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Updated January 10, 2024·
The TCL S546 is better if you’re on a strict budget and want a decent all-around performance at a lower cost. It provides a good experience for movies, gaming, and use in both dark and bright rooms. The Vizio M-Series is pricier but offers superior performance for movies and is especially well-suited for viewing in dark rooms, thanks to higher scores in movie watching and dark room performance. If you prioritize watching news and animations or plan to use the TV in a bright room, the differences between these TVs are minor. Keep in mind, the TCL has slightly better input lag for gaming, but the Vizio has better sound quality. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the TCL S546 (LCD)
- Good for bright room
Advantages of the Vizio M-Series (LCD)
- Good for news, talk, & other TV
- Very good for cartoons & animation
Key differences
Movies & TV
7.0
7.6
8.21/10
CONTRAST
7.88/10
6.8/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.7/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
6.6/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
HDR10+ SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The Vizio M-Series (LCD) and TCL S546 (LCD) are both good for movies & TV, though the Vizio M-Series (LCD) is somewhat better.
The TCL S546 and Vizio M-Series both provide good performance for watching movies and cinematic TV because they have high contrast ratios with good local dimming that enhance the depth of blacks, and black uniformity that reduces flashlighting and clouding in dark scenes. While the Vizio M-Series is noted for very good colors out of the box and a very good color gamut that makes colors pop, the TCL S546 matches with very good color volume, ensuring vividness across a range of brightness levels, despite having a slightly better black uniformity which is crucial for a consistent black level across the screen.
Cartoons & Animation
6.6
8.3
7.8/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
8.1/10
8.0/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.8/10
8.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.5/10
4.4/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
8.3/10
7.0/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
6.8/10
The Vizio M-Series (LCD) is very good for cartoons & animation, while the TCL S546 (LCD) is only fair.
The Vizio M-Series LCD TV has more accurate colors straight out of the box and a wider color gamut, which means it displays a more diverse range of colors, making it very good for watching cartoons and animations. In contrast, the TCL S546 LCD TV has poorer color accuracy initially and a more limited color gamut, which can affect the vibrancy and richness of cartoons and animations, resulting in a fair viewing experience for this type of content.
News, Talk, & Other TV
6.4
7.6
8.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.5/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
6.6/10
The Vizio M-Series (LCD) is good for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL S546 (LCD) is only fair.
The Vizio M-Series displays news and talk shows more effectively due to its superior upscaling and slightly better out-of-the-box colors, making the content appear more vibrant and closer to the original resolution. Meanwhile, the TCL S546 offers proficient upscaling and color performance, but its capabilities are not as enhanced as the Vizio's, hence it's categorized as fair for such content.
Bright Room
7.2
6.6
5.3/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.0/10
8.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.5/10
6.8/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.8/10
6.0/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
6.6/10
The TCL S546 (LCD) is good for bright room, while the Vizio M-Series (LCD) is only fair.
Cost
$398
$750
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The TCL S546 (LCD) has a price of $398 and the Vizio M-Series (LCD) costs $750.
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Key similarities
Picture Quality
7.4
7.6
8.21/10
CONTRAST
7.88/10
8.0/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.8/10
LED FALD
PANEL TYPE
LED FALD
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The Vizio M-Series (LCD) and TCL S546 (LCD) both have good picture quality.
The TCL S546 has a higher contrast ratio and color volume, leading to more vibrant and dynamic images, especially beneficial for HDR content. On the other hand, the Vizio M-Series has stronger colors straight out of the box and a better HDR brightness, which helps make HDR content pop without the need for much adjustment.
Sports
6.3
6.2
4.6/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
8.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.7/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
6.6/10
8.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.5/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL S546 (LCD) and Vizio M-Series (LCD) are both only fair for sports.
The TCL S546 and the Vizio M-Series are both fair for watching sports, as they have similar limitations with reflections and viewing angles, which can affect how well you see the game depending on your room and seating position. Additionally, while they exhibit adequate gray uniformity to prevent distracting inconsistencies on the screen, their response time and motion processing are not optimal, leading to some motion blur during fast-paced action.
