Vizio Brings Internet Apps to TV

If you were watching the Super Bowl last night, then you no doubt caught the perplexing Vizio commercial, though who could blame you if you had absolutely no idea what was going on in the ad or even who was sponsoring it? (Check out the ad in full below.)

The ad starts strong, with a smokin' performance by Beyoncé, decked out in a hot little red number. But when a mechanical arm reaches out, cane-style, to whip her off-screen and dump her in a hole, all hell breaks loose. What follows is a cacophony of familiar faces, songs and logos, but just what do Beyoncé, David goes to the Dentist, Chocolate Rain, Twitter, Flickr, Wifi and Facebook all have in common?

Well, they're all apps, now available on your TV, thanks to Vizio's Wi-Fi-enabled HDTV.

Vizio's Internet apps, first unveiled at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, let you download all kinds of content from online sites like Bliptv, Pandora, Netflix and more, straight to your TV, no Blu-ray or computer required.

"Between instant Netflix, Amazon on-demand, and the range of network-backed options (CBS and NBC have 'apps' coming for Vizio), the real draw isn’t checking my eBay auctions on my television," writes Margaret Lyons on Entertainmnet Weekly's blog PopWatch. "It’s using a TV for what I already use if for, except better and more convenient."

According to Endgaget, Vizio is looking to remake its reputation as a cheap HDTV manufacturer by competing with current Internet-enabled HDTV's. In August, CNET said Vizio's new Via line of HDTVs (Vizio Internet Apps,) "promises the most comprehensive suite of interactive features yet seen on any HDTV, including a Bluetooth remote control with a [a full QWERTY] keyboard." The TVs also support Adobe Flash and include a Yahoo widgets engine.

It remains to be seen whether this new line will be a game-changer and launch Vizio to the head of the pack, but CNET says what sets it apart is the huge array of available applications (more than any other model on the market) and the easy-to-use keyboard remote and the built in Wi-Fi that makes it as easy to use as a Blackberry. The models start at just under $1,000.

And here's some even better news: All Vizio TV are ECO HD™, which means they exceed the current Energy Star Guidelines by 50 percent, which will save you money on your utility bills and limit the impact on the environment. The display’s backlight is also mercury-free. (Of course, the old tube TVs used far less energy, but we live in a new world.)

All this means true convergence is just a few clicks away.

Photo courtesy of Vizio.