VIZIO E-Series E241i-A1 24-Inch 1080p 60Hz LED Smart HDTV (tilted base)

Incredible value, one major flaw, read this for help configuring., November 30, 2013

I just got mine (though not on Amazon) and I consider this TV to be an upgrade to my Samsung PN63C8000 plasma TV. It has one major flaw that will turn some people away.

The Great Vizio Myth:

First of all, I want to address a myth that is going around about this TV. It’s being said that this TV has a “soft appearance that is hard to describe and can’t be fixed”. These reviews belong in the sci-fi horror fiction section. Use the settings that I post in this review, and it not only goes away, but the picture is about as good as my expensive plasma.

Cons:

1) The viewing angle is nowhere near as good as my plasma and probably not as good as other LED TVs. The perfect viewing angles appear to be within 30 degrees of the center. Therefore, if you position yourself at a 45 degree angle from where you intend to put it, know that the picture will be slightly degraded at that point. The color suffers the most, in my opinion. This is the one great flaw of this TV, which doesn’t bother me at all. Take into consideration how far away you will be sitting and the size of the 60 degree viewing cone at that distance.

2) Out-of-box settings are unacceptable and the TV is extremely difficult to calibrate – BUT! you have me here to help you, so you can breath easy now. I spent hours on this and used special tools to get it right.

3) The stand is very basic, but very stable. From stand to the bottom of the viewable screen, there is 3-1/4″ clearance. From the top of the stand to the viewable screen, there are 2.5″ clearance. Personally, I use a TV stand that has two middle compartments and I put my center speaker into one of them, pointed slightly up.

Pros:

EVERYTHING else.

Examples:

1) Extremely bright. When I saw the brightness possibilities of this screen, I tried to get my Samsung to be that bright. I didn’t even get close. You can make it dark if you want – and the TV will even automatically sense the amount of light in the room and respond to it, if you choose.
2) Matte Screen – even now, I can see myself in my Samsung. My Vizio has no glare or reflection. I may not be able to live without this in the future. This feature is high on my list now.
3) Extremely configurable. When you change picture settings on this TV, the device responds in a meaningful way. My Samsung, on the other hand, has many settings that appear to do nothing at all, even if you shift the slider from 0 to 100 – no change.
4) Price. Black Friday was good to me this year. Even at the current Amazon price, I would buy it over a major brand. Mark my words, Vizio will be a major brand some day. I have yet to find one person that I know personally that does not approve of this company for several purchases of their products.
5) Color. With my settings, I consider it to be very close to my expensive Samsung.
6) Smart Features. Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, YouTube, and a few others.
7) Remote Control with Keyboard. Searching for shows on Netflix and Amazon has never been easier, due to the fact that you can flip the remote over and type on a QWERTY keyboard. They were also smart enough to put directional arrows and the four color buttons on the back. That helps a lot. There are also Amazon and Netflix buttons on the front of the remote that will get a lot of use. An M-Go button that won’t get much use at all… is also present. The size of the remote is compact enough that I don’t have to reposition it to reach buttons with my thumb.

In a day in age where ILLogitech is screwing up our Harmony remotes by separating the buttons on either side of a big display screen, this is a refreshing and intellectual advancement in human sanity. Thank you Vizio, for the grand remote!

Hints:

1) If you’re having trouble with Amazon Instant Video, select “Your Video Library” and you will be able to connect your Amazon account to the TV and get the free Amazon Prime content if you’re a member.

My Settings:

Press the Menu button, then select Picture and press OK.

Picture Mode: Standard
Backlight: 88 (anything you want – this is the total brightness of the screen)
Brightness: 50 (this setting will affect other settings. Backlight does NOT affect other settings)
Contrast: 80
Color: 60
Tint: 0
Sharpness: 5

Select “More” at the bottom and press OK.
Select “Color Temperature” and press OK.

Color Temperature: Normal
** I did not change the values below, they were all 128 by default for the “Normal” setting. **
Red Gain: 128
Green Gain: 128
Blue Gain: 128
Red Offset: 128
Green Offset: 128
Blue Offset: 128

Press the Back button on the remote.
Select “Advanced Picture” and press OK.

Smooth Motion Effect: Off
Real Cinema Mode: Smooth
Noise Reduction: Low…

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Best 60 inch LED for the price, October 14, 2012

I had been patiently waiting for this TV to become available via Amazon, mainly because of the unbelievably low price and good review given on CNET, but got tired of waiting and ended up purchasing this TV on 10/13 from Costco. They had just gotten a shipment in that day and once I saw it in the store, I knew I needed to get it. CNET had mentioned that the off angle viewing was not as good on this set when compared to LEDs from other manufacturers, but I haven’t had any problems viewing this TV even from extreme angles. The TV was not quite as bright as the LG next to it at the store, but I believe this was mainly due to the matte finish of the screen. The LG had a glossy screen which made the picture very bright, but it also reflected literally everything behind it. My TV is now set up in a very sunny living room and the glare is minimal. Much better than the 37 inch Sharp LCD it replaced. For those looking for a basement TV, a glossy TV or a plasma might be the way to go, but for me, the matte finish was the best option. The TV has an extremely thin bezel which I really appreciated because it allowed me to get a 60 inch screen size out of a TV that takes up the same space as many 55 inch units. Out of the box, the colors were pretty good, but I am still hoping to find detailed color settings posted by CNET or elsewhere. If anyone has a good link, please share 🙂 The smart features work reasonably well. Amazon Prime and Netflix both ran just fine. My only complaint so far is with the Amazon Prime interface. It is very paired down when compared to the version offered over my PS3 and it took a long time to browse titles. If you know what movie you want though, you can simply use the search function. So far, I am completely satisfied with this set and for anyone debating between a $1000 LG or Samsung 55 inch and this 60 inch Vizio, I would highly suggest getting the Vizio. I was really surprised at how much larger the screen size was when compared to the 55s next to it at the store and the sharpness and clarity of the picture was comparable to the LGs and Samsungs costing several hundred more. Costco is currently selling this set for $979, so hopefully Amazon will price match once it gets in stock.

***Update***

I found detailed picture settings for this TV posted by katzmaier on CNET and thought would I pass it along for others to try. Shutting off the back light control and ambient light sensor features definitely brightened up the picture.

—Picture settings menu—
Picture Mode: Movie
Backlight: 53
Brightness: 50
Contrast: 75
Color: 51
Tint: 0
Sharpness: 0

—Size & Position submenu—
[no change]

—Color Temperature submenu—
Colour temperature: Normal
Red Gain: 104
Green Gain: 115
Blue gain: 130
Red offset: 129
Green offset: 130
Blue offset: 132

–Advanced Picture submenu—
Smooth motion effect: Off
Real Cinema Mode: Smooth [grayed out]
Noise Reduction: Off
MPEG NR: Off
Color Enhancement: Off
Adaptive Luma: Off
Film Mode: Auto
Backlight Control: Off
Ambient Light sensor: Off

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