lcd panel at vizio e390 price

-Select-AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustriaAzerbaijan RepublicBahamasBahrainBangladeshBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBritish Virgin IslandsBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape Verde IslandsCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCook IslandsCosta RicaCyprusCzech RepublicCôte d"Ivoire (Ivory Coast)Democratic Republic of the CongoDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)FijiFinlandFranceGabon RepublicGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIraqIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRepublic of CroatiaRepublic of the CongoRomaniaRwandaSaint HelenaSaint Kitts-NevisSaint LuciaSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSan MarinoSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSurinameSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTogoTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican City StateVietnamVirgin Islands (U.S.)Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaWestern SamoaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan Republic, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde Islands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Côte d"Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon Republic, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Croatia, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City State, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, Western Sahara, Western Samoa, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

*These are helpful tips to get you started and don’t represent accurate diagnoses for every TV model and failure. If you’re unsure of your diagnosis, we recommend checking out our YouTube channel or reaching out to a local TV technician for assistance.

*These are helpful tips to get you started and don’t represent accurate diagnoses for every TV model and failure. If you’re unsure of your diagnosis, we recommend checking out our YouTube channel or reaching out to a local TV technician for assistance.

The display has Full HD resolution. It is the most popular resolution for now. Full HD resolution provides great picture quality for the moderate price.

The Vizio E390-A1 has slow refresh rate 60 Hz. It means that the picture on the screen is updated 60 times per second. The more images per second are displayed - the more realistic the motion will look on your TV.

List of all TVs like Vizio E390-A1. Compare tech specs to its rivals side by side to find out what TV has better picture quality. Select the best TV for now with SpecsPRO easily!

All the most popular Vizio E390-A1 video reviews and tests from Youtube are waiting for you on this page. Watching videos is the easiest and quickest way to get a comprehensive view of the TV"s specs and picture quality. They will help you to understand whether it is really the best TV for you.

Do you want to buy new TV? Then you should get true info about the specs and the picture quality from useful Vizio E390-A1 reviews by users and tests by CNET, PCMag, TechRadar and other experts. They describe in detail the pros and cons of this TV. And if you are already the owner of Vizio E390-A1 rate it and leave your review to help other сustomers!

VIZIO’s Full-Array LED backlight technology delivers brilliant picture quality as it distributes LEDs across the entire screen for superior light uniformity and picture performance.

The all-new 2014 E-Series design introduces a side profile that’s up to 30% thinner, an ultra-narrow 10mm frame, and a new space-saving slimmer base. The new design puts the focus right where it should be—on the screen—and is the perfect upgrade to any room.

The Vizio E400i-B2 is loaded with picture features that really boost the picture quality. The full-array LED backlighting achieves much better peak whites and deeper blacks than seen on previous versions of the E series. This model features 5 Active LED zones for local dimming. We tested the feature and found no real benefit to picture quality. It"s a shame since this is one of the featured aspects of the set after full array backlighting. The 4K P series has 64 zone and is more likely to have a positive effect. Also, the 60Hz refresh rate combined with a 180 Clear Action Rate backlight scanning create an effective 120Hz refresh rate. Live sports programming and camera movement won"t see as much judder and motion blur, but it is probably better to leave this off for most of the time.

This Vizio doesn"t render the picture depth of a plasma display, but presents a good picture for the price. In darker scenes it can get a bit flat and blacks can seem to have a film over them interfering with overall immersion. The colors are not what I would call rich either.

Black levels are somewhat flexible with the Black Detail advanced picture setting. It adds some much needed contrast and three dimensionality and colors pop, so I made a rare exception and use the Black Detail on the high setting. Normally, we would have such a setting off.

The Film Mode does cut down slightly on judder from movie-source programming with no noted side effects. We"re typically sceptical of this type of de-judder feature but on the Vizio e-series the effects are subtle enough to be of good use.

Side Angle Viewing, better than expected especially with the Black Detail setting on high. Nevertheless , there is contrast reduction starting at around 20 degrees off center, but becoming pronounced at 30.

