The Vizio D Series 1080p 2016 is a good budget LED TV. It performs good enough across the board, with average-good picture quality. It handles motion very well. Note: this review is for the 1080p variant of the D Series. We reviewed the 4k UHD separately here.
Our Verdict
For mixed usage, the Vizio D Series 1080p 2016 is quite average across the board. It is better for video games, but when viewed from the side the picture quality diminishes rapidly.
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Good basic picture quality.
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Low input lag and motion blur, which is great for video games.
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Loss of picture quality at an angle.
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Cable and DVDs look slightly blurrier than most TVs.
Fine for movies. Average picture quality, but lacking features found on high-end TVs. Nice deep blacks and good black uniformity.
Average performance in a bright living room. Picture quality deteriorates very quickly when viewed from the side. Reflections are handled well but TV doesn't get bright enough to combat glare.
Average for watching sports. Motion is handled well, but average picture quality and uniformity of field. Must remain directly in front of TV or quality diminishes rapidly.
Great for video games. Picture quality is average but handles motion well with low motion blur. Good input lag for fast paced games.
Doesn't support HDR. Doesn't accept either HDR format. No wider color gamut. Can't get very bright highlights. Average picture quality.
Doesn't support HDR10 or Dolby Vision. Can't produce bright highlights and doesn't support a wide color gamut.
Not bad as a PC monitor. Only a 1080p TV but handles motion well. Input lag is quite good so feels responsive.
- 7.0 Mixed Usage
- 6.5 Movies
- 6.7 TV Shows
- 7.4 Sports
- 8.0 Video Games
- 5.6 HDR Movies
- 5.2 HDR Gaming
- 5.3 PC Monitor
- Updated Mar 01, 2017: Review published.
- Updated May 18, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated May 16, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Vizio D Series 1080p 2016 TV has a lot of variants. The one we bought is the 50" with SKU D50-D1. The 43" model D43-D1 has an IPS panel that produce weaker blacks and contrast but wider/better viewing angle. Except for this particular size, we expect our review to be valid for the other sizes of the Vizio D 1080p 2016. Some other differences can be found depending on sizes as illustrated in the table below. Our review is not valid for the 4k UHD variations of the Vizio D Series which we have reviewed separately here.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Vizio D Series doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.
| Size | Model | Effective Refresh Rate | Real Refresh Rate | HDMI # | Speakers | DTS TruVolume | Backlight | Local Dimming Zones |
| 32" | D32-D1 | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 2 | 5W x 2 | Yes | Direct | N/A |
| 40" | D40-D1 | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 2 | 8W x 2 | Yes | Direct | N/A |
| 43" | D43-D1 | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 2 | 10W x 2 | Yes | FALD | 5 |
| 43" | D43-D2 | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 3 | 10W x 2 | No | FALD | 5 |
| 48" | D48-D0 | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 3 | 10W x 2 | Yes | FALD | 5 |
| 50" | D50-D1 | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 3 | 10W x 2 | Yes | FALD | 12 |
| 55" | D55-D2 | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 3 | 15W x 2 | No | FALD | 12 |
| 60" | D60-D3 | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 3 | 10W x 2 | No | FALD | 10 |
| 65" | D65-D2 | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 3 | 15W x 2 | No | FALD | 16 |
| 70" | D70-D3 | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 3 | 10W x 2 | No | FALD | 12 |
Compared To Other TVs
The Vizio D Series 1080p 2016 has a lot of bang for the buck. It is sold cheaper than many comparable TVs for the same kind of features. This makes it easy to recommend.
Test Results
From watching directly in front, the design of the Vizio D Series 2016 looks good. From the side, or in a setup where the back of the TV can be seen, it appears bulky. It feels a bit cheap with all parts being made out of plastic, but it is not the worst looking TV.
Two plastic stands sturdily holds the TV on each of its sides.
Footprint of the 50" TV stand: 10.2" x 39"
The back of the TV looks bulky but well thought out since no connections will be blocked if the TV is wall mounted.
The bulkiness of the TV is apparent when watched from the side.
The D Series has deep blacks which results in a great contrast ratio that makes the picture pops.
Poor local dimming, especially for a full array. Some edge-lit TVs even do better than this. In our video, you can't see much blooming, but that's because it dims the dot too much.
It can get fairly bright but not anywhere near the level of higher end HDR TVs. For regular content, this is good enough.
This TV does not support HDR.
The uniformity of the screen isn't good and a yellow tint can be seen both in the middle and on the left side of the display. It is still better than an average LED TV.
The television has poor viewing angles, colors become washed out and the blacks become gray. It is recommended to be sitting in front of the television rather than at an angle.
Great black uniformity. Not much clouding can be seen on a totally black screen. Great for dark scenes.
The Vizio D Series 1080p 2016 uses an 8 bit panel. Gradations can be seen in the shift of colors. This won't be a problem in regular content although some banding can be seen on some scenes.
Out of the box, red is a little prominent and give a little too warm look to the picture. White balance dE isn't too high and doesn't create problems.
Most issues could be fixed with calibration. White balance dE got very low and a few color issues could be resolved.
Compared to other TVs, the Vizio D 1080p 2016 is just a little worse with 480p content. As long as the seating aren't too close from the TV, this shouldn't be a big concern.
Same can be said with 720p content. The Vizio D 1080p 2016 isn't the best with that resolution but isn't bad either. Cable channels will looks a bit soft.
Doesn't have 4k, but it is available in a 4k version that we reviewed here.
Good for regular Rec.709 content only. Colors cannot get more saturated like TVs that support HDR.
The color volume is below average. The TV can't produce very saturated colors at any luminance level.
The television handles reflections well and will be capable of getting bright which should be enough to for most living room environments.
The response time is low, therefore there is almost no motion blur. The trail following the moving logo in our test is short and faint. The down transitions are slower than the up transitions, which results in an orange tone between the letters of our logo. Enabling "Clear Action" can make the image even clearer, but will make the television flicker a great deal which may bother some.
The D Series 1080p 2016 uses PWM to dim the backlight at a frequency of 480 Hz. It is possible to reduce the backlight frequency to 60Hz to clear up motion, but this produces a visible flicker.
Only 24p sources are completely judder-free. 60p and 60i have constant judder.
There is no motion interpolation features on this TV.
The input lag of this television is low, which will be great for fast pace first person shooter games. Enabling 'Game' as a picture mode will enable both the 'Clear Action' and 'Game Low Latency' settings, which will help with motion blur, but as a result the input lag will go to 30.7ms, and you will have more flickering during game play.
Update: From further testing we have concluded that all current Vizio TVs that we have reviewed do not display 4:4:4, but 4:2:2. This is due to the TV inputs accepting 4:4:4 but actually displaying 4:2:2. 4:2:2 is better than 4:2:0, but slightly blurrier for text than 4:4:4.
Good frequency response, however, there may be some pumping and compression present at higher volumes. Low-end cutoff and maximum loudness are below average, even for a TV.
Relatively high distortion number overall, however, at higher volumes the amount of rise in distortion is acceptable and the sound doesn't fall apart (unlike some other TVs).
Most of the popular apps are available through the smart interface and the navigation through the different menus is straightforward.
The smart interface of the Vizio D Series 1080p 2016 isn't the prettiest but is straightforward enough to use and offers a good variety of apps. Most of the interface is quick and easy to navigate in. Without the help of a better remote, long text input can be a little awkward.
A button located behind the left side of the TV can be use for limited controls such as opening the TV and switching inputs. It can still be accessed if the TV is mounted on a wall.
