VIZIO Grabs Top Share of Shrinking LCD HDTV Market

[MrBoylan]

The discount television manufacturer is dominating the flat-panel LCD television market, thanks to recession-busting prices.

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[Maximus DukusErectus]

I noticed awhile back Chris that "WORST BUY" carried the VIZIO line and now they have gone to the wayside with the exception of Wal-Mart.I read and subscribe to "PC WORLD" and they often give the VIZIO LCD's a sweet rating and it seems to be a sound product,sometimes lacking the bells and whistles of the Big Dogs but producing a product that can hit the "Working Man's" price point ...so to speak.What are your thoughts concerning the VIZIO line?I upgraded our bedroom tv to a SONY BRAVIA 32",but I am thinking about an inexpensive "VIZIO" for my eight year old son's room.Your thoughts on VIZIO?

[MrBoylan]

I noticed awhile back Chris that "WORST BUY" carried the VIZIO line and now they have gone to the wayside with the exception of Wal-Mart.I read and subscribe to "PC WORLD" and they often give the VIZIO LCD's a sweet rating and it seems to be a sound product,sometimes lacking the bells and whistles of the Big Dogs but producing a product that can hit the "Working Man's" price point ...so to speak.What are your thoughts concerning the VIZIO line?I upgraded our bedroom tv to a SONY BRAVIA 32",but I am thinking about an inexpensive "VIZIO" for my eight year old son's room.Your thoughts on VIZIO?

My experience with VIZIO has been generally positive. We've reviewed a couple and found them to be pretty good - definitely worth the low cost of admission. They can vary from model to model because they don't use the exact same suppliers for everything. We bought a B-Stock (refurbished) 37-inch LCD for my father in law for Christmas a couple of years ago, and it crapped out about six months later. They replaced that one but we were out a few bucks to pay for shipping to get the old dead one back to them. Also, my neighbor ordered one from WalMart online, and the screen had an inclusion in it (manufacturing defect), but Wal-Mart took care of that problem, also replacing it with a new one.

VIZIO was a pretty big seller at Circuit City for a while (rest their souls), and is still available at Wal-Mart and Target, but really their main channel since their launch 5+ years ago has been the warehouse stores (Costco, BJs, etc.). I literally see people sticking a 32-inch LCD in their shopping carts with a case of Poland Spring water on top and a 10 pound box of goldfish crackers next to it (mmmmm.... goldfish). $450 for a 32-inch HDTV? It's beyond an impulse buy. Now it's just a commodity.

VIZIO has always been ahead of the curve in their packaging. Instead of paying for magazine or TV ads, they put money into the actual TV boxes - huge full color photos of families sitting around a TV having a good time, with all the advanced features written right there in large font. Meanwhile the Panasonic or Sony box next to it would be a drab plain cardboard box with the model number on it. If they're sitting stacked in the Costco, which one do you this they sell more of? The cheaper TV in the pretty box.

So yeah, I'd say that if you *MUST* buy a TV for an 8-year old (which I personally might not do, but that's just me), then a VIZIO should be just fine. He can hook up his games to it, plug it into cable or an antenna to get HDTV shows. Some of them even have VGA PC inputs so you can plug a laptop or desktop computer into them and use them as a supersized monitor (though dedicated monitors generally will have better resolution than an inexpensive HDTV). If you buy it online via one of our links, we'll get a referral fee, but the warehouse stores are also a good place to buy them as they usually have generous return policies if you happen to get a bad one (90 days at Costco, no questions asked).

Where to buy VIZIO TVs online (BPBS Affiliate links):

• Walmart.com: Electronics: TVs: Vizio
  
• Amazon.com: vizio: Electronics
  
• Welcome to Target

Good luck!

-Chris

[Maximus DukusErectus]

The Tv would be exclusively for his XBOX,I to do not believe in having a tv in a child's room,and my son would never come out.The reason for the purchase is as follows.Daddy is watching NBA SEMI-FINALS on the 62" living room tv,but my son wants to play his XBOX.......he comes in, gives me the puppy dog eyes....and I end up fighting with my wife for the bedroom tv and arguing that a "Life Time" movie is not as important as the NBA SEMIS!See my delima Chris?