HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality was very good. It did a very good job displaying the fine detail of HD content. We did note some added edge enhancement processing, but it wasn't distracting. Color accuracy was excellent, so colors, especially flesh tones, looked very natural and lifelike. Contrast—the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites—was good, so images had depth and dimension. The model had fairly deep black levels, just shy of the best models, which gave dark scenes better depth (though quality does degrade as you move to the sides - see viewing angle). Image brightness was only fair, dimmer than most even with the backlight turned up, and is not the best choice for a bright room. There was visible banding (unnatural contours) on scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, rather than smooth transitions. The deinterlacing and film mode operations were excellent on HD content; there was little or no trace of jaggies on the edges of objects for video and film-based 1080i video content, such as from cable.
VIEWING ANGLE. This Vizio has a narrow viewing angle overall, below-average performance among TVs for this attribute. Only those seated directly in front of the screen will see the best picture quality. When we viewed the TV from the sides image quality degraded significantly. The picture showed a strong loss of color, so flesh tones looked very washed out. Black levels visibly brightened, reducing contrast especially on dark scenes. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle was good. The picture showed some change in color, contrast, and black level.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) PERFORMANCE. HDR performance is ineffective and lacked the enhancements in image quality expected from this capability.
MOTION BLUR. This Vizio TV has good motion performance, with some blurring on our motion tests. This is better than average for LCD displays with the basic 60Hz frame rate. This model does not include a blur reduction feature.
SCREEN REFLECTIVITY. Though not as mirror-like as on some models, this screen surface is glossy and therefore susceptible to reflections from a nearby lamp or window. It does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast in a brighter room environment.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has fair sound quality with below average performance. It's acceptable for typical programming, but shortcomings become obvious with movie soundtracks and music. Bass was notably absent, but treble was nicely detailed, while the overall sound was on the bright side, thin, and closed in. The volume from its speakers was limited—just adequate for a smaller, quiet listening environment and without obvious distortion. If sound quality matters to you, you might want to add a soundbar or other external speaker system—but if this smaller-screen set is a secondary TV, you might find its sound quality acceptable.
EASE OF USE. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. Vizio includes a traditional IR button keypad remote, with number keypad, for control of basic functions. Also included are buttons that provide direct access to Netflix, Vudu, Amazon, Xumo, Crackle, and iHeart Radio streaming services. Consider the TV's stand is 20 inches wide when choosing a table top to place it on.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV provides Internet capability with a selection of applications via its "Vizio SmartCast w/ Chromecast" portal with access to a library of applications. Movie streaming services that can be downloaded to this TV, or are built-in, include Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu.
CONNECTIONS. This model has two HDMI inputs—one supports ARC (Audio Return Channel), one composite input, and no component input one USB port, an optical digital audio out, WiFi wireless networking; Casting, which allows you to send streaming content from your mobile device to the TV via your home network; Screen mirroring, where the image on your smartphone or other compatible device can also appear on the TV.
WHAT'S INCLUDED. A quick start guide. A remote control with batteries. A detachable power cord. No printed manual is included.
