In the US, it's a household name, but budget tech retailer Vizio is far behind in European sales, which is a shame, as its TVs and audio products regularly exceed what their price tags are. Prices suggest they're capable of it. But that's all about to change: Vizio is expected to enter the UK market this summer. Televisions are the most deserving products, but in the world of home audio the company launches its European assault.
Its kinematics on a budget.
“We did well in the United States with sound bars. We are the number of units of units in the last 12 months,” said Mitch Li, vice president of business planning with Vizio Audio. "And the vision of the company (which is) d & # 39; add value to consumers in the market, we thought that & # 39; it was time to get out of the United States. We thought that the European market and our partners At Exertis (dealers) they would be a fantastic place to carry our product.” Vizio will introduce the SP362AN-S6E soundbar for the first time in the UK at an attractive price of €149 this summer. "It's a 2.1-inch solution, 36 inches long, with two subwoofers, two passives, and it really packs a lot of power for a one-bar solution," says Li. "As we focus on the consumer and bring value to the consumer, what you can expect from Vizio is an extraordinary experience."
The Vizio SP362AN-S6E soundbar (Image credit: Vizio) Vizio promises that all the hardware needed for a system will make its way to your box by scanning competitors offering "surround sound" solutions to consumers, but letting them know that they have to buy separate speakers and cabling to complete their immersive audio package. : "Everything you need will be included and included, all the cables needed to plug in the specific bar you buy will be in the box. We'll even offer a simple wall mounting solution if needed. And when you buy a setup you should expect to see the speakers listed on the package, on the packaging, in the marketing materials, exactly how you would expect to receive them when you return to the bar.In the past, Vizio has been really impressed by its ability to provide consumers with high-quality features in low-cost products. cost, and its line of Dolby Atmos audio products is perhaps the best example. According to Li, "an Atmos bar is coming to the UK. This is a 36 "5.1.2", but it wouldn't track with an exact release date beyond a summer window. If things go well, Vizio will also look to import some of its more luxurious products into the UK. "I can't speak on the actual prices in the range yet, because we're still working with partners to determine the products and price tags they want to pack," Li says. "As you know, we have a lot of soundbar SKUs in the US and we try to understand what makes sense. For reference, we have a 46-inch 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos bar that is sold in the US for €999. So I think it would be a bit close to that."
The Vizio SP362AN-S6E soundbar (Image credit: Vizio)
Flexibility in form
Li also promised that Vizio would provide the same long-term support for its products in the UK as it has in the US. "For example, in the US, we found it useful for driving high-powered speakers," says Li. "So we develop new firmware and release ways to control it to the public. As we discover exciting features, we continue to update the product whenever possible." possible to integrate the best components into the bar and set them to a very high standard, to the point where we expect to get the same level of kudos as in the US" < p class="bordeaux-image-check">
The Vizio P-Quantum TV series (Image credit: Vizio) Sound bars can't always set the world alight early, but Vizio isn't averse to trying unusual form factors to get its products to reach as many audiences as possible. lounges possible. "Everyone's living room is not the same. Some people don't like to have a subwoofer on the side of their screen, so we figured there were other form factors," Li says. . "One is a slimmer form factor that can slide under a lot of sofas, depending on the height of the sub. Performance is still absolutely amazing—we haven't compromised bass output at all," she says. "It's just that you can stretch the acoustic volumes in different dimensions and we've customized the transducer. So you can achieve the same level of performance and offer an alternative to the consumer. You can say, 'Hey, if that doesn't work in your situation, why not use an alternate form factor? "And as for those tempting TVs coming to Europe? We're here to talk about audio, so all I can say is we'll evaluate and if the conditions are right, we'll see what can happen." audio line's performance in the UK, "among other things," mocks Li.