3. Test Drive

• P50HDTV10A 50" Plasma...
• • Tech for Less Store
  • $897.25

I connected the Vizio P50HDTV to several HD sources and sampled several types of high-definition content including movies, sports and regular television programming. Vizio's factory defaults set the video to Vivid mode, which was way too cartoonish for my taste. I switched it to Custom mode and set everything to the middle or 50 out of 100. Once this was done, the first thing that jumps out at you with the P50HDTV is the contrast and black-level performance, which was fantastic.

Color accuracy and saturation were also very impressive. Flesh tones were very accurate with all sources and I was never distracted with any color issue during normal viewing. Brightness level was very good, with plenty of punch even in a well-lit environment. I did notice a very slight green-cast, especially during dark scenes, but reducing the Green Level in the custom color section fixed this issue immediately. However, there was a considerable amount of video noise and false contouring with most sources, which kept me from sitting too close.

Here are a few sample images of the P50HDTV. NOTE - The bottom images in each comparison, called "reference images," are photographed images from a Dell 1905FP 19" LCD computer monitor. In my previous reviews, I used a computer image, but comparing photograph to photograph provides a more accurate representation of relative quality.

A broadcast video feed that displays excellent detail and good color accuracy. Flesh tones are accurate, but slightly under-saturated.

Korean Broadcast - SBS HD - 1080i
TOP: Vizio P50HDTV - BOTTOM: Reference Image

This snapshot from "Pirates of the Caribbean" illustrates rich color saturation and contrast performance. There is a slight tilt to green/yellow in this shot, but in real-world viewing it was not as noticeable.

Pirates of the Caribbean - INHD2 - 1080i
TOP: Vizio P50HDTV - BOTTOM: Reference Image

This scene from the movie "Invincible" again illustrates excellent contrast performance of color accuracy, which is almost identical to the reference image. Black levels are very impressive with a considerable amount of detail retained in dark portions of the scene.

Invincible - INHD2 - 1080i
TOP: Vizio P50HDTV - BOTTOM: Reference Image

This scene from "Departed" illustrates vibrant color and excellent detail with a hint of green/yellow compared to the reference image.

Departed - Computer Image - 1080p
TOP: Vizio P50HDTV - BOTTOM: Reference Image