Vizio VF550XVT

When someone gives away a free HDTV, you don’t really expect it to be top of the line. However, as part of a 2009 marketing campaign that started with the Super Bowl and goes until August 31, 2009, Vizio is giving away a high-end feature packed LCD TV that you won’t be disappointed with. Of course it has the famous 1080p and 120hz refresh rate for smoother clearer picture, but this offering from Vizio also has 5 HDMI ports, more than any other model we’ve reviewed. It’s at least worth a look.

Standout Features

• 120hz refresh rate
• 1080p
• 5 HDMI ports
• SRS TruSurround

Features

Sure the 120hz and the 1080p are nice on the TV, but we’ve heard a lot about them through 2008 as they gained popularity and then were quickly overtaken in 2009 by models like the Sony XBR7 and SBR8 which feature a 240hz refresh rate and LED backlighting respectively. That said, 120hz and 1080p are still a good deal and the picture will be as clear as real life.

The feature that really makes the Vizio VF550XVT stand out, is the 5 HDMI ports. No other TV we’ve reviewed has that many ports. Sure it seems great, in an age where manufacturers are battling to get more and more packed into thinner and thinner panels, putting 5 HDMI ports seems like a win for Vizio. We’re sure it is, but we’re also not sure if you would actually ever use 5 HDMI ports. Four was already getting up there. But if you have your Blu-ray player and DVD player, the three gaming platforms from the major manufacturers you could fill it up easily, but still, that seems like a stretch. Especially since the Vizio also comes with a gaming input port.

This high-end XVT model does offer top-of-the-line audio quality with the SRS TruSurround in the integrated sound bar. Vizio has also included something called TruVolume, something Vizio says will balance out your sound levels so you don’t have highs and lows. Like when you’re watching a show and the commercials are unbearably loud, TruVolume will keep the volume at the level you set it at.

Summary of Reviews from Across the Internet

At the time of this review (Feb. 2009), there were very few to no expert reviews on the internet, however there were many user comments and reviews. For the most part, users have commented on the fact that the Vizio is significantly cheaper than many of the high-end models from Sony and Samsung and yet still has many of the features these other models have. One user commented that this TV was great for the economy right now. A fairly high-end TV but with a fairly low-end price tag.

Summary

When times are tough, people are going to be looking for the lower priced models in everything they do. TV buying will be no different. This will be Vizio’s opportunity to shine. You can expect to see the Vizio VF550XVT grow in popularity not only with the 55” million dollar event of 2009 but also because this HDTV packs high-end features like the 120hz refresh rate and the 1080p pixels to give you an attractive feature set with an even more attractive price.

See how the Vizio ranks among other LCD TVs with TopTenREVIEWS side-by-side comparison of the best LCD TVs on the market.