Vizio slips to second in North American LCD TV sales

Oh, how the times they are a-changin'. Merely months after Vizio ousted Samsung as the LCD TV king in Q2, Sammy is back on top of overall flat-panel TV sales here in North America. Thanks primarily to a staggering 37-percent quarter-to-quarter growth rate (compared to Vizio's 12-percent), Samsung now has an 11.8-percent unit share compared to Vizio's 10.2-percent. Strictly looking at LCD TVs, Vizio still isn't holding the gold; rather, Sharp rocketed ahead to the top spot in that category and left the previous leader clinging to second. It should be noted that Vizio's sales are far from stagnant -- the firm has experienced a 334-percent increase year-to-year in LCD TV growth compared to Sharp's 88-percent. Still, we wouldn't count on the current leaderboard staying this way for long, as Black Friday (and the holiday season in general) has a tendency to shake things up.

[mike @ Nov 2nd 2007 9:13AM]

Well, its hard to believe that Vizio is in the second spot anyways.. I have seen the picture quality of those Tvs and Man, it SUCKS big time. If you don't believe me, then just go to walmart or sams club and see how their picture quality compares to other TVs. Compare it to Cheaper TVs like Polaroid or sanyo... Its crazy how the picture looks so ugly( even at 1200:1 contrast ratio).
I think the reason for their success is because most of their sales are online. As they have a good looking design... I think buying HDTVs (especially LCDs)is like buying clothes. You have to check the picture first...

[david @ Nov 2nd 2007 1:19PM]

You are right that it is not great. I couldn't compare it to my Sammy LCD, but as a second TV in the bedroom, its perfect!

[Bryan @ Nov 2nd 2007 9:27AM]

Most people buying Vizio TVs are uncle Jim-Bob going to Wal-Mart and buying the cheap new LSEED TEEV for his Jeff Foxworthy DVDs and NASCAR. They aren't too discerning about quality.

[Rob @ Nov 22nd 2007 11:18AM]

Yes, I agree. All of us know what a good image looks like, but most people that purchase these vizio sets, look at two things, the price and the size and portability. You can bet on that.

I however, have seen them all in action, in walmart and I have to say, I have my eye on that 37 inch Sharp aqous. Man, that picture is clean. Either way, I'm getting either the 37 / 42 / or 46 Sharp Aquos. What a nice picture and a good price for it, too.:)

Just my two cents...

[movies4axe @ Nov 2nd 2007 9:40AM]

One thing I've learned is that you might need to tweak a display in a store a lot to get a general idea of a set's performance. Fluorescent-lights and a poor signal don't do any of the sets any justice. Also, consider the fact that some employees might detune the cheaper sets in favor of the more expensive ones for commission gains...it's real problematic.

[Dan @ Nov 2nd 2007 9:48AM]

I tell every person who even thinks about Vizio to just stop and compare a Vizio to just about any other brand for a few moments. If you watch and compare long enough ,you can clearly see the horrible picture quality in comparison to the Samsung or Panasonic typically sitting next to it. It's a pretty big difference.

I do like the Vizio brand name and design of their TV's, but the PQ really needs to be stepped up. I'd love to see this brand come out with a professional line of TV's, as I think they could make a winner if they put the money and engineering efforts into it.

[tekdroid @ Nov 2nd 2007 9:53AM]

this is the first time I've even heard of Vizio. Must be an American thing.

[Max @ Nov 2nd 2007 9:57AM]

The above comments are from some elitist SOB's. Sit back and enjoy your high def in the $2000.00's. For the rest of us working for a living, Vizio is a great introductory brand. Picture quality is just fine, price is even better.

[Dave @ Nov 2nd 2007 10:30AM]

Agreed... I have a 42 inch Vizio Plasma and I have to say that the picture is phenomenal!!! (I know this article is about lcd's though). HD looks great, SD looks great, and I use it as a display for my mac mini and guess what? Yep... looks great!!! Oh.. and I only paid $699 for it. Take that Samsung!

ps... 10,000:1 contrast ratio!

[riggs @ Nov 2nd 2007 10:23AM]

sammys which are average and vizio which are horrible, smh. *kisses my panny plasma*

[Adam Mc @ Nov 2nd 2007 10:27AM]

I have a samsung 42 inch 1080p lcd tv and a 32 vizio 720p tv. While the samsung is better it does slay the vizio like you guys are saying. Vizio is a fine TV and for the price its really good. Hell when i play my ps3 on the vizio or samsung it looks the same. Movies do look alittle better on my samsung but is it worth the 1500+ i payed for it. MMmmMMM not really. Im really thinkin about takin back my samsung (had it for about 2 weeks) and getin the 47inch lcd vizio for 1200 thats 1080p

[veniceneon @ Dec 5th 2007 2:17PM]

Well you might think again about that Vizio purchase. I put my experience up on You Tube entitled "Vizio Sucks" Here is the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB9ForEuejQ
My 42" 1080p Vizio LCD died 94 days after purchase and while that stinks, what's worse it the incredibly slow warranty response time. Each item being tried, to repair the set is taking over a week to be Fed-ex'ed from somewhere. At this rate the warranty may be over by the time the set is fixed. Their reputation seems to me to be slipping the longer one owns one of their products and experiences the full measure, or lack of it from Vizio.

[ET @ Nov 2nd 2007 11:25AM]

This is because they had a huge friends and family sale in September which almost everyone is some what associated to someone who gets the deal. I got a 52" for $1800, way cheaper than getting a vizio

[Dan Parmelee @ Nov 2nd 2007 12:13PM]

I try not to shop by brand name, but rather, by the specifications. Simply buying into a brand is kinda silly, as there are always lousy products from every company.

Many LCD TVs use the same internal panel, so the brand name on the TV isn't necessarily a good indicator of the quality of the unit.

I have an Olevia and have been more than happy -- it was $350 less than the Samsung and the picture quality is still quite good.

[Tony @ Nov 2nd 2007 12:29PM]

1st of all you can not judge a TV by how they are set up in store, when EE's change the contrast and brightness to sell a more expensive TV. Different Cables are used, and the feed is usually crap. Take it home and connect with quality sources, and the picture is great, especially for the $$, 42inch plasma for under $900 6 months ago really can not be beat, plus great warranty from costco. You guys are missing out.

[Frank @ Nov 2nd 2007 10:04PM]

The 37" LCD Vizio is great. If you want a deeper black, go out and spend $500 more for that and get a Samsung. That is the only difference... which is nearly impossible to notice if you're not looking for it. We should be more concerned about the shiteous "HD quality" that cable companies are offering. You can buy a $2000 1080p tv with cable HD and it will look a lot worse than a $1000 720p generic lcd with DirectTV HD.