vizio 46 lcd panel replacement made in china

The average price figures we show are a bit higher than the average for all big TVs on the market. That’s both because the largest sets carry a premium and because CR tends to purchase a lot of expensive, high-end sets. That allows us to test the latest features, such as Mini LED backlights in LCD/LED TVs, which can help boost contrast and reduce halos, and high dynamic range (HDR), which can produce brighter, more vibrant images.

TCL, Vizio, and Hisense are additional brands to consider, especially if you’re on a budget. With TCL and Hisense, higher-end sets (the 6- and 8-series TVs from TCL, and 8-series sets from Hisense) have done very well in our tests, offering a lot of bang for the buck in terms of both picture quality and high dynamic range (HDR) experience. TCL’s higher average price is due to its top-tier sets having newer technologies (Mini LED, 8K resolution), plus a push into very large screen sizes. The company also offers many low-priced sets that haven’t done as well, lowering the brand’s Overall Score. Vizio sets have done well for overall picture quality across the board, though they generally fall behind a bit when it comes to HDR.

In this size category, we again see much greater differences in pricing between the least and most expensive sets from major brands than from smaller players. For example, there’s a $600 difference between the cheapest ($400) and priciest ($1,000) 65-inch Hisense TVs in our current ratings. With Samsung and Sony, that difference is a whopping $2,400. One reason for Samsung’s large spread is the debut of itsfirst QD OLED TV ($3,000), which is now in our ratings (though it arrived too late this year for our statistical analysis). Sony TVs tend to be expensive in part because the company offers several OLED TVs, which tend to cost more, and because it stopped making lower-end LED/LCD sets. (See the best 65-inch TVs under $1,000.)

As in the 70-inch size category, Hisense, TCL, and Vizio appear to be good options for those on tighter budgets. Their better-performing sets tend to be pricier but still less expensive than comparable TVs from LG, Samsung, and Sony. Hisense has the best balance of price and performance of the group. But given the wide differences in performance and price between the best- and worst-performing models within these brands, you should look at specific models to determine the best value.

Average prices go from a low of $342 (for Toshiba, which makes Fire TV Edition sets sold at Amazon and Best Buy) to a high of $1,034 (Sony’s average). As we note above, Sony focuses on higher-priced sets, and both Sony and LG’s average prices are pulled up by their OLED sets—these TVs can look great, but they tend to cost more than all but the very best LED/LCD models.

Two years ago, Vizio began offering OLED TVs, but that hasn’t yet had a big impact on its average price, because the majority of its sales are still less expensive LED/LCD TVs.

In term of Overall Score, there’s a bit of drop-off after LG. Some models from Hisense, Insignia (Best Buy’s house brand), TCL, Toshiba, and Vizio might be worth considering for less finicky viewers who are on an even tighter budget. As we mentioned earlier, some higher-end Hisense and TCL sets deliver very satisfying overall picture quality and enjoyable HDR. Many sets from the other brands do well for overall picture quality, but the trade-off is a less satisfying HDR experience. Insignia seems to be a decent choice for budget-minded consumers, earning a higher average Overall Score than Toshiba despite having a lower average price.

In fact, the price range is fairly narrow in this size category once you get past those top three brands. Hisense and TCL emerge as good possible options for those on the tightest TV budgets because their average price is actually lower than a few brands’, such as Vizio and Toshiba, that have lower average scores.

Apart from LG, there’s not much of a difference among the other brands in either average price or performance, but Hisense has the lowest overall average price, while Vizio has the highest.

Wow! What an interesting experience testing these two upstarts side by side. There are phenomenal quality differences in numerous areas between the Olevia and Vizio LCDs. The contrasts could not be more defined. There are several concern areas to look out for in each unit as well. And there are positive attributes in each LCD. Both LCDs are 1080p and both entered the market in the U.S. and Canada in early 2008. The Olevia is made in Taiwan and the Vizio LCD is manufactured in China according to the company. Olevia established a name for its product a couple of years ago by offering quality LCDs at lower prices than Sony and Samsung. Vizio took on much the same strategy by partnering with manufacturers in Taiwan and focusing on sales to discount retailers like Costco and Wal Mart to become the 3rd ranked seller of LCDs in the U.S. in 2007.

