Vizio Has Competition

Every display company has something to show at CES.  Whether it is LG’s thin OLEDs, Samsung’s ULED, or Sony’s panels.  All of these sets have an out of this world picture, but let’s be honest, most of them come with an out of this world price as well.

On the less expensive end of the spectrum, some exciting things are happening in the sub-$1,000USD set.  As they continue to get better, they over 4K resolution, HDR compatibility, and other features that rival the highest-end models from just a few years back.  In the not too distant past, Vizio pretty much owned this inexpensive market, but the game has changed with the with the introduction of Chinese competition.

Hisense and TCL are now pushing into the US market with their cheap-but-decent panels with Roku players built into them.  They are also now making moves into the midrange market.  Last year, Hisense’s H8 stood out with its combination of 4K resolution and HDR playback for around $500, and it has solid reviews on Amazon.

The new version, appropriated names the H9, boasts a wider color gamut and a local-dimming system to keep contract in check.  The most attractive part of this TV is the price, coming to market at $700, $850, and $1,300 for the 50”, 55” and 65” respectively. This will also be coming out with an 86” version of the H8 for a cool $6,000.

Hisense also wants to change the perception that it’s merely a low-priced value buy in the 4K HDR realm. If you want one of the company’s sets with Roku built into it, the 75-inch R8 takes that feature to the premium class. Along with all that streaming goodness, it supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10-encoded video. No pricing has been set for that one just yet.