Vizio HDTVs to be Super "Connected"

High-end HDTVs are all gaining some sort of special net-enabled service, but leave it to the mainstream brand of Vizio to really embrace connected media.

Vizio debuted at CES its “Connected HDTV” platform, which adds the stacked roster of support from Accedo Broadband, Adobe, Amazon, Blockbuster, Flickr, Netflix, Pandora, Rhapsody and Yahoo! This translates to movies, music, news, weather, sports, gaming and social networking services once the television is connected to the Internet.

Making its HDTVs even better is built-in 802.11n wireless, helping to reduce cable clutter behind the set. Even some super high-end HDTVs, such as Sony’s gorgeous Bravia XBR9, don’t have built-in Wi-Fi and require a wireless bridge.

“As consumer demand for content and information grows exponentially, we want to address what our customers are increasingly looking for – the ability to enjoy their favorite content and services from the comfort of their living room easy chair,” said Laynie Newsome, co-founder of Vizio.

Unlike many of the other HDTV makers at CES, Vizio did not explicitly announce any specific new products that would make up part of its new “Connected HDTV” lineup. Instead, this announcement serves to inform the customer of upcoming sets that the company hopes would keep the prospective buyers from considering other brands.

One could wonder why out of all major electronics companies did Vizio manage to secure so many partnerships. Well, first of all, content providers want to sell as much of their products as possible. This is in Vizio’s favor, as the company has been one of the consistently top vendors of HDTVs in the U.S., mostly thanks to its value-oriented pricing. Basically, Vizio televisions reach broad audiences, which is exactly what Amazon, Blockbuster, et al. are after.

Look for the new Vizio “Connected HDTV” models this fall.

What are your experiences with the Vizio brand? Do you own an HDTV panel from Visio? Do you feel you get a better bang for the buck or were you disappointed and ended up going with a "better" brand?

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
  • twisted politiks
    I own a 32" Vizio 720p T.V. Its been great so far, i use it for T.V., Gaming, and my computer monitor. have owned this product for over a year now. Seems Vizio really does make a good product, wich i was skeptical about at first, but couldnt pass up the $550 pricetag
    Reply
  • jp182
    I have a Vizio 32" that does 1080p. I mainly use it for gaming with my ps3 and pc gaming. I'm approaching a year and I paid the same as twisted politiks. It's a great tv that gets written off because of it's price.

    i like it though!
    Reply
  • hchawk19
    I also have a 32" Vizio that does 1080P. It has a beautiful picture. I was a little skeptical of the 1080P spec at this size, but I can see the difference over the 720P. It seems to have a slightly extra level of detail in the picture. High Definition video and gaming looks great. People write off Vizio because of its lower price, but make no mistake, it is a quality set.
    Reply
  • hchawk19
    Also, I got my 32" 1080P set for the same price as twisted politiks, and I got it the first weekend of the new year.
    Reply
  • sbrager
    I hate to be a netpicker, but in the last paragraph of this article "Vizio" is misspelled as "Visio".
    Reply
  • My family owns a Vizio 42" that does 1080p, we have our PS3 and our Comcast HD Receiver hooked up to it.

    Flawless. =]
    Reply
  • ksat
    I've got a 47" Vizio 120Hz LCD HDTV I purchased from Costco. I Love it! It was considerably cheaper than other models of the same size and featured the same features. Picture is great and have had no issues with it at all!
    Reply
  • bviz
    I have a 26" Vizio 720p HDTV. For the price I got it two years ago, it was a steal. I got it for $450. However, there is only one issue that I have had with it. When I watch TV or DVD's, the "black" is very dark and just makes it very hard to see anything. For example, a dark scene in a movie makes it hard to see the outline of other objects. Otherwise I use it with my PS3 and the picture looks very good.
    Reply
  • I own several Vizio LCD TVs and have loved them. The 37" 720p set was the first I got and I liked it so much that I have bought from them again. I just purchased a 47" 1080p lcd and have had a single problem with it.
    Reply
  • anony_16
    I love my 42 inch Vizio LCD. It's an all around awesome TV. Vizio offers great products. I heard their sound bar is going to be in Costcos around mid February and I can't wait.
    Reply