THE FUSE

For all the time that I’ve been covering technology, there’s been a hierarchy when it comes to TV brands. The big three — Sony, Samsung, and LG — have been on top for a while. Pioneer and Panasonic were up there with plasma TVs, and Panasonic is getting back in the game in the States. Hisense, TCL, and Vizio battled it out as midrange tiers for years before Vizio pivoted from hardware profits to an ad-centric model under Walmart, leaving the other two to one up each other by offering the most bang for the buck.