Vizio still #1 for LCDs in North America
Just when we were ready to give the North American LCD throne back to Samsung and Sharp, iSuppli has released its numbers, claiming Vizio is still on top. In contrast with the previous rankings from DisplaySearch, iSuppli saw Samsung improve its marketshare in the third quarter to 12.8 percent, but still unable to match Vizio's mark of 13 percent. Along with the new numbers is information that the other manufacturers have taken note of Vizio's success and increased their promotions, the tight competition should promise many choices and better prices as we get into the all-important holiday season.[Via TG Daily]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mp3 @ Nov 22nd 2007 3:33PM
It's interesting that consumers would rather spend less money on a disposable TV with a bad picture than pay a little more for something they will enjoy so much more in the long run.
CharlieX @ Nov 22nd 2007 3:51PM
No it's not. Most consumers think stretch-o-vision is HD. They buy Vizio because 1) it costs less and 2) no one cares when you're watching football if the panny plasma would look better.
JGD @ Nov 22nd 2007 4:30PM
i agree a sammy for me i like the styles of their tvs and much more better quality than vizio
DerfBWH @ Nov 22nd 2007 4:04PM
My household is the owner of a 42" Vizio Plasma P42, as well as a 32" Vizio LCD. Both have amazing picture quality in high definition and very much acceptable in standard def - my only complaint is actually a defect of the panel used in the Vizio 42", there's some red static overlapping black colors (not noticeable from a distance), but it's more of an annoyance then a real issue.
+1 for Vizio, as long as they make the stuff as they are right now, I will continue to buy from them.
GhostDoggy @ Nov 22nd 2007 4:08PM
Mp3, why should you care what others are spending their money on? If you find nothing of value in Vizio, why consume your time bashing them? I would think watching whatever product you bought into is worth more of your time than not. Maybe I am wrong. So, what product did you buy such that posting anti-Vizio posts is worth more of your time? I want to spend more, like you, and get less use out of it. lol
David @ Nov 22nd 2007 4:25PM
Why should you care about his comment?
And you are bashing on him
But, anyways I would rather buy something with better quality and I wouldn't care about spending a little more, just a TV
In my opinion I would rather much have a Samsung or LG
GhostDoggy @ Nov 22nd 2007 4:11PM
CharlieX, you are correct. Many people are buying inexpensive flat panel products to replace what otherwise would be their direct-view boob-tube. Unfortunately, some cannot see this and think the only people buying a flat panel are those aspiring to riches (elitist standing), and thence need to chastise and make fun of folks not willing to spend more.
I'm betting those like Mp3 were probably burned before in a bad buy and need to lash out on what other people are doing.
JeffDM @ Nov 22nd 2007 4:51PM
I think the point still stands that if people realized how much time they will spend watching their new TV, the cost of a new flat panel wouldn't seem so bad. I think the cost comes down to pennies per hour of use over it's life.
I really can't say anything about Vizio, though I hear they are often good for the price. Not everyone can justify a more expensive unit.
Rick @ Nov 22nd 2007 10:02PM
I am very picky about PQ, and care about my HDTV. Among my Panny and JVC LCD/LCOS, I also have a Vizio. On HD channels, there is not much of a difference. The Vizio is a smaller screen then my other two, but I was impressed expecting merely a watchable pic. The Vizio has earned my 'will consider again' nod.
larrylevine @ Nov 23rd 2007 3:53AM
As someone who recently bought a Vizio 32" LCD I can't say enough great things about it. I admit it is not the best TV available but I wanted to replace the 27" tube tv that died in our bedroom and the thought of spending more than 500 seemed excessive. Having had this 32' for two months now I may even consider Vizio when it is time to replace the 57" in our Living Room - Afterall - the money I save on the TV I can spend on our new baby girl :)
Joe McGuckin @ Nov 23rd 2007 1:48PM
I wouldn't be so quick to denigrate the Vizio Plasma TV. One of the snootier AV magazines - yes, one where they just love the $15K Pioneer and BARCO displays - reviewed of the Vizio, initially expecting
to find it to be a cheap piece of junk. Instead, they were very pleasantly surprised to find it performed very well (extremely well for it's price category).
