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Introduction
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01.Tour & Design
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02.Blacks & Whites
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03.Color Accuracy
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04.Motion
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05.Viewing Effects
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06.Calibration
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07.Remote Control
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08.Connectivity
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09.Audio & Menus
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10.Formats & Media
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11.Power Consumption
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12.Vs Panasonic TCP42S1
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13.Vs Samsung LN40B610
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14.Vs Sony KDL40W5100
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15.Conclusion
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16.Series Comparison
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17.Ratings & Specs
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18.Comments
VIZIO VL420M
Previous: Page 9
Audio & MenusNext: Page 11
Power Consumption
Formats & Media Summary
Editorial Note: This is a review of the Vizio VL420M. The other sizes of TVs in this series include the VL260M, VL320M, VL370M and VL470M. Test results are for this model, but should indicate the general performance of other models in the VL series. Read here for more details on series differences.
• A 1080p screen that can handle all current HD formats
• Photos, music and videos can be played from USB
• The interface to control this is very basic
Formats (10.0)
The VL470M is a Full HD 1080p screen, which means it can handle the highest resolution high definition signals that are currently used on consumer devices. It does not support the extended color gamuts that some other displays offer, but this is no great loss: these don't do much to improve picture quality.
Photo Playback (6.5)
When you insert a USB thumb drive into the USB slot, the display gives you the option to play back media from the drive, then to select if you want to play back photos, music or video. The photo option is simple, but pretty easy to use: you are shown thumbnails of the photos and can choose to play all or selected ones in a slideshow. This slideshow can have music playing in the background and you get some control over the transitions between the images: 7 different transitions are on offer, or you can set it to random. You cannot save these slideshows, though. Overall, this feature is fine for playing back a few holiday snaps, but not good enough to produce a convincing business presentation.
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| When playing back photos, the on-screen menus give access to features to control the slideshow |
Music & Video Playback (5.0)
Music and video can also be played back through a similar interface. Only MP3 music files are supported, though, and the list of video formats is similarly short: MPEG 4 and Quicktime files are supported, but only if the audio is supported in AAC format; it refuses to play videos with other audio formats. Windows media files from versiuon 7 and up are also supported.
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| When playing back music, you get a list of the music files on the device |
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| Some video files refused to play, but others worked well |
Streaming Playback (0.0)
The VL420M does not have an Internet connection, so it cannot stream video from the Internet or from a server on your home network.
Other Media (0.0)
There are no other media features on the VL420M.
| Other Models in the VL Series | |||||||
| This is a review of the Vizio VL420M. The other sizes of HDTVs in this series should be similar in terms of performance and usability. For details about any differences, click on the image to jump to the Series Comparison page. | |||||||
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| VL260M 26' |
VL320M 32' |
VL370M 37' |
VL470M 47' |
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