5. Video Processing

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

The Vizio P50HDTV contains "DCDi by Faroudja Low Angle De-interlacing Processing for superior video quality." Faroudja is a very well known name in the video processing arena, and for the most part I found video processing to be very good. HDTV content looked excellent as expected, and non-HD sources were decent as well. Motion artifacts or jaggies were handled adequately with film-based scenes from non-HD sources, and I did not notice any overt scaling issues with 1080i or 720p HD material. One issue with the Vizio P50HDTV is there is no full screen-stretch mode, which might annoy some viewers who prefer using the entire screen with non-widescreen content.

If plasmas have one weakness, especially compared to LCD displays, it is video noise. Video noise might been described as "clouds of tiny dots" or "static," but it is certainly not as prominent as traditional static. When viewing a quality LCD (especially a 1080p model), you can sit relatively close to the display without being distracted by motion artifacts or any other type of video noise. With most plasma displays, however, video noise is the primary issue when sitting a little too close to the display, and that is certainly true with the P50HDTV. While video-based HDTV content does not suffer that much, film-based content that already has a considerable amount of grain appear to have even more grain with the P50HDTV.

Perhaps an even greater picture quality distraction with the P50HDTV is false contouring, which is when gradual changes in shade or color are displayed as splotchy or abrupt changes in gradation. I have found that this issue is more prominent in plasma displays compared to LCDs, especially in lower-priced plasmas. With the P50HDTV, I found instances of false contouring to be frequent and distracting at times. While most of the time, false contouring might be isolated to mono-chromed backgrounds such as a painted wall, or a blue sky; there were some scenes where I noticed it on the primary subject matter, such as on facial close-ups, etc.

As you can see from the test image below, there are several prominent bands of false contouring during transitions from dark to light compared to the reference image. You can also see the color temperatures of the P50HDTV have just a slight hint of green.

Test Image - Black and White Skyscape
TOP: Vizio P50HDTV - BOTTOM: Reference Image

Viewing Position

With most 50" plasma displays tested, I've had to sit about nine to 10 feet away not to be overly distracted by video noise and other issues. However, due to the false-contouring issues I experienced with the P50HDTV, I would suggest backing up a foot or two so it is not as much of an issue. I found 11 feet worked well for my taste. Vizio claims a 170 degree viewing angle, and as with many plasmas, you can sit at considerable angles off-center without a lot of glare or picture wash-out.