Vizio VF550XVT photos

At CES this year, Vizio caused a stir by announcing the VF551XVT, a 55-inch HDTV with local dimming LED backlighting and 240Hz processing for the rock-bottom price of $1,999. If you look carefully at the model number of this review, you'll notice it says VF550XVT. One digit makes a lot of difference in this case; the model reviewed here had neither of those features, although it still costs around $1,999 in stores.

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.

Read the full review of the Vizio VF550XVT.