Description
What the Vizio D43fx-F4 Is and Who It Suits
The Vizio D43fx-F4 is a 43 inch class smart television from Vizio’s D-Series, the entry level line, running at 1080p Full HD resolution with full array LED backlighting. It is a 2018 generation product, though the catalog record and the copy disagree about that, which is covered below.
The listing records a weight of 17.46 pounds, dimensions of 41.73 by 4.65 by 29.97 inches, a black finish, a 16:9 aspect ratio and built in speakers. The record shows 49 customer ratings averaging 3.4 stars at the time this data was captured.
The fit is a bedroom, a den, a guest room or a second living space where 43 inches is the right size and the content is mostly 1080p or below. Buyers wanting 4K at the same size should read the Vizio VFD43M-0804 comparison and the 4K options in the range.
Picture
Resolution and Backlight
Resolution is 1920 by 1080. Vizio describes full array LED backlighting delivering light uniformity, which is worth having: full array places the LEDs behind the panel across its area rather than along the edges, and it produces more even brightness across a large screen than edge lighting does.
Full array is not the same as full array local dimming, and no dimming zone count is stated anywhere in this listing. Vizio does publish zone counts on higher models such as the V505-G9 and the M-Series, so the absence here should be read as absence.
The panel is an LED backlit LCD. It is not an OLED and it is not a QLED. No HDR support of any kind is claimed in this listing, and no peak brightness or contrast figure is published.
Refresh Rate and Processing
No refresh rate is published anywhere in this listing, in either native or effective form. Vizio names a V6 six core processor, described as a quad core graphics processor with a dual core central processor, and attributes fast interface performance and smoother onscreen graphics to it. That is a smart platform specification rather than a picture specification, and it says nothing about how the panel handles motion.
What 1080p at 43 Inches Means
Pixel density falls as screen size rises at a fixed resolution, so 1080p that looks sharp on a 32 inch panel is stretched further across 43 inches. At normal living room seating distance the difference is modest, and broadcast television, DVD content and a great deal of streaming is delivered at 1080p or below anyway, so the panel is often being fed exactly what it can display. The gap becomes visible when you sit close, when you use the set as a computer display, or when the source is genuinely 4K. Judge the resolution against what you actually watch rather than against the number on a newer set.
Smart Platform, Sound and Voice
SmartCast Home is the built in platform, launched from the included remote, with the SmartCast Mobile app providing control from a phone anywhere in the house: power, volume, input switching and casting. Chromecast is built in for streaming from Chromecast enabled apps. Vizio WatchFree offers over 100 live and internet streaming channels with, in Vizio’s words, no fees, subscriptions or logins.
Voice control works through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant compatible devices rather than through a microphone in the television itself. Audio is DTS Studio Sound, a virtual surround processing system working from the set’s two built in speakers. No speaker wattage is published.
The usual caution about smart platforms applies with more weight to a set of this generation: app availability and channel lineups change over time, and those decisions belong to the streaming services rather than to Vizio. Verify current support for the apps you actually use before buying an older set.
Highlights
- 1080p Full HD resolution across a 43 inch class panel.
- Full array LED backlighting rather than edge lighting.
- SmartCast Home with app access from the included remote.
- SmartCast Mobile app for control and casting from anywhere in the house.
- Chromecast built in.
- Vizio WatchFree with over 100 free channels and no login required.
- Voice control through Alexa and Google Assistant devices.
- DTS Studio Sound virtual surround processing.
- V6 six core processor for interface responsiveness.
- Light at 17.46 pounds for a 43 inch set.
Things To Consider
- The description field contains scraped retailer boilerplate. It opens mid word with “bout This Item” and continues “We aim to show you accurate product information. Manufacturers, suppliers and others provide what you see here, and we have not verified it. See our disclaimer.” That is a retail site’s own disclaimer text captured into a product description, and it is the clearest example in this catalog of what the import process does when it goes wrong.
- The dates contradict each other. The copy repeatedly calls this the all new 2018 D-Series while the record gives a first availability date of January 24, 2019.
- The voltage field reads “1.1E+2 Volts (AC).” That is a spreadsheet exponent artifact for 110 volts.
- No refresh rate is published, in any form.
- No HDR support is claimed.
- No port count is published. The number of HDMI inputs is not stated anywhere.
- No speaker wattage is published, despite DTS Studio Sound being a marketed feature.
- No local dimming zone count is stated. Full array does not imply local dimming.
- 3.4 stars across 49 ratings. A low average on a small sample, and the critical reviews are worth reading.
- This is an older generation set. Smart platform support windows are finite and this one is several years into its.
Who Should Buy It and Who Should Skip It
Buy the D43fx-F4 if you want a light 43 inch 1080p set with full array backlighting and casting built in for a secondary room, and you have confirmed that the apps you use still support it. Full array lighting at this level of the range is the genuine differentiator, and WatchFree without a login is a real convenience.
Skip it if you want 4K, HDR, a documented refresh rate or a current smart platform, and skip it if a 3.4 star average concerns you. The Vizio VFD40M-0810 is a newer alternative in the same family, the smaller Vizio D32f-F1 shares the same platform generation, and the LED and LCD TV category lists everything tracked here.
