Our HDTV is here

[tkboxer]

After a long time of research and saving we finally bought our HDTV. It is a Vizio 52" Full HDTV 1080p LCD set that we bought at Costco on Monday. Vizio had a $200 instant rebate for the first week the set was on sale at Costco which brought the price down to $2,000. This was the best TV I could find that fit my criteria and budget. Also bought a upconverting DVD player Oppo DV980H, about $170 direct from Oppodigital. So far I must say I am very pleased with both pieces. PS: Arizona beat the Cubs in the game 5-4.


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No matter how many times you try...you can't clone the dirt off your screen.

[SG1_Fan]

Nice set,I just bought a Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD Player to go with my 32" Samsung HDTV when the prices come down a little more I'll retire the 32" to the bedroom

[spartanstew]

Did you look at the new Sony's (KDS-50A3000, or KDS-55A3000). Could have gotten the 50" for the same price or cheaper than the Vizio and it's a MUCH better TV. Just came out 2 weeks ago and the user reviews so far are already ranking it as the best TV money can buy.

You can read about it here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=889226


It's worth a look, especially with Costco's return policy. If it weren't for the fact that I need a 70" (which they don't have in the 3000 series), I would have purchased this Sony already.

[tkboxer]

Those are nice looking sets but we really wanted a LCD flat panel set not a rear projection set. Still, good to see Sony marketing some lower price sets however I think companies like Vizio have something to do with that. Consumers are just not willing to pay 4 grand or more for a TV especially with the shaky condition the U.S. economy is in. Our bottom line, out the door budget was going to be $2,500 and we could have settled for a 46 or 47 inch set a month or two ago but we really wanted a 52" so we waited for this set to come on the market August 20th. I knew that if the set looked good we would walk out with one, and it did. Costco had it displayed at floor level with a Blue-Ray disc of Ice Age playing on it, the picture looked very , very good and we said "We'll take one". If you haven't had a chance to check this set out or it's little brother, the 42" Vizio 1080p (same generation) you really deserve it to yourself to take a look at Costco, you may just be surprised.

Some other things to consider in your HD budget... you will have a buy a stand for the big fellow, the one in the picture I bought months ago, a Bello', was about $350 if I remember right. You will need a either a Blue-Ray, HD DVD or upconverting DVD player, your standard def DVD player just isn't going to cut it anymore. You will need to upgrade your satellite or cable system to HD, for me, $250 for new satellite dish and HD-DVR receiver, additional programming, $10 a month. HDMI cables, you'll need at least two, $40. Point is, its not just the television you have to buy, there is a lot that goes into the total HD budget.

A few other things I like about the set we chose,
4 HDMI inputs, if you wanted you could connect cable or sat tv, a Blue-Ray player, a HD DVD player and a gaming console and never have to unplug or switch anything.
I can see the the ball and strike count on the batter (baseball) from my dinner table which must be a viewing angle of about 140 degrees...incredible.
Set weighs roughly 100 pounds, two people can easily move it if needed.
Packaging was very well thought out, easy to unpack and setup, and will be saved for if we ever move.
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No matter how many times you try...you can't clone the dirt off your screen.

[blackhawkdown]

tk,

how do NON hd channels look on that set? that is a big criteria for me as the kid loves his boomerang and cartoon network which are not in hd.

i'll probably just go OTA hd at first as i just dont watch that much tv (i do have dtv at the moment). i have a 42" panasonic plasma that works well in conjuction w/ my philips dvd player that upconverts (also plays pal and is all region).

i'm currently in the hunt for a flat panel (i havent decided whether i will go plasma or lcd; i dont like the color burnout issues of a lcd) for the bedroom and will probably go 32".

is there any reason why you didn't go w/ the sharp aquos that costco sells?

BHD

[tkboxer]

The set does a fair but not great job on non-hd channels. Gives a little of that "ringing" look, as when you try to stretch a jpeg image too far. Overall, its acceptable.
As for the Sharp, I liked it a lot but read too many stories of their "banding" issues. I guess with Costco it would have been OK, I could have returned it if I had the "banding" problem. Still, it would have been about 6 to 8 hundred more...couldn't go there.
One thing nice, Costco covers the Vizio sets it sells with a two year in home warranty at no charge to you.
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No matter how many times you try...you can't clone the dirt off your screen.

[spartanstew]

I'm pretty familiar with Vizio (and many others). You're right in that Vizio has a lot to do with why others are lowering their prices, but keep in mind (and this is not a knock on your TV) that there's a reason Vizio is a bit cheaper. Is it a great value? Yes. Is it a good TV? Yes.

However, things like black levels, shadow detail, 10-bit color, 1:1 pixel mapping, 1080/24p, deep color and correct pull down are things that the Vizio's lack. Now, a majority of viewers might not notice those deficiencies anyway, but to me it's worth the extra money to ensure a TV has those things, especially since I only upgrade every 5 years or so. Several of those things also aid in the picture on non-SD channels - this is what's most evident on Vizio's (and the like).

You're also right in that there's many extra costs involved in HD, the Salamander triple 20 that I want will probably cost me $1400, plus the extra HD DVR receiver I'll need (already have 1). I have a few HDMI cables laying around and a couple upconverting DVD players (doesn't everyone have one of these by now?). I'm holding off on BD vs. HD, til a bit more dust settles though.

