Las Vegas – Vizio introduced this week its 2012 TV line
highlighted by three CinemaWide 21:9 ultrawide screen Full HD sets.
The widescreen sets, which present CinemaScope 2.35:1 movies from
Blu-ray Discs and DVDs without the black bars at the top and bottom of the frame,
will all include passive-glasses-based Theater 3D and Vizio Internet Apps
(V.I.A.).
The widescreen sets will also use the V.I.A. functionality to
present apps side-by-side with full-size and full HD resolution 16:9
programming.
The three CinemaWide XVT series models include the 50-inch
XVT3D500CM, the 58-inch XVT3D580CM and the 71-inch XVT3D710CM. Pricing will be
announced later.
The V.I.A. ecosystem includes such services as: Hulu Plus, Amazon
Instant Video, Facebook, Flickr, Netflix, Rhapsody, Pandora, Twitter, Vudu,
Yahoo! TV Widgets and Fandango.
Also Vizio adds the Yahoo! Connected TV store providing access to
more than 180 free and paid TV apps from CBS, Showtime, Pandora, USA Today,
Wall Street Journal, AT&T, iHeart-Radio, Fandago, and QVC.
New addition iHeart is Clear Channel’s digital radio service with
customizable listening to more than 800 popular live broadcast and digital-only
radio stations from 150 cities, and user-created Custom Stations.
The WSJ Live app from The Wall Street Journal offers up to four
total hours of live video programming each business day from across The Wall
Street Journal Digital Network, including the Journal, Dow Jones Newswires,
Barron’s, MarketWatch, SmartMoney and AllThingsD.com.
M-GO, offered on Vizio TVs and Blu-ray Disc players, is an on-demand
service from Technicolor that combines movies, music, apps, live TV, and more.
The app will help consumers find the content they’re looking for through an
extensive content library and discovery engine, while also providing second-screen
functionality for searching additional content.
To navigate the V.I.A. platform Vizio includes a Bluetooth
universal remote control with its integrated QWERTY keypad. The sets also
include built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi access.
For 3D, the CinemaWide HDTVs ship with four pairs of battery-free
passive 3D eyewear.
The 50-inch and 58-inch LCD models offer 120Hz refresh rates and Edge
Lit Razor LED backlighting with Smart Dimming technology that produces a
contrast ratio of up to 1,000,000:1.
The 71-inch XVT3D710CM offers a 240Hz refresh rate and Full Array
TruLED backlighting with Smart Dimming technology, providing more uniform
brightness levels across the screen from 120 LED zones.
The dynamic contrast ratio is said to be 20,000,000:1.
Vizio is also showing a range of 16:9 models ranging in screen
sizes from 32 to 71 inches in the E-, M-, and XVT- Series. All offer the V.I.A.
system and including either two or four pairs of passive-glasses 3D, depending
on the model.
The new E-Series lineup includes
the 32-inch E3D320VX ($550 suggested retail), the 42-inch E3D420VX ($750) and
the 47-inch E3D470VX ($900). M-Series models include the 47-inch M3D470KD, the
55-inch M3D550KD and the 65-inch M3D650SV. Prices on those will be announced
later.
The R-series offers the 42-inch R3D420VS, 47-inch R3D470VS,
55-inch R3D550VS and 65-inch R3D650VS.
