Vizio Voice Remote Based on SoundHound AI Natural Language Platform
Vizio highlighted gaming features, its first voice remote, desktop mirroring with AirPlay and Chromecast, and smart home control through Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant, in launching its model year 2022 TV and sound bar lineup. For its first voice remote, Vizio partnered with SoundHound and its natural language intelligence technology, Mike Wood, director-product management, told us.
The vendor updated the SmartCast Mobile app for iOS and Android to allow older, paired models of its connected SmartCast TVs to be voice-controlled. With the Bluetooth push-to-talk remote, Vizio Voice users can search and discover content and change TV settings including volume and picture quality enhancements; they can also build on search results without restating the entire query, said the company. The voice remote comes with the V-, M- and P-Series 4K TVs and is available via app for the leader D-series TVs.
Vizio still hasn’t embraced 8K TV. “Content is going to drive the 8K market,” Wood said. Vizio is monitoring 8K, he said, and when it makes sense for customers, “it’s definitely something we’ll move into as well.” The lack of native 8K content requires upconversion, he said, and the 8K pixel rate “offers some challenges for brightness.” The latest-generation TVs produce a “really great 4K image, which makes sense for most people for the content that’s available now.”
Vizio’s new flagship P-series quantum dot TVs have a wider color gamut than many competing TVs, up to 85% of Rec. 2020, said the company. They have a full-array backlight with 210 local dimming zones at the top end; Dolby Vision and HDR10+ along with hybrid log gamma and HDR10 high dynamic range; up to 1200-nit brightness; Vizio’s ProGaming engine that supports variable refresh rate; and AMD FreeSync Premium for smooth game play at up to 4K 120 Hz. The P-series includes the 65-inch P65Q9-J ($1,399, July), the 75-inch P75Q9-J ($2,199, July) and the 85-inch P85QX-J (price and availability to be determined).
The M-series ranges from the $399 43-inch M43Q6 (July) to the 75-inch M75Q7-J ($1,399, July), with all models offering a ProGaming engine, AMD FreeSync and the voice remote. The V series, with a V-Gaming engine, ranges from $339 for a 43-inch model to $919 for a 75-incher, with availability across June and July. The D series is led by the 24-inch D24h-J ($139) due this month and includes the 43-inch $249 D43f-J at $299.
Some 90% of streaming by active accounts in Q1 was done using SmartCast, Chief Financial Officer Adam Townsend told us: “It’s expected that over time as we add more services and channels to the platform we will drive even more engagement,” he said, as consumers look for integration for their smart TV viewing experience. The company reported 13.5 million SmartCast users in Q1 (see 2105170045), and time spent on Vizio SmartCast TVs by input source in Q1 was 52% SmartCast, 34% linear TV, 7% game consoles and 7% over-the-top devices, said an earnings presentation.
Thirteen sound bars are part of Vizio’s 2022 product line, led by the 18-speaker 5.1.4-channel Elevate ($999), with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive sound, which carries over from 2021. Elevate technology, with a custom chipset that automatically rotates speakers up for overhead audio and down for music and 5.1 content, will be included in future sound bars, said the company.
New for 2022 is the M512a-H6 5.1.2 sound bar with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, with two dedicated upfiring speakers for overhead surround, said the company. The 11-speaker bar is due next month at $449. A $299 model, M215a-J6, is 2.1 channels with five speakers and virtual Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. The virtual implementation “brings those costs way down,” said Todd Baker, director-product management, audio, saying, “You’re going to start to see Atmos and DTS:X bars from Vizio down in the $200 and $300 range.” Audio “improves the overall experience,” and the lower price point “is going to get Atmos and DTS:X into a lot more homes.”