Vizio’s 2017 D-Series offers big-screen thrills for those on tighter budgets

While Sony, LG and Samsung scrap over which high-end screen should grace your living rooms in 2017, Vizio is dedicating its resources to going after the budget-conscious crowd. Its primary tool will be its line-up of 2017 D-Series TVs, which it announced earlier today. 

The entry-level model is the 24-inch D24h-E1, which starts at $139, and swells up to 65-inches for the 4K Vizio D65-E0, which will sell for a bargain price of $899. In total, you can expect 12 TVs total in the D-Series, which will update and replace the 2016 models.

The series is divided into three separate specs. At the bottom of the pack is the D24h-E1, a basic LED Smart TV. Up next are the seven full-array HD Smart TVs – the D32f-E1, D39f-E1, D40-E1, D43f-E1, D48f-E0, D50f-E1 and D55f-E0. These have a 1080p resolution and up to 12 active LED zones. Lastly, you’ve got the four fully-array 4K TVs – D43-E2, D50-E1, D55-E0 and D65-E0. 

Every TV in the D-Series will offer a smart TV functionality through Vizio’s Internet Apps Plus operating system that brings Netflix, iHeartRadio and more to the on-screen app dock. The operating system is a bit more straight-forward than the one you’d find on the SmartCast E-, M- and P-Series, all of which come with Chromecast built-in and an Android tablet. 

Vizio says that high-quality streaming on 4K Ultra HD models is possible thanks to a built-in V8 octa-core processor, HEVC decoding and the latest ultra-fast Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi, which should help reduce buffering times.  

Here’s the full line-up alongside the accompanying price points: 

  • VIZIO D-Series™ 24” LED Smart TV (D24h-E1) MSRP $139.99
  • VIZIO D-Series™ 32” Full-Array LED Smart TV (D32f-E1) MSRP $199.99
  • VIZIO D-Series™ 39” Full-Array LED Smart TV (D39f-E1) MSRP $299.99
  • VIZIO D-Series™ 40” Full-Array LED Smart TV (D40-E1) MSRP $319.99
  • VIZIO D-Series™ 43” Full-Array LED Smart TV (D43f-E1) MSRP $349.99
  • VIZIO D-Series™ 43” Ultra HD Full-Array LED Smart TV (D43-E2) MSRP $419.99
  • VIZIO D-Series™ 48” Full-Array LED Smart TV (D48f-E0) MSRP $399.99
  • VIZIO D-Series™ 50” Full-Array LED Smart TV (D50f-E1) MSRP $419.99
  • VIZIO D-Series™ 50” Ultra HD Full-Array LED Smart TV (D50-E1) MSRP $499.99
  • VIZIO D-Series™ 55” Full-Array LED Smart TV (D55f-E0) MSRP $479.99
  • VIZIO D-Series™ 55” Ultra HD Full-Array LED Smart TV (D55-E0) MSRP $569.99
  • VIZIO D-Series™ 65” Ultra HD Full-Array LED Smart TV (D65-E0) MSRP $899.99

While these TVs don’t have the most memorable names (a problem Vizio has been struggling with for years) the prices, at least, are real attention-grabbers.

Nick Pino

Nick Pino is Managing Editor, TV and AV for TechRadar's sister site, Tom's Guide. Previously, he was the Senior Editor of Home Entertainment at TechRadar, covering TVs, headphones, speakers, video games, VR and streaming devices. He's also written for GamesRadar+, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer and other outlets over the last decade, and he has a degree in computer science he's not using if anyone wants it.