Vizio VL370M 37" HDTV LCD TV

It's surprising how much the price changes between, say, a 32 inch set and a 37 inch set.  It's all about the surface area, and surprisingly, the difference those extra 4 diagonal inches make amounts to a very large screen size area increase--about 30%!.  Since LCD TV screens are made up of millions of tiny image producing Liquid Crystal Display transistors, thirty percent more area means at least 30% more of these costly little transistors... all for just 4 measley inches.  And, of course, you have to also take into consideration the resolution.  The higher the resolution, the more of those expensive little transistors are needed.  Not all High Definition sets are the "highest" definition. 

Most smaller screen LCD televisions come in what I like to call a "medium" definition of High Definition, which is equal to 1280x720 pixels (also known as 720p).  This amount of resolution is cheaper (fewer transistors), and given a TV screen size of 37 inches or less, you may not be able to tell the difference from the higher version of HD.  But in sizes above 40 inches, you usually find the "high" High Definition, which is 1080x1920 pixels.  This comes in two flavors, usually called 1080p or 1080i.  Most sets are recently all going to the 1080p standard (also supports Blu-ray).  That is currently the highest standard for high definition, and a must for big screen sets.  

In the world of TVs, size does matter.  I recommend you always buy the largest TV you can afford (and that will fit in the desired space).  In my case, I had a TV cabinet as part of my bedroom furniture, which would accomdate a TV as wide as 42 inches and as high as 27 inches.  So I could have purchased as large as a 40 inch set, but it would be so tight in the cabinet that it would probably look funny.  32 inch sets look lost in the opening of the cabinet, so I settled on a 37 inch Vizio VL370M sold at Costco for $569.00.

You may not have heard of Vizio, but they are fast becoming the cost-conscious choice without sacrificing basic quality.  I have to admit to having some "audiophile snobbery" about Vizio when I first saw them at Costco stores.  I bought a 42 inch 720p set for my mother, who didnt care about price, and after a year, she is very happy with it. 

Unlike most smaller sets, this recent VL370M model boasts the full 1080p definition, and comparing the set with other similar sized 720p sets, I must say that I can see the difference.  Also, since I intended to use the set for Blu-Ray, I was glad to be able to get the 1080p in a mid-sized TV.

Most flat screen TVs have unimpressive speakers built in.  They are better than nothing, but true audiophiles will always have a sound system to amplify and shape the sound field in the room.  One of the primary reasons I bought this set, besides the great picture, was the variable audio output provided from the TV.  Using variable audio output, you can route the television volume control to feed the audio input to your surround sound system.  By turning the surround system to a set volume level (about 2/3 max), the variable audio from the TV allows you to use just the one volume remote control for all your audio levels.  It's a pain to have to turn the TV on with one control and control your audio system volume with another.  Yes, I know remotes can be programmed, but I hate to push TV for one control and then have to push Audio in order to turn the volume up and down.  Besides Vizio, Sharp brands also offer variable audio output.  Sony Bravia, which costs a lot more, did not offer this and is one reason why I did not buy the Sony.  The Sony only put out fixed audio, which means you have to control the surround system audio with it's own remote. 

The TV has a nice appearance, with bevelled shiny plastic around the screen perimeter.  I am not a big fan of shiny black, but it seems most TVs today are being designed with this.  I prefer a matte finish, as it is less reflective in a room with ambient light sources, but inside my cabinet, it was not an issue.  Vizio is now referring to their color engine as JAVA, and has introduced "Smooth Motion II" which is designed to minimize motion blur from fast moving scenes or objects.  Sony calls this feature "Motion Flow" but in truth, the Vizio, the Sony, the Sharp, or any other sets that have 120Hz refresh rates (or higher now!) will reduce any such issues.  Sony has a cool "Merry-Go-Round video that really looks impressive, but I know some who have turned off the Motion Flow feature on Sony because they did not like the "look" of the picture.  I found Sony's Motion Flow to be somewhat 3D looking.   In another review I wrote about the 65 inch Sharp I purchased for my theater room and you can read more about high definition basics there:   http://www.epinions.com/review/Sharp_AQUOS_LC_65SE94U_TV/content_457408286340

In this screen size (37 inch), the picture is nothing short of amazing.  Putting 1080p into a 37 inch set guarantees you will have a very sharp picture.  Colors were natural, and did not require me to do any special tweaking when I turned it on.  The set up was easy and since I use a cable TV high definition box, I did not have to have the set learn any cable channels.  