WxBill @ Nov 23rd 2007 3:43PM
most ppl don't care about the bells and whistles, just as long as it does the job they don't care.
Alex @ Nov 23rd 2007 11:26PM
are vizios actually any good, i know they're cheap but im not sure whether they have good pq etc.
lee @ Nov 24th 2007 12:53AM
There is a certain class of people that think that spending more means they are getting a better product, and by association they are better people. That is what drives people to buy things at places like bang and olufsen.
To answer the above poster - I really like my 32" Vizio. It reviews well against the pricer sets, and beats the heck out of any of the other stuff in the same price range.
DWells55 @ Nov 24th 2007 8:03AM
I own a 37" Vizio LCD and I'm pretty happy with it. It's not going to compete with higher-end TVs, but I'm very happy with it considering I only paid $730 for it. It does a really nice job with 1080i and 720p channels, but SD channels don't look so hot. I'm not sure if it's the cable feed in my dorm, but it doesn't look great. Not unwatchable, but again, it can't compete with what I've seen from higher-end LCDs.
My real issue is with the lack of scaling available for SD content. You have a zoom mode, a stretch mode, and a "panoramic" mode. Panoramic is 100% useless, it keeps the center normal and then stretches the sides in a way that no one I know can handle watching. It's like watching everything through a fishbowl. The zoom works, but you can't move it up or down. So I can't have it zoom and go over the top portion so I can see the score for SD sports games.
The Xbox 360 looks great hooked over HDMI. Vibrant (although not 100% accurate) colors, no noticeable lag at 720p, and a solid response time that makes blurring minimal. I've played a lot of Call of Duty 4 on it and been really happy with it. HD video content on the 360 also looks great and I was surprised how well the TV scaled a 480p DVD over component video on the 360.
In short: it's a good TV for the money. It doesn't handle standard def content well, but you'll likely be pleasantly surprised with the quality in HD progamming. Highly recommended for thsoe ona budget.
roz @ Nov 26th 2007 6:47PM
"It's interesting that consumers would rather spend less money on a disposable TV with a bad picture than pay a little more for something they will enjoy so much more in the long run."
Oh so judgmental. Vizio are less expensive but they don't have a bad picture and its not clear that they are "disposable". We will see about their longevity.
With my guidance my parents bought a 47" 1080p LCD for $1600 from Costco last January. At the time the Sharp 46" model was $2700. I can see in the specs that the Sharp has better contrast ratio and faster refresh 4 ms v 8 ms but I am pretty sure they, and most consumers, will never see the difference.
Everyone who comes to the house agrees that the picture on the TV looks amazing. They have no idea they are looking at the cheapest brand. Most people are used to a small SD tube. I just can't understand under what terms the Sharp is worth 50% more than the Vizio.
Is it better to buy a smaller Sharp than a larger Vizio? Do you really think the Sharp or LG are that much better? I don't think so.
Is it better to wait an extra 18 months for the Sharp price to get to Vizio's price today? I don't think so.
And then there is the question of why not buy what seems to be an apparently good American brand when one is available. Sure it made in China, but I'd rather reward the local player.
The fact of the matter is that if you have cable or satellite, all of these TV s are glorified computer displays. They have the same panels, its a digital signal, it just seems to me that the screens don't decide very much of the quality. The real issue is getting HD programming, once you have that. pretty much everything looks great.
The UI on the Vizio is reasonable, so is the remote. It has good inputs. Its fine.
In the end you rarely use the Vizio remote or any of the controls or settings. All you do is turn the TV on and off, other than that its all about the HD/DVR cable box - if my folks have any problems with their setup its that device and the difficultly they have with it.