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  • Introduction

  • Overall Design

  • Front

  • Back

  • Sides

  • Stand/Mount

  • Controls

  • Remote Control

  • In the Box

  • Black Level

  • Peak Brightness

  • Contrast

  • Tunnel Contrast

  • White Falloff

  • Uniformity

  • Greyscale Gamma

  • Color Temperature

  • RGB Curves

  • Motion Performance

  • 3:2 Pulldown & 24fps

  • Resolution Scaling

  • Formats

  • Viewing Angle

  • Reflectance

  • Video Processing

  • Calibration

  • Video Modes

  • Ergonomics & Durability

  • Button Layout & Use

  • Programming & Flexibility

  • Connectivity

  • Placement

  • Audio Quality

  • Menu Interface

  • Instruction Manual

  • Internet Features

  • Local Media Playback

  • Other Media

  • Power Consumption

  • Value Comparison

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Motion

  • Viewing Effects

  • Connectivity

  • Value Comparison

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Motion

  • Viewing Effects

  • Connectivity

  • Value Comparison

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Motion

  • Viewing Effects

  • Connectivity

  • Conclusion

  • Model Series Comparison

  • Photo Gallery

  • Ratings & Specs

  • Introduction
  • Overall Design
  • Front
  • Back
  • Sides
  • Stand/Mount
  • Controls
  • Remote Control
  • In the Box
  • Black Level
  • Peak Brightness
  • Contrast
  • Tunnel Contrast
  • White Falloff
  • Uniformity
  • Greyscale Gamma
  • Color Temperature
  • RGB Curves
  • Motion Performance
  • 3:2 Pulldown & 24fps
  • Resolution Scaling
  • Formats
  • Viewing Angle
  • Reflectance
  • Video Processing
  • Calibration
  • Video Modes
  • Ergonomics & Durability
  • Button Layout & Use
  • Programming & Flexibility
  • Connectivity
  • Placement
  • Audio Quality
  • Menu Interface
  • Instruction Manual
  • Internet Features
  • Local Media Playback
  • Other Media
  • Power Consumption
  • Value Comparison
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Motion
  • Viewing Effects
  • Connectivity
  • Value Comparison
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Motion
  • Viewing Effects
  • Connectivity
  • Value Comparison
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Motion
  • Viewing Effects
  • Connectivity
  • Conclusion
  • Model Series Comparison
  • Photo Gallery
  • Ratings & Specs

Introduction

UPDATE: We re-ran all the tests with Smart Dimming enabled and provided the results from both sets of testing in the review. The final scores for the review were not changed. You wouldn't want us to (unless you hate Vizio for some reason). Though Smart Dimming improved black level and contrast ratio, it decreased the scores for Peak Brightness, Tunnel Contrast, White Falloff, Uniformity, RGB Color Curve, Motion Artifacting, and Viewing Angle. Because we review and score a television across a wide range of factors, rather than throwing all our emphasis around contrast ratio and black level, the aggregate, weighted final score would have been lower with Smart Dimming enabled. Please enjoy reading the review, in all its nerdy detail.

Overall Design

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Vizio has traditionally positioned itself as a discount TV manufacturer, and it's clear that design has taken a backseat. Compared to leading 55-inch televisions from Samsung, Sony, and the like, the Vizio is bulky and cheap looking. There's a lot of plastic around the bezel that makes the Vizio look behind the times.

Front

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The Vizio XVT553SV is not an attractive TV, by most reckonings. It's not the ugliest thing we've seen in technology, either. Vizio just chooses not to focus so much on design. From the front, you can see how much bulky plastic is used. It's simply out of touch with modern TV design.

Back

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The back of the Vizio XVT553SV is mostly plain, black plastic. All the ports are gathered in one corner. It can get tricky to reach these back ports, though, because the TV panel does not swivel on its base.

Sides

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The Vizio XVT553SV is not very thin, at least not by modern, LED-backlit standards. If they wanted to, they could have shed some inches here. In terms of functionality, one side is plain and the other has a few ports and the 'Jag Wheel' controller dial.

Stand/Mount

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The Vizio XVT553SV comes out of the box with the stand pre-assembled and attached to the display panel. Unfortunately, the base does not allow the panel to swivel back and forth, which always irks us a little. It's not hard to do, it just costs a few cents extra. So do it!

