Tour & Design
The Vizio SV470XVT1A is not the hottest looking television on the showroom floor, to be sure, but it's certainly not ugly. The front is surrounded by a shiny, plastic bezel that is prone to picking up fingerprints. The base does not swivel, which is of particular annoyance due to the hard-to-reach back ports.
Back
The back of the Vizio SV470XVT1A has some particularly poorly placed ports. They're in the center of the panel, and they face upwards. Because the base doesn't swivel, you have to reach blindly around from the side and try to jab the cables into their ports.
For information about the ports on the back of the Vizio SV470XVT1A see our Connectivity section.
Sides
The Vizio SV470XVT1A are simple, with a small selection of ports on one side and on-board controls for the other. As you can see from the pictures, it's not a particularly slender, but that's what you can expect for the price. Ultra-thin TVs come at a premium.
For information about the ports on the back of the Vizio SV470XVT1A see our Connectivity section.
Stand/Mount
The stand on the Vizio SV470XVT1A is quite bulky and it does not swivel, making it hard to access the ports on the back.
Controls
The controls on the Vizio SV470XVT1A are what you'd expect – basic controls for power, channel up/down, and volume. There's also a strangely placed and unusual port labeled 'TX Input.' This is for use with select Dolby surround sound systems.
Remote Control
The remote control for the Vizio SV470XVT1A is quite thin and lightweight, with excellent button layout. Our only complaint is that the target range for pointing the remote at the TV is incredibly narrow.
In The Box*(8.0)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A ships with an instruction manual, remote control, batteries, cleaning cloth, and an HDMI cable to get you started. All in all, this is a good starter kit.
Aesthetics*(5.0)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A is not a 'beautiful' TV, per se, but it can blend in nicely with the background of your living room. It's certainly not as attractive as some of the ultra-thin TVs, nor does it share their slim profile, but that's what you should expect for this price.
Blacks & Whites
Black Level*(4.88)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A was not able to achieve the deep blacks of its competitors, as evinced in the chart below. Frequently, LCD televisions are cited for not having the same great black levels as plasma TVs, but we've seen manufacturers able to leap that hurdle in recent times, though the best performance is frequently limited to their most expensive models. Clearly, the Vizio SV470XVT1A was not a beneficiary of these advances in technology. At best, it was only able to produce 0.42 cd/m2.
Peak Brightness*(8.23)*
The peak brightness performance of the Vizio SV470XVT1A was about average for an LCD of its size, price, and class. Peaking at 292.47 cd/m2, it won't necessarily burn your eyeballs off, but hopefully that's not the watermark of a pleasant viewing experience, is it?
Contrast*(5.48)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A managed a weak contrast ratio, all told, considering the rather poor black levels and the unremarkable peak brightness. By comparison, you can see that similar TVs had a much wider contrast ratio. Practically speaking, this means you can expect less detail in the shadows as well as the highlights. In our viewing experience, however, the tonal range at least looked smooth, and we've certainly seen TVs with much less shadow detail.
Tunnel Contrast*(9.89)*
Tunnel contrast examines how well the TV can maintain a consistent black level, regardless of how much white is on the screen. Most TVs do just fine, and so did the Vizio SV470XVT1A. If you're watching a murky noir thriller, and the detective suddenly points the flashlight directly at the camera, you're not going to lose any of that shadow detail in the corners.
White Falloff*(9.81)*
The white falloff test is the opposite of the test above. We see how well a TV maintains consistent peak brightness, regardless of how much black is on the screen. The Vizio SV470XVT1A was even less susceptible to this, and managed perfectly even whites.
Uniformity*(8.0)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A has moderately good uniformity. If the screen is all white, you cannot see any irregularities. If the screen is black, however, there are some noticeable blotches of brighter areas. There's no distinct pattern to it, just a general unevenness. In everyday viewing, thankfully, it's hard to see the problem.
Greyscale Gamma*(5.86)*
The greyscale gamma test examines how smooth a TV can transition from shadows to highlights. We look at both the slope of the curve and as well as the shape. For the Vizio SV470XVT1A, the slope measured 2.89. A very good performance is within 2.1 and 2.2, so this is a little steeper than we'd like. The problem appears to be in the shadow details (the lower left portion of the curve). After a certain darkness, the Vizio just can't find any more detail, thus the tail of the graph is flattened out. Moving from the left side to the right, the curve then rises too steeply, losing some of the detail in the mid-tones. Those little bumps in the slope are places where you can expect to see some color banding.
Resolution Scaling*(8.73)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A is a 1080p TV, but much of the content you'll end up watching is likely of a lower resolution. We test the TVs for how well they perform this processing. Overall, theVizio SV470XVT1A did well, showing very little overscan, artifacts, or other strange anomalies.
