Customer Ratings & Reviews

2017 VIZIO SmartCast M-series home theater displays are built around a 4K ultra high-definition resolution that display over a billion colors in high dynamic range. So in terms of performance, the VIZIO SmartCast M50-E1 tested for this review offered an incredible experience. Although the 50″ panel is the smallest of their lineup, it’s also the sharpest, with 3840×2160 pixels crammed into it. My experience with this model has been very positive, and I’ve been impressed by the deep 20,000,000:1 contrast between bright white and dark black colors. Beyond the picture, there is a seemingly endless supply of streaming media sources that are compatible with the Chromecast feature. With regard to appearance, everybody leans toward their own personal preferences, but for most people the thin matte black outer bezel and low-gloss screen are desirable. I have mixed feelings on the metal support stands that come with the VIZIO SmartCast M-series as they seem less elegant, and contradictory to the overall design. For those mounting this panel on a wall, the stands are a moot point. Nevertheless, a matching center stand would have been more appealing in both appearance and functionality. I’ve handled this VIZIO SmartCast M50-E1 sample more than most people will handle their home theater television during its entire product lifetime. I’ve wall mounted it, and moved it to three different pedestal locations. I’ve turned it over several times, and handled it while going up and down stairs. This display is very rigid, and quite durable. VIZIO provides a one-year warranty to the original purchaser against defect in materials and workmanship for non-commercial usage and ninety (90) days of commercial use. Limited technical support is provided for the life of this product. If a SmartCast M-series product covered by warranty is defective, VIZIO will either repair or replace the unit. Consumers may reach VIZIO technical support at [email protected], or by telephone at 877-698-4946. VIZIO offers a large array of proprietary hardware features on the 2017 M-series displays: XLED Plus is VIZIO’s full-array local dimming backlight technology, which works together with VIZIO Xtreme Black Engine Plus that uses 32 local dimming zones to dynamically adapt brightness to the on-screen image for exceptionally deep black levels. An 8-core high performance processor pairs with VIZIO’s Ultra Color Spectrum feature to render over 1-billion colors and produce vivid details to deliver lifelike picture clarity with its native 4K Ultra HD 2160p resolution. VIZIO XHDR Plus extends the visual experience by enabling a wider range of contrast revealing details, and support for Dolby Vision and HDR10 content. The built-in Chromecast Ultra extends the M-series to thousands of media sources. As of November 2017, the 50″ VIZIO SmartCast M50-E1 4K UHD HDR home theater display was available online for as low as $499. I personally found this to be the perfect size for a master bedroom, or small entertainment room. If you’re looking for larger display, I recommend the 65″ version, model M65-E0, which I also purchased for $999. A thousand dollars for a 65-inch 4K UHD smart TV with high dynamic range represents an incredible value, and VIZIO is really winning this segment with the M-series. In summary, I highly recommend the entire 2017 VIZIO SmartCast M-series home theater displays. You’re getting a 4K (2160p) display with High Dynamic Range that supports Dolby Vision and HDR10, and you’re getting it for far less than those same features sell for on other brands. Cord-cutters will love the 1000+ apps that ‘cast’ to this Chromecast smart display, although the 2017 M-series already includes the most popular streaming sources. Read more at https://benchmarkreviews.com/47413/vizio-smartcast-m50-e1-4k-uhd-hdr-display-review/

