Never heard of Vizio? Me either ’til I started to do some research. They were the #1 LCD seller in the US in 2007. Selling mostly in Walmart and Costco chains. I was a bit skeptical about buying one but my fears were laid to rest when I saw one in person next to some Sharps and Samsungs. I was also assured by with Costco’s good warranty policy. I saw them at Circuit City. The one I was at had them properly calibrated and I can see that the Sharps and Samsungs were a bit better looking. A bit…. Sure wasn’t $700 better though.

I was planning on getting a Sharp Aquos 42″ or Samsung but the extra $700 on these models really turned me off. And forget about Sony, since their panels are made by Samsung or Sharp, why am I paying the middle man for quality? With the money I saved, I could’ve gotten a PS3 and a 360.

I like to get value from my money. I’m not a lemming that will buy things because they are a certain brand. Frankly my no-name shoes lasts just as long and are as comfortable as some of the Nikes I use to own. Companies like Vizio who make quality products with good value will eventually become brand name like LG, Samsung or Sony. No one would dare think about buying a Samsung 20 years ago. But since they didn’t produce crap, they ended up getting a good reputation. And Vizio is set to do that with their line of TV’s.

My local Costco only had the 42″ model. I did see 46″/47″/52″ models in the US Costco’s. I would’ve gotten my hands on a 47″ for sure. But 42″ is a nice size. Not too big and not too small as Goldilock’s would say.

It has a lot of features like PIP, split screen, that you would pay extra for. Although it states that you can’t have 1920×1080 via VGA, you can however connect your PC through HDMI and get the 1080p glory. I do that with my Macbook and get a massive desktop.

In order to truly appreciate a 1080p TV, you need content to match it. I got myself a PS3 and a few Bluray discs. 3D animation like Cars, Monsters Inc., Toy Story etc. on Bluray is amazing… Regular live action films on the other hand aren’t as stellar. I mean they look good but they have problems since you can see the “film grain”. Since Bluray captures so much detail they even capture the grain that is on film. And when it gets compressed, I see artifacts all over the place. Surprisingly sometimes, the director will put in film grain intentionally to either give it that “look” or to hide flaws. For example, they would put grain in so CGI objects would blend in with live action scenes.

I’ve used the Vizio my racing setup. It plays GT5: Prologue in 1080p. An amazing game that looks super realistic. If you’ve got a next gen gaming system like the PS3 or Xbox 360 and no LCD, you are missing out on a lot of detail.

Standard definition TV signals (from cable) look watchable on an LCD.  Granted your basically taking a 640×480 image and blowing it up to 1920×1080.  So it’s good enough.   I don’t spend a lot of time watching TV.  I usually use it with my PS3.

Specs from Vizio’s site:

42″ diagonal / 16:9 wide screen aspect ratio.
Full High Definition 1920 X 1080 resolution.
Compatible input formats: 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i.
Supports high definition gaming systems.
Brilliant picture quality with over 16 Million colors.
Amazing 1500:1 contrast ratio.
Backlit Remote Control
Built-in digital HDTV & standard TV combined tuner.
Wall mounting capable; less than 4″ deep without stand.
2X HDMI inputs for optimal digital connectivity.
Superior viewing from any angle.

Wall Mounting Specifications:
Hole Pattern 200mm x 600mm
Screw Size M8
Screw Length 25mm
Screw Pitch 1.25

Specification
Size: 42-in*
*Viewable: 42.02-in
Tuner: Integrated NTSC/ATSC/QAM HDTV Tuner

Supported TV Formats
1080p, 1080i, 720p, 720i, 480p, 480i

Native Panel Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Supported PC Resolutions
1920 x 1080, 1366 x 768, 1024 x 768, 800 x 600

Specification
Panel Type: 42″ Diagonal*, 16:9 Wide Screen, Color TFT Active Matrix LCD
Panel Specifications: Anti-Static and hard coated surface
Pixel/Dot Pitch: 0.485mm (H) x 0.485mm (V)
Display Compatibility: Full HDTV (1080p)
Signal Compatibility: 480i (SDTV), 480P (EDTV), 720P (HDTV), 1080i (HDTV), 1080p (Full HDTV)
Response Time: 8 ms (typical)
Colors: 8 bit 16.77 Million colors
Brightness: 500 cd/m2 (typical)
Contrast Ratio: 1500:1 (typical)
Viewable Angle: >178 degrees (horizontal and vertical)

Inputs
RF (F Connector for internal tuner): 1
HDMI with HDCP: 2
Analog Stereo Audio for HDMI Inputs: 1
Component YPbPr plus Stereo Audio: 2
Composite Video: 2
S-Video plus Stereo Audio: 1
Computer RGB plus Stereo Audio: 1
Service Port:

Outputs
Analog Audio out (RCA): 1
5.1 SPDIF Digital Optical Audio: 1
Headphone (Stereo Mini-Jack): 0

Additional Information
Picture-in-Picture (PIP)
Picture-outside-Picture (POP)
Closed Caption (CC)
V-Chip
3D Comb Filter
Zoom
Freeze
3:2 or 2:2 Reverse Pull-down
ATSC with 8VSB & QAM demodulation
ATSC with MPEG-2 decoding
NTSC Video decoding via RF: Yes, thru Antenna, Cable, or Satellite
NTSC Video decoding via Video: Yes, thru CVBS, S-Video, or Component
Progressive Scan Video: Yes, thru Component YPbPr, VGA or HDMI
HDTV: Yes, thru HDMI or Component YPbPr
Computer: 640×480, 800×600, 1024×768 thru VGA or 640×480 thru HDMI
Sound enhancement: Yes, Virtual Surround
Color Temperature: 6500K (standard), 5400K and 9300K
Color Fine Tuning: Independent Red, Green and Blue
Audio: Built-in 10W x 2
Lamp (LCD) / Panel (PDP) Life: 50000 hours
Power: IEC Connector for direct power line connection
Voltage Range100 ~ 240 Vac at 50/60 Hz
Power Consumption: 286W average
Removable Base

Weight
Gross:60.7 lbs
Net: 48.5 lbs

Dimensions
Carton:
With Stand: 40.5″ W x 28.5″ H x 9.7″ D
Without Stand: 40.5″ W x 27.3″ H x 3.9″ D
Without Stand and Speakers:
Certifications: CSA, FCC Class B

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For the sweet price of $79US, one can be had at Circuit City. I drove down to Washington one Friday night just to pick up the chair. It was worth the trip. I loaded the chair onto my tiny hatchback. It fit perfectly.

There are basically 3 pieces, as I recall, to assemble. It’s super easy. You slip on the cover and you’re done. There are skins you can buy for the chair, I ordered a blue one for myself when I get bored of the red or when it’s getting washed. It’s made of molded plastic and since I’m not too heavy, I assume it should last me a while.

It’s a very comfortable chair to sit in. I can recline back or tilt forward. It compliments my racing setup at home very well. I sit in it to watch movies, play video games, or type on my macbook. Everyone who has used the chair says it’s comfortable. I’ve taken naps in it too. It’s that comfy.

This chair is coined “toe crusher” or “finger smasher” in my house since it will do just that! Don’t put your toes or fingers anywhere near the rocker, cause if you rock over them, it hurts big time. More if you weight a ton.

The AK Rocker 100 is the 21st century’s version of Grandma’s rocking chair. I would be proud to rock in this when I’m old and gray.

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I got this digital multimeter at Canadian Tire. It was $30 and I thought it offered some good features for the money. I liked the fact it has a continuity tester. Great for testing out which wire belongs to which pin.

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