Vizio revealed its 2018 television lineup today, and there's a lot to be excited about. Among the new series' are smart TVs packing Amazon's Alexa assistant and Google's casting technology, but that's only the tip of the iceberg. Here are five things you should know about Vizio's new television lineup if you're considering buying one for yourself.
Vizio has carved a niche for itself in sound bars, and its new 2018 Home Theater Sound Systems might well be the gateway for a whole lot of people into Dolby Atmos. Announced alongside the company's 2018 4K HD TV line-up, the three sound bars promise all the surround sound fun from Atmos but without demanding you hand over your entire living room to speakers.
Vizio has revealed its 2018 line-up of 4K HDR TVs, along with its newest SmartCast OS that bakes Amazon Alexa and Google Chromecast support directly into each set. At the top of the 2018 range sits the Vizio P-Series Quantum 4K HDR Smart TV, a 65-inch set promising the company's brightest picture yet.
Vizio TVs are learning to play nicely with Amazon Alexa, with a new skill for the virtual assistant that enables voice control of select sets. The Vizio SmartCast skill for Amazon Alexa can, when enabled on an Echo speaker or other device that supports the assistant, remotely turn the TV on and off by voice, as well as replace other features you'd usually have to reach for the remote for.
Vizio is changing the way its smart TVs work, shedding the tablet and casting requirement to bring apps directly onto the television's display. It's a welcomed change that finally makes the company's smart TVs more akin to what you get from companies like Samsung. Coming alongside this revamped television interface is the launch of an Amazon Video app for SmartCast TV, bringing the arguably vital movie and TV app to Vizio's product lineup.
TVs are getting smarter, either via an extra dongle like a Chromecast or through their own power. While Samsung, LG, Sony, and Sharp may be the household names when it comes to smart TVs, Vizio isn’t one that can be easily ignored. It’s practice of offering “bang for buck” premium features at affordable prices has put it in the sights of Chinese entertainment giant LeEco. Vizio definitely dodged the bullet there, but it served to highlight Vizio’s market potential.
This morning VIZIO revealed its 2017 collection of displays and audio products. In this collection were (and are) a wide array of new technologies and resolutions as well as both wired and wireless pieces of equipment. Both the VIZIO SmartCast P-Series Ultra HD HDR XLED Pro and M-Series Ultra HD HDR XLED Plus Display collections have been revealed alongside the VIZIO SmartCast Crave Go Multi-Room Wireless Speaker and a set of sound-bars for HDTVs.
An acquisition of VIZIO by LeEco will no longer be happening this year. merger between LeEco and VIZIO was mentioned as a possibility earlier this year by both companies - that's no longer going to happen. In a message from LeEco today we're to understand that the merger agreement will not be moving forward "due to regulatory headwinds." That could mean a lot of different things - but the result is the same: VIZIO and LeEco will remain separate companies and brands. They'll also be teaming up on a few projects, so to speak.
Television maker Vizio has taken the wraps off its new 2017 D-Series Smart TV Collection, a product lineup the includes multiple Ultra HD models. These televisions are targeted at 'value-minded' buyers, according to Vizio, which says its models offer resolutions at HD, Full HD, and 4K levels, as well as the expected functionality you'd find on any smart TV, including the maker's own Internet Apps Plus.
Vizio has taken the wraps off its new 2017 line of SmartCast E-Series televisions. This product line contains several models in sizes ranging from 32-inches to a massive 80-inches, and also packs in some notable features like Ultra HD 4K resolution, a built-in Chromecast, and HDR, depending on model. The new lineup has a little bit of something for everyone, including for every budget, with prices ranging from $209.99 to $3,399.99 USD.
![Vizio settles huge TV privacy case after spying on viewers [Updated]](https://c.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/vizio-smart-tv-privacy.jpg)
Vizio will pay $2.2m in penalties to settle a huge privacy lawsuit, that alleged its smart TVs tracked millions of viewers and then sold that personal data without permission. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in a joint-complaint filed with the New Jersey Attorney General, Vizio automatically tracked what owners of its connected TV sets were watching, despite not warning viewers that the monitoring was taking place. That information was then sold to advertisers and others for a profit.
VIZIO has announced that its range of SmartCast devices will now play nice with Google Home. Using this new functionality, you can control your TVs, soundbars, and speakers with your voice, with a variety of different commands centered around "OK Google" available. As some of you already know, SmartCast devices are built on Google's own Chromecast technology, which basically makes Google Home support a no-brainer.