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Is Vizio No. 1 LCD TV seller or not?

August 19th, 2009, 1:51 pm by

Vizio Inc., an Irvine HDTV sellerAnother quarter, another victory for the Irvine TV company Vizio Inc., which continued to sell more TVs than everybody else. Or was it?

Two market research firms just announced the top companies for second quarter 2009 LCD TV sales. Vizio is number one in one report, and number two in another report.

iSuppli has Vizio less than a half percent ahead of Samsung. But DisplaySearch has Samsung ahead.

DisplaySearch says Vizio fell to second place when judged on units. However, DisplaySearch added that Vizio continues to see “strong growth” thanks to relationships with retailers like Walmart.

Vizio is leader in LCD TV sales, during 2Q 2009, according to iSuppli.iSuppli, meanwhile, noted that Vizio didn’t grow as much as second-place rival Samsung. Still, Vizio was ahead of Samsung in market share by 0.4 percentage points, or 21.7 percent vs. 21.3 percent, as shown in the chart on the right.

Samsung’s appeal? Back-lit TVs, also called LED TVs, allowing for a brighter picture. Vizio’s first LED TVs are on the verge of hitting stores later this month.

“Samsung in the second quarter was very aggressive in introducing and marketing its LED-backlit LCD-TVs, allowing it to boost sales of these sets,” Riddhi Patel, iSuppli principal analyst, television systems, said in a statement.

Vizio spokesman Jim Noyd cleared up the confusion: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • | 14 Comments »

The SLEEspot: 17-inch Toshiba laptop for $348

August 14th, 2009, 4:00 pm by

SLEEspot: Gadgetress intern Sandra Lee spots a tech deal daily.Big welcome to Gadgetress’ summer intern Sandra Lee, a junior at Sonora High School in La Habra. She’s here for a few weeks and has come up with a daily feature: The SleeSpot. She’ll be posting a tech bargain, tip or fun fact every day at 4 p.m. Short, sweet and simple: It’s the SleeSpot!

Toshiba 17-inch laptop, $348 at Walmart on Sunday.This Sunday, Aug. 16, head to Walmart and look out for the Toshiba L355 17″ screen laptop for just $348! (And from an Irvine company!) Last month, Walmart sold a Compaq laptop for $298. Hey mom, can I borrow some money?  ~ Sandra Lee

Got a tip for the SLEEspot? Tell me about it at slee@ocregister.com.

Posted in: Computers • Gadgets • • • • • • | 7 Comments »

Vizio Blu-ray player shows up in Walmart for $178

August 10th, 2009, 4:19 pm by

Vizio's first Blu-ray DVD player shows up in Walmart stores.Vizio’s long-awaited sub-$200 Blu-ray player is beginning to show up at Walmart stores nationwide — the Huntington Beach store added the high-definition DVD player to shelves last night, according to a sales clerk.

Irvine’s Vizio first announced its entry into Blu-ray players in January during the Consumer Electronics Show. The timing in stores is well off the initial April 2009 launch date, but hey, at least the price is $22 cheaper. 

The VBR100 Blu-ray player, which is listed as “coming soon” for $199.99 on Vizio’s Web site, has HDMI output and plays BD-Live content (so you can chat with friends watching the same movie). It also plays DVDs, CDs, MP3s and JPEG images. There’s no built-in memory card reader but on the back, there’s a USB port, which can read JPEGs, MP3s and BD Live storage. Nothing fancy, but it is thinner than some of the competitor boxes on the same shelves.

Vizio's first Blu-ray disc player shows up in Walmart stores.

Vizio's straightforward Blu-ray disc player is nothing fancy, but it's smaller, thinner than some competitor's.Now, I didn’t rush to the store to buy one, but I did stop by a local store to verify Walmart had them in stock (two left, by the way).  Photos are from my hunt.

The guys over at FormatWarCentral.com did. Here’s the link to their unboxing of the VBR100 (as spotted on EngadgetHD.com): LINK.

The new Vizio Blu-ray player isn’t the only one Walmart offers in the sub-$200 market. I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing $100 Blu-ray players at Christmas. Here’s a list from Walmart’s Web site:

Blu-ray player Price Store
Magnavox Blu-ray Disc Player, NB530MGX $129 Walmart
Sylvania Blu-ray Disc Player (NB500SL9) $177 Walmart
Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray Player, BD-1500/XAA $198 Walmart
Sharp AQUOS 1080p HD Blu-ray Disc Player, BD-HP21U $199 Walmart

Earlier Vizio news:


Check out the Gadgetress Guide to local TV services

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • | 1 Comment »

Vizio says its TVs no longer infringe on rival’s patents

August 4th, 2009, 8:01 am by

Vizio Inc., an Irvine HDTV sellerIn a case that won’t seem to die, a TV rival of Irvine’s Vizio Inc. won another battle that could end any patent infringement by Vizio and other television manufacturers.

