4. DVD Performance

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

When connected to the Oppo OPDV971H DVD player via the HDMI input, the Vizio P50HDTV produced results very similar to HDTV sources. Color and contrast were excellent and detail was very good considering the source is 480p. Video noise was not quite as pronounced as with HDTV, but that's probably due to the reduced overall detail. As you can see from the comparison of "The Fifth Element" below, color accuracy is very good, with flesh tones just about identical to the reference image. The shadow detail on the left portion of the image is very good compared to many other displays tested.

The Fifth Element (Oppo OPDV971H DVD Player - 720p via DVI to HDMI)
TOP: Vizio P50HDTV - BOTTOM: Reference Image

Color

The Vizio P50HDTV contains 24-bit color depth supporting 231-billion colors. I'm not sure if these measurements have that much meaning, but color performance was excellent. Throughout the spectrum, colors were rich, full and very well balanced. Flesh tones were excellent, and once I dialed down the green level, color temperature was close to ideal.

Contrast/Black Level

As mentioned above, the contrast of the P50HDTV is excellent with all sources. Blacks and dark grays had a deep, inky quality that no LCD and few plasma displays can duplicate. Mid-tone contrast was also very good, which is important for faithful flesh tone replication. I would place the P50HDTV's contrast performance in the same ballpark as the industry-leading Pioneer and Panasonic.