For a balance of quality and cost, the Vizio M-Series is a solid choice, offering good overall picture quality, especially in darker rooms, and is typically much less expensive than the TCL R745. It's also a better fit for gaming and has superior upscaling capabilities. However, the TCL R745, despite its higher price and poorer performance in dark rooms, comes with a 120Hz screen which can be beneficial for smoother motion during sports and gaming. The TCL also has slightly better sound quality with a 2.1 system compared to Vizio's 2.0. If you prioritize motion clarity and slightly better audio for a premium, the TCL might suit you, but for a more budget-friendly option with strong picture performance, the Vizio M-Series is the way to go. 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 R745 (LCD)
Good for gaming
Good for upscaling
Good reflections
Advantages of the Vizio M-Series (LCD)
Good for dark room
Good for movies & TV
Good for news, talk, & other TV
Very good for cartoons & animation
Key differences
Picture Quality
5.6/10
7.6/10
4.97/10
CONTRAST
7.88/10
5.8/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.8/10
LED
PANEL TYPE
LED FALD
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The Vizio M-Series (LCD) has good picture quality, while the TCL R745 (LCD) has poor picture quality.
Movies & TV
5.2/10
7.6/10
4.97/10
CONTRAST
7.88/10
5.0/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.7/10
7.5/10
UPSCALING
6.6/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The Vizio M-Series (LCD) is good for movies & TV, while the TCL R745 (LCD) is poor.
The Vizio M-Series is better for watching movies and cinematic TV because it has higher contrast and better black uniformity, which are crucial for creating deep and consistent black levels important in dark scenes, whereas the TCL R745 falls short in these areas, which can result in washed-out blacks and less detailed shadows. Additionally, the TCL R745 does not feature local dimming, which can enhance contrast in various parts of the screen, a feature that the Vizio M-Series successfully incorporates, improving the overall picture quality for cinematic experiences.
Gaming
7.4/10
6.4/10
6.1/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
6.7/10
10.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.7/10
4.6/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
0.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
60.0/100
5.7/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.0/10
The TCL R745 (LCD) is good for gaming, while the Vizio M-Series (LCD) is only fair.
The TCL R745 offers a better gaming experience due to its top-tier input lag performance, which ensures minimal delay between your actions and what's displayed on screen. However, the Vizio M-Series, while having good input lag, doesn't match the TCL R745's performance, and it also falls short with a lower response time score, leading to potential motion blur during fast-paced gaming.
Cartoons & Animation
5.9/10
8.3/10
6.5/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
8.1/10
5.8/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.8/10
5.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.5/10
7.7/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
8.3/10
6.0/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
6.8/10
The Vizio M-Series (LCD) is very good for cartoons & animation, while the TCL R745 (LCD) is poor.
The Vizio M-Series portrays cartoons and animations with vibrant and accurate colors straight out of the box and has an excellent color gamut, making it very good for watching these types of content. In contrast, the TCL R745, despite being good for colors out of the box, lacks a bit in its color gamut and volume, leading to a less ideal viewing experience for animations and cartoons.
News, Talk, & Other TV
6.1/10
7.6/10
5.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.5/10
7.5/10
UPSCALING
6.6/10
The Vizio M-Series (LCD) is good for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL R745 (LCD) is only fair.
The Vizio M-Series performs better for watching news and TV programs due to its good SDR brightness and color handling directly out of the box, which enhances the clarity of the content. Conversely, the TCL R745 has lower SDR brightness and scores just fair in color gamut, resulting in a less vibrant display for casual viewing content.
Bright Room
5.8/10
6.6/10
6.8/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.0/10
5.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.5/10
5.5/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.8/10
7.8/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
6.6/10
The Vizio M-Series (LCD) is only fair for bright room, while the TCL R745 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL R745 struggles in bright rooms due to its poor SDR and HDR brightness and only good reflection handling, making it less ideal when lots of ambient light is present. The Vizio M-Series performs better in bright environments, offering good SDR brightness and fair reflection handling, which helps maintain picture quality when faced with natural or artificial lighting.
Cost
$1,700
$750
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The TCL R745 (LCD) has a price of $1,700 and the Vizio M-Series (LCD) costs $750.
The TCL R745 (LCD) and Vizio M-Series (LCD) are both only fair for sports.
