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VIZIO VF551XVT LED-backlit HDTV spotted in the wild

by Richard Lawler posted Sep 26th 2009 at 10:35PM

We'd been promised at CEDIA that VIZIO's first LED backlit LCD would be hitting stores within days and were thankfully not misled. EHD reader Evan spotted this VF551XVT chilling on a Costco rack (not the best place for PQ evaluation, we know) nearby rocking a $1,999 price tag, we're sure they can be found in your neck of the woods by now. The only decision remaining, if VIZIO is a brand on one's watchlist, is whether to snap up this reasonably-priced competitor, or wait a little while for its widget & WiFi packing Connected TV VF552XVT due out later this year.

Don't let retailer's lights distract you from buying the right HDTV

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 10th 2009 at 5:01PM


In case you hadn't already learned your lesson and started checking behind the displays while HDTV shopping, the HD Guru points out another element of the in-store experience that throws off buyers (and likely contributes to the LCD vs. plasma choices we find so infuriating): lighting. In case you don't recall from your last trek to a big box superstore, the lighting is quite often stuck on blinding making it nearly impossible to discern any difference in picture quality between televisions, specifically in terms of contrast and black levels (the pictures above are of the same value priced display, at left, under normal home lighting, at right, how it looks under some store lighting setups.) Tested with an illuminance meter, all the stores (except Best Buy's Magnolia showrooms) averaged well above home ambient lighting levels, with Wal-Mart and Costco measuring the highest at 411.66 and 742.77 lux. Still, there's tips on how to get a good idea of a TV's black levels even under those circumstances, plus some choice words left over for the incredible (and useless) dynamic contrast ratio numbers every manufacturer trots out these days, so go ahead and get educated.

Sony's goal for '08: Outpace LCD market growth

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 18th 2008 at 6:44PM


Sony's got every other LCD manufacturer in its sights this year (we know, we've got the roadmap), taking the stage of Finetech Japan 2008 predicting sales of 108 million units globally, and, through investments and "technological differences", being in position to take the lion's share of them. Sure in the U.S. upstarts like Vizio have grabbed a chunk of the market, and things are just as cutthroat in Japan, but beyond its partnerships with Samsung and Sharp, Sony's focused on growing partnerships with Best Buy, Costco and Wal-Mart to reach 15-20 million LCDs this year. Other than lower costs as production increases, and advanced technology, 2009 plans call for a 32-inch HDTV that needs less than half the power of a current model, and even more super-slim OLEDs.

Vizio releasing 52-inch 1080p LCD for $2,200 next month?

by Thomas Ricker posted Jul 18th 2007 at 8:28AM

We know that many consumers like their flat panels big and cheap even at the expense of quality. No doubt then, Vizio's new "full-HD" 52-inch LCD rumored to sell at Costco next month will be a hit. The $2,200 sets are even said to carry an LG.Philips panel according to DigiTimes' Taiwanese supply chain sources. Promising, but will they bring LED backlighting, 120Hz tech, and 1080p24 HDMI input? Doubtful, but the money you save should keep the fridge swollen with Bud into the foreseeable future.

HD DVD player spotted for $249 after rebate

by Ben Drawbaugh posted May 25th 2007 at 11:12AM

HD DVD Costco
When we first heard about the new FATHER's DAY HD DVD rebate we instantly hoped that it would be offered with other discounts, and now it seems that someone has spotted an HD-D2 at Costco for $249. For those who aren't familiar with Costco, they like to change the model numbers, so this is the same as the HD-A2 to everyone else. While $50 off the MSRP isn't the best deal we have seen without a rebate, at this price anyone trying to decide between an upconverting DVD player and HD DVD, has a really easy decision to make..

The retail presence of the format war

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Apr 30th 2007 at 2:35PM

HD DVD Vs. Blu-rayWith a full year of the format war under our belt we grabbed our camera and took some pictures of both formats on display at local retailers. We hit Best Buy (with a Magnolia built in), Circuit City, Target, Wal-mart, Sears, K-Mart, Sound Advice, and Costco. We tried to get some pictures from the east coast and the west coast of the US in a few major retailers, and discovered how different their offerings are depending on location. Check out the full gallery after the jump and a synopsis.

Continue reading The retail presence of the format war

Tube TVs quickly fading into oblivion

by Matt Burns posted Aug 7th 2006 at 1:13PM

The iconic tube TV is fading off rather quickly. People just don't want the big, bulky tube sets anymore with the new, fancy flat-panels just screaming for attention and it all boils down to price. For around $500 a person can get a quality tube TV or for around $800, they can pick up a cheap LCD. Now, we aren't saying that the cheap LCD is better, 'cause we all know that most CRTs will outperforms even the highest-end LCD, but the average person doesn't care. They just want the thin screen. Manufacturers have cut their model lines and retailers are slowly fading them out too. In fact Costco is not going to sell them after this years holidays. CRTs represented 78% of the market in 2004 but only 54 this year. There is still a market for some people looking for a bargain though as you can find a 32-inch tube for around $300 each weekend by looking in the weekly fliers.

Are you ready to kick your CRT to the curb and make way for a nice, new flat-panel HDTV?

Where do you get cheap Blu-ray discs now? Costco

by Matt Burns posted May 30th 2006 at 11:17AM

Read that title again. Costco is getting into the high-def media with two Blu-ray titles that are available now! A Knight's Tale and House of Flying Daggers are up on their website and available for purchase. The release info indicates that it comes out on June 20th, but the site lets you add it to your cart and purchase the disc with no mention of any type of delay. Best of all too, they are cheap. The Blu-ray discs have a list price of $28.95 but Costco has it for the same price as Amazon at $19.99; but Costco seems to be shipping theirs. Not that there is really anything to play the disc in yet...

NOTE: We did go ahead and purchase A Knight's Tale to see what will happen. The order is 'In Process' right know but we will update the post when ever it changes.

[via HDBlog.net]




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