The 2D image here is extremely sharp, almost shockingly so. Remember when you first moved from SD to HD and all the TV shows suddenly seemed kind of... shabby? As if the sets just weren't up to HD scrutiny? The image here is so clear, the colors so deep and the contrast so high, that you can have that experience over again. Sometimes it even feels like the 2D images are 3D. Compared to my earlier sets, it's actually disorienting.

I've made some changes to the review to address questions and discoveries.

Calibration
As usual, the out of the box settings tend to favor a brightness that could give you a tan. However, the default "movie" mode tones things down a lot (and looks very much like what I got after spending hours on calibration, so you may want to spare the effort and just make that quick selection, assuming all these things emerge from the box equal). Technically, the out of the box modes all seem to run a little to the "warm" side, so you'll need to... Read more

Let me preface this review first off with the fact that I have not yet purchased the 3d glasses, so this review is about everything else.

I ordered mine through Sam's club on a day when they had free shipping, so I paid $1999 plus sales tax. Purchased on December 11th.

Superb clarity and 2d picture quality. Almost shockingly so, the picture is very crisp, details pop. Color was obviously crap from the retailer, as with any tv you will want to make sure you adjust it accordingly. Brightness for mine was way too high from factory, and colors were a bit off. If you don't want to go with a professional calibration from someone with the hardware to do it, a good baseline is to use a THX certified dvd or blu-ray made within the past few years and find the THX optimizer in the menus. Blacks are very black, not that sort of greyish backlit black you get from edge lit or ccfl backlit models. Very impressed with black level.

The tv has plenty of inputs,... Read more

I really wanted the CNET Best Buy rated 55" non 3D model XVT553SV but couldn't find any in stock anywhere. The 47" had some good deals but is just too small when you compare it to bigger sets. I'm so happy I bought the 55" 3D instead. The 2D picture is absolutely stunning but the 3D is simply amazing and worth the small increase in price compared to the difference in price to a non 3D Samsung. Everyone should demo a 3D in a store before writing it off as a gimmick. DirecTV already has 3 dedicated channels and more 3D video will surely be on the way soon. Games will probably lead the revolution in 3D but 3D sports broadcasts will be awesome as well. The new BluRay players are also now 3D capable. Vizio has long had a rep for the best prices but now they have the best technology and features along with the best prices.

This is a complicated entertainment system- not just a TV. It takes a while to get used to, to set up and to test all the amazing features. Most people will... Read more