Gaming
6.6
6.4
7.6/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
6.7/10
8.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.7/10
4.6/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
60.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
60.0/100
6.9/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.0/10
The TCL S546 (LCD) and Vizio M-Series (LCD) are both only fair for gaming.
The TCL S546 offers good response time and very good input lag, making it suitable for gaming, while the Vizio M-Series has fair response time and very good input lag, indicating it can also be a decent choice for gamers, though the S546 may offer slightly more fluid motion handling. Neither TV offers an exceptional refresh rate as they are both 60Hz models, so they are on par in that aspect but won't cater to high-frame-rate gaming that requires faster refresh rates.
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How the TCL S546 (LCD) and the Vizio M-Series (LCD) compare to other TVs
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| TCL S546 (LCD) | Vizio M-Series (LCD) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$398 | $750 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | TCL | Vizio | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | August 3, 2021 | July 4, 2021 | |
Full name | |||
Full name | 65S546 | M65Q7-J01 | |
Screen Size | |||
Screen Size | 65" | 65" | |
Screen Resolution | |||
Screen Resolution | 4K | 4K | |
TV FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Operating System | |||
Operating System | Android TV | SmartCast | |
Sound Quality Score | |||
Sound Quality Score | 5.9/10 | 8/10 | |
NextGen Ready | |||
NextGen Ready | No | No | |
HDMI Ports | |||
HDMI Ports | 3 | 4 | |
Coax Ports | |||
Coax Ports | 1 | 1 | |
DISPLAY QUALITY SCORES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Picture Quality Score | |||
Picture Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Bright Room Score | |||
Bright Room Score | 7.2/10 | 6.7/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 6.7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Movies & TV Score | |||
Movies & TV Score | 7/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Sports Score | |||
Sports Score | 6.4/10 | 6.3/10 | |
PHYSICAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D) | |||
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D) | 32.9" x 56.9" x 3" | 32.9" x 57" x 3.4" | |
Dimensions with Stand (H x W) | |||
Dimensions with Stand (H x W) | 34.8" x 56.9" | 34.1" x 57" | |
Weight without Stand | |||
Weight without Stand | 47.4 lbs | 51.1 lbs | |
VESA Mount | |||
VESA Mount | 300 x 300 | 400 x 200 | |
DISPLAY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Color Depth | |||
Color Depth | 10 bit | 10 bit | |
Black Frame Insertion | |||
Black Frame Insertion | Yes | Yes | |
Auto Low Latency Mode | |||
Auto Low Latency Mode | Yes | Yes | |
Contrast | |||
Contrast | 8.2/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Local Dimming | |||
Local Dimming | 5.7/10 | 5.7/10 | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Speaker Setup | |||
Speaker Setup | 2.0 | 2.0 | |
Speaker Power | |||
Speaker Power | 16 W | 20 W | |
Dolby Atmos | |||
Dolby Atmos | Yes | Bypass only | |
DTS:X | |||
DTS:X | No | Up to DTS Digital Surround, Bypass only | |
Get a great deal on the TCL S546 (LCD) or the Vizio M-Series (LCD)
About TCL
TCL, the highly recognizable TV brand from China, has firmly established itself as the second-largest manufacturer in terms of sales volume. Renowned for striking an impressive balance between affordability, picture quality, and design, TCL TVs deliver a compelling overall package. While they have traditionally excelled in the low-end and midrange TV segments, TCL has recently made remarkable strides in the realm of high-end televisions, introducing impressive models that rival top competitors. Most TCL TVs use Roku software which is very user friendly and easy to use, but they have a few other models that use Google TV which has the largest app selection, but is not as user friendly as Roku.
About Vizio
Vizio is an American company. While they initially gained recognition for offering budget-friendly TVs, they have successfully expanded their product lineup to include high-end options as well. They manufacture TVs primarily in Mexico, China, and Vietnam. Similar to many Korean TV brands, Vizio developed its own smart TV software called SmartCast. In the past, SmartCast was not the best smart TV software, but it has evolved so that it is now good for using your TV and connecting to streaming services.
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