U.S. company Vizio has announced a huge selection of LCD TVs in its 2022 product lineup, with screen sizes maxing out at 85-inches and HDMI 2.1 gaming features appearing in its premium models. There’s also a refreshed SmartCast platform on the way.
Until this week Vizio had been pretty quiet this year, watching silently from the shadows while its rivals debuted all manner of exciting display technology advances, ranging from brighter OLED panels to MiniLED backlights and more 8K resolution models.
But the company has finally broken its silence, and while its high-end models notably haven’t embraced MiniLED, or 8K for that matter, there’s still a number of improvements that fans of the brand can look forward to.
Let’s start from the bottom and work our way up. Vizio’s D-Series TVs are the most basic, entry level offerings this year for those that don’t have the budget to stretch to 4K resolution. They’re bog-standard 60Hz TVs with either 720p or 1080p resolution and they come with a basic remote, basic array backlighting with no local dimming and basic Wi-Fi connectivity. They’re available in a choice of sizes ranging from 24-inches to 43-inches, the company said.
Probably the best thing we can say about the Vizio D-Series TVs is that they are, at least, extremely affordable, with prices starting as low as $140 (about £98) for the smallest model. It’s safe to say that most people would struggle to find a cheaper Smart TV than that.
Next up is the slightly better Vizio D4-Series that’s available in a choice of 24-inches and 30-inches and throws in AMD’s FreeSync, making them a nice affordable option for gamers confined to their bedrooms, perhaps.
Then we have the V5-Series TVs (below), which is where things start to get better. For one, these TVs are all 4K models and they feature a voice remote too, which is never a bad thing. There’s still no local dimming zones, but they do have rather wide HDR support in the form of Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG. So Vizio joins what is still a pretty rare club as one of the few TV brands to support both of the premium HDR formats. Sizes here range from 43-inches to 75-inches, the company said.
The Vizio V6-Series is basically the same as the V5-Series, with the only difference being that it also throws in AMD FreeSync. Two sizes, 70-inches and 75-inches, are available.
Moving on, and the Vizio MQ6-Series is where things get interesting. The “Q” in the model name denotes quantum dot technology. So they’re essentially QLED models like Samsung’s most prestigious LCD TVs. The QLED displays provide a solid performance boost, with Vizio saying that they cover 75% of the Rec. 2020 colour gamut. The most compelling feature though may well be the HDMI 2.1 ports these TVs carry, though they only enable 4K passthrough at 60 frames per second and enhanced Audio Return Channel. Sizes range from 43-inches to 65-inches.
Vizio’s MQ7-Series is only available in 70-inch and 75-inch options, but it is the first model in the range to offer local dimming zones, with 32 of them working together to deliver 84% of the Rec. 2000 colour gamut. Both the MQ6 and MQ7 models support Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR 10 and HLG, Vizio said.
Finally, we come to Vizio’s higher-end LCD TVs, with the PQ9-Series (below) sitting just below it flagship model. The Vizio PQ9 packs the company’s most advanced IQ Ultra video processor, delivers up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness, and has HDMI 2.1 ports that support refresh rates of 120Hz, which means they can deliver the 4K/120fps gaming experience that’s so important for PS5 and Xbox Series X console owners. If you’re sold on that model, choose from a 65-inch or 75-inch screen and pay $1,400 (around £980) or $2,200 for the pleasure.
The finest model in Vizio’s 2022 TV lineup is the Vizio PQX-Series, which benefits from a massive 792 local dimming zones that helps it to cover 85% of the Rec. 2020 colour gamut, just a notch higher than the PQ9. It delivers up to 3,000 nits brightness too, and it’s also the company’s biggest TV of the year with a single 85-inch model to choose from. Pricing details were not revealed.
All of the new models come with the new SmartCast user interface that the company said more effectively consolidates online, curated and over-the-air content in its menus.
Vizio's 2022 TV models will be released in the U.S. over the next couple of months starting now. There's no word yet on which models might go on sale in the U.K. or when that might happen.
