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VIZIO VO37L Review
37" 720p LCD HDTV, $799
RedLine

VIZIO VO37L

Dick De Jong
August 13, 2008
HDTV Solutions


Introduction

Though VIZIO has grown significantly in the past two years, they are still a fairly lean company in the fact that they do not manufacture a wide range of models in any one size.

For example, currently, the VO37L is one of only four 37" HDTVs from VIZIO. All of them are 720p TVs. VIZIO doesn't produce Full HD 1080p TVs smaller than 42". Then again, when I'm viewing 37" TVs, I don't especially feel pixel envy with a 720p display.

We are in the midst of a roundup of 37" LCD HDTVs from different manufacturers. We will review each individually and then aggregate our opinions in a comparison article. This VIZIO is the fourth one in the corral. (You can read the review of the first, an LG 37LG50, here, the second, a Samsung LN37A550, here and the third, a Toshiba REGZA 37RV530U, here.)

(Editor's Note: VIZIO also makes the VO32L, which has similar specs to the VO37L and this review can be applied to it also. The VO37L is available at Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's. The VU37L has similar specs and can be found at Target, Circuit City, Sears, and Dell.)

Our Star Ratings
Performance: 4.5 4.5 Star Rating
I keep expecting less than stellar video performance from this value priced VO37L. And I'm pleased to say that I am consistently wrong because the picture quality with HD content is excellent. I can't give the same praise to the audio quality, though it suffices for general TV viewing.
Features: 4.0 4.0 Star Rating
VIZIO has to cut costs somewhere and one of the casualties is a USB port for uploading JPEGs and MP3s. And lest we forget, this is a 720p HDTV. If the included Picture-in-Picture feature is important to you, add up to a half point.
Ease of Use: 4.5 4.5 Star Rating
The VO37L offers a limited set of picture adjustment controls, which actually makes setup easier - as long as they can do the job, and they do. The manual is helpful. And VIZIO is still the only TV manufacturer I know that includes an HDMI cable in the box.
Value: 4.5 4.5 Star Rating
Even though this is a 720p HDTV, its top notch performance makes it a great value.
Star Ratings Description
Ratings are relative to when the review was written. The obvious example is Value, what you could purchase for $2000 two years ago or even two months ago would seem like a bad value for that price now. We have given only a precious few 5 Star ratings, which we reserve for truly outstanding accomplishment.

VIZIO VO37L
Out of the Box

This VIZIO sports a dual textured bezel, which measures less than two inches on the sides and top. The inside bevel of the frame is a glossy piano black. Then comes a matte black grid texture with a narrow outer lip of glossy black.

The almost four inch deep TV weighs less than 37 pounds with its non-swivel stand.

Recessed on the right side of the VO37L is a convenience panel with an HDMI In, a Component In, a set of Composite inputs and a Headphone stereo minijack.

VIZIO VO37L

Unlike most new TVs, VIZIO is still mounting the larger connection panel on the back and facing it down, which makes plugging in the cables more difficult. This 37" TV is not that troublesome to twist around, but it's still would be easier if the connections were facing out.

The panel contains two HDMI inputs (with one set of stereo Audio Ins), one Component input (YPbPr) with matching stereo Audio In, one VGA (15 pin D-Sub) with a minijack Audio In, one Composite (with Audio), a digital Audio Out (optical), a stereo analog Audio Out and a Service Port.

(This diagram of the panel has been split and stacked for the sake of readability.)

VIZIO VO37L

The one RF antenna input connects to integrated NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuners. Since the tuner system is Clear QAM compatible, you can attach your cable TV signal directly into the RF connector and tune in unscrambled cable stations.

The VO37L does not offer a USB port to upload JPEG and MP3 files to the TV. Nor does it have an Ethernet port to connect to your home computer network or the Internet, but none of the 37" TVs we are reviewing does have this feature.

VIZIO does offer both Picture-in-Picture and Picture-outside-Picture capabilities with controls for sizing and positioning insets. You are limited in the combinations of sources. For example, you cannot PIP two HDMI sources.

VIZIO VO37L Remote

The remote control is unusual because of its size. Most remotes measure about 8 or 9" long. The VO37L remote is a compact 6 1/4" in length. It can pull off this shrinkage because it isn't a multi-function control. Therefore it doesn't contain the extra buttons for operations like DVD playback.

