VIZIO Co-Star with Google TV Giving You Smart TV
It’s official now. TV is undergoing a major metamorphosis. It’s increasingly becoming smart, as vendors are offering a slew of solutions to the consumers.
LCD HDTV company VIZIO, for example, has launched VIZIO Co-Star Stream Player. Using the latest version of Google TV, the VIZIO Co-Star makes it easy to transform any HDTV into smart TV, merging live and streaming entertainment into one intuitive experience.
With VIZIO’s new stream player, users get instant access to thousands of apps, full-screen web browsing capabilities—via Google Chrome with Adobe Flash Player and HTML 5 support—and the streaming entertainment.
[ Also Read: Vizio Tablet to Offer Films from Hulu Plus ]
Meanwhile, leveraging open Web technologies, LG Electronics’ Smart TV platform aims to transform content delivery by cable operators. (Read: LG Offers Smart TV for Cable Operators)
ConnecTV, a social platform for TV fans, opens its doors to the public so viewers can get sports, news, drama and reality programming – live or time-shifted – in a companion viewing experience. ConnecTV is available in the Apple App store. (Read: Television Goes Social with ConnecTV Service)
Moreover, LG’s Smart TV with Google TV (G2 Series) combines the power of Google services with the speed of LG’s new L9 dual-core chipset and a user-friendly interface for the next-generation Google TV experience. (Read: How LG Plans to Deliver Google on Your TV)
Announced today, June 26, the VIZIO Co-Star offers the advantage of connecting to a cable or satellite box. This allows viewers to enjoy live TV along with the web, apps, OnLive cloud gaming, and other streaming entertainment without interrupting what they’re already watching.
This integrated experience along with the universal touchpad remote with keyboard eliminates the need to switch TV inputs or remotes to access alternative content and provides viewers with a truly smart TV experience, says the company.
[ Also Read: TV to Consumer: Look, I’m Changing Now ]
“Our focus to deliver the best consumer experience continues with today’s announcement of the Co-Star, which delivers a superior smart TV interface that anyone can add to their existing HDTV,” said Matt McRae, VIZIO’s chief technology officer. “We combined the powerful features of Google TV with an intuitive and easy to use interface, giving users the power to enjoy an entire world of entertainment.”
The added benefit of Google TV’s search feature lets viewers browse websites, hunt for streaming movies or locate their favorite TV shows; and with picture-in-picture technology, it can all be done while simultaneously watching live TV action.
In addition to apps such as Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, M-GO, YouTube and iHeartRadio, the VIZIO Co-Star is claimed to be the first stream player to offer video games on demand through the OnLive Game Service.
[ Also Read: Cloud Union Offers Cloud Gaming Platform ]
OnLive allows users to demo, watch and play hundreds of top-tier video games directly from ‘the cloud’ via their VIZIO Co-Star, eliminating the need for users to own an independent game console.
With access to thousands of apps through Google Play, Co-Star offers the most comprehensive stream player available today, says VIZIO.
The VIZIO CO-Star will be available for pre-orders in July 2012 on VIZIO.com for $99.99, with an introductory free shipping offer.
