adjust. Automatically adjusts levels of brightness/backlight to accommodate ambient light.Comparing to TVs of all brands, this one is a must buy in the area of LCDs of the same picture size if it is 100-200$ less than its competitors.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
Amazing HDTV, but with a few very minor glitches
By Denny S.
As of late 2010, I don't think there's a better 47" 120Hz HDTV anywhere for $679. (The comparable Samsung 46" model cost between $120 to $220 more, depending on whether you purchase the Samsung LN46C630 or the Samsung LN46C600.)About the picture: I have carefully compared the Vizio E470VA picture to the two Samsung models above and can attest that the picture of the Vizio is almost equal while watching HD programming. When the Vizio is hooked up to DISH Network, HD programming such as ESPN and other HD cable channels is absolutely stunning. However, on NON-HD channels and shows, the picture is hit-or-miss, based on the production value of the original program. Some NON-HD programs look clear, but others look grainy. Either way, that's not Vizio's problem as I see it.Next, the SmoothMotion feature looks amazing on sports and on some movies and shows, but on other programs it makes the picture have that "soap opera set" quality. So, you may want to use the SmoothMotion feature on some programs but then turn it off for others, based on your own taste. (It's easy to switch on and off using the remote.) Some people may desire to leave the feature turned off, which is fine too. I've read that LG and Samsung users often turn the comparable feature off. It's a matter of personal taste.About the sound: The SRS TrueSurround HD and SRS TruVolume features are great. Sometimes I felt like the surround sound was shaking the room it was so crisp and powerful. I was deeply impressed with the built-in speakers, and I see no reason to purchase an additional sound bar. However, with the special sound settings turned on, the volume can unpredictably rise sharply *depending on the recorded sound quality of the program being viewed.* So, much like the SmoothMotion feature mentioned earlier, you have to be prepared to turn the SRS TruVolume feature off if you get volume inconsistency while watching some shows or channels not created according to new HD standards. I keep the special sound features turned on most of the time, and I occasionally I have to turn off the SRS TruVolume when I get an inconsistent rise or fall in volume. I don't see this as a knock against Vizio, but perhaps the company can figure out how to control that better in the future.About a couple rare glitches: One glitch is that the remote "menu/ok" button (which you use often to adjust settings) will every now and again turn off the TV. I read that this has happened to another Vizio 47" user, so I think it's a manufacturing glitch. It has not happened to me often, but I did have it happen a couple times when I was using the remote a lot. Oh, well. No TV is perfect.Another glitch I saw once or twice had to do with the sound getting out of sync with the speaker's lips. I do not know if this happened because of DISH Network's pause feature, but it may have been caused by the feed/connection coming from DISH. It has not happened in DISH's live viewing mode, so I'm wondering if it is a DVR-pause issue from my Dish hookup. The issue tends to resolve itself within a minute, or I can change the channel and change it back and the issue is resolved.Finally, this E470VA is one of the attractive looking Vizio models. The casing design is sharp and sleek, unlike some of the "ugly" Vizio models, such as the similar E470VL.For $679, I just don't see a better 47" out there. The price/quality ratio can't be beat by Samsung or LG.
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60ex700 - great picture and features, nice sharp x-gen panel
Odd ghosting problem
Nice TV - Ipod functionality limited
