vizio m501d-a2r lcd panel manufacturer
There are various panel technologies. Each has its own specific features - viewing angles, color reproduction, response time, brightness/contrast, production cost, etc. The image quality depends directly on the type of the display panel used.IPS
The most widely used panels are those with 6, 8, and 10 bits for each of the RGB components of the pixel. They provide 18-, 24-, and 30-bit color, respectively.8 bits
The maximum number of colors, which the display is able to reproduce, depends on the type of the panel in use and color enhancing technologies like FRC.16777216 colors
The backlight is the source of light of the LCD display panels. The type of backlight determines the image quality and the color space of the display. There are various backlights such as CCFL, LED, WLED, RGB-LED, and etc.Edge LED
The new VIZIO M-Series is loaded with advanced technologies that push LCD brilliance to new heights. Innovations like Razor LED™ with Smart Dimming, 1080p Full HD, 10M:1 dynamic contrast ratio and a faster refresh rate bring a state-of-the-art viewing experience to life right on your screen.
The Vizio M501d is not the smallest of the M series, but it is the smallest that incoportates all of the advanced features like 240Hz processing and Theater 3D. The smaller TVs still have local dimming, but only feature a 120Hz panel. This 50 inch also presents an excellent value for a TV with a fast refresh rate and 3D for less than $900. That"s going to be hard to beat this year. 50 inch TVs from Toshiba, Samsung, LG, and Sony are going to be the biggest sources of competition for the M501d.
Game – Some TVs have hidden the Game mode but Vizio makes it easy to find right there in the Picture mode settings. It"s specifically designed to reduce lag time during gaming using a combination of LED lighting, panel refresh rate, and internal processing.
The effective 240Hz panel speed did a pretty good job eliminating judder and motion lag when combined with the Smooth Motion Effect setting. When viewing anything but live sports, you will likely want to turn the Smooth Motion Effect setting off as it adds the unwelcome cardboard cuttout fake effect by eliminating too much background blur. The effect is more subtle on the Vizio M551d than on many LED TVs we"ve reviewed. It doesnt overcompensate as much. We noted just a slight amount of lag in fast motion material.
The M501d features a panel with a 240Hz effective refresh rate from what is likely a 120Hz panel. We think this is a great addition to the overall picture quality on this LED TV. Sports programming is one of the biggest reasons to have a 240Hz refresh rate. Gaming also benefits from a fast panel in a big way. There are many situations where this extra push in image processing won"t be needed, luckily it can be disabled. This way unwanted side effects in programming that doesn"t include a lot of fast action won"t be an issue.
The M501d uses Vizio"s Theater 3D. This is the passive 3D method for displaying 3D content. We have noticed better 3D picture quality on passive 3D TVs from LG, Vizio and Sony than the active variety. Plus it"s less complicated, you get 4 pairs of glasses free, and extra pairs are cheap. The M501d has a very nice deep rich 3D quality picture and I highly recommend this aspect of the TV to those leary about 3D.
The Vizio M series pushes the Vizio Internets Apps, or V.I.A. smart TV platform. It brings just about all the Premium Apps you are really going to use, or need, to the living room. Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Hulu Plus, M Go, Netflix, Pandora, Rhapsody, VUDU, Amazon, and Yahoo! TV Widgets are a few of the long list that can be accessed right out of the box. Vizio"s Apps selection and menu seem somewhat out of date and with the exception of the dedicated Apps buttons on the remote does not work extremely efficiently. The V button in the middle of the remote accesses Smart TV function is not labeled.
The M501d has an ultra slim black bezel that surrounds the edge to edge glass of the screen. The base and neck are made out of metal to give it a solid construction and feel. The profile is razor thin and competes with the best LED TVs on the market. Unlike other manufacturers Vizio places their logo on the bottom right of the TV which leaves the middle bottom front looking somewhat empty. Overall a good B-grade design.
This TV includes Wifi Direct universal remote. That means the remote works with the TV"s built in wifi. You won"t need line of sight like traditional remotes for the TV to pick up a button press. It"s a great addition and adds to the ease of use Vizio is going for.
