VIZIO Reveals Highly Anticipated P-Series Ultra HD Full-Array LED Smart TV Collection, Combining Unparalleled Picture Quality and Advanced Performance for the Ultimate Entertainment Experience

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- VIZIO, America's #1 Smart TV Company¹, today launched its all-new P-Series Ultra HD Full-Array LED Smart TV collection to the U.S. market, offering a crystal-clear window into the 4K Ultra HD world, where unrivaled picture quality is everything. With advanced local dimming LED backlight technology, support for Ultra HD streaming and unparalleled performance, VIZIO's P-Series Ultra HD Smart TV collection has been engineered to offer consumers best-in-class picture quality to deliver a comprehensive 4K Ultra HD solution. VIZIO P-Series Ultra HD Full-Array LED Smart TVs will start at $999.99 for the 50" class, with 55", 60", 65"and 70" class screen sizes also available.

Featuring the latest technologies, and four times the resolution of 1080p Full HD, the VIZIO  P-Series Ultra HD line-up offers stunningly rich picture quality performance, delivering a premium home entertainment experience. Full-Array LED backlighting allows for unmatched light uniformity, offering up to 72 Active LED Zones and setting the new standard for picture quality.  For a more vibrant, beautiful picture, each Active LED Zone dynamically adjusts to discretely control the backlight based on content on-screen, generating deeper black levels and higher contrast levels for a greatly enhanced picture compared to edge-lit LED sets.

Focused on bringing a well-thought-out 4K Ultra HD solution to market, VIZIO's new P-Series Ultra HD Smart TV collection integrates key technologies that help ensure consumers can enjoy a beautifully simple Ultra HD experience supporting the wide array of content options demanded by consumers.  A critical innovation VIZIO has been developing for over two years is its Spatial Scaling Engine, which accurately and beautifully transforms 1080p Full HD entertainment into spectacular near Ultra HD.  As consumption of media through streaming services continues to grow, the P-Series Ultra HD Smart TVs have been fully designed to support 4K Ultra HD streaming from providers like Netflix and later this year, Amazon Instant Video and UltraFlix³.  Amazon Instant Video customers will be able to purchase Ultra HD movies and TV episodes with select Ultra HD titles available at no extra charge to Amazon Prime members through Prime Instant Video.

"Our P-Series collection offers an outstanding Ultra HD picture and performance," said Matt McRae, Chief Technology Officer, VIZIO. "The shift towards 4K has left consumers demanding new solutions that deliver the right innovations to enhance their viewing experience.  The P-Series Ultra HD line-up is benefited by VIZIO's #1 position in the Smart TV marketplace, equipped with HEVC H.265 codec and 802.11 ac dual-band WiFi for faster streaming and the latest HDCP 2.2 support for playback of protected Ultra HD content.  This combination of technologies leaves consumers with the solutions that matter most in an Ultra HD set."

On top of standout picture quality, P-Series Ultra HD Smart TV viewers interested in sports or quick moving content will appreciate VIZIO's Clear Action Rate 960. With an effective refresh rate of 240 Hz, Clear Action Rate 960 ensures viewers enjoy a crisp, smooth picture with superior motion clarity when watching their favorite fast action scenes.  Beautifully crisp images are further enhanced by Advanced Color Management and Active Pixel Tuning technologies.  These critical innovations perfect color, contrast and picture detail accuracy for an outstanding viewing experience.

Committed to providing a multitude of entertainment options, P-Series Ultra HD Smart TVs support the latest standard in streaming thanks to VIZIO Internet Apps Plus^®. VIZIO's latest connected platform is equipped with support for the HEVC H.265 codec and 802.11ac dual-band WiFi for a better streaming experience that is up to 3x faster².  These advancements enable consumers to easily stream Ultra HD content through apps like Netflix and launching later this year, Amazon Instant Video and UltraFlix³, with HDCP 2.2 support built-in for playback of protected Ultra HD content.  Support for the latest HDMI 2.0 standards helps ensure consumers continue to enjoy their P-series Ultra HD Smart TV into the future as more CE devices enter the market, enabling playback of 4K Ultra HD content at up to 60 fps.

