Excellent HDTV value for the Price
922889
I bought this TV from Costco for $700 and was very impressed with its features and functions. Out of the box, it's attractive and has clean lines. Speakers are not detachable, but that's not that big of a deal to me.

If you do a side-by-side comparison to a comparable 32" Sharp or Toshiba, you'll definitely notice that the Vizio is not as bright, but the clarity of the picture is just as sharp. And given the fact that the price of the Vizio can be $300 - $500 less than the comparable name brand sets, the difference in brightness is not enough to make me spend the extra money.

There is no comparison between this set and its lower end competitors in the same price point. The Emerson's, the Westinghouse's, and the Sceptre's just don't compare in picture or product quality. The Olevia runs a close 2nd, but given Costco's generous 3-month, satisfaction guaranteed return policy, for me there was no comparison.

What I can't get over are all of the features included in the TV... HDTV picture quality, Picture-in-Picture (PIP), Picture-on-Picture (PoP) or split screen, integrated HD tuner, can be used a PC monitor, decent speakers, universal remote, etc. The only drawback that I see to this product is that it only has one HDMI input.

Otherwise, it's a great TV for money you pay. I have it mounted on the wall in my bedroom and I love it!!!

UPDATE: June 2013... it's been 6.5 years since my original purchase and this TV is still going strong. Great product Vizio!!! (Now watch it break now that I've posted this... LOL.)
800463
This unit is as advertized, an excellent 50" 1080P HDTV. The Panasonic model TH-50PZ800U is also rated high in Consumer Reports. I would have preferred that this TV had "cable card" capability and "TV Guide", which we had on our Panasonic TH-42PX600U, 720P HDTV, that was replaced with the new 50" HDTV. Because the new TV does not use a cable card (rented from cable company) we needed to rent a higher cost HD receiver from the cable company which adds complexity. Since this is a top of the line unit I would think Panasonic would not try to diminish its capabilty. We were so satisfied with the 42" Panasonic, that we used for 3 years, we wanted to stay with the Panasonic brand.

Delivery was as promised with enhanced delivery from CEVA, which is a free Amazon service for TV's over 40". The delivery man was knowledgeable and courteous. He did not leave until it was ascertained that the TV was set up and working properly. This is a great service!
618619
After a long search, opted for this TV set. I wanted a great picture and it delivered! HD channels are outstanding, non HD channels nothing to brag about, but hopefully in the near future all will be HD. Sound is not very good in the default setting, but you can change settings to your liking to make it acceptable. In all, great value!
4347050
I purchased this TV last weekend, after the price dropped almost $300.  HDTV broadcasts, particularly from HBO and Showtime, look fantastic.  I've had a 20" Proscan (hi-end RCA) television for 15 years, and this is a more than ample replacement.  The best featuers of the Proscan, picture brightness, clarity, and color correctness, are all there with the HP.  Color is, from what I've read, the most difficult picture issue for LCD technology.  HP has incorporated very detailed color set-up menus, allowing for fine adjustment.  However, at the touch of a button, the color and light settings provided by the AV Mode button on the remote are fine.

Looking forward to baseball season!
2075953
I wasn't really planning to purchase a TV for another six months, but I happened across this model at 900 bucks on Amazon and decided to pull the trigger.  For a 40 inch TV, 1080p is unnecessary.

I knew I wanted one of the Name Brand (Samsung, Toshiba, Sony, Sharp, LG) TVs because of some poor experiences my friends have had with other brands like Vizio and Dynex.

And while this is the older entry-level model from Samsung, the major differences (in addition to 720p vs 1080p) between this model and the more expensive ones largely came down to one fewer HDMI inputs (2 vs. 3), a lower contrast ratio that is still good enough to clearly distinguish many shades of black in a brightly lit room, and a slower refresh rate that might matter if I were playing a fast-paced video game, but hasn't been noticeable at all for watching TV (including sports) and movies.

All in all, for a price that comes in 30% or more below similar sets, I couldn't be happier.
3675646
I actually bought this TV on clearance from Best Buy.  You'll be surprised how good of a deal you can get from them.

So far I am very pleased with the TV.  It looks much more expensive than it really is - I love how the speakers are hidden and how it looks with the glossy black finish.

The picture quality is quite good but not perfect.  The greens are abit neon and the reds abit exaggerated.  I've been able to tone it down, but not quite to perfection.  There is only 1 component input, so if you have multiple gaming units (Xbox 360, PS2, etc.) that use component you will need to get a switcher.  HDTV looks amazing and seems to get better reception than my TV upstairs.  I'm able to pull in all the major HD channels in my area.