To anyone else reading this, don't judge a TV based on how it looks in the store. Take in a calibration disc and adjust the picture for best results. TV's in stores are displayed in Vivid (torch mode) because they compete against every other TV and need to stand out. It looks bright, but it's not realistic.

Why did you settle on LCD? The new Sony's are only 2" deeper than that Vizio and LCOS (and DLP's) have a greater viewing cone and faster refresh rates for sports and gaming (I don't do gaming, but need it for sports). LCD's do generally have a wider color spectrum, but that's not the case with the LCOS deep color spectrum (but might be true of other DLP's).

I'm just jonesing for the new 70" XBR5 which should come out in October. If the 3000 series and the previous XBR2's are any indication, it should easily be the display of the year taking most of it's technology from the Sony Qualia that retailed for about $15,000

[tkboxer]

I wouldn't disagree with any part of your post Spartanstew. Vizio is a value line of HDTV, yes there are sets with better black levels, there are other sets that with display standard def a little better, however standard analog definition won't be around too much longer.
What Vizio did do is allow us to get into a large screen high definition TV with a very respectable picture and features at a very reasonable price.
We chose the LCD flat panel form because that is what we truly wanted. The wife wanted a very thin TV and I liked the viewing angle, anti-reflection and ability to watch in a bright room (daylight) that the LCD provides.
Could we have gotten a TV with better specs and marginal improved picture? Yes, but it would have been at a 50 to 75% increase in our TV budget which we had set at a max of $2500.
The nice thing about Vizio and Costco is you can buy the TV, take it home and try it out for 90 days, if your not pleased with, take it back for a full refund and buy a Sharp, Samsung, Sony or whatever looks good to you.
I think once most people get this set home and setup that the picture quality will be most satisfactory and that the thought returning it will not enter their mind.
We watched the DVD "Open Season" with our grandson tonight, a ways into the movie I leaned to my wife and said "the TV looks pretty good doesn"t it". Her reply was "the best thing is....its in our house".
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No matter how many times you try...you can't clone the dirt off your screen.

[spartanstew]

I'm glad you're happy with the set and believe me, I'm not trying to convince you otherwise. Vizio's are great sets. I just know that the last time I bought a TV (5 years ago), a newer better TV was released 1 month later (that I never researched) and I've regretted not returning the original ever since.

Just pointing out that a lot of people require one technology over another (for various reasons) and in the process miss out on newer items. The newest LCOS technology is just as thin, has a better viewing angle, anti-reflective screen and is great in a bright room. It's also cheaper (or the same) than the Vizio.

Just wanted to give you a heads up that it might be worth your while to check one out at a nearby Best Buy (half the stores currently have them on display and the rest will have them within the next 2 weeks) and judge the viewing angle, reflectivity and clarity in a bright room for yourself (all the other specs speak for themselves).

Never hurts to keep your options open, especially within the return window. The worst that could happen is that you don't like it and keep your current set. The best is that you'll like it better and get a nicer TV for the same money. It's a win/win.

[tkboxer]

I'll pop into Best Buy in the middle of September, we will be going down to Phoenix. I check out the LCOS sets then with the wife.
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No matter how many times you try...you can't clone the dirt off your screen.

[GEORGIEBOY26]

Pheeeeew,,, theres a lot a lot to this hd stuff to take in!! I got a 50" LG Plasma recently, quite pleased with it for the price...£1200.00, but not got hd dvd or upscaling dvd player to go with it yet, and have not subscribed to sky hd yet also, as theres not really a lot to choose from for my liking, but I,m happy with the tv...
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I USED TO BE INDECISIVE, BUT NOW I,M NOT TO SURE....

[tkboxer]

I know what you mean GB. Since I have had this set every time I watch it I learn a little more about HD programming. Say you are watching a show that was filmed and being broadcast in HD 1080i, it looks great, then a commercial comes on and it was filmed in standard def and looks bad in comparision. Same thing for newcast, our NBC affiliate broadcast their news in HD but some of the video clips associated with some of the news stories will be in standard def. Its really bizarre at first, then you figure it out. It will be much better when all program production and broadcasting must be done in high def. The nice thing with the timing of buying our set now is that DirecTv is going to release a whole lot more channels in HD around the third week of this month.
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No matter how many times you try...you can't clone the dirt off your screen.

[GEORGIEBOY26]

I hope our equivalent direct tv " FREEVIEW TV "system starts with some hd progs, may be a while yet tho'
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I USED TO BE INDECISIVE, BUT NOW I,M NOT TO SURE....

[blackhawkdown]

hey tk,

do u have directv hd? if so, do u have the new slim line dish? how many lines go from the dish to the switch? i'm wiring up a house and want to be ready =) thx.

BHD

[tkboxer]

[Seiji]

T.V. has become so complicated!

Did you happen to see my Rockies get destroyed on it?
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[tkboxer]

[KillerBee]

holysmokes. thats a realy sharp screen u have.
im allready have a saving for this tv i need a big screen, and e homecinema set. good for the nabours :roll: