Vizio’s V-series sensible TV (the $300, 50-inch mannequin V505-H19 is reviewed right here) is the second 50-inch TV I’ve evaluated lately, the opposite being the marginally cheaper ($280) Konka U50.
Each are infinitely superior to something you may’ve discovered on this value vary 5 years in the past. That stated, the Vizio supplies a bit higher processing, backlighting, general picture and expertise. However it lacks the Konka’s useful Bluetooth connectivity.
This assessment is a part of TechHive’s protection of one of the best sensible TVs, the place you’ll discover opinions of the competitors’s choices, plus a purchaser’s information to the options you need to think about when purchasing for this sort of product.
Specs and design
The V505-H19 is a thin-bezel unit whose staid, however elegant look belies its low value. The 50-inch-class panel delivers 10-bit coloration, a 60Hz refresh price, and 3840 x 2160 (4K UHD) decision. It has a full-array LED backlight, so it’s not zone dimmable. Which means it’s lit from behind with a number of lights, however the lights aren’t dimmed or shut off to lower gentle bleed.
The V505-H19 may be very gentle for a 50-inch TV at a mere 21.5 kilos. I had no points slinging the TV round to place the toes on, sliding it round to succeed in the cable connections, and so forth. That additionally means there can be little pressure on the 200mm x 200mm VESA mount level, the mount, or your wall.
Vizio is aware of that there’s a number of legacy tools on this market section, so the port choice contains composite video enter and RCA analog audio enter/output. There’s additionally optical digital (Toslink), coax for cable/satellite tv for pc TV or an over-the-air antenna, in addition to three HDMI 2.1 ports (2160p @ 60Hz, with one supporting ARC output). A USB port is available for playback from mass media (thumb drives, and many others.).
VizioVizio likes to deal with prospects with legacy tools by offering composite video and RCA audio inputs
There’s no Bluetooth, however the Wi-Fi is dual-band 802.11n, which is well quick sufficient for streaming most content material. If it isn’t, there’s additionally an ethernet port.
Props to Vizio for together with assist for HDR10+ along with Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDR10, and HLG. Not all TVs do this, and never simply TVs at this value. The TV additionally handles DTS encompass and Dolby Atmos, gives a low-latency recreation mode, and helps each Apple AirPlay 2 and Chromecast. The TV can also be compliant with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri voice management.
Interface and distant
Content material-wise, Vizio’s SmartCast House is as full as TV person interfaces come, with all the same old streaming suppliers, in addition to curated free content material. SmartCast can also be straightforward to make use of, and may be managed utilizing the SmartCast app in your smartphone or pill if you happen to so need. My solely grievance, a distinctly minor one these days, is that it’s fully reliant upon an web connection and doesn’t when in case your broadband connection is down. You’ll be able to nonetheless use the TV, however with restricted performance.
Alternatively, a repeat fast shoutout (I additionally famous this within the Vizio OLED assessment) to the corporate for fixing the Media Participant app. It’s nonetheless a plain DOS-like file browser, however now it’s responsive, performs all of the media I throw at it, and doesn’t crash.
VizioThe Vizio V505-H19’s distant is easy, if not all the time the best to make use of.
The distant is easy and simple to make use of, although I might’ve appreciated devoted transport controls to make media playback a bit simpler. Nonetheless, it suits within the hand properly and is giant sufficient to not disappear ceaselessly between the sofa cushions. I don’t speak to TVs outdoors of testing, however the distant’s lack of a mic would possibly hassle some. Hey, what can I say? It’s entry-level, and also you can use the SmartCast telephone app for that function, in addition to the opposite supported protocols (Siri, and many others.).
Efficiency
As I stated within the intro, the V505-H19 jogs my memory fairly a little bit of the 50-inch Konka U5-series I simply reviewed. It’s a lifeless ringer so far as the slight blue coloration skew and backlighting are involved; nevertheless, it suffers a bit much less moiré, shimmer, and different artifacts when processing detailed areas in movement.
The V505-H19 gives a bit extra coloration saturation, however due to the heavy blue content material of the backlight/filter know-how, reds skew barely orange; greens, barely lime. Very barely, I ought to say. Many customers won’t even discover. Once more, identical because the Konka.
Additionally, neglect the promoting about Dynamic Movement Fee 120. If you happen to learn the outline fastidiously, nowhere does it say clean motion or no judder. There’s no movement compensation of any form—identical as with the Konka. That stated, inside its 60Hz/no compensation limits, it’s higher than some I’ve seen. And scenes that produce the judder impact, quick pans and huge gadgets shifting quickly throughout display screen, are comparatively uncommon.
VizioVizio’s V505-H19 delivers an excellent image for an entry-level TV. Please be aware that entry-level is vastly improved over the entry-level of just some years in the past.
Whereas the V505-H19 helps the most well-liked HDR codecs, it doesn’t actually have the distinction to do loads with them. Blacks are barely higher than with the Konka, nevertheless it’s nonetheless array backlighting with no native dimming. We’re speaking charcoal grey greater than black. Mainly, it handles HDR, however doesn’t lend it the drama that know-how can convey with higher-contrast—and dearer—TVs.
In the case of sound, the V505-H19 is okay for informal, occasional, listening, however I discovered it annoyingly muddy. If I have been you, I’d hook up one thing extra sonorous in brief order. Word that after a firmware replace, the sound disappeared and didn’t reappear till I switched to the free curated content material. If you happen to expertise the identical phenomenon, that’s the trick.
The omission of Bluetooth isn’t surprising at this value level, because it was with the corporate’s far dearer OLED, the absence of Bluetooth assist does barely irritate the weak sound problem. If you wish to pay attention privately on headphones, you’ll want to buy a separate Bluetooth transmitter ($30 and up) or make different preparations, though you should utilize your telephone and the SmartCast app to pay attention utilizing headphones. That’s not a super answer in my e-book.
Conclusion
The V505-H19 is a wonderful entry-level TV with a barely higher general picture than the Konka I’ve been evaluating it to. If you happen to’re evaluating it to higher-end 50-inchers, revise glorious to respectable.
Nonetheless, entry-level is the not the painful, bereft-of-color viewing expertise it was just some brief years in the past. Certainly, the $300 V505-H19 compares favorably with $1,500 units in our first roundup in 2015.