Controls

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The Vizio XVT553SV has just one button on the whole TV unit that's meant to control power, volume, channel up/down, and input. It's called the 'Jag Wheel,' which must be one of the stupidest feature names we've heard in some time, and in no way describes the functionality. When you push the button, a small menu appears on screen prompting you to choose which option you'd like: power, volume, etc. You scroll down, then push in to select, then sometimes scroll again to enact your choices. The process is unnecessarily complex and time consuming. It's really a matter or re-inventing the wheel, when we had a perfectly good wheel to start. Are six separate buttons really so terrible that Vizio had to sit around until they invented this?

Remote Control

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The remote control for the Vizio XVT553SV is great and unlike any TV remote you've seen. It features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, just like on a cell phone.

In the Box

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The Vizio XVT553SV is a very large TV, and requires at least two people to safely set up. The TV ships with stand, remote control, batteries, an instruction manual and other documentation.

Black Level

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The Vizio XVT553SV was calibrated with the special video processing features like Smart Dimming and Ambient Light Sensor disabled. We do this because the features tend to be distracting or because they hurt overall image quality. They are disabled for all televisions prior to testing.

Because of some interest in local dimming technology, we ran the tests again with the feature enabled. As you can see, the blacks got blacker, as expected. No surprises there. However, it does come with a cost, as you'll see later on.

Black Level (Local Dimming Off)

With local dimming turned off, the Vizio XVT553SV does have a very bad black level score. At best, the black level was only 0.54 cd/m2. This is several multiples brighter than the black levels on the Samsung and Sony, and even worse than the bad scores from the LG.

When the Smart Dimming feature was on, the black level dropped to an impressive 0.05 cd/m2, but there are some serious side effects. First is that the areas of high contrast have halos that float around them. The second is that the dimming doesn't look that 'smart,' and constantly shifts the backlight depending on the screen content.

More on how we test black level.

Peak Brightness

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Below, you can see how much light the TV loses with the local dimming on.

Peak Brightness (Local Dimming On)

With local dimming turned off, however, the peak brightness of the Vizio XVT553SV was very good, measuring 423.53 cd/m2. That's more than sufficient for any type of viewing. More on how we test peak brightness.

Contrast

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Below is the contrast ratio with Smart Dimming enabled. Obviously, there's a big bump in the contrast ratio score. Be warned, though, that video processing isn't free. You pay for it with poor consistency and other issues, discussed in the Video Processing section.

Contrast (Local Dimming On)

With Smart Dimming turned off, the Vizio XVT553SV had a poor contrast ratio, due to the bad performance in our Black Level test. As such, the contrast ratio measured just 784:1. Compare that with the other TVs below and you'll see how far behind the pack this TV stands. More on how we test contrast.

Tunnel Contrast

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The Vizio XVT553SV had no problems maintaining a consistent black level, regardless of how much or how little of the screen is black, surrounded by bright white. These results are based on the Smart Dimming featured disabled. If the feature had been enabled, the results would have been terrible, playing hell with the consistency of the black levels:

Tunnel Contrast (Local Dimming On)

Below are the much more reasonable results with Smart Dimming turned off. More on how we test tunnel contrast.

White Falloff

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The Vizio XVT553SV had no problem maintaining a consistent peak brightness, regardless of how much or how little the screen content has a bright white spot. This is a normal performance for LCD televisions. More on how we test white falloff.

Uniformity

Greyscale Gamma

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Greyscale gamma examines how well a TV transitions from black to white. The Vizio XVT553SV did an excellent job on this test, and the chart below tells us exactly how well. First, the line is very smooth, which means that you'll see almost no instances of banding in the greyscale. Secondly, look at the lower-left portion of the line, which represents the shadow details. On bad TVs, this line becomes horizontal, indicating that the TV can't resolve any distinguishing details in that area. On the Vizio XVT553SV, the line gets a little flatter, but the shadow details are still pretty good. Finally, there's the overall slope of the curve. At 2.35, that's very close to the ideal curve (between 2.1 and 2.2). More on how we test greyscale gamma.

