VIZIO 26″ 720p LCD HDTV - Black (VA26LHDTV10T)
VIZIO 26″ 720p LCD HDTV - Black (VA26LHDTV10T)
VIZIO’s VA26L 26″ Liquid Crystal Display HDTV offers high definition performance in a perfectly sized package. Accepting both 720p and 1080i high definition signals, the VA26L is a perfect solution for college dorm rooms, spare bedrooms or dens. The finely shaped construction wraps around the superior technology of the VA26L which includes 1366 x 768 resolutions, 2-HDMI inputs, and an RGB input which makes for a perfect computer monitor.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Very nice for the price!
Having seen the VIZIO brand at out local Target store, I initially shunned it thinking that a higher-end and better-known brand such as Samsung, Sony or Toshiba was probably better. Recently I noticed an article in Consumer Reports that top-rated a VIZIO LCD TV so I took another look and I’m glad I did.
I bought a smaller — 26-inch — VIZIO just to watch TV which for us generally means breaking news and political coverage. For TV series and movies, we have a larger Sharp AQUOS LED LCD TV with an LG BD390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player and a 650-watt five speaker sound system; this system can’t be beat at any affordable price. The VIZIO simply can’t compete with the Sharp setup but, of course, it only cost a fraction of what we spent for our “serious” rig.
Setup was simple though, inexplicably, no assembly instructions for the TV itself were included; I assume there was a sheet of instructions which did not make it into the box. Assembly instructions are not included in the VIZIO manual or the Quickstart Guide but it was pretty easy to figure out how to attach the stand and supporting collar to the LCD TV itself.
There are plenty of input connection choices; our Apple TV unit feeds HMDI 1 and looks great on-screen.
The screen image is very good — not up to the Sharp LED TV, naturally — and the sound output is average for built-in speakers.
We got a great “Cyber Monday” price on the VA26L at Target but had to go to two stores before we could find one in stock; this popular model was sold out online.
We are happy with our VA26L and would recommend it to others looking for good performance, quality and value at a reasonable price.
1 Stars Horrible Viewing Angles
I have had this tv for a few months now. Other reviews warned about this which I fooishly ignored. Indeed the picture is good but only directly in front of the screen. Any angle from left, right or above and the picture washed out. Viewing from below, the picture darkens considerably. Ours is in a cabinet a couple of feet above eye level. I have tilted it down to watch while in bed. In any other position the picture is a disaster. I should have returned it when I had the chance.
1 Stars don’t buy it - mine broke in the first 2 minutes
i kid you not - we got a GREAT price - 248.00 at walmart and got it home and put it up on wall. turned it on to scan channels and once that finished, we were able to see 2 channels before the whole thing died.
we messed with it for a while, called vizio help line - who incidently, were pleasant and helpful. after discussing what happened - picture went from full screen and shrank in from the edges to a small dot of nothing - they told us the backlight had burned out and it was SHOT. had to take it back within an hour of purchase.
we turned around and bought a sanyo.
4 Stars OK, but lack convenience features of other TVs
I purchased this TV from Target on sale. Really good price but I had to call around to find in stock. It was moving like hotcakes off the shelves when I was there.
For the price, this is a good deal. Picture quality and sound is a step below my 32inch Sony, but certainly good for the price. However, and this is a big however, it lacks some convenience features which I really like, and thus will have to return this TV.
Specifically, the WIDE mode button has been removed from the remote control, despite what it says in the manual. I had a very nice talk with tech support, who were great, but said that the manual referred to the older model. So, this means that if you flip from one channel to another, you need to navigate through the menus to change the widescreen mode. OK, not a deal breaker, but very annoying. I use this feature all the time on my Sony.
What is a deal breaker is the lack of choices for wide screen modes. There are only 3 (normal, panoramic, and wide). These do not cover the various options you might need. Specifically, it lacks what Sony calls “ZOOM”. “ZOOM” would allow you to zoom in while retaining the aspect ratio. This is important if you are watching non HD sources where the 4×3 picture is letter-boxed. You cannot zoom in to fill the whole screen. For me, this is a big problem.
I’ve given four stars deducting 1 for these problems. If these are not concerns for you, this is a great TV at a great price. If they are, do not buy this TV.
5 Stars Pretty damn good!
The best thing you can say about your experience with product is this: We bought this TV from Target on Friday as a gift and by Saturday we were looking for one for ourselves. I brought it to my girlfriend’s mother and set it up for her to replace her old TV. Everything plugged in and turned on in the most self-explanatory fashion possible. After hitting the remote once or twice the TV had scanned and programmed everything else… and after seeing how good it looked and the amazing deal we got for it, we immediately decided we were getting one for ourselves.
When I went to buy the 2nd one I saw the same guy working who helped me with the 1st TV. He noticed I had bought one and then had come back to buy another one - he said a fellow bought one yesterday too and came back earlier today and bought 3. For 279.99 you can’t beat this. Should it not be on sale and return to the sea of comparable prices for TV’s this size, it’s still a strong front runner! I would NOT spend an extra $100 because a TV says SONY when I know how nice this one looks.
Filed under: 1080p HDTV Reviews