For comparison sake following is where these two LCD televisions fall in the quality order of their manufacturer’s lineup. The Olevia 242T FHD is a series 2 Olevia TV and is a price competitive lower tier model. In fact, it is the lowest tier TV they make in 1080p surpassed by their 3, 5, 6 and 7 series TVs. The Vizio VW46LF is a middle tier quality and price model surpassed by Vizio’s GV and VO series lines. The VX Vizio models are their lowest tier LCD TVs.

LCD comes preset to Standard picture setting out of the box. Change to the Custom setting then scroll down to set as follows to achieve close to D6500K grayscale and peak performance in contrast and brightness. Set DNR to Low, and all other Advanced Video settings to Off. Backing up to the picture menu set picture setting values as follows:

(The Vizio LCD has a very strong Backlight which was preset to 90. For brightly lit rooms adjust the backlight up to 50 or more but keep in mind, blacks will suffer more as a result).

Olevia LCD – The 242T’s contrast is listed at 1600:1 in the manual. With our checkerboard pattern test and post calibration we measured it at 265:1 which is good for an LCD. During content viewing the contrast ratio superiority of the Olevia was evident and helped the Olevia in almost every picture comparison category. (Note: there was some light bleed in into the blacks in the lower left quadrant of the Olevia panel).

Vizio LCD – Vizio lists contrast ratio for the V46L at 2000:1. Our checkerboard pattern tests put the post calibration contrast at 180:1. This is a poor contrast especially for a 1080p TV.

Vizio LCD – We used the recent release of S.W.A.T.by Columbia Pictures for our testing in High Definition resolutions. Though a pretty lousy movie the video production is solid and displayed well on the Vizio. The greenish/yellow caste was still present but less noticeable and the contrast looked much better. Response rate time appeared to be an area of concern. Vizio does not list a response rate figure but there was a lot of jerky motion during fast scenes and obvious motion blur. Occasionally, the Vizio picture looked washed out during bright scenes. The 1080p picture image also appeared much too flat and less realistic in color presentation. I expect a much more 3-dimensional effect when viewing high def. One impressive note in comparison to the Olevia is that there was little to no light bleed into the top and bottom black bars. They remained black with the high def signal.

Olevia LCD – The considerable video noise problems experienced with the 480i signal largely disappeared when viewing HD signals. Black Levels were very solid and contrast popped. Dark scenes lean toward a blue caste but not disagreeably so. There was a slight jerkiness when panning side to side across some of the scenes in S.W.A.T. There was also visible light bleed into the black bars top and bottom the picture. However, the Olevia displayed a much more 3-dimensional and realistic picture image with 1080p signals. The aspect ratio sizing looked better. The color was accurate. Another advantage of the Olevia LCD is a 1 to 1 pixel aspect ratio adjustment for 1080p content that displayed wonderfully.

Olevia LCD – Up conversion and processing from a film source from 480i was a real challenge for the 242T. I really can’t describe how poor it was, with so much motion artifact and dithering video noise with any movement from our displayed Dreamworks widescreen enhanced release of Perfume. Throughout the film the Olevia’s poor processing and presentation of the DVD distracted me. Horizontal and diagonal lines on objects waver as the picture pans. And indeed with our HQV Silicon Optix Benchmark Video Resolution Loss Test, considerable artifacts showed up. When testing the diagonal filter in the Olevia we got a similar result with “jaggies” showing up prominently near the horizontal axis. During the Film Resolution Loss Test the Olevia LCD had substantial flickering. Corners have been cut with the video processing chipsets in this LCD television and the resultant picture suffers when upconverting from 480i and lower signals.

Vizio LCD – The Vizio had a far superior video processing chip set and digital comb filter and did a good job smoothing images from the incoming 480i signal. There was still a little background noise in some scenes but it was slight. There was pixel flicker visible from less than 6 feet in a few cases, but overall the scaling and processing component of the Vizio LCD was very impressive. With our HQV Video Resolution Tests, the Vizio VW46LF performed very well with little noticeable “jaggies” . One drawback during our playback of the DVD Perfume was a yellow/green tint to the Vizio picture that persisted throughout the entire movie. A second drawback during 480i playback was a washed out picture image especially at off axis viewing angles.

Black Level/Contrast:The Olevia LCD had very solid black levels for an LCD TV. Contrast was sharp. The Vizio had challenges showing a true black with a 480i signal, blacks and dark matter appeared washed out. This issue improved significantly when viewing a 1080i or 1080p signal.

