Vizio Plasma and LCD TVs

[laineyblainey]

Hi, Have just moved into the 21st century in home entertainment (transitioned from twenty-yr-old 19" analog straight to 42" HD LCD). I've been seriously looking to buy something for nearly a year. Seeing the prices continue to plummet, I held off on the purchase until I felt prices might be leveling off. After considering budget (hope to add home theatre equip) and features, I settled on the Vizio L42 from Sam's. Sam's currently has them in my area for $1499. Almost bought Vizio's 50" plasma; luckily they had run out by the time I had almost decided to go for it. In the end, I chose LCD over plasma for the following reasons:

No screen burn-in issues
anti-glare screen (no reflection even with overhead lights on!)
screen looks just as bright with room lights on or off
lower energy consumption than plasma
less heat generation than plasma (my set is located near the thermostat)
no noisy fans
lighter weight (75 lbs vs. 137 lbs for the 50" plasma)
Sam's guy told me Vizio uses Samsung picture screen on LCDs (maybe someone could verify or refute?)

So far (only about a week) I'm very pleased. Once I got the color adjusted to my taste, it is consistently good across channels and programs. I do notice some jagged edges, but hope this will be resolved once I actually order HD signal from the cable company. Will be able to report back after that happens and I get set up with some home theater equip't.

Like BangTango, I haven't anything really to compare with, since this is my first LCD. But I agree that (at least so far, knock on wood) for the money and features, and considering how little time I have to sit and look at TV, I think and hope this will turn out to be a good choice.

It's been hard to find many consumer reviews of these Vizio sets...I'd like to hear from others who've bought them.

 

[Jack Hammer]

It's been hard to find many consumer reviews of these Vizio sets...I'd like to hear from others who've bought them.

I haven't bought one, but I'm considering one and I've been having trouble finding reviews on them too. Any current feelings on the 37" Vizio LCD $999 at Costco?

 

[boughtone]

I paid $1370 for a vizio L30 in Mar '05. Was told by tech support that main board was a common problem (TV died 10/07). Repair cost are $1045. ($195 for them to come to your home and $850 for part.) Also, electronic repair providers in my area are unable to get Vizio parts. I'd spend the extra few hundred on a mainstream brand and save yourself hundreds in the end.

 

[gus6464]

If you have a little more to spend ($1399), Fry's has the Panasonic TH-50PX77U Plasma on sale. I have had mine for almost 2 weeks and it placed a Toshiba LCD that went bad. The PQ on HD and SD is excellent and I find it to be better than the 1080p LCD it replaced even though it's a 768p TV.

 

[boughtone]

bought one in mar 05 -died sep 07. repair cost exceed $1045 (vizioL30 purchased for $1370) spend the few hundred more on a more known brand.

 

[Thunder18]

My dad has had is GV47LF for about a year and he loves it. It on hours a day and knock on wood, has experienced no problems.

 

[ilnoca]

My limited experience on this: I bought a refurbed 42" Vizio plasma about two months ago for a little less than $700 and have been very pleased so far. This is my first HDTV, so much of my enthusiasm might be more about the medium change than the TV itself. The only other HDTVs I've spent much time with is another Vizio (37" LCD) and my friend's 42" Sony plasma that cost around $3,000 two years ago (I can't remember the model number). I have it hooked up to a Dish Network HD box via a monoprice HDMI cable, and both HD and regular digital content look very crisp.

The pros:
Picture quality is superb with digital content (haven't tried analog).
Set up, while limited, is pretty intuitive.
Two HDMIs inputs
A ridiculously cheap price
Less glare than I've noticed on other plasmas (could be the room, obviously)

The cons (so far):
The fugly integral speakers (I'm thinking of removing them with a Dremel, making a new bottom piece, and painting the plastics matte black. I'm not sure, but I think this might void the warranty.)
Blacks are good, but noticeably not as deep as my friend's Sony.

