Customer Reviews

VIZIO XVT423SV 42-Inch Full HD 1080p LED LCD HDTV with VIA Internet Application, Black

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I got this TV because it has features that are more commonly found in much more expensive TV's, and the one expert review out there said very good things. In particular I wanted the dimming (non-edge) LED lighting and the ambient room sensor (except I've ended up turning that off, oh well), and I didn't need to pay more to get thinner than 3". Another price note to Amazon: you're being undersold! I paid $998 at Sam's Club, and just saw that it's now being sold by [...] at $899.

I'm happy with the image. A review has suggested that it looks bad when viewing it from the side, which is the main reason why we went to see it in person before buying. Like any other LCD it's not as good as a plasma screen--which wouldn't work in our window-filled room--but I don't think it's at all bad.

Even better, it's doing well with tennis! We watched the first day of the US Open on someone else's HDTV and noticed that the tennis ball's fast movement across the court looked noticeably jagged. We set this TV up on the second day, and it looks smooth (and that's with the dejugger/smoothing settings set to low).

I also like the looks of the TV. One expert review calls them "generic," but I want a TV to fit with my house, not vice versa. The matte screen means it doesn't reflect, which is great for the picture when it is on and for the room as a whole when it is off (less noticeable). Another reviewer noted that the VIZIO name stays orange when it's on standby/off. I find this more annoying in principle than in impact. Still, I'm *almost* tempted to go get some black electrical tape...

The setup was easy: it connected to our wireless without problem, programming the remotes was easy, etc. The 5 HDMI connectors are generous. Right now we're using 2 HDMI's (TiVo and computer), the component & RCA (DVD) and the RCA sound out. Someday we'll replace the older components and go to all HDMI/digital sound, I assume. I look forward to the promised software updates that will allow streaming through wireless and/or the USB ports!

I haven't tried out the internet widgets (I don't really care), and since we haven't gotten a high-def DVD player yet, I don't know how it does with film's 1080p/24 output. I haven't had any problems with smells.

I researched in-depth for about two months before making this purchase. And, now that I have received it all I can say is, this it is a great buy. I researched specs and made many in-store visits to compare brands, models, features, etc. After the research I had been considering Samsung and the Vizio, coming down to features for price, bang for the buck. I can tell you that for about half the price of a Samsung in the same category I have the latest features; built-in Wi-fi that works like a charm. many widgets available, though there a a few that I was interested in that are not yet available. The major ones are available like Netflix, Pandora, Amazon, Web Video, Vudu, Twitter and Facebook.

As far as picture quality, after spending many hours evaluating many models the Vizio gives the Samsung 6500 series a run for its money and again I state for a lot less money. Super easy setup and it sits elegantly where ever you might place it.

Software updated itself automatically over the built-in Wi-fi connection immediately. Easy to navigate controls, good feature set for controls and more than adequate inputs/outputs. The remote with built-in keyboard, a big plus.

The one area where I suggest you might want to add is the audio. Though the built-in speakers are adeqaute, it doesn't do justice to the set. I used an old PC sound system and it provided great improvement, giving me everything I want. So I suggest you either purchase a separate sound system or the sound bar from Vizio which I have not personally tried. Highly Recommend.

I bought this TV at Sam's Club over the weekend (yes, it is a XVT423SV, not the old 422 model) and am having the same smell/odor issue another reviewer mentioned. I returned my first one and this new one is about the same. I've had it running for about 20 hours now with the windows open trying to "burn off" the smell. Vizio customer support says that it is some kind of protective laquer that prevents corrosion during shipping, but that it will go away. So far, it has not improved, but I'll give it a couple more days.

The picture quality is fantastic, as are the internet apps. The sound is fine - par for similar sets. The remote control is amazing. It connects via Bluetooth, so you don't have to have line-of-site with the TV to use it. It also has IR, so you can use it to control your DVD/Blu-Ray player, Tivo (it controls all but the typing in text via keyboard), etc. There is some heat coming out of the top of the set, but it is a very small amount and not a concern.

