vizio 52-inch 1080p lcd tv revealed: thanks costco!

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June 27th, 2007 post a comment (16) stumble it! by: technabob

I was flipping through my latest Costco Member Passport book when I stumbled across something interesting. It looks like flat-panel display maker Vizio is about to launch a brand new 52-inch LCD set this Summer.

Costco Vizio 52-Inch LCD Coupon

The coupon reveals that the set will be available for purchase starting on August 20th, and it’s simply listed as a ‘Vizio 52″ 1080p LCD HDTV (Item 200552)’.

Upon further research, there’s some discussion of a rumored set on the AVS Forum that seem to line up pretty closely with that release date as well. The model appears to be called the GV52L, and features a full 1920 x 1080 panel, with 4 HDMI inputs.

Vizio GV52L 52-inch LCD Television

Knowing Vizio’s track record the television will be very well priced. If I had to guess, I’d say around $2100. Pricing isn’t confirmed, but Costco members will get an additional $200 off from August 20 through 26th if they have the coupon.

June 27th, 2007 post a comment (16) stumble it! by: technabob

16 comments post a comment

1. Richard Braodwell | July 8th, 2007 at 4:39 pm

My facility bought a 52″ VIZIO LCD and I thoughly like the big screen, easy adjustments and sleek look. The color is right on and the audio could fill a hall. Probably from Costco but I don’t know the cost.
2. Ray | July 10th, 2007 at 4:58 pm

The set will be priced at $1899 per a Costco store rep I spoke with in Austin, TX with the 4200 off making it a nice $1699. Not bad at all.
3. Bill C | July 11th, 2007 at 1:27 pm

Reviews for the 47# set have been good. I have coupon and I’m looking forward to the 52# set.

Question: Since the set is 1080p, can you be in a room where the couch is only 6 to 7 feet away from the screen and not feel that the set is too big? This is my first flat screen purchase and I’m hearing about many folks who bought a set only to find it too big. My guess is that this may be related to earlier sets with lower pixel counts.
4. technabob | July 11th, 2007 at 1:50 pm

Well, I had a 50-inch 720p set in my living room, and it was about 8 feet from the couch. I have to say that was about the maximum size you’d want at that distance… not due to pixel resolution, but just because it just felt too big for the space.

When that set died, I went for a 46-inch 1080p set, and I’m really happy with that size.
5. Derek | August 6th, 2007 at 5:47 pm

To Ray,
Are you sure he wasn’t referring to the 47″ Vizio TV? That ones list at $1899 at Costco now. I heard it was gonna be listed at $2200. Still, for a LCD that size $2000 is pretty darn good.
6. Rob | August 14th, 2007 at 1:17 pm

Ok, talked to my tech freak friend, and he said the description is 5ms response time which is not 120 mhz. Apparently 1080P 120 mhz is the shizzle–4 ms response time. The one at Costco available during Aug 20-26 is 52 inch LCD 1080P with 5 ms response time for 1899 after 200 coupon. He thinks Aquos is clearing out its non 120 mhz, but man, I think I will do it, I mean I’m tired of waiting!

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?Prodid=11234117&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|79|2341|3316&N=4001382&Mo=29&pos=1&No=13&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=3316&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC10605-Cat2341&topnav=
7. technabob | August 14th, 2007 at 3:23 pm

You know, I’ve seen both 120Hz and earlier 1080p sets, and the visual difference is so minimal. The reason is that the source material often has compression artifacts in fast moving material that is far more noticeable than any motion blur. Really, I’ve not seen motion blur that’s anything worth worrying about since LCDs were having 18 to 20ms+ refresh times. 5ms is plenty fast.
8. Scott | August 16th, 2007 at 8:39 pm

I just had Costco look this up today while I was watching.
The Vizio 52″ 1080P LCD is $2199 + the $200 coupon next week. Also, I saw that the Vizio 47″ 1080P LCD dropped $100 to $1499.
9. Sharon | August 21st, 2007 at 8:21 pm

Ray:

Can you tell me the telephone number to the Costco in Tx where you found the set for $1899 minus the $200 so I can order one.

Thanks
10. Karen | August 21st, 2007 at 9:15 pm

Well, I just bought it, the 52″ Vizio LCD with the coupon. I thought it was the best deal in the store. The LCD will be better than the plasma for me because my house is very light, and creates glare which plasmas don’t do so well on. HD (Direct TV) will be coming in this weekend. I’ll get the concierge at costco to do the set up after that.