Normal, Wide, Stretch, and Zoom modes are controlled by the diminutive “wide” button on the bottom left of the remote face. With HD programming your normal and wide selection will appear the same and of course there is no problem with this aspect rendering. The following pics from Nat Geo Wild show what your choices will look like with normal non-HD cable. The order is:

Choosing the best picture mode for your setting is extremely important and Vizio gives us some nice choices: Standard (energy saving mode), Calibrated, Calibrated Dark, Game, Computer, and Vivid. The calibrated and calibrated dark modes are the best with the only difference being the backlight being tuned down to 58/100 in the calibrated dark mode as opposed to 100% backlight in the calibrated mode. Calibrated mode will probably be the choice mode for most situations as the dark shadow detail and full backlight give the picture some needed punch. Overall, I am very pleased with the selection of picture modes, especially the two calibrated modes for this price point of TV. From Calibrated Mode use the following settings for calibrated picture settings:

The OPC (Optimum Power Control) control is very hidden in the menu of the E-series Vizio TV, but it can and should be turned off due to the distracting influx and outflow of light/brightness produced by the backlight. Out of the box, it will be set to On position for any of the preset picture settings. When I recently retested the e-series from Vizio I found it added unnecessary picture noise when light flow moved up or down lagging the picture image. The OPC"s purpose is to save energy by manipulating the backlight through the 18 backlight zones, or probably more accurately to lower the Energy rating for Vizio"s TVs. But at less than $1 a month total, and just a few cents per month for the OPC feature, you probably prefer a better picture. To turn it off: Go to Picture Settings, scroll down to More, Scroll down and click Advanced Picture at he bottom of the menu, this will finally bring up the Backlight Control as the very last setting. Turn Off.

The Vizio E400i has the Vizio Internet Apps Plus platform included. The built-in wifi allows for instant access and plenty of speed for HD content streaming. The "Plus" in the name means the interface is much more user friendly and the overall performance is faster than before. Some of the content streaming apps include Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, VUDU, MGO, Hulu Plus, and YouTube. You get Pandora and iHeartRadio for music. On the social media front there is Facebook and Twitter. Once you dig in you"ll find what is going to be useful for you.

The Smart TV gets good marks as far as performance goes. There were a few initial hiccups in the set up process, but all was smooth once we got past those and connected to our wifi network. Streaming content loaded up quickly and provided a high quality image over wifi. This is a big plus since not all smart TV platforms handle streaming so well.

The Vizio E-series does not include a remote with any special capabilities. No motion control, voice recognition, or QWERTY keyboard. But that"s okay. It"s a small remote with efficiently laid out small keys that give quick access to the necessary controls. That"s really all we need in a remote after all. The buttons to access video streaming apps quickly will be some of the most used.

The E400i-B2 has also recieved some upgrades to the appearance. The bezels are now slimmer than they were last year, at a mere 10mm thin. Not bad for an entry level set. The profile has also seen a reduction of 30%. These aren"t nearly as bulky as they have been in the past. The black plastic square stand is nothing special, but it doesn"t take away from the sleek look here. All in all, this is an average looking value LED TV.

The Vizio E400i-B2 presents a solid value across the board. Picture quality for the $449.00 price tag is excellent. Strong contrast and picture depth from front and center is the highlight in the picture quality realm. Vizio Internet Apps Plus don"t do anything new for the platform, but everything works well and doesn"t leave much to be desired. Some downsides are a non-backlit remote, 2-point white balance, and a non-swivel stand. But these are dealbreakers by any means. This TV will stand out in the 40 inch class. Competition includes the Samsung UN40H5500 and the Sony KDL-40W600B.

Jack Burden has been reviewing and writing reviews in the consumer electronics category for 7 years with CEAG. He considers grayscale gradation, film patterned retarders, and focus field drives to be fun topics. Read more about Jack

The Vizio E390i-B1 really has the full array LED backlighting to thank for the picture quality here. The full-array LED backlighting achieves much better peak whites and deeper blacks than seen on previous versions of the E series. Colors are also going to benefit from this backlighting scheme, as there will be less washout and uniformity issues. E series models with smart TV features also have 6 Active LED zones for local dimming. This small number of zones may not create a highly noticeable effect. It"s important to note that this series has 60Hz and 120Hz TVs. The 39 inch E series TVs with Vizio Internets Apps Plus have an effective 120Hz refresh rate thanks to backlight scanning. Non smart TV models have a 60Hz refresh rate. That may sound like a big drawback, the benefits are harder to notice on a 39 inch screen. The Clear Action Rate may produce negative effects in some circumstances and is probably better left off for movies and regular TV programs.

