Best 60 inch LED for the price
I had been patiently waiting for this TV to become available via Amazon, mainly because of the unbelievably low price and good review given on CNET, but got tired of waiting and ended up purchasing this TV on 10/13 from Costco. They had just gotten a shipment in that day and once I saw it in the store, I knew I needed to get it. CNET had mentioned that the off angle viewing was not as good on this set when compared to LEDs from other manufacturers, but I haven't had any problems viewing this TV even from extreme angles. The TV was not quite as bright as the LG next to it at the store, but I believe this was mainly due to the matte finish of the screen. The LG had a glossy screen which made the picture very bright, but it also reflected literally everything behind it. My TV is now set up in a very sunny living room and the glare is minimal. Much better than the 37 inch Sharp LCD it replaced. For those looking for a basement TV, a glossy TV or a plasma might be the way to go, but...
Stellar Performance
I've had my Vizio E701i-A3 for about a month and I have been tweaking various settings the entire time to arrive at what I consider the best picture. I used two blu ray calibration discs; Digital Video Essentials and Spears and Munsil. The end result image with a high quality input source is jaw dropping. Colors are rich and beautifully rendered; clarity and detail are exactly what I would expect from a world class display. Even watching movies I've seen before is a revelation and a totally new experience.
Just a few years ago I would have expected to pay as much as $3000.00 or more to get this kind of performance. To say I'm happy with this TV is an understatement. I've been a home theater enthusiast for over sixteen years and this set is the end point of my home theater evolution. With this display I feel I have the best theater experience I've ever had and it beats every walk in theater presentation I've seen. If anyone has not taken the time to properly calibrate ANY HDTV...
LCD panel failures & audio sync problems (now addressed with warranty extension and firmware update)
PROS
- Big and bright; nice color; matte screen for bright rooms
- 4 HDMI inputs
- Thin and very attractive minimalist glossy black frame (less than 1" wide)
- Built-in WiFi and DLNA; most of the popular subscription-based smart apps
- Great value
CONS
- High LCD panel failure rate (On 2/8/2013, Vizio publicly acknowledged this and is addressing the problem. See below for details.)
- Severe audio-video sync problems (In mid-January 2013, Vizio released a firmware update to fix this issue. See below for details.)
- Still some glare in bright room
- Takes about 18 seconds to "boot up" from power on
- Only one shared composite/component input for older devices
- Slightly gray blacks and somewhat uneven back-lighting, although this likely varies between individual units
- DLNA and smart-app implementations are very crude (you are probably better off getting a dedicated device to do these, like a Roku or Apple TV)...
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