The Vizio M-Series Quantum TV line offers a really wide color gamut and super-low input lag for a budget-friendly price, but its contrast levels lag behind comparable models. Get details in VIZIO – 55″ Class M-Series Quantum Series LED 4K UHD Smartcast TV Review.
Pros & Cons
PROS
Wide color gamut
Works with Apple AirPlay and Google Cast
Very low input lag
CONS
Screen isn’t that bright
Mediocre contrast and black levels
If you’re trying to find a reasonable TV, the Vizio M-Series Quantum is probably going on your radar. It’s an HDR-compatible 4K TV line with quantum dot technology to enhance its color performance, and at $439.99 for the 50-inch M50Q7-H1 we tested, it’s pretty friendly on the wallet. It indeed offers a good color gamut, also as a gaming mode with incredibly low input lag and a robust set of connected features. The M-Series Quantum may be a solid buy for the worth , but its contrast levels fall behind slightly costlier models just like the Hisense H8G series.
VIZIO – 55″ Class M-Series Quantum Series LED 4K UHD Smartcast TV Review
A Simple Design
The M50Q7 may be a very simple, plain-looking TV, with a skinny black plastic bezel that runs round the sides and top, and a wider strip on rock bottom edge bearing the Vizio logo. It isn’t particularly svelte, thickening bent three inches deep within the middle. It’s a really utilitarian design, with few flashy elements. The TV sits on two thin metal V-shaped legs, or it are often mounted on the wall.
Aside from the facility connector on the left, all ports are often found on the proper side of the rear of the TV. Two HDMI ports, an RCA composite input, and a USB 2.0 port face directly right. Two more HDMI ports, an Ethernet port, optical and RCA audio outputs, and an antenna connector face down. alittle cluster of buttons (power, input, and volume up/down) sit on the lower right corner of the rear panel.
Vizio M-Series Quantum
The included remote may be a thin, black, button-laden wand with an outsized , circular navigation pad near the center . Menu, power, input, and dedicated service buttons for Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Netflix, Redbox, Vudu, Xumo, and Vizio’s own Watch Free selections are often found above the pad. Volume and channel rockers, along side variety pad, are often found below it. this is often an easy infrared remote; it doesn’t have a microphone or the other special features.
SmartCast
The M50Q7 uses Vizio’s SmartCast smart TV platform. It’s a reasonably basic but useful connected TV interface that gives access to several major streaming services including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube. It’s a modestly broad selection of apps and services compared with platforms like Google TV and Roku TV, but it covers most bases.
More importantly, SmartCast features support for AirPlay 2 and Google Cast, so you’ll stream video from your Android or iOS mobile device, or your Mac or PC. It lacks a voice assistant feature, but it’s nicely equipped in terms of displaying content.
Contrast and Color Performance – VIZIO – 55″ Class M-Series Quantum Series LED 4K UHD Smartcast TV Review
The Vizio M50Q7-H1 may be a 4K TV that supports high dynamic range (HDR) content. It’s compatible with HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision.
We test TVs with a Klein K-80 colorimeter, a Murideo SIX-G signal generator, and Portrait Displays’ Calman software using methodology supported Imaging Science Foundation’s calibration techniques.
The M50Q7 won’t impress you with its contrast. In Calibrated (Dark) mode, the TV shows a peak brightness of 186.334cd/m^2 for a full screen of white and 216.619cd/m^2 for an 18% white field, with a mean black level (while displaying white on the screen) of 0.153cd/m^2. That leads to a mediocre effective contrast ratio of 1,416:1.
Using the default Calibrated mode doesn’t appreciably affect peak brightness, and harms the black level for a good lower contrast ratio. Setting the Calibrated (Dark) mode’s backlight to maximum bumps up the height brightness a touch , but quite doubles the black level within the process. Basically, you won’t get the type of contrast you’ll find within the TCL 6-Series here (74,326:1), or maybe the Hisense H8G series (20,486:1).
While its contrast isn’t great, the M50Q7’s color is surprisingly strong, because of the panel’s quantum dot technology. The above chart shows an SDR signal compared with Rec.709 broadcast standard color levels on the left, and an HDR signal compared with DCI-P3 digital cinema color levels on the proper .