As for this 50-incher, it"s the M501D-A2R. While it may be a mouthful to say, it"s a treat to watch and use. With this TV, Vizio packaged a quality panel with decent smart features to offer consumers an awful lot of value. If you"re in the market for a 50-inch smart TV, keep an eye on this one.
Appearances aside, the M501D is not crafted of solid metal, but a smoothly finished plastic. This isn"t necessarily a bad thing; it looks expensively forged, even if it isn"t, and would stand out on almost any TV stand. As far as utilities go, the M501D is equipped with a larger-than-average selection of ports and input connections. Users will find four HDMI inputs, two USB inputs, a shared component/composite input, digital and analog audio out, ethernet in, and an RF jack. Like in years past, Vizio marks video connections by quality tier, in case you"ve not yet figured out that HDMI is usually the way to go.
Alongside the panel and stand, the Vizio 50M501D ships with eight—yes, eight—pairs of Passive 3D glasses, as well as Vizio"s standard 2013 remote. The glasses are firm and lightweight, though they tended to pinch a bit when I wore them over my nerd-grade spectacles. The remote"s responsiveness is fair, and it has plenty of dedicated buttons for more immediate app access. Personally, I think an M-GO button is a little much—but to each their own.
The most interesting thing about Vizio"s smart platform is that it isn"t really a smart platform. By that, I mean connecting the M501D to the internet simply gives the user access to a number of apps which string up along the bottom of the screen, rather than using the full smart home screen seen on most other internet TVs. While it lacks the scope of a full platform, the actual layout is quite convenient for browsing through your apps while watching content.
Last year, I tested a few Vizio TVs, each of which proved to be fairly commendable products. One of them even won one of our Best of Year awards. Seeing as the 50M501D is our first taste of the company"s 2013 line-up, I was excited to test it out, and it didn"t let me down.
For an LCD, it also has a fairly wide horizontal viewing angle, which means you have more options as to where you put the TV. A 50-inch TV like this one is likely going to be placed in a larger room, and perhaps even watched by more than one person—so a wider viewing angle is not only welcome, it"s a necessity.
My one complaint about the 50M501D is its black level, which is more gray than black. The TV"s contrast ratio is definitely on the slim side, as it just doesn"t possess the depth of dark to create a picture with high contrast. This lack of contrast is going to make films and richer video game content look a little flat, though only if you"re especially picky. Overall, this Vizio produces a great 1080p picture.
The Vizio M501D-A2R does a lot of things right. It"s a decent performer where most content is concerned; its black level may not be theater-quality, but it produces highly accurate color right out of the box. After a few updates, the included smart content was responsive and easy to use. Plus, almost all of the apps you"d ever actually use are pre-installed.
While it may not have the heft of Panasonic"s plasmas, nor the ultra-sleek style of Samsung"s LCDs, the edge-lit 50M501D is a great television, especially for $800. I"d advise consumers to keep an eye on this one—and if you see it on sale, pounce like an arctic rattler on a prairie dog.
For $800, the 50M501D-A2R is a decent performer. Scientifically, its color is imperfect, but not so flawed as to appear either overly vibrant or faded to human eyes. A short calibration also removed most, if not all of this Vizio"s grayscale balancing errors, bringing its white point closest to a CCT of 6500K. I was a little disappointed by its black level; it"s on the bright side, meaning this media-capable LCD is best suited for higher ambient lighting. Overall, our first 2013 display from Vizio is fairly impressive.
The M501D"s color gamut matches the international standard for HDTV accurately; red, green, and blue are all just about where they should be, though neither is perfect. This Vizio"s biggest drawback is its white point, which is a little too "cool," harboring a blue tint. We were able to fix this using white balance controls, however.
Compared to three other similarly-sized LCDs, the Vizio M501D-A2R has a generous viewing angle. We tested a total horizontal viewing angle of 108°, or ±54° from either side. This should offer ample room for two or three people to watch the 50-inch screen from medium to long viewing distances without contrast degradation.