Jun 28 Podcast #902: Vizio P-Series Quantum X
If you have been listening to the show for a while you would think there are only four TV manufacturers out there LG, Samsung, TCL, and Sony. Obviously there are many more but the aforementioned manufacturers dominate the news. Today we want to talk about a manufacturer that rose to be an extremely popular brand in the US but has been pretty quiet lately, Vizio.
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Today's Show:
News:
- Amazon takes on Roku with new Fire TV Edition TVs supporting Dolby Vision
- Samsung adds 3 smart home products
- SmartOven+ allows control, alerts from app
- Sony smart TVs get Amazon Alexa app
Other:
Vizio P-Series Quantum X
If you have been listening to the show for a while you would think there are only four TV manufacturers out there LG, Samsung, TCL, and Sony. Obviously there are many more but the aforementioned manufacturers dominate the news. Today we want to talk about a manufacturer that rose to be an extremely popular brand in the US but has been pretty quiet lately, Vizio.
Vizio has been a popular manufacturer in the US for a few years. Ara bought Vizio’s first 4K P-Series TV a few years ago and has been very satisfied with it. Of course it didn’t have the wide color gamut or HDR but had good contrast with the local dimming capability. Vizio has been making steady improvement in their TVs but always seemed to lag LG and Samsung. However, they have a new TV, the P-Series Quantum X. We do not have direct experience with this TV so we will discuss the available features and will quote others who have.
Features:
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Quantum Color - With Quantum Dot technology, VIZIO P-Series Quantum X produces up to 165% more color than a standard 4K HDR TV.
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Ultra Bright 3000 - Delivers up to 10x brighter imagery with striking detail in every highlight.
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480 Local Dimming Zones - 480 Local Dimming Zones
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Stream from your device with Apple AirPlay 2 and Chromecast built-in - Stream movies, TV shows, music and more or mirror your screen for presentations and video chats directly on your VIZIO SmartCast™ TV.
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Use your Voice to control the TV - From playing your favorite show to turning your TV on and off - VIZIO Smart TVs let you take control with simple voice commands.
Previously Vizio had only released a 65 inch model PQ65-F1 but with this model they have released a 75 inch version costing $3.5K. The 65 inch model goes for $2.2K.
What the others are saying:
Wired - Brilliant, dazzling display. Tack-sharp picture, rich and vivid colors, velvety blacks. Looks great even in bright sunlight. Cinematic quality turns any room into a home theater.
Tired - Streaming menus have room for improvement (get a Roku). Some streaming apps inaccessible without a smartphone. Audio is passable, but you'll want a soundbar.
Vizio also boosted the backlight on its top-tier set in two different ways: First, the P-Series Quantum X boasts an impressive 480 dimming zones on the 75-inch model (the 65-inch model has 385), which is a huge improvement over the 2018 P-Series Quantum PQ65-F1, which had 192. Our biggest problem with that model was the backlight and the way it added unwanted flaring and darkening around elements on screen, so a more than two-fold increase in dimming zones should help alleviate that issue. While a company demo is a far cry from a controlled testing environment, we didn’t see any backlighting issues on the new Quantum X mode.
The brightness has also been ramped up, with the P-Series Quantum X promising up to 2,900 nits of peak brightness. That brightness had an obvious impact on the video samples we saw in our demo, where brighter portions of the picture sang with a vivid intensity that mainstream and budget TVs can't match. Brighter backlight is one of the cornerstones of high-dynamic range content, and the P-Series Quantum X promises to deliver HDR with more oomph than ever before, easily beating the brightness offered on the 2018 P-Series Quantum PQ65-F1 (2,340 nits).
HDR support also looks good on the format front, with support for Dolby Vision, along with standard formats like HDR10 and HLG.
From its searing highlights to its brilliant hues, the P-Series Quantum X is a top-shelf TV with the picture to prove it. Given its ability to get really freakin' bright, it's a particularly good option for folks who long for the performance of an OLED but remain skeptical about an OLED's relatively limited peak brightness. For instance, the LG C9 OLED, with its ultra-wide viewing angles and better-regulated contrast, is the all-around better performer, but its steady hand doesn't come with the sort of "wow" factor that comes with 2,000 to 3,000 nits of brightness. Additionally, the 65-inch version of the LG C9 is currently priced at $1,200 more than the PQX.
Should you look closely, you'll find a handful of shortcomings around the edges of the PQX experience: a narrow viewing angle, occasional light bloom, and a ho-hum smart platform. They're the sort of issues that aren't unique to the PQX, however, and if you're as nit-picky as I've been known to be, you'll find similar foibles in just about every high-end flagship TV. Nevertheless, it's worth keeping them in mind if you're trying to decide between two or three top-tier TVs.
There's no question about it: The P-Series Quantum X is the best TV Vizio has ever released. It may not come with the modest price tag you might've come to expect from a historically budget-friendly brand like Vizio, but given its capabilities, it's a competitively priced TV with ton of upside.
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