Vizio P-series Quantum X (P85QX-H1)
MSRP $2499.99
“But with great power comes great responsibility.”
Avg
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Incredibly bright TV
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Solid black levels
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An incredible price-performance ratio
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Good for gaming
Against
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Red tint with out-of-frame image settings
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Calibrated dark mode hides shadow details
When it comes to TVs, bigger is often better. But what about brightness? We dove into the Vizio P-Series Quantum X 85-inch TV (P85QX-H1) to find out.
Out of the box
For this review, we tested the 85-inch model because … why not? Vizio was kind enough to send us a massive $2,500 TV, and we figured it was a good opportunity to see what Vizio looks like at its largest.
The large size of the TV made setup a bit more challenging than usual, as Vizio suggests placing the TV on a large surface when installing the TV stands. Fortunately, we had a table big enough to do this, and the TV comes with a large piece of protective cardboard to help insulate the TV screen from whatever surface is being used.
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
The feet themselves have a matte black metal design and are relatively easy to install. We suggest that you insert both screws into the corresponding holes for each foot before tightening them — this avoids potential problems with proper alignment of the holes.
Also in the box with the TV, feet, and screws are the power cord, batteries, and Vizio’s remote, which, by the way, isn’t a voice remote — using the smart assistant with the TV will require a Google, Amazon Alexa, or Apple device or speaker.
The TV’s aesthetic design is quite sleek, with very thin bezels and pleasantly textured edges. The back of the TV is made of plastic that doesn’t exude the premium quality you’d expect from a flagship TV, but then again, Vizio isn’t asking for the same amount of dollars as its competitors.
Our only real gripe with the design is the lack of cable management.
Entries
Vizio includes full-spec HDMI 2.1 inputs in the P-Series Quantum X, with a full 48 Gbps of bandwidth — at least that’s true now that Vizio has released an update for the TV series. At the time of evaluation, we had trouble getting all HDMI 2.1 features to work when testing with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. More on the TV’s gaming prowess below.
Initial image settings
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
The P85QX-H1, at 85 inches, is absolutely huge. But aside from the impressive size, what’s the picture like? The P85QX-H1 is certainly bright — up to 3000 nits. However, as the white colors became brighter, the red color began to creep in more and more. Although the problem can be fixed in the white balance settings, the fix took much longer than expected. Once this was corrected, color coverage and accuracy measured very well. We are only concerned that some of the value is lost if a professional calibrator has to be called in to bring the image closer to accuracy.
Calibrated Dark Mode vs. Calibrated Mode
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
When it came to calibrated HDR content in calibrated dark mode, many of the dark scenes we saw were just black. Increasing the local dimming setting to medium didn’t help much either — it just wasn’t good for dark scenes. Vizio says this is uncommon, but we were unable to identify a settings fix during our testing period.
However, when switching to calibrated (instead of calibrated dark mode), detail increased significantly, showing all the nuances we should have seen instead of just the black band of nothing we didn’t see in calibrated dark mode. But while the details were now visible, the color still needed correcting and calibrating.
Black level and brightness
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
The black level of the PQX is very good with the right settings. You get a good amount of shadow detail and the blooming is kept to a minimum most of the time. As for brightness, well, it’s intense. The P85QX-H1 is pretty good at pulling off HDR effects, and it’s quite bright, although some of the white clouds we looked at were pink without color correction. But the processing power offered by the P85QX-H1 is superb.
The black level of the PQX is very good with the right settings.
Backlighting
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
Backlighting has become an occasional problem. We found that the TV’s backlight algorithm/execution was a little slow to keep up with the demands of the content, and as a result, we saw small brightness shifts on the screen that shouldn’t be there. Granted, it’s more obvious because the P85QX-H1 is just so big, but it’s a noticeable issue that we couldn’t ignore.
Screen uniformity, movement and processing
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
Screen uniformity on the P85QX-H1 we received was solid. In terms of motion, we saw stuttering in challenging scenes like an evening flight through New York City—buildings do indeed pause in their motion from top to bottom. The good news is that we didn’t see the moiré effect, which is a common problem when watching this test clip — another sign of good processing.
This processing can also be noticed through the lack of color binding, even at lower resolutions and low bit depths. However, in some motion shots, while motion was smooth, there was a slight flickering in bright areas that occasionally bothered us.
Audio
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
Sound quality on the P85QX-H1 isn’t bad — but it’s not great either. It has a decent low end, so it avoids the low sound found on many TVs. And while the speakers are located at the bottom and back, the sound presence is such that it doesn’t sound like the sound is coming from behind the TV or from the bottom. Adding one of the Vizio soundbars would be a great addition and would put the sound on par with the grandeur of the TV.
Games
The P85QX-H1’s input lag is good, around 13.5 to 14 milliseconds at 4K 60fps with HDR on. Unfortunately, the P85QX-H1, like many other TVs this year, did not display 4K 120Hz with 4:4:4 chroma at the time of testing. Fortunately, Vizio has since patched that issue with a firmware update, so Sony PS5 and Xbox Series X owners can now maximize their video settings. Vizio’s game engine is now really good at communicating with those consoles and will automatically set those settings for you.
The P85QX-H1 is capable of large size, but it needs help to achieve it
Our opinion
We’re left with mixed feelings about the P-Series Quantum X. One moment it’s smashing and looking absolutely gorgeous, but the next, it’ll do something that repels us in a way that’s hard to articulate. A TV of this caliber shouldn’t do that much color correction right out of the box. But once corrected, it does some amazing things — the brightness reveals colors we’ve never been able to see before.
The bottom line is that the P85QX-H1 is capable of being big, but it needs help getting there. It needs some tweaking (and maybe some cable management), but once that’s sorted, it can take you into brilliant new visual territory.
Is there a better alternative?
Comparing the Vizio P-Series Quantum X to other TVs is made difficult by the fact that even though Vizio launched its new line of TVs in late 2020, the company is calling this its 2021 line of TVs, and it will remain so throughout 2021. That being the case, we’ll update this section once competing 2021 models are announced.
Compared to currently available 2020 TVs, Vizio is extremely competitive in the price-performance category. This is one of the boldest and brightest TVs you’ll be able to buy soon, compared to the Samsung Q90T, while costing $800 less than the 65-inch Samsung. At 85 inches, the PQX costs about $1,000 less than the comparably sized Samsung Q90T.
How long will it last?
Given that the P-Series Quantum X is equipped with HDMI 2.1 ports and appears to be well built, the TV should last for several years, quality control notwithstanding.
Warranty
Vizio provides a one-year warranty on its TV products. More information can be found on the Vizio warranty page.
Should you buy it?
We’ll say yes, with the caveat that we highly recommend professional TV calibration. Without calibration, the TV appears to display an obvious red tint that cannot be removed with basic settings or guesswork in the two-point white balance adjustment section. Unfortunately, the cost of professional calibration takes some of the value out of the PQX, but it will remain a more affordable high-performance TV option compared to competing TVs from the likes of Samsung, LG and Sony.
Editor’s recommendations
Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn