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Vizio XVT Series

The XVT line of televisions marks the flagship offering by Vizio for 2008. These sets feature a 1080p native resolution, 120Hz processing, and motion compensation technology for smoother images. With past televisions Vizio focused almost exclusively on the low to medium range, however the Black Tie series marks the first time that Vizio has an offering for the high-end consumers, while maintaining their competitive pricing. The XVT series also incorporate on-board Dolby Digital 3.0 processing which lets them hook up to the optional SV5.1 upgrade kit to provide a wireless surround sound setup without the need for a separate receiver.

Where to Buy

Vizio Black Tie Series
MSRP $1,499 - $1,899
Release date July, 2008
Brand Vizio
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Pros & Cons8
Reviews8
Details
Buy It
Competitors11
Comments4
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
8 reviews
83
negative
mixed
positive
7 positive
1 mixed
0 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
Competitively priced
+8agreedisagree

Advanced features comparable to top of the line sets from other manufacturers
+6agreedisagree

4 HDMI inputs
+6agreedisagree

Upgradeable audio system
+5agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
DD 5.1 not working through HDMI (support says it should but not sure, tried Blu-Ray and XBOX360)
+1agreedisagree

HDMI port 2 does not support sound
+1agreedisagree

Have to aim the remote just right
+1agreedisagree

May only be an 8-bit panel
-2agreedisagree


9 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!

Details

Specs

  • 1080p native resolution
  • 6500:1 dynamic contrast ratio
  • 5 ms response time (unconfirmed)
  • 8-bit panel (unconfirmed)
  • Inputs: HDMI x 4, Component x 2, Composite x 2, S-Video x 1, VGA x 1

SV5.1 kit - the kit adds a subwoofer and extra speakers to your setup, and uses the televisions built-in speaker to complete the 5.1 audio system. Similar to the Vizio Jive, the rear speakers connect wireless to the kit so you can place them across the room without worrying about wires.

Dynamic backlight - for each frame of the picture the television's internal processing analyzes the overall brightness and adjusts the backlight of the television. Therefore when the scene on the screen is dark, the backlight is reduced to let subtler details in the shadows come through, while brighter scenes will have more emphasis in their highlights.

PIP and POP - picture-in-picture and picture-outside-picture capabilities are added to the VO/Evolution Series to position them above the VW series.

Models

The naming convention of the XVT series: Vizio SVxxXVT where xx is replaced by the display size.

A plasma television is also part of the XVT series, and features the Silicon Optix REON processing chip. Read the full report Vizio VP505XVT.

There aren't any external resources listed here yet.

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This report was started April 23, 2008 at 12:47 pm by Omar
with the last edit occurring July 25, 2009 at 11:53 pm by Richard Noble
This page has been viewed 13673 times, with 75 edits by 11 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Vizio SV470XVT

• Vizio 47" 1080p LCD Full 120Hz HDTV - Black (SV470XVT1A)

• SV470XVT 47" LCD TV

UPC: 857380001413

EAN: 857380001413

MPN: SV470XVT1A

Competitors

Vizio XVT Series is ranked 10th among it's competitors.  See the top picks in Televisions »

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Comments

1.  avatar riddlemethis said:

It is a 10 bit panel.
Sep 11, 2008 8:35pm
2.  avatar HotinAZ said:

A friend of mine just recently purchased the new Vizio SV47XVT and I've gone over and wow...it's really amazing. The picture is so clear and the sound is great. Watching sports on that baby is definitely a different experience for me now. And the great thing about Vizio is that they've always been cheaper than high end brands like Sony and LG, but I feel the quality is the same.
Sep 15, 2008 5:14pm
3.  avatar HotinAZ said:

I heard by someone that supposedly talked to Vizio's marketing department, that they're coming out with a 55"? Do you know if that's true?
Oct 06, 2008 6:27pm
4.  avatar zacmccormick said:

AMAZING unit. If you want all of the latest technology for $1000 less than the big names, buy this TV. I've owned it for about a month now and I'm completely satisfied. I did tons of research on LCD panels, and to put it simply, there is no other LCD available with these specs for this price ($1399 at SamsClub). The only other LCD panels offering 120Hz technology are all over $2000, most closer to $3000.

Really the only spec this TV is lacking compared to Sony/Samsung/Sharp equivalents is the contrast ratio, which is a complete crock anyways. Notice the term "Dynamic" in the big names marketing materials when referring to contrast ratio, which is another word for "artificial". They are artificially creating contrast by altering the back-light and performing image processing to make it appear to have more contrast. It's somewhat analogous to the digital vs optical zoom in cameras, whereby they are faking better hardware with software tricks. There aren't that many manufacturers of the actual LCD panels themselves, so I would venture to say that it's probable the actual panels are nearly identical between all of the vendors.

