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Shoppers anticipating the release of the Vizio VF552XVT will have to wait until after the holidays.

(Credit: CNET)

Remember when we crowed about Vizio's upcoming lineup of "Via"-branded TVs, citing a prodigious feature set that includes local dimming LED backlighting, interactive add-ons galore, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a QWERTY-equipped Bluetooth remote (pictured), all for an appropriately Vizio price?

Since then we've received lots of e-mails asking when the Via models would be available, and we dutifully repeated the same question to Vizio's reps. Now it's been answered: the company is officially pushing the Via models back until January 2010.

(Credit: Vizio)

Assuming Vizio can deliver even a passable interactive experience, we expect our eventual review of the "Via" 55-inch VF552XVT to brim with accolades despite the delay. That anticipation is based primarily on our recent review of the excellent VF551XVT (itself a past victim of a too-aggressive Vizio release date announcement). It's basically the same TV, minus the interactive doo-dads, and miraculously its lifespan prior to being replaced by its Web-ready brother has been effectively doubled by the new anticipated release date.

Of course, much like at the contemporaneous NFL playoffs, anything can happen at CES 2010. Vizio's lead in the features standings will face stiff challenge from other HDTV makers' CES announcements, which are sure to be chock-a-block with keywords (Netflix, YouTube, Facebook, Rhapsody) and may even include a QWERTY Bluetooth remote or two. Let the anticipation begin again.

Vizio's VBR110 goes sub-$100 for Black Friday at Costco.

(Credit: Vizio)

We knew it was coming and now it's here: Costco will be serving up Vizio's entry-level VBR110 Blu-ray player for $99.99 on Black Friday. As usual, this comes with the disclaimer: "While supplies last."

In case you're wondering, while the VBR110 is an entry-level player that retails for around $150, it does have an Ethernet port and BD-Live capabilities. And you also get a free HDMI cable.

Here's a complete list of all of Vizio's Black Friday deals:

• Vizio VBR110 Blu-ray player with free HDMI cable: $99.99 at Costco and online at Costco.com from November 27 to 29, while supplies last ($40 savings).
• Vizio VSB210WS sound bar with wireless subwoofer: $199.99 at Costco from November 27 to 29, while supplies last ($50 savings).
• Vizio VA19LHDTV10T 19-inch HD LCD TV: $178 at Wal-Mart; available now through the end of the year ($30 savings).
• Vizio VA26LHDTV10T 26-inch HD LCD TV: $248 at Wal-Mart from November 21 to 27, while supplies last ($99 savings).
• Vizio VO320E 32-inch HD LCD TV: $339.99 at Sam's Club, Samsclub.com, Costco, and Costco.com; available now through November 29, while supplies last ($50 savings).
• Vizio VL320M 32-inch full HD 1080p LCD TV: $399.99 at Costco from November 27 to 29, while supplies last ($50 savings).
• Vizio VO400E 40-inch full HD 1080p LCD TV: $599.99 at Costco from December 3 to 20 ($100 savings).
• Vizio VF550M 55-inch full HD 1080p 120Hz LCD TV: $1199.99 at Costco and Costco.com from November 27 to 29, while supplies last ($300 savings).

The Vizio VO320E is one of the least-expensive 32-inch TVs on the market.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Vizio chose to adorn its VO320E 32-inch LCD with claims of environmental consciousness, saying the little set exceeds Energy Star guidelines by 15 percent. But that's not a very high standard, and according to our tests the Vizio, while definitely no power hog, sips just a couple bucks less juice per year than other LCDs in its class. Its true appeal is low price combined with perfectly acceptable picture quality. A couple of flaws might give black level sticklers or dual-use PC/TV aficionados pause, but other bargain hunters should consider this entry-level Vizio among the better LCDs in its class.

Read the full review of the Vizio VO320E.