The E390i-B1 has a great picture after calibration, but it doesn"t render the picture depth of a plasma display. What"s important here is the picture quality and screen size for the price. It"s one of the best deals around right now for the size. Dark scenes can look a bit flat and blacks can seem to have a film over them interfering with overall immersion. The colors are not what I would call rich either.

Black levels are somewhat flexible with the Black Detail advanced picture setting. It adds some much needed contrast and three dimensionality and colors pop, so I made a rare exception and use the Black Detail on the high setting. Normally, we would have such a setting off.

The Film Mode does cut down slightly on judder from movie-source programming with no noted side effects. We"re typically sceptical of this type of de-judder feature but on the Vizio e-series the effects are subtle enough to be of good use.

Side Angle Viewing, better than expected especially with the Black Detail setting on high. Nevertheless , there is contrast reduction starting at around 20 degrees off center, but becoming pronounced at 30.

Choosing the best picture mode for your calibration is extremely important and Vizio provides some nice choices: Standard (energy saving mode), Calibrated, Calibrated Dark, Game, Computer, and Vivid. The calibrated and calibrated dark modes are the best choices with only the backlight strenght being the difference between the two. Calibrated mode will probably be the choice mode for most situations as the dark shadow detail and full backlight give the picture some needed punch. Overall, I am very pleased with the selection of picture modes, especially the two calibrated modes for this price point of TV. From Calibrated Mode use the following settings for calibrated picture settings:

The OPC (Optimum Power Control) control is very hidden in the menu of the E-series Vizio TV, but it can and should be turned off due to the distracting influx and outflow of light/brightness produced by the backlight. Out of the box, it will be set to On position for any of the preset picture settings. When I recently retested the e-series from Vizio I found it added unnecessary picture noise when light flow moved up or down lagging the picture image. The OPC"s purpose is to save energy by manipulating the backlight through the 18 backlight zones, or probably more accurately to lower the Energy rating for Vizio"s TVs. But at less than $1 a month total, and just a few cents per month for the OPC feature, you probably prefer a better picture. To turn it off: Go to Picture Settings, scroll down to More, Scroll down and click Advanced Picture at he bottom of the menu, this will finally bring up the Backlight Control as the very last setting. Turn Off.

The Vizio E390i has the Vizio Internet Apps Plus platform included. The built-in wifi allows for instant access and plenty of speed for HD content streaming. The "Plus" in the name means the interface is much more user friendly and the overall performance is faster than before. Some of the most useful apps included are Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, VUDU, MGO, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and Facebook. There are plenty more too.

The Smart TV gets good marks as far as performance goes. There were a few initial hiccups in the set up process, but all was smooth once we got past those and connected to our wifi network. Streaming content loaded up quickly and provided a high quality image over wifi. This is a big plus since not all smart TV platforms handle streaming so well.

The Vizio E-series does not include a remote with any special capabilities. No motion control, voice recognition, or QWERTY keyboard. But that"s okay. It"s a small remote with efficiently laid out small keys that give quick access to the necessary controls. That"s really all we need in a remote after all. The buttons to access video streaming apps quickly will be some of the most used.

The E390i-B1 has also recieved some upgrades to the appearance. The bezels are now slimmer than they were last year, at a mere 10mm thin. Not bad for an entry level set. The profile has also seen a reduction of 30%. These aren"t nearly as bulky as they have been in the past. The black plastic square stand is nothing special, but it doesn"t take away from the sleek look here. All in all, this is an average looking value LED TV.

The Vizio E390i-B1 presents a solid value across the board. Picture quality for the $369-$399 price tag is excellent. Strong contrast and picture depth from front and center is the highlight in the picture quality realm. Vizio Internet Apps Plus don"t do anything new for the platform, but everything works well and doesn"t leave much to be desired. Some downsides are a non-backlit remote, 2-point white balance, and a non-swivel stand. But these are dealbreakers by any means.

