Vizio GV42LF

Vizio has sold a lot of HDTVs by undercutting the competition's pricing with key technologies at popular screen sizes. The GV42LF is another example, bringing 1080p resolution to a 42-inch screen at a price that's tough to beat. As usual, we found a lot to like about the GV42LF's picture, especially considering its price: it can deliver a relatively deep black, its color after adjustment isn't bad, and it makes an excellent computer monitor. Of course we found some things to complain about, but in sum they won't deter many bargain-seeking shoppers who are convinced they need 1080p and prefer LCD over plasma. Of course, 1080p resolution at this size is mostly wasted on non-PC applications, and Vizio's VP42 plasma costs less and is a good performer in its own right.

Speaking of bargains, Vizio makes a virtually identical 1080p 42-inch LCD, the VU42LF, that costs even less but should deliver identical picture quality. We say "should" because we didn't review the VU42LF, but according to Vizio, it lacks only the detachable speakers, virtual surround sound, and compatibility with high-resolution computer signals (maxing out at 640x480 via HDMI and 1,024x768 via VGA; see below for the GV42LF's computer capabilities). Aside from these features, dimensions, and appearance, the two sets are the same.

Design
There's nothing special about the Vizio GV42LF's familiar appearance, but it's fairly handsome nonetheless. The stand and removable speakers--a nice touch that is also one of the main differences between this and the less-expensive VU42LF--are colored silver, while the relatively thick frame around the screen itself is glossy black. The company logo lights up bluish-white when the TV is turned on, and turns orange when it's turned off. And true to form, Vizio went too far with the text emblazoned on the bulge between the speakers, which reads "GALLEVIA 1080 PROGRESSIVE LIQUID CRYSTAL HDTV." The Vizio GV42LF measures 42 inches wide by 30.1 inches high by 10.6 inches deep, including stand and speakers; the panel, sans stand and speakers, measures 42 inches wide by 25.6 inches high by 5.2 inches deep.

We've spent time in the past complaining about Vizio's remotes, and now it seems the harping has paid off. The GV42LF is the first model we've reviewed with the new clicker, which is a marked improvement. Every key on the midsized remote is illuminated, the exception being the big cursor control disc. The buttons are well differentiated and well spaced; we really liked the four dedicated keys for directly choosing inputs. We could complain about the mushy-feeling cursor disc and the fact that the aspect-ratio key shares space with the less-important "record" button, and we don't love the A, B, C, and D keys (which are only useful for controlling certain gear aside from the TV), but that's about it. The remote can command three other pieces of gear.

The set's menu system is straightforward and simple enough to use, although it was a bit confusing to have to use the menu key, as opposed to a dedicated "back" button, to move to a previous level in the menus. While the menu screen itself obediently disappears during most picture adjustments, it annoyingly remains overlaid during a few, including those in the Advanced video menu.

Features
At the top of the GV42LF's spec sheet is its 1080p native resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels--the most available today--which enables the set to display every detail of 1080i and 1080p sources. All other sources, including 720p HDTV, DVD, standard-definition TV, and computers, are scaled to fit the available pixels.

We appreciated the numerous picture controls on the GV42LF. It offers three non-adjustable preset picture modes, along with a fourth Custom mode that's independent for each input. Unfortunately, the backlight control is an exception and remains at the same level for every input and picture mode--a limitation that prevents you from effectively using one setting for a bright room and another for a dark room. We did like the ability to fine-tune the color temperature beyond the three available presets, of which Standard came closest to the, um, standard of 6,500K. We weren't big fans of most of the options available in the Advanced picture menu, however, and ended up leaving them turned off for critical viewing of high-quality sources (see Performance section for details).

The Vizio offers a choice of just two aspect ratio modes for HD sources; one that zooms the image to cut off letterbox bars, and one that happily provides a dot-by-dot version of 1080i and 1080p sources for the sharpest possible picture with no overscan. We did miss having a mode with some overscan, which would have enabled us to obscure the interference that appeared along the extreme edges of certain channels, like ESPN HD from our DirecTV feed. A healthier selection of four modes is available for standard-definition sources.

In terms of conveniences, the GV42LF delivers an excellent, versatile picture-in-picture function that allows numerous combinations of sources, including RGB (from a computer) and HDMI. The obligatory freeze-frame function is also on board for people who like to read the fine print in car-financing ads.

While it lacks front-panel connections, the back panel of the GV42LF supplies ample jacks. It has two HDMI inputs, two component-video inputs, one AV input with composite video, another with S-Video, an RGB-style PC input (handling the full 1,920x1,080 resolution) and an RF input for the cable and/or antenna, including broadcasts to the ATSC tuner. There's also an optical digital output for surround soundtracks from said tuner, and a standard stereo audio output.

Performance
The Vizio GV42LF offers commendable picture quality for the price. Sure, we had some complaints, including less-than-ideal shadow detail and color accuracy, but we did appreciate its solid black level performance and uniformity--two areas where many LCD, especially budget models, fall short.