Special thanks to Vizio for providing a free sample of the Vizio M50-E1 for review. Description and Features The M50-E1 features a relatively standard design. The panel itself measures 49.5" diagonally, with bezels that are 1/2" thick on all sides, but because of the slim strip of black area on the outer margin of the panel, the effective bezel is a bit wider, more like 5/8". The M50-E1 is 25.6" tall and 44.5" wide according to our tape measure, and is a rather chunky 2.9" thick. The metal loop feet add an additional 2.4", making the set exactly 28" tall when assembled on a stand rather than mounted on the wall. Notably, the feet are very wide-set, at 38.5" end-to-end, meaning you'll need a stand that's at least 40" wide to ensure that the M50-E1 doesn't slide off the edge when bumped. This is in contrast to a lot of more expensive models that use a center-mounted foot design, which allows the user to set the TV on top of a stand that isn't nearly as wide as the TV itself. While it could be argued that having a TV overhanging your stand isn't aesthetically pleasing, it's always nice to have the option, and unfortunately you really don't have that with the M50-E1. In terms of connections, the M50-E1 is fairly complete, with a notable exception. Along the side of the frame, it has a USB input, component video along with stereo inputs, plus an HDMI port. On the rear, facing downwards (ideal for wall mounting), you have Ethernet, two more stereo jacks (these being for output to a receiver), a digital optical out, and three more HDMI ports. So this is all very good, but the one issue is that there's only one HDMI 2.0 port (labeled HDMI 1), which is thus the only port capable of accepting true 4K signals. That's of course the one you'll need for high dynamic range (HDR) content as well - the M50-E1 is very cutting-edge in that regards, supporting not just HDR10 but the superior Dolby Vision also. Plus, you must go into the VIZIO display’s Input settings to enable the "full UHD color" function, which turns on the 10-bit signal from UHD content and provide full color and dynamic range. HDMI port #1 happens to also be the audio return channel (ARC) port, used to send audio from the TV to a receiver, as you'd use for media streamed through the TV itself. This becomes a bit of a problem, as you can only get 4K video into the TV through that HDMI #1 port, but you may also want to connect it through the receiver to get audio out. That's going to cause some issues for anyone without a circa-2016 high-end receiver that can pass UHD HDR video. The vast majority of receivers cannot do this, which means you'll need to connect a 4K HDR source, like a 4K Blu-Ray player, into HDMI port #1, but can't get audio out of it to your receiver. A lot of buyers of the M50-E1 won't realize the limitations the set has until they go to hook up true 4K equipment down the line, like HDMI 2.0-equipped gaming PCs, game consoles, or 4K Blu-Ray players. In addition to buying a third-party device, there are three ways to get streaming content from the M50-E1: the Vizio "StreamCast Mobile" app for smartphones, the new-for-2017 built-in "SmartCast TV" apps, and Chromecast, which uses third-party apps with built-in support for casting via Google's Chromecast system. To a certain extent, there's a lot of overlap between these functions, and in our opinion, if the M50-E1 had a full suite of built-in apps, there just wouldn't as much need for the SmartCast mobile app. Alas, Vizio's built-in apps are quite limited, and one of the biggest, Amazon Video, was just recently added (the other big ones included being Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, and Crackle). A few apps that are notably missing are YouTube, Pandora, Spotify, and HBO Now, but these are all available in the mobile app. Basically, users are going to have to do a bit of hunting around if they frequently use various media sources. Performance The first thing you may notice about the M50-E1 is that it boots into a live smart screen. This is a huge advantage in a day and age where so many users are getting their content from something other than an antenna or old-style cable box (which, notably, the M50-E1 does not support, as it has no coax input). Too many modern TVs, including our 2014 Samsung 4K model, default to static if you don't have one or the other attached, and even our 2016 LG OLED reference model defaults to a screensaver. We'd really like to see statistics on how most media is being consumed today, but we'd guess it's not cable or antennas, especially in the young, savvy, cost-conscious market that Vizio is targeting. Now, one major drawback of Vizio's approach is that the welcome screen takes a lot of time to load. Even in "quickstart" mode, the TV took 13.75 seconds to turn on, and in "eco" mode it took 15.5 seconds. Given how close these two are, we'd just as soon leave it in eco all the time for the energy savings while off. We think the slow startup really stems not from the power-up delay, but from the slow processor that Vizio has built into the M50-E1. We tested the M50-E1 using a variety of 4K sources, including Amazon Instant Video via the built-in SmartCast TV app, YouTube via the SmartCast Mobile app, as well as 4K discs via our Oppo UDP-203. Overall, we were very impressed given the pricepoint. No, it won't match an LG OLED when it comes to color and contrast, and it's not as bright as LEDs from Samsung and Sony that cost twice as much, but it's very good, certainly good enough to be someone's first 4K display. HDR content, like Planet Earth II and the science-fiction film Arrival (which uses lots of panning shots) looked great, and John Wick 2, which has among the widest dynamic ranges you'll find in any movie, looked fantastic. Furthermore, we believe Vizio has struck a pretty good compromise in terms of its motion handling in films, avoiding excessive smoothing while still offering decent 3:2 pulldown to avoid excessive judder. Alas, we were disappointed to find that watching content tagged as HDR through the built-in Amazon app did not properly display as HDR10 (as indicated by the lack of an HDR10 notification in the "info" panel), and defaulted to standard 4K content. Our guess is that this is a limitation of Vizio's app, and we hope Vizio can work with Amazon to bring this great source of 4K HDR10 streaming content to consumers. While we wouldn't judge a display for its audio, we found the built-in speakers on the M50-E1 surprisingly good. It helps that the display isn't particularly thin, which gives the set the ability to produce a bit more bass then paper-thin models. The only weakness we found was that dialogue could get lost amidst sound effects and music in complex surround soundtracks, which no doubt is a result of trying to do a bit too much with a set of stereo speakers. That being said, the M50-E1 actually provided a pretty good approximation of surround sound, and overall, we don't think anyone would be disappointed in the audio. Serious audiophiles will of course get a separate AV anyway, but it's not critical if you're just building out your system. Conclusion There's just no other way to say this: the M50-E1 is a great deal! Given its $600 retail price, it packs in tons of features, including a variety of ways to enjoy streaming content, aided by a user-friendly interface that puts streaming content front and center when the TV is powered on, plus comprehensive HDR support. There are just a couple things we would change about the M50-E1. The startup time is notably slow, the multiple overlapping methods of getting streaming content to the TV provides plenty of options but can be confusing, and the styling and stand design could use a bit of work. Put another way, the M50-E1 is perhaps a little rough around the edges, but we think that's reasonable - this model is designed to hit a pricepoint, a very competitive one at that, and shouldn't be mistaken for a luxury model. Note: this review is adapted from one that originally appeared on The Tech Buyer's Guru website.