480p*(0.0)*
Viewing 480p content, the Vizio SV470XVT1A lost a good chunk of the picture to overscanning – 3% all around the screen. However, sharpness and legibility remained good.
720p*(0.0)*
720p content looked great on the Vizio SV470XVT1A. There was no overscan and no problems with bad processing.
1080i*(0.0)*
1080i content also looked great. Compared to 1080p and 720p, there was a small problem with the legibility off fine text, but everything else looked good.
Color Accuracy
Color Temperature*(9.87)*
The color temperature test measures how well a TV can maintain a consistent color temperature across the signal range, from shadows to highlights. From the graph below, you can see that the Vizio SV470XVT1A barely strayed into a 'perceptible' error until the signal was very, very bright. This is an excellent performance.
RGB Curves*(7.96)*
The color curve test is a fairly long and comprehensive. In a nutshell, we go through each of the three channels – red, green, and blue – and produce every level in that channel, from 0 to 255. Measurements are taken to determine the accuracy of the TV's performance, so that we can see how smoothly a TV can ramp up.
From the graph below, you can see that most of the Vizio SV470XVT1A's color range is smooth. Yes, we see some flattening out in the lower left, meaning you're going to see some loss of detail in the shadows (several other tests confirmed this weakness). Then there's the more obvious problem in the upper right side. The blue channel peaks up pretty early, ceasing to retrieve any detail after a certain brightness level. The red channel is only a little better. Only the green channel produces smooth detail all the way up to the brightest possible signal.
Overall, the mid-tones are smooth, but the score was hurt because of weaker performance in the shadows in highlights.
Below is a graphical recreation of what each channel's color performance looked like.
Color Gamut*(5.92)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A performed reasonably well when its color performance was held against the rec. 709 color standard. The green point is a little oversaturated, as is the blue. The red channel, however, matched up well. The white point, that circle in the center is quite a bit off, shifted too far into the blue.
The chart below is for the geeks only, detailing how exactly the Vizio SV470XVT1A matched rec. 709.
Motion
Motion Smoothness*(8.0)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A produced sufficiently smooth motion that you'd never have reason to complain. People frequently think they're spotting blur caused by their television, when it's more frequently a blurring from the source material.
Like so many TVs, there's a special processing feature that's supposed to increase the smoothness of the motion. Well, sure, it smooths everything out, but the end result makes your picture look surreal and over-processed. Fortunately, you can lessen the severity of the processing in the menu, but we recommend simply leaving it off.
Motion Artifacting*(8.0)*
There was very little in the way of motion artifacting on the Vizio SV470XVT1A. Many TVs create false coloration, jaggies, or blinking areas, but we saw almost none on this TV. Of course, if you turn on the special motion processing features too high, you'll see some strange ghost images and other artifacts, but you can just turn the features off.
3:2 Pulldown & 24fps*(9.0)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A has no problem processing 3:2 pulldown and native 24fps signals.
Viewing Effects
Viewing Angle*(3.42)*
The viewing angle of most LCD televisions is pretty poor compared to plasma (or, of course, the glass tube TVs you grew up with). Compared to similar LCD televisions, however, the Vizio SV470XVT1A did not fair terribly. The TV lost more than 50% of its contrast at 25.61 degrees from center (in either direction).
Reflectance*(9.0)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A benefits from having an exceptionally low-reflection screen. When the screen is all or mostly white, and a light is pointed directly at you, the viewer, you can't see a thing. Even when the screen is black, it's hard to see yourself. That's great, because too many TVs practically double as mirrors. When the screen is all black and a light is pointed directly at the TV, you will see a glare, but that's all but impossible to avoid. Overall, this a great performance.
Video Processing*(2.0)*
The video processing options on the Vizio SV470XVT1A are many, but the usefulness is limited. A lot of these effects do more harm than good, we're sorry to say. Particularly offensive is the smooth motion, which produced an unnatural look to movies and TV when the featured is turned up too high.
Calibration
Calibration
[
](http://www.displaymate.com/)We began the calibration process by putting the Vizio SV470XVT1A in Movie mode, which frequently produces the most accurate colors. From there, we use DisplayMate software and a colorimeter to calibrate setting by setting.
Video Modes
The Vizio menu and instructional manual do not provide descriptions for the many picture modes of the Vizio SV470XVT1A. The bevy of sports mode is outlandishly unnecessary. We do our best to describe it.
Remote Control
Ergonomics & Durability*(5.7)*
The remote control for the Vizio SV470XVT1A is incredibly thin and light, considering how large HDTV remotes frequently are. We can't, however, speak for the build quality. It bends and twists easily in the hand, and one accidental boot heel could probably crack it.
