New Enhancements to VIZIO SmartCast Offers Faster Performance, Quick Start Mode and Other Expanded Capabilities to Make Streaming More Beautifully Simple
Irvine, CA – August 23, 2016 – VIZIO, Inc. announced today updates to its VIZIO SmartCast experience. Enhancements allow for expanded capabilities within the VIZIO SmartCast app, additional content offerings and more. The VIZIO SmartCast app allows users to control their VIZIO SmartCast devices from any room in the home and stream content from their mobile devices straight to the big screen. VIZIO SmartCast devices also feature Chromecast built-in, which lets users tap the cast button in popular Chromecast-enabled apps such as Netflix, VUDU, Hulu, Google Play Movies & TV, YouTube, HBO NOW and more to stream their favorite content to VIZIO SmartCast devices.
The newly enhanced VIZIO SmartCast app provides users a faster all-around content aggregation experience. From quicker load time for movies, TV shows, videos, music and more, to faster population of search results, enhanced VIZIO SmartCast app performance makes finding content easier than ever. Instead of jumping between apps, the VIZIO SmartCast app allows users to search and browse content first by genre across multiple apps at once, then select the app or source to play the content. This quicker response time is further enhanced by additional content offerings added to the app. Coming soon, Google Play Movies & TV will be fully integrated into the VIZIO SmartCast app, allowing users to easily browse Google Play’s content catalogalong with other integrated content catalogs all at the same time, for a seamless and faster search and discovery experience2.
On-screen navigation has been improved via the recent recent firmware updates to VIZIO SmartCast displays, which now allow users to adjust settings, navigate apps and access menus and playback controls. The latest updates to the VIZIO SmartCast app include an Android widget, which allows for easy accessibility of quick control features like power, play, pause and volume control even when the user’s VIZIO SmartCast tablet remote, or Android mobile device, is locked. On top of that, the control features themselves now boast an even faster response time, allowing for quicker device discovery and input switching. The newly added Quick Start mode enables consumers to turn on their SmartCast displays automatically over WiFi when a Cast session is initiated, without having to separately turn on the display. Once a user taps the Cast button from any Cast-enabled app, including favorites like Netflix, VUDU and Hulu, the VIZIO display will turn on, allowing consumers to stream their favorite content to the big screen.
“The VIZIO Smartcast ecosystem not only simplifies the entertainment experience by giving consumers one app that controls many devices, but it also lets users search and browse across content catalogs from multiple apps at once,” said Matt McRae, Chief Technology Officer, VIZIO. “We’re excited to announce that soon Google Play Movies & TV will be added to the VIZIO SmartCast app. Soon consumers can easily search Google Play’s expansive library of movies and TV shows alongside selections from their other favorite apps. This process streamlines content discovery so consumers can easily find and tap to cast their choice to the big screen.”
Google Play Movies & TV offers tens of thousands of new release movies, classic films and next day TV shows that consumers can rent or buy in HD or SD. VIZIO SmartCast users can watch their favorite shows anywhere, at home on their TV or display or on the go using their Android or iOS device. Consumers can even download and watch when they’re not connected.
The VIZIO SmartCast app simplifies the entire whole-home entertainment experience for consumers, allowing them to transform their iOS or Android mobile devices into a powerful touchscreen remote. The app makes it incredibly convenient for consumers to search, discover, browse and cast their favorite movies, shows, songs and more to their VIZIO SmartCast P-Series or M-Series Ultra HD HDR Home Theater Displays or E-Series Home Theater Displays.
With Chromecast built into every VIZIO SmartCast display, sound bar and speaker, consumers can easily access thousands of mobile apps they already know and love. By simply tapping the Cast button, consumers can easily watch content go from their mobile screen to any VIZIO SmartCast or Cast-enabled device on their home WiFi network. And with casting over WiFi, users can still multi-task on their tablet remote or their own mobile device without interrupting the Cast session.
For more information about VIZIO SmartCast visit VIZIO.com.
1 Compared to Edge-Lit sets.
2 The third party applications and content described herein may only be available in certain countries and languages, may require additional fees or subscription charges, and may be subject to future updates, modifications, interruption and/or discontinuation of service without notice, and VIZIO has no control over such content. Google account required to download apps from the Google Play store.
About VIZIO
VIZIO’s mission is to deliver the ultimate entertainment experience through our community of connected consumers, advertisers, and media content providers. Through our connected entertainment platform, VIZIO is transforming the way consumers discover and experience media content. Since our founding in California in 2002, VIZIO has built an industry-leading brand and sold over 65 million products, including televisions, sound bars and other devices. VIZIO is a leading CE brand in North America with the #1 unit share in Smart TVs1 and #1 unit share in Sound Bars2. VIZIO product leadership is highlighted by a number of industry reviews and awards: the VIZIO P-Series SmartCast Home Theater Displays are the highest-ranked LED/LCD display on CNET in 2016, having received an editors’ rating of 4.5/5 stars3; the VIZIO Reference Series achieved a 2016 Editors’ Choice award from Reviewed.com4; and the VIZIO D-Seriesearned a 2016 Editor’s Choice award from PC Magazine5. For more information, please visit www.VIZIO.com.
© 2016 VIZIO, Inc. VIZIO, the V Logo, VIZIO SmartCast, Active LED Zones and other terms and phrases are trademarks or registered trademarks of VIZIO, Inc. All other trademarks and logos are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
1 The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service, based on total smart television units sold in the U.S. January – April 2016. The NPD Group/Retail defines a smart television as an LCD TV with apps included
2 The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service, based on sound bar units sold in the U.S., January 2013-May 2016
3 Visit cnet.com for the full VIZIO P-Series review, published 5/10/2016
4 Visit reviewed.com for the full VIZIO Reference Series review, published 3/18/16
5 Visit pcmag.com for the full VIZIO D-Series review, published 3/24/16