Dark Shadow Detail: With a 480i signal, the Olevia was again the clear winner. Shadow detail was quite good with any signal. The hazy effect the Vizio TV produced with lower end signal decreased detail in dark scenes.

Color Rendition/Color Accuracy: The Vizio LCD calibrated much closer to D6500K – the optimum color temperature for viewing. However, when viewing video content I was distracted by the green/yellow overcast on much of the programming we viewed. I generally preferred the Olevia’s color rendition with our tested content. The Olevia LCD had a decent calibration. Mid to brights were solid. With a darker picture the Olevia will produce a slightly bluish image – but realistic. Flesh tones also looked much better on the Olevia.

Viewing Angle/Off Axis Viewing: With a 480i input signal the Vizio LCDs Contrast and Black Levels begin to degrade at a mere 25 degrees – a poor performance. At 45 degrees the viewer has lost around half the contrast in the picture. The viewer really needs to be straight in front of this HDTV to see its full picture quality. The Olevia LCD TV performed much better in viewing angle comparison. Blacks begin to lose their depth at around 40 degrees off axis. For an LCD viewing angle was overall very solid – partly due to the better contrast and LCD panel quality.

Motion Lag: Both LCDs had issues with motion lag. During our screening of Perfume the Olevia 242T showed lots of visible jerkiness and vidio dithering during scenes with fast movement from a 480i signal. The Vizio VW46L fared little better with motion blur and jerkiness evident throughout motion-oriented images even with 1080p signals.

False Contouring/ Mapping: Mapping and banding was very apparent in scenes during the 480i control test with the Olevia LCD. This means that it will also be noticeable with lower end cable or satellite signals. The issue was non-existent with 1080i or 1080p signals. The Vizio LCD performed well in this category with no negative points to note.

Exceptions note: The Vizio VW46LF does not sync with the Blu Ray BDP-S1 DVD player through HDMI output. We instead used our Playstation 3 to test 1080p signals with this TV.

Aspect Ratio Sizing Considerations: The Olevia LCD had a very solid aspect ratio lineup including dual zoom and pixel by pixel modes. The aspect algorithms in the Olevia 242T performed in a realistic manner. The Vizio LCD has 4 aspect ratios. The Wide mode will be preferred for most programming.

Inputs: Both brands contained adequate inputs. The Vizio LCD has 3 HDMI inputs and also contains a VGA 15 pin input. The Olevia LCD has 2 HDMI inputs, but it also as a firmware upgradeable USB port and a RS232C input.

Aesthetic Considerations: The high gloss black frame and stand of the Vizio VW46LF is attractive if that’s a look you like. The undermounted speakers have the patented V shaped design. The framing bezel is 1.7 inches on top and about 2 inches on the sides with the undermounted speakers at about 4 inches. The total depth of the unit is about 4 inches. The only real drawback is that light reflecting off the frame can distract while viewing.

The Olevia 242T LCD is matte charcoal black with undermounted speakers. The framing bezel is 2 inches top and sides with the bottom mounted speakers adding 4 inches. The depth of the LCD is a less than slim 4.72 inches. The bottom mounted speakers are detachable but appear somewhat awkward on the unit with an open line between the LCD panel and the speakers.

Remote Control: The Vizio remote is a good size, gloss black, has no backlighting, and imcomplete functionality. It does not even have an aspect ratio button. The user must enter the menu of the TV to change this function. The Vizio remote is a failure in many regards. The Olevia remote has plenty of function keys including sleep function key, freeze function key and aspect key. Depressing any key activates the backlighting for the remote buttons.

Menu functionality: Neither of these LCD TVs has discrete picture settings for different inputs which is a major drawback. Both companies have good manuals with Vizio’s having the better layout and design.

Olevia LCD – The 242T has no numerical values for settings. There is only one picture setting. The menu wheel is inadequate, quirky and difficult to use and understand. The menu wheel actually got stuck at one point forcing me to restart completely to get it functioning again. Though the actual number of functions is solid, the menu system design and setup is a failure.

Vizio LCD – Finding the Wide menu option in the set up portion of the menu is not easy, but this must be done to change the aspect ratio. At least there are numerical values for the picture settings. The menu is easy enough to navigate though there are no on screen instructions directing the user to press the right arrow key to change menu settings. There is a lip sync function feature.

