Customer Reviews

VIZIO VF550M 55-Inch Full HD 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Before I get into the nitty gritty, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I'm a review junkie. Sue me. So when I know I want something like a new HDTV I research high and low to not only find the best price, but I also want pretty darn close to the best product out there on the market. From professional reviews to consumer reviews here on Amazon, I do my best to soak it all in. With that being said, in my experience I've never been disappointed with something I've bought that I've done extensive research on...

And that holds true with the Vizio VF550M.

I bought my set at Costco during the Thanksgiving Weekend Sale. One of the first things I noticed right out of the box was how big it really was. I upgraded from a 46" LCD and the size was noticeably (and awesomely) huger. Yes... huger. When I saw the VF550M display at Costco it just didn't look that big because it was set next to other 50-60 inch sets and in the middle of a huge warehouse. However, while setting it up I realized it was the perfect size for the further viewing distance in our family room. The set-up was easy enough. I mounted the tv with the VideoSecu Adjustable Tilt TV Wall Mount (bought on Amazon) which I was very pleased with. We ran the cables through the wall to my devices to hide them... and I must say, it looks beautiful mounted to a wall. I would definitely recommend mounting this set. I didn't care too much for the remote that came with the TV so I opted to upgrade to the Logitech Harmony 670 remote (also got on amazon).

The picture on this TV was just as good or better than any other HDTV I have ever seen. The black levels are great with the DCR feature. Blu-Ray looks amazing on the big screen. I will admit I jumped on the 120hz bandwagon and as of right now I couldn't be happier with it when it comes to watching sports- but thats all I use 120hz (or "Smooth Motion Effect") for.

PROS
-BIG
-Great 120hz feature for Sports
-Good out of the box sound
-5 HDMI ports!
-Stunning picture

CONS
-Don't care for the remote

UPDATE:
I've had this television for 9 months now and it developed problems about 4 months ago. The picture jumps and the sound now has a popping noise. Sometimes there is no sound at all. I've spoken to Vizio and they blame it on my cable box. I've taken the cable box back and replaced it 4 times. All times I had the same problems. I also tried the box on my other 2 Vizio tvs and didn't have a problem so I'm sure it's not the cable box. At this point I've given up on Vizio repairing my tv. They continue to claim it's the cable box. It's not. I give up on Vizio and will not buy another Vizio product. I DO NOT RECOMMEND VIZIO TO ANYONE.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I received the Vizio VF550M television from Amazon today and am very happy with my purchase. This is an excellent TV at a fair price. I waited for the price to come down and only paid 1,249.00. No tax and free shipping. It was delivered by Pilot Transport in perfect condition and unlike another reviewer I had no problems with Pilot. The delivery man was very friendly and professional. He brought the tv in to my house, unboxed it, inspected it and plugged it in to test it. It worked perfectly.

The VF550M is a huge screen, crystal clear on HD channels. I was surprised at how good the sound was. Most tv's have very poor sound. This tv's sound is not bad at all but I connected it to my sound system. Sounds great. I'm very happy with this tv.

I also have a 19" and a 32" Vizio both of which I am very happy with. The picture on all 3 are equal to or better than much more expensive brands. I highly recommend Vizio.

I have used this TV for almost two months now and am pleased enough to write a review.

I bought it because it was a steal compared to the name brands and I don't care much for their fancy features (In the past, I did and in the end I hardly used them after the initial experimentation).

I did not have digital cable or HD cable when I installed it. But still this TV showed a tremendous improvement in the images with standard cable compared to the Sony 35" CRT TV that I had. But a couple of weeks ago, I hooked up a HDTV antenna to get over the air HDTV broadcasts. This TV came to life and the images are absolutely fantastic - crystal-clear and brilliant.

I've used one A/V port to view internet directly from my PC. Two HDMI ports have been used for a blue-ray and a standard DVD+VCR player. I used the optical digital out to hook up the TV to my amp and the Dolby digital sound from the HDTV broadcasts really make you enjoy the viewing even more.

I have not noticed any problem from the TV so far.

The screen is a mattee finish which suits me fine because I have a bright room and don't want to see reflections of windows.

The remote is really simple (and a relief compared to the complicated ones I have).

Overall a happy owner.

I bought this unit at Costco during the winter olympics. This is the first flat screen I've purchased. It's replacing a Toshiba 36" tube TV (it's a monster). This vizio is a big TV. You're going to need help. Finally got it set up. Wow. The HD is a sight for sore eyes. Incredibly sharp and the picture is so big that even the fine print in some of the commercials is legible. Plenty of inputs so you can connect ANYTHING to it, (even YouTube thru your computer). I guess the remote could have a few more buttons. I'd still give it an A+.

