Great Widescreen HDTV For The Budget Minded!

The only other place in my home that I watch TV is my bedroom. Unfortunately the TV I had was an 18 year old 19", that had finally outlived it's usefulness.

So the hunt was on for a replacement. I figured I would go with a flat panel, and I would stick with the same size. I did purchase a 20" flat panel HDTV, and tried it out for only 1 day before I decided that I needed something larger.

So I sent that 20" back and began my search for a larger LCD with HD that was not going to send me to the poor house.. I came across the Vizio VX32L and read the opinion/reviews from owners, and found that a lot of people seemed pretty satisfied with it, although, they paid a lot more because they bought when LCD's were much more expensive, so I figured if they were happy with it for the price they paid, then I should be OK with paying only $569.00.

I picked it up and could not wait to get home to hang it on the wall and get the DVR & DVD player hooked to put it to the test.

First thing I noticed is that I was not truly satisfied with the way the picture looked at first. So I went in & tweaked the settings to my liking. I found that to be odd, since most TV's come from the factory and the default settings are usually satisfactory, and only need minor adjustments. This one needed to be tweaked more than any other TV I've owned. However after going through the manual and learning what all the little settings were (most new to me), when I was done I was pretty satisfied.

Now at first, I was using Standard Definition, which on most HDTV's doesn't always look like what people are used to seeing. So I used a nice DVD using progressive scan with Component Hook-ups. Now that brought out more of what this TV can deliver, and actually made me happy with my purchase right then & there.

The next test was to go to HD, so I used my HD-DVR, and hooked up the HDMI cable. All I can say is, WOW! The sharp crisp crystal clarity REALLY stood out now. This was the ultimate test to see what this thing was truly capable of, and I knew that I made a smart choice.

Now, can this TV deliver what the big names can? No, but it's pretty darn close, and that's why you pay $570-$600 instead of $1500-$2000. A Great value for the money. It has a contrast of 1200:1, which I think should be a good minimum to go by if you like realistic viewing without dark spots becoming impossible to make out. This one is bright, and can deliver some good clear full motion video. Sure you can buy a Sony for a TON more $$ with 10,000:1 contrast, but most people don't have that kind if dough to throw around for TV.

The menus are very simple, and it has plenty of settings to tweak this puppy to your liking. I do advise reading the manual for this part, because it had settings that normal TV's do not, and can be kind of confusing to the "Electronically Challenged" folks out there. Also, read the online forums that deal with this set, you'll learn a lot from it.

The sound that comes out of the built in speakers is great for a bedroom, but if you like thunderous surround, then you'll need a separate surround receiver. But for my bedroom, it's perfectly fine, and actually has a pretty good simulated surround that comes out nice & clear.

The set is attractive, I really like the look of it, and the fact that it can be wall mounted was real positive for me. Now for some, depending on the location of viewing, you might be better off placing it on a dresser, and angling the view. I know when I rearrange my bedroom, I'm not going to keep it on the wall, because it does not appear like it will be the ideal viewing angle. You can buy an expensive wall mounting hardware, that will twist, swivel, pan, etc., but whether you'll need it or not will all depend on viewing location.

I do like the input selections, it gives me options I've never had. For instance, it not only has HDMI, but it had 2. It also has 2 component video connections, 2 AV hookups, one with S-video, and it also had the standard coax for those who can enjoy true over the air uncompressed HD signals that will blow you away. This set has an ATSC tuner for just that purpose. As you shop around for flat panels, you'll want to make sure it comes with that (as some don't) if you want to enjoy over the air HDTV. It also has QAM built in so that some people can eliminate set top boxes for cable. You can also use this set as PC monitor if you choose, which some day I'm going the try out. It will be so much easier to read the screen in 32" instead 17" like I have now.

The remote is decent, and like all new ones take some getting used to. Of course I'd like some of the button in other locations, but I think that of all my remotes.

The Picture in Picture is nice, and unlike my HD rear projection, I do not have to worry about side bar burning in to the screen. The MFG. guarantees that no screen burn in can happen with this set, which puts my mind at ease when my kids pause the DVD player for hours at a time!

Here are some specs from Vizio's site:

* High resolution 1366 X 768 pixels wide screen - 16:9 ratio
* No permanent burn in - Guaranteed
* Ideal in bright-light environments - minimal glare
* Digital HDTV & standard TV combination tuner
* TV formats supported (1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i)
* Computer monitor (RGB) up to 1366 X 768 WXGA
* Wall mounting capable
* Typical lamp life of 50,000 hours, equivalent to 22 years*

Specification
Size: 20-in*
*Viewable: 20-in
Tuner: Integrated NTSC/ATSC/QAM HDTV Tuner

Supported TV Formats
1080i, 720p, 720i, 480p, 480i

Native Panel Resolution: 1366 x 768

Supported PC Resolutions
1366 x 768, 1024 x 768, 800 x 600

Specification
Panel Type: 20" Diagonal*, 16:9 Wide Screen, Color TFT Active Matrix LCD
Panel Specifications: Anti-Static and hard coated surface
Pixel/Dot Pitch: 0.32475mm (H) x 0.32475mm (V)
Display Compatibility: HDTV (1080i)
Signal Compatibility: 480i (SDTV), 480P (EDTV), 720P (HDTV), 1080i (HDTV)
Response Time: 8 ms (typical)
Colors: 8 bit 16.77 Million colors
Brightness: 450 cd/m2 (typical)
Contrast Ratio: 700:1
Viewable Angle: 160° (horizontal) / 140° (vertical)

Inputs
RF (F Connector for internal tuner): 1
HDMI with HDCP: 1
Analog Stereo Audio for HDMI Inputs: 1
Component YPbPr plus Stereo Audio: 1
Composite Video: 1
S-Video plus Stereo Audio: 1
Computer RGB plus Stereo Audio: 1
Service Port: 1

Outputs
Analog Audio out (RCA): 0
5.1 SPDIF Digital Optical Audio: 0
Headphone (Stereo Mini-Jack): 1

Additional Information
Picture-in-Picture (PIP)
Closed Caption (CC)
V-Chip
3D Comb Filter
Zoom
Freeze
3:2 or 2:2 Reverse Pull-down
ATSC with 8VSB & QAM demodulation
ATSC with MPEG-2 decoding
NTSC Video decoding via RF: Yes, thru Antenna, Cable, or Satellite
NTSC Video decoding via Video: Yes, thru CVBS, S-Video, or Component
Progressive Scan Video: Yes, thru Component YPbPr, VGA or HDMI
HDTV: Yes, thru HDMI or Component YPbPr
Computer: 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768 , 1366x768 thru VGA/RGB or 640x480 thru HDMI
Sound enhancement: Yes, Virtual Surround option
Color Temperature: 6500K (standard), 5400K and 9300K
Color Fine Tuning: Independent Red, Green and Blue
Audio: Built-in 3W x 2
Lamp (LCD) / Panel (PDP) Life: 50000 hours
Power: IEC Connector for direct power line connection
Voltage Range90 ~ 240 Vac at 50/60 Hz
Power Consumption: 60W average
Removable Base

Weight
Gross:22.5 lbs
Net: 17 lbs
Without Stand: 15 lbs

Dimensions
Carton: 22.5" W X 19.5" H x 10" D
Net: 20” W x 15.6” H x 8.4” D
Without Stand: 20” W x 14” H x 3.6” D


All in all for the money I believe I got a GREAT deal. Yes there are better sets out there, but most of us cannot afford them.