Olevia LCD – There was very good sound separation and virtual surround effect from the two 15W X 15W internal detachable speakers. Menu options for treble, bass, balance were clear, however the major drawback was the volume output from the left/right speaker inputs. From just 10 feet viewing distance with the output maximized I was perfectly comfortable. Volume levels increased and was plenty sufficient when using the HDMI input. The 47” Olevia LCD has 20W X 20W speakers by comparison.

Olevia LCD: The service department can be reached at 1-866-965-3842. The warranty only covers the original purchase and is on year parts and labor. In order to qualify for warranty service, you do have to register within 30 days of the purchase. Some models have in home service (which may not be available in all areas). The 2T (except 226T) series offers in home service for all models 32 inches and larger, while the 7 series offers in home service for 42 inches and above. All other TV’s will have to be shipped at the customer’s expense.

Vizio LCD: Once the TV is out of the retailers warranty period (typically 1 month) the following is Vizio’s warranty policy:You can contact Vizio support at 1-877-698-4946. They offer a “limited” one year parts and labor warranty as long as the product was purchased new from an authorized Vizio reseller. The repair and replacement of your TV will be at the sole discretion of Vizio. Any shipping cost will be at the customer’s expense. According to their warranty information, they offer in home service for TVs 30 inches and above for problems that can be repaired on site. “The determination for performing on-site repair is dependent upon the manufacturing defect and is at Vizio’s sole option and discretion.” Repairs may be made with new or recertified (i.e. used) parts. The Vizio TVs are serviced through a third party, unless they must be shipped back to the Vizio service center in Irvine, CA. From our past experience and reports, most manufacturer defects with TVs must be serviced in a service center and cannot be repaired on site. Thus, the customer will be responsible for safe transit of the TV to Vizio’s service center in California ad back. Advice? Don’t throw the box away.

The Olevia LCD had the better feature set with more aspect ratio options, a freeze mode feature, sleep feature, favorites feature among others. Also, the backlight (room light) control right there on the remote control is a big plus. The Vizio VW46L LCD has very limited extra feature options.

It"s no secret that HDTVs are used nearly as much for video gaming as for TV and movie viewing these days so I hooked up our Sony Playstation 3 to both LCDs to see which one fared better for high definition gaming. The games tested were Call of Duty 4, Heavenly Sword and Motorstorm. The toughest test for motion lag is the fast paced, first person shooter Call of Duty 4. You are constantly moving your view around and on the Vizio I had trouble spotting targets due to the excessive smearing from motion lag. The Vizio"s brightness helped with fighting in dark areas but the colors looked better overall on the Olevia. Motorstorm and Heavenly Sword performed well on both sets, since the camera is pretty static in these two the motion lag isn"t as apparent but could be picked out when making hard turns in Motorstorm or during some of the faster parts of Heavenly Sword. Both TV"s looked good playing the games but the Olevia"s better black levels and motion performance make it the winner for gamers choosing between these two LCD TV"s.

At large discount retailers such as Target and WalMart, the Olevia 242T is currently selling for around $1050.00. Keep in mind this is for a 42” TV. This lands the Olevia around $100 to $200 less than an LG, Toshiba, or JVC 42” 1080p LCD. The Vizio VW46L sells for around $1350.00. This is a 46” LCD TV. So the Vizio is selling at a $100 to $300 discount from brands like Samsung, Toshiba, and JVC so is slightly more competitive. Given the size difference Vizio and Olevia are very comparable in value. How good a value are they in the market? That depends upon how much quality you get for the price. We see some major weaknesses in both, but also some strong points for discount LCDs. I put them both at a very mediocre value compared to other top selling LCD TV brands such as Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, Philips and LG. Price is an especially important component for these 2nd tier brands. My value ratings here are falling in line with my picture quality ratings above.

LCD: LCD stands for liquid crystal display, and it’s the most common kind of television besides OLED (defined below). LCD TVs shine an LED backlight through a panel of liquid crystal, a malleable substance that reacts to electricity, opening or closing when jolted. In LCD TVs, the liquid crystal opens to allow the backlight through or closes to block it. The specific details of the opening/closing are dependent upon the arrangement of the pixels: The most common LCD arrangements are Vertical Alignment (VA) and In-Plane Switching (IPS), with the former tending to produce higher contrast and the latter tending to produce wider viewing angles. All so-called “LED” TVs are really LCD TVs, as are all current QLED and ULED TVs.