Now the bad news. When you first turn on the TV, a 'vizio screen' appears. It looks like brown silk fabric with the word 'Vizio' in the center of the screen which fades to black on the edge of the screen. This 'vizio screen' only appears for a few seconds, even during set-up, and then goes off. This image has somehow burned into the screen. When the screen goes to black you (or anyone that has looked at this tv) can see the negative image of the 'vizio screen'. I went to two Costco stores to check out the displayed units and there was no negative 'vizio screen' image. Costco has a great return policy so I'll be boxing this unit up (with help) and taking it back for a new one. This unit didn't appear to be opened before I bought it. I've only had it one week. I guess this is one that slipped thru the cracks.

Even though I gave it 3 stars I would totally recommend it to anyone. Just check it out carefully when getting it and know that it's a pain in the butt to take back.

Purchased this TV and have been extremely happy. Utilizing the 120Hz features does make for weird transitions on commercials and shows (except for sports) but turned off the feature and eliminated the situation. The only negative feedback on this TV is there are no hooks on the back of the unit so we could hide the cables. What I had to do was utilize electrical tape to tape the cable connections to the back of the TV to make a more seamless look and avoid having to look at the cables while sitting and watching the TV. Fantastic TV, excellent picture, but come on VIZIO! Engineer a couple of hooks on the back of the TV so we can hide the cables without having to tape them.

Excellent picture and very good sound on this tv. It's the best deal I could find and this is confirmed by Consumer Reports.

Not bad at all; That is, as long as it's reasonably priced... After a price point, it would be better to get the 551 or 552 XVT versions with truer blacks and whites. Still this unit is darn good. Blacks are a bit washed out, whites don't quite pop, but overall color blend out of the box is not too bad. Prices on this unit fluctuate as much as $400 I've seen (even here) so shop around or wait for a sale (as I did). If you're getting up passed one and a half, you're better off going with the LED versions above.

I ordered mine while it was on sale through Amazon.com L.L.C. directly (not through amazon as 'sold by' another store, that could make a difference...). My big complaint would be the shipping. CEVA was the company used. They did seem to handle the box well as it came completely unmarked in any way. But it was 5 days late they said due to shipping demands in the area. Amazon however stepped up and refunded what I would have paid for shipping giving me a further discount also and only after they tried multiple times to accelerate the shipping, also at no cost to me. Kudos to Amazon's customer service. CEVA did a good job, just if you're not in a hurry... And I live in a major metro city, but they said they only deliver here on Tues & Thurs. So you might want to call them first to see about shipping dates if time is important to you. However, they did carry the box into the house, unpack it and waited while I connected a signal to it and turned it on.

Anyhow, the TV is great. As I expected. I have not (yet) found any dead pixels. Use it for my HTPC and cable HD (both through HDMI).

Remote as others have said is not the best. But I use a Harmony so no big deal there for me. It would get the job done if you had to use it and has buttons convenient for what is needed.

The TV out of the box, simply turn off the smooth video features and it's ready to go and looks great. Or you can use them if you like but I think most people prefer the real look instead of the film-ish look.

The speakers; well, they work. The unit would be better suited though to be used with an external setup. The stock speakers are hollow, tinny, and just bad. They will work and I've heard far worse and have some good adjust-ability to them, but they are what they are. The digital audio output though is very useful if you're going to use the TV as an HDMI point and want output to a receiver. The speakers can be forced off and the output used. Very nice.

All-in-all, Darn nice unit. But if you're paying more, look instead to the 551 (if you can find it) or 552 XVT models. They will have truer blacks and whites and a phenomenal picture. But if you can get this one on sale, it is a very good buy.

I give it 4/5 simply due to the darks and lights. With the LEDs out there now-a-days, the price point is getting smaller and smaller and these conventional thicker LCDs are on the way out. Still, it's a darn good unit that should last you a very long time.

Pros:
- Very good picture
- Works great with the HTPC
- Very low input lag also (through HDMI anyhow, only one I tested) compared to other LCDs I've considered.
- MATTE screen helps reduce glare
- Smooth Motion option is optional (can be turned off for a better picture)
- Accurate colors (for an LCD at least)

Cons: (and I'm nit-picking here...)
- Slow to boot/start (from turn-on to input change ability, I had to program a 7.5 second delay to the harmony remote. Slow input change for that matter, but it does get a good reading before initializing the display which is nice. Better careful than a bad picture.
- Front 'Vizio' light always on. (Orange when TV is off, White when on). It's not too bright or annoying but.. it's there... Front and center.
- Windowed effect between speaker and monitor can show wires or wall.
- Piano-black glossy frame is a dust and finger print magnet
- No-Frills remote is also very sensitive to finger prints.
- Washed out blacks and whites (although this is expected from non-LED LCDs)
- Tiniest bit of color stepping in some transition areas, but not enough that even me, being so picky myself, is bothered by it. (You really have to be looking for it hard...)

