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VIZIO SV421XVT Reviews

Vizio SV421XVT - Almost perfect.. almost.
by Carista J. Gamble from Ohio, USA, 2010-03-11

The Vizio SV421XVT, is a very nice 42 inch lcd TV. With 120hz refresh rate, and 240hz scenes per second, this television offers depth perception found only in high end LED TVs. But it is not all gum drops and fairy tales.

This Vizio does NOT offer the bluetooth remote and internet apps. The TruSurround and TruVolumn leave a lot to be desired, and then, you have the Zero Bright Pixel Defect Guarantee, which in reality is not much of a guarantee at all.

I have taken much time compiling the info for this review, and I want to be very clear on one fact, Amazon's Customer Support is true American loyalty. The staff is top notch!

Vizio is the leading TV seller in the US due to its calibrations with Wal-Mart, Sears, Dell, and Amazon. Our experience with Vizio has been a rocky one.

We are very particular about our lcd TVs and we bought this SV421XVT based solely on the Zero Bright Pixel Guarantee. We called Vizio 3 times before purchase to make sure that this guarantee covers "stuck, bright, and dead" pixels. Their answer, YES!

We could not find this within 100 miles of our home, Vizio wanted $1600 + for it, and Dell has poor customer support in addition to not standing behind Vizio's Zero Bright Pixel Defect guarantee. So we opted for Amazon, free shipping, A-Z guarantee, and NO SALES TAX!

The first Vizio we received through Amazon came via Pilot. Pilot is a very terrible delivery service, at least in Southern Ohio. No precalls, and our television sat 1hour away for 5 days, before delivery. Then to top that off, we had to press them to deliver it by the latest date of delivery, for they wanted to wait an additional 5 days.

When the Vizio arrived in our home it had a stuck pixel, stuck in the red cycle of red, green, and blue, and it also had a video overlay problem. We called Amazon and they were very helpful, not 5 minutes on the phone, and a new one was shipped that day, for a switch out in our home.

That is when Pilot dropped the ball again. They delivered our replacement but once more failed to precall and had a very lazy attitude towards the delivery. When they arrived, they stated they had no paper work for the pick up of the unit with the stuck pixel and informed us they were required to leave both TVs at our home. So once again a call to Amazon. Amazon was once more VERY VERY helpful and had Pilot back to our home the very next.

Again we had to press pilot for a pick - up time, and when they finally arrived they were an hour late. But alas the TV was returned to Amazon, and we were not charged.

But our experience with this SV421XVT does not end there. The second unit delivered to our home had a red stuck pixel and again a video overlay issue. The video overlay issue is only visible on 720p where is appears as a white vertical line down the right side on the screen, and a black vertical line at 1080p. This issue is noticeable on all HDMI inputs. Since we buy and sale HDMI cables, we were able to cycle through new cables, and verify that is was not interference within the cable. We also hooked it to a PS3 and an Xbox 360, and it was evident on both devices.

This time we decided Amazon was not responsible for Vizio's poor technology.

It is important for me to once again stress that although the screen had issues, the picture looked beautiful. The depth perception is dazzling with the Smooth Motion Technology and 50,000:1 contrast ratio, your breath will be taken away.

So a call to Vizio led us to a road block. Vizio after stating otherwise three times prior, informed us they do not cover dead/bright pixels, and that this LCD TV does not have the Zero Bright Pixel Guarantee. We had to inform them it does, and that is states it clearly on their website.

They eventually admitted that this SV421XVT does have a Zero Bright Pixel Guarantee, but it does NOT cover dead pixels, contrary to their previous answers. They also informed us that they were aware of the video overlay issue, and that most of their TVs have it, and that they do not service this problem. Mind you this all occurred over 2 days of multiple phone calls to Vizio's technical support.

We felt as if we were in the circus, for the hoops we had to jump through, just to prove we did in fact own this SV421XVT, and that is was not working properly.

Vizio demanded we take a picture of the single stuck pixel, and that the picture had to have the pixel visible, as well as show the entire front of the 42" TV. That's right, they wanted me to stand back, and be able to capture the equivalent to the end of pen, as well as display the entire front of the TV, turned on, and the Vizio logo readable. WOW! That is crazy.

Well I pressed the fact that this was not possible, and demanded they try it themselves. I asked that they send out s service man, and they said we need the pictures. I once again informed them that is was not possible, and I wanted $750 worth of perfect LCD screen, just what I paid for, so the tech. transferred me to a "Level 3" technician.

