Vizio SV420XV 42" LCD TV

I received the box from UPS at around 5 PM.  It was a refurbished unit, so the box had a couple of dents and dings.  A bit worried, I carefully documented the container and then slowly started removing the tape off of the box. 

One of the biggest cultural shifts going on in this day and age is the painfully slow conversion from big, fat, and extremely heavy CRT televisions to modern, slender, lightweight plasma and LCD hi-definition digital sets.  This TV revolution is amazing.  I just replaced my 120 lb 36" Panasonic that went Tango Uniform with a 42" Vizo that weighed less than half.  It was pretty easy to manage by myself (though I DID have my daughter spot).

We first removed all of those pesky RCA cables that attached our Wii and Cable Box to the video switch box then to the TV.  With the 8 connection ports on the Vizio, we ran the DVD (HDMI), Cable Box (HDMI) and Wii (composite, for now) right into the back, reducing our cable count to three.

I also removed my 20 year old stereo and speakers and let the 3x10w speakers on the Vizio carry the audio burden.  I don't think anyone complained.

I brought in the family for the ceremonial powering on.  The somewhat flimsy Vizio remote powered the unit up promptly.  It took a bit of time for the TV to recognize the signal from the HDMI cable input, but when it did, a beautiful image emerged.

Setting up the Wii was no less difficult, and it looked great.  More about the specific details in picture quality in a moment.

By 6 PM we were watching TV.

Back to What's In the Box

In addition to the TV, there was a Vizio VUR9 remote control with 2 AAA batteries. The box also included an HDMI cable - an accessory that is not included by all manufactures and can cost between $20 and $100 retail.  There is also a power cord like the kind you use on a computer. A safety strap is also included - not for wall mounting, but it helps you secure the TV to an entertainment center, making it harder to pull down by accident.  A quick setup guide and a user manual round out the package.  The user manual is incredible for any product in this day and time.  It is a magazine-type slick paper, full color, all English, 104-page manual.  It is highly detailed and is very well done.  What was *not* in my refurbished box was a screen cleaning cloth, registration card, and VIP services brochure.

What It Is

The Vizio SV420XVT1A (the 1A is often omitted if you want to find out more on the web) is a 42-inch, 1080P, 120Hz LCD television.  Vizio is a startup American company based out of Irvine, CA.  The TVs themselves are assembled overseas from parts made overseas.

The TV has 10 video inputs: 1 RF D/TV, 1 S-Video, 2 Composite, 2 Component, and 4 HDMI.  In the back of the television, you have connectors for two HDMI inputs, with one having additional RCA audio inputs (for DVI-HDMI inputs).  Next is an RGB PC input with a 1/8" stereo audio jack.  To the right is a component (W,R,G,B,R) and composite (W,R,Y) and S-Video.  Last is the DTV/TV Coax for antenna or non-box cable input.  On the right hand side of the TV (looking from the front) are two HDMI and a Component and Composite input.  The Component and Composite share the white and red audio ports, so effectively only one can be used at a time.

There are three audio outputs - only two of which are intuitive.  On the back panel, there is an optical out and an analog RCA stereo output.  The third is a wireless system which is only compatible with Vizio's proprietary WSS-1A 5.1 speaker system which adds a powered subwoofer with two satellite speakers wired to the sub.  This is a system sold separately from Vizio for $199.  Though some say that the setup is quasi-5.1, there is no indication that it isn't a true 5.1 audio system.

Specifications (from Vizio)

Panel: 42" Diagonal, 16:9 Aspect Ratio
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (1080P, Full HDTV)
Colors: 10 bit (1.06 Billion)
Brightness: 500 cd/m2 (standard)
Contrast: 1300:1 (standard), 6500:1 (with Enhanced Contrast Control)
Response Time: 5ms
Viewing Angle: 178-degrees (Horizontal & Vertical)
Speakers: 3 x 10 W
Panel Life: 50,000 hours to half the original brightness
Power Consumption: 300W
Net Weight: 46.3 lbs (w/stand)
Dimensions: 39.4"W, 27.2" H, 9.5" D (w/stand), 4" (w/o stand)

Features (from Vizio)

Full HD
Picture-in-Picture
Picture-out of-Picture
Noise Reduction
Closed Captioning
V-Chip
3D Comb Filter
Freeze
Motion Enhancement and Correction
Picture Enhancement
MPEG-2 Decoding via DTV input
NTSC decoding via analog video input
Built in SRS (TruSurroundXT) Audio
3 channel audio with Dolby Digital Decoding
Computer support for 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024, and 1920x1080
TV support for 480i, 480P, 720P, 1080i, and 1080P
HDMI V.1.3

The Experience

Honestly, I haven't had an opportunity to revel in all of its glory.  For best performance, you will need to have an HD Cable (or satellite) box with HD service for television, and a Blu-Ray player for movies.  A PS3 is the premium gaming platform to use all the features of the set.

I certainly recommend a DVD player with an HDMI output.  This will give you the best performance from standard definition DVDs.  The TV will upscale your 720P DVD to 1080P, but if your DVD player performs that function, it will reduce the computing load on the set.

Currently, I have a standard definition cable box.  The TV, when set to normal viewing, will have black bars on the sides.  You can select a zoom function which will fill the screen with the right proportions, but it will lob off the top and bottom.  The zoom feature can also pixilate the picture, but from a viewing distance of 5-10 feet, it shouldn't be noticeable.  Unfortunately, there are many broadcasts that are in 4:3 and many that are in 16:9.  The TV can't seem to correctly choose the best setting for any given show.  You still have to go in and manually change the setting for different shows.

The Wii is a lot of fun.  I am currently using my Wii with the included composite video cables.  Whenever the picture is moving, the images are very smooth.  However, when motion is stopped, there is definite pixilation about the rounded edges.  I suspect that will be the case with the component video as well.  I'll change this review if I notice a difference.

Conclusion

In this very long review, I know that I haven't covered all the aspects of what this set is capable of and what the optimum settings for movie watching vs TV watching are.  I encourage you to scour the web for literally hundreds of reviews on this set, as well as settings to optimize your experience.

One thing to keep in mind about the reliability of LCD TVs is that the failure rate is approximately 3%.  That means that 3 out of every 100 sets will have some sort of manufacturing defect that will require service attention.  I normally don't recommend purchasing an extended warranty, but in this case it may be prudent to have one that extends in home repairs up to two years.  I've heard lots of moaning and groaning about the service of these warranties, and don't doubt that there are bad apples out there.  But keep in mind, if I count all the complaints on the internet, there may be fewer than 100 that have complained loud about it.  Vizio sold 2 million units last year, and that's a pretty decent track record.

Vizio is giving a run for the big manufactures money.  They look like they are here to stay, and I would recommend this purchase for it's true value - the cost for the features offered.