Vizio 40" Class (39.5" Diag.) 4K HDR Smart TV

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The VIZIO V405-G9 (and any store specific sub models based from it, such as Costco V405-G) is a good 4K TV for the price, with one major caveat. Although the specs are HDMI 2.0, with three, including one ARC for a soundbar or other source that can use the slot, dont be misled into thinking that 60Hz (or 120Hz Motion Rate) will mean that 4K will be viewed at 60fps. I found this out when plugging my Roku 4K streaming stick in (second best of its class, takes a back seat only to the Roku 4K Ultra). While I could force mode HDMI 2.0 HDCP 2.2 at 30 FPS with the Roku, couldnt do the same for 60 FPS & this got me to thinking I should had simply kept my larger 43" TCL 4K TV with Roku built in for the PC room (the one I occupy the most!). The reason why I downgraded was fit in my entertainment center (TCL too large), would had been better off keeping the TCL for the PC room, although theres no guarantee that TV would had ran faster. Meaning Hz, or the OEMs terminology of the same, may not be as accurate as that of PC monitors, which are more expensive for the same size & zero TV components (other than frame & screen). This may help to explain why PC monitors are more expensive & dont have to rely on off the wall terminology, in my case, a 27" 4K with HDMI 2.0 & HDCP 2.2 (purchased here), cost was a bit more than this VIZIO unit being reviewed. Still this 40" VIZIO TV (V405-G9) is a decent unit for the price, offering lots of free content via Pluto TV & other such services can be added, just not the selection for the best Roku experience. If this is your intent, look towards a more expensive model. I even called before purchase to check compatibility & was told it was 100% so, as were similar devices that requires both HDMI 2.0 & HDCP 2.2. Ill eat the loss on this one due to its generous amount of free content w/out signing up for anything out of the box, other than accepting the Privacy Policies & Terms for both VIZIO & Google. BTW, being this unit is Chromecast compatible, is why one accepts the Google Terms, Ive not used the service (yet) because have no Google device to pair with. This may or may not change in the future, depending on my next smartphone purchase, hopefully after this TV is no longer relevant. I say this because my current iPhone is less than a year old. Overall though, one gets a lot of value or bang for the buck with VIZIO smart TVs, this being my 2nd, the first was a 2015 32" E series & to their credit, shipped an update less than a year ago. Like this one, has a lot of free content, although had to manually add Pluto (maybe new at time of that release. Actually paid more for that TV than the V405-G9 being reviewed here. In order to get my 2015 VIZIO 29" soundbar to work with this TV via digital out (aka TOSLINK) which was plug & play for the 2015 E series, had to go into audio setting and change from Auto to PCM. So if you have a soundbar & it doesnt work, may need to check this setting. Theres different modes, what worked for me may not one with a non-VIZIO soundbar. Google is your best assistant here, plus theres the toll free number (for landlines) to seek assistance in the included manual and or online when registering (I encourage this). I also suggest to get the low cost warranty, in my case, have 5 years total, one from VIZIO, one from AMEX & the last three from SquareTrade. By then, if it goes in 4 years, will be doing me a favor, can take the cash & buy something more up to date. Beware of warranties that are for replacement only. With SquareTrade, if the cost to repair is more than the worth of the item, they refund, no questions asked. Theres another 3rd party warranty pushed here of which I try to avoid, theyll push a refurb that may have the same issue. One can buy a SquareTrade warranty on their site within 30 days of purchase (if not offered here, Google search any discounts. Remember & ask them to verify, it kicks in after all existing protection(s) has ended. Bottom line, for cable cutters this may indeed be a great TV, provided the quality is the same as prior generations (the HDMI 2.0 upgrade being one), lots of free content, its really a good deal for the money. Just watch out for those trial offers, such as free VUDU credit or better yet, 3 months of CBS All Access. Theyll want some form of payment in order to get the deal & if one doesnt set a reminder a week to 10 (business) days before end of subscription to cancel, will be billed monthly as stated in the Terms & why I didnt bother. Pluto TV has some of CBS content anyway, as well as that of other networks (also a dedicated 4K channel) & as time passes, wouldnt be surprised to see more local content (some exists in select areas via another app). This is a decent entry level 4K TV, or if one has a huge one in the living room or main one for entertainment, makes a nice model for the bed and/or guest room(s). My final verdict so far & will revise if anything changes, on a 5 Star rating scale for sub $400 TVs in the 40-43" range, 4.5 out of 5. I had to break it down like this, because would be unfair to compare to models which costs several times over, this way its rated within its class, rather than across the board. BTW, this is my first 4K TV, hopefully will give me at least 3-4 years of enjoyment. I havent had cable in over a decade, so dont consider myself a cutter, its really cool, once the TV updates, to have free content w/out a sign in (via Pluto TV). If by chance you dont like it, remember that Amazon has an A through Z guarantee, provided you purchase from them or an approved Marketplace vendor.

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Sucks. Avoid! Smart cast never works and Lord Almighty they cant even get simple things right. This is not a smart TV. It doesnt even have a YouTube app or HBO app. And when I call customer service to complain they literally just tell me to smart cast. But again, smartcast NEVER works. This tv is useless if youre looking for a smart TV experience. All customer service keeps telling me is theyre working on an update. Again, not even an application store. Very dissatisfied.

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