Most modern Vizio TVs (year models 2016 and onwards) work under the SmartCast operating system. It allows users to operate the TV using a portable device, like a phone or tablet. SmartCast supports major streaming devices like Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast.
History
Vizio was founded in 2002 as V Inc. by Taiwanese entrepreneur William Wang and two other employees. Its name was later on changed to Vizio in 2004. The company mainly sold HDTVs at a lower cost compared to its competitors.
1 History2 Helpful Articles about Vizio3 SmartCast TVs (2016)4 Sound Bars5 Controversies
By 2009, it stopped selling plasma-based televisions and focused more on LED-backlit and LED displays. Most Vizio products (TVs and soundbars) are manufactured in various countries such as Mexico, China, and Vietnam. The company was known to be the second largest seller of flat-screen TVs in the United States in 2020.
Helpful Articles about Vizio
Watch ESPN App on Vizio TVWhat to do when your Vizio TV Has Sound But NO PictureFix your Vizio TV AirPlay Not WorkingHow to Turn On AirPlay on Vizio TVHow to Mirror an Android Device to VIZIO TVHow to connect your Laptop to VIZIO Smart TV WirelesslyHow to Fix the Vizio TV Audio Out of Sync problemWhy does my Vizio TV keep turning off?How to add apps to your Vizio TV without a V buttonHow to Fix a Vizio Smartcast that is Not WorkingHow to Get an Internet Browser on Vizio Smart TVHow To Turn On Vizio TV Without RemoteHow to Reset A Vizio TVHow To Get HBO Max On a Vizio Smart TVVizio Universal Remote Codes
SmartCast TVs (2016)
Vizio continuously added features to their SmartCast TVs in the following years. It included support for smart assistants like Google Assistant and Alexa, Apple Airplay2, Apple HomeKit, and gaming support.
Sound Bars
Vizio’s line of sound bars is divided into various series, namely M-Series, V-Series, and Elevate. Series names are linked to suggested Vizio TV products. The first major sound bar released by Vizio was the Home Theater Sound Bar, launched in 2013. Five years later, it released sound bar models that supported Dolby Atmos. By 2020, the first Elevate sound bar was released. It’s known for its rotating speakers with Dolby Atmos support.
Controversies
Despite its success, Vizio has its share of controversies. In November 2015, Vizio was charged by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Office of the New Jersey Attorney General for illegally collecting non-personal information on its customers, which was sold to its advertisers. By 2017, Vizio agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle the charges. It also required the company to delete all retrieved customer data and update its data collection policies. In October 2021, the Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) filed a lawsuit against Vizio for failing to complete the requirements of the GNU General Public License since it failed to provide its source code. As of May 2022, the lawsuit by the SFC is still ongoing.
