It was at this year’s CES when VIZIO decided to announce its new line of laptops and desktops and today, the company is announcing pricing and availability for their previously announced PCs.
VIZIO’s 14-inch Touch Thin + Light notebook (CT14T-B0) will soon ship with an AMD A10 APU at the base price of $1,089.99, while the Intel Core i7-equpped CT14T-B1 will start at $1,419.99. If 14 inches isn’t your cup of tea, then you can grab the 15.6-inch version of this notebook starting at $1,189.99 for the AMD A10 version and $1,469.99 for the Intel Core i7 version.
If you’re looking for more of a desktop experience, VIZIO’s 24-inch Touch All-in-One (CA24T-B0) will begin shipping soon for $1,279.99 for the AMD A10 APU equipped version, while those looking for the Intel Core i7 version (CA24T-B1) will be looking at a starting price of $1,439.99. The 27-inch Touch All-In-One (CA27T-B1) will start at $1,549.99.
No exact date was revealed for VIZIO’s upcoming laptops and desktops, but considering they’ve just been priced, we’re sure the wait won’t be too long until you can get your hands on any one of these PCs.
For those opting to “replace” instead of “clean” this spring, Vizio‘s got a bit of news for you — the outfit’s latest line of touch-friendly laptops and desktops now have firm pricing details to pore over. Starting with the portables, the 14-inch Touch Thin + Light (CT14T-B0) will ship soon with an AMD A10 APU and a base price of $1,089.99; the Core i7-equipped CT14T-B1, however, will start at $1,419.99. For those needing a bit more screen to stare at, the 15.6-inch versions of these guys will go for $1,189.99 (AMD A10) / $1,469.99 (Intel Core i7). Sliding over to desktops, the 24-inch Touch All-in-One (CA24T-B0) will ship momentarily for $1,279.99 with an AMD A10 APU, while the Core i7-infused CA24T-B1 will start at $1,439.99 and the 27-inch CA27T-B1 will get going at $1,549.99. As you’d expect, Windows 8 will find itself on home across the entire range, and those looking to buy in immediately can do so at the source links below.
Vizio’s Co-Star hub is still one of the cheapest points of entry into the Google TV world, so it’s comforting to see the set-top box getting an update — albeit somewhat behind Google’s own pace. The previously promised release mostly focuses on giving it the third-generation Google TV interface, including the mini-guide, YouTube pairing and (through a future Android app update) voice-guided search. Viewers on the prowl for more content get a few additional perks through new apps for M-Go and Vudu video streaming, as well as a truly native Amazon Instant Video app. Should Vizio’s tiny media center inhabit your living room, you can expect the upgrade to arrive over the air within the next few weeks.
Free video streaming service Crackle is already available on your smart phone, computer, and game console, but today the company announced its expansion to LG, Samsung, and Vizio Smart TVs. The expansion is twofold for Samsung, which is also adding the ad-supported streaming service to its line of Blu-ray players; Crackle characterizes today’s news as the conclusion of a strategy to bring the streaming service to, “all leading smart TV manufacturers.” Of course, that strategy is only complete in a handful of countries thus far — today’s additions apply to only the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia for LG and Samsung, while Vizio Smart TVs in the US and Canada are the only ones to get Crackle. All new iterations of the Crackle app are available via Samsung, LG, and Vizio’s respective app portals.
