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Cheap Vizio plasma gives great picture

When we chose the Vizio VP505VXT as one of three finalists for Best in Show among HDTVs at CES 2008, it was due to three letters on the TV's spec sheet: HQV." That well-known video processing brand made the 50-inch plasma pretty compelling on paper.

Now that we've had a chance to review the VP505XVT, it's not HQV that floats our boat: it's this plasma's great overall price-to-performance ratio. At a list price of $1500, it's a great value, and we expect that price to fall a couple hundred on the sales floor at Costco. It will have to, because competing, name-brand 50-inch 1080p plasmas like the Panasonic TH-50PZ85U, the Samsung PN50A550 and the LG 50PG30 are also in the same price ballpark.

In our tests the Vizio delivered excellent black levels--as good as anything from Panasonic and better than the other two--and while it didn't have the color accuracy of the Samsungs, it was still pretty good in that category. HQV processing held its own, but we wouldn't consider it a major reason to buy this TV. The Vizio just gets the basics right, and that's what it's all about.

Read the full review of the Vizio VP50XVT.

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Two new high-end receivers from Onkyo feature HQV-video processing

While the main reason to buy a receiver is still to setup up a surround-sound system, it's not unusual for buyers to make their final decision based on video options, such as upconversion or HDMI switching. With that in mind, Onkyo has released two new AV receivers, the TX-SR876 and TX-NR906, that put the focus on video thanks to built-in HQV-video processing chips. They both include several high-end features, such as dual HDMI outputs and HD Radio tuners, so it's no surprise their price tags skew toward the high-end. Let's see what you get for your money:… Read more

Intel blog discusses Centrino 2 graphics performance issues

Update at 11:45 a.m. with additional information about Intel blogger.

Aaron Brezenski, the blogger, states the following in describing his posts: "Aaron Brezenski has been at Intel (Chandler, AZ) since 1995 and has been a product engineer for most of that time. He currently manages a team of product development engineers in STTD, but his nefarious purpose in (Intel Software Network) Blogspace is to highlight Intel Integrated Graphics in the Home Theater PC space from an end-user perspective."

An Intel engineer has posted a discussion about performance issues with its newest Centrino 2 graphics silicon.

The … Read more

Vizio unveils plasmas with built-in HQV

Vizio may be known as the bargain brand found at Costco, but AV enthusiasts might want to take Vizio's new series of plasmas more seriously. Vizio announced two new plasma displays, the 50-inch Vizio VP504F and the 60-inch Vizio VP605F, both of which have HQV processing built into the panel. For those that don't memorize every home theater acronym, HQV processing is a third-party video chip that, in our experience, delivers excellent video quality for scaling lower-resolution sources--like DVDs--to the native resolution of the panel. Usually HQV processing is included in receivers or high-def disc players, but the … Read more