I've read numerous reviews (both negative and positive) about the XVT series, and most of the negative reviews I guarantee are the result of low quality video sources/players. This is probably partially due to the type of person that tends to buy the lower-priced products, they aren't going to be as informed as the people buying the $6000 plasmas. For instance, I've seen complaints about picture quality/jaggies while playing DVDs from the Xbox360. This will happen on ANY TV, because a.) The video isn't HD, and b.) the Xbox360 does a poor job at 1080p upscaling. I experienced this exact same thing. When I played a standard-def DVD I was left unimpressed. Then I played a high-bitrate 1080p video and I was completely blown away at the quality. If the quality does get better than this, it would be negligible and certainly NOT worth $1000+.

If you are thinking about dropping the extra $1000 for the Sony/Samsung/etc, take some advice from a technology guru, it aint worth it. You are paying $1000 for extra software/firmware features you dont need (Samsung 120Hz LCDs have an RSS reader built in for NO REASON) and you are also paying for an artificial contrast ratio (trust me, the XVT contrast ratio is stellar). I am incredibly happy with my purchase and it feels great to buy from an American company.
Nov 26, 2008 4:43pm
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Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

zacmccormick

avatar
November 26, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
0 cons
love itlove it
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Competitively priced
  • Advanced features comparable to top of the line sets from other manufacturers
  • 4 HDMI inputs
  • Upgradeable audio system

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Comments

"AMAZING unit. If you want all of the latest technology for $1000 less than the big names, buy this TV. I've owned it for about a month now and I'm completely satisfied. I did tons of research on LCD panels, and to put it simply, there is no other LCD available with these specs for this price ($1399 at SamsClub). The only other LCD panels offering 120Hz technology are all over $2000, most closer to $3000.

Really the only spec this TV is lacking compared to Sony/Samsung/Sharp equivalents is the contrast ratio, which is a complete crock anyways. Notice the term "Dynamic" in the big names marketing materials when referring to contrast ratio, which is another word for "artificial". They are artificially creating contrast by altering the back-light and performing image processing to make it appear to have more contrast. It's somewhat analogous to the digital vs optical zoom in cameras, whereby they are faking better hardware with software tricks. There aren't that many manufacturers of the actual LCD panels themselves, so I would venture to say that it's probable the actual panels are nearly identical between all of the vendors.

I've read numerous reviews (both negative and positive) about the XVT series, and most of the negative reviews I guarantee are the result of low quality video sources/players. This is probably partially due to the type of person that tends to buy the lower-priced products, they aren't going to be as informed as the people buying the $6000 plasmas. For instance, I've seen complaints about picture quality/jaggies while playing DVDs from the Xbox360. This will happen on ANY TV, because a.) The video isn't HD, and b.) the Xbox360 does a poor job at 1080p upscaling. I experienced this exact same thing. When I played a standard-def DVD I was left unimpressed. Then I played a high-bitrate 1080p video and I was completely blown away at the quality. If the quality does get better than this, it would be negligible and certainly NOT worth $1000+.

If you are thinking about dropping the extra $1000 for the Sony/Samsung/etc, take some advice from a technology guru, it aint worth it. You are paying $1000 for extra software/firmware features you dont need (Samsung 120Hz LCDs have an RSS reader built in for NO REASON) and you are also paying for an artificial contrast ratio (trust me, the XVT contrast ratio is stellar). I am incredibly happy with my purchase and it feels great to buy from an American company."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Iso100

avatar
October 25, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
0 cons
have ithave it
love itlove it
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Competitively priced
  • Advanced features comparable to top of the line sets from other manufacturers
  • 4 HDMI inputs
  • Upgradeable audio system

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Richard Noble

avatar
July 25, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
57
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
3 cons

Pros

  • Competitively priced
  • Advanced features comparable to top of the line sets from other manufacturers
  • 4 HDMI inputs
  • Upgradeable audio system

Cons

  • DD 5.1 not working through HDMI (support says it should but not sure, tried Blu-Ray and XBOX360)
  • HDMI port 2 does not support sound
  • Have to aim the remote just right

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

roberthaley

avatar
January 1, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
80
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
1 con
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Competitively priced
  • Advanced features comparable to top of the line sets from other manufacturers
  • 4 HDMI inputs
  • Upgradeable audio system

Cons

  • May only be an 8-bit panel

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Omar

avatar
June 25, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
80
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
1 con

Pros

  • Competitively priced
  • Advanced features comparable to top of the line sets from other manufacturers
  • 4 HDMI inputs
  • Upgradeable audio system

Cons

  • May only be an 8-bit panel

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

riddlemethis

avatar
September 11, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
3 pros
0 cons

Pros

  • Competitively priced
  • Advanced features comparable to top of the line sets from other manufacturers
  • 4 HDMI inputs

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Comments

"It is a 10 bit panel."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

ikihi

avatar
December 22, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
1 pro
0 cons

Pros

  • Competitively priced

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Competitors

ikihi prefers Sony Bravia Z Series over Vizio XVT Series
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

bluezik

avatar
December 22, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
1 pro
0 cons

Pros

  • Competitively priced

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

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