vizio

Vizio's VBR200W Blu-ray player has Wi-Fi, Netflix; costs less than $200

Vizio is a company best known for offering bargain-price HDTVs that perform better than you'd expect, so we weren't surprised to find that the company's VBR200W Blu-ray player fits the same mold. It's one of the cheapest players ($190 street price) we've seen that has built-in Wi-Fi, which makes it much easier to access its suite of streaming media apps, which includes Netflix, Vudu, and Pandora.

However, it appears that Vizio made some sacrifices to hit the lower price point. The VBR200W has the slowest disc-loading speeds of any standalone player we've tested this … Read more

App-etite for comparison: Internet services on TVs

What a difference a year makes. In 2009, which saw the first serious attempts at TVs with built-in Internet services, we reviewed plenty of mixed bags. On the plus side, essential streaming video services like Netflix and Vudu seemed to work relatively well, but on the minus side, utility widgets (mainly powered by Yahoo) were sluggish, remotes were unwieldy, Wi-Fi was nonexistent, and content selections were limited. In 2010, most if not all of those problems have been addressed by many makers.

This 2010 comparison looks at the major manufacturers' Internet-enabled TV platforms, arranged in order of which ones we … Read more

Vizio's App-tastic TV bests Web-enabled rivals

If you were one of the billions of people who watched the Super Bowl, you may have seen an ad for a certain TV company called Vizio promoting a TV that connects to the Internet to offer Facebook, Rhapsody, Netflix, and a host of other dot-com-style names. That TV is the 2XVT series, first announced more than a year ago, and to judge from our experience with those Internet services--conveniently called Apps--Vizio spent all that time getting the experience of getting the Web onto a TV right.

The Apps response times were quick, Vizio's App interface is well-designed and … Read more

The 404 Podcast 536: Where we're suffering from stereo blindness

All week long we've been talking about the popularity of 3D technology, both in the home and in the theater, and we've finally decided to invite someone on the show to answer our questions on the future of home theater. David Katzmaier, senior editor of TVs and home theater for CNET, joins us on today's episode to fill us in on the latest developments in the world of 3D TVs and what we can expect to see down the line.

3D TVs were easily the biggest trend at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, but they've only recently started becoming available to consumers. Panasonic announced its first 3D TV bundle at Best Buy earlier this week, but before you run out and drop $2,900, make sure you know exactly what you're getting into.

For example, David talks to us about the extra hardware you'll need to purchase along with your 3D TV. Aside from the obvious 3D-compatible television set, you'll also need a 3D Blu-ray player (unless you have a Sony PS3, which will get a 3D firmware upgrade in June 2010), and a couple sets of 3D glasses, since some companies like Sony won't include them with the TVs.

David also points out that although the concept of 3D TVs are definitely exciting, it'll be awhile before enough 3D video games and 3D DVDs come out to justify the high price of the hardware. In the meantime, it's worth the experience to head out to a theater and view a 3D movie, especially with so many titles coming out this year. "Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland" in 3D are still in theaters, and with "Titanic" and In "The Beginning" (adaptation of the Genesis story) coming down the pike, there are plenty of opportunities to familiarize yourself with 3D before writing it off or becoming a fanboy.

We tried to answer as many of your 3D TV questions as possible, but don't stress if we didn't get to yours--there's a good chance that CNET's comprehensive 3D TV FAQ and 3D TV resource guide have your answers. We'll also have David on the show again soon as more 3D TV news unfolds. Have a great weekend everyone!

EPISODE 536 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

RealD signs big names for 3D TV

RealD, a company whose 3D display technology already is widely used in movie theaters, has enlisted a raft of prominent partners for the TV industry: Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, JVC, Samsung, and DirecTV.

This week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, RealD announced deals that will bring its technology to Samsung products, Toshiba's ZX900 TV, Panasonic's Full HD 3D Viera TVs, Sony's Bravia HDTVs, and LCD monitors from JVC.

Beverly Hills, Calif.-based RealD also announced it's cooperating with those same companies for 3D eyewear.

Being able to display the 3D imagery is one part … Read more

Crave giveaway of the day: Vizio 32-inch LCD TV

If you were waiting for us to give away one more LCD TV, you're in luck, because we're serving up the 32-inch Vizio VO320E, and it's a special one.

What so special about it? Well, it's actually a review sample that Editor David Katzmaier calibrated for his review of the product (bottom line: the Vizio VO320E offers decent picture quality for a rock-bottom price). So while it's slightly used, you do get a TV that's been tweaked by our video guru, which is definitely a nice bonus. (I'm still waiting for Mr. Katzmaier … Read more

Crave giveaway of the day: Vizio VOJ320F1A 1080p LCD HDTV

For today's giveaway, we've got the Vizio VOJ320F1A. It's a 32-inch LCD HDTV, but unlike most models at this size, the resolution is full 1080p. And the VOJ320F1A eschews basic black, going for a more unique java (brown) coloring. Normally, this set goes for between $519 and $569. But Vizio is giving you the chance to score it for free. (Thanks to the folks at Vizio for supplying the product.)

So, how do you try to win this Vizio VOJ320F1A? Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.

Register as … Read more

Vizio interactive HDTVs delayed until January

Remember when we crowed about Vizio's upcoming lineup of "Via"-branded TVs, citing a prodigious feature set that includes local dimming LED backlighting, interactive add-ons galore, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a QWERTY-equipped Bluetooth remote (pictured), all for an appropriately Vizio price?

Since then we've received lots of e-mails asking when the Via models would be available, and we dutifully repeated the same question to Vizio's reps. Now it's been answered: the company is officially pushing the Via models back until January 2010.

Assuming Vizio can deliver even a passable interactive experience, we expect our eventual … Read more