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Crackle Starts The New Year On A ‘Smart’ Note With Expansion To Major Smart TVs And Blu-ray Devices LG, Samsung and VIZIO Devices Now Offering Crackle
CULVER CITY, Calif., Jan. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Crackle, the multi-platform entertainment network, today announced its application is now available on millions of LG, Samsung and VIZIO Smart TVs, as well as on Samsung Blu-ray players. With an already established and popular presence on Sony Internet TVs and Blu-ray players, Crackle is now available on all leading smart TV manufacturers, bringing on-demand streaming directly to millions of living rooms. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120817/LA59056LOGO) Crackle hand-picks Hollywood movies, television and original series to the tastes of its digitally connected audience, focusing on genres like action, comedy, crime, horror and sci-fi. The Crackle App and online service is free to download and free to watch, and offers unlimited ad-supported viewing of all content available on Crackle.com, including TV and film hits “Rescue Me,” DISTRICT 9, UNDERWORLD, SNATCH and WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY. “The penetration of IP-connected TVs and Blu-ray players in the living room is rapidly growing and these devices are fast becoming the new standard,” said Phil Lynch , Senior Vice President, Digital Networks and Games, Sony Pictures Television. “We are pleased with Crackle’s performance on Sony connected devices to date-as well as viewers’ overwhelmingly positive reception to the service-and are excited to begin 2013 with a major expansion into these other leading brands of connected TVs.” Providing high-quality video streaming, Crackle is available on LG Smart TVs in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Australia; Samsung Smart TVs and Blu-ray players in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Australia; and VIZIO Smart TVs in the U.S. and Canada. Hundreds of films and full-length television episodes available on Crackle are delivered uncut and unedited – the way they were meant to be viewed. Content is continuously refreshed, with new titles added every month. A sampling of Crackle’s current content offerings in the U.S. include: DISTRICT 9 UNDERWORLD SNATCH WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY HARRY BROWN JOE DIRT THE BIG HIT DRAGON WARS “Rescue Me” Thousands of episodes of the world’s most loved Anime series including hit titles such as “Blood+” and “Kurozuka” as well as the Marvel Anime series “Wolverine,” “X-Men” and “Ironman” Two new original series: “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” starring Jerry Seinfeld and “From the Basement,” a music series from Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich , along with over 40 other originals including: “The Ropes,” “Issues,” “The Bannen Way,” and more. Along with these Smart TV and Blu-ray devices, Crackle is accessible on an expanding distribution network including the recently launched app for PlayStation; Sony and other manufacturers’ Android phones and tablets; the iPhone, iPad and iPod; Roku players; Xbox LIVE service; and Windows Phones, Barnes & Noble’s NOOK Tablet devices and Amazon’s Kindle Fire, among others. A full list of Crackle’s extended availability can be found on www.crackle.com/outreach/platforms. On the aforementioned devices, the Crackle App can be accessed in the following ways: Through Samsung Apps at http://www.samsung.com/us/appstore As a VIZIO Internet App(R) from the Yahoo! Connected TV store http://www.vizio.com/technology/via Through LG SmartWorld at http://us.lgappstv.com/appspc/main/main/main.lge Crackle, Inc. Crackle, Inc. is a multi-platform next-generation video entertainment network that distributes digital content including original series and full-length traditional programming from Sony Pictures’ vast library of television series and feature films in addition to the libraries of other studios. Crackle is one of the fastest growing entertainment destinations on the Internet, mobile and over-the-top devices, offering audiences high-quality programming in a variety of genres, including comedy, action, sci-fi, horror and music. Crackle reaches an impressive audience through its diverse online and mobile distribution network. Crackle is available in the US, Canada, UK, AU, Latin America and Brazil. Visit Crackle’s site at www.crackle.com or find Crackle on Facebook at www.facebook.com/crackle. SOURCE Crackle, Inc.
While we got to see plenty of notebooks and all-in-ones from Vizio during CES 2013, we also got the chance to check out a 7-inch and 10-inch tablet from the company that don’t seem to be as far along in the development process as the other products. Nevertheless, they certainly were cool, sporting technical specifications that can take on the larger tablet manufacturers out there. Sadly, we don’t have release dates for either of these two tablets, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about them in the meantime!
We’ll start right off with Vizio‘s 7-inch tablet, which is obviously the company’s answer to the wildly popular Nexus 7. Its specs aren’t all that different from those of the Nexus 7 either, sporting 1200 x 800 resolution, 16GB of internal memory, and a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor. Users will also have WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity at their disposal, and for a 7-inch tablet, this one looks pretty good. The tablet itself looks sleek and the visuals are sharp thanks to the 1200×800 resolution. It also feels pretty good in the hand, as most 7-inch tablets seem to.
Moving right along to the 10-inch tablet, we’ll have 2560 x 1600 resolution, so starting right off, we can already see similarities between it and Samsung’s Nexus 10. With that kind of resolution, I’d typically be worried that the processor would struggle a bit, but this tablet is running a brand new Tegra 4 under the hood. Add to that 32GB of internal storage with the option to expand thanks to the microSD slot, Bluetooth 4.0 functionality, and a microHDMI port, and you’ve got a tablet worth getting excited about.
