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More…Vizio, a brand that often appears in discount club warehouses such as Costco, hits the price/performance sweet spot with this 37-inch LCD TV. The black-and-silver L37HDTV model offers many basic features and a fair number of connections, while excelling in our TV viewing tests. With a street price of $1000 (as of September 8, 2006), it's one of the least-expensive sets of this size we've seen
Vizio Vizio L37HDTV
- Spec Navigator
- Screen Specs
- Broadcast Standards & Resolutions
- Dimensions and Weight
- Interface Connections
- Other Features
- Adjustments
- Aesthetics
- Included Hardware
Screen Specs
| Diagonal screen size | 37 inches |
| Display type | LCD |
| Pitch | 0.51 mm |
| Maximum resolution | 1366 x 768 |
| Contrast ratio | 600:1 |
| Brightness | 500 cd/m^2 |
| Horizontal viewing angle | 170 ° |
| Vertical viewing angle | 170 ° |
| Response time | 8 ms |
| Pixel Response Type | Gray-to-gray |
Dimensions and Weight
| Width | 33.13 inches |
| Depth | 5 inches |
| Height | 26.14 inches |
| Weight | 61 pounds |
| Wall-Mountable | Yes |
Interface Connections
| Other Interfaces | headphone |
| Input |
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| Output |
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- Lab Tested
- How We Test HDTVs »
Pros
Pleasing image quality
Thoughtful, easy-to-use design
Cons
Speakers lack oomph
Bottom Line
Easy-to-use HDTV offers a pleasing design and satisfying image quality, without breaking the bank.
Vizio L37HDTV
Vizio L37HDTV Review, by Roy Santos October 24, 2006
Overall our jurors were satisfied with the set's performance in our standard-definition and high-definition tests. The TV produced nicely saturated reds and greens in high definition. In a scene of a showroom of antique cars, the color of the red automobiles achieved a nice balance--bright without being unnatural. Hi-def TV broadcasts fared well, too. Skin tones in a George Lopez sequence provided natural-looking skin tones. The L37HDTV avoided the cakey tones that a few competing units exhibited, showing lighter-skinned actors in a more natural light. One juror commented on noticeable artifacts on red plaid curtains in the background, but another expressed satisfaction at the "smooth pan" when the camera moved from left to right to follow one of the actors.
The panel of judges rated a scene of a moving train as Good, though a few commented on "some striation" and an "exaggerated rainbow effect" in background clouds. Green tones were pleasing, showing an attractive contrast between the lighter foreground vines and the darker background trees. Shimmering on the silvery surface of the moving train was minimal, though average for this class of TVs. Notably, the L37HDTV received one of the highest scores--an average mark of Very Good--in our bright-lights test, where jurors viewed TV sequences with all the lights in the room turned on.
This model's design is quite pleasing. A black bezel borders the HDTV's glass, and thin silver metal accents the left, right, and top of the TV. Silver speakers occupy the bottom of the unit; they're curved at the top, so they seem to emerge from the bottom of the black bezel. An oblong silver base provides a visual break from the set's generally straight lines.
The built-in 10-watt speakers speakers produced adequate sound, but home-theater buffs should not expect anything spectacular. In the final horse-racing scene in Seabiscuit, dialogue was sufficiently audible, but the pounding hoofs from the horse race sounded unexpectedly dull. The speakers handled the simultaneous swelling soundtrack, dialogue, and horse-racing sound effects adequately, without muffling a single element. The overall sound lacked oomph, however.
The TV's on-screen display menu takes some getting used to, but it appears to be well thought out. Big icons top a translucent blue menu. You'll appreciate the descriptive text that appears below when you navigate to an ambiguous icon; for instance, the TV uses a camera icon for picture adjustments. You may get stuck in the Parental Control menu (signified by a slightly more logical padlock icon), since the TV won't let you leave it--even if you got there by mistake--unless you enter four numbers. Still, the OSD menu deserves praise for its overall simplicity and (hiccups aside) easy navigability. The remote includes programmable codes listed in the user's manual to control other devices, such as DVD players. It incorporates playback controls, too. Though a little on the heavy side, it is useful and easy to like.
Vizio's low-priced LCD TV provides a great introduction to the world of digital and high-definition TV. It shows good images that have pleasing color and saturation, and it won't drain your wallet. You can buy it directly from Vizio, too--no warehouse club membership required.
