Vizio

Michael just got the 2016 Vizio M-Series and he wants to know what the "Calibrated Mode" is. There is no "Movie Mode." There's also a Vivid Mode. Stay away from Vivid Mode. That's for the show room floor. "Calibrated" isn't really calibrated, it's their best guess. So it may not be ideal, but it's worth a try. Standard Mode is the closest he'll get to a Movie Mode. There's also a color temperature setting of "warm" that he'll want, or 6500K.

Lori has a budget Vizio TV and she sees a subtle diagonal pattern when there's a bright background. It's distracting. Scott says to go into the menu and look under 16:9 to see if overscanning is enabled. Overscanning can cause scaling and artifacting, too. Scott doesn't see any way to turn that off, so she may want to contact Vizio about it.

Michael is looking at a Vizio M-Series TV, but doesn't know if it's the 2016 model. Scott says it is. Is calibration important? It can be. The more you spend on a TV, the more important calibration is, and the less of a financial hit it is. For the Vizio M series, which is under $2,000, Scott says it's not worth spending another $300 to $500 for a professional calibration. Michael can get 80% of the way there himself by buying a $30 disc from Amazon. The one Scott recommends is the Disney World of Wonder disc.

Charles is looking for an HDR capable Samsung TV. Scott says that the KS series are definitely Ultra HD Premium. What is 'HDR compatible' mean? Scott says HDR Compatible means it can take the HDR signal, but it may not display it in HDR. HDR Capable can do that, however. So he has to be cautious of marketing speak.

Fran is looking to get a new TV. Leo says the first thing she should do is upgrade her cable coverage to HD. If she wants a smaller TV, like a 32", they are really affordable. Leo recommends that Fran go as large as she can afford -- at least 42".

Jose is in the market for his first flat screen. He wants to get a Samsung 60" TV, with a budget of $1000. He's seen one for under $800. Leo says that's a great price. But Jose should also look at Vizio TVs. They will give him a lot more bang for his buck and Leo believes that the software in them is much better. If he can afford the P Series, they're really nice TVs. The thing to pay close attention to are the blacks. Make sure they are deep black, and that whites are true white.

Paul can't decide between the Vizio and Samsung 32" HDTVs. Leo says he owns both and he thinks that Vizio has the better 'smart' software, and Scott agrees. As for audio quality, Scott says it's not that good on either TV. Leo agrees and says that none of the TV manufacturers put much thought into the speakers since they expect users to already have home theater systems.

Gary wants to buy a new 70" HDTV and his budget is around $1200. Leo says that if there's a 70" for that price, it's probably a Vizio. The M-Series are good TVs. The E-Series is great as well. Leo bought one. Vizio corners the market for decent TVs for the price. This Vizio E-Series 70" TV is $1200 and Leo thinks it's a good choice.

Steve is looking to get a new HDTV and wants to know if he should get a smart TV or rely on a set top box like Roku. Leo says that most HDTVs are smart TVs, but the apps are awful. He ends up using the Roku or the Apple TV to run all those apps. Steve can get an HDTV that isn't "smart," but they are usually low end options. Leo also says that UltraHD Premium sets are now all the rage and the prices have gone down on 4K TVs. But at the end of the day, it's best to just go with the TV he likes and a Roku.