Vizio P50

Summary: Ok, I have to admit to myself that this is a "Budget Plasma". For $1900, I'm not going to get some of the high-end features that are really hot right now.

This is my 2nd Plasma monitor. My first was a JVC PD-42WX84 with a 1024x720 resolution. I didn't know it at the time, but 1024x720 is *NOT* true High-Definition. There were major issues with false contouring, not to mention motion artifaction on film sources that made those movies nearly unwatchable. I only mention this because of the review above that stated FC to be an issue with this model. I have not seen that at all, as of yet. At least not on TV/DVD Film or Video sources. I have to admit that I do see it in a couple video games, but it's not bad enough to be distracting. I eventually returned that TV (Who loves Costco's policy, raise your hand!) for something bigger and better.

The main reason I purchased this monitor because I wanted a new set w/2 HDMI inputs. I use one for my Comcast DVR, and one for the GPU card on my HTPC. The new Comcast 6412 DVR has an HDMI out, which allows your signal to remain in the digital domain from source to user. That's a good thing.

Don't let the lack of tuner disuade you from buying this monitor. Think about it - if you care enough about television to spend nearly $2000 for a TV, then you're probably going to subscribe to some sort of service that provides you with a tuner, which itselfs makes your built-in tuner obsolete anyway!

The only complaints I have about this Plasma Monitor are the plastic bezel, and the Vizio brand name on the front. The bezel I can live with. As long as people don't get too close, it looks ok. The Vizio label gives away the fact that I'm a cheap S.O.B. and that I buy my TV's at Costco. Things could be worse, right?

The major concern with any TV, be it plasma, LCD, rear-projection (LCD Projection, D-ILA, DLP) is Picture Quality. Now, I can honestly say that the PQ on the Vizio PD50HDM is better than the JVC I used to own (which, by the way, was $1300 more expensive, and 10 inches smaller) by a long way. Plus, the user interface is much simpler to understand and use. If one makes use of tools like Avia's "Guide to Home Theater" DVD calibration tool, then one can dial in an absolutely perfect picture. I highly recommend the use of such a product.

This is a bright plasma screen, too. I have a Panasonic PT-50LC14 (LCD Rear Projection), and sometimes the brightness of my viewing room caused me problems. This problem was even more pronounced for peripheral viewers. Even when that room was dark, the Panasonic was almost too dark if one were viewing from the sides. I'd say that the viewing angle on that TV is about 90 degrees, optimally. Compare that to the 170 degree viewing angle with this plasma, and you'll get an idea of how bright it really is. Or, picture this - in the Costco showroom, where they make no effort at all to have the TV's in the darkest part of the store, the Vizio was the brightest of any of the sets on display, including plasma models from Philips, Hitachi, Panasonic, and Maxent.

Look, if you're reading this review, you're probably in the market for a flat-screen TV, but you don't want to go broke buying one. If you want my recommendation, this is by far the best of the "value models". The great thing is that if you buy one from Costco, and a month (actually, up to five years) don't like it, you can just take it back, as long as you have your receipt.