OLED: An organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, TV creates light inside each individual pixel without using a backlight and can dim each pixel individually all the way down to black, which LCD TVs can’t do. This tech gives an OLED TV an infinite contrast ratio and other benefits to help create an overall better-looking image, although at considerable additional cost. You can read more about OLED technology in this article.

Mini-LEDs: Every LCD TV made today currently uses LEDs to produce the light that shines through the LCD panel. Most TVs use LED lights that pass through a diffuser to light up the entire LCD screen. Mini-LEDs, which some TVs use, are much smaller than traditional LEDs, so TV makers can install more of them and thus create more zones of local dimming, which means less blooming or halos around bright objects. Mini-LEDs are completely different from micro-LEDs, an available (though very expensive) technology that employs individual red, green, and blue LEDs to produce an image without needing an LCD panel at all.

Quantum dots: Quantum dots are a color-enhancing technology primarily found in LCD TVs (though some 2022 OLED TVs now have them as well). Chiefly employed as a filter that’s painted onto a substrate, quantum dots are microscopic nano-crystals that, when struck with blue light, produce very vivid red or green light (depending upon the size of the crystal). Quantum dots are the primary technology that allows LCD TVs to produce the wide color gamut required to display HDR content properly, as they greatly increase the color saturation of red and green.

Judder: This term refers to a slightly jerky motion that can occur when 24p film content appears on a TV with a 60 Hz refresh rate. In such situations, to make 24 frames match up to the 60 Hz display, half of the frames appear two times and the other half appear three times. This display technique causes judder, which is most noticeable on panning shots. Some 120 Hz displays avoid this effect by repeating each film frame five times, while some 60 Hz panels run at 48 Hz to show each frame twice.

Two years ago, Vizio came to CES and announced the Vizio Phone, a skinned Android phone that quietly died at the hands of American carrier politics. Vizio moved on by designing and building a line of Windows PCs instead — and now that the PC line is humming along, the company is here at CES 2013 with two brand new phones... for the Chinese market.

That"s Vizio"s first expansion outside of North America, and while Vizio CTO Matt McRae won"t come right out and say it"s because of American carrier issues, he"s not shy in saying that it"s easier for his company to sell phones directly to Chinese consumers — unlike the carrier-dominated American market. And that"s a shame, because the two phones here at CES 2013 are extremely intriguing: a high-end 5-inch 1080p device and a 4.7-inch 720p device with dual SIM slots. Both are running stock Android Jelly Bean, just like Vizio"s new tablets; the 5-inch phone has an unspecified dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor with 2GB of RAM while the smaller phone has a 1.2GHz dual-core MediaTek chip with 1GB of RAM.

If you"re really desperate to run stock Android, Vizio CTO Matt McRae says either device will run on AT&T"s 3G network — although like the Nexus 4, the lack of official carrier support leaves LTE out of the question. But McRae"s plan is to gain experience building phones and produce enough sales in China to let him come back to the US with more leverage to negotiate deals with our carriers — a plan that will have to work if McRae wants to achieve his goal of providing "all the screens in your life." We"ll see if the second time"s the charm.

There’s never been a better time to be in the market for a high-end TV. Whether you want an LED or a UHD display, you’re sure to find the perfect fit for your living room. When looking at specific television brands, Samsung and Vizio are two names likely to show up on your shopping list. We regularly get e-mails and comments from TechJunkie readers asking for our advice about which one of these two brands to buy from.

But what we can do is provide you with an overview of both brands. We’ll also highlight the things an informed consumer should be looking for when they shop for a new TV, regardless of what brand(s) they prefer. This overview of Vizio and Samsung TVs should help you choose the one that is the best fit for your needs and budget.

For example, the iPhone has been using Samsung screen panels ever since the iPhone X, as no other company was able to produce the quantity and quality of screens that Apple needed to make that phone a success.

Vizio is an American consumer electronics corporation headquartered in Irving, California. Vizio produces a variety of audio and video equipment but mainly concentrates on TVs, sound equipment, and associated hardware. The Vizio brand isn’t quite as well-known as Samsung yet but it’s definitely on the rise. Vizio was originally a warehouse brand that operated as a club before going mainstream.