The smell, though, is overwhelming. If it doesn't subside, I'll sadly have to return it and review my options. I'll update my review when I've made my decision.

Update 9/2: I've had the TV on and off for a total of about 50 hours over the past few days. The smell remains, so I've decided to return it. I'd like to think that Sam's Club just got a bad batch, but I'm not willing to try a third set in the hopes that it doesn't smell. It is a shame - the TV is really, really good otherwise.

First, let me say I own the 47" LG 47LE8500 for my living room with its stunning high def picture and extremely poor speakers. I was looking for a slightly smaller (and less expensive) TV for my bedroom and chose this 42" Vizio. Vizio has a similar 47" model under this newly released line. (So far, I am mostly happy with my purchase.)

Both the LG and Vizio have LED LCD with Local Dimming. I have to say that the high def picture on the Vizio is not as stunning as on the LG 47LE8500, but it is close, and still satisfying.

The black levels are better on the LG, but pretty close on the Vizio.

The Vizio arrived with one of the round rubber "feet" missing under the base. (Better quality control and inspection please?)

The WiFi on the Vizio is fabulous. The remote having a qwerty keyboard is fabulous.

First thing I had to do (for personal preference) is turn off the room light sensor. The picture was way too dark for me when the light sensor was on.

Also, the default screen brightness setting with the light sensor off is too bright, in my opinion. The brightness level is at 50 by default on the standard pic setting, and it looks brighter than the 50 setting on other sets. (But it is very easy to adjust, of course.)

The speakers on the Vizio are much better than on the LG.

I dislike that the Vizio does not have a swivel base.

Standard def is quite acceptable (and better than on the LG).

So, bottom line: If you want to save some money, this new Vizio line is a very good choice (and recommended). Once you customize the pic settings, I think you will be happy with the high def picture. If you have extra money to burn, the LG will give you a more stunning high def picture with better black levels, but you probably will dislike the LG's speakers, especially if you listen to a lot of music with the volume raised.

Adding to my review, August 28:

When the TV is off, the Vizio logo at the front is lit up in orange. I have found no way to turn this off. I hope that if enough people complain, perhaps Vizio will release a software update that will allow the turn off of this orange Vizio light.

I have encountered bad lip sync issues. But luckily, Vizio has included in the Audio settings a Lip Sync adjustment setting. I had to enable this setting, as the lip sync mismatch problem was really bad. The adjustment has helped.

I am limited to a 42" or smaller TV by furniture and spousal constraints. With 42" screens becoming rarer, I've been looking for the best options during the past few months. I originally spent some time looking at Hitcahi's 42" model, but this Vizio sitting next to the Hitachi kept catching my eye. I've always viewed the Vizio brand with some skepticism, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that Cnet rated this model an editor's choice. I've only lived with the TV a few days, but so far I have no problems to report. The picture is very uniform, unlike the 3 year old Sharp Aquos it is replacing. Black levels and contrast are excellent. Color is very accurate and detail is very good. I don't find the automatic picture dimming noticeable or distracting as I have on some older TVs - it just seems to do its job and do it well. I can find no significant faults with this TV, save for the large and constantly illuminated Vizio logo. Vizio should provide an option to turn off the illumination; unless and until they do, it is easily remedied with a strip of black electrical tape over the logo.

On the whole, I think this is a great value.

I bought this tv about a week ago and I have to say that I'm blown away.

I've had a 32" Vizio (VW32LHDTV30A, now in my bedroom) for 2-3 years with absolutely zero complaints; during the last 6 months while investigating new tv specs/prices, I've tended to lean more to the side of Vizio because of that. A lot of people are weary because they are cheaper in price and sold places like WalMart and Costco, but there are plenty of big name brands sold at those places as well; don't let it dissuade you from Vizio products.