If you are wondering where the Menu button is, it's the orange and white V, which lights up when you press any of the buttons. Beyond that, the remote is not backlit.

Power Consumption

We have begun to measure the power consumption of our review units. Our process is straightforward. We plug the TV into a watt meter, called Watts up? Pro, and take a simple sampling of readings during the playback of a full screen video clip.

The first measurement is at the TV's default picture settings, which are often some form of Vivid, which is exactly the label that VIZIO uses. This is usually a high number because it takes more power to maintain a bright picture.

Our Power Consumption measurement at the Vivid default was between 160 and 161 watts. In their specifications, VIZIO states the Power Consumption as 200W (max).

We also take a reading after we adjust the picture to our preference, which is a much less bright image. The power consumption dropped to the range between 80 to 81W. Of course, depending on how you like to set up your TV, your mileage may vary.

We found that if you simply changed to the Standard default, the reading dropped to about 130W.

Finally, we turn off the TV and measure how much power it is using. Many older TVs still suck a lot of electricity even when they are switched off. When Off, this VIZIO doesn't even register on our meter. And indeed, they state that in Standby the consumption is less than one watt. Start up time from Standby is about six seconds.

Setup

To calibrate the monitor, we use the the Blu-ray version of the Digital Video Essentials DVD called HD Basics. We are playing the DVD on a Pioneer BDP-94HD Blu-ray player connected to the HDTV with an HDMI cable.

We use the test patterns to adjust black level, white level, and color bias. When we were testing the VO37L with the other 37" HDTVs, we usually set the player to output a 1080p signal. As I mentioned, this VIZIO's native resolution is 720p, but it does accept 1080p signals. When we were just setting up this TV, we told the Blu-ray player to output 720p.

VIZIO VO37L

The Picture menu provides the basic adjustments, Contrast, Brightness, Color (Saturation), Tint (Hue), Sharpness, and Backlight. When it comes to Picture Mode presets, VIZIO was in the sporting mood and offers Custom, Standard, Movie, Game, Vivid, Football, Golf, Basketball and Baseball. I'll leave it to you to switch between the modes and see if you can perceive the differences in color and sharpness.

I picked Custom and began by turning down the Backlight.

Next, I found the Color Temperature controls in the Advanced Video menu. You have four choices, Cool, Medium, Warm and Custom. The default is Cool, which is the 9300K setting. I chose Custom.

Under each option are Red, Green, and Blue sliders that allow you to fine tune the color. After I set Brightness, Contrast, Color, and Tint, I came back to this menu and lowered Green a little to fix a slight greenish shadow that I was seeing.

For me, the biggest adjustment from the defaults was Color, which I turned down because the picture was simply too saturated for my tastes. Even with the Color lowered, the soccer pitch in the Olympics was realistically green. At the higher setting, it tended to look overly fertilized.

VIZIO VO37L

It didn't take long to dial in a totally satisfactory picture. If you wish to tweak further, in the Advanced Video Features, VIZIO includes Color Enhancement, Advanced Adaptive Luma and Enhanced Contrast Ratio. I like to leave these Off or in a neutral state when I am doing my initial setup.

Performance

When compared to the other 37" TVs lined up in our testing facility, the picture quality of the VIZIO VO37L held up very well. The colors are rich, while skin tones are true.

VIZIO VO37L

One of the questions is how does this 720p TV compare to the 1080p sets? If it is a matter of detail or sharpness, I can't see a difference - at least not at a normal viewing distance. Perhaps if you pulled out your monocle and went nose to screen, you could say that the 1080p TVs were sharper.

Once again, with standard definition material, I saw a tendency for this TV to crush the blacks, which makes the image look muddy. But, come on, we are talking about standard definition, which for me is synonymous with mud.

High definition content looks very good. I'm watching Tarsem Singh's visually compelling The Cell, and I'm pleased with the rendition. I just wish the screen were larger, which in its way is a compliment.

All LCDs like to claim that they have a 178 degree viewing angle, but in practice, you wouldn't want to seat your most obnoxious neighbor that far off center. The image simply is too washed out. With the VO37L, you experience this problem more on the vertical than the horizontal. If you are looking from above or below, the image deteriorates rather quickly. It is much better from the sides.

I connected my laptop through the VGA Out to the TV's VGA In. The highest compatible resolution is 1366 x 768, which is the TV's native resolution. The PC input has its own limited set of picture adjustments. After dropping Backlight to 50, reading Internet pages was comfortable.