I wanted a quality 4K HDR set on a limited budget, but not a budget tv. I spent several days researching to find the most bang for my bucks. Rtings.com provided me with the most informative guide for comparisons. Any other tv offering everything this one does and performing as well as this one was a minimum of $200 more. So, I purchased it and spent a good hour reading up and calibrating it to my liking. I installed the app on my phone, as recommended, for set up. I use it with an Xbox One S, so then I went through the Xbox calibration, making small tweaks for my preference. I loaded Wildlands (one of the games optimized for HDR on the One S) and the difference was immediately noticeable. Then I put in a bluray (not a 4k bluray) of the Spongebob movie and the colors popped. It was gorgeous! Can't wait to stream a UHD film or show on Netflix or VUDU. The important thing is making sure you take time to calibrate properly. You can use one of the preset calibrations, or modify them and save your own. I have a setting for movies and one for games. If using an Xbox or other 4K HDR device, ensure you have a HDMI 2.0 cable (Xbox One S comes with it) and use Port 1 on the back of the tv. Use game mode for reduced input lag. You'll need to go to Inputs on the app and turn on Full UHD Color. For bluray, you'll also want to enable True Cinema in the Picture settings for judder free playback. I recommend putting the noise filters at 0 unless you're watching standard cable, and you can use the Clear Action but I wouldn't. The app is easy to use and the picture quality is stunning, especially for this price. I need to spend more time with it but I'm very impressed on day one!

For my review I’m assuming you’ve done extensive research (rtings.com is a good place to start) and are just looking for a “human” perspective on this TV. Also, I’m specifically reviewing the M50-E1 model (50” version) but there are no major differences between the different sizes in the Vizio M-Series line. Pros: - Incredible picture performance. You’ll need to at least double your budget to get anything better. - Smart TV features are good. Not as good as LG’s interface but definitely good. - I LOVE the simple remote. No fluff; easy to use. - SmartCast app works and compliments the TV well. - Built in casting works really well and supports a huge number of apps. - “Out of the box” picture quality is very, very good. This is probably one of the more under-appreciated aspects of new TVs. - HDR capability can’t be beat for the price. Especially if you stick to “name brands”. - Dolby Vision capability Cons: - The lack of a TV tuner has been a non-issue for me even though I’m a cord cutter. However, build an external tuner into your budget if you must have OTA TV. - Lack of motion interpolation feature will be a deal breaker for fans of the so-called “soap opera effect”. - The legs are beautiful and compliment the TV well but lack any sort of cord management so hiding wires/cables will be more difficult. Also, the TV legs are metal and will reflect some light from the picture. I noticed this for all of two minutes before my brain completely ignored it. - No YouTube app built in but YouTube content can still be cast to the TV without any hassle. - HDMI port 1 is the only “high-speed” port. Problematic only if you don’t have a home theater receiver with HDCP 2.2. If your budget is $600 or less, you will not find a better 4K HDR capable TV in this price range. Period. It simply does not exist.