Vizio VO320E -- photos

Vizio VM230XVT

(Credit: Vizio)

Vizio is best-known for offering big screens at a low price, but the company's latest offerings straddle that thin line between small TVs and computer monitors. Vizio announced the 23-inch VM230XVT ($400) and 19-inch VM190XVT ($350) Wednesday, with both sets utilizing LED-backlighting technology usually seen on larger screen sizes.

The TVs have a slim profile, tapering down to less than an inch thick, although they fatten out to 1.65 inches at their thickest point. Sporting two HDMI inputs and a standard PC input, both models can technically be used as a PC display, although the VM230XVT's 1080p native resolution makes it a better fit. (The VM190XVT has a 1,366x768 native resolution.)

Vizio also touts the models' "proximity sensitive" touch controls, which light up as you approach the unit. Those controls allow for the sleek, buttonless design, but there's a lot of to be said for the reliability of physical buttons. There's also a USB input on both models, as well as a "photo frame" mode that allows it to display a slideshow of images on a connected drive.

It's worth pointing out that both TVs utilize edge-lit LED backlighting, as opposed to local-dimming technology. Most of the image quality advantages often associated with LED backlighting--like deep blacks--are only available on local-dimming displays, so we don't expect radically better performance than standard (CCFL-backlit) LCD displays. (For more information, read our LED TV primer.)

Vizio VM230XVT photos

Vizio's 55-inch, LED-backlit VF551XVT gives great black levels for less.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

We're willing to bet that when Vizio announced the VF551XVT back in January, plenty of savvy HDTV bargain hunters marked down "June" as the time they'd buy this 55-inch LED-based LCD. Then the company pushed its release back to September. Then it announced that the"Via" VF552XVT--basically the same as this model with one of the most compelling feature packages we've ever seen, including a Bluetooth remote and Wi-Fi connectivity to complement a robust suite of interactive services--would be shipping in November for the same price. Suddenly the much-anticipated VF551XVT seemed a bit less impressive.

For the price, however, this Vizio still delivers impressive picture quality to big-screen shoppers who can't wait for its successor or don't care about interactive doodads (and no, there's no way to upgrade a 551 to get Via functionality). Its black levels are among the deepest we've tested this year, and while the fluctuating backlight may give videophiles pause, it's not a deal-breaker. The VF551XVT also succeeds on most other performance fronts, although we can't say the same about its styling. Like all big-screen LCDs the Vizio's main competition comes from similar-size plasmas that cost even less and also offer impressive picture quality, but if you have your heart set on LCD, the Vizio VF551XVT is currently the over-50-inch bargain of the year.

Read the full review of the Vizio VF551XVT.

Vizio VF551XVT--photos

The well-equipped Vizio VF552XVT takes aim at the best HDTVs available when it launches in November.

(Credit: CNET)

The Via line of HDTVs from Vizio, due this January, promises the most comprehensive suite of interactive features yet seen on any HDTV, including a Bluetooth remote control with a keyboard. The two largest models will also pack LED backlighting with local dimming, the holy grail of LCD picture quality. These highly desirable features, combined with Vizio's customarily aggressive pricing, propel the flagship Vizio TVs past their counterparts from major brands like Samsung, Panasonic, and Sony--at least on paper.

Designed foremost to compete against current Internet-enabled HDTVs, the three "Via" (Vizio Interactive Apps) models are available in 42-inch, 47-inch, and 55-inch varieties. Here's a quick rundown:

Key features of the Vizio Via 2XVT series:

• LED backlight with local dimming (47- and 55-inch models only)
• 240Hz processing
• Bluetooth remote with full QWERTY keyboard
• Integrated 802.11(n) Wi-Fi
• Support for Adobe Flash for the Digital Home
• Yahoo widgets engine
• 42-inch SV422XVT: $1,199 MSRP | 47-inch SV472XVT: $1,699 | 55-inch XV552XVT: $2,199
• Available in January

As CNET noted earlier, the Bluetooth keyboard remote and built-in Wi-fi will be firsts among interactive TVs, which typically require cumbersome virtual keyboards for text entry and expensive extra dongles or third-party solutions for wireless connectivity. Since few people have an Ethernet cable next to their televisions, Wi-fi makes setup much more convenient, while the keyboard on the remote should make accessing and using the TV's "Apps" as easy as sending an e-mail on a BlackBerry.