All in all, a great TV that looks like it's worth $3000.  A couple shortcomings but easily overlooked at this price.  At my seating position, it would be tough to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p so I saved myself alot of money!  Highly recommended.
1521143
After much analysis and evaluation of the different technologies and models, I zeroed in on this plasma.  Turns out the best price I could find was on Amazon.  Received it in less time than originally told - a good thing.  This TV has an excellent picture, and came out of the box setup nicely and ready to run.  Only had to bring down the brightness a bit, and that was easy to do with the onscreen menu.  If your looking for a plasma (read the reviews, better than LCD, but LCDs are catching up I admit) this is the model, or it's bigger brother - which is unfortunantely fairly expensive.  I guess price is relative!
1654441
Great value, top quality smart TV, very easy to set up and use.  Has two HDMI connections and RCA plug connections for older VCR/DVD players, as well. Nice screen filling setting available for non-HD channels or media.  Beautiful color rendition and very good sound from built-in speakers.  Easily connected to home Wi-Fi network for Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, YouTube, etc.
4231999
I am amazed with this HDTV. The clarity of the picture is excellent, I had no problem setting the TV. The sound is clear and no background noise. It is a bargain for the options it has. I had no problem with Samsung products. Quality and affordable prices. It is Highly recommended
2460762
We are 30 days in with this tv, so I have yet to calibrate it after a 90-day break-in period.

Picture: Stunning. Images are crisp and vibrant. The upscaling is phenomenal. Some issues: At high motion, the 4k struggles at times. This is to be expected with a value 4k television, but worth noting. Also, the viewing angle is not huge. This tv is at its best when the family is sitting within a 30 degree range from the center of the display.

Gaming: Fantastic. Low input lag, crisp picture with little blur. My PS4 looks great on the tv, especially when sitting 6-8 feet away. I did notice that game-mode tends to dull some of the colors down. Slightly annoying, but when gaming I'm not as picky about the colors.

Apps: Netflix functionality is slick. We also like the Playstation Movie store available with a click, in case we decide to rent something. The tv powers up/down fairly quickly, and apps don't have too much lag.

Sound: Meh. If you're going to invest in a tv like this, plan on utilizing a sound bar, which we do. The sound is fairly mediocre.
2284212
First, I should mention that I have not seen any of the other TVs in this price range and size range.  This TV replaced a 25-year old TV the same size (which still works), which I use next to my PC.  (I also have a modern set in the living room and have used a variety of 19 inch TVs in hotel rooms.)
I'm quite pleased with the performance of this TV.  The color rendition is excellent - I'm sure that this aspect of the performance is as good as you can get in this price range and comes close to more expensive sets.
The detail and clarity are good, but do represent the limitation of what you can get in a low-priced set.  I'm sure the high end 13-inch sets that cost about twice as much would give better resolution, and a flat screen would provide that life-like, three-dimensional quality that I see in my living room TV.
If there is any flaw in the picture of this set, it is the *slight* "buzzy" quality to the image.  If you visualize the difference between a scene lit by fluorescent lighting and one lit by incandescent lighting, then you understand what I mean.  But again, it is slight and undoubtedly found in most or all sets in this price range.
The sound on this set is cleverly engineered.  The amplifier has very little power, due to the cost limitations, and the speaker is small, due to the small size of the TV.  So, Toshiba engineered the sound to have great clarity.  Speech is very intelligible, and music is clearly heard, although far from impressive or loud.  The result is entirely adequate for the usual living room/office/bedroom use - if you are going to use this to view movies in your (small) living room (or dorm room), get one of the sets costing about twice as much instead.
NOTE:  In order to get a good picture with this set, you are going to need to turn down a lot of the settings (which is not unusual - factory settings are solely designed to make the set stand out in showroom lineups).  I had to turn the sharpness down to zero, and even then, I think that I would like to have it yet lower than that (to help with the "buzzy" quality).  I also had to turn down the contrast setting to "8", although I sit close to the set and so need this a little lower than if I were sitting across the room - but even then the setting would need to be significantly lower than the factory setting.
429473
I've had this TV for about 2 weeks now and I absolutely love it. It replaced a 27" tube TV that was not ready for the digital transition. Now I have an HDTV with a built in digital tuner. This TV paired with my DishNetwork VIP612 HD-DVR is an unbeatable combination. Great picture, adequate sound and nice variety of inputs. Ordered it from Amazon, shipped by Beach Camera and I was watching HDTV in a matter of days. I recommend this TV to anyone looking for a reasonably priced HDTV. I also have the 20 inch version in my bedroom and it too does not disappoint.
202360
First, a brief note on the reviewer's experience below whose TV's power supply and light sources went bad: I don't think that experience is typical at all.

I did my research with this set. I looked for HDTVs for 4 months or so, and had more-or-less settled on the Sharp Aquos line (and also resigned myself to paying $3000+ for a 42" TV) when I went to Best Buy with a friend to do some more looking around.

The Westinghouse caught our eye at the same time. We wandered over to it and were very impressed by the quality of its HD picture. It was side-by-side next to a Sony Wega 27" TV, which seemed to have better analog performance, but was actually very comparable for HD.

I looked at those two pictures side-by-side for a long time. That $1499 sale price tag sure did seem enticing. Ah, what the heck, I figured. Let's see how it does. If I don't like it, I can always return it.

It's been 5 months since I bought it. And it's a great TV.

Pros: HD picture quality! It has a plethora of inputs, and 2 DVI inputs. Great contrast ratio--guests will exclaim at the quality of fine white fonts on a dark screen in a program's credits in INHD, for instance. Did I mention how cheap it is?

