Color Me Impressed

FOUNDED IN 2002, Vizio is an American company headquartered in California that aims to offer top-quality TVs at prices that will appeal to a wide range of consumers.

- By Thomas J. Norton

Vizio came close to being bought out by Chinese company LeEco in 2017, but that purchase fell through for a number of reasons and the company remains American-owned. HDTVs and UHDTVs are its primary focus, but Vizio also sells a competitively-priced lineup of soundbars.

OUT OF THE BOX

Vizio’s new PQ65-F1 P-Series Quantum set is the company’s premier 2018 offering. Available only in a 65-inch size, it shouldn’t be confused with the Quantumless P-Series, which comes in 55-, 65-, and 75-inch screen sizes and is spec’d for a wide color gamut that offers about 93% of P3 color space. P-Series Quantum expands that range closer to 100% of P3 through the use of Quantum Dot backlight technology. The regular P-Series models also offer less brightness (1,000 nits claimed maximum vs. the 2,000 nits peak claimed for the PQ65-F1) and fewer local dimming zones (up to 120 for the P-Series vs. 192 for the PQ65-F1). As with most Vizio sets, the PQ65-F1 has full-array local dimming or, as Vizio calls it, Active Full Array Max.

The PQ65-F1’s sleek design features an inconspicuous, wafer-narrow black bezel. Since its feet are located near the far sides, your TV stand needs to be a minimum of at least 56-inches wide for a table mount.

The PQ65-F1 is compatible with the three most common HDR (high dynamic range) formats: HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma). It can’t do HDR10+, a format that may end up being significant in the future but currently is vaporware.