Roy Santos
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PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
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78
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65
-
91
- See Complete Lab Results »
78
83
79
86Performance
| Brightness and Contrast | Good |
| Color Quality | Good |
| Detail | Good |
| DVD Image Quality | Good |
| High-Definition Image Quality | Good |
| Image Quality Under Bright Lighting | Very Good |
| Interface Tested | HDMI |
| Overall Quality | Good |
| Standard-TV Image Quality | Good |
User Reviews
Average User Reviews for Vizio Vizio L37HDTV
8 Reviews Add your own »
- Latest User Reviews 8 reviews
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Reviewed by: Juliejam
Duration of ownership: 5 Months
Strengths: none
Weaknesses: Worst customer service! Not mentioned in their warranty that if you mistakenly touch the "service" port with another connection, your mother board fries and your warranty is null and void. There are no warnings or labels stating this will happen. My tv is 5 months old and is fried with no help from visio. This is the worst company I have ever dealt with! Do NOT buy any Vizio products!
Overall: Terrible customer service!
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Reviewed by: cashtonh
Duration of ownership: 2 Years
Strengths: Picture OK. Not great but OK for the price.
Weaknesses: Almost too numerous to list: Tuner doesn't work properly, sets turns itself off, green snowflakes on screen, no service from Vizio.
Overall: Am on my fifth Vizio set. The first four were defective in different ways; i.e., shutting down at random, green snowflakes on screen, tuner on last two did not work properly - can not use channel up down button, channels can only be selected by using number pad. Had to make many phone calls, send many emails and letters and finally threatened lawsuits to get defective units replaced. Fifth unit now in my possesion has a defective tuner and Vizio refuses to respond to my requests. Service tech dispactched to my home by Vizio stated that there were many problems with Vizio units. Units were not abused or misused and were used in a clean, climate controlled environment. All except last unit has been returned to Vizio for their inspection and they have confirmed that the units were defective as stated. Bottom Line: Vizio TVs are not inexpensive they are simply cheap.
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Reviewed by: catlover5119
Duration of ownership: 1 Month
Strengths: Price, size, remote has a lot of customizations, 42 pounds, easy setup, options like picture-in-picture, PC input, auto volume leveling. Other HDTVs more expensive costing less were either smaller than 37 inches, didn't have PC input, or didn't have volume leveling. Other HDTVs costing more were either smaller, didn't have auto volume leveling, or picture-in-picture, or PC input. I looked online for 14+ days, read reviews, and I picked the Vizio 37 inch. Searching 14 days approximately 8 hours or more each day is enough to find any product, in my opinion.
Weaknesses: I have had for less than a month, but so far I made a good buy at $799 for a 37-inch LCD HDTV.
Overall: All that I wanted. Very good buy at $799. I didn't get the USB 2.0 input that I also wanted, but with the price it's okay.
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Reviewed by: wrocksandich
Duration of ownership: 2 Months
Strengths: Works so well as a pc monitor I have a hard time giving it up tto watch TV with it. I like the fact it has a QAM tuner so I can watch HI DEF on my cable with out a cable box. I all so got a great price at SAMS.
Weaknesses: Picture is slightly Less smooth and life like then and older philips tube type I own. This may be because I have a cable box on it.
Overall: Over all for the price I love it.
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Reviewed by: katzkoll
Duration of ownership: 16 Months
Strengths: Customer Service, Picture
Weaknesses: Speakers
Overall: My first set was great but a picture problem occurred. They replaced it immediately at no cost. The next set has worked flawlessly with a great picture and is definitely worth the money. This is the best for the money compared to other brands. I would definitely buy this brand again.
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Reviewed by: paperboy55
Duration of ownership: 1 Month
Overall: My first LCD. Was going to buy the 37" Sharp Aqous at Costco for $1300 and saw this set for $900! So far am very pleased with it. Picture is excellent and set up was very easy. Cons: cheap remote control and speakers are mediocre, but the $400 cheaper price and Costco's guarantee were the selling point.
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Reviewed by: sruler
Duration of ownership: 1 Month
Strengths: Picture
Weaknesses: overall sound
Overall: Great picture Great price you can't go wrong with this screen I am so greatful PC World had Reviewed this product or else i wouldn't have ever known about Vizio
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Reviewed by: gemma
Duration of ownership: 1 Month
Strengths: Excellent LCD TV, with a good price.
