Vizio D series 2017 (D65-E0 and D55-E0) review: This cheap TV still has a very good picture

I like a lot of Vizio's TVs for the level of image quality they achieve for a budget price, but their "series" can be a sprawling, incomprehensible mess. And the 2017 D series is the messiest one yet, making it tough for buyers to separate the potentially worthwhile TVs from the so-so ones.

7.2

Vizio D series 2017 (D65-E0 and D55-E0)

$929 at Amazon

The Good

Two Vizio D series models offer very good picture quality, thanks to local dimming, and are among the least expensive TVs available in their size range.

The Bad

The Smart TV system is dated and significantly worse than competing Roku TVs.

The Bottom Line

As some of the cheapest TVs with local dimming and a very good picture, two members of Vizio's D series are excellent values.

That's where I come in.

Among the D series TVs I know about right now, I can only recommend two specific models: the 55-inch D55-E0 and the 65-inch D65-E0. This review only applies to those two, not to any of the others in the series.

Vizio D series is one cheap TV

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Those two sets are some of the cheapest TVs to earn a "very good" image quality score from me. They're the only 2017 D models with local dimming, a feature that improves image quality in just about every LCD TV I've tested. It puts them on roughly the same picture quality plane as the bigger, members of the E series, which currently costs the same in the 65-inch size. I expect the D to dip cheaper later this year, however.

Unfortunately the rest of the D series TVs, for example the 50-inch D50-E1 that I also tested, aren't as good as these two. I think most budget TV shoppers will be better off with a Roku TV from TCL, for example something in the S405 series. They have a better smart TV system and similar image quality. And if you want a superior picture in an affordable TV, go for the TCL P series.

Standard black frame, weird spindly legs

The frame around the screen is shiny, black and thin, so from the front it looks like almost all picture, while the cabinet is relatively thick seen from the side.

Rather than a pedestal stand the D series utilizes the same kind of splayed, spindly legs found on most TVs today. They're a bit, er, different-looking, thanks to a pattern of triangle-shaped cutouts.

Throwback Smart TV

Vizio introduced its Yahoo-powered VIA (Vizio Internet Apps) interface in 2011 and hasn't changed much since. On the plus side it has access to a decent selection of apps, including Amazon Video, Netflix and YouTube in 4K resolution, and response times weren't terrible. But the pop-up menu along the bottom and the menus themselves look 6 years old -- because they are.

Roku isn't the freshest interface, but it runs circles around the these Vizios. It has a clean, easy-to-customize menu, thousands of apps, cross-platform search and numerous other advantages. If you choose a D series set and plan to watch a lot of streaming, I highly recommend buying an external streamer, like, well, a Roku. Or if you like your streaming phone-centric, go with the E series.

The most tricked-out Ds

The 55-inch D55-E0 and the 65-inch D65-E0 reviewed here are the most well-featured of the series, with 4K resolution (found on only a couple of others in the series; the rest are 720p or 1080p) and local dimming. 4K doesn't really affect image quality much, but dimming really helps, especially in demanding home theater situations. 

The 65- and 55-inchers have 12 and 10 independent dimming "zones" respectively, which is relatively modest, but in my experience every little bit helps. Unlike the larger members of the E series, however these sets don't handle HDR (high dynamic range).

Connections are ample, and unlike the E series the D's all include TV tuners for antenna reception.

• Four HDMI inputs
  
• Component video input
  
• USB port
  
• Wired Ethernet port
  
• RF antenna input
  
• Analog audio output
  
• Digital audio output
  

Picture quality

Oh what a difference local dimming makes. The 65-inch D65's dimming significantly improved its contrast and pop, especially in dark scenes and dark rooms. It also showed accurate color and solid screen uniformity, and while it's not as bright as some TVs, it's still fine for most lighting situations. Overall image quality was very close to the 65-inch E series, and both the same 7 in image quality.

Although this review only applies to the 65-inch D65-E0, I also tested the D50-E1 at the same time in the same lineup. At times below I also include my observations of that TV.

Click the image at the right to see the picture settings used in the review and to read more about how this TV's picture controls worked during calibration.

Dim lighting: Thanks to local dimming the D65 punched way above its weight in a dark home theater environment, the most demanding for any TV. During one of my favorite black level torture tests, the attack on Hogwarts from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the shadows, letterbox bars and other dim areas it looked darker and more realistic than any of the other sets aside from the more expensive E65, which as very close, and the TCL P series, which was much darker and better. Meanwhile the non-dimming-equipped Vizios looked worse (brighter and more washed out), and the TCL S405 and the Element looked the worst of all.

The dimming Vizios and TCL also delivered brighter highlights than the others, for example in the faces of Voldemort and his wizards as they stood on the hilltop. Shadow details were also very good, and the D65/E65 actually showed a tiny advantage over the otherwise superior TCL P series in resolving near-black areas like the folds in their robes. That TV still had a superior dark-room image, however.

Bright lighting: The D65 was one of the dimmest TVs in my lineup and not a great performer in a bright room. Just like the E65, getting peak brightness out of this TV requires disabling its local dimming, something few users will likely remember to do when the lights are up. That said, it should still be plenty bright for most viewing situations.

The Vizios all seemed to share the same matte screen finish, and it was the better than any of the others at reducing reflections. It also preserved black levels well.
Color accuracy: Before calibration my D65 review sample was much worse than the E65, but that could just be an issue with the specific sets Vizio sent me, so it's not a major knock. After adjustment the two looked very similar and both were was quite accurate, with impressive skin tones and natural colors. I also appreciated the lack the of inaccurate bluish tint in dim areas, as seen on the non-dimming LCDs.
Video processing: Both D sets I tested handled 24-frame content properly, with the smooth but not too smooth look of film. Motion resolution was typical of a 60Hz TV, the panel's native refresh rate, despite Vizio's "120Hz effective" fake specification. The D65's "Clear Action 180" improves motion performance to 600 lines, but it wasn't worth the trade-off in brightness or flicker.

Unlike on the E series, the "Game Low Latency" setting actually did improve gaming input lag, but it was still worse than the E overall at 43ms. The 50-inch was slightly better at 40ms.

Uniformity: Lighting across the D65's screen was impressively even, the best in my lineup along with the E65, showing little variation or brights spots no matter the brightness level. Watching hockey, which can really expose uniformity issues, the two large Vizios again looked better than any of the others, although the P series was close.

From off-angle the E65 and D65 maintained black-level fidelity, pop and color better than any of the others aside from the TCL P series.

4K video:As I mentioned above both of the D series models I reviewed can handle 4K sources, unlike most D series sets available. On the other hand, since they can't do HDR, I really didn't see any improvement from their higher resolution.

For what it's worth the sets were able The D series was able to pass the full resolution of 4K from YouTube and played through a suite of 4K test patterns from Florian Friedrich with no issues.