TVs
Vu

Vu Masterpiece Glo 55 review

₹ 74,990

Nishant Padhiar 2 Apr 2022 11:27 AM

In the hyper-competitive world of LED televisions, Vu has made a mark that is almost indelible. Initially, with its cut-price offerings with online deals and lately, by monopolising the ultra-large screen market with its 85in Masterpiece series and even the limited run of 100in panels. 
With a keen understanding of the market requirement, Vu has come to the conclusion that India is ready to progress to 55in as the base standard for big-screen viewing at home. This new Masterpiece Glo series is an evolution of the 85in Masterpiece, but made more accessible, both in terms of pricing and screen sizes.

Design

Our 55in review sample was beautifully finished in an Armani Gold that exudes luxury, even while it’s off. The floating glass-on-frame aesthetic isn’t new, but the Vu Masterpiece Glo brings it all together with outstanding build, finish and coherence that is better than most of the competition. 

Even the usual chicken-leg table stands are made from metal here and cut into scalene triangles that lift up the frame and emphasise its bezel-less design. Vu has even gone to the lengths of adorning the back panel with textured surfaces, in case you have a situation where it would be exposed. 
It’s not only the TV panel that has been adorned with all the attention, but even the aluminium remote control gets some lovin’! Long and slender, it makes for a great hand feel and with its carved out feel, the buttons fall easily on to your digits and the clicks are satisfyingly solid too. Yes, this might sound indulgent, but as something that mostly remains in your hand throughout the duration of TV viewing, Vu has scored big with this remote control unit.

Hot keys for Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube and Google Play are present, making life easier and quicker, although most would have appreciated a Disney+ Hotstar key over Google Play. That’s the suits and ties at play, so we can’t blame anyone here. What is unique though is the inclusion of a Spotify hot hey right in the middle of the remote, highlighting the Masterpiece Glo’s credentials as the first-TV with deep Spotify integration. Of course, with the HDMI e-ARC port, you can use the TV as just the source and send the audio output to your hi-fi system, in case you’re not a fan of hosting a party with a TV as a DJ.

Performance

Let’s take a moment to appreciate all TVs based on the official Android TV OS, like this Vu Masterpiece Glo. If you have an Android phone that’s linked to your Google account, it makes light work of setting the TV up, all the way from logging in to YouTube to all your other OTT streaming apps as well, reducing set-up time by 80%. 
But the Masterpiece Glo is also all about using the latest in Vu’s arsenal of tech and hence this QLED panel gets enhancements such as full-array local dimming for even more defined contrast and deeper blacks, Dolby Vision IQ and HDR 10 Plus for reproducing the wide dynamic range of modern material even more accurately on a frame-to-frame basis, 120Hz refresh rate to support the latest gaming hardware and 800nits of peak brightness to keep it all..well, bright!

Although it’s become mandatory to use marketing jargon to establish your superiority in this crowded segment, the one feature that does have significant relevance here is the Filmmaker Mode. If you can’t afford or wish to engage with a professional video calibrator, this feature gets you as close as possible to getting the perfect picture, just by keeping things simple. It switches off any motion processing, which is usually the biggest bane of movies shot in 24fps. Maintaining the correct frame rate, colour processing and aspect ratio is also part of the Filmmaker Mode mandate and it makes movies really worth watching on the Masterpiece Glo.
Whether it’s the intricate work on Madhuri’s saree in The Fame Game or the starkness of the otherworldly deserts in Dune, the Masterpiece Glo never leaves you wanting for more detail or richer colours. ‘FractalVu’ is the term used by Vu to describe how it handles picture processing on a micro level and along with full-array local dimming, this 55in panel is genuinely a masterpiece, on-axis or off.

There are other modes supposedly enhanced for types of scenes, using AI to predict the kind of processing required, but even the Cricket mode looks too bright and vivid for IPL matches, making me revert to either the custom or Cinema mode. To Vu’s credit though, switching to Cricket mode also alters things like the motion processing algorithm, colour profile and sound signature, with a bit more emphasis on the mid-to-high frequency range so it’s not just another mode slapped on for effect. 
If you’re a purist though, there is the Calibrated mode, or even better, take matters in your own hands and explore the plethora of settings and dial in just the amount of toppings you like. If and when you get it right, the Vu Masterpiece Glo delivers a smashing picture, replete with deep blacks and very natural skin tones. Its HDR performance is superbly judged as well, adding real depth and drama to the proceedings without making it look artificial.

There’s enough grunt provided by the quad-core processor running on 3GB RAM to keep load times fast enough for apps or games, so the only real weak link here is the sound quality. Although it does get a “4.1” speaker set-up including a so-called subwoofer, it lacks intelligibility and any form of low-end presence. 
Turning on Dolby Atmos only exacerbates the problem by robbing the sound of body and not adding anything in terms of envelopment, which you’d expect Dolby Atmos to create. It’s best to rely on a dedicated sound bar or better still, hook it up for a full-blown Dolby Atmos HT speaker set-up to really do justice to the great picture quality from the panel.

Verdict

If you’re looking for a well-priced television that looks and feels more expensive, then the Vu Masterpiece Glo is a no-brainer. Its Android OS, punchy picture quality with deep enough black levels coupled with great viewing angles makes it perfect for the family room. Even the remote control can be pointed anywhere you want since it works using the Bluetooth protocol, ending the line-of-sight struggle once and for all. As long as you output the audio to a more capable sound system, this Vu will prove to be a fine experience.

Stuff Says

Looks and feels more expensive than it actually is, with a picture quality that punches above its weight too!
Good stuff
Bad stuff

  1. Build quality and design touches

  1. Fluid Android OS and smooth UX

  1. Fantastic picture quality for the price

  1. Sound lacks drama or involvement

  1. HDMI ports packed in too closely

  1. No Hotstar hotkey on remote

Specifications
Resolution: 3840 x 2160 pixels
Brightness: 800 nits
Refresh rate: 120Hz
Processor: Quad core, 3GB/16GB
Connectivity: HDMI x 4, USB x 2, Optical out, Bluetooth 5.0
Dimensions (WHD): 1228 x 713 x 81
Weight: 15.2kg