
Full Review
Introduction
The Vizio XVT553SV ($2199 MSRP) is a pleasant surprise from the normally budget-oriented manufacturer. It’s a good television, and what’s even more surprising – it’s a pretty cool television, too. It’s got all the bells & whistles you’d find on a high-end TV from Samsung or Sony, and some surprises of its own. Now if they could only do something about that exterior design.
UPDATE: We re-ran all the tests with Smart Dimming enabled and provided the results from both sets of testing in the review. The final scores for the review were not changed. You wouldn’t want us to (unless you hate Vizio for some reason). Though Smart Dimming improved black level and contrast ratio, it decreased the scores for Peak Brightness, Tunnel Contrast, White Falloff, Uniformity, RGB Color Curve, Motion Artifacting, and Viewing Angle. Because we review and score a television across a wide range of factors, rather than throwing all our emphasis around contrast ratio and black level, the aggregate, weighted final score would have been lower with Smart Dimming enabled. Please enjoy reading the review, in all its nerdy detail.
Editorial Note: This is a review of the VIZIO XVT553SV. Test results are for this model, but should indicate the general performance of other sizes in the XVTxx3SV series. The XVTxx3SV series includes the following models: XVT423SV, XVT473SV and XVT553SV. Read here for more details on series differences.
| This review is organized into 17 pages | ||
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Page 1
Tour & Design
Read More...
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Page 2
Blacks & Whites
Good, bright whites. Weak black level and contrast ratio. Read More... |
Page 3
Color Accuracy
Great overall color performance. Some minor loss of shadow and highlight detail. Read More... |
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Page 4
Motion
Great, smooth motion. Mixed results with resolution scaling. Read More... |
Page 5
Viewing Effects
Great viewing angle. Screen is too reflective. Read More... |
Page 6
Calibration
Learn about the calibration settings for the VIZIO XVT553SV. Read More... |
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Page 7
Connectivity
Five HDMIs and built-in WiFi. Just one composite and one component AV, and three USB ports that have no function. Read More... |
Page 8
Audio & Menus
Average audio quality with few features. Excellent menu system. Read More... |
Page 9
Multimedia & Internet
Great streaming content features. No USB functionality. Read More... |
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Page 10
Power Consumption
Average power consumption. Read More... |
Page 11
Vs Samsung UN55C7000
![]() We compare the XVT553SV to the UN55C7000. Read More... |
Page 12
Vs Sony KDL 52EX700
![]() We compare the XVT553SV to the KDL-52EX700. Read More... |
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Page 13
Vs LG 55LE5400
![]() We compare the XVT553SV to the 55LE5400. Read More... |
Page 14
Conclusion
Read our final conclusion of the VIZIO XVT553SV. Read More... |
Page 15
Series Comparison
Read about the difference between the models in the XVTxx3SV series Read More... |
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Page 16
Photo Gallery
See photos of the VIZIO XVT553SV Read More... |
Part 17
Comments
Read what people are saying about the VIZIO XVT553SV. Add your comments... |
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VIZIO XVT553SV Manual
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