First off, the picture quality of this tv is amazing for the price point. I had an older vizio d series in the bedroom that this tv replaced, and what a difference! The black levels on the M series is very impressive. I have an LG c6p OLED in the family room, so black levels are obviously important to me. The vizio M50 far surpassed my expectation for a $549 LED tv. The black uniformity was great and movies looked amazing. Colors were also impressive. While not quite the same level as the higher end Sony and Samsung sets, this vizio certainly held it's own and looked great. Viewing programs on my direct tv cable box, I had minimal complaints. The cubs game looked amazing and crystal clear with no visible dirty screen effect. Movies were upscaled very nicely and colors popped. Again, for $549 dollars, this tv is a tier above it's competition. The only negative I can think of is the lack of a 120hz panel. This tv is more then smooth enough with movies and 24p content however. Unlike my oled, I never really noticed any perceptible judder in movies or annoying studders. In camera shots that pan across the screen, the picture is displayed with just the right amount of blur to hide the judder effect that is present on my oled with motion interpolation turned off. Of course this means the tv does exhibit some judder/blur in certain scenes. While not a deal breaker by any means, I have somewhat been forced to get accustomed to the clear motion that motion interpolation offers on my oled tv. Most people however hate the "soap opera effect" and will not care one iota about this vizio not having a 120hz panel. I should note though, that when watching baseball or football, I never noticed any trailing images on the ball as they fly across the screen. And for those that don't mind a dimmer picture, this tv offers black frame insertion technology which clears up all perceived blur at the expense of a brighter picture. For me the BFI dimmed the picture a bit much for my taste and I preferred to leave it off. Even with it off, judder was minimal in movies and much better then my oled with the soap opera effect turned off. Overall this tv is an amazing value for the picture quality you get. The black levels are the real standout with this tv and really make the picture pop. The addition of a traditional on screen menu for this year was much appreciated as well. Get this tv and don't look back. The only other comparable value tv with black levels this good would be the Sony x900e for twice the price. For me the vizio was the winner

Adore the blacks on this TV, and it handles night scenes beautifully. It's fantastic for 4K content like gaming and movies, and finally we can watch our Netflix Ultra HD subscription on a great TV. This is a great TV for the price. Very happy!

I recently bought a PS4 Pro and wanted to upgrade to a 4K TV, preferably with HDR. I also needed to keep it at $500 or under. I can't believe how great this TV is with such a small price tag. I managed to get mine on an open box sale for a good deal less than the regular pricing, but even at full price it's very reasonable for what you're getting. One of the downsides is that if you sit up -very- close, you will be able to make out the pixels in the picture, but not NEARLY as bad as the RCA model I was thinking about before I saw this one on display. You'll only really notice then if your face is a few inches away from the screen, so really it's a non-issue. I sort of expect it at this price point. The only other downside I can think of is the odd way the HDMI ports are handled. If I remember correctly, only one out of 4 outputs HDR, and a separate one from the HDR has the best speed (labeled BEST or something on the side, port 4). I find that a bit disappointing since I would like both benefits in the same port, but again, for this price point it's not a deal breaker. It has FANTASTIC blacks, and I barely had to adjust any of the video settings out of the box to make it look perfect. Those looking at this TV for gaming, I find it performs spectacularly with my PS4 Pro with all the bells and whistles enabled on the system. There is also a game latency setting you can check on or off to improve input lag, which I love to bits. If you want HDR 4K with blacks that don't look washed out and terrible, with added gaming benefits like a high refresh rate and latency fixes without breaking the bank, I feel like you can't go wrong with this.

Great entry level 4K television. If the space your pudding this set in has multiple seats with different viewing angles I would have reservations about buying this set however if your couch is straight on or within 45 degrees viewing angle you'll be fine. the 2017 version of this set does not come with the tablet remote but download the app onto your smartphone and you'll be completely fine. Lastly the legs on the set are wireframes and I would think about securing the set with a backup Thai system to the wall to prevent any accidents.

We bought this TV as well the 55" Sony X900E. The Sony is of course better however, the Vizio M50-E1 is still a great upgrade from the 2010 Philips 46" we were using! The picture is clean especially after messing with the settings a bit. RTings.com helps. The speakers are actually decent. I've tested the HDR out with Forza Horizon 3 and Gears of War 3 and it's not as deep and crisp as our X900E but again it's a great upgrade from the older TV. The built-in Chromecast is awesome. I haven't used the TVs built-in apps because of the Chromecast and our Xbox but the apps are there if you need them. If you're still using a 1080P TV and want to save some money but not go as cheap as the TCL models, this is a good option.