Funai Electric Co., which sued all competitors believed to infringe on  U.S. Patent No. 6,115,074, said that the International Trade Commission and Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit have just denied further attempts by Vizio and others to put this dispute to rest. Because of that, U.S. Customs must enforce the ITC’s order that Vizio must stop importing digital TVs into the U.S. The list of companies that join Vizio include Proview Technology Inc., Envision Peripherals and Syntax-Brillian Corp.

But Vizio says that ITC order doesn’t affect any of the company’s current product line so the battle with Funai over digital TV patents is over. 

“We believe none of our current TVs infringe on the purported claim. VIZIO has developed an alternative, non-infringing technical solution, which removes the allegedly infringing feature from the chipsets in its television products. Since the ITC’s limited exclusion order applies only to chipsets that contain the allegedly infringing feature, Vizio believes that this technical solution should ensure that VIZIO¹s customers can receive continued supply of VIZIO’s industry-leading television products,” Vizio said in a statement.

The company also reminded everyone that Funai’s patent was ruled invalid by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office earlier this year. And it believes that the Federal Circuit will reverse the ITC’s earlier order. 

Past stories on the Vizio vs. Funai fight:

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Vizio TVs don’t infringe on rival’s patents

July 9th, 2009, 8:09 am by

Vizio Inc., an Irvine HDTV sellerIrvine’s Vizio won another legal victory that is expected to end  its ongoing battle with a Japanese rival.

Vizio won a United States Customs and Border Protection agency ruling on Wednesday that all of its current models of televisions do not infringe on U.S. Patent No. 6,115,074, which is held by Japanese rival Funai Electric Co.

“We believe that this ruling … will allow us to successfully bring this issue to a close,” stated Rob Brinkman, vice president of operations and administration.

Funai, which sells TVs under the brands Emerson, Sylvania and Symphonic, has been buying TV patents and using them to get more money out of competitors — or attempting to shut them down. In April, Funai won a ruling by the U.S. International Trade Commission to stop Vizio from importing digital TVs to sell in the United States. Vizio won a stay last month, as the Trade Commission mulls its decision to ban imports that infringe on the Funai patent. While Vizio can ship its HDTVs to the U.S. for now, that case hasn’t been completely resolved. 

However, earlier in March, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a final rejection of the Funai patent, saying Vizio didn’t infringe.

Vizio has said companies like Funai are unfairly targeting the Irvine TV maker because of its success over the years (read: “Vizio TVs could be $30 cheaper“).

“Today’s Customs ruling is yet another major step forward for Vizio, our supply partners, our retail customers, and most importantly the American consumers who have shown they prefer Vizio HDTVs over other brands,” Laynie Newsome, Vizio’s co-founder & vice president of sales and marketing communications, said in a statement.

 ”We are pleased that Funai’s ill-advised tactics continue to falter and are being rejected by the U.S. authorities; we are determined and remain unshaken by merit-less claims from foreign competitors.”

Earlier on Vizio:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

First Netflix TVs powered by Broadcom

June 15th, 2009, 10:43 am by

LG's Netflix TVs have Irvine's Broadcom inside.The first HDTVs that can stream movies from Netflix’s online movie service do so thanks to technology from Irvine’s Broadcom Corp. 

The LG Electronics TVs, which have LG’s “NetCast Entertainment Access” feature, just hit stores like Best Buy. They include an Ethernet port leaving it to consumers to supply Internet service. Once plugged in, the TV can access a handful of online services, like Netflix. 

Broadcom, which has been working with LG for three years, is supplying its BCM 3549 digital TV system on a chip for LG’s new “Broadband HDTVs.”  The Irvine chipmaker’s specialty is processing high-quality video without too much effort by the machine’s other components. While the LG TVs were announced in January, Broadcom wanted to wait until TVs were available before announcing its partnership with the electronics company. Watch Broadcom’s video on YouTube HERE.

The LG TVs are the first to integrate the Netflix instant streaming service, which allows Netflix subscribers to order movies on demand and watch them instantly on TV. Netflix streaming offers a limited number of movies and TV shows and is included with any monthly membership.  That service has been available with LG’s Blu-ray player plus a number of other gadgets including Xbox 360, the Roku player, some TiVo boxes and a Samsung Blu-ray player. With the new LG TVs, no additional devices are needed to stream Netflix movies.

LG's 'Broadband HDTV' can access online services from Yahoo! Widgets.

Internet TVs were big trends at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year.  And, it seemed, every TV brand planned to offer its own version of a Web TV, including Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic and Irvine’s Vizio. But don’t get too excited. An Internet TV doesn’t mean a user can actually access the Internet. Depending on the manufacturer, only certain online services are available to users. 

In LG’s case, users will have access to specific online content, such as YouTube, NetFlix, Flickr and Yahoo! Widgets (to add Twitter, news feeds, etc.). The TVs can only “access Internet” via Yahoo! Widgets. Users won’t be able to sit on the couch and surf the plain, ol’ Internet. However, the Broadcom chip will also let the TV access video, photos and other files stored on PCs or other devices attached to the home computer network.

