For LCD TV lovers, in 2008, the biggest, most affordable size was 47″. But a new generation of Fab plants, have been built that makes larger displays more economical.

2009 will be the year of 55″ LCDs and if the VIZIO VF550XVT is any indication of the outpouring, LCD devotees should be very happy.

The bezel is black and fairly nondescript. Perhaps the most important feature is 120-hertz operation. Frames flash on the screen at a rate of 120 per second, which is twice the normal video rate of 60 Hz and five times film’s native rate of 24 fps. In conjunction with Vizio’s frame-interpolation algorithm, this is intended to reduce the motion blur that has plagued LCD TVs since their introduction.

The Vizio VF550XVT did not do a good job producing deep blacks, while the brightest whites were only average. The result is one of the poorest total contrast ratios we’ve seen from an HDTV. This means that content that has a lot of high contrast, for example black and white films or dark films, won’t pop as much as you would like.

The Vizio incorporates two audio features from SRS that are intended to enhance the sound. TruSurround HD is said to create a simulated surround experience, while TruVolume tames the sometimes wildly disparate volume levels between programs and commercials or even between channels.

The programmable remote has very useful backlighting. Press any key and all of the others light up. Most of the labels are on the buttons, which makes them readable in the dark. But the remote is big and clunky, and several commonly used buttons (including Menu and Inputs) are small and easy to miss.

Finally, and most importantly, when you’re adjusting a picture control, it does not drop to the bottom of the screen, and the rest of the menu does not disappear. This obscures the image you’re trying to tweak. Why couldn’t Vizio simply implement the same menu system that the VP505XVT has?

The VF550XVT is Vizio’s top of the line LCD television, with a price point to match at $2000. This is actually a pretty good price for a 55-inch display, but the VF550XVT’s mixed performance in our testing keeps us from recommending it unreservedly. The poor contrast ratio, in particular, is something to consider if you like watching a lot of films that have dark scenes. This is not the right television for a horror film aficionado. That said, if size is your primary concern the 55-inch VF550XVT offers slightly above average performance at a not unreasonable price.

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