I did a lot of research on TV's and this was one of the TV's that stood out. I use my TV for both movies/Netflix and Amazon prime and for gaming and was looking for a good 'all around tv' that wouldn't cost me a fortune like LG or Samsung given the size. This is a bang for your buck TV, and I'm honestly impressed with the quality! the 4k on supporting TV shows and movies on Amazon/Netflix look fantastic and youtube 4k streaming also works well! 4k video games also look great! The smartcast is a nice feature getting to your streaming apps (kinda bummed it doesn't support Sling but I have it on my xbox so this wasn't really a deal breaker for me) This TV looks pretty sharp and the setup is fairly straightforward- you can use your phone as a remote but I rarely use it since it comes with a remote. If you're looking for 4k with HDR as well as a reasonable price, look no further and just buy this.

This tv perfroms as good or better than other 4K tvs for way cheaper. I did my research on this and got a great price. The XHDR is legit. I'm not gonna get all nerdy and give a bunch of buzz words and specs, those are available to you. Just know that this tv is legit and should be at the top of your list of options when considering a 4K display. I bought it mostly for gaming and the difference is tremendous from what I used to play on a 1080p tv. Of course you need a ps4 pro and or an Xbox One X which is coming this fall.

One of the best tv in this price range. Great color, contrast and saturation.support Dolby vision HDR (HDR 10 standard). This tv has chromecast built in. With the chromecast it support google assistant using your voice. This TV support analog and digital audio out. Setup is super easy. The menu is simple. Good for gaming.The view angle is not great if you are sitting on the corner of the tv.The tv do not have a lots of apps.

Excellent picture especially for HDR gaming & 4k Movies. Also a steal for the price. Cant beat a great 4K HDR TV for $499!!

Coming from an older Samsung 1080p (touch of color era), the upgrade to 4k and Dolby Vision was very nice. The remote feels a bit cheap, but functional (we use the Directv remote for everything except changing inputs and setting the sleep timer). The remote isn't backlit. Quick power on. BRIGHT picture. The 50" is nice and large for our master bedroom, but we do notice a slight fading of colors when way off axis. From the bed, it's great. Unfortunately, while the AppleTV 4k shows in Dolby Vision, this 2017 model does not play in Dolby Vision from an Xbox One X (normal and HDR gaming is fine). Due to Xbox HDR latency and Dolby Vision standard updates (arghhh), that is supported on the 2018 and newer M-series. Nice TV for the price paid. Added a 5.1 soundbar, and it helps keep the audio focused rather than using the builtin speakers aimed at the wall.

Picked this up to use as my new monitor for my new computer build. My first 4K and HDR set. I was blown away. I was mainly looking for a set higher than 60hz and this fits the bill. I'm constantly reaching well into the 200's FPS in some games and this thing just laughs and tells me to go faster. Video is crisp and HDR is amazing. No Display Ports but that wasn't a problem for me.

I purchased this TV to replace my 10+ year old 37in Vizio LCD. the sound was going and the picture was starting to become less vibrant. I have an Xbox One S that streams 4K and supports HDR so I wanted a TV that took advantage of that. Comparable to other brands the price for this set was very reasonable and as a Vizio it was a brand I could trust. I have had the set for about a month at this point and it has not disappointed. The setup was easy, and I currently have it connected via Ethernet cable since it is a smartTV with Chromecast, but my Xbox fulfills that role nicely.

I bought this as a gift for my sister and she likes it alot except that it's a home theater display unit and doesn't have a built in turner which is really no problem since she has cable and the internet. The picture is really nice and the tv has alot of great features. If you catch this one on sale, it's a great buy.

Bought this for my bedroom, and for the money you can't get a better pic. Specs are top notch for the price (full array dimming, 4K, HDR/Dolby Vision)....you'll have to spend another $200-$300 to do better. I like the built in Chromecast.....I'm a Google person and already have a Chromecast attached to my other TV.

Purchased to replace 48" flat screen taken out by lightning. Beautiful picture, even on standard HD cable reception--much better than old TV. Easy to set up and to switch between cable, FireStick, and DVD. Been using about six weeks now, and haven't found anything to complain about at all.

I bought this as a gift for a 17 year old boy and he absolutely loves it!!!! It is huge, but the perfect size for his room and for playing his new Xbox one x!!!!! The 4K with HDR is so AWESOME for his gaming!!!!! He doesn’t want to do anything else!!!! It is a great tv!!!!!