Are Vizio TV's good?

skyknight

CAGiversary!
Feedback
12 (100%)
I just notice in the last couple of weeks that a Vizio 26" LED LCD TV is going on sale for under USD $200 on several sites/shops. The most recent one is at Target for this week only, and I am tempted to buy one.

Anything good about Vizio's TV?
 
I brought the 22" one offline at target for 200 a few weeks ago model m220va-w it's the white one . I've got no complaints I use my ps3 on it and also as a dual monitor for my laptop sometimes I'll watch netflix or watch cable with it. It's pretty good but I'm kind of upset that they have a bigger one for the same price. I say go for it. It has great picture and sound although I sit very close to it.
 
[quote name='All Out Fanboy']i think Vizio is Walmarts brand

like Insignia is Best Buys[/QUOTE]

Target carries vizio too
 
I have a 37" Vizio and it works just fine. I have never had an issue with it (knock on wood) -- my wife even knocked it onto the ground once, and a year later it still works normally.

For some reason though, it sometimes will not get a signal from my PS3 through an HDMI cable. I have tried multiple cables, and to fix it I only have to turn the tv off and then back on, but it's odd.
 
I bought a 50" plasma 3 years ago. After 6 months one of the boards inside of it died but it was still under warranty so some dudes came to my house and replaced a bunch of crap inside of it. Been working great for the last 2 1/2 half years.
 
Never owned one myself, but the 19" RazorLED my friend has is a pretty nice looking TV. The picture on it beats almost any other 19" TV I've ever seen, although only about a dozen of them actually have had a decent picture.
 
I haven't checked reviews recently, but in the past Vizio's were rated fairly well (some models at least). Not top of the line, but a good picture especially given the bargain price.
 
[quote name='All Out Fanboy']i think Vizio is Walmarts brand

like Insignia is Best Buys[/QUOTE]

Incorrect. Vizio is an independent brand, and they make great quality products. I know from first hand, as well as professional experience. I work electronics and also have had a vizio LCD tv for four years with no problems at all. Vizio actually made computer monitors prior to televisions, so they are quite experienced.

Do not hesitate to buy because of their name. Their products should be condisered the same tier as lg, just below sharp, Sony, and samsung.
 
[quote name='DaMonStEr']Incorrect. Vizio is an independent brand, and they make great quality products. I know from first hand, as well as professional experience. I work electronics and also have had a vizio LCD tv for four years with no problems at all. Vizio actually made computer monitors prior to televisions, so they are quite experienced.

Do not hesitate to buy because of their name. Their products should be condisered the same tier as lg, just below sharp, Sony, and samsung.[/QUOTE]

Vizio isn't a manufacturer. They are an importer. Vizio contracts out different manufacturers to produce low cost HDTVs for them, so different models are manufactured by different companies. The reason they should not be considered on the same tier as LG, Samsung, Sharp, Panasonic, etc is that the mentioned companies firstly, actually make the TVs they sell, secondly, they stock parts here in the US to repair their TVs. This is not the case with Vizio or other importers. It is questionable whether or not a Vizio TV can be repaired. Vizio only offers a replacement warranty, which plays into my theory. You don't have to believe me, here is the former video editor for The Perfect Vision magazine (HDguru) take on TV importers such as Vizio. So while you may be lucky and never have a problem, if you do and the warranty is up, you are screwed. Roll the dice.

http://hdguru.com/is-the-hdtv-you-buy-really-a-toxic-asset/418/comment-page-1/
 
I bought that same exact Vizio 26". Target has it for $198 right now (best price). It is beautiful, EXTREMELY light, bright, and crisp. A flaw of the tv is that you see wavy black lines when you turn it on and have the Picture (menu mode) on default settings, but you can easily fix that by turning off the Ambient Light Sensor in the Picture menu.

Upon further research, it was a whole bunch of yadda yadda on the tv not being a true HD (1080p) and some other junks, but in the end it was a great purchase. I considered getting the 32" Emerson on Black Friday at Wal-Mart, but I'm glad I picked up this Vizio instead. Sound quality is also surprisingly good.

I did a bunch of research on this tv and it has gotten nothing but positive reviews. All the bad ones given were over stupid stuff like the remote, but I could care less. Another complaint is over the number of connections in the back (2 HDMI) but it's plenty enough for me.

Any other questions I can answer?
 
visit AVSforums.com and look at the model numbers on the threads, I don't know if this is an issue but last holiday I saw lots of vizios going back to walmart and being sold as used.

I used the have the latest model 32, I don't recommend this for gaming. There was very noticeable lagging at offline play when I tested it out with tekken 6 and super street fighter

If your gonna go with gaming make sure your LCD has a quick response time, and at least gaming mode.

At tournament play at least, if you care they mainly use monitors because these get no lag at all.

http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-E320VA-...BL9K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291326213&sr=8-1
 
[quote name='kcjones']http://hdguru.com/is-the-hdtv-you-buy-really-a-toxic-asset/418/comment-page-1/[/QUOTE]
This is almost comical. An article from April 2009 that claims Vizio is a "toxic asset" to own, yet they're the largest LCD TV company by sales in the US. The article does list a bunch of off-brand TVs and their flaws (mostly warranty related) but when it stated that Dynex and Insignia were troubled brands when the warranty just requires going to a Best Buy store (where you had to buy them in the first place) is almost comical as well.