Vizio products are of outstanding quality, but rather than focus on screens and traditional measurements, Vizio emphasizes smart technology. It concentrates on how users are evolving in their use of technology. For example, some Vizio TVs don’t have TV tuners (i.e., buttons for changing the channel) because broadcast TV is on its way out. On the other hand, some Vizios come with an Android tablet that enables SmartCast streaming, making modern television viewing more accessible.

Vizio does make good TVs, and at a competitive price as well. Let’s look at the positives and negatives of Vizio televisions and select our favorite of their lineup.

PositivesCompetitively Priced: Vizio TVs have similar features to Samsung TVs, but for a much lower price. In many cases, the cost can be over a hundred dollars cheaper.

Dark Room Picture Quality is Amazing: Vizio TVs have a full-array dimming backlight. This produces deeper blacks and less glare, so your television is more comfortable to watch.

The Vizio P Series Quantum is the better of the Vizio televisions. It has optimal picture quality, excellent motion handling, and exceptionally low input lag. It’s also one of the brightest televisions on the market. This means there will be no problem overcoming glare. The contrast, uniformity, and dimming system are fantastic. It comes with five HDMI ports as well, allowing you to connect all of your devices at once.

No, Samsung doesn’t manufacture Vizio televisions. Vizio is an independent company that outsources the manufacture of its televisions in Taiwan by AmTran Technology. This Taiwanese company operates multiple locations across Asia.

Both companies offer great quality products. Samsung is almost unbeatable in terms of screen quality, audio, and usability. Vizio delivers good products with excellent screens at very competitive prices and focuses on innovation and user experience. Vizio’s known for pricing its HDTV products lower than the competition.

Putting brands aside for the moment, what should you be looking for in a new TV? Shopping for a new TV is now more complicated than ever, thanks to more options, new features, and competing standards. LED, LCD, OLED, QLED, 4K, 8K, HD, UHD, 1080p, and other features will be stickered across screens in the store. But what does it all mean?

LCD and LED have fairly limited viewing angles, meaning the further away from the front of the TV you are, the worse your viewing experience. Viewing angles differ by manufacturer so test before you buy.

Occasionally these non-compliant companies will get somebody so aggravated that they actually try to do something about it, which is where smart TV manufacturer Vizio currently finds itself. The Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) recently announced they’re taking the Irvine, California based company to court over their repeated failures to meet the requirements of the GPL while developing their Linux-powered SmartCast TV firmware. In addition to the Linux kernel, the SFC also claims Vizio is using modified versions of various other GPL and LGPL protected works, such as U-Boot, bash, gawk, tar, glibc, and ffmpeg.

Now of course, we’ve seen cases like this pop up in the past. But what makes this one unique is that the SFC isn’t representing one of the developers who’s software has been found to be part of Vizio’s SmartCast, they’re actually the plaintiff. By taking the position of a consumer who has purchased a Vizio product that included GPL software, the SFC is considered a third-party beneficiary, and they are merely asking the court to be given what’s due to them under the terms of the license.

As firm believers in the open source movement, we have zero tolerance for license violators. Vizio isn’t some wide-eyed teen, randomly copying code they found from GitHub without understanding the implications. This is a multi-billion dollar company that absolutely should know better, and we’ll be happy to see them twist in the wind a bit before they’re ultimately forced to play by the rules.

A few weeks ago my housemates and I decided to pitch in for a new TV. We did our share of research and decided on a 37” LCD Vizio HDTV. The fact that Vizio is an American-based company was the “icing on the cake” if you will.

A day or two after purchasing the T.V. online I noticed that Woot.com was doing a mass-sale of the refurbished version of the Vizio we had just ordered. I was a little disheartened since they were going for $200 less than what we paid but I stomached the loss believing that ours would be a brand-new, long-lasting product with no need for a warranty (it does have one).

After some additional research on Vizio, I found that even though Vizio is based in Irvine, CA, as of 2007 they only employed 85 people in the States (that includes tech support to the Board members)!!! That’s a staggeringly low figure considering they were, and still are, the largest seller of HDTVs in the U.S. All of Vizio’s manufacturing and assembly is done by the cheapest of the cheap in China and they always, always contract their work out to the lowest bidder.

After calling one of Vizio’s 85 employees and hearing how “strange” it was that my TV broke the first week (he probably expected it make it to Week 3), this guy told me that they would send a technician out to fix it……..in about 3 weeks. I guess they have to manufacture and import their technicians from China too.