Essentially every major product category has experienced massive inflation over the past decade. All categories i.e. except TV. For some reason, brands compete every year to create not only the best and brightest models, but also the best and cheapest ones.
The new Vizio 4K TV (that’s its literal model name) costs $328 for the 55-inch model and has great built-in casting capabilities, all the apps you need, and high dynamic range with Dolby Vision. It doesn’t have a fancy backlight to give you perfect black levels, but if you want an inexpensive screen for your bedroom, office, garage, vacation home, corner bar, etc., there’s little you can’t do with this. It went pretty well.
Five years ago, a TV with specs like this would have cost about $1,000. Reverse inflation is certainly a good thing for the average viewer. Huge 86-inch models are now available for less than $1,000.
new black box
Televisions have become so powerful that most of us no longer need to follow high-end trends. This model costs well under $500 and has all the features you’d expect from a high-end TV, including fit and finish.
Photo: Parker Hall
It’s a simple black box with legs on either side of the screen. I’d like a pedestal mount, but at this price I can’t be picky, and I may or may not have plans for a wall mount or other type of mount. Thanks to the legs, it is firmly stable on the TV stand. Thanks to the 2-inch thick case, you can easily move your TV without worrying about it breaking.
Like all modern TVs, this one has ultra-thin bezels and is almost full screen when you turn it on. It runs on Vizio’s SmartCast operating system. This is one of the best in-house smart TV interfaces we regularly test. It’s easy to cast between both Android smartphones (thanks to Chromecast) and iPhones (thanks to AirPlay 2), and has its own range of great built-in apps for everything from Netflix to Apple TV. All worked fine in my testing, but given the choice, I prefer the reliable Roku interface.
Setup is quick and easy. Just connect it to your TV, log into the app, and you’re off to the races. It has three built-in HDMI ports (one eARC for a soundbar or receiver setup), which is more than enough for most modern homes. You can now watch Ferris Bueller right away by connecting your Nintendo Switch to your Panasonic 4K Blu-Ray player.