During setup we reduced the GV42LF's light output to a comfortable 40 ftl for our darkened home theater, which required reducing the backlight control all the way. One benefit, as usual, was darker black levels. We also adjusted the color temperature controls--even the best preset setting, Standard, was too red (warm), especially in dark areas--but the results weren't as accurate as we'd like to see, with brighter parts of the image skewing too blue (cool). We turned off all of the Advanced control options, none of which seemed to improve the picture, and cranked down the color control significantly to achieve the right balance. To see our full user menu adjustments, click here or check out the Tips & Tricks section above.

For our comparison we set the Vizio up next to the Westinghouse TX-47F430S, a competing budget 47-inch LCD, and the Pioneer PRO-FHD1, our reference plasma. We chose to watch the great-looking Constantine HD DVD played over the Toshiba HD-XA2 at 1080i resolution.

One of the first things we noticed was the Vizio's solid black-level performance, which caused black areas like the letterbox bars and Keanu Reeves' overcoat to appear relatively dark--darker than the Westinghouse, although not quite as dark as the Pioneer. Our measurements confirmed that the Vizio's black levels were around the same as the company's L42HDTV, a lower-resolution 42-inch LCD, and darker than the GV47LF, the larger cousin of this set. Details in shadows, such as the pipe in the drain of a bathroom sink or the lapels on Keanu's jacket, appeared less distinct than on the Pioneer, but the Westinghouse was again less impressive than the Vizio in this department.

Color accuracy was about average on the GV42LF. Bright areas, as we mentioned, appeared a bit bluer than we'd like to see after calibration, although skin tones in dimmer areas, such as Reeves' pale face in the back of a cab or a close-up of Rachel Weisz in her darkened apartment, appeared more realistic. Unfortunately we had to reduce the color control to maintain accurate skin tones, which made the rare, colorful areas in this relatively drab film, such as the lush red carpet and drapes in the library, seem less rich and saturated than on the Pioneer. Primary colors, with the exception of a somewhat yellowish green, were fine.

Uniformity across the Vizio's screen was fairly good for an LCD. We detected slightly brighter areas in the upper-right and lower-left corners of a black screen, which were visible in the film's letterbox bars, among other places, but they were relatively subtle. Uniformity in brighter areas and scenes was good enough to not be noticeable during normal program material. Off-angle viewing was about average; the dark areas got significantly brighter when seen from extreme angles, but viewers to either side of the couch probably won't see much drop-off compared to someone sitting in the middle. There was also minimal false contouring visible on the Vizio, even with difficult transitions from dark to shadow, such as when Keanu Reeves travels to hell from an apartment, and the lights dim and grow brighter.

In terms of resolution, the Vizio GV42LF delivered every line of detail from our Sencore HDTV signal generator's 1080i test pattern. According to the HQV disc on HD DVD, the Vizio was able to properly de-interlace video-based sources, but failed to do so with film-based sources. That's common among most HDTVs we've tested, and the effects of improper de-interlacing are usually difficult to spot. We did see some moiré and interference in the grandstands of the stadium of the HQV disc, for example, and the grille of the RV at the end of Chapter 6 of Ghost Rider showed similar artifacts, but generally the image from 1080i sources looked clean. Nonetheless, as usual with 1080p HDTVs, we recommend selecting the 1080p output option on your source if it's available. It's also worth noting that the Vizio accepted both 1080p/60 and 1080p/24 sources, although for some reason it didn't pass every line of resolution on the latter, so you should avoid using 1080p/24 with this set.

You may be wondering whether the native resolution of 1080p made much of a practical difference in our viewing tests. The short answer is "not really." To be able to discern between the tiny one-pixel-wide lines of the Sencore's pattern, we had to sit about four feet away from the screen. Any point further back and they blended together, losing the benefits of 1080p.

When we popped in our favorite test for standard-definition performance, the HQV disc on DVD, we noted a few problem areas among the Vizio's generally fine performance. The set passed every line of resolution from the DVD format, and detail was good on the disc's stone bridge and grass scene. On the other hand, the Vizio did only a mediocre job of smoothing out the jagged edges from diagonal lines on the waving U.S. flag, among other places. The noise reduction control didn't clean up the worst scenes of skies and sunsets very well, leaving lots of moving motes even in the highest setting. The Vizio did a fine job implementing 2:3 pull-down detection, however.

With PC sources connected via the HDMI input from a computer's DVI output, the Vizio did an excellent job. It resolved every line of a 1,920x1,080 source with no overscan, and text looked crisp. The manual outlines the procedures needed for connecting at 1,920x1,080 via analog RGB, but we couldn't get it to work at resolutions higher than 1,366x768--which still looked pretty good. We expect that knowledgeable users intent on employing the VGA input can find a way to get full resolution to work, but it's not as plug-and-play as we'd like to see.