Vizio SV471XVT LCD HDTV Review

The SV471XVT is a 47-inch HDTV that continues Vizios winning streak of providing decent performance at a great price. Atlhough this update to the popular SV470XVT HDTV is not the top of the heap in performance terms, it is good value for money at $1500, especially for a full HD 1080p screen.

The screen itself is on the large side of things:  it is about 4 inches deep and weighs about 44 pounds. It eschews the trend for thinner screens because it uses conventional CCFL (Cold Cathode Florescent Lamp) backlights rather then the up and coming LED backlights, which allow the screen to be thinner and lighter. But it wears its weight well; the design of the display is clean and simple, although we did find the glossy bezel a little prone to picking up reflections.  The remote is a standard Vizio model which fits well into the hand, although the channel and volume controls are a little bit low; we found that we often had to shift the remote in the hand to reach them.

Performance (Read the full lab performance results at Televisioninfo.com)
The SV471XVT performed well in many of our tests, but we found it lacking in some areas. For one, the black level was very high (at 0.41 cd/m2, when other displays are at 0.1 or less), which means that blacks have a rather muddy, greyish look. The SV471XVT was one of the brightest diplays we've seen, though; we measured the peak brightness at an impressive 460.42 cd/m2, which means that the images should still be visible in everything but direct sunlight. We also found that it had decent color performance, with clean whites and only moderately bumpy color respose curves. However, the viewing angle was very poor; we found that the contrast between the blacks and whites fell by 50% at just 26 degrees off from straight on, which is a significantly smaller angle than many other displays; the Samsung LN-46A750 (a $1900 46-inch LCD display) managed to keep the contrast ratio above 50% of maximum right out to 55 degrees. what the poor viewing angle of the Vizio means is that those on the end of the couch or in the chairs around it won't get the full experience of the display; they will see a much paler version of the image.

We did find that the SV471XVT did a very decent job of producing smooth motion on the screen, though; objects zipping across the screen and fast camera pans looked smooth and didn't loose much detail; the 240Hz processing that the display includes makes a significant difference to the quality of the final image. The SV471XVT also did an excellent job of detecting and processing the 3:2 pulldown effect that some broadcasters use to make their broadcasts look more like the 24 frames per second look of movies in the cinema, and it also had no problem displaying a 24 frames per second HD signal produced by a high end Blu-ray player.

The SV471XVT does not include some of the streaming media and widget features that are becoming common: it does not have an Internet connection. But if you want to access Twitter and watch Netflix videos on your TV, Vizio has a companion display (the SV472XVT) that includes some of the features for an extra couple of hundred dollars that is due to be released later in 2009. The SV471XVT does, however, include a USB port which can be used to play back photos, music and videos from a USB thumb drive. The interface for this feature is basic, but adequate; you can select individual photos or create slideshows, but you can't tag photos or use playlists for organizing files. It's fine for showing off some holiday snaps, but it won't replace iTunes.

Comparisons (Read the full comparisons at Televisioninfo.com)
There's no denying that the SV471XVT is well priced: at about $1500 for a 47-inch HDTV, it is one of the cheaper models at this size. Sony's budget 46 inch model (the KDL 46Z5100) costs about $200 more. If you really want to save money, another option to consider might be the SV470XVT, the predecessor model which is now available for about $1300. This is very similar to the SV471XVT, except it has slightly worse motion, a dimmer backlight and does not include a USB port.

The SV471XVT is great value for money: priced at about $1500, it is one the cheapest models in its size out there. But this price involves a couple of compromises, such as the weak blacks and a lack of streaming media features that are becoming commonplace. However, the SV471XVT does excel in other areas, such as the smooth motion and good color performance. You can get a better performing TV if you pay a bit more, but the low price of the SV471XVT will be the deciding factor for many users.

For a more in-depth review, visit the VIZIO SV471XVT Review at our partner TelevisionInfo.com