Out of the box, in Calibrated (Dark) mode, it hits Rec.709 levels nearly spot-on, with whites, magentas, and yellows running just a touch warm. With an HDR signal, it actually exceeds DCI-P3 levels, though yellows and magentas drift a touch toward the more deeply saturated reds than ideal. It’s strong color performance for a budget TV, albeit it isn’t the foremost accurate without calibration, compared with the aforementioned Hisense and TCL models.
Viewing Experience
The TV’s strong color gamut comes through when displaying BBC’s Planet Earth II on Ultra HD Blu-ray. The blue-greens of water and therefore the greens of plants really come through vibrantly, and infrequently a touch oversaturated. The fine details of animal fur are often seen clearly, especially when well-lit, though shadow details tend to urge a touch muddy thanks to the mediocre contrast and black levels. It’s an attention grabbing and colorful picture for the worth , but it’s not the brightest, darkest, or most natural.
The red in Deadpool’s costume looks properly saturated and skin tones are natural in Deadpool’s overcast opening scene. The burning lab fight later within the film doesn’t look particularly bright within the flames, or dark within the shadows, thanks to the TV’s contrast. Details tend to urge lost within the darker parts of the frame, especially against the orange-yellow of the hearth .
The M50Q7’s mediocre contrast performance is particularly apparent within the party scenes of the good Gatsby, where textures and fine details get easily lost within the dark parts of the stark, near-monochrome shots. Skin tones generally appear natural, but occasionally look a touch oversaturated, while the contours of lapels of black suits get swallowed by darkness.
Input Lag
Input lag is that the amount of your time between when a TV receives a sign and therefore the screen updates, and it’s important for video games to feel responsive. We test input lag using an HDFury Diva HDMI matrix, which measured a lag of 44.4ms for the M50Q7 under default settings.
Turning on the professional Game Engine Game Low Latency feature, however, slashes that lag right down to a blistering 3.1ms. That’s comparable some gaming monitors, and simply puts the M50Q7 on our list of the simplest TVs for gaming.
Good for Gamers on a Budget
The Vizio M-Series Quantum TV line offers impressively wide color range for a budget-friendly price. Unfortunately, the contrast performance doesn’t match up, leading to muddy shadows and an image that may not particularly bright. The Hisense H8G series offers far better contrast for a rather higher price. And if you don’t mind spending a touch quite that, the Hisense H9G and TCL 6-Series both stand out as fantastic performers on the highest fringe of the “budget” realm. The M-Series Quantum is compelling if you’re a gamer and you would like a super-responsive screen for a coffee price, but cinephiles should consider spending a touch more for a way better picture.
VIZIO – 55″ Class M-Series Quantum Series LED 4K UHD Smartcast TV customer Review
VIVID Viewing Experience!
Purchased this Vizio 2019 M8-Series Quantum two days ago and absolutely love it! The quality of picture is the best I’ve experienced for home viewing.
-90 Local dimming zones
-UltraBright 600
-4K + Dolby Vision HDR
-Quantum ColorIt all equates to a clear, gorgeous image on your screen. This TV was incredibly easy to set up. (Much Props to the Best Buy salesperson for explaining to me that I just cut the 2 straps off the box and pull up. I would have slit the top and made if much harder for myself!). It’s the simple things, not the technical ones the mess me up! LOL. The legs can only fit on the base one way, so those were easy to attach with the enclosed screws. The Vizio guides you thru the set up, it’s so fun and easy. An onscreen manual is available, but I was able to figure out the remote with trial and error pretty quickly. One thing I found interesting…there’s a promotion with Sling, yet it’s not one of the apps to access on the smart tv menu. Go figure. You have many options to adjust your color. It’s a very easy, non complicated tv to operate. I’m so excited to have it in my living room! I feel like I’m in a movie theater sitting in the front row. lt’s a wonderful entertainment experience. Really happy with this purchase! If you’re looking for a 55″ TV with magnificent color, sharpness and clarity, this tv clicks all those boxes.
By jojo19 at Best Buy
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