The TV has 3 HDMI inputs which is very important as you can't have too many of these.  Watch out for sets with only two such inputs.

The remote control is simple, which I like.  I am not a fan of putting too many buttons on a remote.  However, a button to change the picture size (i.e., normal, zoom, stretch) is missing, and you have to go into the menu for that.  I do not change the display enough to need that feature as a button on my remote.  As a practical matter, I have a learning cable remote that I use 90% of the time, so the TV remote usually sits unused anyway.  

All Vizios have a power indicator light below the screen, which is the name Vizio, and is either orange (standby) or faint white (on).  It's not distracting, but I would personally prefer a small power indicator light somewhere on the lower right or left.  It's not a big deal for me but I would not want that on a theater sized set in a dedicated theater room.

The VIZIO VL370M comes with one year warranty of zero bright pixel defects and there is free one-year on-site service and lifetime technical support.

Here's some specs from VIZIO:


Specification
Size:37"*Viewable: 37" diagonalTuner: ATSC/NTSC/Clear QAM tunerSupported TV Formats:Supports 480i (SDTV), 480P (EDTV), 720P (HDTV), 1080i (HDTV), 1080p Video SignalsNative Panel Resolution:1920 x 1080Pixel/Dot Pitch: 0.42675mm (H) x 0.42675mm (V)Signal Compatibility: Supports 480i (SDTV), 480P (EDTV), 720P (HDTV), 1080i (HDTV), 1080P (FHDTV)Computer: 640 x 480, 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1360 x 768, 1920 x 1080 via VGA and HDMIDisplay Compatibility: FHDTV (1080p)Response Time:5msColors: 1.06BBrightness: 500 cd/m2 (typical)Contrast Ratio: 50,000:1 (with DCR)Viewable Angle: 178° (horizontal and vertical)SRS TruSurround HD ™ yesSRS TruVolume™ no

Inputs
HDMI with HDCP: 3RF (F Connector for internal tuner):1Composite Video and stereo audio (one stereo audio shared with component input)2Component YPbPr plus Stereo Audio (one stereo audio shared with component input): 2S-Video plus Stereo Audio: 1Computer RGB plus Stereo Audio: 1USB (service only)1

Outputs
Stereo Audio15.1 SPDIF Digital Optical Audio: 1

Additional Information
Zero Bright Defective Pixel GuaranteeYesPicture-in-Picture (PIP)NoPicture-outside-Picture (POP)NoV-ChipYes3D Comb FilterYes3:2 or 2:2 Reverse Pull-downYesATSC with 8VSB & QAM demodulationYesATSC with MPEG-2 decodingYesNTSC Video decoding via Video: Yes Progressive Scan Video: Yes, thru Component video/VGA/HDMIHDTV: Yes, thru HDMI or Component VideoColor Temperature: 6500K 9300K, 11000KColor Fine Tuning: Independent Red, Green and BlueAudio: 10W x 2 SpeakersLamp (LCD) / Panel (PDP) Life: 50,000 hours to half the original brightnessPower: IEC Connector for direct power line connectionVoltage Range:100~240 Vac at 50/60 HzPower Consumption: 110 W (AVG), 0.44 W StandbyRemovable Base:Yes

Weight
Gross: 37.04 lbsNet With Stand:28.22 lbsNet Without Stand:26.46 lbs 

Dimensions
With Stand: 36.13" W x 25.23" H x 8.28" DWithout Stand: 36.13" W x 23.64" H x 3.67" DCertifications: CSA, CSA-US, FCC Class BCompliancesEnergy Star 3.0, ATSC Spec A/65, EIA/CEA-766-A

Wall Mounting Specifications:
Hole Pattern200mm x 200mmScrew SizeM6Screw Length20mmScrew Pitch1.0mm

VIZIO Warranty

One Year Parts & Labor
Free Lifetime Technical Support
Free On-Site Repair on VIZIO Televisions 30" and above