Jack Burden has been reviewing and writing reviews in the consumer electronics category for 7 years with CEAG. He considers grayscale gradation, film patterned retarders, and focus field drives to be fun topics. Read more about Jack

Approximate diagonal size of the display. If the manufacturer does not provide such information, the diagonal is calculated from the width and height of the screen.980 mm (millimeters)

Approximate width of the display. If the manufacturer does not provide such information, the width is calculated from the diagonal and the aspect ratio.853.92 mm (millimeters)

Approximate height of the display. If the manufacturer does not provide such information, the height is calculated from the diagonal and the aspect ratio.480.83 mm (millimeters)

The most widely used panels are those with 6, 8, and 10 bits for each of the RGB components of the pixel. They provide 18-, 24-, and 30-bit color, respectively.8 bits

The maximum number of colors, which the display is able to reproduce, depends on the type of the panel in use and color enhancing technologies like FRC.16777216 colors

The ratio between the horizontal and the vertical side of the display. Some of the standard and widely used aspect ratios are 4:3, 5:4, 16:9 and 16:10.1.778:1

Information about the number of pixels on the horizontal and vertical side of the screen. A higher resolution allows the display of a more detailed and of higher quality image.1920 x 1080 pixels

The pixel pitch shows the distance from the centers of two neighboring pixels. In displays, which have a native resolution (the TFT ones, for example), the pixel pitch depends on the resolution and the size of the screen.0.445 mm (millimeters)

Information of the number of pixels in a unit of length. With the decrease of the display size and the increase of its resolution, the pixel density increases.57 ppi (pixels per inch)

The backlight is the source of light of the LCD display panels. The type of backlight determines the image quality and the color space of the display. There are various backlights such as CCFL, LED, WLED, RGB-LED, and etc.Direct LED

The dynamic contrast shows the ratio between the brightest and the darkest color, which the display can reproduce over time, for example, in the course of playing a video.2000000 : 1

Information about the minimum amount of time, in which the pixels change from one color to another. Very often the manufacturer provides the response time for transition from grey-to-grey (G2G).6.5 ms (milliseconds)

Desktop monitors and smart TVs experience a latency/lag in visualizing the information. The time in milliseconds that the display needs to visualize the signal input.40 ms (milliseconds)

The vertical frequency/refresh rate shows how many times in a second the image on the screen is refreshed.50 Hz / 60 Hz (hertz)Power supply and consumption

Information about the dimensions and the weight of the specific model with and without stand as well as the colors, in which it is offered to the market.Width

The TV tuner is a device, which allows the receiving and visualization of a certain type of television signal. There are tuners for digital, analog, cable and satellite television.TV tuner

The operating systems of the smart TV sets feature user interface technologies for navigation and other ways of interaction with the smart TV - installing applications, internet browsing, video calls, sharing content with other users, playing videos and music, etc.V.I.A. PlusAudio

Information about the network technologies and standards supported by the model, which allow for it to connect to and communicate with other devices.LAN

Information about the available connectivity ports, slots and interfaces such as USB, infrared port, SD card slot, audio/video and network interfaces, etc.1 x USB 2.0

This product qualifies for ENERGY STAR in the “factory default” setting and this is the setting in which power savings will be achieved. Changing the factory default picture settings or enabling other features will increase power consumption that could exceed the limits necessary to qualify for ENERGY STAR rating.

Your TV is designed and manufactured to operate within defined design limits. Misuse may result in electric shock or fire. To prevent To get the most out of your new VIZIO product, read these your TV from being damaged, the following instructions should...

• Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or local power company. or table specified by the manufacturer, or sold • Do not apply pressure or throw objects at your TV. with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use This may compromise the integrity of the display.

your TV, unplug the power cord and contact your dealer. • This apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or Continuous use in this case may result in fire or electric splashing and no objects filled with liquids, such as vases, shock.

Adjusting the CEC Settings ..........40 Turning the Power Indicator On or Off ......40 Using the Reset & Admin Menu .......... 41 Restoring the TV to Factory Default Settings ....41 Using the Guided Setup Menu ........42 Using Guided Setup ............42 Using the Info Window ............

To install the base: 1. It is recommended that two people take part in the 3. Align the base with the neck and tighten the three base installation. (3) included M4 10mm Phillips screws using a Phillips screwdriver as shown. 2.

COMPONENT CABLE HDMI CABLE Component cables are designed to carry high HDMI is the intelligent, all-digital interface that delivers definition video signals along with additional both dazzling quality and unmatched ease of use. HDMI audio connections. Colors are delivered with color technology transmits crystal-clear digital video along information split up three different ways over three with multi-channel surround audio.

To adjust the 11 Point White Balance settings: To enable/disable the SMPTE Test Pattern: 1. From the Color Tuner menu, use the Arrow buttons to 1. From the Color Tuner menu, use the Arrow buttons to highlight Color Tuner, and then press the Left/Right Arrow highlight Color Tuner, and then press the Left/Right Arrow buttons until the 11 Point White Balance menu is displayed.

