Vizio XVT3D650SV 65-inch LCD 3D HDTV Review

The Vizio Razor XVT3D650SV is Vizio’s first 65-inch LCD HDTV set that uses passive, rather than active shutter 3D technology. It has all the bells and whistles that everyone has come to expect from a high-end HDTV set combined with a stylish, and surprisingly thin exterior. Combining decent image quality, superb entertainment offerings and unique add-ons, this HDTV has the added advantage of being able to use inexpensive polarized glasses when viewing 3D materials.

As mentioned, the Vizio XVT3D650SV is a 65-inch LCD HDTV. It has a huge 65-inch screen that literally dominates the front panel of the set. It sports an all-black exterior that is common for most Vizio sets. At the bottom of the screen, you have the set’s matte black speaker enclosure with a backlit Vizio logo in the center. The panel has a glossy coating that acts as a large mirror when the TV is off.

The XVT3D650SV is packed with every connectivity options available. It offers five HDMI ports vertically mounted in a recessed area on the back left side of the cabinet, three USB ports, an optical audio output, and a pair of analog stereo output jacks. The remaining connections are horizontally mounted facing downward and include Ethernet (aside from the fact that is has a built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi) and PC audio jacks, a 15-pin VGA (PC) port, one set of component A/V inputs, and coaxial cable/antenna jack.

Mounted at the bottom-left of the set is what Vizio calls the jag wheel. If pressed, it launches a quick menu with volume, channel, input choice, and power off controls.

At around $3700, the set is actually cheaper compared to LCD TVs with the same size and feature as the XVT3D650SV. Generally, LCD HDTVs of this calibre will set you back more than $5000. But, considering its size, the XVT3D650SV consumes an average hourly power consumption of 123.6 watts when in use and 0.8 watt even when turned off. This is pretty high for a LED-backlit television. Consumers considering this set has to weigh if the initial cost is worth the cost incurred by its power consumption in the long run.

The XVT3D650SV generally received good scores during image quality tests. It performed really well specially with handling motion. Colors are bright without being oversaturated, shadow details are superb despite the relative brightness, blooming effect is barely discernible, and both primary and secondary colors are correctly rendered by this HDTV. Minor downsides noted are the blue tinge noticeable over black areas, glossy screen that barely filter out external reflections, and uneven screen uniformity.

As for 3D, the XVT3D650SV delivers the goods. Depth of field is every bit as good and comparable to higher-priced models, and crosstalk artifacts are minimal. Color quality is excellent and the picture remains fairly bright as well.

Of course, Vizio provides a wealth of on-screen controls for tweaking images to your liking. It also has preset adjustments intended to optimize the image for different types of content such as sports, movies, and gaming. The on-screen options are easy to access via the remote, and as you scroll through them, explanations appear at the bottom of the screen.

Vizio may not have the largest collection of Internet apps, but it covers the key bases, with Yahoo widgets, Vudu’s HD movie rental service, Flickr, Rhapsody, Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon on Demand.

The audio on the XVT3D650SV is just adequate, but otherwise its only real flaw is the lack of media playback support, despite having three USB 2.0 ports. Vizio promises to deliver this functionality via a firmware upgrade in the not-too-distant future. Audio settings include five presets (Flat, Jazz, Pop, Rock, and Classical) and a lip sync setting that lets you make adjustments if the picture does not sync up with the audio output. An equalizer panel lets you create your own custom sound profile, and you can avoid those annoying overly loud commercials by enabling the SRS TruVolume option. Lastly, the SRS TruSurround HD does an adequate job of simulating a surround-sound listening experience but it’s no substitute for a real multi-channel speaker system.