Considering what I paid for it, I am very pleased. Like with any new company, I am concerned about reliability, and I will be interested in seeing what issues people have with two and three year old Vizios.

One other thing: I've read that a good number of people have had isues with hooking up Oppo DVD players to Vizios, but this issue may have been resolved. I'm looking at getting the 980H as soon as I hear back from Oppo about the issue.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

My understanding is that there are huge new factories in places like Malasia cranking out flatscreen TVs by the millions and then badging them. A reasonable conclusion is that the brand you buy is irrelevant. Is this true, or have I read bad information?

 

[Warpdrv]

Do yourself a favor.... stick to the big boys... at least thats my opinion...

I own 2 Panasonic Plasma's (Awesome, Good Prices) - My First choice would be hands down Pioneer !!! Now I get them at cost, I didn't have that option before, so I bought the Panasonic....

http://www.plasma.com/classroom/whomakesplasma.htm

Who really makes your Plasma HDTV?

Very few Plasma TV manufacturers actually make their own plasma TV. Most use a system called rebadging. Basically they buy from a Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), claim to have a secret extra special feature then stick a new sticker on it and bill you thousands extra for the sticker. If you really want to pay thousands for a sticker please call our sales dept and we will sell you a sticker with our website logo for much less then the couple thousand you will pay Fujitsu or Runco
THE MAJOR PLASMA TELEVISION MANUFACTURERS

NEC - Nec is a OEM manufacturer and is now owned by Pioneer. Although owned by Pioneer they still operate under a separate label. NEC has commercial units and home units. They also supply screens to Marantz Runco and several other companies. NEC sold their plasma factory to Pioneer and now buys their panels from Pioneer and installs their own electronics.

Panasonic - Makes the complete units, Supplies Toshiba, JVC, Fujitsu and more

Pioneer Plasma - Pioneer owns NEC and has switched production to the NEC lines. The new 50 inch and the 42 inch units are all NEC glass. To tell if a 50 inch is Pioneer or NEC, check the resolution, If 1280 it is Pioneer , If 1365 it is NEC . 42 inch Pioneer Plasma TV is NEC . 43 inch Plasma TV is Pioneer Glass

Fujitsu Plasma - Only makes their own 42 inch in partnership with Hitachi . 50 and 61 inch Fujitsu Plasmas are Panasonic and NEC but the 42 inch are their own. Note Hitachi plasma screens are identical to Fujitsu and cost thousands less, 55 Inch Fujitsu is same as Hitachi,

Sony Plasma TV - Makes their own boards and chips but uses Fujitsu/ Hitachi plasma screen glass for 42 inch, 50 inch is NEC, 42inch EDTV is NEC

Hitachi - Owns 50% of plasma screen factory with Fujitsu. Makes own internal components. 42 Alis screens are Hitachi as is the New 55, 50 inch are Pioneer and 42 EDTV is a NEC screen

Philips - Uses Fujitsu/ Hitachi glass screen and most internal components as well. However, Philips makes its own bezel with built in speakers.

LG / Zenith - Make their own glass in Korea

Samsung - Makes its own components in Korea
THE SECONDARY MANUFACTURERS

RCA/ Thompson - Partners with NEC to OEM its product. Just a NEC with a new bezel.

JVC - 50 inch is Panasonic, 42 is NEC

Toshiba - OEM from Panasonic.

Sharp - OEM product through Pioneer for 50" and 42 though they may make some internal component changes.

Runco - OEM 50" from Pioneer and 42" from NEC,

Marantz - OEM plasma monitor from NEC. It is our understanding its just a sticker job

Studio Experience use a Samsung panel but custom electronics

Viewsonic - OEM 50" plasma screen from Pioneer ( old 502 ).

Sampo - 42v3 is old Fujitsu, 42v6 is Samsung Plasma,

Gateway: Units are rebranded Sampo

Norcent Units may be rebranded Sampo

Maxent is Sampo, There seems to be a rumor spreading around that maxents are actually Panasonic panels. These seems extremely unlikely as Panasonic cannot keep up with there own requirement. We suspect that maxents are actually LG glass with their own electronics.

