Basically every major The product category has seen major inflation over the past decade. Each category, viz except TV. For some reason, year after year, brands compete not only to create the best, brightest models, but also the best cheap models.
The new Vizio 4K TV (its literal model name) costs $328 for the 55-inch model, has great built-in casting and every app you could want, and has Dolby Vision high dynamic range. It doesn’t have fancy backlighting for perfect black levels, but if you need a monitor at cheap prices for a bedroom, office, garage, motel, corner bar, what have you, there really isn’t much that this can’t do well.
Five years ago, a TV with specs like this would have cost around a thousand dollars. Reverse inflation is certainly a good thing for the average viewer. Now you can get it 86-inch large model for under a thousand dollars.
A new black box
TVs have gotten so good that the vast majority of us really don’t need to follow the high-end trend anymore. At under $500, this model has all the features we’ve come to expect from higher-end TVs, including great fit and finish.
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Photo: Parker Hall
It’s a simple black box with legs on either side of the screen. Identification Prefer pedestal mountingbut I can’t be picky at this price point and you may or may not plan on wall mounting or another type of mount. The legs keep the TV stable enough on my TV stand, and the nice 2-inch-thick case makes it easy to move the TV without fear of it breaking.
Like all modern TVs, this one has super thin bezels and is almost full screen when turned on. It runs on Vizio’s SmartCast operating system, which is one of the better internal smart TV interfaces we regularly test. It makes it easy to cast between both Android phones (thanks to Chromecast) and iPhones (thanks to AirPlay 2), and it has plenty of built-in apps for everything from Netflix to Apple TV. They all performed well in my testing, though I prefer Reliable Roku interface when selected.
Setup is quick and painless. Just plug in your TV, log in to your app, and start racing. It comes with three built-in HDMI ports (one eARC for setting up a soundbar or receiver), which is more than enough for most modern homes. I plugged in my Nintendo Switch and Panasonic 4K Blu-Ray player and was watching Ferris Bueller in no time.
