Toshiba has announced the first smart TV based on Amazon’s Fire TV software to have a native 120Hz LCD panel. The M550KU Series LED 4K UHD Smart TV with Fire TV starts at $800 for the 55-inch model. Other sizes include $1,000 65-inch models and $1,200 75-inch models. All three sizes will be available in December at Amazon.com as well as Best Buy (online and in stores), starting with the 55-inch model on December 6.
The M series is the latest model to bring a premium set of specs to Fire TV-compatible smart TVs. It joins the recently announced Fire TV Omni, designed by Amazon itself, as well as the Insignia F50, a Fire TV with a quantum dot display.
Toshiba
Like Fire TV Omni, the M series is equipped with far-field voice microphones so you can issue hands-free voice commands from across the room—no remote control required. It’s also compatible with Dolby Vision and HDR10 for a more vivid and colorful picture when watching HDR content from Amazon Prime Video and other streaming services. But perhaps the most notable feature of the M Series is its native 120Hz LCD screen.
Most other Fire TV models use 60Hz panels. And while that’s more than enough for movies and TV shows, it’s not quite as good as 120Hz when it comes to gaming. This makes the M Series the first smart TV with Fire TV software to offer this gamer-friendly feature. Unfortunately, the M series can’t be a gamer’s best friend. While it offers an Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) which greatly helps with input lag, it doesn’t support any kind of Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) technology, which is becoming more and more desirable for console and PC gamers.
Also, it’s still unclear how gamers will be able to take advantage of the M-Series’ 120Hz capabilities: The TV has four HDMI 2.1 ports, but they only support 4K at 60Hz. With that limitation, only gaming apps that can be added to the TV via the Fire TV app store will be able to use the TV’s 120Hz panel.
Toshiba
The LED backlighting offers up to 48 zones of local dimming, which should give the TV decent black levels and contrast, and Toshiba’s Regza Engine 4K will allow any non-4K content upscaling to near 4K quality. But it’s worth noting that unlike the Insignia F50, this isn’t a quantum dot panel, so colors and brightness may not be as vivid.
In terms of sound, the M series supports Dolby Atmos, which is crucial for people who want to get the best possible surround sound from content that uses Dolby’s 3D format. But there’s also support for DTS Virtual:X, which can make all sorts of two-channel stereo content sound more like surround sound, depending on how good the M Series’s internal speakers are, though.
Toshiba
Toshiba has given the M-series 16GB of flash memory, which should help speedy performance in terms of the Fire TV UI, and the included picture-in-picture feature will let you see recaps from Alexa-compatible security cameras while watching the latest shows.
In terms of design, the M-series closely resembles Toshiba’s C-series Fire TVs, which launched in early 2021. Nearly invisible bezels give it a full-frame look that detracts from the look of the TV itself. We didn’t get a chance to test the C-series, but rtings.com didn’t exactly give a glowing review, saying, “The Toshiba C350 is okay overall.” We hope the M series will provide a better experience.
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn