Vizio is completely resetting expectations for how a TV should function in 2016. There are no built-in apps for Netflix, Hulu, and other services. You don't control it with a button-filled remote, and in fact, there's pretty much no user interface anywhere on the TV itself. See, the 2016 P-Series is built upon Google Cast, and every set — from the $999 50-inch base model on up to the top tier $3,799 75-incher — ships with a 6-inch Android tablet in the box. That's how you control this TV. You charge the remote wirelessly on a dock that also comes bundled.

Turn on that tablet you'll find a new app called Vizio SmartCast, which is what you'll use to change inputs and adjust the volume. It's how you'll access the menus that would normally be buried somewhere in a laggy, unintuitive interface on the TV. Here, it's all right in your hand. SmartCast is actually pretty sleek and intuitive, putting a big focus on discovery and highlighting exactly where you can watch whatever movie or show you're searching for. Tapping into a title gives you a synopsis, cast info, Tomatometer score, and other details. Services like Hulu, Crackle, Walmart's Vudu, and even Sling TV are integrated with SmartCast, but Vizio's still missing some key ones like Netflix and Amazon, so this isn't quite universal search.

But since this is Google Cast we're talking about, you can avoid Vizio's software completely if that's your preference. Open an app, hit the cast button, and it'll play on your 4K HDR TV. The guiding principle, according to the company, is to let customers take control of their content and viewing experience. From that perspective, I can't recall seeing anything quite like what Vizio's presenting here. Any Android or iOS device in your house can be another remote. If it works with a Chromecast, it'll shine on Vizio's latest TV.