Vizio E320i-B2 (E320-B0) Review
32" 720p 60Hz Full-Array LED Smart TV
by Jack Burden, Senior Reviewer
Vizio's entry level lineup of LED TVs has seen a pretty hefty upgrade for 2014, but the price is still one of the standout features. The E320i-B2 has full-array LED backligting for enhanced contrast and uniformity. The 32 inch size does not feature the active dimming seen on larger sets. Vizio Internet Apps Plus is also included in the E series for the first time. The internet enabled E320i-B2 is priced in the high $200 range with a price difference of around $30 for the non-internet E320 configuration.
Model Number Distinctions: all models in the 32 inch size are the same except for the E320i-B1 and the E320-B1. These have two 5 watt speakers while all the others have two 10 watt speakers. The 'i' in the model number means it is a smart TV with Vizio Internet Apps Plus.
Strengths
- Vizio made these TVs very lightweight
- Calibration really makes the picture quality excellent for a budget TV; SD aspect ratios aside
- The different picture modes are appropriate for different viewing situations
- Built-in speakers produce plenty of volume to fill a room
- Black Detail option in the picture settings increases black saturation as well as creates more contrast
Weaknesses
- Noise issues, clicking fan noise when the TV is in standby mode
- High pitch whining coming from the display when powered on
- SD programming suffers from aspect ratio issues
- Side angle viewing isn't great, but on par with other LED TVs
The E320i-B2 shows a strong picture after calibration. Contrast and dark area detail are strong suits of this shot from the blu-ray of Troy
Picture and Viewing Features
The Vizio E320i-B2 can thank the full array LED backlighting for the picture quality here. Full-array LED backlighting achieves much better peak whites and deeper blacks than seen on previous versions of the E series. Colors are also going to benefit from this backlighting scheme, but they still seem to lack the pop that we like to see. The 32 inch version doesn't have a 1080p screen, active LED zones for local dimming, or the effective 120Hz refresh rate. These may sound like big drawbacks, but they would really be unnecessary additions that would inflate the cost. The benefits would be too hard to notice to be useful on a 32 inch screen.
Picture Quality Rating: 84/100
The E320i-B2 has a great picture after calibration, but it doesn't render the picture depth of a plasma display. What's important here is the picture quality and screen size for the price. It's one of the best deals around right now for the size. Dark scenes can look a bit flat and blacks can seem to have a film over them interfering with overall immersion. The colors are not what I would call rich either.
Black levels are somewhat flexible with the Black Detail advanced picture setting. It adds some much needed contrast and three dimensionality and colors pop a little more, so I made a rare exception and used the Black Detail on the high setting. Normally, we stay away from extra picture options like this.
Another still from the Troy blu-ray reveals a highly detailed picture and excellent picture depth
The Film Mode does cut down slightly on judder from movie-source programming with no noted side effects. We're typically sceptical of this type of de-judder feature but on the Vizio e-series the effects are subtle enough to be of good use.
Side Angle Viewing, better than expected especially with the Black Detail setting on high. Nevertheless , there is contrast reduction starting at around 20 degrees off center, but becoming pronounced at 30 degrees.
Aspect Ratio Choices and Quality
Normal, Wide, Stretch, and Zoom modes are controlled by the diminutive "wide" button on the bottom left of the remote face. With HD programming your normal and wide selection will appear the same and of course there is no problem with this aspect rendering. The following pics show what your choices will look like with normal non-HD cable. The order is:
Wide: Obviously you will have bars left and right as well as top and bottom, but everything is sized perfectly without distortion. You just lose half the screen space!
Zoom: Looks decent but the picture is stretched vertically too much and is not proportional. As well, you are losing some of your picture top and bottom, notice the NBC logo
Normal: This is your 4:3 format picture. Wide aspect almost took off as much on the side bars as 4:3.
Stretch: As you can see you get the full width but the algorthmic scaling leaves a lot to be desired. His face is not even close to being proportional. It's much more evident with faces on the left or right side of the screen.
