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Vizio's high-end 4K TVs are on sale at (some) Best Buy stores
After more than a year of waiting Vizio finally opened up orders for two models from its "Reference Series" line, and now it's expanding the rollout. At Best Buy's Magnolia Design Center locations (they're a bit more limited than the regular Magnolia in-store units you're probably used to seeing, here's a list), well-heeled buyers can order up a $6,000 65-inch Ultra High Definition TV packing Dolby's HDR tech, or go big with the $130,000 120-inch model. Of course, at that price, some of you may want to window shop before making a purchase, and a rep told one AVS Forum poster that they may have in-store samples coming. This close to CES you may want to wait for what 2016's TVs have to offer, but Netflix has that ultra wide color tech, 384 LED lighting zones plus UHD apps from Netflix, Amazon and Vudu.
Vizio's 120-inch Reference Series 4K TV with HDR costs $130,000
Although Vizio is known for making affordable 4K TVs, the manufacturer's also busy exploring other areas. Revealed back in April, its Reference Series television sets are designed for home entertainment buffs, featuring Dolby's Vision high-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging technology -- which promises astonishing colors, contrast and brightness. Vizio's making its Reference Series available in two sizes, 65- and 120-inch, and they are both LED-backlit, Smart UHD TVs with Dolby and DTS sound options to boot. If you're interested, be prepare to break the bank: The 65-inch model costs $6,000, while the bigger 120-inch is priced at a whopping $130,000. You can order either one now from Vizio's site.
Vizio's latest 4K TVs start at $600
Vizio has already developed a reputation for offering decent 4K TVs on the cheap, and it's cementing that image now that it's rolling out its 2015 line of Ultra HD screens. The company's new M-Series sets (above) tout full LED backlighting, speedy 802.11ac WiFi and a six-core processor starting at $600 for a 43-inch model -- not bad considering that even stripped-down TVs cost more just a couple of years ago. The M range scales up to an 80-inch set at $4,000, which is still a steal considering that many 4K panels that size will cost you a five-digit sum.
Vizio's HDTV plans for 2014 focus on Ultra HD, in sizes going all the way up to 120 inches
We took a peek at Vizio's CES 2014 booth and came away impressed with not only its current mainstream HDTV lines, but also what it's planning for the future. The current E- and M-series are rolling out now with features like smart apps (cribbed from its Co-Star LT platform) and local LED dimming backlighting that are usually reserved for higher-end HDTVs. It's also readying a number of new audio products, from those Android-packing Bluetooth speakers to its current soundbars and even an upcoming sound plate device that you can sit your TV on. Still, the models we think most will be the most interested in are Vizio's upcoming Ultra HD televisions. The P-Series holds its mainstream approach, with 64 zones of LED backlighting and a built-in CPU with two CPU cores and four GPU cores in sizes of 50, 55, 60, 65 and 70 inches. The custom Vizio design handles all the processing and per-pixel tuning needed to work at that high resolution, and the TVs even support the latest wireless tech like 802.11ac, and 4K streaming from sources like Amazon and Netflix when it's available. Vizio's most striking assault however, is planned at the extreme high end with its Reference Series. Consisting of two models -- a 65- and 120-inch versions -- they promise all the features of the others, plus an upgraded 384 zones of local dimming, Dolby HDR tech for unprecedented lighting and color quality, and an integrated 5.1 soundbar (with wireless subwoofer). We don't have prices or release dates for Vizio's 4K-ready TV lineup yet, but the company reminds us of its groundbreaking pricing history. That's enough to have us interested and thinking these may be some of the first cheap Ultra HD TVs worth purchasing -- assuming they debut in the second half of the year as planned.