According to Greg Peters, Chief Streaming and Partnerships Officer, Netflix, streaming is becoming the primary way for consumers to watch Ultra HD TV shows or movies. As the world's leading smart TV app, Netflix is at the forefront of delivering the 4K Ultra HD streaming experience to VIZIO P-Series consumers.

Earning VIZIO the leadership role in the smart TV category, VIZIO Internet Apps Plus offers consumers an intuitive experience. Seamless second-screen interactivity through Netflix and YouTube allows users to search for content on the corresponding app on their Android and Apple iOS mobile devices. When the TV and device are on the same WiFi network, consumers can simply click to play the content on the big screen, controlling playback on the TV from their device. VIZIO Internet Apps Plus features a multitude of popular apps like YouTube, Hulu Plus, iHeartRadio, Spotify and Pandora, among others.  Apps like Netflix and later this year, Amazon Instant Video and UltraFlix³, allow consumers to not only stream standard 1080p content, but 4K Ultra HD content as well.

To support the excellent picture quality and Ultra HD experience in the P-Series Ultra HD collection, VIZIO engineered the V6 six-core processor. Comprised of a quad-core GPU plus dual-core CPU, the V6 six-core processor delivers maximum speed and advanced graphics processing, enabling an even faster smart TV user experience. To ensure picture quality always remains king, VIZIO also enabled VM50, a dedicated motion and picture-processing engine that beautifully renders every image, including Ultra HD content, with incredible detail.

"The North America UHD TV market is forecast to grow to more than 800k units in 2014, with a substantial portion of that growth occurring in the second half of the year," said Paul Gagnon, Director of Global TV Research for NPD DisplaySearch. "Even with the strong growth in 2014, the UHD market will more than quadruple in 2015 as prices become more accessible to mainstream consumers."

With an established track record introducing new technologies – such as LCD, LED and Smart TV – VIZIO has positioned itself to offer consumers an 4K Ultra HD solution that raises the bar in terms of picture quality and enhances the home entertainment experience that allows consumers to become more fully immersed in the worlds created by Hollywood.  P-Series carries the same beautifully simple pedigree of previous VIZIO offerings but delivers a new best-in-class Ultra HD entertainment experience.

Consumers can pre-order VIZIO's P-Series Ultra HD Full-Array LED Smart TV collection today at VIZIO.com.  The line-up will soon begin rolling out both in-store and online through key retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Sam's Club, Target and Walmart.

¹ The NPD Group / Weekly Tracking Service, Flat Panel TV units with Apps included, Dec 30 2012 – May 24 2014
² IEEE standard 802.11 specifications. Maximum throughput rate of 802.11ac (1300 Mbps) is approximately three times faster than that of 802.11n (450 Mbps). Actual rate will vary, and will be subject to router model, site environment, range, Internet bandwidth and other factors.
³The applications and content of the VIZIO Internet Apps Plus® pictured may only be available in certain countries or languages, may require additional fees or subscription charges, and may be subject to future updates, modifications or discontinuation without notice.

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 company⁵ and large size LCD TV company³ VIZIO is also the #1 Sound Bar Brand in the U.S⁴. 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 19 Stevie Awards, including the Grand Stevie Award in the 8^th Annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. VIZIO offers a broad range of award winning consumer electronics that now include PCs and mobility products.  VIZIO's products are found at Amazon, Best Buy, BJ's Wholesale, Costco Wholesale, Sam's Club, Target, Walmart and other retailers nationwide. VIZIO has won numerous awards including 2014 Editor's Choice by Reviewed.com, "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 also captured Reviewed.com's 2014 Editor's Choice award and 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, Sound & Vision's Top Picks, 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 DisplaySearch Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report, North America LCD Shipments Q2 2007
²NPD DisplaySearch Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report, North America LCD Shipments, Annual 2007-2013
³ The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service, 60" and greater LCD units sold, Jan 2013 – Mar 2014
⁴The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service, units sold in the U.S., Jan 2011 – Dec 2013
⁵The NPD Group / Weekly Tracking Service, Flat Panel TV units with Apps included, Dec 30 2012 – May 24 2014

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SOURCE VIZIO, Inc.