Cons: analog picture is bleah. Blacks are a little soggy, whites can be washed out sometimes, too. Edge lighting is a bit uneven. In a dark room, my set has a brighter "blob" in the middle of the screen. It's not noticeable unless you know it's there, though. The remote is dinky and should be scrapped for a decent universal ASAP.
4433605
I have had this TV for almost 4 months now and am very satisfied with the purchase.  I have to say that image quality is amazing especially in HD.  So far any problems with picture quality (such as blurry or noisy picture) were related to the broadcast and not the TV.  The picture is so nice that you can actually see the difference between the broadcast quality from different HD channels which was not the case with my previous projection TV.  Even regular broadcast comes out looking okay, as long as you're not too close to the TV.  And it's especially nice not having to stretch the image when watching something in 4:3 since DLP's don't suffer from burn-in.

As for viewing angles, the TV has pretty minor differences in brightness from different viewing angles.  I don't really notice any differences unless I am looking for them on a solid color screen (such as the FBI warning on DVD's).

As for the features, the TV has more than I need.  The only feature that the TV could use would be a zoom feature that doesn't distort the image, but honestly the TV is so big that no matter what you are watching the image size is still plenty large.

The one thing that does bother me on occasion, and this problem is present in all DLP's and LCD's too I think, is that when viewing a white screen I can see "reflective dots" for lack of a better term.  But when I compared this TV to others at the store, the dot effect was less than on other DLP's.  However when you view the TV from 10ft or so away, the dots all but dissaper.  I happen to watch from about 8 or so ft which makes the effect more prevelent (and is also closer than the reccomended viewing distance I think).

As for sound, I have a home theatre setup so I never use the TV speakers.

Some other tid-bits:

Takes about 30 seconds for the bulb to warm-up to full brigtness

Noise from the color wheel is negligable

The remote could be better but I rarley use it anyway

Overall for the price of this TV, you would be very hard-pressed to find anything better.
166843
I purchased this as a Christmas gift and its been about a month now.  This product is the perfect solution for someone looking for a midsize LCD.  The light reflection wasn't problematic at all, and the upconverting DVD player optimizes the 32 inch screen well.  HD connection is best for this tv as with any HD unit, but standerd broadcast is typical below par quality, and well grainy.  The price is not only good but the quality of Toshiba is really revealed here; I would compare the image quality with that of Sony and Samsung.  The REGZA technology is not far down the line in eminence, so it is quite the treat to purchase this set at such a fantastic price.
321785
I picked this up at best buy for $400 on a special.  It's now back at $600.  I hooked it up to my computer as a monitor, and it is fantastic.  The resolution is decent, and for a mid-range HDTV with 720p, I doubt you will find a better deal out there.  I run a DVI to HDMI cable from my computer to the TV and it works great.  I've also played DVDs and streaming HD on the TV and both look fantastic.  I wish I had enough money to purchase a 1080p TV with higher resolution, but for a HDTV on a budget, this is a great find.

There are other non-name brands out there that are basically Chinese pieces of crap, but there's no reason to buy something substandard when you can get one of these beauties.  Stay away from something like "Dynex".

I'll bet this TV goes on sale again or gets a price drop.
4584379
I've had a 32" WEGA for the past 7 years and it is still going strong. But with Madden 08 coming out on the PS3, I made the decision back in July that I needed to upgrade my TV to an HDTV. After much research between the different brands and LCD vs. Plasma, I made the decision to go with the Sony KDL-40V2500. And it has been an absolute bargain.

If you want full 1080p HD, this TV gets a lot of bang for the buck. The picture is stunning and when I watched my first Blu-Ray movie, The Pirates of the Carribean Dead Man's Chest, my jaw dropped and I have been hooked on Blu-Ray Discs ever since. The fight scene on the beach is drop dead gorgeous on this TV.

The reason I decided to go with the LCD is because I would also being using the TV for gaming. I was worried about the reports I've read online regarding screen burn in or ghost images with the Plasma. And this was a major factor in my decision. No problems in this department after a month with the PS3 and Madden. Though I have read that Plasma has made significant improvement in this area.

The reason I bring this up is the one drawback that seems to haunt LCD TVs, and that is the pixelation that appears when there is a lot of fast action on the TV. This is readily apparent when there is fast action with a dark background. It seems the LCDs cannot refresh fast enough to keep up. But this is not a problem with Plasmas from what I've read.

It is not too bad on this TV but it is noticeable. I love watching movies and always want a perfect picture. So when this pixelation happens, it's a little disappointing to my eyes but perfectly acceptable considering the multi-purpose use I make of the TV.

I also got the DirecTV HD hooked up and this TV performs beautiful. Watching the premeire of Heroes Season 2 last night in HD was stunning. The colors were vibrant and really makes a huge difference in the TV experience. I'm hooked watching the HD Channels as well.

If you are looking for a 1080p HDTV that will do it all for you at an amazing price, look no further than this one. In fact since I purchased this TV in August, the price has steadily decreased. Even better for you.

Bad for me. Still worth every penny!