November 20th, 2008
Vizio unveils $1,999.99 55-inch 120Hz LCD HDTV for January release
Vizio decided to jump the gun on CES and announce some new home theater products today, including a 55-inch 120Hz 1080p LCD for just $1,999.99, another aggressive pricing decision that will once again drag the prices (and profits) down for the Samsungs and Sonys of the world.
The VF550XVT1A features a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, a whopping five HDMI ports, and SRS TruSurround HD and TruVolume audio technology, the latter of which is designed to smooth out the jumps in volume when you’re switching channels. It will be available in January, just in time for Super Bowl viewing (which Vizio has to refer to vaguely as “The Big Game”). While 52-inch LCDs are quickly coming down in price below $2,000, bigger LCDs are quite uncommon and are currently priced at least $500 more. We’ll need to see, however, if this Vizio can match a Bravia in picture quality.
For those looking for sets for kitchens or guest bedrooms and in need of some immediate gratification, Vizio announced the current availability of new smaller-size sets, including a 22 incher that implausibly (and pointlessly) is a 1080p model. The 26-inch VA26 costs $449.99, while that 22-inch 1080p set, the VA22, sells for $349.99 and the 19-inch VA19 is priced at $249.99.
Finally, Vizio will release a new sound bar speaker solution next month. The $349.99 VSB210WS is the usual sound bar-and-subwoofer combo, though the subwoofer is wireless, so there’s one fewer cable to trip over in your home theater setup. It also has the same support for SRS TruSurround HD and TruVolume as the VF550XVT1A.
Sean Portnoy spent several years as an editor at Computer Shopper magazine, most recently serving as online executive editor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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