4K has established itself as the baseline for modern TVs, and 4K TVs have become quite affordable over the last couple of years. That said, you can still find some new 1080p TVs out there—and they’ll almost certainly cost less than any 4K model. The Vizio D40f-J09 is one such option, and at $249.99, it’s one of the cheapest 40-inch TVs you can buy. As you might imagine, the picture quality fails to impress, which isn’t surprising for the price. What is surprising, however, is that the lower resolution isn’t the main issue, but rather the dim panel and the lack of HDR support. This is definitely a case of getting what you pay for.
Plain and Simple
The D40 looks like a typical budget TV, with a thin, flat, matte black plastic bezel running around the edge of the screen and a simple Vizio logo in the lower right corner. A combination power and input button is on the underside, near the left edge. The TV sits on two curved black plastic legs, or you can mount it on the wall.
On the back of the TV, the power cable faces left and is permanently attached. Two HDMI ports, a USB port, and an optical audio port face right. A composite video input and antenna/cable connector face downward. There’s no Ethernet port, so if you want to use the TV’s connected features, you have to use Wi-Fi.
The included remote is a black, rectangular wand loaded with rubber buttons. A large circular navigation pad sits two-thirds of the way up, where your thumb naturally rests. Power, Input, Settings, Info, and seven dedicated service buttons (for Amazon Prime Video, Crackle, Disney+, Netflix, Peacock, Tubi, and Vizio’s own PlutoTV-based WatchFree app) sit above the pad. Volume and channel rockers can be found below, along with a number pad.
Strong SmartCast Streaming
Vizio’s SmartCast platform drives the D40, and offers a modest selection of apps and services enhanced by excellent local device connectivity. Most major streaming services are here, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Disney+ Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube. HBO Max and Twitch are both absent.
SmartCast is particularly attractive because of the inclusion of both Apple AirPlay and Google Cast; between those two systems, you can send video to the TV from any Android or iOS smartphone, PC, or Mac. SmartCast is otherwise very light and simple, with no smart home control, voice assistant, voice search, or other advanced features.
A Dim But Accurate Picture
The Vizio D40f-J09 is a 1080p TV with a 60Hz refresh rate. It doesn’t support high dynamic range (HDR) content.
We test TVs using a Klein K-80 colorimeter, a Murideo SIX-G signal generator and Portrait Displays’ Calman software with methodology based on Imaging Science Foundation’s calibration techniques.
The D40 doesn’t impress in terms of contrast. It’s a very dim panel, with a peak brightness of 186.139cd/m^2 with a full-screen white field. Black levels are respectable at 0.022cd/m^2, for a contrast ratio of 8,461:1, but the picture isn’t particularly eye-catching with such low brightness. If you don’t mind pushing the black levels up a bit, you can coax a brighter picture out of the TV by turning off Backlight Control under the Advanced Picture menu. The TCL 4-Series gets slightly brighter (208.381cd/m^2), but its higher black level (0.07cd/m^2) gives it a lower contrast ratio (3,155:1). For comparison, the TCL 6-Series shows a peak brightness of over 1,100cd/m^2, and the Hisense U8G pushes past 1,700cd/m^2, both with black levels as low or lower than the D40.
Color performance is much more respectable. The above chart shows the D40’s color levels compared against Rec.709 broadcast standards in the Calibrated picture mode, and they’re more or less spot-on. That’s pretty excellent for SDR content.
However, without HDR support, you won’t get wider colors than that. The vast majority of 4K TVs we’ve tested not only show mostly accurate SDR performance, but approach (or in a few cases, surpass) the much wider DCI-P3 digital cinema color space. The D40 lacks that capability entirely. The TCL 4-Series supports HDR, and indeed shows a wider color range than the D40. The TCL 6-Series and Hisense U8G both cover nearly the entire DCI-P3 digital cinema color space, and Vizio’s own MQ6-J reaches even farther.
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BBC’s Planet Earth II looks a bit too dim out of the box in the Calibrated picture mode, but turning Backlight Control off makes the picture look much more viewable. It’s still not super-bright, but it’s comfortable to watch in most lighting. Colors look accurate and natural, with green leaves and blue water both appearing balanced and not tinted in any way. They aren’t as vibrant as they can be on TVs that support HDR and get closer to the DCI-P3 color space, but they still look nice.
Deadpool looks similarly good on the D40, with the red of Deadpool’s costume appearing nicely saturated and accurate under the overcast lighting of the opening scenes. Again, reds aren’t quite as rich as they would be on a panel that supports HDR, but considering its limitations, the TV still shows solid color performance. Predictably, the flames in the burning lab fight aren’t very bright or vibrant, with a relatively flat palette of yellows and oranges.
The starkly high-contrast party scenes in The Great Gatsby obviously don’t stand out as much on the D40 as they do on HDR-capable TVs. The whites aren’t as bright as they could be, and black suits tend to look slightly washed out or muddy, depending on the composition of the frame.
In all of these cases, sharpness and clarity aren’t a problem. A 40-inch TV doesn’t benefit from 4K resolution as much as a larger screen can, and none of the content I watched looked blurry or soft compared with the 4K TVs I usually test. The D40 provides a satisfyingly clear picture; it’s just the contrast and color that disappoint.
Surprisingly Fast for Gaming
While its contrast and color won’t wow you, the D40 shows respectable performance for gaming.
Using an HDFury Diva HDMI matrix, we measured an input lag of 10.4 milliseconds in the Game picture mode. That’s half of the 20ms threshold we use to determine if a TV is best for gaming. Just make sure the TV is in the Game picture mode; in Calibrated mode, input lag jumps to 46.9ms.
There’s Still a Place for 1080p TVs
The Vizio D40j-J09 is dim, even compared with budget-priced 4K TVs, and its lack of HDR support means its color range lags behind those models. If you have the budget and the space, we recommend the TCL 6-Series or the Hisense U8G for wildly superior contrast and color. However, this doesn’t mean you should discount the D40 if you’re on a super-tight budget or want a smaller screen. At $250, it’s less expensive than the TCL 43S435, and a third of the price of the 55R635 (which is only available in 55 inches and up). Its low input lag means it’s good for gaming or use as a second monitor, and it would work well as a bedroom or garage TV—just go in knowing you’re not going to be getting the best picture.
