Sunday, January 19, 2014
Should you get the VIZIO E420i-A0 42-Inch 1080p 120Hz Smart LED HDTV?
The Great Vizio Myth:
First of all, I want to address a myth that is going around about this TV. It's being said that this TV has a "soft appearance that is hard to describe and can't be fixed". These reviews belong in the sci-fi horror fiction section. Use the settings that I post in this review, and it not only goes away, but the picture is about as good as my expensive plasma.
Cons:
1) The viewing angle is nowhere near as good as my plasma and probably not as good as other LED TVs. The perfect viewing angles appear to be within 30 degrees of the center. Therefore, if you position yourself at a 45 degree angle from where you intend to put it, know that the picture will be slightly degraded at that point. The color suffers the most, in my opinion. This is the one great flaw of this TV, which doesn't bother me at all. Take into consideration how far away you will be sitting and the size of the 60 degree viewing cone at that distance.
2) Out-of-box settings are unacceptable and the TV is extremely difficult to calibrate - BUT! you have me here to help you, so you can breath easy now. I spent hours on this and used special tools to get it right.
3) The stand is very basic, but very stable. From stand to the bottom of the viewable screen, there is 3-1/4" clearance. From the top of the stand to the viewable screen, there are 2.5" clearance. Personally, I use a TV stand that has two middle compartments and I put my center speaker into one of them, pointed slightly up.
Pros:
EVERYTHING else.
Examples:
1) Extremely bright. When I saw the brightness possibilities of this screen, I tried to get my Samsung to be that bright. I didn't even get close. You can make it dark if you want - and the TV will even automatically sense the amount of light in the room and respond to it, if you choose.
2) Matte Screen - even now, I can see myself in my Samsung. My Vizio has no glare or reflection. I may not be able to live without this in the future. This feature is high on my list now.
3) Extremely configurable. When you change picture settings on this TV, the device responds in a meaningful way. My Samsung, on the other hand, has many settings that appear to do nothing at all, even if you shift the slider from 0 to 100 - no change.
4) Price. Black Friday was good to me this year. Even at the current Amazon price, I would buy it over a major brand. Mark my words, Vizio will be a major brand some day. I have yet to find one person that I know personally that does not approve of this company for several purchases of their products.
5) Color. With my settings, I consider it to be very close to my expensive Samsung.
6) Smart Features. Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, YouTube, and a few others.
7) Remote Control with Keyboard. Searching for shows on Netflix and Amazon has never been easier, due to the fact that you can flip the remote over and type on a QWERTY keyboard. They were also smart enough to put directional arrows and the four color buttons on the back. That helps a lot. There are also Amazon and Netflix buttons on the front of the remote that will get a lot of use. An M-Go button that won't get much use at all... is also present. The size of the remote is compact enough that I don't have to reposition it to reach buttons with my thumb.
In a day in age where ILLogitech is screwing up our Harmony remotes by separating the buttons on either side of a big display screen, this is a refreshing and intellectual advancement in human sanity. Thank you Vizio, for the grand remote!
Samsung UN32EH5300 32-Inch 1080p 60 Hz Smart LED HDTV (Black)
Pros
Great picture 1080p LED
Price
Wifi
Smart tv apps (though a bit sluggish, Netflix, youtube, HBOGo, Pandora, all have worked fine. Note you have to download HBOGo, but its very easy.)
The menu buttons sound like old school Frogger! Yes the old arcade game, LOL. I love that.
Cons
App navigation with the remote is a bit clunky
Limited connections: there are several hdmi (forget how many) but:
Only 1 composite video/audio in
Only 1 audio out and its optical (no composite) – take note those with home theatre systems
No DVI in (pc video) – ie cant connect it to a computer like a monitor, unless your pc has hdmi out (not really required since it has wifi and the apps, but as many flat screens have DVI connector, thought I would mention)
Base does not swivel
Other thoughts
The cons are mainly connectivity related. So basically, Samsung has skimped (reasonably so IMO) in this area to keep cost down. I am ok with this, as it beats skimping on more important things like picture quality. It looks great. I would highly recommend this tv, if this is your price point and you either don’t have home theatre or you can make use of the optical out. I bought an optical cable for six bucks. No big deal.
Get the free app to turn your tablet or phone into a remove (I recommend the third party app, not the official Samsung app which has bad reviews). This helps with text input which is aweful via a remote.
The speakers are… hard to judge. It seems to depend on the show. Some shows sound weak and I can’t hear on 40. Others are fine at 15. I think this accounts for the mixed reviews on the speakers. Frankly I have never had a tv with “good” speakers. That’s why I bought a home theatre system. So I never have to care.
Great picture 1080p LED
Price
Wifi
Smart tv apps (though a bit sluggish, Netflix, youtube, HBOGo, Pandora, all have worked fine. Note you have to download HBOGo, but its very easy.)
The menu buttons sound like old school Frogger! Yes the old arcade game, LOL. I love that.
Cons
App navigation with the remote is a bit clunky
Limited connections: there are several hdmi (forget how many) but:
Only 1 composite video/audio in
Only 1 audio out and its optical (no composite) – take note those with home theatre systems
No DVI in (pc video) – ie cant connect it to a computer like a monitor, unless your pc has hdmi out (not really required since it has wifi and the apps, but as many flat screens have DVI connector, thought I would mention)
Base does not swivel
Other thoughts
The cons are mainly connectivity related. So basically, Samsung has skimped (reasonably so IMO) in this area to keep cost down. I am ok with this, as it beats skimping on more important things like picture quality. It looks great. I would highly recommend this tv, if this is your price point and you either don’t have home theatre or you can make use of the optical out. I bought an optical cable for six bucks. No big deal.
Get the free app to turn your tablet or phone into a remove (I recommend the third party app, not the official Samsung app which has bad reviews). This helps with text input which is aweful via a remote.
The speakers are… hard to judge. It seems to depend on the show. Some shows sound weak and I can’t hear on 40. Others are fine at 15. I think this accounts for the mixed reviews on the speakers. Frankly I have never had a tv with “good” speakers. That’s why I bought a home theatre system. So I never have to care.
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If you require any more information or have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us by email at hhealthblogs@gmail.com.
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