One question though as I am technically-challenged. Do I need to buy that setup of HD cables at Costco too? Maybe I’ll do that and if I don’t need them, take them back.

Also, is this a good TV for setting up a home theatre? Which speakers would you recommend?
Do I need a new DVD player now?

Thanks,

Karen
11. technabob | August 21st, 2007 at 10:44 pm

If you’re getting a high-definition receiver from DirecTV, they’ll probably bring the cables you need. However, I’d recommend that you grab a single HDMI cable to hook up the receiver and have it on hand just in case they don’t bring one. You can always return it later. Depending on what you decide for a DVD player, you might also need another HDMI cable for that too.

As for audio systems, there are SOOOOO many choices out there. Are you looking for something that’s compact and all-in-one, or something that’s a full surround sound system with multiple speakers? Do you have a budget in mind?

As for a DVD player, you’ll get the best picture quality from something like the players made by OPPO (http://www.oppodigital.com/), but remember that DVDs aren’t truly high-def, so you’re only going to get marginal quality without a true high-def player.

For true high definition movies, you’ll eventually want to grab either a Blu-ray or an HD-DVD player. Most signs are pointing to Blu-ray taking the lead in the high-def format wars, but you could probably wait a little while to see how that all shakes out.
12. Dave | August 21st, 2007 at 10:57 pm

Karen,
To answer your question I would wait until you get the DirectTV receiver first (they usually come with atleast Component cables (Red, Green, and Blue cable)) but if they package it right you might get an HDMI cable (I have Dish and they don’t provide HDMI). The CostCo cable pack is a little expensive as you don’t need all those cables. HDMI carries both Video and Audio to the TV, you can usually find inexpensive HDMI cables at (of all places) Home Depot or Lowes, I got a 6′ HDMI cable made by phillips for around $30 there, places like Best Buy will try and charge you close to $100 for one.

Speakers can vary (size, shape, look, price), I would go to a reputable home theatre store where you will get professional help and they generally will give you a higher grade speaker for a better price than places like Best Buy (Unless its a Magnolia Best Buy, but even they don’t work on prices too much) or Circuit City etc. which generally carry lower end models. This is not to say that you can’t get a very good set for a decent price. Sound and Vision magazine rates Deffinitive Tech Cinema series speakers high each year and you can get a 5.1 set (Front Right, Left, Center, Surround Left and Right, and a sub) for around $800 I believe.

As for DVD player, if you have a progressive scan DVD player you will be fine, I have not seen much of a difference with the ones that up convert the image.
Hope that helps…
13. Pacific Andy | August 23rd, 2007 at 10:48 am

Is it really a good TV. I am skeptical since the share is $500 mor the Samsung $1,000 and the Sony $1500.
Who makes this tv and is it really a deal?
Thanks
14. technabob | August 23rd, 2007 at 2:00 pm

Vizio generally has used LG panels in their sets in the past, but I don’t know who made the LCD for this particular model. In general, their sets offer alot of bang for the buck, but often don’t have quite the image quality of some pricier sets.

That said, I’ve seen some past Vizio models outperform (lower end) Sony and Samsung televisions in the past, so I wouldn’t rule it out. Your best move is to go down to the local Costco and look at the set in person and decide if you can live with it. Even though they don’t have their indefinite return policy anymore, you’ll still have 90-days to decide if you don’t like it.
15. Jonathan Paullin | August 31st, 2007 at 9:24 am

Has anyone tested this 52 inch Vizio with a Xbox 360 or PS3? I really just care about gaming.
16. Umair Lateef | October 1st, 2007 at 10:10 am

I have the 52″ Gallevia hooked up with Xbox 360 on 1080P and my review is that this will be the best gaming experience you’ll ever have.

Talking about 4HDMI and other connectors ….. the thing is that when you spend $2000 on tv then to enjoy big screen views your home theatre dream is still not complete. You are missing the biggest component of all … the DOLBY Sound. You definitely have to spend $300 to $500 to get a decent surround sound system. So no it all depends on the home theatre reciever that how many inputs does that have … does it have a HDMI input/output as well or not.

So the bottom line is just getting a big ass tv is not solution to your dreams …. and playing HALO3 on big screen with out proper 5 channel system is disgrace to the game developers.