The screen on the 10-inch tablet looks absolutely great, and if you’ve seen the display on the Nexus 10 in person, then you should have a relatively good idea of what to expect. The only downside is that 7-inch tablets seem to have spoiled me and 10-inch tablets now feel weird to hold. That’s more likely a personal hang up than a negative mark against Vizio, but in any case, this tablet certainly isn’t without heft. What’s more, swiping through screens on the tablet seemed very smooth, and there were only a few dropped frames that I noticed during HD video playback. There’s no word on when this bad boy will launch, but expect to be waiting awhile considering that Vizio wants to put a Tegra 4 in it.
All in all, I was pretty impressed by what I saw from Vizio. These tablets may not being anything incredibly new, but they’re still both solid pieces of equipment. Now we wait for release dates to be announced, which could be some time away in the case of the 10-inch tablet. Vizio’s 7-incher is scheduled for launch sometime in the first half of 2013, so we’ll have to see if Vizio can stick with that launch window. Be sure to check out our CES hub for all you need to know from the show!
The tablet landscape has changed greatly in a year’s time, at least if you gauge what we’ve seen on the CES show floor. The 2012 expo was led mostly by high-end Android tablets. This year, Windows 8 understandably garnered much more of the spotlight now that it’s available, while Google’s platform mostly surfaced in the budget category, where it was much more prevalent than before. Whatever the platform, we saw our fair share of experimentation — some companies weren’t happy with just a spec bump in a familiar form factor. Check past the break for some of the more daring (or at least well-executed) examples from CES 2013.
Vizio‘s new Windows 8 Tablet PC was definitely one of the devices that caught our interest during CES 2013, but the company isn’t content with stopping at just tablets. In fact, Vizio seems to have become very enthusiastic about Windows 8, introducing new lines of touch-based notebooks and all-in-one PCs that are ready to take full advantage of the operating system. We got to spend a little bit of time with them when we stopped by for a visit with Vizio, and starting right off, we have to say that we like what the company was showing off.
We’ll jump right in with Vizio’s Thin + Light Touch line of notebooks. As you might have already guessed, the major focus with these new laptops are Windows 8 and a thin and lightweight form factor. In those two areas, the notebooks do not disappoint, with Vizio offering one with a 14″ touchscreen and the other with a 15.6″ display. Ready for some great news? 1366×768 resolution is nowhere to be found with these two notebooks, with the 14″ model offering up 1600×900 and the 15.6″ variant going all the way with 1080p resolution.
Interestingly enough, Vizio will be offering a number of different configurations that you’ll be able to choose from depending on your taste. Both the 14″ and the 15.6″ models will come packing either a 2.4GHz Intel Core i7 processor and integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics, or an AMD A10 4657M clocked at 2.3GHz with discrete Radeon HD graphics. Either configuration should keep things running smooth, especially considering that both come with 8GB of RAM and solid-state drives.
As you’ve probably already figured out, the full HD display on the 15.6″ inch model looks great, though 1600×900 doesn’t look bad either – the only thing its missing is the full HD capabilities of its bigger brother. The keyboards on both are excellent, though the buttons do seem slightly bigger than most notebook keyboards, so that might take some getting used to. Both are very slim when they’re closed and relatively lightweight, so while we can’t exactly classify either as an ultrabook, they’re toward the bottom of the size scale for notebooks.
Next up is Vizio’s new all-in-one touch line. These all-in-one touch PCs will come in 24″ and 27″ varieties, with the 24″ coming with the option of a 2.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 and Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics or a quad-core AMD A10 4600M 2.3GHz and Radeon HD 8750A discrete graphics. For the 27″ it looks like the only option is that 2.4GHz Core i7 quad-core and Intel 4000 integrated graphics. Both will come with a 1TB hard drive and a 32GB SSD to offer a performance boost, so don’t plan on storing too much stuff on that SSD.
While both screens look excellent and, like the new Windows 8 notebooks on the way, offer 10-point multitouch, there’s one feature in particular that’s very interesting about these all-in-ones: the power supply also doubles as a subwoofer. With many all-in-one PCs, we often run into issues with sounds and tinniness, but that subwoofer will give Vizio’s all-in-one touch PCs a certain boost that other packages lack. There are a number of ports on the base, meaning that you won’t have any ugly cables sticking out of the sides of your computer. To be specific, both models feature two HDMI ports, and Vizio told us that users won’t need to boot to Windows before switching to their HDMI inputs.
Those HDMI ports will come in handy if you want to watch a movie on the excellent screens, and Vizio is trying to make this a true-to-form multimedia center with the addition of a remote. The keyboard is pretty similar to the ones we saw on the company’s new notebooks, at least from an aesthetic standpoint. Obviously, all-in-one PCs aren’t for everyone, but if you’ve been in the market, we’re seeing some great things coming from Vizio with these computers.
