Vizio announces new budget and flagship 4K TVs
Earlier this week, TV manufacturer Vizio announced the return of its midrange M-Series lineup for 2015, as well as the arrival of its ultra-premium Reference Series. The company made waves in 2014 by delivering the most affordable lineup of UHD (4K) televisions at the time with its P-Series TVs, and the revamped M-Series continues that tradition.
Like last year's models, these TVs deliver a full-array LED backlight that improves areas of performance compared to more typical edge-lit LED models. More importantly, the new M-Series follows in the footsteps of Vizio's successful P-Series by offering UHD (4K) resolution.
Despite the upgrade to Ultra High Def resolution, the 2015 M-series maintains similar affordability compared to last year's HD lineup. The series is available in 43, 49, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, and 80 inches with prices ranging from $599 to $3,999. For reference, the 50-inch UHD M-Series will be available for $799—that's $200 less than last year's 50-inch P-Series.
We expect to see the P-Series also return to action this year, providing a more premium experience, but the new M-Series is a step in the right direction to promote affordable UHD/4K televisions. The M-Series TVs take a budget-friendly approach to full-array backlighting with local dimming — the technology behind Vizio's P-Series.
Vizio has also claimed a 240 Hz effective refresh rate, which we assume indicates a 120 Hz native refresh rate for these televisions. Vizio's smart platform is included with the M-Series, and will continue to give users access to some 4K content via partners like Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and Ultraflix.
The M-Series should be available soon, both online (at Vizio.com) and in-store, via retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, BJ's Wholesale, and Costco.
As for the Reference Series, the company's flagship lineup was first announced during CES 2014, but until this announcement the R-Series has remained an elusive, unicorn product for cinephiles and A/V junkies.
The Reference Series will be available in 65- and 120-inch screen sizes, though no pricing has been confirmed yet. The company made some very big claims about this series when it first debuted, promising best-in-class picture quality and next-generation hardware.
According to Vizio, the Reference Series is one of the first UHD (4K) lineups to promote High Dynamic Range and Dolby Vision compatibility. Like Vizio's other 2015 models, the Reference Series televisions wield a Full Array LED backlight scheme with up to 384 dimming zones—compare that to the 32 zones of the M-Series.
In 2014, Vizio claimed massive color abilities that so far no manufacturer has been able to achieve. This week's announcement appeared to scale back expectations a bit, as the R-Series may or may not exceed the color abilities of this year's Quantum Dot-equipped UHD televisions from manufacturers like Samsung and Sony.
The 65-inch Reference Series TV will come bundled with an integrated 5.1-channel sound bar, but anyone courting the gigantic 120-inch version will hopefully already have a wired-and-ready home theater to accompany it.
Like the M-Series, Vizio also confirmed that the R-Series will have an "effective" refresh rate of 240 Hz, which probably means 120 Hz native. According to Matt McRae, Vizio's CTO, the Reference Series will "shatter the limits of what's possible for cinephiles."
Naturally for premium TVs, both models in Vizio's Reference Series will be smart and equipped with all of the latest codecs and hardware measures to allow native 4K playback and 4K streaming from app partners. No pricing information for the Reference Series has been announced, but interested consumers can sign-up for updates on Vizio's website.
Stay tuned to Reviewed.com for our first impressions and full reviews of both Vizio's long-awaited Reference Series and its new M-series TVs.