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Let's begin by stating that the Picture Quality (PQ) of the VIZIO M3D550KD is very good. And very good is impressive. Is it the best that I have seen in my years of reviewing? No.

But as I mentioned earlier, those TVs often were at least twice as expensive. And unless you had both models side by side, you may never be the wiser.

The Edge-lit LED backlight technology employed in the M3D550KD has a tendency to "bloom" along the edges of the screen. I did notice this artifact when the background was dark, for example when the movie credits begin to crawl over black. Even then, it was momentary. This very occasional blooming was never distracting.

Otherwise, the edge lighting with smart dimming performed well. The contrast was well defined and the color was saturated. The skin tones could have been modeled a little better, but I'm nitpicking.

Purists may not consider screen size as a factor in determining picture quality. Be that as it may, a bigger screen can make the TV viewing experience more immersive. I realize that term is bandied about, but a larger screen pulls you in and the 55-inch M3D550KD exerts that gravitational force.

I simply am not a big fan of 3D, therefore I tend to be harsher on it than others who are impressed with the effect.

VIZIO has adopted the FPR (Film-type patterned retarder) method of displaying 3D. The two things you need to know about FPR is that if you move too close to the screen, you may notice tiny, thin lines.

But more importantly for me, the 3D glasses are the passive type, which means they have no shutters and no batteries. And they are lighter and cost a lot less than the active shutter glasses. VIZIO even includes four 3D glasses in the TV box.

The glasses definitely make the 3D viewing more comfortable, but if you are like me, I would strongly consider the non-3D capable 55" M550VSE for under a thousand dollars.

You can use the money that you saved to help defray the cost of a dedicated sound system. The audio quality from the pair of integrated 10W speakers just does not do justice to the size and quality of the picture.

The VIZIO team has packed a barrelful of features and performance into their expansive - but not expensive - 55-inch LED Edge-lit 3D M3D550KD SmartTV.