Budget Plasma TV

Inexpensive plasma TVs: Getting better

While a number of relatively unknown makers have been busy introducing low-cost panels, few come close to the performance of the Pioneer and Panasonic. However, Vizio plasma TVs have captured the attention of reviewers for their picture quality, which is said to be only slightly behind that of the best plasma TVs, and actually superior to the offerings from some better-known names. Even more surprisingly, that picture quality comes at a price that is near the very bottom of the market. One issue is availability; Vizio products can be harder to find than others.

The Vizio TV that's drawn the most attention is the company's smallest plasma model, the 32-inch Vizio VP322 (*Est. $480). In terms of image quality, it falls short of the very best, but experts add that it is more than acceptable given the set's value, which is nothing short of unbeatable.

Among professional reviewers, CNet's Kevin Miller is the least impressed with this Vizio plasma TV; even he says that given the price (which has since dropped), "I find it hard to complain too much about its picture quality." On the other hand, Chris Boylan at Big Sound Big Picture finds little to complain about, period. While the Vizio VP322 doesn't come through the site's round of rigorous bench testing completely unscathed, it does perform "remarkably well," with Boylan adding "It's not the best we've seen but was noticeably better than many components we've tested." Moving on to viewing tests, blacks are certainly not up to the levels of the best from Pioneer or Panasonic, but shadow details that are often lost in other sets are well preserved. Colors aren't the most accurate, but are pleasing. Boylan adds, "what struck me was just how good the set looked (compared to comparably priced LCD sets) right out of the box, with the default settings in place."

The biggest negative with this Vizio plasma TV is that temporary image retention is more of a problem than with some other plasma TVs. An "eraser" function can be selected from the TV's menu to clean that up before critical viewing. Additionally, Boylan, as well as user reports at AVSForum.com, indicate that image retention becomes less of a problem over time.

A few additional complaints are worth mentioning. Those include accessing the aspect ratio settings -- it needs to be done through the TV's menu as there is no button on the remote for that -- and the lack of a Zoom mode. The screen is also highly reflective.

The Vizio VP322 isn't particularly feature-rich, and connectivity isn't particularly ample, but there are three HDMI 1.3 inputs and an RGB PC input. Side-facing connectors make accessing those inputs easier than with most TVs. If you want a large screen size, the set is available in a 42-inch size as the Vizio VP422 plasma TV (*Est. $700).

While Vizio sets are known more for value than performance, the company is attempting to offer both through its series of XVT high performance TVs. While the LCD members of that series have been available for a little while, the 50-inch Vizio VP505XVT (*Est. $1,500) plasma TV has recently been released, and while it's yet to reach many consumers' hands, an initial professional review at Playback magazine is glowing.

David Birch-Jones writes that, considering the feature set, he would not be surprised if the price tag were $1,000 higher. Those features include a Silicon Optix HQV Reon video processor, something that's more typically found on high-end components and outboard video scalers. In keeping with that, picture quality in both standard definition and HD are rated as excellent. Notably, Birch-Jones says that the Vizio VP505XVT "can beat any equivalent-sized 1080p LCD model we've yet seen." Availability is still extremely limited -- it can only be ordered direct from the manufacturer for now -- but could improve in the future. While the evidence is too scant to make the VP505XVT a top selection at present, this is certainly a set that bears watching.

Other budget choices include house brands such as Best Buy's Insignia line. In the past, Insignia TVs were largely panned as poor choices, regardless of their price. In our last update, for example, we noted that CNet awarded the now discontinued Insignia NS-PDP42 one of the worst rankings of any HDTV the site has ever tested. However, current Insignia plasma TV perform considerably better in reviews. Two Insignia 50-inch plasma TVs -- the 1080p Insignia NS-PDP50HD-09 (*Est. $1,300) and the 720p Insignia NS-PSP50 (*Est. $1,000) -- earn recommended ratings in one highly regarded comparative review we've seen and user reports are mostly very positive.