Vizio gets into Wi-Fi routers, adds Blu-ray and soundbars
updated 09:05 am EDT, Tue June 22, 2010
Vizio XWR100, BD players and wireless sound arrive
Vizio this morning grew its companion home theater gear, starting with the unusual choice of its first Internet router. The XWR100 behaves as a standard, simultaneous dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi router but prioritizes its network traffic for time-sensitive audio and video streaming to other devices, particularly its networked TVs and Blu-ray players. It also has four 100Mbps Ethernet ports for local wired devices and a USB port for network-attached storage.
The router can be controlled from most any recent Linux, Mac or Windows system and will ship in the summer for $100.
Three Blu-ray players join the mix. The VBR231 is said to be the first with dual-band 802.11n and supports usual modern Blu-ray features, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD audio decoding as well as a USB port that can load JPEG photos and MP3 audio directly from a flash drive. Netflix and Vudu provide movie streaming, and Pandora supplies music. The VBR210 and VBR220 run on single-band 2.4GHz 802.11n but otherwise support the same features; Vizio hasn't explained the differences between the two lower-end models.
Prices for the trio are very close; the VBR210 and VBR220 cost $190 each, and the VBR231's extra wireless raises the price to $220. The pair of less expensive players are already shipping, but the VBR231 isn't due until next month.
Two soundbars come along with the introductions. The 2.1-channel VHT210 and 5.1-channel VHT510 are designed for sound in tight spaces and each have a wireless subwoofer to provide bass without having to sit the unit close to the soundbar itself. The VHT210 is designed to fit best underneath a 32-inch or larger TV while the VHT510's extra surround speakers are better for at least 40-inch sets. Either has SPDIF and RCA inputs.
Both of the subwoofers are due in the summer, starting at $300 for the VHT210 and moving to $400 for the VHT510. A set of companion wireless headphones, the VHP100s, provide active noise cancellation and will arrive only by the fall, when they should cost $300.