Color Temperature

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The Vizio XVT553SV showed an outstanding ability to maintain a consistent color temperature. As you can see from the chart below, the errors never pass into the range of human perception. More on how we test color temperature.

RGB Curves

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We hate to keep harping on the side effects of the Smart Dimming feature, but it show up once more here. As you can see below, if you enable the Smart Dimming feature, you lose a fair amount of detail in the highlights (upper-right corner of the chart).

RGB Curves (Local Dimming On)

With local dimming turned off, the Vizio XVT553SV showed a strong performance in the RGB color curves test, which indicates that you can expect good color performance in most types of viewing. The red, green, and blue channels move in unison, and there's little bumpiness in the lines, which indicates that you won't see much color banding. There is some peaking going on in the red channel (upper right end of the line), so the TV misses some of the detail in the brightest portions of the red spectrum. More on how we test RGB curves.

The lines below are digital recreations of the data above, based on the better results with Smart Dimming disabled.

Motion Performance

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Motion Smoothness (8.0)

The Vizio XVT553SV did a very good job producing smooth motion. With all the video processing features disabled, moving objects had even less fine detail loss and jitters than most TVs we've reviewed. Sure, it's not perfect, but we've seen a lot worst.

With the Smooth Motion feature on, a lot of the jitters and fine detail loss disappeared, but other artifacts appeared, detailed below.

Motion Artifacting (7.25)

With motion processing features off, the motion artifacts on the Vizio XVT553SV are similar to what you'd see on any LCD TV: minor trailing and stair-stepping of some lines. When you activate the Smooth Motion feature, those tend to disappear, but you see more flickering. For some strange reason, there also seemed to be a vertical 'line of demarcation' on the screen, and every time a moving object passed it we noticed a fluctuation, like a little wave.

The other major issue with Smooth Motion, along with most motion processing features on other TVs, is that they make film-based content look weird. There's no other word for it or way to describe it. People look over-processed and too sharp.

We also ran the motion tests with Smart Dimming enabled. It can create some problems, especially with the the rigorous test patterns we run. The issue with this and all local dimming features is that there are simply too few zones (the areas of the screen that have their own dimming). If a bright object crosses a black background, the objects takes on a wide, diffused halo because the blacks that occupy that same zone are getting brighter, as well. It presents a real problem with movies set in outer space, or during credit sequences, or in any scenes of high contrast. More on how we test motion performance.

3:2 Pulldown & 24fps

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The Vizio XVT553SV is perfectly capable of playing 24fps content (including things like Blu-Ray movies). Motion could have been smoother, and there were occasional instances of trouble with high frequency patterns. For the most part, though, it was fine. More on how we test 3:2 pulldown and 24fps.

Resolution Scaling

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The Vizio XVT553SV is a native 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution, but much of the content you'll be watching is of a lower resolution. It's up to the TV's internal processing to upscale it for the screen. Overall, the XVT553SV did not do a great job. The 1080i even the native 1080p footage had a very hard time with high frequency patterns. Patterns that are supposed to be black & white became green. For this, we knocked points off. However, the 480p and 720p looked better. More on how we test resolution scaling.

480p

The 480p content lost 3% of the top and bottom and 2% of the sides due to overscan.

720p

The 720p content lost nothing to overscan.

1080i

The 720p content lost nothing to overscan, but showed bad discoloration in certain types of high frequency patterns.

Formats

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The Vizio XVT553SV is a native 1080p resolution, and can play all types of NTSC video.

Viewing Angle

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The Vizio XVT553SV showed a real strength in the viewing angle performance. It extended as far out as 86 degrees, in total (43 degrees from center on either side), before losing a significant portion of the contrast ratio. The LG was similarly good, while the Sony Sony and Samsung were rather narrow. All four are LCD displays, so the LG and Vizio are even more impressive.

Once again, however, we need to mention the effects of having Smart Dimming turned on. As you can see below, it decreased the total viewing angle by about 17 degrees.

Viewing Angle (Local Dimming On)

And below, the results with Smart Dimming turned off:

Reflectance

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The Vizio XVT553SV creates a big, wide, diffuse glow when an ambient light hits the screen from dead on. If the light is coming in from an angle, it's far less distracting, so you can try some different arrangement for the TV and light until you're no longer bothered by it.

