Vizio L37 HDTV

As a brand that often appears in discount stores and club warehouses, Vizio is surprising everyone with its television sets that at first glance would seem cheap and unreliable, but turns out to be a hidden gem in todays HDTV market. Vizio definitely hit consumers’ sweet spots with their Vizio L37 HDTV. This 37-inch LCD TV offers a lot of basic features and a surprisingly fair amount of connections. It excelled in most image quality tests and as Vizio television almost always are, a bargain compared to sets this size in the market.

Everyone will no doubt find satisfaction with the set’s performance in standard-definition and high-definition reproductions. The TV produced nicely saturated reds and greens in high definition. It handles reds and greens very well and achieved a nice balance - bright without being unnatural. Hi-definition TV broadcasts fared well, too. Skin tones are handled nicely giving out natural and balanced looking colors.

The L37 also performs very well when delegated to very bright lights. It gives out great pictures really well and would seem unaffected by light and glare that surrounds it.

This model’s design is quite pleasing. A black bezel borders the HDTV’s glass, and thin silver metal accents the left, right, and top of the TV. Silver speakers occupy the bottom of the unit; they’re curved at the top, so they seem to emerge from the bottom of the black bezel. An oblong silver base provides a visual break from the set’s generally straight lines.

The built-in 10 watt speakers would not surprise anybody as it could only produce adequate sound quality. But videophiles who want complete enjoyment in their entertainment experience would probably want to hook it up to a separate sound system perfect for their tastes.

The L37HDTV’s selection of inputs is adequate enough for anybodys needs, though everyone would agree that more would be better. There’s just one HDMI input included in this less-expensive HDTV. However, the set does come equipped with two component-video inputs, two composite video inputs, one VGA-style PC input (1,366×768 maximum resolution) and two RF inputs: one to connect to the ATSC tuner and the other for analog antenna or cable sources. There’s also an analog audio output and an optical digital output for surround soundtracks from the ATSC tuner.

In terms of resolution, the L37HDTV produced a crisp, sharp picture via HDMI and 720p component-video, although 1080i component-video looked softer. As with most 1,366 x 768 displays, it handled 720p sources better than 1080i. The Vizio’s sharpness control has four steps, and at its second-lowest (25) setting, it maintained a sharp image without undue edge enhancement.

The TV’s on-screen display menu takes some getting used to, but it appears to be well thought out. Big icons top a translucent blue menu. You’ll appreciate the descriptive text that appears below when you navigate to an ambiguous icon; for instance, the TV uses a camera icon for picture adjustments. You may get stuck in the Parental Control menu (signified by a slightly more logical padlock icon), since the TV won’t let you leave it-even if you got there by mistake–unless you enter four numbers. Still, the OSD menu deserves praise for its overall simplicity and easy navigability. The remote includes programmable codes listed in the user’s manual to control other devices, such as DVD players. It incorporates playback controls, too. Though a little on the heavy side, it is useful and easy to like.

All in all, Vizio’s low priced LDC TV is a great unit that provides a great introduction to the world of digital entertainment. This high-definition TV gives us good images with pleasing color and saturation. For those who are in a tight budget, you might want to consider the Vizio L37 HDTV as it gives you most of what you need without straining your finances.

Sources:
http://reviews.cnet.com
http://reviews.overstock.com
http://www.ecoustics.com