PICTURE QUALITY It did an excellent job displaying the finest detail of HD content. Color accuracy was very good, with image content, and flesh tones in particular, looking natural. Color temperature was slightly on the warm side, lending images a reddish tone. 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 an excellent job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. There was slight display non-uniformity that created brighter cloudy areas most noticeable on very dark scenes (or in the black bars of a letterboxed movie). We routinely see this issue with LCDs and severity can vary from model to model. 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 wide viewing angle overall, better than that of most TVs. It will provide the same picture quality, with fewer problems than most TVs, for typical viewing conditions -- say, if your family is seated across a long sectional or in chairs off to the sides. With brighter scenes, this model did a fine job maintaining accurate colors and contrast as we viewed it from the sides. The picture did show some dimming from the sides but not to any point we found distracting. With dark scenes this model didn't fare quite as well. When viewed from the sides, the depth of black levels varied depending on the vertical position of the viewer's head. As we moved closer to the screen this limitation became even more apparent, especially if seated on the floor looking upward where black levels brightened significantly. This model's wide horizontal viewing angle is best appreciated when the TV's picture is viewed at eye level.
ULTRA HD PERFORMANCE Overall, very good. This Vizio UHD TV delivers full 4K picture detail, along with very good 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, or MP4 file formats, stored on a flash drive, nor could we play back photos of any resolution, which was disappointing. This TV supports HDR (high dynamic range) but we didn't find its performance in this area to be very effective. Overall image brightness was limited, by HDR standards, and we saw excessive "banding", and a lack of nuanced shadow detail on our test patterns and videos specially mastered for HDR. On our HDR test patterns we also saw that very bright colors suffered a visible loss of color saturation and looked washed out, though this effect was not so apparent on real world videos. There was also no evidence of extended color capability. With regular HD content, the TV's HD-to-UHD upconversion processing was very good, with edges along diagonals of image content showing very slight jaggies, just short of the best we've seen. 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 monitor has good motion performance, with some blurring on our motion tests. Though this model includes Vizio's "Reduce Motion Blur", a feature designed to reduce motion blur, it introduced excessive dimming to the image so we turned the feature off.
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. 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 a bit thin and closed in. The speakers produced a good volume so this model should play sufficiently loud in typical room environments, though sound quality does degrade at high volume levels. Also, at higher volume, dynamic compression kept the sound from distorting, but also limited the clarity of peaks in loudness, which can be 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, it was very easy to setup and fairly easy to do routine things. This Vizio forgoes the traditional remote for a 6" Android tablet (included). Whether you prefer this type of interface or the traditional button remote is a matter of personal preference, but the user experience between the two is very different in every day use. To control and navigate TV functions you have to turn on the tablet and activate the Vizio app. All interactions with the TV, including surfing Netflix selections, or browsing the web, are done via the tablet, not on the TV screen. The virtual buttons displayed on tablet surface have no tactile feel so the user must look at the tablet when making viewing selections or picture adjustments. The TV includes an on-screen guide to help you through a first time setup. Besides the full-featured tablet, also included is a smaller, simpler remote for volume adjustment and input source selection.
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 OS" portal with access to a library of applications. Movie streaming services include: Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, YouTube, HBO Go.
CONNECTIONS This model has five HDMI inputs--one supports MHL (Mobile High-definition Link), one component input, no composite input. It also has two USB ports, an optical digital audio out, an Ethernet port. Wi-Fi 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. Two remote controls with batteries. 1 HDMI. No printed manual is included.
ABOUT FIRMWARE VERSION: Our test results and picture settings are valid for the version of firmware indicated. If your TV's firmware differs from the one shown you either have an older or a newer version. Manufacturers may periodically upgrade the TV's firmware to enhance operation, fix bugs, or add features. Firmware upgrades may be downloadable directly to your TV via a wired or wireless network (if internet capable), or USB port, depending on your TV's capability. You can check your TV's firmware version, or upgrade to the latest firmware by pressing the menu, or home button on your remote and navigating to the appropriate submenu, typically under settings. Consult the user manual or manufacturer's website if further guidance is needed.
