Vizio at Line Shows: Easy as 1, 2, VIA

"If it's not easy to use, people won't use it. And if people don't use it, it will die."

This was Vizio co-founder and vice president Ken Lowe's mantra for the company's press conference at CEA Line Shows. In addition to ease of use, Lowe touted Vizio as a company striving for superior picture quality and building an expanding ecosystem of products.

Vizio is growing its portfolio of TVs with direct array LED backlight, a technology that allows certain cells or zones to be controlled independently, producing truer black levels. LED backlit TVs are also more energy efficient, Lowe reported. The 22" model uses less energy than a 25W light bulb (the 47" uses less than a 100X light bulb).The company aims to have 40 percent production of LED TVs by the end of 2010.

In addition to its concentration on LED, Vizio introduced VIA--Vizio Internet Apps in its TruLED line of TVs. Features include Yahoo widget bar; >1,000,000:1 contrast ratio; 240Hz; bluetooth; built-in wireless capability;
three USB ports; 2GB of storage for apps, content and streaming video. It also includes a universal remote control with IR, bluetooth, full QWERTY keyboard; directional keys and video game controls.

The VIA TVs feature an open platform, where consumers can access a variety of apps, including TV programs, streaming video, premium music, social media, photo services, e-commerce, shopping, sports, news, weather and finance.

Committed to becoming more than just a TV manufacturer, Vizio is expanding several additional product lines and launching new ones. The surround bar business, which sold 150,000 last year, welcomes the 32" and 42" models, complete with wireless subwoofers. The Blu-ray players, which were similarly successful after their launch last August, will see the addition of a wireless player, complete with Netflix, Internet radio streaming and 7.1 digital audio output.