Video Processing

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The Vizio XVT553SV has a number of processing features, but we recommend using them with cautious conservatism. The big feature here is Smart Dimming. This is Vizio's trade name for the local dimming found on several LED-backlit LCDs. In short, local dimming means that the giant rectangle of LED lights is broken up into smaller zones, and each zone can set its own backlight level depending on the screen contents in any given moment.

At its best, local dimming means that you can have the brightest whites and the darkest blacks coexisting on the same screen at the same time. Sounds great, right? Well, as you might imagine, there's also a catch. There are only so many zones on a give TV (the actual number is rarely disclosed by the manufacturer). Because of this, something odd happens in scenes with high contrast. Imagine scrolling movie credits, or the gleaming starship Enterprise moving across the inky blackness of space. The black immediately surrounding that bright text or starship appears much brighter than the black on the rest of the screen, because that zone is lit-up to enhance the whites. But it's messing with the blacks that are also in that zone. The effect is like seeing the white object with a giant, diffused halo around it.

In everyday viewing, you may actually enjoy what Smart Dimming can bring to the table. A TV show or movie with nothing but midtones won't show these problems. But serious movie watchers (ironically, it's probably those in the target market for a $2100, 55-inch TV) will likely notice the problems. We recommend leaving it off, but were asked by some to leave it on. So we published the relevant test results in both modes.

Calibration

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To start off, we put the Vizio XVT553SV in Cinema mode (sometimes called Movie mode on other TVs), which typically offers the best color accuracy. From there, we calibrated the TV. Our final settings are below.

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All of our calibration is done in conjunction with the DisplayMate software.

](http://www.displaymate.com/)

Video Modes

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The Vizio XVT553SV has more video modes than the average TV. Some of them are merely subtle variations on a common theme of oversaturating certain color tones. Modes include: Standard, Movie, Game, Vivid, Football, Golf, Basketball, Baseball, and Custom.

Ergonomics & Durability

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The remote control that ships with the Vizio XVT553SV is a bit out of the ordinary. As you can see from the photos, the remote has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Presumably, this is to better interact with the internet apps, including Facebook, Twitter, and more. It's easy to scoff at the notion of people actually being preoccupied enough with their social networking services that they'd need it on the same screen as their television programs. However, considering the fact that Twitter even exists and is beloved by millions, that tells you something about people right there. Get used to it.

The slide-out mechanism on the remote feels cheap, so we wouldn't expect an exceptionally long lifespan. When closed, though, the remote feels solid and comfortable.

The remote is also unique in that it has both IR and Bluetooth connectivity to the TV. Why they don't just settle on one is a bit of a mystery. The TV can also theoretically connect to other Bluetooth devices, but those features have not been activated yet.

Button Layout & Use

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The remote control is split into two primary groupings. The traditional remote control-type buttons are on the top, made of a soft, rubbery material. We were very pleased with the intuitive feel of these buttons, and were sailing through the menu without looking down at our hands within minutes.

The QWERTY keyboard was merely adequate. Sure, it's cool that it exists, but there's nothing exceptional about it.

Programming & Flexibility

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Of course, on a remote this fancy, it's going to be universally programmable. The necessary codes are in the instruction manual, or online here.

Connectivity

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Input Ports (6.0)

The Vizio XVT553SV has an adequate number of ports, but not as many as some high-end TVs. What's actually included is a little confusing. There are five HDMI ports, which is one more HDMI than we've ever seen on a TV before. There's just one component AV and one composite AV input. There are also three USB ports, but none of them do anything!

Most of the ports are on the back of the TV, but one HDMI and the three useless USB ports are on the side.

Output Ports (2.0)

The Vizio XVT553SV has two output ports, a digital audio out and an analog audio out. This is standard for most HDTVs.

Other Connections (8.0)

The Vizio XVT553SV has a LAN ethernet port, as well as built-in WiFi. We had no trouble connecting to our network. There is no DLNA support. Read more about streaming content features here.

