Vizio E221-A1 (E221) Review

22" 1080p LED edge lit LCD TV

by Jack Burden, Senior Reviewer

The Vizio E221-A1 is one of the smallest TVs of the lineup for the 2013 year from Vizio. This little LED TV is going to be great for a few different things. It is very well suited as a computer monitor. The 1080p full HD resolution is perfect for getting the most out of a laptop or desktop that is capable of 1080p. This results in much more screen space than a 720p monitor. The size of the TV will also make it perfect for the kitchen, a child's room, or even an RV. There isn't much in the way of features on this one, but the less than $200 price tag is very appealing.

Picture and Viewing Features

The E221-A1 has a bright and clear 1080p picture thanks to the Razor LED edge lighting system. The LED edge lights really brighten up the color and make them pop, especially on a little screen like this one. There have been problems with screen uniformity out of edge lighting in the past, but the performance is getting better every year. The response time is rated at 5ms, which also makes this a good choice for using as a computer monitor.

The 60Hz refresh rate is another thing not to worry about. Once again, motion blur is going to be hard to spot on a 22 inch TV. This TV is rated at producing 16.7 million colors to make for accurate color reproduction. Vizio shedded the local dimming feature on this model of the E-series, but that is to be expected.

Appearance

Another benefit of the Razor LED design is the super slim profile. It's also got a metal frame. The stand comes out of the back of the TV for it to lean on. It's a nice design that keeps things simple. Vizio has also slimmed the bezel around the picture so you get more picture for the actual physical size of the TV. The speakers are front facing and run along the bottom of the screen. This design brings Vizio's TVs an updated appearace that will shine in every living room.

Audio

This TV has the same SRS TruSurround speaker system as many of the other entries in the E-series. The TruSurround system is designed to give you a more immersive experience with deep bass and clear dialogue from speakers specifically designed for use in flat panel TVs.

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