50 inch VIZIO P50 HDTV Plasma HDTV, Review
March 22nd, 2009 | by ethanator1088 |50 inch VIZIO P50 HDTV Plasma HDTV
This is one of the best Plasma TV’s on the market today. Check out these reviews.
Sound and Videos Mag
HDTV looks just like its 42-inch sibling, which we reviewed in our May 2006 issue. Like the P42, it has a built-in tuner for pulling in over-the-air digital TV broadcasts, and there’s also Faroudja DCDi for deinterlacing duties. A relatively sturdy (for a 50-inch model) plastic stand comes with the TV, and you can order Vizio’s optional $90 stationary wall-mount, or a tilting version for only 10 bucks more — a good deal either way you slice it.
Inputs on the P50HDTV include not one but two HDMI jacks (the standard on new bigscreen HDTVs these days, but still surprising on a budget model), a VGA connection for hooking up a computer, and component-, composite-, and S-video jacks. There’s no CableCARD slot for tuning in encrypted premium-cable channels without a separate cable box, but you can receive both regular analog and unencrypted digital cable by plugging into the set’s antenna input.
Vizio’s remote control is sturdy and has a clean button layout. The buttons are small, however, and there’s no backlighting, making it hard to locate a specific control when the lights are dimmed. Picture-in-Picture, Freeze, and Zoom controls are grouped at the remote’s bottom, and directly above them is a set of five direct-input keys for switching sources quickly — a useful feature. The Wide button lets you toggle between the TV’s Normal (4:3), Full (16:9), Zoom, and Panoramic display modes, all of which can be selected for both standard and high-def signals (except Panoramic, which is available only for 480i programs).
AVrev Forum
One of the most impressive, important TVs I have seen to date.
The picture is better than it should be. Great customer service (needed with all of the HDMI issues that AREN’T Vizio’s problem but are yours) etc..
They REALLY benefit from a professional calibration. A Digital Video Essentials disc helps. An ISF calibration by a professional is better.
The question is: should you save the money buying a Vizio and buy a Blu-ray and HD DVD player instead. I say - that ain’t a 1/2 bad idea!!!!