Vizio Adds To TV Accessories Lineup

By John Laposky On Jan 26 2009 - 8:00am

Flat-panel TV supplier Vizio launched a major expansion of its branded line of accessories, including the company’s first surge protector and HDMI extender.

The new VES800 surge protector has eight EMI/RFI filtered outlets, five of which are energy-saving switchable outlets and three that stay on at all times. A standby power switch is on the front panel with an override power switch on the rear panel, which turns off all outlets.

It has an RJ45/RJ11 jack (one in, one out) for telephone, DSL modems and routers plus two pairs of gold-plated F connectors for cable and satellite signals.

It features a 60-degree rotating power cord with a strain relief to prevent cord damage, and a 15-amp/125-volt/1,875-watt resetting circuit breaker.

It will ship in June at a suggested retail of $49.99.

Vizio said that its new VHFE100 fiber-optic HDMI extender is capable of preserving HDMI signal quality up to 1080p resolutions from any HDCP-compliant source up to 320 feet. The fiber-optic cable extends to a receiver unit that is connected to an HDMI-enabled video display.

Plug-and-play installation takes only a few minutes and no external power or wire tapping is required, Vizio said.

It will ship in April at a suggested $199.