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

By: Levi Michael

Levi Michael — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:13:37 +0000

Save your Vizio! I had a Vizio VX37L that blew it's main board. I felt as if I had just flushed $450 down the drain. It just stopped powering up. Not even the Vizio logo would light up. Fortunately, I read that replacing the Vizio Main Board (part # 0171-2272-2174) normally fixed the problem. It's been over 6 months, and my Vizio VX37L HDTV10A is still working like a champ. These TVs are all modular inside. You can normally just replace a bad board yourself. I fixed mine in about an hour and a half.

By: Manny

Manny — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:41:13 +0000

I didn’t know anything about this TV, but it all sounds interesting. I may be looking into it, but I’m still not 100% convinced. Once I am 100% convinced, I’ll be at Costco. While its probably not the highest priority in my household, a solid TV is always something to consider. There may be other TVs coming out in the next 24 months or so, which makes me think I should compare before jumping in. The market is up and down right now, so I’m not certain it will be a great deal, which is somewhat important when making such a significant purchase. We’ll see.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:25:06 +0000

Thanks for that Chewbacca!! Good point!!

By: Umair Lateef

Umair Lateef — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:10:39 +0000

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.

By: Jonathan Paullin

Jonathan Paullin — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 14:24:04 +0000

Has anyone tested this 52 inch Vizio with a Xbox 360 or PS3? I really just care about gaming.

By: technabob

technabob — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 19:00:10 +0000

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.

By: Pacific Andy

Pacific Andy — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:48:58 +0000

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

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 03:57:05 +0000

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…

By: technabob

technabob — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 03:44:31 +0000

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.

By: Karen

Karen — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 02:15:04 +0000

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

By: Sharon

Sharon — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 01:21:13 +0000

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

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 01:39:28 +0000

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.

By: technabob

technabob — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 20:23:52 +0000

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.

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:17:02 +0000

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=

By: Derek

Derek — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 22:47:45 +0000

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.

By: technabob

technabob — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:50:53 +0000

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.

By: Bill C

Bill C — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:27:01 +0000

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.

By: Ray

Ray — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 21:58:11 +0000

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.

By: Richard Braodwell

Richard Braodwell — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 21:39:01 +0000

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.