Vizio VF550XVT photos
Middling picture quality and the impending arrival of a much-hyped replacement model make the Vizio VF550XVT a tough sell despite its bargain price.
Vizio VF550XVT overview
Still reading? Good. The VF550XVT is among the least expensive 55-inch LCDs on the market, but it has a tough row to hoe at this point in its lifespan. First off, attentive readers will realize that if they just wait till June, when the company will ship the VF551XVT, they'll get a lot more TV (judging from the spec sheet) for roughly the same money. We expect Vizio to drop the price on this model at that point, or discontinue it completely, but in the meantime the VF550XVT's best hope is to be mistaken for its LED brother. Second, the overall performance of the VF550XVT is nothing special. We liked its accurate color, but found its black level performance and dejudder processing disappointing compared to other LCD sets. That said, if you're on a budget, want a really big screen--say, if 52 inches is just too small--and have your heart set on LCD instead of plasma, the Vizio VF550XVT makes a tempting target.