Vizio m3d550kd where to buy

No, the series doesn't quite match the price-to-picture ratio of some of our favorite plasmas this year, but at least it comes in a screen size smaller than 50 inches. Series information: I performed a hands-on evaluation of the inch Vizio M3DKD, but this review also applies to the inch member of the series.

The two have identical specs and according to the manufacturer should provide very similar picture quality. See below for details. Vizio won't win any awards for innovative styling with the M3D0KD, but it tends toward pedestrian rather than unpleasant. The glossy black, rounded-off frame around the screen is admirably narrow and the panel sits low atop the fixed stand.

Two brighter elements annoy me, though: the lighter strip adjacent to the screen along the bottom material right next to the screen should ideally be black and the same on every side and the silver pedestal. The panels of both sizes measure a mere 1. The remote you get depends on which size you choose. My description below applies to the slider included with the inch version; check out this previous Vizio TV review for more on the flipper included with the incher.

More than two years after its debut the design of Vizio's slide-open remote seems dated, although it still offers great functionality. Unfortunately the slider feels cheap, the buttons aren't very responsive, and the unit felt more like a plastic brick than a svelte, modern controller in my hand.

I'll take function over form faster than the next guy, but Vizio takes it too far in the wrong direction. Yes, those edge-lit areas of the screen dim in large, imprecise swaths compared with the dimmers that have full-array backlights, but some local dimming is better than none in my experience since it usually improves black-level performance. No maker of active-3D TVs this year, aside from Samsung which throws in at least two pairs with every 3D set, includes glasses. The Vizio lacks 2D-to-3D conversion, if that matters to you -- it doesn't to me since such conversion is usually quite poor.

The M3D0KD can control your other gear using the included remote. That's a nice feature in theory and the guided setup worked well, but I found it frustrating when I tested an LG Blu-ray player, for example.

Switching away from the player's input didn't turn it off automatically and some commands, for example "Back," didn't work. I still think even the cheapest Harmony remotes are better. Its design makes finding the app you want more difficult than any of the other major competitors' do since you'll need to scroll through the small ticker at the bottom of the page.

Yes, you can rearrange the ticker and weed out the apps you don't want, but it's still a pain for those who want to keep more than a few apps installed. Response times were decent, but not as snappy as from Samsung's or LG's app suites. Vizio's app selection is devoid of sports-streaming apps like MLB. There's no Web browser, but that's no major loss since TV-based browsers are universally inferior to smartphone, tablet, and of course PC browsers. The remainder of that are inevitably less useful, including umpteen apps devoted to local news channels.

Picture settings: The M3D0KD has Vizio's trademark list of picture modes named after sports -- Football, Golf, Baseball, and Basketball -- that have little to do with improving image quality when watching those sports.

Advanced settings include two-point color temperature and a couple of dejudder settings, along with the option to enable or disable the local dimming and ambient light sensor. Missing are a color management system, gamma presets, and more-involved grayscale controls, so the M3D0KD isn't as friendly to tweakers as sets from LG and Samsung, for example. Click the image at the right to see the picture settings used in the review and to read more about how this TV's picture controls worked during calibration.

Its strengths include black-level performance and color accuracy, as well as solid screen uniformity, 3D picture quality, and bright-room performance. Its depth of black was the most highly variable in the lineup, however, and I saw significant blooming, where bright areas spilled over into adjacent ones, like the letterbox bars. These issues, a result of aggressive edge-lit local dimming, make it a worse overall black-level performer than the Sony or the two Panasonics we compared it with, although I'd still give it the black-level nod over the Sharp for videophiles who can stomach those variations.

Top panel image turned to fit layout. Click for larger image. As I mentioned, the M3DKD also has an integrated wireless adapter if you prefer to not run a cable to your router. Bottom panel - Click for larger image. If you prefer to be the chief cook and content maker, then you can plug in a USB flash drive full of photos, music or videos and play them back on this 55" screen.

The slideshow interface is robust enough with slide display speeds from 5 to 30 seconds and eight transition effects. And you can add music to accompany your slides.

My one request would be to add a true Dissolve effect. The existing one is pixelated. Pixelated Dissolve slideshow effect. The multi-function remote that comes with the M3DKD is two-tiered. The top layer is your traditional looking controller. As you can imagine, pudgy fingers punching these tiny keys could be a problem, but the raised keys give you a little more control.

Speaking of the manual, it is clearly written and worth a reading, especially when you are setting up your VIA widgets or navigating through the Media photos, music and video interface. You can find it here. The Federal Trade Commission FTC now requires those yellow-and-black labels that show the product's estimated annual energy cost to be attached to all TVs.

As you can see, this 55" TV is definitely in the low energy range when compared to similarly sized models. The only issue for me is the lack of a printed manual. The on line manual is alright but I would much prefer the option to at least buy the printed manual. The on line is a bit shy on the various codes for setting up the other devices and equipment.

The manual also provides the instructions for the controller for the smaller screen version and not for the 55" version. Awesome TV! For the price I payed I love this TV. My other one went up after a lightning storm, so I needed a cheap reliable TV with good quality, and I needed it fast! I bought this 55" 3D Vizio and I love it!! Amazing 3D content! This TV is Great!! Amazing TV. Switch to the LED from Plasma and it totally blows it out of the park!

Great TV for the price!