Vizio VA19LHDTV10T 19" LCD TV
- HDCP Support: With HDCP Support
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (16:9)
- Display Resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels
- Response Time: 5 ms
- Broadcast Format Displayed: 720p (HDTV) 480p (EDTV) 480i (SDTV)
- Contrast Ratio: 5,000:1
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Excellent Choice for a Bedroom TV
Pros
Great Picture and Value for a Small LCD TV. Amazing Remote Range.
Cons
Reflective surface around screen.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The Vizio VA19LFHDTV is full-featured and has good picture and sound, all at a very competitive price.
THE SEARCH
I was looking for a small LCD television for our bedroom. I researched 19-inch sets from all the manufacturers and read the reviews. Once I decided on my “short list” to consider, I checked each out in the store. There was quite a price difference between manufacturers, with the Vizio VA19 being one of the cheapest. I already owned a 22-inch Vizio LCD TV and was quite happy with it, so I was comfortable with buying another model from Vizio. I found that the low price of the Vizio VA19LFHDTV, just as it had been the case with my 22-inch Vizio, did not result in low quality or performance.
IN THE BOX
The VA19 comes packed with a detachable desk stand, remote control, batteries, power cord, screen cleaning cloth, Quick Setup Guide, user manual and a warranty registration card for the one-year warranty.
SETTING UP
It was easy to set up the VA19 following the big foldout Quick Setup Guide. You can either attach the desk stand, or mount the VA19 using a standard VESA mount with 100mm spacing. Once you have done so, you connect power and video cables, put the batteries in the remote, and follow the on-screen setup instructions. For more detailed instructions, the comprehensive and well-illustrated manual is very helpful. If you still need help, the manual directs you to free technical support from Vizio via phone and email.
There are plenty of inputs, including Coaxial (for antenna or cable), HDMI (2), Component Video, S-Video and Composite Video. You can even use the VA19 as a computer monitor using its VGA connector. If you do, though the VA19 will support lower resolutions, you should set your computer graphic card for 1366x768 pixels to get the best picture quality. Keep in mind that the VA19 uses a VGA (not DVI) connector, so make sure your computer graphic adapter has VGA out and that you have the correct cable.
The VA19 includes both an analog and digital tuner. After you have scanned for all channels, you use the on-screen menus to add or delete any channels. I first tried a set of rabbit ears and could receive most, but not all, channels. Any interference, such as an airplane flying over, sometimes caused the picture to break up on digital channels. Since I use an antenna in the attic for my other televisions, I used a splitter to run a coax to the bedroom for the VA19. This worked much better and now I get a solid picture on all available channels. If you intend to use the VA19 on cable or satellite, you will be fine. If you intend to use an antenna, try one of the amplified indoor HDTV antennas or go the route I did with an attic or outdoor antenna with an amplified splitter to feed a coax to each TV.
OPERATION
From power-up, it takes about 10 seconds for a picture to appear. There is a 2-second delay when changing channels. That is not unusual for a digital television. If you use the Channel /- control to change channels, the VA19 will jump to the next channel that you had selected during setup. If you directly enter a channel number using the remote, you must specify the subchannel or the VA19 will go to the analog channel of that number. For instance, entering 2 will select analog Channel 2. Entering 2-1 will select the main program of digital Channel 2. That is a bit of a nuisance for off-air antenna users, like me, now that analog broadcasting has been discontinued. This shouldn't be a problem for cable or satellite users, though.
The remote control has all the usual buttons and most are easily reached except the channel numbers which are at the top and may require the use of your other hand to press the buttons. The remote has excellent range. You can be just about anywhere in the room and the VA19 will respond. I wish all remotes were that sensitive. There are 20 buttons at the bottom of the remote that do not apply to the VA19. It seems that Vizio uses the same remote for a range of models, each with different features.
The current channel number appears on-screen for a few seconds after changing a channel. The characters are 7/16 inch tall, a bit on the smallish side, but with average eyes I can see the channel numbers from 10 feet away. The characters for the on-screen setup menus are 1/4 inch tall, making them a bit harder to see beyond about 6 feet from the TV.
The bezel surrounding the screen is glossy black plastic. While that may look nice, it does reflect any lights from behind the viewer. I would have preferred a flat black bezel. There are no controls or inputs on the front of the panel. The inputs are on the left side and back of the panel and a set of controls are on the right side of the panel. If you are near the TV and don’t have the remote handy, you can adjust most functions using the controls on the panel. Just be careful when you grab the panel to pan it around, you may accidentally push one of the buttons.
Just under the screen is the VIZIO logo in ½ inch tall letters that lights up white when the VA19 is on and goes to a softer orange color when the VA19 is off. In a dark bedroom, the illuminated logo may annoy you, even when the VA19 is off. If it does, try putting a piece of back vinyl electrical tape over the logo.
