VIZIO M658-G1 Ultra HD TV Preview

Read the full review for the VIZIO M658-G1 Ultra HD TV.

It offers a full-array backlight with 90 dimming zones, 80% coverage of the Rec.2020 color gamut, and 600 nits of peak output in HDR mode. It supports HDR10, Dolby Vision, and Hybrid Log Gamma, and comes with VIZIO’s superb SmartCast 3.0 streaming interface. With built-in Google ChromeCast and Apple AirPlay 2 support, one can spend countless hours watching content without ever connecting anything to the display except a power cord. It truly is a cord-cutter’s dream.

The M658-G1 comes in at a lower price point than the PX65-G1 I reviewed recently by having only 90 backlight dimming zones rather than 384. It also peaks at 600 nits rather than 3000. In every other way though, it is the same TV. How will this affect picture quality? You’ll have to wait for my tests and viewing impressions to find out. I’ve just unpacked the set and watched a few clips from the Spears & Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark, and it looks very impressive. I have to remind myself that this TV costs just $900. It seems poised to top the competition in the price/performance ratio.

I’m looking forward to plugging in the test equipment, then watching a lot of movies in the coming weeks. Watch this space for my full review.

Read the full review for the VIZIO M658-G1 Ultra HD TV.