Many people thought plasma HDTVs were a dying breed, but Vizio has shown otherwise. Last quarter worldwide shipments of plasma TVs grew at a greater pace than shipments of LCD TVs. Most of the increase in shipping of plasma TVs worldwide was due to the huge success Vizio has found with its 32-inch VP322 plasma TV.

Plasma HDTVs are preferred by many over LCD TVs thanks to the increase contrast ratio you typically see and better brightness. The VP322 can be purchased for a MSRP of $649.99 at Costco or Wal-Mart. The TV has a good price for the screen size and offers lots of connectivity options including three HDMI with HDCP ports, component, composite, and S-video. The set also features 5.1 surround sound out via SPDIF optical.

The set supports 1080i and 720p formats, if you have a Blu-ray player you won’t get your full 1080p resolution here. Color reproduction for the set is 16.7 million colors and the brightness is 1000 cd/m2. The typical contrast ratio is 30000:1 and the viewing angles are 178 degrees horizontal and vertical. The set features 3:2 or 2:2 reverse pull down and more. The panel life is listed at 60,000 hours.

For Whom:

This would be a fantastic gift for anyone looking for a moderately sized TV with great contrast at a reasonable price. Mom, dad, and the kids -- anyone would like this TV set.

The Good:

• Great Price
• Good screen size
• Plasma technology

The Bad:

• No 1080p resolution

Where to Buy: Compare prices on 32-inch Vizio TVs here. Wal-Mart has the VP322 on sale for $514.

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