Vizio XVT3D650SV HDTV: A Big, Beautiful 3D Set

01.05.2011
If you've been waiting for a full-featured, big-screen LCD TV--and by big, I mean 5-feet-plus on the diagonal--that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, the Vizio XVT3D650SV may well be the answer to your prayers. For $3700 (as of April 7, 2011), this 65-inch set delivers good image quality and 3D support, plus tons of user controls and great connected-TV features, all easily accessible via Vizio's usual first-rate user interface and a nifty Bluetooth remote with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

Okay, $3700 isn't dirt cheap, but only a few years ago an LCD TV this size would easily have set you back more than $5000. Plus, there's so much to like about this set--and relatively little to complain about.

It is not, however, the around--in our tests, average hourly power consumption ran 123.6 watts when in use and 0.8 watt even when turned off, which is high for an LED-backlit set. The audio is just adequate, but otherwise its only real flaw is the lack of media playback support, despite having three (!) USB 2.0 ports. Vizio promises to deliver this functionality via a firmware upgrade in the not-too-distant future. (This seems to be a recurring issue with Vizio sets: I had the same experience with a previous model, and the firmware upgrade did eventually arrive.)

With a screen this big, flaws in image quality can be magnified when you're seated up close, but in our juried picture quality tests, the XVT3D650SV earned generally good scores, especially for handling motion--it ran our panning clip nearly flawlessly. Judges found colors to be bright without being oversaturated, although at least one judge remarked on a greenish cast compared to others in its test group. The Vizio's scores may not have been the highest, but it generally held its own in a strong field that included sets from top-tier vendors LG, Samsung, and Sharp.

Audio played through the set's two 15-watt speakers with Vizio's simulated surround sound technology is unremarkable at best. However, I suspect that many people who buy a set this large with 3D support will bypass the speakers in favor of a home theater audio setup to enjoy true surround sound.

Our juried test clips don't yet include 3D content, but in my hands-on evaluation I was impressed by the 3D effects in a Blu-ray Disc of The Last Airbender. Even better was the set's ability to recognize the presence of 3D content on a Blu-ray disc with both 2D and 3D versions, and then ask whether I wanted to don special 3D glasses or stick with the 2D version. The set lets you toggle between three types of 3D content technology (and according to Vizio's spec sheet, it supports a couple more), but I never had to actually choose a 3D mode: When I clicked the option for viewing The Last Airbender on Blu-ray in 3D, the set automatically chose the right 3D setting. Vizio includes four sets of with the set. (It's worth noting, however, that the smart-dimming technology Vizio uses to help improve contrast and overall image quality works only for 2D video.)