Vizio E322AR Smart TV - Don't do it!

[Hyfi]

I never had much good to say about Vizio TVs, but never owned one until now. I wanted a TV for the bedroom that could do 3 things.
Pandora
USB Playback of all files
DNLA for network streaming

I really wanted to get the Samsung UN32EH5300F but tried to save $200.

Yeah, I know how everyone who owns one says these TVs are great, but my guess is that they did not set it up right next to the same size Sony XBR4 LCD.
I put them side by side and as soon as the Vizio finally turned on (takes about 1 minute) and scanned for channels, I knew it sucked for PQ. I spent at least an hour trying to get the picture half way comparable to my Sony but there is no Manual adjustment for Backlighting, only the dumb modes.

After getting it close, I set it up in the bedroom and watched a movie, AVI streamed from my PC, and it worked fine. It will play almost the same list of files my OPPOs stream, and the USB handles the rest like MP4s.

The biggest issue besides the PQ, is that the display of the Channel and Info is so tiny, that I cannot read it from 10 feet away without trouble.

PROs-
Lots of Apps
Pandora worked great even though speakers suck
Wireless setup and streaming was easy
PQ is ok if you never compare it to a real TV

CONs-
PQ sucks
No Backlight manual adjustment and in a dark bedroom it is needed
Cannot read the tiny display
Cheesy sound from the back
Not worth the savings

So, it looks like the only 32" Sharp is a UK only model, and Sony does not have a 32", I will just get the Samsung and hope it goes on sale within 90 days so I can use my Discover Price Protection. It was at $399 on Black Friday and has not budged below $499 since.

I guess there may be a better Vizio 32 without the bells and whistles but pass this one by if PQ is at the top of your requirements.

[Hyfi]

I figured out how to get the backlighting to become adjustable but with no help from any documentation. It didn't make the PQ any better, just brighter. Still going back and the Samsung will display 1080 when fed that.

[recoveryone]

Sorry for your disappointment, but looking at what you use for comparison its no wonder your not happy. The Vizio is a 60hz 720p, compare to the Sony 120Hz 1080p, ya think there might be a little difference in the video ouput. I'm not defending Vizio, just placing qualifiers on your statements to what was compared. Apples to apples, oranges to oranges, I would not expect any 60Hz 720p TV to match one that had 120hz and full 1080p. If the 60hz 720p did out shine or match the other then I would be upset with the other brand. Now for the reason you stated why you brought the Vizio it sounds like it did what you wanted without any problems, but let you down on PQ. To me you should have looked at one that had 1080p at least and still saved a few bucks on the 60hz vs. 120hz.

I did another search on the sony and found that the older model is 720p @120hz, still not the same as the Vizio.

[Hyfi]

Yeah good points. I didn't realize just how good the Sony actually is. The Samsung is only 60 also but should have a better PQ and hopefully other better features. Going to look it over tomorrow at Best Buy.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Hyfi they have the Samsung at Amazon for $449 if you decide to go that way.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Man, comparing a Sony television to a Vizio and concluding the Sony is better must have been exhausting.

[Hyfi]

Man, trying not to be a JO must have lasted about 1 millisecond

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

And apparently trying not to be a airhead for any amount of time is impossible for ya^^^^

[Hyfi]

Problem solved. The crappy Visio went back and I got the Samsung 6500 model which is 1080, 120 refresh, and whether or not I ever use it - 3D capable. While at the store, I compared other 60hz sets to see that the Sonys and Samsungs were still all better than the Vizios.

Right out of the box the PQ was incredible and needed no adjustments besides a small boost in the backlighting. USB worked great and there are 3 inputs. Wired and Wireless setup was a snap but here is where Vizio has the edge. They use a generic DNLA client so it sees whatever server you are running. Samsung wants you to install their own server, Allshare.

The sound is way better too. A couple more watts and better drivers.

After watching the football games, we watched Total Recall from an MP4 copy on USB and was surprised how good it was.

