VIZIO Continues Push to Bring Ultra HD Technology Mainstream with Release of All-New 2015 M-Series Ultra HD Smart TV Collection

IRVINE, Calif., April 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- VIZIO, the #1 Smart TV company in the U.S.¹, announced today the rollout of its second Ultra HD line-up, the all-new 2015 M-Series Ultra HD Full-Array LED Smart TV collection. Backed by the brand's leadership in Ultra HD technology, the VIZIO M-Series offers a wide range of screen sizes from 43" to 80", as well as stunning picture quality and access to several Ultra HD streaming apps. The collection features a Spatial Scaling Engine to upscale lower resolution content to near 4K Ultra HD picture resolution², along with Full-Array LED backlighting with up to 32 Active LED Zones™, and up to Clear Action 720, which together produce a stunningly beautiful Ultra HD experience.  Consumers can find the all-new M-Series rolling out now to retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, BJ's Wholesale, Costco Wholesale, Sam's Club, Target, VIZIO.com and Walmart.

The all-new VIZIO M-Series Ultra HD Full-Array LED Smart TV collection displays over 8.3 million pixels in every image, four times the resolution of 1080p Full HD, bringing breathtaking detail and clarity into consumers' homes. Full-Array LED backlighting offers an even distribution of light for superior uniformity as compared to Edge-Lit TVs, and up to 32 Active LED Zones^™ deliver precise, controlled backlighting with extremely high contrast and deep black levels.  Active Pixel Tuning enables pixel-level adjustments of brightness for increased picture accuracy and contrast. For the fast-action lover or sports enthusiast, the M-Series line-up boasts up to Clear Action 720 with a blazing 240Hz effective refresh rate achieved with backlight scanning.  These technologies, combined with powerful image processing, allow for sharper detail and ensure fast moving scenes appear clearer than ever.  

"VIZIO is committed to providing mainstream access to Ultra HD technology," said Matt McRae, Chief Technology Officer, VIZIO. "Last fall we disrupted the market with the VIZIO 50" P-Series Ultra HD Smart TV, now the #1 Selling UHD TV³, and this year, we're poised to do it again with M-Series.  Ultra HD is here to stay and consumers are continuing to seek out technologies that deliver a more immersive entertainment experience.  With Ultra HD content options on the rise, VIZIO is committed to ensuring consumers have the ability to enjoy the enhancements in picture quality in their homes at the best possible value."

The M-Series Ultra HD collection gives consumers a great reason to upgrade with additional Ultra HD apps and more native Ultra HD content options available.  The 2015 collection features the latest generation VIZIO Smart TV platform, VIZIO Internet Apps Plus®, and is equipped with ultra-fast 802.11ac dual-band WiFi and VIZIO's V6 six-core processor.  This translates into a fast, easy-to-use experience for the consumer, with access to the latest app options⁴ including Ultra HD content from Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, UltraFlix and Toon Goggles⁵. For users enjoying sports, movies or TV shows produced at 720p or 1080p resolutions, the M-Series is equipped with a powerful Spatial Scaling Engine, which beautifully transforms HD content to create a beautifully upscaled Ultra HD resolution image with better accuracy and clarity to provide an all-around more immersive viewing experience.

Support for HDCP 2.2 allows playback of protected Ultra HD content while the latest HDMI 2.0 standard enables Ultra HD playback at 60Hz.  This helps to ensure consumers using next generation cable and satellite receivers, Blu-ray players and game consoles that support Ultra HD content playback, will be able to plug and play those devices with their M-Series Smart TV.

"The Ultra HD TV market in North America grew more than 1.5 million units in 2014 as consumers found more affordable sets later in the year after VIZIO launched the P-Series," said Paul Gagnon, Director of TV Research at IHS. "In 2015, we expect shipments of Ultra HD TVs to more than triple to 5.4 million units on greater availability of content and even more affordable prices."