If Vizio TVs were crap, you would hear about it on TV. You would hear horror stories on TV and read them online. They can't sell as many TVs as they do (22% of the market) and their products be crap.
 
definately not a walmart brand. Target, sears, many others all sell them. I bought mine from sears over two years ago because xbox magazine wouldnt shut up about the picture quality, calling it the honda of hdtvs (mad reliable and stylish for a good price).

havnt had one issue with it, and now theyare much cheaper, i payed $1100 for my 1080p 42" in octoberish of 2008. DO IT!
 
[quote name='TiKi2']For $100 more you could buy a 32" sharp aquos[/QUOTE]

Sweet! I'm in the market for a $300 Aquos LED. Link please!
 
[quote name='salty tbone']Sweet! I'm in the market for a $300 Aquos LED. Link please![/QUOTE]

Newegg just had them at $300. But I checked and it's not listed anymore(sold out). They currently have a 32 LG for $330. The sharp aquos are going for $298.88 at Brandsmart right now. If you have a local store you have to pay taxes. Never bought anything from them online but I buy stuff from their B&M store all.

http://www.brandsmartusa.com/ProductBrowserV3.aspx?CreateFilterType=0&FilterId=1006&ClearSearch=true

So..

32 LG $330 shipped
32 Sharp aquos $298.88 plus shipping? or taxes at B&M

EDIT: Forget it , I see that you want an led these are lcd tvs
 
Got a 37" 1080P 120Hz. @ Costco. If you can get one there I recommend it since it comes with a 2 year warranty. Any problems just take it back and get the same credit towards a new tv. I like the idea of having 2 years of no worries.
 
[quote name='TLFerrill']definately not a walmart brand. Target, sears, many others all sell them. I bought mine from sears over two years ago because xbox magazine wouldnt shut up about the picture quality, calling it the honda of hdtvs (mad reliable and stylish for a good price).

havnt had one issue with it, and now theyare much cheaper, i payed $1100 for my 1080p 42" in octoberish of 2008. DO IT![/QUOTE]


I payed $599.99 in 6/2009 for a 42 inch 1080P 60 HZ (5 response time) model VO420

I'm pretty sure Westinghouse makes the parts for VIZO and they make many parts for Sony. For being on a budget this TV had served me well i didn't have a grand to lay out at that time for a name brand TV. So i took the budget TV along with a PS3 slime vs name brand TV.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Bought a 1080p 32" refurb vizio earlier this year for $378. And I love it. Wish I would have wait for black Friday. But hey may was long enough.
 
2 years ago i purchased a 42 inch Vizio and had problems with the audio from my HDMI outputs. I contacted there support people about the problem and in a week they sent someone out to fix it. There support was great and i never had another issue with it. The tv was so good we recently bought a 47 inch for another room on the house.
 
[quote name='Bumslie']Got a 37" 1080P 120Hz. @ Costco. If you can get one there I recommend it since it comes with a 2 year warranty. Any problems just take it back and get the same credit towards a new tv. I like the idea of having 2 years of no worries.[/QUOTE]


I got a question, doesn't costco only do returns for 90 days on electronics? I'm kinda confused. I was planning on getting a tv there.

2 years warranty I'm guessing is for the manufacturer. Does Costco entertains you if you have problems past 90 days? just curious. It doesn't say in their site though. Didn't get a chance to ask them. I can't find a sales rep in the tv section.
 
[quote name='anbu-black-ops']I got a question, doesn't costco only do returns for 90 days on electronics? I'm kinda confused. I was planning on getting a tv there.

2 years warranty I'm guessing is for the manufacturer. Does Costco entertains you if you have problems past 90 days? just curious. It doesn't say in their site though. Didn't get a chance to ask them. I can't find a sales rep in the tv section.[/QUOTE]That's for devices other than TVs. They'll cover TV issues for two years after purchase.
 
It's not an expensive set or anything, but the Vizio TV I just hooked up in my parents' living room looks pretty good. Other than initial setup being a small PITA since it couldn't recognize the digital cable box without turning it off and back on, everything was swell.

For $300, it's a nice set. It definitely beats the $220 bottom-barrel Sceptre from Newegg that didn't work. :lol:
 
Damn it. I bought a VIZIO 23" LED from Costco for just over $300 a year ago. The tv is amazing. Never had a problem with it, everything about it great.
 
[quote name='jason00']I have a 37" Vizio and it works just fine. I have never had an issue with it (knock on wood) -- my wife even knocked it onto the ground once, and a year later it still works normally.

For some reason though, it sometimes will not get a signal from my PS3 through an HDMI cable. I have tried multiple cables, and to fix it I only have to turn the tv off and then back on, but it's odd.[/QUOTE]

Same exact issue with mine, but I have a 32" I bought 2 years ago(3 possibly, I don't recall). Sometimes when I start a game it goes to the "No Signal" screen and never flashes back to the game, though I can still hear it through my headset which uses the optical digital output. Most of the time, like 95%+, it does go back.