Sources the previous screen. Current Folder the Arrow and OK buttons Displays Displays the folder path. on the remote. connected USB devices. To VIZIO change source, Photo VIZIO_2GB\Photo\root highlight it and USB1: press OK. Current Folder root A.jpg B.jpg...

The image quality is not good. I see “noise” or static on the screen. • For the best image quality, view high-definition • When your TV’s digital capabilities exceed a programs using digital sources. Connect your devices digital broadcast signal, the signal is up-converted with HDMI cables.

E390-B0 OSD Language: English, Spanish, French Ambient Light Sensor: Remote Control Model: XRT010 CSA, CSA-US, FCC Class B, Certifications: HDMI, Dolby Digital Compliance: Energy Star Voltage Range: 108~132V @ 50/60 Hz Power Consumption: 52.1W Standby Power: <1W...

The design of the Vizio E Series is really simple. Only a small black border around the screen. The TV is quite thick due to its full array backlight.

In a dark room, the blacks are deep. We didn"t turn on the local dimming feature because the zones are very large and it messes with the picture (see the Q&A section for details) too much.

At first glance, the gray uniformity seems really good. But if you look more attentively, you can see every single LED behind the LCD layer. In the picture above, you can see a 14x8 grid. This creates a significant dirty screen effect when an object moves over a solid background (like when watching sports).

The motion blur is average when all features are turned off. However, it does have a very effective feature to reduce the amount of blur without increasing input lag (more details in the Q&A section).

The Vizio E Series LED TV has very low input lag. You won"t notice it in video games - even fast ones. You don"t need to put the TV in game mode to have lag that is this low.

When large screen LCD TVs first came out, I admit, I didn"t see the appeal. Prices were much higher than plasma even though screen sizes were generally smaller. Not to mention the picture deficiencies: uniformity problems, motion artifacts and black levels that can only be described as medium to dark grey. But as with everything, technology marches onward. Prices fall, picture quality improves, and feature sets get richer and richer. And here"s where Vizio"s L42 42-inch LCD TV comes in.

I"ve seen Vizio at my local Costco but I never paid their TVs much attention assuming they were another one of those unknown brands that sacrifice performance to reach a low price point. But at the Digital Life press preview this year, I saw a couple of Vizio plasmas and one LCD model up close and personal, and in better lighting conditions, and I thought they looked pretty good, particularly given their low prices. The L42 is one generation beyond what I saw at that show, and it"s got a lot going for it.

Pricing Update: Wal*Mart is now selling Vizio and has the Vizio VW42LHDTV10A 42" LCD HDTV for $898 (purchase online, ship to your home or to your local store)

The best thing about it is the price. The list is currently only $1399 - this puts it on price parity with Vizio"s 42-inch plasma HDTV, which also offers excellent value, albeit a lower resolution. The L42 LCD model features a 1366X768 pixel panel, where the 42-inch plasma panel resolution is 1024X768 pixels. And speaking of pixels, Vizio also offers a "no dead pixel" guarantee, which is rare in the LCD TV industry, particularly at entry-level price points. I examined the L42 closely and was not able to find a single dead pixel, so kudos to Vizio in that respect.

As far as features go, the Vizio has pretty much everything one could possibly want in an HDTV, including a built in NTSC and ATSC (High Def) tuner which works both with over-the-air and QAM digital cable signals. It sports two HDMI and two component video inputs, one S-video and 2 composite video inputs, plus a VGA-style analog computer input. Putting that VGA input to good use, the L42 makes for one hell of a computer monitor in its native resolution (1366X768 widescreen or 1024X768 with a 4:3 input). Text is crystal clear and sharp even from 12 feet away. But I"m afraid it"s a little too large to sit comfortably on my computer desk. (We"re going to need a bigger desk...).

The Vizio also features a flexible PIP feature that allows you to adjust size and position of the PIP picture - even watch two identically sized images side by side (in case your spouse wants to catch "Lost" while you curl up with a nice chocolate cake and watch "The Biggest Loser").

For audio features, the TV includes built-in speakers (with a 10 Watt stereo amp), Virtual Surround to create a more spacious soundstage, and both digital and analog audio outputs. The analog outputs are variable in level (not fixed), so, even if you are using the TV with an external receiver or processor, you"ll need to make sure to have the volume on the TV turned up around halfway. The speakers can be turned on or off in the menu. Oddly, the "surround" processing (when enabled in the menu) also effects the line level audio outputs. This led to some funky sound when we fed this virtual surround-processed signal to our surround processor for decoding in Dolby Pro Logic. If you are using the TV with an outboard home theater system, then make sure "surround" is set to OFF.

