VIZIO, Inc., and Dolby Laboratories, Inc. have collaborated to design the VIZIO Reference Series 4K Ultra HD Smart TV, which became available for order last October. The first feature to mention about the VIZIO Reference Series is that it is a                 Dolby Vision™ High Dynamic Range (HDR)-enabled television. HDR has the ability to display a fuller range of colors, which allows colors to appear more life-like by providing accuracy closer to the range the human eye can see. It also provides deeper contrast so images that contain a wide variation between light and dark look sharper and more luminous. For these reasons, HDR is considered by many to be the next step in resolution beyond 4K or UHD.

The VIZIO Reference Series comes in two sizes. There is a 65” class model (RS65-B2) offered at an MSRP of $5,999.99 and there is a 120” class model (RS120-B3) offered at an MSRP of $129,999.99. Despite the vast difference in price and size between these two models, the features and specifications are remarkably similar. Both models are equipped with the aforementioned Dolby Vision™ High Dynamic Range-enabled picture quality, an Ultra Color Spectrum™ color gamut which exceeds the Rec. 709 color space standard, Full-Array 800-nit LED backlighting with 384 Active LED Zones® of local dimming to provide a wider range of luminance and UHD picture quality, Clear Action™ 1800 and a 240 Hz effective refresh rate, 802.11ac dual-band WiFi, a VIZIO V6 six-core processor, 5 HDMI ports, and the VIZIO Internet Apps Plus^® smart platform. The 65-inch model also comes with integrated 5.1 surround sound via the detachable sound bar, subwoofer and pair of surround speakers that are included.

While this high-end series was primarily designed with the home-theater enthusiast in mind, Vizio is also targeting these models for specialized commercial settings, especially the massive 120-inch model.

The VIZIO Reference Series has Dolby Vision™ playback technology, which has been designed to solve the ‘lost in translation’ problem that occurs when the color and contrast in the original content needs to be altered during reproduction before it can be played back on older technology equipment. Dolby Vision playback technology on the Reference Series is said to offer an enhanced reproduction of luminance and create a greater range of contrast to more precisely render the details in every picture. Access to Dolby Vision content is available on the VIZIO Reference Series through their streaming partner VUDU. While there are is not a vast selection of titles available yet, there are some and additional remastered content is said to be coming in the future. 

Analyst firm PMA Research follows industry trends for the Professional Flat Panel Display market and includes consumer flat panel data in its analysis as well. According to PMA Research reports, Vizio was among the top three selling brands in terms of number of televisions sold for the month of March 2016.