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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 12
Vs Panasonic TCP42S1Next: Page 14
Vs Sony KDL40W5100
Samsung LN40B610 Summary
• The Samsung is the more expensive display
• The Samsung has superior performance in most of our tests, though
• The Vizio can show photos, music and video from a USB device
Value Comparison Summary
If price is the criteria, the Vizio VL420M is the celar winner. But value is abotu more than price, and the Samsung is better value for money if you have the budget to cover it, as it has better performance and a wider feature set.
| Comparison Specifications | ||
 |
 |
|
| Vizio VL420M | Samsung LN40B610 | |
| Size | 42' | 40' |
| Price | $799 | $1150 |
| Type | LCD | LCD |
| Format | 1080p | 1080p |
| Other | USB Port | USB Port |
Blacks & Whites
The Samsung has deeper blacks and brighter whites, so it has a much wider contrast ratio, which means more dramatic and appealing images.
| Blacks & Whites Comparison Chart | |
 |
|
| Vizio VL420M Score: Black Level: 5.28 Peak Brightness: 8.38 Contrast: 5.77 |
Samsung LN40B610 Score: Black Level: 7.79 Peak Brightness: 9.33 Contrast: 8.44 |
Color Accuracy
The Samsung was also the winner on most of our tests of color performance; it had more consistent whites and smoother color curves. The only area where the Vizo was slightly superior was in the colorg amut (the range of colors that it could show), where the range of the Samsung was slightly off.
| Color Temperature Comparison | |
 |
|
| Vizio VL420M Score: 6.72 | |
 |
|
| Samsung LN40B610 Score: 8.05 | |
| RGB Comparison | |
   |
|
| Vizio VL420M Score: 7.27 | |
   |
|
| Samsung LN40B610 Score: 8.03 | |
| Color Gamut Comparison | |
 |
|
| Vizio VL420M Score: 4.95 | |
 |
|
| Samsung LN40B610 Score: 4.05 | |
Motion
Again, the Samsung had an edge here, with slightly smoother motion and fewer issues. Both displays were not trouble free, though; we saw some issues with trailing on both with brightly colored objects moving quickly on the screen.
| Motion Scores | ||
| Vizio VL420M | Samsung LN40B610 | |
| Motion Smoothness | 6.88 | 7.13 |
| Motion Artifacting | 6.38 | 6.88 |
Viewing Effects
Neither display was anything to write home about when it came to viewing angle: when we measured how well the contrast ratio held up on both as the angle of view increased, both had poor results, with the contrast ratio falling by half at less than 20 degrees. That means on both displays that the person sitting at the end of the couch will see a significantly less attractive image than the person in the middle.
| Viewing Angle Comparison | |
 |
|
| Vizio VL420M Score: 3.85 | Samsung LN40B610 Score: 4.10 |
Connectivity
Both displays are blessed with a decent selection of inputs for analog and digital video, plus enough audio inputs to connect a number of devices at once.
| Connectivity Comparison | ||
| Vizio VL420M | Samsung LN40B610 | |
| HDMI | 4 | 4 |
| Component | 2 | 2 |
| Composite | 2 | 3 |
| S-Video | 1 | 0 |
| VGA | 1 | 1 |
| Analog Audio In | 3 | 3 |
| Digital Audio Out | 1 | 1 |
| Analog Audio Out | 1 | 1 |
| LAN | 0 | 0 |
| USB | 1 | 0 |
| Memory Card | 0 | 0 |
| Other | None | None |
Other Comparisons
The Vizio does include one thing that the Samsung does not: a USB port for viewing photos, listening to music or watching videos.
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