Media (1.0)

The Vizio XVT553SV has three USB ports, and as of this date, they are completely useless. That's right, they don't play photos, videos, or music, or anything else. Though the box art states that they can be used to view JPEGs, it's not true. In the instruction book, Vizio simply and flatly states that they are 'reserved for future functions.' What amazing features, we wonder, could require three USB ports?

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Placement

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The ports on the Vizio XVT553SV are mostly located on the back of the TV, and because the TV panel does not rotate on the stand, it's tricky to reach back there and change out plugs. On the easier to reach side panel, you'll find one HDMI and three USB ports. Oh, wait. The USB ports are useless. Sorry.

Audio Quality

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The Vizio XVT553SV has decent audio performance for a TV in its size and price range. There are few options in the menu to change the sound quality. It's mostly limited to turning the surround sound emulator on or off (we liked it 'on') and an automatic volume limiter.

For best sound quality, we always recommend an independent audio system.

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The menu on the Vizio XVT553SV has been completely redesigned from the 2009 Vizios we reviewed, with significant improvements. Response times are faster, the look is cleaner, and the organization is more effective. Combined with the excellent remote control, we were impressed with the whole menu interface.

The main menu is broken up into a grid pattern with icons. The choices here are fairy straightforward. Once you select an option from here, you're taken to a vertically-aligned menu with all the options spelled out. For better or for worse, the menus will not disappear from the screen unless you explicitly exit the menu.

Instruction Manual

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The instruction manual is a big, magazine-sized, color document. Some of the pictures inside and cheap and cheesy, but we liked that all the information was spelled out. There's a table of contents and an alphabetical index to help guide you. You can find the Vizio XVT553SV's manual online here.

A manual for so many TV models, they have to be further categorized by type.

Internet Features

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The Vizio XVT553SV has a number of streaming content features. The main feature set is simply a plug-in of Yahoo TV widgets, which is found on several other TV manufacturers. So long as Yahoo keeps adding content partners, Vizio owners will keeping finding offers for new apps to download. A complete list of offerings (to-date) can be found in this massive comparison chart.

Local Media Playback

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The Vizio XVT553SV cannot play back photos, because though there are USB ports, they serve no function whatsoever.

Likewise, the Vizio XVT553SV cannot play back music or videos through means of the USB ports.

Other Media

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The Vizio XVT553SV does not support any other type of media.

Power Consumption

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The Vizio XVT553SV consumes a fair amount of power compared to similarly sized sized LCD TVs, but it's certainly not an outrageous amount. We estimate an average cost of $23.86 per year in electricity costs. Of course, it depends greatly on how bright the backlighting is set, which is discussed in the table below.

This next chart shows how the Vizio XVT553SV compares to other TVs.

Value Comparison

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The Samsung UN55C7000 has a 3D display. The Vizio XVT553SV is not. That's the primary basis of the price discrepancy. The Samsung is also a much sexier looking TV, which has to be worth some monetary value. In terms of raw, 2D performance, the Vizio stands up decently to the powerhouse Samsung, offering better color performance and a wider viewing angle. However, the Samsung has a far wider contrast ratio and deeper blacks. If you can afford it, get the Samsung. If you're looking to save money, the Vizio XVT553SV is a very good television.

Blacks & Whites

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The Samsung UN55C7000 was a far better performer when it came to black level and contrast ratio, as you can see from the chart below. There was no contest. Of course, the Samsung employed some kind of subtle dynamic contrast ratio that we couldn't disable. Consequently, we like the Vizio's ability to turn all those kinds of settings off, but recognize that the Samsung is the better TV.

Color Accuracy

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The Vizio XVT553SV was much better in terms of color performance than the Samsung UN55C7000. It offered more consistent color temperatures and smoother colors transitions.

Motion

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The Vizio XVT553SV had good motion performance, as did the Samsung. We thought the motion smoothness was better on the Samsung, but the Vizio offered fewer artifacts.

Viewing Effects

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The Vizio XVT553SV clearly came out ahead in the viewing angle test, nearly twice as wide as the Samsung.

Connectivity

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Neither of these TVs are particularly power-packed with ports.