Oh well, I knew from the beginning I wasn't going to be happy with the cheaper TV and double the money DOES get you double the quality all around. Even though I have always been a Sony consumer for TVs, Samsung has wormed it's way in by default sisnce Sony does not have a 32" Smart TV. But they are of similar quality.

I highly recommend the Samsung 32" 6500 model if you are looking for a small Smart TV.

[Worf101]

Man, comparing a Sony television to a Vizio and concluding the Sony is better must have been exhausting.

C'mon man. I know you two have "history" but the guy's at least admitting his mistake and trying to warn others. He gets kudos from me in that regard. Also most people, unlike us on this forum, don't know or don't care about things like refresh rate and resolution... they just want it to look "purty". I give Hyfi credit for a hard lesson learned well.

Worf

[Jack in Wilmington]

Agreed, Hyfi didn't pull a "Pixelthis" or what ever he went by and talk up Vizio till we couldn't stand him anymore. I have a 22" Vizio mounted by my treadmill. The picture isn't anything to write home about, but I'm not there to watch, I'm there to exercise.

[Hyfi]

The Samsung is really nice. Still getting used to the AllShare and it's odd that while streaming, I don't seem to have FF and Rewind, only Play-Pause-Stop but when playing a movie from USB stick I have full control. For fun, I will try the 3D bit while wearing 2 pairs of glasses as soon as I get hold of one.

I have yet to find the need to start changing many factory settings other than sound. The PQ is still just fine out of the box.

Oh, and thanks for the backup but I really don't need it. Everyone here knows who he is and how he needs to act superior to all, even newbies.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

C'mon man. I know you two have "history" but the guy's at least admitting his mistake and trying to warn others. He gets kudos from me in that regard. Also most people, unlike us on this forum, don't know or don't care about things like refresh rate and resolution... they just want it to look "purty". I give Hyfi credit for a hard lesson learned well.

I totally understand where you are coming from, but I stand by my comments. As much as Woochifer and I have talked about the second and third tier sets on the market when compared to the first tier, this comparison was a waste of time. We have talked ad naseum about why Vizio's under-perform like they do, and why Samsung, Sony, and Panasonic perform as well as they do. So if you have spent ten minutes on this forum, and can read english with any competence, then they would have never made this stupid comparison in the first place. If you just took the interactions that Wooch and I had with Pixeless alone, even thinking about making this kind of comparison would be silly. It is not like these kinds of comparisons haven't been discussed here before, they have - to the point of overload. So the fact that the poster that shall not be named purchased a Vizio and was not satisfied with its quality shows that it was a brainless excercise in the first place.

[E-Stat]

I put them side by side and as soon as the Vizio finally turned on (takes about 1 minute) and scanned for channels, I knew it sucked for PQ. I spent at least an hour trying to get the picture half way comparable to my Sony but there is no Manual adjustment for Backlighting, only the dumb modes.

Were you aware this was a 720p unit when you purchased it?

I have a 1080p model that is nearly five years old that offers true HD resolution and has been trouble free.

[Hyfi]

Were you aware this was a 720p unit when you purchased it?

I have a 1080p model that is nearly five years old that offers true HD resolution and has been trouble free.

Yes I was aware it was 720p but did not pay attention to refresh rate and did not realize my Sony was 120 (yet is only 720p). Keep in mind, this is a 32" set and when I bought my Sony, 1080 was pretty much unavailable and they claimed then that 32 and under, you could not tell. So it ends up the refresh rate is what makes all the difference. Had I not owned the XBR4, or if I never set the Vizio up next to it, I may not have had such a negative reaction. I was trying to make a cheap choice to save a little money since it was only for the bedroom. If I did not already wear glasses, and did not expect to use the TV for many years to come, I may not have cared as much.

If Sony or Sharp made a 32" Smart TV, I would never have even considered the Vizio, but I only had 3 choices in a 32"; Vizio and 2 Samsung models...720 and 1080 /3D.