The digital audio output (Toslink fiber optic) is active only when you are using the set"s internal ATSC TV tuner. It allows you to pass 5.1-channel Dolby Digital surround sound to your home theater receiver or processor when the programming includes it.

The remote is fairly basic, but functional, and easy to get used to. It is a "universal" model, in that it is also capable of controlling a DVD player, VCR and/or cable box. It does not include backlighting, and many buttons are similarly sized, so it"s not exceptionally easy to use in the dark. But once your fingers know where the right buttons are, you"ll be able to get around pretty easily.

The set-up menus are simple and straightforward. I was able to get in, get some basic picture controls tweaked, and get my local SD and HD channels added within a few minutes of opening the box, without referring to the manual. We also have a Syntax-Brillian LCD TV in for review, and I must say the Vizio"s GUI, while less fancy than that of the Syntax, is far more intuitive.

The Vizio also offers a rudimentary built-in HDTV program guide - hit the "guide" button on the remote, when viewing an ATSC channel on the TV"s built-in tuner and it will show you a list of the current and upcoming shows on the channel for the next several hours.

The only complaint I could raise in terms of the menus is that the TV does not offer independent red/green/blue "gains" and "cuts" (which are nice for calibration). It does offer red, green and blue level adjustment so I was able to get the color temperature pretty close to 6500°K, and get good color accuracy and decent contrast using the new SpyderTV Pro colorimeter and software.

When I took this set home for review, plugged it in and set it down in front of our Loewe 38-inch Aconda 9383 CRT HDTV, my wife was not pleased. She"s become spoiled by arguably one of the best HDTV pictures in the business, and the Vizio just couldn"t match its picture quality. Of course the Vizio is also four inches larger, includes a flat screen, weighs less than half as much as the Loewe, and sells for roughly 1/4 the price of the Loewe, but that didn"t pacify her (her opinion softened over time, I might add, particularly after proper calibration).

As with all of the TVs we test, the Vizio definitely needs adjustment out of the box. The backlighting setting is high so it will "pop" on the showroom floor, but this only accentuates LCD"s inherent flaws (motion trails, graininess and poor black levels). Cut that down to somewhere between 15 and 30 (depending on your room"s ambient lighting conditions) and most of these digital nasties will disappear or become less apparent. Take the time (and spend a little money) to calibrate the set using a good calibration DVD like Avia Guide to Home Theater or a tool like SpyderTV, or SpyderTV Pro. It will turn an image that is marginally viewable to something that is actually quite acceptable.

Some content definitely looks better than other content on the Vizio. HD-DVD Movies on our Toshiba HD-XA1 looked excellent, with phenomenal detail and excellent color rendition. But live broadcast HDTV signals, particularly sports, seemed to look even better. Game 7 of the National League baseball championships ended badly for us Mets fans, but it was almost bearable to watch on the Vizio, with detail up the wazoo, and bright crisp colors.

Standard definition content on the Vizio is soft (as expected) but, with the TV properly calibrated, even SDTV was eminently watchable on the set. Not as sharp or detailed as on the Loewe CRT, but certainly as good as or better than other comparably priced LCD TV models.

DVD Movies coming in via a standard component video input at 480p resolution did display visible scan lines, even from 10-12 feet away. The scaler inside this set is decent, but not as good as the one in our Toshiba HD-DVD player. The set definitely benefits from an external video processor or high-quality up-converting DVD player. But hey, with the money you save on the set, you"ll be able to afford those.

The more time I spent with the Vizio L42, the more I liked it. It was a solid performer, with a straightforward, intuitive ergonomic design, pleasing aesthetics and solid picture performance. Its most likely competition actually comes from Vizio itself with their comparably priced 42-inch plasma HDTV model (P42HDTV). And each has its advantages. If you"re viewing in a light-controlled darkened environment, the plasma gets the nod in picture quality, including perceived contrast and color saturation. But if you want a strong all-around performer, with plenty of features and inputs, for use in a fairly bright environment, then the L42 is definitely worth checking out.

Where to But Vizio HDTVs online:Vizio VW42LHDTV10A 42" LCD HDTV at Wal*Mart - currently $898 (purchase online, ship to your home or to your local store)