Value Comparison

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The Sony KDL-52EX700 is a very good television, and if you do your research, you may be able to find it fairly cheaply. Sony clearly has the stronger brand name, so what are you actually getting with that. First of all, the TV is better looking than the Vizio, that's for sure. The Sony also has an outstanding streaming content selection in a layout that we find more intuitive than the Yahoo TV apps on the Vizio. This particular Sony also offers a far, far better black level and contrast ratio. On the other side of the fence, the Vizio has the cool remote control, a better viewing angle, and a few extra inches of screen size. Given the price, we'd definitely choose the Sony.

Blacks & Whites

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The Sony 52EX700 completely crushed the Vizio XVT553SV in black level and contrast ratio, with an equally bright white and a far, far darker black level.

Color Accuracy

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The Vizio XVT553SV once again came out on top in color performance. The color temperature was far more stable, and the RGB color curve test showed that the Vizio was at least a little more stable in terms of color transitions.

Motion

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The Vizio XVT553SV and the Sony 52EX700 have roughly comparable motion performances. Both were satisfactory or better, and both offer optional motion smoothing features.

Viewing Effects

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The Sony is not nearly as wide in its viewing angle than the Vizio XVT553SV.

Connectivity

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The Sony has one fewer HDMI than the Vizio XVT553SV, but is more generous in most other regards.

Value Comparison

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There's no reason the LG 55LE5400 should be priced higher than the Vizio XVT553SV, because the performance and feature set do not merit it. Sure, the color performance and viewing angle are very good, but they're matched by the Vizio. The Vizio shares the same faults, too: terrible black level and a narrow contrast ratio. But the Vizio XVT553SV is cheaper and comes with built-in WiFi, a cool remote control, and better streaming content options. The only other reason to choose the LG is that it's a prettier TV than the Vizio (the Vizio certainly is ugly). Our recommendation is the Vizio.

Blacks & Whites

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The LG was no champ when it came to black levels or contrast ratio, but it did manage to beat the Vizio XVT553SV. Neither is very good.

Color Accuracy

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The Vizio XVT553SV and LG 54LE5400 are both strong performers when it comes to color performance. The Vizio managed a consistent color temperature a little better, but overall, its an excellent performance from both.

Motion

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The Vizio XVT553SV has better motion performance than the LG, though we certainly wouldn't call the LG bad. We Vizio was just smoother and less prone to artifacting.

Viewing Effects

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The Vizio XVT553SV and LG 55LE5400 are virtually identical in their viewing angles, and both are very good for LCD displays.

Connectivity

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The LG has several more ports than the Vizio XVT553SV, though it lacks the built-in WiFi, which is very handy.

Conclusion

The Vizio XVT553SV ($2199 MSRP) is probably the first Vizio to actually impress us. It's a big 55-inch screen for a reasonable price, and it's loaded with great features: built-in WiFi, an excellent selection of streaming content, a great interface, and a remote control with full QWERTY keyboard.

There's the tantalizing prospect of features to come, as well. The Vizio XVT553SV has Bluetooth connectivity, but there doesn't seem to be any application for it right now beyond the remote control (which is both IR and Bluetooth). The TV also has those three aggravating USB ports, which serve absolutely no function right now. They better be planning something big for that many USB ports, but, again, we're not holding our breath.

The core video performance is a bit less clear-cut. The color performance is among the best we've seen, and the viewing angle is truly impressive for an LCD display. However, the black level and contrast ratio were among the worst. Our testing procedures require us to shut off features like auto dimming in order to get the most accurate performance. If auto dimming enabled, the black levels drop considerably, but there's a nasty halo-effect around high contrast objects. In order to bring you the full story, though, we retested with Smart Dimming enabled to see the pros and cons of the feature. (Read more about Smart Dimming)

All in all, we think Vizio deserves a round of applause on this one. We can only hope that they continue to surprise us.

Model Series Comparison

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There are three models in the 3SV series, a 42, 47, and 55-inch. All three have the same feature set and connectivity options.

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Ratings & Specs

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Meet the tester

David Kender

David Kender

Editor in Chief

@davekender

David Kender oversees content at Reviewed as the Editor in Chief. He served as managing editor and editor in chief of Reviewed's ancestor, CamcorderInfo.com, helping to grow the company from a tiny staff to one of the most influential online review resources. In his time at Reviewed, David has helped to launch over 100 product categories and written too many articles to count.

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