when is the best time to shop for HDTV? Is VIZIO with internet apps good?

i have not used their internet apps yet, but we own four Vizio's and love them all!

Hi and thanks for choosing IMshopping.  When it comes to HDTV's Vizio is one of the top brands on the market and is recognized as the top selling brand in the LCD category.  I am attaching the review from the CNET website (they are experts in the field and give expert reviews).  They give the Vizio 4 stars and will list the pros and cons:
Traditionally, a good time to purchase an HDTV is in January just before the Super Bowl and in March just before the college basketball tournament starts up, but throughout the year during the holidays most stores have their sales as well.  Easter will be a good time and after that you will have Memorial Day towards the end of May. 

Product summary

The good: Inexpensive for a local dimming LED-based LCD; can produce extremely deep black levels; less blooming than many local dimming models; relatively accurate color; solid dejudder processing; plenty of connectivity with five HDMI and one PC input; energy efficient.

The bad: Backlight fluctuates with program content; below-average shadow detail; fewer picture controls than some high-end HDTVs; ho-hum styling.

The bottom line: Sure, it has a few flaws, but nothing fatal prevents the local dimming, LED-backlit Vizio VF551XVT from exhibiting excellent LCD picture quality for the buck.

For the sub-$2,000 price, however, this Vizio still delivers impressive picture quality to big-screen shoppers who can't wait for its successor or don't care about interactive doodads (and no, there's no way to upgrade a 551 to get Via functionality). Its black levels are among the deepest we've tested this year, and while the fluctuating backlight may give videophiles pause, it's not a deal-breaker. The VF551XVT also succeeds on most other performance fronts, although we can't say the same about its styling. Like all big-screen LCDs, the Vizio's main competition comes from similar-size plasmas that cost even less, but if you have your heart set on LCD, the Vizio VF551XVT is currently the over-50-inch bargain of the year.

Hi there, good question.  A great time for the best deals for many things is Black Friday, the Friday right after Thanksgiving day and then Cyber Monday, the Monday following Thanksgiving.  Black Friday is a very popular shopping day with pretty much the best deals of the year for many things especially electronics.  But if you dont want to wait that long many companies tend to randomly have sales on products.  Also the brand that you want is taken into account when you are considering price.  And as for Vizio internet apps, it allows you to surf the net using your television so you can check what you need online while watching tv without having to move to your laptop.  It comes in handy, plus you can stream movies from it as well.  It's simliar to having a giant computer but it's meant for light browsing.  Hope you can find what you are looking for.