VIZIO VO370M

Color Temperature (9.63)

As part of our calibration process, we try and get the color temperature of the whites as close as possible to 6500k. For the VO370M, the closest we could get was about 6800k using the Normal color temp mode. But we also look at how consistent the whites are as they fade to grey; some displays have problems that mean that greys turn blue or orange. The VO370M didn't have a problem here; we found that the whites remained very constant as the intensity fell, so most users won't see any color cast to greys on the screen. the on;y exception to this is when the disply is almost black; we saw a significant shift with these greys.

Color Temperature

RGB Curves (8.24)

All HDTVs create colors by mixing reds, greens and blues in varying amounts. So, it is important for a display to be able to accurately represent subtle changes in each of these primary colors, and that's what we test here. We display a series of screens in each of the primary colors at different intensities, measure the intensity of the screen and then  look at the curve that these measurements show (called the response curve). What we are looking for here is problems with sudden jumps or glitches in the curves; these indicate that the display wasn't able to accurately represent a subtle change in the color intensity. Imagine a blue sly that's composed of subtle changes in the color; if the blue response curve is bumpy, you'll see contours in the sky that aren't present in the original image.

RGB Curves

The VO370M had a few minor issues here: as you can see the response curves are slightly bumpy, and both the red and blue curves show peaking, where the display doesn't reproduce changes at the high end because it is already showing the brightest color it cam. What this can mean is that very bright objects (such as a bright flower or a bright uniform) will get lost, because the display can't reproduce the differences between the bright colors.

If we take this data and convert it into a gradient, we see how these bumps translate into banding on a gradient. The effect of these bands is that subtle color changes (such as skies or the details of flowers) may not be accurately represented: they may look flat, or may show bands that weren't present in the original image. The top gradient represents the ideal; a perfectly smooth response. If you see bands or bumps in this, they are caused by the display you are reading this review on.

Red Response Comparisons
Ideal Response
Vizio VO370M
LG 37LH30
Samsung LN32B360
JVC LT-42P300

Green Response Comparisons
Ideal Response
Vizio VO370M
LG 37LH30
Samsung LN32B360
JVC LT-42P300

Green Response Comparisons
Ideal Response
Vizio VO370M
LG 37LH30
Samsung LN32B360
JVC LT-42P300

Color Gamut (5.46)

The color gamut of a display is the range of colors that it can represent. The range of colors that a HD signal should contain is defined in a standard called Rec.709, and a good HDTV should be able to show approximately the same range of colors. That's what we test here, and we found that the color gamut of the VO370M was a little off; the blue in particular was some way off from the ideal. What this means is that some colors (particularly the blues and reds) will look different to what the filmamker intended. This may not be a serious problem, but we do wish that the manufacturers paid closer attention to this.

Color Gamut

For those who want to know the specifics of this test, the color coordinates of both the Rec.709 standard and our measurements are shown below.

Compare the Vizio VO370M to other HDTVs
LG 37LH30 37 inches	Samsung LN32B360 32 inches	JVC LT-42P300 42 inches