VIZIO VO37L

The audio performance from the integrated pair of 12W speakers was good enough to make you wish it was better. I always hoped that I could make one more adjustment to squeeze out sound that would make me forget about a separate dedicated audio system.

The Audio menu has presets titled Flat, Rock, Pop, Classic and Jazz. If you open up the five band Equalizer, you will see how those modes differ. I like to turn down the higher frequencies. I also felt that the Surround feature made voices less distinct, so I turned it Off.

But as I said, no matter what I tried, I was never totally satisfied with the audio. It's definitely decent enough for viewing the Olympics and Oprah. But if you are planning on watching Chariots of Fire or The Color Purple, then be a champ and spring for an AV receiver and a good set of speakers.

Conclusion

The VO37L's video performance may surprise videophiles who turn up their noses at a 720p TV. For the rest of us hoi polloi, this VIZIO provides a value alternative to 1080p TVs.

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Reader Comments

Posted May 9, 2009 10:53:17 AM

By salvatore

someone wants to sell me a 37" VIZIO LCD HDTV model number is VO37L- HDTV15A brand new for 425.00 it will be a bedroom tv and for my sons xbox 360 should i buy it

Posted Apr 8, 2009 9:42:21 PM

By Dick De Jong

Paul,

I like the flexibility of a USB port.

I do agree with you about the 720, especially on a 37" TV. You will need to sit really close to see a difference between 720 and 1080. Even then, many people won't really be able to tell.

Though the point is becoming moot as more and more TVs are going 1080.

Dick

Posted Mar 25, 2009 3:10:01 PM

By Paul Benett

I honestly dont think the lack of USB port and the 720p specification is a big deal - some will scorn me for that. But my experience is that you can barely notice the 1080p on TV's of this size. This is a top TV, one of the better ones I've seen in the price range.

Posted Mar 6, 2009 6:22:03 PM

By Dick De Jong

Jacs,

You're right. TVs should not conk out in the first month. Actually, most good ones should last for years.

Since, the TV was still in warranty, you should feel a bit lucky that it acted up now and you can still return it.

Posted Mar 2, 2009 7:31:35 PM

By Jacs

I purchased a 37inch Vizio hdtv. I had it going through the coaxial and decided to get a component cable. Now I have blue and green lines going through the tv which I didn't have before. I triple check to make sure all the cables were in the right place, I made sure the tv was set at component 1 and then press the menu button through the DVR to make sure it was set at 720. Okay, finally I called Vizio direct and they are telling me they have to send someone out because it sounds like the input board may be shot or have a problem. I just brought the t.v. on the 22nd and I'm taking it back.

Has anyone else experience this problem? This is nuts I just brought it and already it needs repairs?

Posted Feb 5, 2009 11:51:22 PM

By Dick De Jong

Max,

My best guess is that if you are connecting the cable box to the VIZIO with an HDMI cable, you only get those two viewing mode options.

If you have the time and curiosity, try connecting with Component cables and see if that changes things. If not try a Composite.

My other suggestion with the HDMI connection is that you may be able to replicate those missing viewing modes with output settings on the cable box.

Posted Feb 5, 2009 11:40:29 PM

By Dick De Jong

Mrkrman_1,

The simple and glib answer is that rabbit ears will work as well on the VIZIO as it does with any other TV with an ATSC tuner, the kind that receives the new digital signal.

Now, the more complex answer is that some people are finding that their old rabbit ears do not work well in pulling in the digital signals. Though for the majority of people, the old antennas work just fine.

My assumption is that if the antenna works, it will work with every brand of new TV, whether it be Panasonic or Sony or Samsung or VIZIO or whoever.

You can go to antennaweb.org for more information about what type of antenna you might need.

Posted Feb 5, 2009 11:29:11 PM

By Dick De Jong

Richard S,

At the time that I wrote this review, VIZIO was not listing a 37" 1080p for sale. A couple of weeks later, they started.

I can tell you that none of the VIZIO 2008 models have a USB or an Ethernet port.

If are referring to the 37" 1080p model is the VO37LF, I reviewed the 47" version here:

http://www.hdtvsolutions.com/VIZIO_VO47LF_LCD_HDTV_Review.htm

Since I don't see anything different in the specs for the VO37LF, my review of the 47 should apply to the 37.