That said, it feels good in the hand. The weight is well distributed, so it's less likely to fall out of your hand. Our only complaint for overall economics is the sharp corners at the edge. Ouch.
Button Layout & Use*(5.85)*
The button layout on the remote for the Vizio SV470XVT1A is smart. In a natural position, your thumb can easily reach and distinguish the volume and channel up/down controls. Choke up a little and you can hit the menu button and 4-way directional pad. The d-pad itself clicks when you push it, which some people like and others hate. You get tactile and audio feedback, but if you're clicking a lot, the sounds is aggravating.
There's one absolutely terrible aspect of using the remote control. The target zone for aiming the remote at the TV is absurdly narrow. In our experience, we might have to hit a button four or five times before the TV responded. It must be pointed perfectly at a specific part of the TV. This problem decreased the overall score for this section.
Programming & Flexibility*(6.0)*
The remote for the Vizio SV470XVT1A can programmed as a universal remote. There are pretty good instructions in the manual that explain the programming process step by step.
Connectivity
Input Ports*(7.0)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A has a healthy number of input ports, spread across the back and the side. In total, you'll find: 4 HDMI ports, 2 composite video ports, 2 component video ports, an S-Video port, a VGA port, and 4 analog audio ports. There's also a USB port on the back, but it's a service port only and not for multimedia use.
The ports on the back, specifically, are 2 HDMI ports, 1 set of composite ports, 1 set of component ports, S-Video, VGA, and 3 analog audio ports. These ports are placed in a really bad spot. They're in the middle of the back and the base does not pivot. But you're not simply craning your entire body around to see them. The ports are also situated near the base of the TV, inside a crevice, pointing upwards. Vizio clearly knew that you can't see the ports, because they had to put a little map on the back indicating the name and location of each port.
The ports on the side include: 1 composite AV, 1 component AV, and 2 HDMI ports. These are much easier to reach, though you'll have to bear looking at the cables sticking rudely out the side of the TV.
On the other side of the TV, under the on-board controls, there's one additional and strange looking port, labeled 'TX Input.' This is for use with select 5.1-channel surround sound speakers that can plug right into a TV. Chances are, you won't use it.
Output Ports*(2.0)*
There are two output ports on the back of the Vizio SV470XVT1A, an analog audio out and a digital audio out. There's also the TX input on the side for connecting to select surround sound systems.
Other Connections*(0.0)*
There are no other connections on the Vizio SV470XVT1A.
Media*(0.0)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A does not have any ports for multimedia playback.
Placement*(3.0)*
As we stated above, the port placement on the Vizio SV470XVT1A is terrible. What was Vizio thinking? The base of the TV doesn't pivot, and all the rear ports are placed in the middle of the back, all the way at the bottom, making it nearly impossible to see anything. Then, to compound the problem, the ports are actually hidden under a little divot. Basically, you take the cable in your hand, reach around back, and stab upward repeatedly until you hit the right jack. Vizio, we ask that you please consider basic human anatomy before you design your next round of products. Thanks.
Audio & Menus
Audio Quality*(6.0)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A's audio quality is above average, but keep in mind that's only among the low standards that you can expect from most televisions. TVs can never really produce the deep bass of large cabinets, so the Vizio's low end can sound a little muffled. But the mid-tones and highs sound pretty healthy. The Vizio, like most TVs, has a mock-surround sound mode, which actually works well. It's no replacement for a true 5.1 or 7.1-channel speaker system.
Menu Interface*(5.5)*
The menu interface on the Vizio SV470XVT1A is simple and unadorned. Because the remote control needs to be pointed in precisely the right direction for the TV to respond, the menus are sluggish and frustrating. The only possible benefit is that the remote control buttons are so *un*responsive that you'll rarely hit the wrong button and end up somewhere you didn't mean. And even if you do, the layout is so simple that you never really lose your bearings.
Manual*(6.0)*
The instruction manual that comes with the Vizio SV470XVT1A is above average. There's a good table of contents and a good index in the back. Most of the television's features are described in at least some detail in the body of the manual, though not always in the detail one would like. Our only negative note about the manual is the cheap, hokey looking photos. Surely someone in the Vizio company owns Photoshop. Comment below if you'd post your own Photoshop tips for Vizio and we'll be sure to pass them along.
You can find the Vizio SV470XVT1A's manual online here.
Formats & Media
Formats*(8.0)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A is a native 1080p television, which is the highest possible resolution for HD signals. Thankfully, the TV has no problem handling 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i signals, which constitutes pretty much every type of input you could throw at it.
Photo Playback*(0.0)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A does not have the ability to play back photos, or any other type of media. There's no card slot, and the USB port on the back is for servicing only.
