Vizio VP505XVT has Choosen as PC MAG Editors’ Choice Plasma

Television broadcasters must begin airing only in digital starting February 17, 2009, ceasing their analog signals. That requires customers with “rabbit-ear” antennas who don’t subscribe to cable, phone or satellite television services to replace their TV or get an analog-to-digital converter.

Lower-priced TV brands such as the Vizio may have an advantage as consumers look for values. “Consumers might be going for some of the cheaper alternatives out there,” Frost & Sullivan’s Krishna said.

Vizio has good reputable as TV manufacturer that always offer affordable price. One of the best in small screen HDTV is Vizio VA22LF, a 22″ full HD 1080p LCD HDTV on sale for $299.99.

Talk about value: The affordable ($1,499.99 MSRP) 50-inch Vizio VP505XVT plasma features full 1080p screen resolution and superb standard-definition video processing, all wrapped in a stylishly modern design. The set’s default color setup isn’t optimized for accurate HD viewing, but its picture controls can remedy that.

Equipped with the highly acclaimed HQV video-processing technology, the VP505XVT upconverts standard-definition video to the TV’s native 1080p resolution with better clarity and fewer distracting artifacts than any other plasma PCMAG tested. But some of the video-processing features, including its very effective noise-reduction system, are inexplicably disabled when the set is displaying high-def video sources; video compression and other artifacts were left unchecked in a selection of Dish Network HD clips on PCMAG tests.

Accurate color reproduction is what separates a great HDTV from an average one. The VP505XVT produced admirably accurate, though slightly over saturated, primary and secondary colors. Also, the VP505XVT’s average white balance was also a bit too blue, but the TV’s grayscale response from mid-gray to peak white was very consistent.

It’s good to see even inexpensive HDTVs providing plenty of HDMI ports; this set has four, two of which are side-mounted. Additional HD-compatible video ports include one component video input, VGA, and an RF input that feeds an analog/digital cable tuner. The VP505XVT’s downward-facing rear HDMI ports, like those of the Vizio SV420XVT, are a bit of a tight fit with thicker cables, but the relatively thin 6-foot HDMI cable included with the TV fits perfectly.

Plasma televisions generally consume more electricity than similarly sized LCDs, and the VP505XVT follows suit: Its estimated operating cost of $7.08/month (356W average) is in line with other 50-inch plasma screens. If you use the TV’s less-intense movie picture preset, its estimated operating cost drops to $5.82 (292W) based on 5 hours of daily use at $0.13/kWh (a San Francisco average).

Specifications :

Size : 50inch
16:9 Wide Screen
Tuner: Integrated NTSC/ATSC/QAM HDTV Tuner Native Panel
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Panel Specifications: Anti-Static and hard coated surface
Display Compatibility: FULL HDTV (1080P)
Signal Compatibility: 480i (SDTV), 480P (EDTV), 720P (HDTV), 1080i (HDTV), 1080p (FHDTV)
Colors: 1.073 Billion
Brightness: 1,200 cd/m2 (typical)
Contrast Ratio: 30,000:1 (typ)
Viewable Angle: 178-degrees
Picture-in-Picture (PIP)
Picture-outside-Picture (POP)
Audio: Built-in 10W x 2 (2-way)
Weight Gross: 114.7 lbs, Net: 95.9 lbs, Without Stand: 88.7 lbs

Vizio’s VP505XVT plasma HDTV delivers impressive SD upconversion and solid HD detail in a slick modern design, at a price ($1,499.99 MSRP) that would have been unheard of only a year ago.So it’s PCMAG newest Editors’ Choice plasma.

Product Page Via PCMAG