The Level 3 technician was a little easier to deal with, and after much convincing that I did in fact own this TV, and sending the best pictures possible, informed me that I would receive a white glove in home switch out.

Well 2 weeks later, a very good freight company arrived with a new TV. They unpacked the LCD and allowed us to cycle through red, green, and blue screens to insure that there were no stuck pixels. There was none. We are now happy.

To sum it up, Amazon is an A+ company. Pilot delivery is worthless. Vizio puts on a good face to sale their product, but does not want to stand behind it. The SV421XVT has a picture quality that truly high definition, but finding a unit without issues is hard.

Vizio SV421XVT - Almost perfect... almost.

Solid Purchase
by Colter H from Arlington, VA, 2010-02-25

Overall I would consider this TV a solid investment. While it may not have the newest LED technology or sport a fancier name (Sony, Samsung, Pioneer), the setup was super easy, the sound quality is solid, the picture quality is great (especially for sports), and the packaging is stylish. You can't ask for much more for under $900 these days.

Can't beat it for the price.
by D. Sanders from Waynesboro, VA, 2010-02-16

I purchased the Vizio SV421VXT from Amazon on February 6th, got it on February 12th. That's six days, and it didn't move for one of them due to bad weather. You'll see some complaints around about the shipping company for large items (CEVA) but I had no issues at all with them. Delivery company called, I told them I was at work, but could be home at any time for them to deliver, they just brought it to my work instead (at my request). This may not be an option for some, but it worked out great for me since I didn't have to take any time off from work to have it delivered. However, this review is for the TV, not the delivery company.

The set works great. I upgraded from a 27" CRT television to this 42" LCD, and obviously, the difference is stunning. We don't have HDTV yet, but even my standard definition Dish Network looks pretty good, as does my regular DVD player over S-Video. Blu-Ray and games on my PS3 look simply amazing. I find the sound quality to be very good without external speakers, but my living room is on the small side (the seating is about 8' from the TV)

Probably the only complaint I could say about this TV yet is that the cable they provide to hook to the wall so it won't fall over (if you aren't wall mounting) is kind of unsightly. However, most people probably won't use it, and this is a very minor detail. I just used it because, for one, this is a big purchase for me and I don't want to take any chances, and we have two cats that like to climb on top of the TV where it's warm...I don't think they could even lay on top of this TV, but I'm sure they will try.

I did months of research on HDTVs before settling on this model from Vizio. Overall, I found that no matter which TV you look at, there are negative reviews. Given that, no matter which TV I purchased, I would have gotten an extended warranty to cover it in case I got one of the bad ones. With the Vizio, I was able to get a quality set with the extended warranty for less that I could have gotten a bigger name brand without the extended warranty.

Of note to anyone that is looking at 240Hz, Vizio uses a different technology to achieve 240Hz than does Sony. I'm not saying this makes it better or worse, because I haven't compared them, but take that into consideration.

Amazing HD picture
by rie educate , 2010-02-14

I thought long and hard about making this purchase. I even saw the same exact t.v. at Costco for a slightly less price but had to factor in the tax and labor of taking it home. The better deal was with Amazon with free shipping, no tax and having it set up by the delivery guys. It was nice to see the t.v. at Costco and the picture quality. I think the picture quality is even better at home. So for the price that I got at Amazon and the ease of delivery and set up, I am extremely happy with my purchase. I believe the sound is clear and crisp. It also has the feature where the commercials will come on at a softer level but I don't use it because of my Tivo. My Tivo doesn't make that annoying sound with the fast forward or rewind which is another bonus with this T.V. The H.D. quality is amazing and I had H.D. before on my previous Visio set. It must have to do with the speed I think. All in all, one of my best purchases with Amazon.

An excellent HDTV in its class
by A. Liu from Stamford, CT USA, 2010-02-08

I purchased this 42" 240hz LCD TV from costco, during a sale event lately for only $699. It is of the same price to the 120hz model, thus I went for this one.
The picture quality is superb. I really cannot distinquish it from those of the other high end name brands. The set up is like a breeze. The interface to HDMI is very easy to use. It plays the fast motion scene smoothly. Watching the HD channels on this TV is a blown away experience. The only complaint is that its manual does not explain the lack of caption through HDMI input at all. It took me some research online to control the caption from the cable box.

The sound quality from the speaker is so so. I probably will add a sound bar to enhance it.

I have owned it too short to comment on the durability of the product. Only time can tell if its quality control is trustworthy.
If it does last, the price is really a bargain, given the quality of the picture. I rather save the price premium from the name brand TV for buying another newer generation TV later than to get one which lasts forever.

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