Vizio L37

CNET Editors' Rating 6.3/10 Good Editorial policies >>
Average user rating from 54 users 7.5/10 Very good Read user opinions >>

Product Summary

The good: Relatively inexpensive; includes HDTV tuner; accurate colors; can reproduce deep blacks for an LCD; HDMI and PC inputs; adjustable backlight.

The bad: Some false contouring; below-average standard-definition performance and off-angle viewing; no rear S-Video input.

The bottom line: The Vizio L37HDTV maintains a deft balance between ultralow pricing and surprisingly good picture quality.

Specs: Product type: LCD TV; Diagonal size: 37 in; Brightness (cd/m2): 500 See full specs >>

Price range: $999.99

See all products in the Vizio L series

CNET editors' review

Reviewed by: David Katzmaier
Reviewed on: 07/25/2006
Released on: 11/15/2005

Thanks to extremely aggressive pricing, Vizio has risen to become one of the most-popular flat-panel TV brands out there. HDTVs priced as low as the 37-inch flat-panel Vizio L37HDTV ($1,399 and falling) usually have a few major issues with features or picture quality. Vizio has struck a winning balance in the past, however, and the L37HDTV tries to continue the trend.

The external appearance of the Vizio L37HDTV won't turn any heads, but neither will it embarrass its owner while sitting out in the open. The screen does have an unusually large amount of cabinet between its edge and the side of the entire panel, which leads to bigger overall dimensions--37.8 by 29.9 by 12.2 inches HWD with stand--than many 37-inch LCDs. Silver-and-black coloring guarantees that the L37HDTV will blend in with most sets on the market these days, although the TV brings a bit of flair, rounding the top edge of the (nondetachable) silver speaker section slightly as it emerges from under the black frame. A row of basic controls can be felt under the frame, while a set of A/V inputs with S-Video hides on the right side.

Vizio's remote and menu system remain unchanged from the L32HDTV. The clicker's numerous nonbacklit keys lack much differentiation, which makes finding the key you want, such as Wide to change aspect ratio, relatively difficult. We also wish the remote offered another way to select inputs other than moving through each one sequentially. It offers extensive control of picture-in-picture, though, and it can command three other pieces of gear.

The set's internal menu system is bare-bones basic, although we appreciated that the User picture settings differed for each input. The three Vivid presets are all basically the same, and while there aren't any choices for different color temperatures, the out-of-box color temperature was accurate enough (see below). The presence of an adjustable backlight, a picture control that's become increasingly common on LCDs, was welcome when we adjusted the set for dim-room viewing.

While the Vizio L37HDTV's selection of inputs is adequate considering its price, we did notice a couple missing links. There's just one HDMI input, although we're willing to bet that most viewers of this less-expensive HDTV won't miss the second. More glaring is the lack of a rear-panel S-Video input; the only such jack is found on the side. Other connections include two component-video inputs, two composite video inputs, one VGA-style PC input (1,366x768 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.

As usual, we began our critical viewing session by adjusting the Vizio for the optimum picture in our darkened home theater. After tweaking the set's user controls and calibrating its color temperature, we set it up next to a few other LCDs we had onhand, all of which cost more than the Vizio: the Sharp LC-37D90U, the Dell W3706MC, and Vizio's own L42HDTV.

The less-expensive L37HDTV held its own surprisingly well. We immediately noticed that it delivered a deeper level of black than most other budget LCDs we've seen; the letterbox bars and the field of black behind the titles of the Syriana HD-DVD, for example, were significantly darker than on the Dell. The field of black also remained constant across the screen, whereas many LCDs have bright spots, especially along the edges. Shadow detail was also solid. We could see all of the gradations from shadow to black in the leather jacket of Bob Barnes's (George Clooney) contact Arash in the Tehran club, for example. The deepest black areas were slightly tinged with blue but not nearly as badly as with some LCDs we've seen.

The picture did have a few problems, however. As Arash put his arm around his companion, for example, we noticed some false contouring, which appeared as distinct lines instead of a smooth fade in the shadow on the white wall behind him. This artifact wasn't as prevalent on the other LCDs. Contouring also appeared in lighter areas, like the blue paint of the pillar in the warehouse where Barnes goes to inspect the bomb. We also noticed that the Vizio became more washed-out than any of the others when seen from off-angle.

Perhaps the Vizio's greatest strength is its color accuracy, something that's pretty rare among HDTVs in general and low-buck LCDs in particular. In the User preset via HDMI, the set came quite close to the standard up and down the grayscale, aside from its bluer dark areas (see the Geek Box). After calibration, we were able to get the grayscale nearly perfect. Of course we don't expect many users to spring for a calibration of a TV in this price category, but its linear grayscale tracking--its ability to maintain a consistent color temperature--pays dividends either way. In the scene where Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon) and his family eat breakfast, for example, their skin tones appeared more natural than on any of the other three LCDs, and there was no hint of red push in the fair faces of his wife and kids. We were also impressed by the accuracy of the primary colors, especially green, which is often problematic with LCDs.

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 1,366x768 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 mage without undue edge enhancement.

With standard-def sources, on the other hand, the L32HDTV turned in a below-average performance. Its composite and S-Video inputs looked softer than component-video, and none of its analog jacks did a very good job of smoothing the difficult jagged edges from the HQV test disc. Its worst characteristic, however, was its inability to deal with noisy, low-quality sources. Yes, it lacks any kind of noise-reduction circuit, but so does the Dell, which smoothed out the noisy, snowy shots of sky and other fields much better than the Vizio. In its favor, the L37HDTV did engage 2:3 pull-down detection quickly.

Once again, Vizio manages to deliver that elusive combination--competent video quality, enough features, and styling that passes muster--for a price that's really difficult to beat. The L37HDTV maintains its company's tradition, offering one of the best values we've seen yet among flat-panel LCDs.

Geek box

Test	Result	Score
Before color temp (20/80)	7,435/6,629K	Average
After color temp	6,489/6,515K	Good
Before grayscale variation	+/- 228K	Good
After grayscale variation	+/- 39K	Good
Color of red (x/y)	0.639/0.338	Good
Color of green	0.285/0.600	Good
Color of blue	0.146/0.049	Average
Overscan	4.75 percent	Average
Black-level retention	All patterns stable	Good
2:3 pull-down, 24fps	Yes	Good
Defeatable edge enhancement	Yes	Good