Executive summary:
It's worth every penny if you're a layman with extremely high expectations. Out of the box settings are excellent, but dialing up the sharpness results in a picture that's mesmerizingly crisp. Seriously, you won't want to leave the couch. The remote is intuitive. Direct ethernet connection worked flawlessly. Response time for apps is brisk. No regrets that I didn't grab the Samsung.
Save yourself the warehouse club grief and use Amazon.
Impression:
(Alert, I like SciFi)
Watching Futurama in HD on this baby will bring a tear of joy to your eye. Seriously, your jaw will drop. I could see the pores on Fargo's face on the latest episode of Eureka. I was very concerned that this large screen size would have that fuzzy not-quite-focused/ soft focus look that plagues a lot of these big "best value for price" sets. My fears were quickly allayed. I'm sorry I don't have the technical chops to get into more details, but for the discerning layman with very high expectations, you'll be more than pleased. I always keep the box in my living room for a few days to make sure I'm happy with my purchases. I've been watching for four days and I'm no less impressed. Tomorrow, I toss the crate.
Picture quality out of the box was excellent, but excellent doesn't cut it for $1850.00. I almost sent it back, but increasing the sharpness slightly really pushed the image up to incredible. I prefer a looking-out-a-window crystal clear image. I'm using a TIVO series 3 on Comcast and everything was configured inside 5 minutes. It walks you right through it when you turn it on. The popout keyboard on the remote is a little tight for the big-fingered but easily navigable. I loaded my stocks into the Yahoo widget with ease and logged into Twitter effortlessly. Most recent tweets and individual stocks are displayed in their respective apps at the bottom of the screen with one button push if you don't want to open the entire app, which is very convenient for the quick look. I want a concise overview when I get home from work. I'm not in the mood to drill down through menus.
Now the part that will save some of you money: I'm in MA. I gave up trying to find where and when these TV's would be in stock. Vizio doesn't know, and the warehouse distributors don't know. I've been told no less than 10 dates of arrival over the past month. I followed online and retail locations, talked to distributors for BJ's, Costco, Sam's, and called multiple locations. No dice. Last week I was told they would be on the floor on August 7th at BJ's in MA. That's today and, not surprisingly, nothing at every location. The price is, however, in their systems. The cost at BJ's local will be $1799.99 with an additional $50.00 dollar rebate. They (Dedham store) told me it was a manufacturer's rebate but who knows. It may be specific to BJ's...or not. If you live near one of these stores in MA, wait for the tax free weekend on the 14th and 15th. They may or may not have them in stock by then....or click on Amazon and be done with it. My sanity was worth a hundred bucks, not to mention the box for this thing is huge and you'll need to find a truck to bring it home. Let Amazon set it up for you and save the gas and hassle. Yes, I realize you lose an extra couple of years on the warranty, but hopefully the build is good and the first year will be enough. Without a truck don't even think about dragging this one home yourself. If you use Amazon, use scheduled delivery so you know when it's coming and choose text notification so you'll be alerted when it's out for delivery.
I usually wait to see how CNET reviews these new sets. I took a risk and have no regrets. If they call it a dog I'll be shocked. I'm sure they will find something less than optimal of course. If you're a gamer, look elsewhere for a review. If, however, you're like the rest of us and don't know a jutter from a stutter, seek help if you're not blown away by the image on this set
Nano