- OK, not really a con, but now I can see the macro-blocking so much worse from my cable just because the picture is so clear and sharp compared to my old unit. HTPC looks phenomenal though. I might have to go Satellite instead to get a proper 1080p compression and leave cable behind.

I have always been a research first and then buy person, and I rely a great deal on consumer reviews as owners provide the best information with first hand pros and cons. Typically I have never contributed to the review pool, but with my recent upgraded to my entertainment system (several of which came through Amazon) I thought I would throw my "two cents" in in hopes of helping others in their pursue of a new television.

The Vizio (VF550M) is an absolutely wonderful television! I have owned a Sony 37" tub television for about 7 years and finally went out and upgraded to this Vizio. What a difference! I sound like a child, but I cannot see how I ever enjoyed watching television before. The clarity on all of my HD channels (currently a Time Warner Cable subscriber) is impecable, bluray movies (also purchased the Vizio Bluray player) are a true enjoyment, and gaming has become a whole new experience!

Common complaints with this television are the menu navigation being too complicated and sound quality from the speakers. I cannot review the sound quality as I am using the Toslink optical output on the television to my JVC TH-BA3 soundbar surround sound system (a great product that I would suggest everyon check out). The menu navigation is not as bad as I expected after reading the reviews. Vizio has simple menu options to address sound and picture, but then offers more advanced users the opportunity to fine tune their viewing experience with many subcategories.

In terms of the impressive positives for me, the number of inputs on this television is great. I currently have my bluray, cable box, XBox 360, and Wii hooked up on their respective highest capable outputs, which has greatly increased my viewing experience. I also love the completely black housing and easy mounting capabilities of this television.

I am not sure how much longer this television will be offered with the new LED televisions hitting the market (I bought mine at BJ's Wholesale and the customer service person said they will not be getting any more in), but for people looking for an intense HD experience with a great entry price point this is the television for you. I know I could not be happier with my purchase!

Finally, a tv that doesn't blow you out of your chair when a commercial comes on! I have two (2) of these 55" Vizio tv"s and they are great. I replaced a Samsung LN 650A 52", Consumer Reports NO. 1 last year's ratings and Hitachi 55" plasma with Vizio tv's. I am more than satisfied with Vizio. Picture is great and so is the sound on Vizio. No more disruptive commercials!

I bought this after taking back a Sony Vaio that had horrible problems with white flashes on the screen and the HDMI inputs would work sometimes and other times not. I originally had bought a Samsung(display) 52' model and was very impressed with the picture, but figured since my parents kept bugging me about getting a bigger TV, since i got 30% off i felt like being nice and sold it to them. Why? Stupidity i guess! After taking back the Sony Wal-mart was very nice to exchange it for this TV, this one the one i had been wanting since i already own a 37 inch Vizio and have had nothing but good experience with it for about a year. The main reason i wanted a second one, was the size (of course) the 120hz smoothing i have seen and heard great things about. The Samsung was outstanding, and the motion smoothing incredible, made it like you were watching a whole new film, even on standard DVDs. After hooking this one up, tinkering with the picture and making adjustments i can honestly say its the worst of the big 3, the Sony had great colors and computer animated films looked amazing, but regular DVDs where almost unwatchable due to the problems it had. After playing a two computer animated movies, G force and 9, and also testing out the new Lord Of The Rings on Blu-ray, i am highly disappointed in the overall picture of this Vizio. i watched the same videos on my parents Samsung a few hours after purchasing this one, and wow it was like night and day, i mean the Samnsung was just soooo clear and the screen has a glossier texture which just makes for amazing smoothing with no lag at all. On the Vizio you can barely even tell there is any smoothing at all, it shows, but you really have to look hard in certain areas, where as with the samsung every movement looks incredibly real. So i'm going to take back the Vizio(as huge as it is, its not fun) and search the net for another good Samsung for the right price. Trust me the little vizios are great and cheap, the price of this is cheap as well, BUT when you watch it you'll see why. I love my older vizio and have seen other great small ones, but when it comes to 47 inch or bigger, stick with Samsung, you'll be glad you did. I didn't though.:(