Tour & Design

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The SV370XVT has a matte finish to its screen. Its bezel is made of glossy, black plastic. The underside of the bezel is comprised of two long, thin speakers, at the center of which is a convex metal hub.

Back

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We couldn't get a great shot of the back of the TV because of the cramped quarters. The back of the TV has a small set of ports, off to the right side and the power port is towards the left.

Sides

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There is exactly one interesting feature on the bottom of either side of the TV. The right side has a USB port and the left side has a giant power button. There are no other on-set controls at the moment, but since this is a pre-production TV, this could change.

Stand/Mount

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The stand is shaped like the Star Fleet insignia, only it's made out of glossy, black plastic. It matches the bezel.

Aesthetics

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The TV looks plain, overall. The glossy black and matte finish don't say much, although the way the TV handles the speakers looks nice. The plastic on this preproduction unit looked a bit cheap, though. Hopefully the final version will use a slightly higher grade.

Performance Features

Display Size & Technology

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This is a 37-inch LCD TV. Unlike some of the other, fancier Vizio models we checked out today, this one has the standard LCD technology. If you want to check out Vizio's TruLED or Smart Dimming technology, read our FI of the VF551XVT, or our full review of the VF550XVT.

 

Formats & Resolution

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The SV370XVT is capable of 1080p resolution at 120Hz. This is just about the current top-of-the-line spec list. There are 240Hz HDTVs out there, but the jury's still out on whether or not there's a significant difference between 120Hz and 240Hz.

Brightness, Blacks and Contrast Ratio

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We didn't have the opportunity to view much content on the SV370XVT, and we didn't bring our fancy testing equipment, so we can't really speak the the black level or peak brightness performances. Additionally, this is a preproduction unit, so the final version could be very different.

Color

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This was a preproduction unit, without a lot of content diversity, without a known configuration, and we had no helpful testing robots. We really can't speak about the unit's color performance.

 

Motion & Refresh Rate

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This is one of the smaller TVs we've seen with a 120Hz refresh rate. A high refresh rate means a smoother picture. A 120Hz refresh rate, by virtue of multiplication, is twice the standard refresh rate of 60Hz. Although we can't say anything definitive until we get a final version into our testing labs, we will say other 120Hz Vizio HDTVs had good motion performance. 

Viewing Angle

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We had no complaints with the TV's viewing angle (again, preproduction unit, things could change, etc.). Even at extreme viewing angles we didn't notice any significant contrast ratio dips or loss of luster. LCDs, particularly entry-level LCDs like the SV370XVT, typically have issues with viewing angle, so we hope this doesn't change for the final release.

Connectivity & Media

Audio & Video Ports

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The only port on the sides is the USB port. It's located at the bottom of the TV's left side.

On the back, you'll find three HDMI ports, a DVI and accompanying 3.5mm audio port, a total of three analog audio inputs and one output, one set of component inputs, an S-Video port, a composite in, an optical audio port, and the cable/antenna port.

Media & Other Connectivity

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Inserting a USB thumb drive will prompt you to explore its multimedia files. The TV can play back photos, music, and video files.

The photo and video menus let you navigate a folder hierarchy to find your content. The photo player lets you construct slideshows, complete with music and customizable delays and scene transitions. The music player features a basic layout, with songs extending down the left in a column and the main screen displaying the title, album, genre, and other information.

 

Placement

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The ports are located on the right side of the TV's back. While they're close to the edge, they are indented a few inches further than we would've liked. The stand doesn't rotate, The ports are indented slightly further in that we would've liked.don't have the greatest placement.

Audio

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Just like with our picture quality sections, we can't really offer our opinion on audio quality since this was a preproduction unit.

Controls, Menu & Remote

Remote

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The SV370XVT's remote wasn't at this particular line-show. It would probably be safe to assume the final release will, in fact, have a remote, especially if the set doesn't grow any on-set controls between now and then.

Controls

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The lower right side of the TV has a power button. This is the extent of the TV's on-set controls.

Menu

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The menu system looks to be about the same as what we saw on the Vizio VF551XVT. It's simply, intuitive, and three items long.

Conclusion

 

Series Comparison

XVT Series

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Vizio's XVT series are their high-end televisions. Previously restricted to larger sizes, the XV370XVT is an example of the smaller sizes that they are rolling out to their lineup. The lineup now includes 32, 37, 42, 47 and 55 inch models. All models include a USB port for viewing media. The 2XVT models include internet connectivity with Yahoo widgets and access to services like Amazon On Demand. These models also include refresh rates of either 120 or 240 Hertz.