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VIZIO VL420M

Television Review

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Color Accuracy

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Viewing Effects
VIZIO VL420M
Page 4

Motion 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.

• Motion was mostly smooth
• Some artifacts were seen
• Testing done using DisplayMate Software

Motion Smoothness (6.88)

The VL420M includes 120Hz motion processing, which is becoming increasingly common on even low cost displays. The display also has several different levels of what Vizio refers to as Smooth Motion processing: off,  low, middle and high. We found that middle produced the best results overall, striking the best balance between smoothing the motion and making it look excessively flat. The high setting did have a tendancy to do this; subtle details in moving objects were lost, and faces acquired a flat, cartoonish look. It would also make sense to turn this feature off for some types of content, such as Blu-ray movies playing at 24fps.

Motion Artifacting (6.38)

We saw a few minor issues with motion artifacts: there was some trailing on certain colors (such as purples) and some sharp edges moving quickly across the screen acquired a broken, jagged look if the Smooth Motion feature was enabled.

3:2 Pulldown & 24fps (8.0)

The VL420M includes a feature called film mode, and this had no problem detecting and appropriately processing video that included the inverse telecine effect that some broadcasters use to give their shows (which are transmitted at 29.97 frames per second) a more film-like look (film runs at 24 frames per second). The display also had no problem working with a true 24 frames per second signal produced by a high-end Blu-ray player.

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.
VL260M
26'
VL320M
32'
VL370M
37'
VL470M
47'

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VIZIO VL420M
Television Review

Previous: Page 3

Color Accuracy

Previous: Page 5

Viewing Effects