Huh, just turn off the TV? I always turn off the Ps3, then turn it back on. Thanks for the tip.
 
As someone who works at Sam's Club (Wal-mart's version of Costco/BJ's, for those not in the know), we get an alarming amount of Vizio TVs back. Obviously, every Vizio isn't going to crap out, and different models made by different manufacturers are going to be different, but they definitely seem to have a higher defective rate than the upper tier brands. Really, at the end of the day, it seems up to the consumer. The picture quality is pretty good. Really, it boils down to are you willing to save money to get a good product now that may or may not bite you in the ass later? As someone who has been biten countless times by those awesome products that just happen to be cheaper than the competition (anything Emerson), I would NEVER recommend a Vizio over a top tier brand like a Sony or Samsung. Now if your other options are Cobys and Curtis's, then by all means, enjoy your Vizio.
 
The only issues I've had with my parents' Vizio in the week they've had it is that the poster that comes with it with the instructions on how to set it up gave instructions that didn't actually work. I mean, they worked in that they showed you how to hook everything up... they just weren't successful in and of themselves.

So far, during initial setup I couldn't get the TV to recognize the cable box until the second time I turned the TV off and on after following the setup instructions. Then earlier today I couldn't get their DVD player to work for a while- I followed the instructions exactly and got nothing the first two times. Magically doing everything exactly the same ended up working on the 3rd try.

I will say that yes, while the picture quality isn't the most amazing I've ever seen (it is a 32" TV that cost $299), it's not bad. In fact, so far everyone that's been over to see it has said it looks great. It's also likely not as great as it could be, since it's hooked up to a pretty bad digital cable connection through coax. I'm sure if we hooked it up to a Blu-Ray player or even just an HD signal that would help.

The only thing I really noticed is that the TV only has one set of Component inputs in the back, and if you have a Composite cable, you plug the yellow end into the green input, as there's no yellow input. It's weird, but the manual does say that- multiple times, actually. That's kinda disappointing, considering even my chump 19" Emerson LCD TV has two sets of inputs. Actually, I believe it has 3.
 
i think different model vizios give u different results. ive read that alot of the newer ones (1-2 yrs old) have had problems wheras the older ones (non energystar/led) have been trouble free. i bought a 37" from costco in march 2007 to play games during spring break and i've loved it ever since. -knock on wood that it stays healthy-
 
[quote name='Altanis']The only thing I really noticed is that the TV only has one set of Component inputs in the back, and if you have a Composite cable, you plug the yellow end into the green input, as there's no yellow input. It's weird, but the manual does say that- multiple times, actually. That's kinda disappointing, considering even my chump 19" Emerson LCD TV has two sets of inputs. Actually, I believe it has 3.[/QUOTE]

my older 37" has 2 sets of component as well as 2 hdmi and 2 composite on the side, so i think it just depends on the model.
 
Oh, it's not a big deal- my parents really only have a DVD player to connect to their TV. It was just really weird to see that it didn't have one dedicated component input and one dedicated composite input, instead it just had a set of component, and the manual tells you how to hook up composite to it.

I do find it odd that a budget TV though like this set has 4 HDMI inputs, 1 USB, 1 PC, and 1 Component. It's my general experience that people buying a budget TV use component/composite (mostly composite) and not HDMI. Thinking about it though, my parents could easily use 2 HDMI inputs- 1 from an HD Cable box if they get it, and 1 from a DVD player if it has an HDMI connection.

I'll say this: For the $290 I paid for it (got a $10 refund this morning from Amazon's TV Price Guarantee) it's a great set. Yeah, it has its quirks that I've found, but all in all it works. It's got a great picture quality. Not perfect, but it is only 720p and it is a TV under $300. The important part though is that my parents love it (although I think they just wanted a flat-panel.... they don't really care that much about picture quality). The remote has all of the different input channels on it (TV, AV, HDMI, Component, PC, USB, etc).
 
It might have changed, but it was my understanding that Vizio LCDs are made using Panasonic panels, while LG panels were used in Vizio Plasma sets.

It's also my understanding that Sony panels are really Westinghouse panels that are just rebadged. That would then mean it makes no sense for Vizio to use Sony panels (since they'd really just be rebadging a rebadged panel).

Again, I could be wrong. This is just what I understood was the case. I remember that just a few years ago Vizio made their own panels, and were regarded as pretty bad, leading to the switch to using other companies' panels.
 
I have a 55" LCD from Vizio and all of my friends are envious of the picture quality when I play my games on 360 and Blu Ray on my PS3. I haven't had a single issue with the set since I bought it contrary to my experience with my previous 55" DLP from Hitachi.

I would buy a LED TV from Vizio if my wife would let me.
 
A friend of mine bought a Vizio TV and it was defective. The store wouldn't return it because it was sold 'as-is', but it was still under warranty. Vizio sent someone to his house and replaced it with a newer model. He bought a 60Hz 40" LCD and got a 42" 120Hz LCD out of it. They have excellent customer service!
 
bread's done
Back
Top