(Credit: Vizio)

Vizio promises to have more such applications on the Via platform than any other current maker, and the list is impressive indeed. ... Read more

As Internet-connected TVs become more popular, set makers are looking for ways to stand out from each other. Vizio, which made its name by undercutting much larger names in electronics on LCD sets, is no longer just looking to attract buyers at Costco. It's now trying to compete directly on the number of bells and whistles with the likes of Samsung, Panasonic, and Sony.

Announced in late June, Vizio's Via HDTV has some things going for it that its competitors' sets do not: integrated 802.11(n) Wi-Fi--which means no separate dongle for connecting to the Web--2GB of flash memory, and a well thought-out remote control.

The remote design is almost a no-brainer in retrospect, and makes you wonder why it hasn't been done before. It looks like a standard model, but with this one, Vizio took into account what the user would be doing with it: interacting with Web applications like Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo Sports, and Flickr. The TV maker put a slideout QWERTY keyboard on the back of the Bluetooth remote, so users can type as they would on some smartphones, instead of keying in letters one at a time. And, it doesn't seem to add much to the price of the Via HDTV: the 42-inch version will begin at $999 when it starts selling in stores in November.

Vizio is also looking to differentiate itself with developers who will create more applications for the TV. Yahoo developed its TV widget engine last year, which brings a range of preselected applications like Twitter, eBay, Flickr, Yahoo Sports, Showtime, and many others right onto the TV screen. Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, and Vizio each offer it. But Vizio says it wants to appeal to application developers, so it integrated Adobe Flash directly into its Via HDTV. ... Read more

Back at CES 2009, Vizio announced the VBR100--a $200 Blu-ray player, complete with Profile 2.0 compatibility, 7.1 analog outputs and an April release date. Well, the April release date didn't happen, but the rest of the details are still accurate and Vizio is now planning on releasing the VBR100 as a Wal-Mart exclusive, coming in July at an even lower price of $188.

Much has changed in the Blu-ray market since January, with ultrabudget $100 players showing up and most name-brand players featuring streaming Internet content from Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Video On-Demand. The VBR100 is still an interesting product, mostly because it's the cheapest player we've seen to offer 7.1 analog outputs. That's good news for anyone on a budget looking to get a few more years out of their non-HDMI AV receiver, as you'll be able to use the VBR100's 7.1 analog outputs to take advantage of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio at their full resolution.

For more information on getting into Blu-ray on a budget, check out our Blu-ray shopping tips.

(Source: TWICE via Engadget)

(Credit: Vizio)

First announced at CES, the list of Web widgets packed into forthcoming Vizio high-definition TVs is growing.

On Tuesday, Vizio announced that some of the most popular services on the Web will be directly accessible from the TV screen, including eBay, Facebook, Twitter, and Rallypoint Sports. Showtime, Web video channel Revision3, Internet radio site Radiotime, and video-on-demand service Vudu, will also be accessible on the Via Connected HDTV feature, which is powered by the Yahoo TV Widgets engine.

That adds to an already impressive lineup of Internet content from Amazon Video on Demand, Blockbuster On Demand, Flickr, Netflix, Pandora, and Rhapsody. The Via Connected service will come preinstalled in Vizio XVT series TVs, which will be available this fall. The XVT sets have built-in 802.11(n) Wi-Fi, which allows the TV to connect to the owner's wireless Internet service.

Web-connected TVs are a growing trend thanks to the growing availability of broadband Internet. At CES in January, LG, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony each showcased similarly capable sets, and recent consumer survey data shows that buyers are certainly interested in the concept.

However, it's not just TVs. Microsoft's Xbox 360 already features Netflix Watch Instantly, and later this fall will also offer Facebook and Twitter.