PICTURE QUALITY
The 19-inch LCD screen has a native resolution of 1366x768 pixels and can display resolutions up 720p (1280x720), but is compatible with video sources up to 1080i. The manual does not specify 1080p compatibility, so if you are hooking up a 1080p capable source, you should set that source to output 720p or 1080i. For a screen this small, 720p is ample resolution. The VA19 produces a picture with good color and contrast, and the details are good, particularly with HD sources. The setup menu gives you the ability to adjust backlight, brightness, contrast, color, tint and sharpness to your liking, or you can select from presets. You can adjust viewing aspect ratios to eliminate squashed or stretched pictures when changing between an original 4x3 ratio video and the new 16x9 widescreen video. When shopping for small LCD TV sets, you will find that many manufacturers will use the same display panel as used for a computer monitor and the screen ratio is actually 16x10. This doesn’t match the standard widescreen 16x9 aspect ratio, so even if you adjust for widescreen, the picture will still look vertically stretched. This is not the case for the VA19, which has a true 16x9 screen. When comparison shopping 19-inch televisions in the store, you will notice some have a taller screen. Those are the ones that have the 16x10 ratio screen and should be avoided if you don’t want your picture to be stretched vertically in widescreen mode. A way to tell is look for a circle in the video, such as the ABC or CBS logo, and see if it is truly round.
As with almost any LCD display, the VA19’s picture begins to degrade as you move away from directly in front of the TV. Though the specifications call for a 170 degree viewing angle (85 degrees off to either side or above or below), I found the picture was pretty consistent up to 45 degrees off to the side or above, then it began to fall off in brightness. The picture brightness drops off much more quickly if you view from below. If your setup requires viewing from any of these angles, get a pan and tilt mount so you can adjust the screen to face towards you. This would certainly be the case if you wanted to place the VA19 up high, like on top of a tall armoire in the bedroom. Most computer LCD panels come with a pan and tilt base. It is too bad that the VA19 does not. We have the VA19 on a dresser and it is fine for viewing from the bed. If we want to watch it from the bathroom while getting ready in the morning, we turn it in that direction though that means the base is sliding on the dresser. I found desktop pan and tilt mounts to be too expensive, so I am looking to build a Lazy-Susan type pad for the VA19 to sit on so we can more easily pan it as needed.
SOUND QUALITY
The speakers are on the bottom of the panel. The sound quality is good, though don’t expect deep bass from such small speakers. The volume is loud enough to be easily heard in a quiet bedroom. If you need louder sound, you can use the headset jack as an audio source to drive an external amplifier with speakers. A nice feature is the ability to adjust for lip sync so that the sound matches the movement of the lips of people talking onscreen. This adjustment is also helpful to remove the echo you may hear when you have the same program playing on televisions in adjoining rooms.
CONCLUSION
I have been quite happy with the Vizio VA19, as well as the 22-inch model I already owned, and will certainly consider another Vizio when my big TV gives out in the family room. If you want to check out my review of the 22-inch big brother of the VA19, see http://www.epinions.com/review/Vizio_VA22LFHDTV10T_TV/content_485850320516
I was looking for a small LCD television for our bedroom. I researched 19-inch sets from all the manufacturers and read the reviews. Once I decided on my “short list” to consider, I checked each out in the store. There was quite a price difference between manufacturers, with the Vizio VA19 being one of the cheapest. I already owned a 22-inch Vizio LCD TV and was quite happy with it, so I was comfortable with buying another model from Vizio. I found that the low price of the Vizio VA19LFHDTV, just as it had been the case with my 22-inch Vizio, did not result in low quality or performance.
IN THE BOX
The VA19 comes packed with a detachable desk stand, remote control, batteries, power cord, screen cleaning cloth, Quick Setup Guide, user manual and a warranty registration card for the one-year warranty.
SETTING UP
It was easy to set up the VA19 following the big foldout Quick Setup Guide. You can either attach the desk stand, or mount the VA19 using a standard VESA mount with 100mm spacing. Once you have done so, you connect power and video cables, put the batteries in the remote, and follow the on-screen setup instructions. For more detailed instructions, the comprehensive and well-illustrated manual is very helpful. If you still need help, the manual directs you to free technical support from Vizio via phone and email.
There are plenty of inputs, including Coaxial (for antenna or cable), HDMI (2), Component Video, S-Video and Composite Video. You can even use the VA19 as a computer monitor using its VGA connector. If you do, though the VA19 will support lower resolutions, you should set your computer graphic card for 1366x768 pixels to get the best picture quality. Keep in mind that the VA19 uses a VGA (not DVI) connector, so make sure your computer graphic adapter has VGA out and that you have the correct cable.
The VA19 includes both an analog and digital tuner. After you have scanned for all channels, you use the on-screen menus to add or delete any channels. I first tried a set of rabbit ears and could receive most, but not all, channels. Any interference, such as an airplane flying over, sometimes caused the picture to break up on digital channels. Since I use an antenna in the attic for my other televisions, I used a splitter to run a coax to the bedroom for the VA19. This worked much better and now I get a solid picture on all available channels. If you intend to use the VA19 on cable or satellite, you will be fine. If you intend to use an antenna, try one of the amplified indoor HDTV antennas or go the route I did with an attic or outdoor antenna with an amplified splitter to feed a coax to each TV.