I watch a LOT of movies (I'm totally a cinephile) and play a lot of video games (I'm a nerd; sue me), so I was looking for something that I would be happy with for a long time. I work in the technology industry, so I'm not a fan of crappy equipment. For anyone who doesn't know the difference between full-array LED backlighting (with local dimming) and LED edge lighting, I would suggest reading up on it a bit. For me, I prefer full-array (local dimming) and could not be happier with this new tv.

Right out of the box, this tv was incredibly easy to mount, install and set up. There's a setup program that you can run at the start to customize your input options, etc. Dual-band wireless N picked up my network and has excellent connectivity; I've already watched Cold Souls on Netflix and it looked fantastic.

So far my only real gripe is the smooth motion stuff; it makes the quality incredibly clear, but without the slight motion blur, everything looks like a British soap opera. Haha. Thankfully, not only can you tweak the settings, but you can set it differently for each input. =]

I haven't experienced the smell that a couple of people mentioned; though I will admit that the thought of a smelly tv kind of makes me laugh.

--PROS--
1) 5 HDMI inputs
2) slide out qwerty on the remote is useful w/ the apps
3) the included app suite is really nice
4) you can add and remove widgets, as well as set up profiles to switch between
5) full-array LED backlighting w/ local dimming makes the picture quality absurdly nice
6) can't beat the price
7) PIP and POP are fun and handy if needed
8) haven't noticed any of the image compression artifacting that drives me crazy in a lot of HDTVs
9) Firmware updates are insanely easy via WiFi

--CONS--
1) smooth motion makes movies look strange, but this is customizable and based on personal preference

--OVERALL--
Spectacular tv, especially for the price. I highly recommend this for anyone looking to purchase a new LED HDTV.

***EDIT, 16th Jan, 2011***
I've read on a few review sites that people are expressing concern over blooming, as well as PIP not working correctly. To clarify:

1) Blooming has really only seemed to be an issue from odd viewing angles, so it shouldn't be a concern for most people. From a normal viewing angle, the blacks are super rich without blooming from lighter colours. Odd angle viewing is where I notice blooming.
ex: watching from the lower right side of the tv (like the outer 30° angle line from the center of the tv)

2) Most (not all) TVs don't do HDMI-HDMI PIP. Not sure if it's internal hardware addressing or signal handling, but most just don't do dual 1080p display output. Not digitally, anyway. This tv definitely lets you use other analog HD inputs while viewing an HDMI input, though, so PIP certainly works.

Hope this helps!

I recently purchased the UN40B6000 which is a 40 inch backlight LED by Samsung only to receive the first one broken and the second one had horrible blooming so I returned it. After the two issues with Samsung TV's I decided to look elsewhere and in my research I found this television as one of the Top 5 LED TV's based on Picture Quality on [...], which if you do not know is a highly reputable site for anything electronics, specifically reviews. This TV received an "excellent" rating which is very rare and was also listed under the "Best HDTVs" section. If you review this article you will see that none of the other Top 5 are available in a 40/42 inch (they all start at 46) and none of them compare price wise with this TV making this a great all around purchase. The wireless is very easy to set up and the widgets/apps work well, they are not something you will forget about in a week. The picture quality is excellent (I calibrated it using the picture settings supplied by [...], whether you buy this TV or not always check this site to get calibration settings to maximize picture quality.)This TV also uses local dimming vs backlight dimming. Local dimming is known to give the best picture quality for an LED, backlight is thinner /sleeker looking however they typically have "blooming" or white clouds on the corners that sometimes bleed over into the picture.

Here is the review

[...]

This TV is without a doubt is one of the best overall options for an LED, especially for a 42".

I just purchased this TV from Sam's Club (11/16/2010) for $788 + tax (about $853) and I have to say it has exceeded all of my expectations. The colors are vivid, and the smooth motion feature is almost too smooth. I think I may have to get used to it. You may have to fool around with the picture settings to get it to where you like (such as lip sync, smooth motion, brightness etc.), but the preset modes also do a nice job. It is wonderful for gaming (I think it has actually made me better at Black Ops because the picture is so vivid). Blu-ray movies and HD television also look astounding on it.

