US HDTV brand ups stakes with Net apps + LED + Bluetooth keyboard

David Katzmaier | Aug 31, 2009

The well-equipped Vizio VF552XVT takes aim at the best HDTVs available when it launches in November in the US.
(Credit: CNET)

The Via line of HDTVs from Vizio, due this November in the US, 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: US$1,199 MSRP | 47-inch SV472XVT: US$1,699 | 55-inch XV552XVT: US$2,199

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 includes major US-oriented video-on-demand services, Twitter, and Flickr. To up the ante, there're also other exclusives such as Facebook which is not offered on current interactive TVs, although some offerings could surface before November. The only major omission is a built-in Web browser which is available on selected Philips HDTVs in Asia via their NetTV functions.

Aside from the interactive features, the Via models will be as well-featured as any flagship HDTV from another maker. Their 240Hz processing uses the same "scanning backlight" variety as LG and Toshiba, which in our tests still performed well at cutting down on motion blur. The company also claims to have improved its dejudder processing over previous models like the SV470XVT.

Meanwhile, the LED backlights with local dimming found on the larger models should really improve black level performance over conventional LCDs. We expect those two to be as expensive or even less than the Toshiba SV670U series, which is currently the least expensive so-equipped LCD.

Notably, the 55-inch Vizio VF551XVT, launching int the US in September, will be discontinued and replaced after just two months by the Via-equipped VF552XVT at the same price point of US$2,199.

Via CNET.com

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