VIZIO SB4451-C0 SmartCast Review - 44-Inch 5.1 Channel Sound Bar System - 2016 Version

Buy it on Amazon - (affiliate link) Here's the thing with sound bars like this one: you're locked in. If one component goes bad or becomes obsolete you have to replace the entire system. See more home theater: and subscribe!
VIDEO INDEX:
00:02 - Overview and configuration
01:10 - Inputs, ports, cables, and accessories
01:55 - Problems with Google Cast
02:42 - Single HDMI input
03:00 - Using 4k devices through HDMI ARC
04:05 - No Direct 4k support
04:23 - Remote overview and no onscreen configuration
05:09 - Sound bar configured and how it sounds
06:42 - No support for lossless formats
07:15 - Conclusion and final thoughts
With that in mind this is a decent "out of the box" solution for dramatically improving the sound of your television. What I like best about it is that it also incorporates a subwoofer and rear channel speakers. The rear speakers connect via a wire to the subwoofer and the subwoofer in turn connects wirelessly to the soundbar at the front of the room. It's nice not having to run multiple wires from the back of the room to the front.
But it's not perfect for the following reasons:
1. Google cast does not appear to work - the system shows up as an audio source on my Android devices but none of them successfully transferred audio output to the sound bar system.
2. It does not support 4k video - any 4k device plugged into the HDMI input on doesn't work at 4k (just 1080p). There is a solution if your television has an ARC compatible HDMI input. Your devices will remain plugged into the television but if you attach an HDMI cable your television's labeled ARC port it will pass audio back to the sound bar. If you don't have this ARC capability on your television you're out of luck.
3. Only one video input. If you only have a single device to connect you're fine. But if you have a Blu Ray player and a game console you won't be able to use both of them without a switch box or manually switching the cable around.
4. DTS - although it has no less than four DTS labels stamped on the box it doesn't support the higher end lossless formats like DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD. These tracks usually have the best audio quality on many Blu Ray discs and it's a shame it's not supported here.
All that said it's sounds pretty good for the price. The subwoofer does not bring a ton of bass but it will be sufficient in a smaller space. It compares favorably with another 8" subwoofer I currently use in my home theater testing space. I generally prefer a little more physical separation for left and right channels on a home theater system but it otherwise sounds adequate and as expected for the price - certainly much better than what your television might default to.
So all in it's a decent out of the box solution. But you might want to consider an entry level home theater receiver and speakers that will support more digital audio formats, 4k pass through and will be more future proof.
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