So, even though the Windows 8 tablet was the Vizio product that originally caught our eye, we ended up impressed with the notebooks and all-in-one PCs the company will soon be bringing to the table. Vizio should give itself a pat on the back, because as far as we’re concerned, the company managed to stand out in a sea of other manufacturers that are ready and willing to show off new products at CES 2013. Be sure to check out CES portal for even more from the show!
Vizio had a lot of cool things to show off at CES 2013, but one of the most exciting is its new 11.6-inch Windows 8 tablet. The tablet doesn’t have a name yet, but the specifications speak for themselves. First off (and perhaps most importantly to some) is the fact that this tablet is running Windows 8 rather than Windows RT, which is great news for those who want the full Windows functionality on a slate.
Another feature worth getting excited about: 1080p resolution. Despite the fact that the screen is only 11.6-inches, the tablet is still displaying at 1920×1080. That smaller screen size naturally means that the pixel density is great, which in turns means that consumers can look forward to particularly sharp visuals. Videos, especially the clip from The Lorax we saw, looked absolutely wonderful.
Powered by a dual-core AMD Z-60 APU, AMD Radeon HD 6250 integrated graphics, and 2GB of RAM, users will have quite the speedy little tablet on their hands. There were a few dropped frames when swiping through apps, zooming, and playing HD video, but overall it was a pretty smooth experience, which is impressive for a tablet running the full version of Windows 8 at 1080p resolution. The 64GB SSD this bad boy ships with should do its part to keep things moving nice and fast, which is just icing on the cake.
The tablet itself is surprisingly thin and light – Vizio states that the tablet is 0.4″ thick and just 1.8 pounds. I was expecting a heavier tablet when I picked this up from the stand, but was pleasantly surprised when I realized how light it is. More importantly, it feels good in the hand and looks really good. We’re looking forward to seeing more from Vizio’s new Windows 8 tablet as we move closer to its release date (no specifics on that just yet), but for now, it definitely seems like the company is on the right track. Check out our CES portal for even more from the show!
The Redbox Instant video streaming service recently let eager users kick down the doors of its beta test, and now the team behind it has stepped out to talk about its unique feature set. While a public launch is still planned for Q1 (just as Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam said last month) we’ve had a little time to spend with the beta on our own, and saw it running on several devices including iOS / Android and Samsung Blu-ray player in the company’s hotel suite. New hardware partners announced during CES are Vizio, Google TV and LG, which should all see apps arrive soon to their assorted platforms.
Currently the mobile apps appear to be the most polished, however all ran smoothly and featured a look apart from the other subscription streaming services. Of course, some of that is a result of Redbox offering movies via kiosk rental, VOD rental / purchase or unlimited subscription. While each UI is a bit unique (predictably, the iOS app foregoes any purchase options due to Apple’s insistence on a 30 percent cut) one way to keep track of how a particular movie is accessible are via several small icons in the corner of its box art, showing a kiosk for discs, play button for subscriptions, ticket for purchase, and so on. So far Redbox isn’t playing in the picture quality wars, at the moment it’s video maxes out at 720p and audio is stereo only, although it is looking to upgrade.
Vizio has proven to be a very popular company in the HDTV market. Vizio pretty much came out of nowhere a few years ago and quickly took over the market thinks to its TVs that were priced well and offered high-end features. TVs aren’t all Vizio has in its product line, the company also has a range of sound bars and other hardware.
At CES 2013 Vizio has unveiled two new premium home theater sound bars promising 5.1 surround sound. The bars include being Premium 42-inch and 54-inch sound bars. The 42-inch sound bar has a wireless sub and surround speakers and carries model number S4251w-B4.
The sound bar ships with a Display Remote. Vizio also has a new 54-inch home theater sound bar aimed TVs 60-inches and larger. Vizio says that both of these new sound bars have 102 dB of crystal-clear audio with less than 1% total harmonic distortion. The sound bars also have integrated Bluetooth.
The integrated Bluetooth connectivity allows users to stream music from tablets or smartphones to the sound bar. The Display Remote has an integrated LCD screen allowing the user control sound bar settings from across the room. It’s not clear if the 42-inch home theater surround bar actually has wireless surround speakers are not. The S4251w-B4 will sell for $329.99 with pricing and additional information on the 54-inch model coming later this year.
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