Picture Modes and Calibration
Choosing the best picture mode for your calibration is extremely important and Vizio provides some nice choices: Standard (energy saving mode), Calibrated, Calibrated Dark, Game, Computer, and Vivid. The calibrated and calibrated dark modes are the best choices with only the backlight strenght being the difference between the two. Calibrated mode will probably be the choice mode for most situations as the dark shadow detail and full backlight give the picture some needed punch. Overall, I am very pleased with the selection of picture modes, especially the two calibrated modes for this price point of TV. From Calibrated Mode use the following settings for calibrated picture settings:
Picture Settings |
Advanced Picture |
Backlight: 90 | Auto Brightness: Off |
Brightness: 54 | Black Detail: High |
Contrast: 91 | Smart Dimming: On |
Color: 54 | Reduce Signal Noise: Low |
Tint: -1 | Reduce Block Noise: Low |
Sharpness: 30 | Film Mode: Off |
OPC Control Setting
The OPC (Optimum Power Control) control is very hidden in the menu of the E-series Vizio TV, but it can and should be turned off due to the distracting influx and outflow of light/brightness produced by the backlight. Out of the box, it will be set to On position for any of the preset picture settings. When I recently retested the e-series from Vizio I found it added unnecessary picture noise when light flow moved up or down lagging the picture image. The OPC's purpose is to save energy by manipulating the backlight through the 18 backlight zones, or probably more accurately to lower the Energy rating for Vizio's TVs. But at less than $1 a month total, and just a few cents per month for the OPC feature, you probably prefer a better picture. To turn it off: Go to Picture Settings, scroll down to More, Scroll down and click Advanced Picture at he bottom of the menu, this will finally bring up the Backlight Control as the very last setting. Turn Off.
Game Mode and Input Lag
Getting to the game mode is a simple change of the picture setting. A 40ms measurement isn't bad at all and will be hard for most to notice
The Vizio E320i-B2 has a dedicated picture mode for gaming. This is for optimal performance when it comes to input lag. The TV responds fairly well in our tests. We measured input lag at 40ms. That's not too bad at all for the average to hardcore console gamer. Shooters, racing, and action games play just fine on this TV. 30ms and below are considered excellent measurements, so this Vizio stands with the best of them. Since the Game mode is its own picture setting, you may have to dial in some of the calibration settings again to get the best picture. Do it once and you are all set.
Features Rating: 81/100
Vizio Internet Apps Plus
The Vizio E320i has the Vizio Internet Apps Plus platform included. The built-in wifi allows for instant access and plenty of speed for HD content streaming. The 'Plus' in the name means the interface is much more user friendly and the overall performance is faster than before. Some of the most useful apps included are Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, VUDU, MGO, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and Facebook. There are plenty more too.
The Netflix app works wonderfully on the Vizio Internet Apps Plus platform
The Smart TV gets good marks as far as performance goes. There were a few initial hiccups in the set up process, but all was smooth once we got past those and connected to our wifi network. Streaming content loaded up quickly and provided a high quality image over wifi. This is a big plus since not all smart TV platforms handle streaming so well.
This still from House of Cards displays decent picture depth and contrast levels. Getting to the Netflix app only involves a single button press
Appearance and Design
The E320i-B2 has also recieved some upgrades to the appearance. The bezels are now slimmer than they were last year, at a mere 10mm thin. Not bad for an entry level set. The profile has also seen a reduction of 30%. These aren't nearly as bulky as they have been in the past. The black plastic square stand is nothing special, but it doesn't take away from the sleek look here. All in all, this is an average looking value LED TV.
Value Rating: 93/100
The Vizio E320i-B2 presents a solid value across the board. Picture quality for the $239-$279 price tag is excellent. Strong contrast and picture depth from front and center is the highlight in the picture quality realm. Vizio Internet Apps Plus don't do anything new for the platform, but everything works well and doesn't leave much to be desired. Some downsides are a non-backlit remote, 2-point white balance, and a non-swivel stand. But these are dealbreakers by any means.
Overall Rating: 86/100
Standout Features
- 720p
- Diagonal Screen Measurement: 31.5"
- 60Hz Full Array LED Backlit
- Speaker output: 10W x 2
- 802.11n wifi built in
- 10mm thin bezel for frameless appearance
- 2 HDMI, 1 USB inputs
- With Stand: 28.58”W x 18.65”H x 6.83”D
- Without Stand: 28.58”W x 16.97”H x 2.58”D
Jack Burden has been reviewing and writing reviews in the consumer electronics category for 7 years with CEAG. He considers grayscale gradation, film patterned retarders, and focus field drives to be fun topics. Read more about Jack |
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