 

[jonnythan]

FWIW, Maxent uses different brands of glass/electronics in different models. My model, for instance, is a Panasonic panel. Other models have been shown to contain LG and Samsung panels.

 

[solomr2]

I've had the GV42 in my family room since last December. It gets a lot of use since it is our main family tv. My kids play their xbox and gamecube on it, we watch movies on it, I watch football on it on Sundays, etc.

So far it has been almost flawless. I say almost because occasionally when we turn it on we get sound but no picture, but when you turn it off and back on it works fine. This only happens infrequently, maybe 1 in 20 times and I think it may have something to do with the gamecube, but it doesn't bother me enough to do anything about it. Also, from what I have read, this is also a problem with other brands of LCDs. For the price I think it was a good deal and it has a pretty darn good picture.

I've read some posts on various forums where people are advising others to only buy mainstream brands (Pana, Samsung, Pio, Sharp, Sony) because of warranty claims and so on. To that I say, facts speak much louder than any free advise on the Internet. My own personal experience with warranty claims on mainstream brands from Toshiba, JVC, Viewsonic, GE and Panasonic are less than stellar, and even downright abysmal. I've actually sworn I will never buy another GE or Ford product ever again as long as I live because of my personal experience with their products, their warranties and their customer service.

After nearly a full year living with the Vizio, I'm satisfied with the product and what I paid.

 

[twstd02]

I have the Vizio 52" LCD. I hae had it for about 6mons. now and have no complaints! It has a very crisp picture and when used in the full 1080p format, WOW sexy! I was told the Vizio has the Samsund internals.

 

[David_313]

i hear from some guys at work that the vizio is made in the usa. kinda cool if thats true.

 

[Johnd]

i hear from some guys at work that the vizio is made in the usa. kinda cool if thats true.

That's not true. With a CEO named Wang and fewer than 100 employees in the US, I wounder where the sets are produced? Vizio really isn't a manufacturer per se, as invariably all of it's products are manufactured through contractors, most likely in Asia.

 

[annunaki]

Vizio like most other Tier 3 "manufacturers" (I use that term loosely) simply contract a build house in (most likely) China to build a set to hit a certain price point. They tend to use lower quality parts, wider tolorances, and offer liitle or no repair once the set is out of warranty. Even in warranty service is tough once it is past the seller's return policy (15-30 days). You have to send the set to California for service (you paythe shipping). By the way you MUST have the original box and/or packaging in order to send it back. If one does not have it, you can call Vizio customer service and they will ship you a new one at no charge in warranty.

If an item is out of warranty, and you do not have the original box and packaging, it will cost around $1,079.00 to get a 42" set serviced from Vizio. $300 for the new packaging + Shipping. $300 flat rate for parts + $140.00 for labor. Shipping is about $89.00 to Vizio, but they charge $250.00 for return freight.

you can check out many of the servicing procedures here: http://hdguru.com/your-new-disposable-flat-panel-hdtv/107/#comment-14358

 

[EddieG]

Has anyone had any experience with Vizio? This appears to be a relatively new brand of television. I just saw an online ad for their products (Vizio.com), which seem to have extremely similar basic specs to the Panasonic plasma line, yet have better pricing.

I'm shopping for a 50" HD Plasma, and am strongly considering the TH-50PHD7UY, as it is the professional monitor version, w/o speakers and tuner. That saves width and cost, and gets consistently great reviews.

I have not read all of the responses in this thread, but my father had a 37" LCD that looks AMAZING!!!

 

[DJB]

If you buy one through Costco they have their own dedicated support line. I ran into a someone in the local Costco a couple of months ago and they told me how they had a problem with their display & the customer support people were really nice. They sent someone out to do a repair & when the unit failed again, they got a new unit.

I've not bought electronics from Costco but I can certainly say I've always had good customer service from them.

David