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Vizio develops a line of pretty decent HDTVs at arguably the best prices on the market. The Vizio L42 is a 42" LCD HDTV that comes pretty loaded with inputs and features, good image quality, and is available for $1099 (compare to Sony's 40" Bravia LCD that goes for $2799). The L42 has 2 HDMI, 2 component, 1 VGA, as well as a bank of standard SD I/O. It also comes with a built-in ATSC (HD) tuner so you can watch all of those over the air HD channels available in your area. While this LCD may not be the top of the heap for quality, reviews demonstrate that it is at least adequate, and at that price point, this TV is difficult to beat.
MSRP $1,099.00
Release date August, 2006
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Pros & Cons5
Reviews4
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Competitors10
Related5
Gallery1
Pros & Cons
3 positive
0 mixed
1 negative
![[i]](/images/info.png)
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The ProSCORE is calculated based on the ratio of Pros & Cons about this product as voted by
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ProSCORE = 100 x (Pro votes) / [(Pro votes) + (Con votes)]
Numbers used for this ProSCORE:
Pro votes = 9
Con votes = 5
Total votes = 14
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This report was started
March 4, 2007 at 11:57 am by
Erik
with the last edit occurring
January 3, 2009 at 12:51 am by
claver
This page has been viewed
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62 edits by
10 contributors.
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Buy It
Competitors
Vizio L42 is ranked 8th among it's competitors.
See the
top picks in
Televisions »
MSRP $1,499.00
Released April, 2007
Pros
- Slick menu interface
- Very good picture quality
- Good standard definition performance
Cons
- 1 fewer HDMI input than average
- Reports of "clouding" issues where brightness is uneven across the screen
- More expensive than average
Vizio L42
0%
vs.
Sony KDL-40S3000
100%
MSRP $2,499.00
Released July, 2007
Cons
- Green glow on dark(black) objects on screen.
Vizio L42
0%
vs.
Sony KDL-40W3000
100%
MSRP $1,800.00
Released March, 2007
Pros
- Decent price (few hundred $ cheaper than Sony)
- Wide color gamut (90+%)
- Easy to use interface/menus
- Stable sound keeps commercials from blaring
Cons
- No DVI input
- Only one Antenna jack. So you can't hook up an antenna and cable at the same time.
Vizio L42
0%
vs.
Toshiba REGZA 42HL167
100%
MSRP $2,100.00
Released June, 2007
Pros
- Sleek styling
- Deep blacks for an LCD
- Ethernet port for limited home networking
- Good SD performance
- 120 Hz refresh rate removes some motion blur
Vizio L42
0%
vs.
Toshiba Regza 42LX177
100%
MSRP $1,399.00
Released April, 2007
Pros
- Very good picture quality
- Little to no image blur
- A lot of video inputs
- Dynamic backlight makes for great black levels
Cons
- No picture-in-picture capabilities
- Poorly calibrated out of the box
Vizio L42
0%
vs.
Toshiba Regza 42HL67
100%
MSRP $1,000.00
Released November, 2006
Pros
- Excellent value for the picture quality
- Picture-in-picture modes are very convenient
- Autosource feature automatically tunes to devices that are turned on
Cons
- Clouding issues (non-uniform backlight)
- Poor handling of letterboxed standard definition content
- Poor black levels and no shadow detail
Vizio L42
33%
vs.
Westinghouse W4207
67%
MSRP $1,999.95
Released June, 2007
Pros
- Excellent picture quality
- No motion blur which plagues many LCD sets
- Solid reliability
- Picture processing technology is very advanced
Cons
- Only 2 HDMI inputs (many modern tvs have 3 or more)
- No PC input
Vizio L42
50%
vs.
JVC LT-42X688
50%
MSRP $1,999.00
Released April, 2007
Pros
- USB connector for your media devices (jpg, mp3)
- 3 HDMI inputs
- Ambilight technology (casts ambient light behind the TV making viewing easier on eyes)
Cons
- Supports only HDMI 1.2 standard
Vizio L42
75%
vs.
Philips Ambilight 42PFL7432D
25%
MSRP $2,000.00
Released April, 2007
Pros
- Deep black levels for an LCD
- Accurate color reproduction
- 15,000 dynamic contrast ratio
- Good balance of quality and price (value)
Cons
- Glossy screen can reflect ambient light
- Bulky design
Vizio L42
100%
vs.
Samsung LN-T4065F
0%
MSRP $2,499.00
Released April, 2007
Pros
- Goood connectivity options
- Good picture adjustment options
Cons
- Poor black level performance
- Below average viewing angle
Vizio L42
100%
vs.
LG 42LB5D
0%
Reviews
June 4, 2008
approved
reviewer
have it
Pros
- A lot of value for not much $$$
- Many different inputs (2 HDMI, 2 Component, VGA)
- Good black level reproduction for an LCD
Cons
- Visible edge enhancement that can't be bypassed
- No native support for 1080p resolution
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March 4, 2008
approved
reviewer
Pros
- A lot of value for not much $$$
- Many different inputs (2 HDMI, 2 Component, VGA)
- Good black level reproduction for an LCD
Cons
- Visible edge enhancement that can't be bypassed
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/
No
March 31, 2007
approved
reviewer
want it
Pros
- A lot of value for not much $$$
- Many different inputs (2 HDMI, 2 Component, VGA)
- Good black level reproduction for an LCD
Cons
- Visible edge enhancement that can't be bypassed
Comments
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April 24, 2007
approved
reviewer
Pros
Did not agree with any pros
Cons
- No native support for 1080p resolution
Did you find this review helpful?
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/
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This product is also known as:
L, 42, L42
