Vizio

Nearly every sound bar claims it can create faux surround sound without extra speakers, and with a few exceptions, those claims are always overhyped.

The Vizio S4251w-B4 ($330 list) is one of the very few sound bar systems on the market that can deliver true surround sound, precisely because it augments the traditional sound bar/subwoofer configuration with two rear speakers. The combination delivers some of the best sound we've heard from a budget sound bar, and nothing at this price competes in terms of immersive home theater sound. The rest of the package is polished, too, with a … Read more

Welcome to the third generation of Vizio PCs. You won't find many things different technology-wise in this round compared with previous models. The biggest news is that the laptops -- two 14-inch, and two 15.6-inch models -- all ship with touch screens now. Vizio's all-in-ones already had touch screens, but this generation gets a CPU bump, and higher prices to match. Vizio has also added wireless networking adapters that support the new 802.11ac standard across the lineup.

For the laptops, the 14-inch Touch Thin+Light CT14T-B0 comes it at the lowest price, going for $1,089.… Read more

If sound bars are the ultimate "good enough" home audio solution, the Vizio SB4021M-A1 ($270 street price) feels like the typical good-enough sound bar. It's solid in just about every respect, with a sleek design, a good remote, and above-average sound quality. At the same time, it lacks a single standout quality that would put it head and shoulders above its competitors. It may be easier to enthusiastically recommend a less well-rounded sound bar that either looks or sounds fantastic, but there's something to be said for a balanced product.

The big hesitation about the SB4021M-A1 … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Vizio brought a pair of nameless tablets to CES 2013 that we'd like to get to know better, but unfortunately the smaller of the pair also happens to be a bit of a party pooper.

The supersimple unnamed 7-inch tablet runs Android 4.2 and houses Nvidia's Tegra 3 CPU. The tablet is lightweight and features a Micro-USB port and a front-facing camera.

The 7-inch tablet would be more impressive if its specs resembled the other unnamed tablet Vizio brought to CES 2013. The more exciting of the two is a 10-inch Android 4.2 tablet that … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Vizio showed off an impressive 10-inch tablet that features the recently revealed Nvidia Tegra 4 quad-core processor at CES 2013. The Android 4.2 tablet also impresses with its super high-definition 2,560x1,600-pixel resolution.

The 10-inch Vizio tablet still lacks a proper name but is one of the first to house the ultra-fast Nvidia Tegra 4 CPU. Its fast processor and high resolution could compete with the Google Nexus 10, which sports an identical resolution to the Vizio tablet.

The engineering sample shown at CES 2013 was described as attractive, but Vizio has yet to announce pricing or … Read more

LAS VEGAS--The E series is Vizio's mainstream line of TVs for 2013, with myriad size and feature levels, but one feature shared among most of them is Smart TV.

The smallest Vizio Smart TV in 2013 will be the 24-inch E241i; I can't think of a smaller TV with built-in streaming and other Smart TV features. It and most of its larger E series brethren will use the same suite of apps and streaming services found on models like the E3201-A0, a TV I called "the strongest value we've seen yet among 32-inch TVs." I … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Vizio is traditionally known for cheap TVs, but at CES 2013 it's doubling down on its foray into step-up, feature-rich (read: slightly more expensive) territory with the 4K XVT models and the all-new "M" series.

The company's M range LED-based LCD TVs goes from 32- up to the company's first 80-inch model, the M801d pictured above. All of the sizes in the series should ship in the first half with the exception of the 80-incher, which is a second-half product. Pricing was not announced, but knowing Vizio it will be extremely competitive.

No other … Read more

If you're looking for a TV with a big screen and most of the bells and whistles, then you might be interested in Vizio's E-Series 70-inch Razor Smart TV, which is on sale for Cyber Monday at $1,699. Its usual price is $1,999; it is the larger version of the 60-inch E601i-A3, which itself got a solid 3.5 stars from David Katzmaier. Vizio says the 70-inch version is quite different with an even better picture, so we were unable to review the TV as part of a series as we usually do.

The E701i-A3 unit … Read more

I recently posted a list of the best TVs at every screen size. By "best" I also considered value, so some expensive models didn't make the cut.

The list below only considers picture quality and ignores value. It represents the best TVs regardless of cost, and incidentally, regardless of design and features, that we've reviewed this year. I already listed the best TV series for picture quality, but the list below goes through the field at key size points, too.

TV makers are reluctant to put the best quality into their smallest, cheapest TVs, but the field really opens up once you hit 46 inches or so. I also threw in a runner-up -- the second-best-performing TV available in each size range -- for people who don't like door No. 1.

I omitted TVs larger than 65 inches this time because the 70-inch-plus 2012 models we have reviewed aren't quite worthy. If you're unsatisfied with 65 inches, however, the 70-inch Sharp Elite is my price-no-object, mammoth-screen pick.

… Read more