PICTURE QUALITY. It did an excellent job displaying the finest detail. Color accuracy was very good, with image content, and flesh tones in particular, looking natural. Contrast—the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites—was good, so images had depth and dimension, typical of most models we test. The brightness level was good, making it a suitable choice for most rooms. Black levels are excellent, with help from Vizio's Active LED Zones, a local dimming feature, delivering very deep blacks that enhance contrast in dark scenes. In scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, the model did a very good job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. 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 moderate viewing angle overall, decent, but not quite as good as the better-performing TVs we've tested. The optimal seating position for best picture quality is directly in front of this model. When we viewed the TV from the sides, image quality got worse. The picture showed a slight loss of color, along with a moderate color shift. 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 excellent. The picture showed no change in color, contrast, and black level.
ULTRA HD PERFORMANCE. Overall, falls short. This Vizio UHD TV delivers full 4K picture detail, but only decent HD-to-UHD upconversion. All native 4K content we played on this model, including movies and test videos was presented in full detail with excellent image fidelity when played back via the TV's HDMI input. This model does support video streaming of 4K programs via both Netflix and YouTube (among other sources) using SmartCast, and images were finely detailed and free of image enhancements that generally degrade image quality. Using the TV's USB port, we were not able to play our 4K test videos in the HEVC, VP9, and MP4 file formats, stored on a flash drive, nor could we play back photos of any resolution, which was disappointing. This TV does not claim support for HDR. With regular HD content, the TV's HD-to-UHD up-conversion processing fell short, with visible jaggies along the edges of diagonals when playing HD content. All four of the TV's HDMI inputs comply with the latest HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 specifications that support play back for 4K video at 60Hz, and copy protection, a requirement for compatibility with 4K movie play back devices such as a 4K Blu-ray player.
MOTION BLUR. This Vizio TV has only fair motion performance, with significant blurring on our motion tests. Though this model includes Vizio's effective "Clear Action", a feature designed to reduce motion blur, we found it dimmed excessively the image so we left the feature off. The visibility of blurring on typical program content is often subtle and may not bother most people, but keen-eyed viewers may detect some loss of texture and detail on scenes with movement.
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. The screen is dark so it does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast even in a bright room.
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. With movies, dialog was generally clear and remained well balanced with respect to background music and other sounds. Bass was lacking, but treble was nicely detailed, while the overall sound was on the bright side, thin, and a bit closed in. The speakers produced a good volume—so this model should play sufficiently loud in typical room environments, though sound quality degraded at the highest volume settings. Also, at higher volume, dynamic compression kept the sound from distorting, but also limited the clarity of peaks in loudness, which was distracting on some audio content. If sound quality matters to you, you might want to add a soundbar or other external speaker system.
EASE OF USE. Overall, falls short. Out of the box, this TV does not include the tablet device required to give it access to the TV's menus (for picture adjustments and other controls), and online streaming services. Viewers must use their own personal mobile device to download the Vizio app necessary to control the TV. A simplified remote is provided which allows you to switch between inputs, choose a picture mode and aspect ratio, and has volume control and a mute button. These are adequate if you plan to connect a cable box or other device to the TV via an HDMI cable. The TV includes an on-screen guide to help you through a first time setup.
STAND ASSEMBLY. The monitor's base does not come pre-attached, so some assembly is required. Mounting the support stand to the TV is straightforward, though the stand requires the assembly of one part before mounting. The TV's stand extends to the far ends of the display, which means the table top you'll be setting the TV on will need to be at least as wide as the display itself.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV provides advanced Internet capabilities via its "Android or IOS" portal with access to a library of applications, and a full Web browser. Movie streaming services include: Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, YouTube, HBO Go.
CONNECTIONS. This model has four HDMI inputs—one supports MHL (Mobile High-definition Link), one "component/composite shared" input (which means you can only use one type or the other at a time). It also has 2 USB ports, an optical digital audio out, an Ethernet port. WiFi wireless networking. Casting, to control the TV from a smartphone that has the suitable app installed. Screen mirroring, where the image on your smartphone or other compatible device can also appear on the TV. This model lacks an antenna/cable RF input—so it can't tune-in off-air channels—but not a problem if you stream content, or use a cable box, satellite box, or external tuner. The cable connections on the rear panel are recessed with side or bottom-facing ports, so wires don't protrude beyond the display's depth.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A quick start guide. A remote control with batteries. One HDMI cable. No printed manual is included.
ABOUT ULTRA HD TESTING: We test UHD picture quality using 4K movies, videos, photos, and test patterns to confirm these displays deliver performance to this format's full potential. We check the TV's ability to reproduce 4K image detail, as well as high dynamic range (HDR) for TVs that support this capability. Image quality is tested using a 4K movie player connected to the TV's HDMI input, as well as from files stored on flash drive plugged into the TV's USB port. We also check the quality of 4K streaming from Netflix or YouTube (if the service is supported by the TV), and how well the TV can upscale HD movies to the display's higher UHD resolution while keeping artifacts such as "jaggies" along the edges of image content to a minimum. The best UHD TVs, and HDTVs, present high fidelity images that reveal the full quality of the best source content without degradation.
