This 50 inch is the value plasma TV in our plasma TV ratings

This 50-inch diagonal 16:9 PDP display panel has a native resolution of 1366x768 pixels. All incoming signal formats (including 480i/p, 720p and 1080i) are scaled to 1366x768.

The VIZIO comes with a table-top stand that can be removed for wall mounting. The company's web site lists two options: the VWM02 Wall Mount ($199.99), which can be tilted, and the VWM04 ($149.99), which enables you to flush mount the monitor.

Like other plasmas in our plasma TV ratings the Vizio is a monitor with no tuner. A cable or satellite box can be used as an external tuner so this is not really a problem. There are non-removable speakers along the bottom of this PDP.

The Vizio P50HDM, while not a top tier name in plasma technology, is a feature packed plasma TV. Even the Vizio P50 HDM’s remote is a better than average preprogrammed universal remote. It’s clearly labeled and logically laid-out (but not illuminated). There are direct access buttons for the AV, Analog HD (component), and Digital HD (HDMI) inputs.

The Vizio has two HDMI inputs with the ability to accept and switch between two HDMI inputs, something rarely found on any HDTV. As digital devices become more commonplace this feature will become important.

There are two component-video inputs, an RGB input, and two inputs with composite and S-video jacks. All video inputs have accompanying stereo audio jacks.

The RGB (analog) input accepts computer video signals at 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, and 1280x1024 resolutions, and the HDMI (digital) input accepts 640x480 inputs from computer DVI outputs. Unlike the HDMI inputs on some sets, these accept all standard and HD video signal formats, including 480i.

The picture-In-picture (PIP) functionality displays various sized inset windows or two side-by-side images. The PIP source can be selected from any of the available inputs, including HDMI. In our plasma TV ratings we always measure plasma’s ability to deliver deep blacks and we’re happy to say that the Vizio’s performance displays excellent blacks. Its ability to show shadow detail is very good.

Since black levels have traditionally been a problem for plasma displays in our plasma TV ratings it’s significant that Vizio does an excellent job with the blacks. Vizio P50HDM’s light output is good without loss of detail in the highlights and the plasma display has good color saturation but it does have a slight greenish cast.

Like all PDPs in our plasma TV ratings we found some weak spots. The Vizio P50HDM has two noisy rear-mounted fans that some people may find irritating. Vizio recognized the issue and offers an in-home warranty repair to replace the fans with quieter ones. It’s a good bet that future models will resolve this issue. The Vizio does suffer from some artifacting where the image breaks up into tiled squares and there is a small degree of false contouring (loss of detail in an area of the screen).

These problems usually result from poor interaction with other electronic components. You may need to experiment with different DVD players to see which one gives better results.

The Vizio does not have user adjustable color temperature presets at all. The color temperature adjustments in the service menu are sparse. Usually there are five or six separate controls for adjusting gray scale in the service menu, but the Vizio only has three controls.

An attractive black bezel surrounds the screen but the display surface is shiny and gives off annoying reflections. The antireflective coating on the front glass is inadequate or nonexistent. The surface is shiny. It picks up and reflects bright light sources in front of the screen.

Even with these deficiencies in our plasma TV ratings the Vizio is an excellent value.