From a design perspective, the VIZIO M-Series has been purposefully crafted with an all-new design that distinguishes it from the rest. Built using select materials, an elegantly slim profile and ultra-thin bezel, the all-new M-Series delivers an immersive, near borderless entertainment experience that complements any room. Additionally, the collection includes a two-sided remote with a backlit QWERTY keyboard, making searching for Ultra HD content and typing a breeze, even in the dark.

Consumers can find the all-new M-Series Ultra HD Smart TV collection rolling out both in-store and online through key retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, BJ's Wholesale, Costco Wholesale, Sam's Club, Target, VIZIO.com and Walmart.  MSRP pricing for the collection starts at $599.99 for the 43" M-Series Ultra HD Smart TV up to $3,999.99 for the 80" class size. 

¹The NPD Group / Weekly Tracking Service, Flat Panel TV units with Apps included, Dec 30 2012 – May 24 2014 
² Source content is upscaled to UHD resolution. Actual picture quality may vary. 
³ The NPD Group/Weekly Tracking Service, January 5, 2014 – March 14, 2015, Flat Panel TV Display Resolution 3840x2160, Units Sold 
⁴ The applications and content of the VIZIO Internet Apps Plus® picture herein or described on this page may only be available in certain countries and languages, may require additional fees or subscription charges, and may be subject to future updates, modifications or discontinuation without notice. VIZIO has no control over third party application or content and assumes no responsibility for the availability or interruption of such application or content. Additional third-party terms, condition and restrictions apply
⁵High-speed/Broadband Internet service, app subscription and access equipment are required and not provided by VIZIO.

About VIZIO 
VIZIO, Inc. is headquartered in Irvine, California. VIZIO skyrocketed to the #1 shipper of LCD television in North America in Q2 2007¹, within five years from their first shipment, and has been in the top 3 ever since². VIZIO is now also America's #1 Smart TV company³ and large size LCD TV company⁴. VIZIO is also the #1 Sound Bar Brand in the U.S. ⁵ For over a decade, VIZIO has remained committed to what it does best -- focus on the consumer to deliver visionary products at a great value. The brand is consistently recognized for excellence in customer service, and was awarded 40 Stevie Awards, including the Grand Stevie Award in the 9^th Annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. VIZIO's products are found at Amazon, Best Buy, BJ's Wholesale, Costco Wholesale, Sam's Club, Target, Walmart and other retailers in North America. VIZIO has won numerous awards including Reviewed.com's 2014 Best of the Year Value 4K TV, Best of the Year Mid-Range LCD and CES Editor's Choice, "Best of CES 2014" by IGN, "Best of CES 2014" by PC Magazine and "Best of the Best 2014" by UltraHDTV Magazine for its Reference Series Ultra HD Full-Array LED Smart TV.  VIZIO's P-Series Ultra HD Full-Array LED Smart TV was also recognized by The Verge as "Best TV of CES" for 2014 as well as awarded "Best of CES" by Complex and "Best of Show" by Wired for 2014. VIZIO also earned #1 ranking in the Inc. 500 for Top Companies in Computers and Electronics and made the lists of Ad Age's Hottest Brands, CNET's Editor's Choice, CNET Best of CES 2011 - Television, CNET Best of CES 2013 – Home Theater and Audio, CNET's Best Tech Products 2014 Television, Sound & Vision's Top Picks, Sound & Vision 2014 Best Top Picks of the Year Sound Bars and Televisions, Good Housekeeping's Best Big-Screens, PC World's Best Buy and Popular Mechanics Editor's Choice among many other prestigious honors.  For more information, please call 888-VIZIOCE or visit www.VIZIO.com.

¹NPD IHS Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report, North America LCD Shipments Q2 2007 
²NPD IHS Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report, North America LCD Shipments, Annual 2007 -2014 
³The NPD Group / Weekly Tracking Service, Flat Panel TV units with Apps included, Dec 30 2012 – May 24 2014 
⁴The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service, 60" and greater LCD units sold, Jan 2013 – Mar 2014 
⁵The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service, units sold in the U.S., Jan 2011 – Feb 2015

Video - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150412/197961  
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090204/LA66605LOGO

SOURCE VIZIO, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.vizio.com