Vizio VO47LF

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Performance
The short story on the VO47LF's picture quality is that it can't muster the depth of black seen on many more-expensive panels and its initial color temperature could use some work, but we did appreciate its accurate primary colors and adjustability. After our standard calibration (click here or scroll down to Tips for our picture settings), we checked out Castaway on Blu-ray, comparing the Vizio with the budget Insignia NS-PDP42 along with our reference displays for color and black level, the Sony KDS-55A3000, and the Pioneer PDP-5080HD, respectively.

Black-level performance: The depth of black produced by the Vizio VO47LF is about average for a budget set; not too bright but definitely not nearly as dark as better flat-panel LCD and plasma displays we've reviewed. From the sweet spot in front of the TV, dark areas such as the night sky over the FedEx tarmac or the shadows inside Tom Hanks' Jeep Cherokee appeared a bit darker and more realistic then on the Insignia, but not nearly as rich as on the other two displays. However, shadow details, such as the tangled depths of Helen Hunt's hair or the folds of Hanks' jacket, did appear less distinct on the Vizio than even the Insignia.

Color accuracy: Calibrating the VO47LF's color temperature improved this area immensely; unfortunately the Warm preset was entirely too red (it measured closer to the 5,400K black-and-white standard then the ideal for HDTV of 6,500K), while the Normal and Cool were unacceptably blue. After adjustment, white areas such as the captains' shirts and the froth of the water entering the airplane looked much more natural, although in dim areas the tone was still too red. We also noticed that, as with many LCDs, the black and near-black portions of the screen were tinged with blue.

Primary colors were relatively accurate, from the lush greens of the jungle island to the blue of the ocean and sky to the orangish-red of Hanks' canvas bag. Color balance also stood the test, as evinced by his not-too-ruddy face in the first couple days of being stranded. We did notice that colors in general lacked the kind of punch and saturation we saw on the Pioneer, a symptom of lighter black levels, but accuracy was solid overall.

Video processing: As with nearly every 1080p LCD we've tested, the Vizio fully resolved every detail of a 1920x1080 test pattern, but as usual it was next-to-impossible to see any difference in detail between this 1080p display and the 720p (er, 768p) Pioneer. The Insignia did appear a bit softer in some highly detailed areas, like the rock face or sand or an overhead shot of a jungle floor, but we chalk up that difference to the Insignia's unusually soft picture, not to any advantage the Vizio's 1080p resolution brings. The VO47LF failed to properly deinterlace 1080i film-based material, but as usual that failure was extremely difficult to spot in program material.

Other considerations: As with many LCDs, the Vizio's performance falls off if you move off-angle from the sweet spot, at a rate that's more noticeable than many other LCDs we've seen. The darker areas of the image wash out, and from extreme angles a characteristic reddish tinge sets in. On the flipside we were impressed by the uniformity of the VO47LF's picture across the screen, which remained solid except for the extreme upper-left corner, which looked a bit brighter than the rest in the darkest scenes.

Standard-definition: The Vizio turned in a mediocre performance overall, with a few jaggies visible on moving diagonal lines, some softness in high-detail shots unless the sharpness control was maximized, and relatively ineffective noise reduction.

PC: Although the analog PC input accepted 1920x1080 sources, they looked soft and text appeared choppy, and the set was unable to resolve every line of horizontal resolution, even after the "auto adjust" feature was activated. Via HDMI, PC sources looked superb as expected.

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