X

Vizio M1d-A2R series (pictures)

The Vizio M1d-A2R series offers a potent combination of excellent design, decent picture quality, and a pocket-friendly price.

Ty Pendlebury
Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
Ty Pendlebury
Vizio_M551D-A2_35781765_10.jpg
1 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Overview

Vizio has been around for a while now, and though it started as a budget brand it has been making some small steps toward improving its image, and with the new M series the improvement is literal. The M-Series is inarguably the best-looking TV the company has produced, with a barely there bezel and subtle design elements.

The picture the TV can produce is also impressive for its price, with excellent shadow detail and fairly deep blacks, and making it worth the extra money over Vizio's entry-level E-Series for more natural image quality. Local dimming for the price of a nondimming set is nothing to scoff at. Meanwhile, color performance offers up a little bit too much red, but otherwise the Vizio displays a full, rich color palette.

With its new M-Series, Vizio has shown that it is determined to deliver a good-looking TV with unexpected performance for the price. If you need a large screen with design and picture smarts, the Vizio M551d-A2R and M501d-A2R offer compelling combinations.

Vizio_M551D-A2_35781765_12.jpg
2 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Vizio logo

The logo is a cutout.
Vizio_M551D-A2_35781765_08.jpg
3 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET
Vizio_M551D-A2_35781765_14.jpg
4 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Backlit remote

Vizio_M551D-A2_35781765_15.jpg
5 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Remote on a table

Vizio_M551D-A2_35781765_09.jpg
6 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Inputs

The TV had four HDMI ports and two USB inputs.
Vizio_M551D-A2_35781765_17.jpg
7 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

3D glasses

There are eight pairs of glasses in the box.
Vizio_M551D-A2_35781765_11.jpg
8 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET
Vizio_M551D-A2_35781765_13.jpg
9 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET
Vizio_M551D-A2_35781765_05.jpg
10 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Notifications

Vizio_M551D-A2_35781765_03.jpg
11 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET
Vizio_M551D-A2_35781765_01.jpg
12 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET
Vizio_M551D-A2_35781765_10.jpg
13 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Picture quality

While the picture doesn't pop as much as the cheaper E-Series, the M-Series is much more accurate for it. The new E-Series firmware (review forthcoming) has a tendency to crush shadow detail in return for darker blacks, but the M-Series is able to retrieve most of that missing detail. Thanks to the local-dimming system the M551d-A2R is able to provide a happy compromise between deep black and shadow detail. The downside is that dark scenes with white highlights don't have as much pop as on a plasma like the Panasonic TC-P50S60 or nondimming TVs. Colors are bright and saturated, though possibly a little too saturated, but better than the sickly looking flesh tones of the E-Series.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos