Vizio has taken the cutthroat pricing model that made them a household name in the US and applied it to their new P-Series 4K LED Smart TV line that we first saw back at CES. Pricing starts at just $999.99 for a 50-inch model which suddenly makes selecting your next TV a bit more complicated.
The 50-incher in question (model P502ui-B1) features a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160, full-array LED backlighting, a 240Hz refresh rate, 50 million to 1 dynamic contrast ratio and 1.07 billion colors. The wall mountable set includes composite, Ethernet and USB inputs as well as SPDIF and analog audio out.
In addition to the entry-level 50-inch set, the P-Series line also includes a 55-inch model, a 60-inch set, a 65-incher and the largest in the series, a 70-inch model. MSRPs are set at $1,399.99, $1,699.99, $2,199.99 and $2,499.99, respectively.
Although we can’t make any claims regarding picture quality, Vizio has certainly done a great job of undercutting the competition. For example, 50-inch 4K televisions from LG and Samsung start around the $1,500 mark.
Of course, whether or not it’s the right time to jump into the 4K realm is still up for debate. Cable and satellite providers in the US still don’t carry 4K content and likely won’t for a while.
Netflix does offer its award-winning series House of Cards in 4K as well as some nature documentaries. Sony’s catalog of downloadable 4K movies currently sits at more than 200 titles and Amazon is planning to release some 4K programming later in the year but in the overall scope of things, there isn’t much 4K content to choose from.
