VIZIO, Inc., has announced updates to its VIZIO SmartCast experience. The large television manufacturer says the updates allow for expanded capabilities within its SmartCast app that includes additional content offerings and more.
The company explains that its SmartCast app allows users to control their SmartCast devices from any room in the home, and stream content from their mobile devices straight to their televisions.
VIZIO SmartCast devices also feature Chromecast built-in, which lets users access popular Chromecast-enabled apps such as Netflix, VUDU, Hulu, Google Play Movies & TV, YouTube, HBO NOW and more to stream their favorite content to VIZIO SmartCast devices.
“The VIZIO Smartcast ecosystem not only simplifies the entertainment experience by giving consumers one app that controls many devices, but it also lets users search and browse across content catalogs from multiple apps at once,” says Matt McRae, chief technology officer (CTO), VIZIO. “We’re excited to announce that soon Google Play Movies & TV will be added to the VIZIO SmartCast app. Soon consumers can easily search Google Play’s expansive library of movies and TV shows alongside selections from their other favorite apps. This process streamlines content discovery so consumers can easily find and tap to cast their choice to the big screen.”
VIZIO's newly improved VIZIO SmartCast app is now said to provide users a faster all-around content aggregation experience. VIZIO says movies, TV shows, videos, music and more load faster, and the improvements also produce faster content search results.
Other improvements include allowing users to search and browse content first by genre across multiple apps at once rather than having to exit an app and enter a new app. The latest updates to the VIZIO SmartCast app also include an Android widget, which allows for easy accessibility of quick control features like power, play, pause and volume control even when the user’s VIZIO SmartCast tablet remote or Android mobile device is locked.
Additional new features are control options that feature faster response times for quicker device discovery and input switching, and a new Quick Start mode that enables consumers to turn on their SmartCast displays automatically over Wi-Fi when a Cast session is initiated without having to separately turn on the display.
