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  • Tour & Design

  • Performance Features

  • Connectivity & Media

  • Controls, Menu & Remote

  • Conclusion

  • Tour & Design
  • Performance Features
  • Connectivity & Media
  • Controls, Menu & Remote
  • Conclusion

Tour & Design

The front of the SV471XVT is dominated by the screen itself, but below this is a silver patch, and two speaker grilles on either side.

The front of the SV471XVT

**Back**

We were not able to get a shot of the entire back of the SV471XVT, but the most significant feature is the panel that contains the input and output ports. These were not labelled on the pre-production unit that we looked at, but the layout of the final product will probably be the same.

The ports on the back of the SV471XVT

**Sides**

Most of the action for the SV471XVT is on the left side of the case; that's where the controls and additional ports are located. The right side has no major features.

Most of the interesting stuff on the SV471XVT is located

on the left side of the case (the photo on the left)*

**Stand/Mount**

The stand of the SV471XVT is a simple plastic affair that does not allow for rotation or tilting the screen. 

**Aesthetics**

The SV471XVT has a mostly clean, straightforward design. Our only concern is that the shiny silver section between the speaker grilles might be a little distracting or might catch odd reflections.

A close up of the speaker grille

Performance Features

Display Size & Technology

The SV471XVT is built around a 47-inch LCD panel, with conventional CCFL (Cold Cathode Florescent) backlights.  The panel has a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels, making for a total of just over 2 million pixels.

Caption

Format & Resolution

Because the panel in the SV471XVT is a full HD screen, it can display a 1080p signal at its full resolution without downscaling or otherwise altering the signal. 

Brightness, Blacks & Contrast Ratio

Vizio has released a number of details of the specifications of the SV471XVT, but it is worth remembering that these are subject to change before the display is released in the summer, and that we haven't tested or evaluated these claims. For contrast ratio, Vizio claims a dynamic contrast ratio of 50,000:1, which is up from the 6500:1 that they claimed for its predecesssor, the SV470XVT. For peak brightness, Vizio claims an eye-watering 500 cd/m2, which should provide plenty of brightness for viewing in everything but direct sunlight.

Refresh Rate & Motion

240Hz motion processing is included on the SV471XVT, double the 120Hz for the SV470XVT. This means that the new model should produce smoother, more natural motion than last year's model, but we'll have to wait to get it into the lab to see if there is any real improvement from this increase. Motion was definitely one of the SV470XVT's strong suits so an improvement here would be impressive indeed.

Viewing Angle

Vizio claims a viewing angle of 178 degrees for this display, which is an ahmbitious claim. Our brief examination of the SV471XVT indicated that it had a good, but not spectacular viewing angle; colors started to fade a little at about 45 to 50 degrees from straight on, and were somewhat pale at wider angles.

Color

Colors on screen looked good; we didn't see any major issues. This ties in with ou experience of the previous mode, which had generally excellent color, so we'll look forward to finding out if this continues with the new model when we get it in for testing. 

Connectivity & Media

Audio & Video Ports

The ports on the SV471XVT are in two locations; on the side of the case and on the back. The ports on the side are (from the top) for analog audio in and composite video, component video and a single HDMI port. The bottom port is a service port that's not really supposed to be used by consumers.

The ports on the rear are (from left to right) three HDMI ports, a VGA port, a PC audio input, S-Video, composite video and analog audio, optical digital audio, component video,  and an analog audio output. These were not labelled on the pre-production unit that they looked at, but they will be labelled on the models that go on sale.

*The ports on the side and back of the SV471XVT
*

Media & Other Connectivity

There are no USB ports or media card readers on this display, so you can't connect a digital camera, hard drive or memory card and watch the media on this TV, unless the device in question has a video output. 

Placement

The side ports are easy to reach; you would easily be able to connect a device to them without having to rotate the display around. The back ports are a bit harder to reach, especially as the stand does not allow the display to rotate. However, these ports are designed for devices that are going to be permanently attached, so that should not be a big problem.

Audio

Stereo speakers are located under the front of the display, but Vizio didn't supply the figures for the wattage of the speakers. We weren't able to test the speakers, either.

Controls, Menu & Remote

Remote

The remote that will come with the SV471XVT looks to be exactly the same as the one that came with the SV470XVT. We found it to be generally comfortable to hold, but the long thin design means that it's a bit of a stretch to reach some of the buttons when trying to use it with one hand. It can be programmed to control devices other than the display. 

Caption

Controls

In order to keep the clean look of the front of the display, Vizio has moved the controls into the same recessed indentation that the side ports are in. This does keep them out of the way, but it also means that you'll have to lok around the screen to find the buttons, and they probably won't be easy to navigate by touch. 

Caption

Menu

We weren't able to access the menus on the pre-prodcution unit we looked at.

Conclusion

The SV471XVT has undergone some changes from the previous mode, some of which are cosmetic (such as the redesigned front) and some of which are more fundamental (such as the controls that have moved and the updated motion processing). Most of these updates are moves in the right direction, though, and we hope that this new model will likely continue Vizio's winning run. The SV471XVT will be available in the summer with an estimated street price of $1399. A 42 inch version (the SV421XVT) will also be available at the same time for $1099.

Note: Later this year we discovered that in addition to the SV471XVT with Vizio will also be releasing anSV472XVT that includes internet connectivity via ethernet or built-in Wi-Fi. This includes access to Yahoo widgets, Amazon on-demand and Netflix services.

Meet the tester

Alfredo Padilla

Alfredo Padilla

Editor

Alfredo Padilla is a valued contributor to the Reviewed.com family of sites.

See all of Alfredo Padilla's reviews

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