The Vizio VF550XVT is the latest gizmo to have sent ripples across the low-priced LCD segment. Giving the high-end HDTVs a stiff run for their money, the VF550XVT brings out the “wow”s with its superlative picture quality, killer looks, admirable sound, and some quite natty features.

Strutting amongst the plethora of features of the Vizio VF550XVT is its LED backlighting with local dimming feature. An array of LED zones at the back of the screen can be individually brightened or dimmed as per the content on the screen. The TV thus generates rich black levels. Watching movies takes on a new high with the VF550XVT.

The other side of the coin has concerns like average contrast levels, a lack of shadow details, and a variable backlight. But fans of the VF550XVT will not consider them showstoppers. They will, on the other hand, want to highlight VF550XVT’s ability to reproduce colors with fidelity.

Adding to the repertoire are a 240Hz refresh rate and dejudder processing, which make for considerably reduced motion blurs. The VF550XVT comes armed with multiple picture adjustments, noteworthy amongst them being the Golf, Baseball, Basketball, and Football modes. Also giving you more control over the picture quality are four color enhancement modes and an Advanced Adpative Luma setting. The pictures come out bright, clear, and sharp on the VF550XVT. You will enjoy being a couch potato with this TV around.

The VF550XVT revels under bright lights. The matte screen accentuates the reflections so that you have sharper images on screen.

To the immense joy of all those who relish a good viewing experience, the VF550XVT has brought back the versatile picture-in-picture option. Not many other contemporary HDTVs can lay a claim to this feature. The default HD mode of the VF550XVT, called “wide,” does not scale and thus distort 1080i and 1080p sources. Nor does it introduce overscan; a commendable feature for an entry in the low-priced segment.

Some other head turners in the Vizio VF550XVT include a total of five HDMI inputs; four on the back panel and one on the side. There are also two component-video inputs, AV inputs with composite and S-video, and a USB port. More thrill comes your way with the PC input (1,920×1,080 maximum resolution.) You can now watch your pictures, videos, and songs unravel with spectacular resolution.

The VF550XVT looks sleek. There is a glossy black frame around the viewing area, a silver colored non-detachable speaker bar along the bottom, reflective supports, and a transparent panel that shows the wall behind. There’s also an illuminated panel of “tech logos” along the left side. For a 55-inch TV, the VF550XVT weighs a slender 90 pounds.

You will especially like the VF550XVT’s large remote. It has a chrome-colored cursor pad that is surrounded by well-spaced out, easily differentiable, yellow-backlit keys. To make your viewing experience smoother, the remote also packs in a section that gives one-touch access to the different input types and “A, B, C, and D” keys for other devices like cable boxes.

The Vizio VF550XVT surely packs in a punch in its genre and despite all its shortcomings, it is worth a second look and a thoughtful consideration.