Vizio is kicking off its CES 2020 announcement with SmartCast 4.0, a huge update set to launch this spring. The update will come with all new Vizio SmartCast TVs and be available to all SmartCast TV models dating to 2016. And that’s terrific news for people everywhere.
SmartCast 4.0 focuses on increased speed and a more personalized experience to Vizio smart TVs, while 2020 SmartCast TVs will ship with a new smart voice remote. And yes, Vizio isn’t walking away from being smart ecosystem agnostic. You’ll find that SmartCast still works with a ton of third-party services, such as Apple’s Siri and HomeKit, Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant.
The theme for 4.0 seems to be speed and simplicity, which is done by cutting down on startup and load times, allowing for easier input switching and showcasing more remote control responsiveness. On top of that, the new smart TVs learn the kinds of shows and movies you like and will curate content based on your interests.
Additionally, Vizio updated its WatchFree application, adding the ability to add favorite channels and genres from over 150 options so your watching experience is more personalized. Plus, voice integration will also be added to WatchFree, so you can launch the app or change the channel with your voice.
The other big announcement from Vizio is its Smart Voice Remote. With push-to-talk capabilities, you’ll be able to simply speak into your remote to turn on Netflix, check the weather or even search Wikipedia. The remote has fewer buttons to encourage more voice control, however, it has a dedicated voice button.
The remote won’t listen to you until you press the dedicated button, so there’s no need to worry about accidentally waking it up. The Voice Remote is planned to be paired with all Vizio 2020 P-Series Quantum, P-Series Quantum X and OLED TV purchases, and it will also be available to buy separately, although we’re waiting for pricing and availability.
The SmartCast 4.0 update gives Vizio users a faster, more comprehensive and voice integrated entertainment experience, in addition to providing more features to the 2019 and older models.
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