A bargain.

I wrote of the continuing price reductions in large LCD displays here. Now that I have received my 55″ Vizio E552VLE – the bottom of the line model – a few words are in order.

You can see how the predecessor 42″ version compares for size – the same model Border Terrier appears in each:

The HackMini is the silver box on the right. You can just make out the latest 1080p AppleTV (Version 3) below the left end of the set, the same location where the IR receiver in the TV resides.

While representing 72% more surface area, the practical reaction is that it’s a lot larger. Watching a movie is more involving. Anything closer than 9 feet for viewing distance is too close. The increase from 720p to 1080p resolution is not that big a deal. On the very highest quality programming you can just make out the difference, but it’s not startling. You will not know the difference on most content.

The practical reality is that for $700 you can have a really large screen TV which will do a fine job of showing movie and photographic content and should be easily good for five years.

The TV comes with internet apps like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon VOD, but these are not well implemented and I find accessing these services through my attached HackMini or the AppleTV to be the way to go. The TV has built-in 802/11n 5GHz wifi, which refused to connect wirelessly, but fired right up with an ethernet cable between the TV and the adjacent Apple Airport Extreme, requiring only that the password be entered to access Netflix. But, frankly, it’s really a solution, and a poor one at that, looking for a problem.

Rather than mess with a plethora of remotes, I am sticking with the $14 RCA RCRP05BR 5 Device Cable Replacement Universal Remote. This is a so called JP1 class remote, meaning that it can be programmed using a Windows PC connected to the socket in the battery compartment, or simply programmed using the keys on the remote itself. The latter is my choice as I do not use Windows. Every button on every TV remote issues a unique IR code, and these ‘extended function codes’ for current Vizio TVs appear in Post #21 on the RemotesCentral site. So for example if you want to program a key on the RCA to open the Vizio’s Input menu, knowing the EFC from the table is ‘00090’ allows you to assign that to any key. You can then string programmed keys together into actions (‘macros’) to permit emulation of all your many constituent remotes into one device. Very handy.

In this way I am able replace the AppleTV remote, the cable box and DVR remote, the Vizio TV remote and the Sony sound bar remote with just this one inexpensive RCA device. The RCA has a ‘learning’ mode where actions of other remotes can be ‘taught’ to the RCA. It works well, especially in those cases where the correct EFC cannot be divined.

Speaking of sound bars, I auditioned a couple to see if I could replace my separate Sony amplifier and bookshelf speakers with a sound bar. The Sony HT CT-60 spoke to my ears and wallet at $125 + tax, also from Costco. The best feature is that all I had to do was run one Toslink optical fiber cable from the Vizio output socket to the input in the sound bar. The latter comes with a small sub-woofer, a tad boomy unless turned down, and has a treble control. The result is excellent definition on speech, decent on music, but maybe not something which will render nuclear blasts or acid rock with the greatest fidelity. That assumes that fidelity is even a concept when it comes to electric guitars. Still, it’s a sight (and sound) better than the internal speakers in the TV set and a lot less clutter and wiring than the earlier amplifier/bookshelf speaker arrangement.

Sony HT CT-60 sound bar mounted on the wall above the TV. 37″ wide, weighing but 4lbs.

The best feature of the sound bar is that when switched to surround sound mode, you really get a much enhanced spatial picture of sound, even though this is not a surround sound system.

You can pay up to $4,000 for a 55″ TV. That will get you a speedier set with LED technology, inferior for off axis viewing to the older LCD technology used in the set described here. You will likely get slightly blacker blacks, the sound will be no better, and you will certainly burn a far larger hole in your wallet with no more assurance of a fault-free set on delivery than with the 5 Vizios the same money gets you. Well, OK, if you get five your chances of every one being bad will be 80% less. Best as I can tell, faulty sets account for some 10-15% of new ones sold, regardless of brand. I was lucky, and returning this behemoth would not be a lot of fun. Not one bad pixel of the one billion on display, no backlight bleeding, no colored patches, nothing. Costco doubles the maker’s warranty to two years, and allows local returns to your retail outlet of choice.

This is an outstanding value, has probably just been discontinued, and I recommend this set with no reservations.

A quick note on installation:

You can wall mount this set in which case you must make sure that the wall mount bracket is retained in wall studs, using a batten if necessary, or risk expensive damage. Mine is free standing and assembly required only the attachment of the very sturdy and very deep base with eight bolts and the allen wrench provided. The set is not all that heavy at 70lbs and here’s a safe and stress free way of getting this very bulky item onto its pedestal. Archimedes would have approved (“Give me a lever and I will move the world”).

The two black boxes which hide behind the set are Mediasonic
enclosures storing 24 terabytes of movies.

The set is picked up by the short end which is placed on one chair cushion. The other end is then picked up and the second chair moved into place. The base is then attached and the whole is gently tilted backwards onto the pedestal. With two people neither is ever lifitng more than 20lbs. Stress and risk free.

Costco: I bought the TV from Costco in Foster City on the SF Peninsula. An excellent buying experience. Knowledgeable in-store help, easy online ordering and delivery in exactly the 10 days promised, shipped from Atlanta at no charge. One day before the day of delivery I was called to schedule a delivery time and then was called again when the truck was getting close. A final call was received when the truck was in the driveway. Very impressive and recommended. I gave the two delivery men $10 each to hump the set to the upper level. I did assembly and installation myself, taking some 30 minutes all told. For an extra charge Costco will do all of this for you, which rather takes the fun out of it.

Disclosure: No interest in any of the above mentioned public companies.

Update April 15, 2015:

Two years of ownership and daily use, and the set functions as perfectly as it was new, delivering a stellar image and great sound over the Sony sound bar. 4K is not remotely ready for prime time, so if you can hunt one like this down, it is highly recommended.

Update January 11, 2018:

After five trouble free years, the Vizio has migrated to the patio where it continues delivering a fine picture. Details of its replacement, a 65″ LG OLED TV, can be found here, complemented by a high end sound system and the latest AppleTV 4K for streaming 4K content.