VIZIO M801d-A3 80" Razor LED Smart TV with Theater 3D Preview

Let's be honest - Ultra HD or 4K (depending on who you're talking to) may be all the rage in the latest displays, but they cost an arm and a leg. And for all that money, you're basically getting a 2D display. They may have 3D if you are lucky. Most don't and really none of them are talking about some of the convenience features that people are expecting in recent displays. Like Netflix and other streaming options. And forget things like Skype. The 4k displays are just lucky to get to market at any sort of price point. Those features are a few years away.

So if you are looking for a big, flat-panel display, and you don't have a big stack of cash taking up so much space in your spare room that you're willing to spend it on a brand new 4k display that will be half the price with twice the features in a year or two (did you follow all that?), then you'd better be looking at 1080p. And VIZIO has got something for you to spend your money on.

While 4k displays are coming out at around $25,000 a pop, the new VIZIO M-Series 80" Razor LED display will only set you back 1/6th of that ($4000). You'll have to "settle" for 1080p but you'll be getting a lot more than just a basic display. To start with, the VIZIO M-Series 80" Razor LED has four HDMI inputs, a component (or composite - they are shared) input, plus an Ethernet, two USB ports, and an internal tuner for those that can access OTA (Over The Air) content. 

VIZIO M801d-A3 Inputs

The big draw point for many is how thin the display and, more specifically, the bezel are. While there are no measurements given for the bezel, it looks to be a fraction of an inch from the press materials and it is a major bragging point for VIZIO. Without the stand attached, the TV is 2.62" deep, which is very thin for an 80" display, and the inputs are mounted pointed down, making wall mounting the set a little easier. The VIZIO M-Series 80" Razor LED utilizes edge-lit LED backlighting with psuedo-local dimming for better black levels. We call it "psudeo-local dimming" because only fully backbit LEDs can utilize local dimming very effectively. It has a 240Hz refresh rate with a Smooth Motion DSP to keep everything looking natural (just not like a soap opera, we hope). We are unsure if the set truly refreshes at 240Hz, or if it's a 120Hz set with simulated 240Hz. The VIZIO M-Series 80" Razor LED utilizes passive 3D technology which is the same as what they use in the theaters. We aren't sold on either passive or active 3D technologies, both have advantages and disadvantages. They include four pairs of 3D glasses but, unlike the battery powered ones, they are fairly cheap to replace or buy if you just need more.

While the VIZIO M-Series 80" Razor LED has an Ethernet port, it has Wi-Fi built in so you don't need to worry about connecting your display to your router directly. The VIZIO M-Series 80" Razor LED has an impressive array of network apps including Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, MGO, VUDU, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Facebook and more. A full screen app mode makes organizing your apps easy. An upgraded interface has been optimized for ease of use. VIZIO has included a backlit remote as well, something quite uncommon these days.

Conclusion

It wasn't long ago that $4000 could barely get you a 50" display. With 4k displays at 80" running around $25,000, the VIZIO M-Series 80" Razor LED will only cost you $4000. Probably less if you wait for a sale. Boasting built in Wi-Fi, a full suite of network features, passive 3D technology, edge-lit LED backlighting with pseudo-local dimming, 240Hz refresh rate, and more, that's a lot for your $4K. The VIZIO M801d-A3 80" Razor LED Smart TV with Theater 3D is probably the best argument we've seen for passing on 4K for the foreseeable future. 

For more information, please visit www.store.vizio.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.