^ Plasma + Panasonic + 1080p = pure awesomeness


netyarone, whats the name and specs of yours?

Vizio is the #1 American TV company (mostly due to no competition within the US ) They are based in California, but like all the other electronics manufactures most of their work is done in China other cheap labor locations. They are a cheaper brand, but they are pretty much the best quality for the price.

Oh, interesting! Are their products popular and how long have they been around?

I wonder why they aren't international yet, all the others are (cause u do have for example Philips and Grundig electronics in the USA too rite?)

All I know is that I have the Z Series Bravia (40")...and I love it. I have seen other good Lcd's though. Samsung's High-End models look brilliant as well.

@ Nordlead - you speak wisdom, sir. I have nothing but praise for Vizio. I read as many online reviews for the brand, and played around with them in Wal-Mart. Folks are sold on brands - but I am looking at value and my budget. When folks have money to blow - or can tell their parents what to buy, of course, money is no object. However, for folks working a 9-5 and not blessed with tons of cash, Vizio is a great brand.

Personally, I saw TVs with 120hz demos running. You can find them at Best Buy and see for yourself. I watched 'Ratatouille' on Blu at 120hz at 1080P on a sick Samsung (it was called Automotion Plus) and saw 'Transformers' as well and was sold on the refresh rate. Even on older movies (I have 'Empire Strikes Back' and 'Return of the Jedi' on my Dish DVR - they are both recorded at 720P) that refresh rate rocks.

I decided to go with what was best for my budget and paid cash for my Vizio. I wanted the same TV my SIL had - a Samsung LCD with Automotion Plus - but didn't feel like spending $2,200 for it - nor did I want to wait for LEDs to come down.

Tech is always getting better, faster and cheaper. It's all about when you want to jump in.

The Vizio is working great for me. Plus, I am buying an extended warranty for just $88 to cover the TV for 4 years. If it fails after that, so what. I'll just buy an LED by then.

Their products - Vizio - tend to be a great value and offer features that are normally on more expensive sets. Wal-Mart carries the brand and I think you can find them online at dell.com

Best Buy had a sale on a 42 LCD with 1080P but the Vizio at Wal-Mart was the same price - everyday.

Since I was spending a ton of money, I had to do research on buying a TV. I saw a few remarks from folks blasting Vizio, but most of the comments were positive. That said, I enjoy the Vizio TV I have. It rocks.

So a Vizio 42inch LCD with 1080p, that's what you bought? What did it cost?

@Slimebeast

Its a Panasonic Viera TX-P46S10E

Some stats:

Full HD
46 inch
Contrast: 2000000:1
Response time: 0,001 ms
Viewing angle: Infinite
Anti Glare Filter
Maximum number of colours 134 Billion
3 HDMI Ports you have 13 other ports (including a SD Card Port)
400 Hz
Even a gaming mode

Edit: And with 100000 hours of screen time the TV will last as long as the most LCDs

I paid $970 U.S. after taxes, but dell.com had a similar TV for $749.

Here is the nuts and bolts on buying a HDTV (some of this has been mentioned):

1080P becomes noticeable at normal viewing distances on TV's 50" and larger. Anything smaller it is really not necessary.

120 HZ will reduce motion blur slightly on LCD's. It's most noticeable on the tickers that move on CNN or ESPN. On higher end Tv's they allow a software program to add in frames of animation for a smoothing effect (different companies call it different things on my Samsung it's called Auto-motion Plus). You need to turn the effect off for gaming because it can cause controller lag. So it really is not necessary for gaming.

Response time is an important feature for LCD's. The faster the response time, the less blurring you will have while gaming. I would try to get something 6ms or under. On slower response time TV's, when you rotate the camera, you will get significant blurring.

Contrast Ratio: Contrast is really important to a Tv. It's what makes colors look bright and blacks look dark. The problem is that their is no standard on how to measure it. Companies just create their own measurement and put out this huge number. The only true way to see if you like the contrast of a television is to adjust the TV yourself and see it with your own eyes.

HDMI Inputs: At this point, I would not purchase a TV with less than 3 HDMI ports. You may not need them now, but you will.

Brand: Sony,Samsung,Sharp,Vizio all make quality low to mid level priced LCD TV's. Shop around and find the best TV in your price range. If you can go to Sam's Club or Costco, you can get great deals there. Also look at Open Items. You can get a discount on a TV and still get the same warranty.Finally check TV reviews on CNet or another site that reviews epuipment. It should help with the pros and cons of any tv you are thinking of purchasing.

Hope this helps.