The TV itself isn't the most beautiful thing, but it looks nice enough. It's not a super thin LED like the Samsung or LG TVs but I really didn't want to pay an extra $600 to get a super-thin LED anyway.

The Vizio Internet Apps (VIA) is a very useful feature. It's nice to be able to download movies straight to your TV. The wireless-N connection to the TV is also superb. The remote provided makes it much easier to use VIA; the slide out keyboard is an awesome addition to a remote.

The speakers are weak, but I don't think anybody buys an LED TV based on the quality of the speakers. I would much rather have great picture than great speakers, which is exactly what the Vizio has.

In response to other reviews posted, I haven't had problems with it smelling or anything, and I don't hear any noise at all when it is operating.

So, in summary:

Pros:
-Accurate and beautiful colors
-Picture quality is superb
-Smooth motion is almost too smooth
-VIA is useful
-The keyboard on the remote is great
-Amazing for gaming and sports watching
-Analog inputs actually don't look that bad (PS2, VCR)

Cons:
-Smooth motion may take some time to get used to
-The speakers are weak
-May have to fidget with picture settings
-It's not super thin, but still looks decent overall
-The ambient light sensor can be iffy sometimes

I highly recommend this TV to anybody looking for an affordable LED TV with amazing picture and features.

I was really picky when choosing my first HDTV. I wanted an LED backlit with local dimming and 1080p with a high refresh rate and a reasonable price. After doing a lot of research and much deliberation, I settled on this one from Vizio. At first I was hesitant to order a TV that I had not actually seen in person and that came from the "budget" brand of Vizio, but after reading mostly positive reviews I decided to make the purchase.

Pros: Great picture for sports fans and the Internet apps are fun and useful. (Netflix as close as two clicks of a button!) Some of the apps give you access to stream movies and TV but I haven't played around with those too much.

Cons: Speakers are functional but not awesome. (But honestly, aren't you planning on using external speakers anyway?) I have had a few incidents early on of the TV "restarting" unexpectedly, but I am at this point presuming that the firmware was updating or something like that. I wish there was a Youtube app, but hopefully Vizio and Google can figure something out.

Note: I read a negative review where someone complained that the TV wouldn't turn on. I believe it may have been "user error". The TV took a few minutes to get going and I was scared that it was not going to turn on, but it eventually did and I haven't had any problems since initial boot-up. Also, I haven't tried to watch any Blu Ray video yet so I haven't even unleashed the full viewing power, but HD movies and sports look fantastic.

Speakers are not the greatest, but with a surround system its a great TV for watching HD/Blu-ray movies on. My problem was some of the widgets weren't working properly and vizio tech support tried to say it must be an issue with a yahoo/netflix/pandora server. Most widgets were working fine, but netflix and pandora would load my playlists and queues, but would never play songs/video. He claimed the tv was doing everything it should be and the problem wasnt on their end, but I have a father-in-law with the same tv (except its a 55") who lives down the street from me and accesses every widget with no problems. I may have gotten a defective one, but I'm not keeping it to find out too late that I can't return it if more starts to malfunction. I will be purchasing one exactly like this from costco since their returns and warranty are much better than any other local retailer. Good TV, but make sure everything works properly.

Update 2/24/11: We successfully returned and bought a different Vizio and much to my dismay, the pandora wdiget app still failed to load properly. After much looking around, I emailed my problem to Vizio customer support and they responded with a simple fix. A setting on the tv needed to be adjusted (Which I figured was the issue) however it was a setting I never would have gathered to be needing a change for this problem. I meant to post the solution on here, but the email was deleted, so all you would need to do is email vizio tech support and they will have a simple fix. Once that was done, our new Vizio is awesome.