Vizio intros App-centric Blu-ray Players, HD Routers


Vizio is beginning to ship a wireless Internet router (optimized for its own Internet apps) which it says enables viewers to experience a "virtually seamless" blend of broadband HD/SD video and VOD content.

With growing emphasis on providing a menu of Internet/VOD/Blu-ray content, the firm will offer a trio of wireless Blu-ray players with internalized Internet apps providing VOD, HD movie streaming, music, photos and social networking such as Facebook and Twitter.

Vizio's XWR100 dual-band HD wireless Internet router is designed to secure HD video for Vizio HD sets and Blu-ray players (i.e., models VBR200W, VBR210, VBR220 and VBR231). These Blu-ray players can stream HD/SD content from such established sites as VUDU, Netflix and Pandora.

By operating simultaneously at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, Vizio said it's able to make use of the less crowded 5 GHz band for especially "time-sensitive traffic" such as HD streaming.