Posted Jan 24, 2009 10:40:32 PM

By Mrkrman_1

Can you guys tell me if I can just use a rabbit ear antenna set up with the Vizios? I don't want cable/satellite. Thanks

Posted Jan 11, 2009 9:14:02 AM

By Max

hey guys , I have a SV470XVT , is connected to an HD cable box (Comcast)and I have only two viewing modes availible ( Wide and zoom )The manual says I should have four , including Normal mode and Panoramic . What am I doing wrong?

Posted Jan 3, 2009 1:55:52 PM

By RichardS

"For example, currently, the VO37L is one of only four 37" HDTVs from VIZIO. All of them are 720p TVs. VIZIO doesn't produce Full HD 1080p TVs smaller than 42".

This from the very-appreciated review above. But apparently it's wrong. I just looked at Costco's VO37L which IS 1080p. Now that we know this, could you please consider evaluating this new set AND whether it includes USB or anyting else that the 780 didn't include? Thanks much.

Posted Dec 3, 2008 10:11:59 AM

By Alan

I also just bought a 1080p version(VO37L-FHDTV10A) from Costco for $650. Merry X-mas to me! I was also wondering about your settings applying to this model.

Posted Nov 22, 2008 4:48:14 PM

By Ann

Hi Dick,

I found your review most helpful. Thank you.

I have this model in the 1080 format. Regarding your custom settings for the 720, would you suggest different settings since my model is in the 1080 format.

Thanks.

Posted Oct 9, 2008 2:37:54 PM

By EckD

I really enjoy my Vizio VO32L and you really just can't beat the bang for the buck!

http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/vizio-vo32l/4505-6482_7-33130431.html?tag=mncol;lst

Posted Aug 29, 2008 10:28:19 AM

By john

i am having trouble figuring out this television on the fact that when having it in any other mode than tv mode such as hdmi or composite etc, you cannot adjust the picture setting that controls rather tv is displaying in wide, panaramoic, stretched and zoom it displays in wide the whole time seeming to stretch some of the content. did you notice this problem?

Posted Aug 23, 2008 6:26:42 PM

By Dick De Jong

Here are mine:

I tend to turn down my Backlight because I have a controlled non-bright room.

Backlight: 20 Brightness: 52 Contrast: 46 Color: 43 Tint: 0 Sharpness: 3 Noise Reduction: Low Color Enhancement: Off Adaptive Luma: Off Enhanced Contrast Ratio: On

I saw a Green Bias, so I turned Color Temp to Custom and set Red: 126, Green: 115, Blue: 128. You might not notice a Green problem.

I suggest that you play with all of the Advanced Video Controls, one at a time. You really are into personal preferences when you are dealing with items like Color Enhancement and Adaptive Luma.

Let us know what you decide on.

Dick

Posted Aug 23, 2008 3:12:39 PM

By Aoshi Chan

Hey Tony,

I had my TV for a few days now and here are the settings I currently use:

Picture Mode - Custom BackLight - 50 Brightness - 50 Contrast - 60 Color - 37 Tint - 0 Sharpness - 5

Advanced Noise Reduction - Off Color Enhancement - Rich Color Advanced Adaptive Luma - Strong Enhanced Contrast Ratio - Off Color Temperature - Cool (rest default setings)

Posted Aug 19, 2008 8:04:12 PM

By Tony Wynn

Dick- Can you give me your "custom" picture settings you found to be best? (color temperature, backlight, etc) I understand that it depends in preference, but I would like to know what you found to be optimal.

Thanks.

Posted Aug 17, 2008 11:59:29 PM

By Dick De Jong

Yes, they are.

Posted Aug 17, 2008 5:07:07 PM

By Aoshi Chan

Thanks so much for the quick reply! Per your added comment, I purchased the VO37L with confidence. Thanks again for the detailed review :)

Are all ATSC tuners by default capable of tuning over the air HD signals?

Posted Aug 15, 2008 1:30:29 AM

By Dick De Jong

Aoshi,

I still have the TV in our testing facility and the answer is Yes. It has an ATSC tuner. It definitely can grab over the air hi-def and digital channels.

Posted Aug 14, 2008 9:52:23 PM

By Aoshi Chan

I've been browsing various online vendors and I receive inconsistent information. Is this unit equipped with a an HDTV tuner that can grab over-the-air high-def and digital channels?

I know the Vizio VX37L can. Right now I can't decide between that older model and this newer model because of this.

Thanks!
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