Music & Video Playback*(0.0)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A does not allow you to play back music or video clips.
Streaming Playback*(0.0)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A does not have a LAN port or WiFi for streaming playback.
Other Media*(0.0)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A does not support any other kind of media.
Power Consumption
Power Consumption*(8.34)*
The Vizio SV470XVT1A is a pretty hungry TV, as far as power consumption goes. Most LCD TVs, including this Vizio, have backlight control, which allows you some degree of regulation. Lower the backlight level = lower your energy bill. Below is a table of our findings.
As you can see from the chart below, the Vizio SV470XVT1A is not the most expensive power consumer of the bunch, but it's definitely not the cheapest.
Vs Samsung LN46B750
Value Comparison Summary
The Samsung LN46B750 is a good TV, but it's also quite a bit more expensive. So, the real question is: is the Samsung $1000 better than the Vizio. If you value the internet connectivity and multimedia ports that the Samsung brings these to the parties, then yes. However, if you just want a big TV that's 'good enough,' than the Vizio will more than suffice.
Blacks & Whites
The Samsung LN46B750 is a better performer in the category of blacks and whites. It was capable of better, deeper blacks and brighter whites. Hence, it also had a better contrast ratio.
Color Accuracy
The Samsung LN46B750 and the Vizio SV470XVT1A are similar in terms of their color performance. The color temperature on the Vizio was a little more even, and the color accuracy was a bit better, but it's hard to tell the difference to the eye.
Motion
The motion performance was slightly better in the Vizio SV470XVT1A. The Samsung's motion was just as smooth, but we noticed more artifacting in the Samsung.
Viewing Effects
Neither of these LCD TVs was particularly good at a wide viewing angle. Usually, LCD TVs are not. You want a plasma TV for wide rooms. TheSamsung LN46B750 was slightly wider.
Connectivity
The Samsung LN46B750 definitely has the advantage in terms of ports, which has the addition of USB ports for multimedia playback. It also has a LAN port for internet connectivity, though the internet features are not great.
**
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Vs Toshiba 46SV670U
Value Comparison Summary
The Toshiba 46SV670U is another TV that's quite a bit more expensive than the Vizio, but in this case the Vizio is probably the better buy. It's not that the Vizio is so much better, but rather that the Toshiba is certainly not $900 better.
Blacks & Whites
The black levels are much deeper on the Toshiba than they are on the Vizio. And while the peak brightness is about the same, the contrast ratio ended up being much wider on the Toshiba.
Color Accuracy
Toshiba was not a great performer in the area of color performance. The color temperature was not consistent, especially as the signal got brighter. The Toshiba's performance chart below are actually pretty funny. Other areas of testing were not as disparate, but we still preferred the Vizio.
Motion
The motion performance of the Toshiba was not very good, so the Vizio is definitely the preferred TV in this category.
Viewing Effects
Both the Vizio and the Toshiba were poor performers when it comes to the viewing angle.
Connectivity
The Toshiba has some advantage over the Vizio in terms of connectivity, including the USB port and SD card slot for multimedia playback.
**
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Vs Sony KDL-46VE5
Value Comparison Summary
The Soy KDL-46VE5 is a little more money than the Vizio SV460XVT1A, but the Vizio is a more enjoyable experience. Sure, the Sony's black level performance is better, but we recommend the Vizio overall.
Blacks & Whites
The Sony KDL-46VE5 was a great performer in this area, producing very deep blacks and bright whites. The Vizio simply could not compete on the level of shadow detail that you'll get with the Sony.
Color Accuracy
There was not a big difference between the Sony and the Vizio in terms of color performance. The Vizio's color temperature was a little more consistent, but you couldn't see much of a disparity with your eyes.
Motion
The motion performance of the Vizio was better, rendering smoother motion with less artifacting. The Sony, in particular, created a lot of motion artifacts.
Viewing Effects
The Sony KDL-46VE5 produced a slightly narrower viewing angle than the Vizio.
Connectivity
The Sony has a slight advantage in terms of connectivity due to the addition of a USB port for multimedia playback. Beyond that, they're quite similar.
**
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Conclusion
Series Comparison
SVxx0XVT1A Series
This particular series of televisions is quite basic in its features, which factors into the low cost. The two models in the series are identical, except for the screen size.
Meet the tester
David Kender oversees content at Reviewed as the Editor in Chief. He served as managing editor and editor in chief of Reviewed's ancestor, CamcorderInfo.com, helping to grow the company from a tiny staff to one of the most influential online review resources. In his time at Reviewed, David has helped to launch over 100 product categories and written too many articles to count.
Checking our work.
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