OPERATION
From power-up, it takes about 10 seconds for a picture to appear. There is a 2-second delay when changing channels. That is not unusual for a digital television. If you use the Channel /- control to change channels, the VA19 will jump to the next channel that you had selected during setup. If you directly enter a channel number using the remote, you must specify the subchannel or the VA19 will go to the analog channel of that number. For instance, entering 2 will select analog Channel 2. Entering 2-1 will select the main program of digital Channel 2. That is a bit of a nuisance for off-air antenna users, like me, now that analog broadcasting has been discontinued. This shouldn't be a problem for cable or satellite users, though.
The remote control has all the usual buttons and most are easily reached except the channel numbers which are at the top and may require the use of your other hand to press the buttons. The remote has excellent range. You can be just about anywhere in the room and the VA19 will respond. I wish all remotes were that sensitive. There are 20 buttons at the bottom of the remote that do not apply to the VA19. It seems that Vizio uses the same remote for a range of models, each with different features.
The current channel number appears on-screen for a few seconds after changing a channel. The characters are 7/16 inch tall, a bit on the smallish side, but with average eyes I can see the channel numbers from 10 feet away. The characters for the on-screen setup menus are 1/4 inch tall, making them a bit harder to see beyond about 6 feet from the TV.
The bezel surrounding the screen is glossy black plastic. While that may look nice, it does reflect any lights from behind the viewer. I would have preferred a flat black bezel. There are no controls or inputs on the front of the panel. The inputs are on the left side and back of the panel and a set of controls are on the right side of the panel. If you are near the TV and don’t have the remote handy, you can adjust most functions using the controls on the panel. Just be careful when you grab the panel to pan it around, you may accidentally push one of the buttons.
Just under the screen is the VIZIO logo in ½ inch tall letters that lights up white when the VA19 is on and goes to a softer orange color when the VA19 is off. In a dark bedroom, the illuminated logo may annoy you, even when the VA19 is off. If it does, try putting a piece of back vinyl electrical tape over the logo.
PICTURE QUALITY
The 19-inch LCD screen has a native resolution of 1366x768 pixels and can display resolutions up 720p (1280x720), but is compatible with video sources up to 1080i. The manual does not specify 1080p compatibility, so if you are hooking up a 1080p capable source, you should set that source to output 720p or 1080i. For a screen this small, 720p is ample resolution. The VA19 produces a picture with good color and contrast, and the details are good, particularly with HD sources. The setup menu gives you the ability to adjust backlight, brightness, contrast, color, tint and sharpness to your liking, or you can select from presets. You can adjust viewing aspect ratios to eliminate squashed or stretched pictures when changing between an original 4x3 ratio video and the new 16x9 widescreen video. When shopping for small LCD TV sets, you will find that many manufacturers will use the same display panel as used for a computer monitor and the screen ratio is actually 16x10. This doesn’t match the standard widescreen 16x9 aspect ratio, so even if you adjust for widescreen, the picture will still look vertically stretched. This is not the case for the VA19, which has a true 16x9 screen. When comparison shopping 19-inch televisions in the store, you will notice some have a taller screen. Those are the ones that have the 16x10 ratio screen and should be avoided if you don’t want your picture to be stretched vertically in widescreen mode. A way to tell is look for a circle in the video, such as the ABC or CBS logo, and see if it is truly round.
As with almost any LCD display, the VA19’s picture begins to degrade as you move away from directly in front of the TV. Though the specifications call for a 170 degree viewing angle (85 degrees off to either side or above or below), I found the picture was pretty consistent up to 45 degrees off to the side or above, then it began to fall off in brightness. The picture brightness drops off much more quickly if you view from below. If your setup requires viewing from any of these angles, get a pan and tilt mount so you can adjust the screen to face towards you. This would certainly be the case if you wanted to place the VA19 up high, like on top of a tall armoire in the bedroom. Most computer LCD panels come with a pan and tilt base. It is too bad that the VA19 does not. We have the VA19 on a dresser and it is fine for viewing from the bed. If we want to watch it from the bathroom while getting ready in the morning, we turn it in that direction though that means the base is sliding on the dresser. I found desktop pan and tilt mounts to be too expensive, so I am looking to build a Lazy-Susan type pad for the VA19 to sit on so we can more easily pan it as needed.
SOUND QUALITY
The speakers are on the bottom of the panel. The sound quality is good, though don’t expect deep bass from such small speakers. The volume is loud enough to be easily heard in a quiet bedroom. If you need louder sound, you can use the headset jack as an audio source to drive an external amplifier with speakers. A nice feature is the ability to adjust for lip sync so that the sound matches the movement of the lips of people talking onscreen. This adjustment is also helpful to remove the echo you may hear when you have the same program playing on televisions in adjoining rooms.
CONCLUSION
I have been quite happy with the Vizio VA19, as well as the 22-inch model I already owned, and will certainly consider another Vizio when my big TV gives out in the family room. If you want to check out my review of the 22-inch big brother of the VA19, see http://www.epinions.com/review/Vizio_VA22LFHDTV10T_TV/content_485850320516
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