LG TVs with the Internet chip include the 47-inch 47LH50 LCD TV, priced at $2,100, and the 50-inch 50PS80 plasma TV, priced at $2,100. A 42-inch LCD (model 42LH50, for $1,700) and 60-inch plasma (model 60PS80 for $3,200) are expected to go on sale this summer.

Images courtesy of Broadcom.

More TV news:


Check out the Gadgetress Guide to local TV services

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • • | 4 Comments »

Whew! Vizio TVs safe for now

June 11th, 2009, 11:00 am by

Vizio Inc., an Irvine HDTV seller

In some very last-minute maneuvering, Irvine’s Vizio was allowed to continue selling its TVs in the United States, at least for the near future. That’s right — the nation’s top LCD TV seller appeared thisclose to pulling its HDTVs from store shelves.

Vizio said late Wednesday that it was granted a temporary stay against a federal order to stop importing HDTVs into the United States that infringed on a patent owned by Funai Electric Company, a rival that sells Emerson, Sylvania and Symphonic HDTVs.

But the stay only offers the United States International Trade Commission a bit more time to reverse its April decision to ban imports of TVs that infringe on a Funai patent, also known as the ’074 patent.

Funai had issued a statement on Tuesday celebrating the end of the ITC 60-day deadline for any presidential intervention. If it hadn’t been for the temporary stay, Vizio would have joined the TV brands Proview, AOC, Ölevia, and Envision from selling infringing TVs in the U.S.

The strange thing about this whole case is that before the ITC made its decision, the same Funai patent was ruled invalid by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

“This is a significant first step in the appellate review process. We are confident that the Federal Circuit will reverse the ITC’s earlier determination and vindicate VIZIO’s position in light of the recent final rejection of the ’074 patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  The court’s action today serves as yet another affirmation that business is to be conducted as usual despite abusive and anti-competitive behavior from competitors,” Laynie Newsome, Vizio’s vice president of sales and marketing communications said in a statement.

Vizio has been plagued with patent lawsuits from smaller companies and believes such fees could add $30 to the price of every TV it sells. While it does pay licensing fees on proven digital TV components, Vizio feels that companies are coming out of nowhere trying to collect money because of Vizio’s spectacular rise to the top of the HDTV industry in just a few short years. Funai has been particularly litigious.

But Vizio may not be in such dire straits as previously thought. In a response to President Obama’s inaction Tuesday, Vizio said, “the products involved with this particular claim are obsolete, and no longer in mass production.  Therefore we believe this action will not impact our ability to conduct our business in normal fashion.”

As Gizmodo points out, “Ban on Vizio HDTV Imports Upheld, But Does It Even Matter?.”

Around the web:

Earlier on Vizio:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • | 16 Comments »

Vizio sues TV rival LG, wins small battle with pesky Funai

June 9th, 2009, 11:50 am by

Vizio Inc., an Irvine HDTV sellerCatching up: Irvine’s Vizio Inc., which has been fighting pesky rivals who seek ‘unfair’ license fees, announced a big move over the weekend: It sued LG Electronics for infringing on its patents.

Vizio also won a small battle against Funai Electric Company, a rival that sells Emerson, Sylvania and Symphonic HDTVs.

Vizio filed its lawsuit on Friday against Korea’s LG Electronics in the U. S. District Court for the District of Maryland alleging that “LG infringes on numerous Vizio patents in its manufacturing, importation and distribution of certain products including high definition televisions,” according to Vizio.

The Irvine company wants LG to stop and seeks an injunction prohibiting LG from importing and selling infringing HDTVs. Vizio also seeks damages for past alleged infringing sales.

As DigiTimes reports, LG first sued Vizio last year for patent infringement. Vizio, which became the top seller of LCD HDTVs in the U.S. earlier this year, said that it has been unfairly targeted for patent fees because of its success.

Separately, a U.S. District Court for the Central District of California denied Funai’s attempt to delay an antitrust lawsuit claiming Funai unlawfully restrains trade, misuses its patent rights and monopolizes the marketplace for digital TV technology. Vizio, which filed the lawsuit in February, also claims Funai unlawfully acquired the rights to U.S. patent No. 6,115,074, a digital TV patent.

Vizio has called the fees excessive and unfair because it is one of the few HDTV sellers that Funai is targeting. Such fees could add up to $30 per TV, a cost that Vizio would have to pass on to the consumer (see earlier: “Vizio TVs could be $30 cheaper.”)

“We are pleased that the court recognized the importance of our antitrust claims and denied Funai’s attempt to delay our efforts to prove our case. We cannot allow a foreign competitor to misuse its patent and monopolize the marketplace, or to divert us from our mission to bring affordable, high quality HDTVs to Americans,” Laynie Newsome, a Vizio co-founder and vice president of sales and marketing, said in a statement.

More from the web:
Vizio files TV patent suit against LG in U.S. (Reuters)

Vizio Sues LG For Patent Infringement (Twice)

Vizio files patent lawsuit against LG (DigiTimes)

Past Gadgetress stories about Vizio:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • • | 1 Comment »

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