Our Verdict
Subpar TV overall. The Vizio D Series 1080p 2017's redeeming qualities are far and few between. While its wide viewing angle adds flexibility, its poor picture quality makes it difficult to enjoy.
- Wide viewing angle
- Poor picture quality
- Low brightness
- Mediocre handling of motion
Bad TV for watching movies in a dark room. Its poor contrast and exceptionally uneven blacks cause distracting clouding in letterboxes and a dull looking image with blacks that often look grey. It also lacks a local dimming feature to alleviate some of these issues. It's also limited by its lower 1080p resolution.
Average TV for watching TV shows in a brighter environment. Its wide viewing angle makes it easy to place the TV in an abnormal environment like a kitchen where you might not view it from directly in front. However, its low brightness can't neutralize reflections and its smart features are a bit out of date.
Passable TV for watching sports. The D Series 2017's handling of motion is acceptable, and it can display the uniform colors of sports fields without major issues with blotchiness. Unfortunately, it isn't the best at handling the 720p resolution used with most sports broadcasts, and its low brightness can cause issues while watching daytime games.
Passable TV for playing video games. The D Series has a low input lag causing no major issues with responsiveness, and its motion blur performance is also decent. Unfortunately, its poor picture quality can make more graphics-oriented games look a bit dull.
HDR is not supported.
HDR is not supported.
Mediocre TV to use as a PC monitor. Its wide viewing angle makes it usable from a closer sitting position, but its lower resolution and lack of 4:4:4 support makes it less usable in a more productive setting.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 12, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Jan 09, 2018: Review published.
- Updated Jan 07, 2018: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Oct 16, 2017: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Vizio D Series 1080p 2017 TV has a few variants. The one we bought is the 32" with SKU D32f-E1. The smaller 24" variant uses a lower 768p resolution than the larger models. Some other differences can be found depending on sizes as illustrated in the table below. Our review is not valid for the 4k UHD variations of the Vizio D Series 2017.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Vizio D Series 1080p 2017 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.
Update 01/24/2018: The 50" model (D50f-E1) likely uses a VA panel, as explained in this Q&A. We expect it to score better overall than the IPS panel D32f-E1 we reviewed, due to having a much better contrast ratio and black uniformity; although its viewing angle will be worse, similar to last year's D50-D1.
| Size | Model | Resolution | Effective Refresh Rate | Real Refresh Rate | HDMI # |
| 24" | D24h-E1 | 768p | 60 Hz | 60 Hz | 1 |
| 32" | D32f-E1 | 1080p | 60 Hz | 60 Hz | 2 |
| 39" | D39f-E1 | 1080p | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 2 |
| 40" | D40f-E1 | 1080p | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 2 |
| 43" | D43f-E1 | 1080p | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 2 |
| 48" | D48f-E0 | 1080p | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 3 |
| 50" | D50f-E1 | 1080p | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 3 |
| 55" | D55f-E2 | 1080p | 120 Hz | 60 Hz | 3 |
Black Friday models
The D43n-E4 on sale at Walmart is a basic variant of the D Series 1080p 2017 which lacks smart features. Except for the standard interface, we expect its performance to be similar to the model we've reviewed.
Popular TV Comparisons
The D Series 1080p 2017 isn't very expensive, but it competes against a slew of other cheap TVs that often offer much better value for money. See our recommendations for the best TVs under $300 and the best budget TVs.
The Vizio D Series 1080p 2017 has an IPS panel that makes it more suitable for wide viewing arrangements, whereas the TCL S Series/S305 2018 has a VA panel and is more suitable for darker environments. The TCL S305 has a significantly better contrast ratio and better black uniformity, so blacks are deep and uniform. This is great if you watch HDR movies. On the other hand, the Vizio D Series 1080p 2017 has slightly better viewing angles, which can be good if you use it as a PC monitor, and slightly better input lag for those who play video games.
The two TVs are quite different. The Vizio D Series 1080p 2017 is a 1080p basic TV that, due to its IPS panel, has better viewing angles than the TCL S Series/S405 4k 2018. On the other hand, the TCL S405 has a significantly better 4k resolution, can handle HDR input signals, and is capable of showing basic HDR content. Also, the TCL S405 has a much better contrast ratio and can display deep blacks, which is great when watching movies in a dark room. Finally, the TCL S405 has significantly better inputs for use as a PC monitor and a bit better input lag to please those who play video games.
If you have a room with a wide seating arrangement, the Vizio D Series 1080p 2017 is a better choice as it has better viewing angles. On the other hand, the TCL 1 Series/D100 has much better contrast and can display a better picture quality if you sit directly in front. The Vizio is a smart TV, whereas the TCL D100 does not have a smart feature platform. If you wish to use it as a smart TV, you need to use an external box or dongle. The Vizio has a lower input lag, and this is great if you play video games, whereas the TCL D100 can display crisp text when used as a monitor since it supports chroma 4:4:4.
The LG LJ5500 and the Vizio D Series 1080p 2017 have very similar performance. The Vizio D Series 1080p 2017 has better reflection handling, which is great for bright rooms, whereas the LG LJ5500 has somewhat better SDR peak brightness, which helps it fight glare when watched in bright rooms. The Vizio D Series 1080p 2017 has marginally better viewing angles and is slightly better for use as a PC monitor, as it shows no problem with temporary image retention.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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