Weaknesses: Still has delay when turning on and changing channels (no big deal)
Overall: Many of the items listed in prior reviews have been addressed and corrected. Like a lighted remote and now has 2 HDMI port. It has all the input and output connections I need. This LCD was tested and rated above many other brands by PC World, and given a VERY GOOD rating. Excelling in their TV viewing tests. I got my moneys worth at Costco for 999.00.
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: cmmaschke
Strengths: Picture quality, price, looks nice
Weaknesses: ATSC tuner
Overall: The Vizio produces very nice pictures from all sources that I have tried. The HD is great when it works, but when it moves quickly, the tuner seems to have a problem. When the camera isn't panning, it is a clear picture. I was planning on waiting two months until I move to get HD from my cable company and use the over the air tuner, but that doesn't seem to work all that well. I have my computer hooked up to it at it's native resolution and the image is crystal clear. I also have an XBOX 360 hooked up to it and I'm having it display in 720p and it looks amazing. Overall I'm very happy with the purchase.
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Reviewed by: mjasoncc
Strengths: Cheap price. Costco's return policy let's you get rid of the lemon quickly
Weaknesses: Mediocre picture quality, lots of "weird" problems, awful customer service with limited weekend hours.
Overall: We bought one at Costco. The price was amazing. For the price the picture quality was definitely good enough. However, it kept acting "buggy" as if it were a computer with a virus. First, the pciture kept zooming in and out. This would be fixed by unplugging the power cord every couple days. Next, it kept hanging up when trying to auto scan cable or aerial signals. Finally, it refused to change channels from the remote or from the side of the TV's buttons. When I returned it to Costco, the returns was easy and the lady was refreshingly honest (especially compared to the illogical and incompetent Vizio customer service reps I had to endure on 5 different calls). In short, she said the Vizios were an unusually high return item and that the reasons for returns were "weird" and "diverse." She meant that all sorts of things go wrong with these TVs. This company won't be around for long. Warraties wil be needed, but will be worthless.
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Reviewed by: Russ_d99
Strengths: Picture quality, price, inputs, setup,
Weaknesses: Remote and mounting holes distance and couldn't find it in a black color around the speakers.
Overall: Purchased early Jan. 2007 First the Negatives: The remote is what I call a left handed remote. Channel up/down is on the left and the volume on the right. No biggie, it's just odd from all the other remotes I've had and I invariably hit the volume virtually every time I pick up the remote to change channels. Numbers at the top rather than at the bottom like all my other remotes including TIVO. My remote is backlighted unlike other reviews I've seen. Pip does not work for cable input only. The mounting holes are about 20 inches appart so most of your cheap mounting brackets won't work. I accidentally got a Peerless mount over the net with a google discount for $26 that was too small and rather than send it back I just cut it in half with a scroll saw and mounted both pieces on studs with a 3 inch gap. Works fine since the Vizio 37" is only around 40lbs. For the Positives. Ours is mounted in our study with cable analog input (without cable box) so it's not HD and the picture is great in standard def. We have other larger flat screens for the real HD media experience so this is mostly something to watch while working and playing on the computer. CNN in HD, Who cares... Works great as a computer monitor as well as output from our non HD-DVD player and VCR in that room. Crisp pictures from all the inputs I've used. Price was great at our local Costco but I didn't see it available at online Costco. Others have reported large power-on startup times but I don't see that with mine. Probably 5 seconds for picture on. Setup was a snap. First time you turn it on it walks you through everything even recognizing what the input source was. 4 or 5 screen formats that can be set from the remote. Overall a great TV that I would recommend.
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Reviewed by: reinkeh
Strengths: Good picure, easy setup, intuitive menu structure.
Weaknesses: Audio volume is too weak for a large room.
Overall: I wanted to go cheap since this unit was for a three season room. After purchasing this unit, I wish I would have gone cheap for my main family room HDTV. This HDTV works great. Easy hookup and setup. I experienced none of the problems that I read in the earlier reviews. I had this TV initially hooked up directly to Digital Cable and the picture was good. The cable company then installed the HD and WOW, great picture! I could not get the HDMI input to work, but I suspect the cable box.
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Reviewed by: ashfaq_t
Strengths: multiple connectors. Amazing picture.
Weaknesses: Only 1 HDMI port
Overall: Bought this TV about 45 days ago and am very happy with the product. The picture is amazing and even regular TV looks great. Highly recommended.Even the price is right.
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