The TCL R745 and Vizio M-Series have similar sports watching capabilities, with both doing fair in handling reflections and offering fair motion processing; however, the Vizio might have a slight edge in response time. On the other hand, the TCL has a wider viewing angle which is beneficial for larger groups, but neither stands out for gray uniformity, which is somewhat important for sports.
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How the TCL R745 (LCD) and the Vizio M-Series (LCD) compare to other TVs
Spec Comparison
TCL R745 (LCD)
Vizio M-Series (LCD)
GENERAL
Price
Price
$1,700
$750
Brand
Brand
TCL
Vizio
Release Date
Release Date
April 1, 2021
July 4, 2021
Full name
Full name
85R745
M65Q7-J01
Screen Size
Screen Size
85"
65"
Screen Resolution
Screen Resolution
4K
4K
Screen Type
Screen Type
LCD
LCD
Screen Sub-type
Screen Sub-type
LED VA
LED FALD VA
Smart TV
Smart TV
Yes
Yes
TV FEATURES
Operating System
Operating System
Roku TV
SmartCast
Sound Quality Score
Sound Quality Score
6.1/10
8/10
NextGen Ready
NextGen Ready
No
No
HDMI Ports
HDMI Ports
4
4
Coax Ports
Coax Ports
1
1
Refresh Rate
Refresh Rate
120Hz
60Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Variable Refresh Rate
Yes
Yes
HDR Supported formats
HDR Supported formats
HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG
HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG
Accessibility
Accessibility
None
None
DISPLAY QUALITY SCORES
Picture Quality Score
Picture Quality Score
5.7/10
7.6/10
Bright Room Score
Bright Room Score
5.8/10
6.7/10
Gaming Score
Gaming Score
7.4/10
6.5/10
Movies & TV Score
Movies & TV Score
5.3/10
7.6/10
Sports Score
Sports Score
6.4/10
6.3/10
News, Talk, & Other TV Score
News, Talk, & Other TV Score
6.2/10
7.6/10
Cartoons & Animation Score
Cartoons & Animation Score
6/10
8.4/10
Use as Monitor Score
Use as Monitor Score
6.6/10
6.3/10
PHYSICAL
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D)
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D)
42.8" x 75.6" x 3.7"
32.9" x 57" x 3.4"
Dimensions with Stand (H x W)
Dimensions with Stand (H x W)
46.7" x 75.6"
34.1" x 57"
Weight without Stand
Weight without Stand
110.7 lbs
51.1 lbs
VESA Mount
VESA Mount
600 x 400
400 x 200
DISPLAY
Color Depth
Color Depth
11 bit
10 bit
Black Frame Insertion
Black Frame Insertion
Yes
Yes
Auto Low Latency Mode
Auto Low Latency Mode
Yes
Yes
Contrast
Contrast
5/10
7.9/10
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
2.5/10
5.7/10
Gaming Local Dimming
Gaming Local Dimming
0/100
6/100
Game HDR Brightness Score
Game HDR Brightness Score
5.8/10
6/10
SDR Brightness Score
SDR Brightness Score
5.8/10
7.5/10
HDR Brightness Score
HDR Brightness Score
5.6/10
5.8/10
Gray Uniformity
Gray Uniformity
6/10
6.8/10
Black Uniformity
Black Uniformity
5.1/10
6.8/10
Viewing Angle
Viewing Angle
6.8/10
5/10
Reflections Score
Reflections Score
7.9/10
6.7/10
Upscaling
Upscaling
7.5/10
6.7/10
Motion Processing
Motion Processing
4.6/10
4.6/10
Color Gamut Score
Color Gamut Score
6.6/10
8.2/10
Color Volume Score
Color Volume Score
5.9/10
7.9/10
Response Time Score
Response Time Score
6.1/10
6.7/10
Input Lag Score
Input Lag Score
10/10
8.8/10
Colors Out of the Box Score
Colors Out of the Box Score
7.7/10
8.3/10
Quality Control
Quality Control
7/10
7/10
Chroma Subsampling Score
Chroma Subsampling Score
7/10
7/10
SOUND
Speaker Setup
Speaker Setup
2.1
2.0
Speaker Power
Speaker Power
50 W
20 W
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos
Yes
Bypass only
DTS:X
DTS:X
Yes, Bypass only
Up to DTS Digital Surround, Bypass only
Get a great deal on the TCL R745 (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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