Vizio XVT553SV

Pros: Great picture. Does a nice job with SDTV (480i) as well as HDTV. Crisp color with deep blacks and bright whites. Very low power consumption. Matte finish screen has almost no glare and very wide viewing angle.

Cons: Base does not swivel. USB ports???!!

Summary: I've had it for a couple weeks and like it more every day. Setup was quick and easy. Connection to the internet was painless. I use MAC address filtering, so the quick setup didn't apply, but as soon as I went to custom setup the TV displayed it loud and clear. Apps and widgets are sufficient and seem similar to other TV's.

The picture on the TV is absolutely amazing for an LCD display. Local dimming and full-array backlight mimics Plasma for color depth. The matte finish on the screen gives almost zero screen glare. The preset picture settings seem pretty basic - I would recommend playing with custom settings. The display does automatically adjust brightness based on room light, but that can be quickly disabled if you want. (I've actually found it to be a nice feature) The "240hz" (we all know it is really 120) display has no noticeable blur when watching football or baseball. Judder also doesn't seem to be a problem with movies. Video gaming is smooth. My only complaint there may be that it is too good - my wife felt motion sick during a racing game. The "blooming" issue was something I looked for on movie credits, and when they were displayed against a totally black screen, I did notice just a touch of it. But really - who cares about a little bloom on credits. I have looked for and not noticed it anywhere else.

Sound is acceptable from the stock speakers. They do about as good of a job as anyone could expect for simulating stereo/surround from built-in's. As with all TVs, a decent home theatre system really enhances the sound experience.

I did notice that the manual said the USB ports were "for future expansion". I haven't tried them, but this seems like a simple thing to get going and a shortcoming for Vizio.

Finally - the "bang for the buck" category is off the scale for this TV. Most competitors cost at least $1000 more.

Regarding the couple reviews that got faulty units out of the box: Certainly this is a disappointment and a hassle, but all electronics have a potential for a bad uint. That doesn't mean this is a bad model. I would echo the recommendation for an extended warranty (I got one) with any product with a video display. Display failure is always a risk.