HardwareGaming MonitorsTV maker settles fake 120Hz class action lawsuit for $3 millionWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
HardwareGaming MonitorsTV maker settles fake 120Hz class action lawsuit for $3 millionWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Vizio)
Vizio has agreed to pay out $3 million to settle a 2018 California class action lawsuit that accused the company of misleading consumers over the refresh rates of its TVs. Vizio had been claiming that black frame insertion technology increased the “effective refresh rate” of its TVs from 60Hz to 120Hz.
It also applied the same language and thinking to 120Hz panels, boosting the “effective” refresh rate of those sets to 240Hz. Thesettlement terms(viaThe Verge) allow anyone who bought a Vizio TV in California after April 30 2014 to claim, receiving between $17 and $50 depending on the number of claimants.
Vizio, of course, explicitly denies any wrongdoing, the implication being that it sees the settlement as expedient rather truly justified. That said, as part of the settlement Vizio will stop advertising their TVs with “effective” refresh rates.
Given the relatively lowly payout, the main benefit here appears to be less nonsense in TV advertising. Hopefully, this settlement will not only ensure that Vizio cleans its act up but also discourage other TV makers from engaging in comparable tactics.
Speaking of which, Vizio is not alone in fluffing up the advertised refresh rates of its TVs. Both LG and TCL have reportedly also faced similar class action suits involving technologies claimed to deliver a higher refresh rate experience without actually running at a higher refresh rate.
It’s arguably all particularly silly given the lowly refresh rate of actual video content, which is what TVs are most commonly used for, as opposed to games. There’s scarcely any 60Hz video out there save for a little YouTube content, let alone 120Hz or 240Hz. Heck, the HFR or “high frame rate” version of The Hobbit only hit 48Hz (and looked pretty awful for it to these eyes).
Screen queens(Image credit: Future)Best OLED gaming monitor: So much contrastBest gaming monitor: Pixel-perfect panels for your PCBest high refresh rate monitor: Screaming quick screensBest 4K monitor for gaming: When only high-res will doBest 4K TV for gaming: Big-screen 4K PC gaming
Screen queens
(Image credit: Future)Best OLED gaming monitor: So much contrastBest gaming monitor: Pixel-perfect panels for your PCBest high refresh rate monitor: Screaming quick screensBest 4K monitor for gaming: When only high-res will doBest 4K TV for gaming: Big-screen 4K PC gaming
(Image credit: Future)
Best OLED gaming monitor: So much contrastBest gaming monitor: Pixel-perfect panels for your PCBest high refresh rate monitor: Screaming quick screensBest 4K monitor for gaming: When only high-res will doBest 4K TV for gaming: Big-screen 4K PC gaming
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Oh and for the record, if you did buy a Vizio TV during the qualifying period, you have until March 30 to put your claim in. Though if the payout ends up nearer the bottom end of the possible scale, that $17 might not feel like much compensation for being miss-sold a TV.
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Hyper Light Breaker will cost $30 and for a limited time come with a free copy of Drifter
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Assassin’s Creed Shadows is delayed again ‘to better incorporate player feedback gathered over the past three months’
The Freewrite Wordrunner with a built-in word counter might be the keyboard to look out for if you want to improve your writing process
‘I created it, let me move on’: Ex-Cloud 9 player, the Overwatch team whose blunder inspired the infamous ‘C9’ slang, watches in horror as the term moves onto Marvel Rivals
Lenovo’s rollable laptop screen isn’t just a CES party trick—you’ll be able to pick one up yourself in June
Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang’s simple reminder that useful quantum computing is a long way off has somehow caused industry stocks to plummet
After 15 years, Minecraft has finally added two new pig variations: The warm pig and the cold pig, meaning I can delete one mod off my list
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