You say in the market to buy a new LCD. Do you need an LCD or you mean a plasma or an LCD. LCD's are better for people who play alot of video games or that have very bright rooms. Otherwise I would suggest a plasma and I would suggest a Panasonic.
Visio is a 2nd tier brand, I'm not sure who makes their screens/glass. I don't have first hand knowledge on the Visio, but when your looking to spend money like this on a TV, think twice and don't be cheap. Costco carries their Panasonic model, get it and don't look back.

I currently own two Vizio LCD TV's. One 32"(purchased Black Friday 2006) and one 52"(purchased Black Friday 2007). I have had no complaints with either. Both are connected to a Verizon Fios HD STB via HDMI. The pictures are nice and clear. When I finish the basement, I plan to add a couple more Vizio's.

Jack

I know Plasmas are great, but supposedly they don't last as long as LCD. I want the TV to last. I'm glad you've had good experiences with yours, Jack. I need something affordable but also good quality.

This is the one I was looking at:

http://www.costco.com/Common/Search.aspx?whse=BC&topnav=&search=vizio&N=0amp;Ntt=vizio&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US

Good luck finishing your basement!

sorry that was the search query link above. Here's the one I was looking at:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11272877&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US&s=1

Cheers!

Hi,

I have the Vizio and it's awesome. Fantastic picture on a good Hi Def feed like PBS shows, or LOST. OK picture on non hi-def shows as well. I've had it since Thanksgiving and I've had no problems so far.

Regarding Plasma shelf life, that's really a fallacy. Plasma will last 50,000 hours according to the manufacturers. If you do the math, that's 17 years of having the TV on 8 hours a day.

Like mwkbear said you're talking about minimum of 50,000 hours of TV watching, Did you keep your last TV for that long ?
Do your homework and ask yourself why do you want or need an LCD and why not a plasma.
IMO , getting a 1080 Visio is like putting Mercedes rims on a Saturn.I think you get the idea. Spend the extra money saved by getting a 720 ( instead of 1080) and buy a better quality TV.

CNET Reviews

Thanks for the link to CNET Reviews, Mona! Seems like Vizio gets pretty good reviews- "lost cost, good quality" for the most part. I still think I want an LCD and not a plasma- I am concerned about the amount of energy that plasmas consume! It is really high!

Generally speaking - LCD looks better in lighter rooms, plasma better in darker rooms. I seem to recall Vizio getting good reviews from Consumer Reports. If you're not too concerned about impressing anyone with name brands, I say go with the Vizio. You can't go wrong with Costco's two year warranty either. 720p looks plenty good too. Depends on how well you think your eyes work, I guess..

i've had a 32 inch vizio for a year--never had any problems.

We are also looking to buy a 42" LCD. Toshiba just came out (March) with a new 42RB530 or 540 series. No formal reviews on it, but given the price ($1199 at Video Only) and reviews on Toshiba in general we are going to purchase it this weekend. I've done a great deal of looking/research for a good tv under $1500. From what I've read prices are going down as the new models are released.

Well, folks, we ended up getting the 42" Vizio HDTV (http://www.vizio.com/products/detail.aspx?pid=35) and so far we are loving it! It is great for hi-def NCAA basketball! I can't tear my eyes away whenver there's a March Madness game on! Thanks for the input everyone. I definitely recommend the Vizio HDTVs if you're wanting to get a cheaper brand but still pretty good quality. And since we got it at Costco, they extend the warranty to 2 years! So that's really helpful too in case anything should go wrong.

I'm in the same boat - looking to purchase HDTV. Thought previous comment about light vs darker room was interesting. The sales staff asked about my lighting but didn't really steer me toward the plasma (lower light room). All he said was that plasma's were going by the wayside. Does anyone see issues with LCD in low-light room?

We looked at the Visio a year ago when my Hubby was in the market for a plasma. But after he did some research on the internet, we ended up with a 50" Panasonic Professional. We got a five year warranty for no extra charge. Hubby is a HUGE football fan and has been VERY happy with it.