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Vizio Begins Rolling Out AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to 2016 and Newer SmartCast TVs Following Beta Testing

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Following months of beta testing, Vizio today announced that AirPlay 2 and HomeKit are now rolling out to its 2016 and newer SmartCast TVs via an over-the-air firmware update. The rollout will continue over the coming months.

vizio-homekit.jpg

AirPlay 2 support enables users to stream videos, music, podcasts, photos, and more directly from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to a compatible Vizio TV, with no Apple TV necessary. And with HomeKit, users can easily control the TV's power, volume, and more using Siri or the Home app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

AirPlay 2 and HomeKit are rolling out to the following Vizio SmartCast TVs:
  • VIZIO P-Series Quantum X (2019)
    VIZIO P-Series Quantum (2019 and 2018)
    VIZIO P-Series (2018, 2017 and 2016)
    VIZIO M-Series Quantum (2019)
    VIZIO M-Series (2018, 2017 and 2016)
    VIZIO E-Series (2018, 2017 and 2016 UHD models)
    VIZIO V-Series (2019)
    VIZIO D-Series (2018)
MacRumors demoed AirPlay 2 and HomeKit on a Vizio SmartCast TV during the beta testing period:


LG also began rolling out AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to select 2019 TVs over the last week, and Sony plans to follow suit later this summer. Samsung also offers AirPlay 2 and an Apple TV app on on select TVs, but not HomeKit.

Article Link: Vizio Begins Rolling Out AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to 2016 and Newer SmartCast TVs Following Beta Testing
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2019/07/31/vizio-rolling-out-airplay-2-homekit/
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DoctorTech said:
No thanks. I trust this company as much as I do Facebook after they were caught collecting data on everything their customers were watching (cable, DVDs, streaming, etc.) and selling it to 3rd parties without the consent of their customers.

https://kdvr.com/2019/02/12/vizio-paying-tv-owners-in-spying-lawsuit-settlement-how-to-file-a-claim/
Click to expand...

Hope you don't use Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint for mobile phone service because they were selling user location data

https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/09/us-cell-carriers-still-selling-your-location-data/

or Comcast, Google Fiber, Verizon, or AT&T for an ISP because they might be selling your data too.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...sell-your-browsing-history-and-location-data/
 
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To those who are "outraged" that their tv is not getting this update...why don't you already have an Apple TV?
I mean, if AirPlay is THAT important. Just sayin'. :rolleyes:
 
Braderunner said:
To those who are "outraged" that their tv is not getting this update...why don't you already have an Apple TV?
I mean, if AirPlay is THAT important. Just sayin'. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I can think of one thing. If you want to thow something from your iPhone up to your TV real quick, without having to switch to the Apple TV first, a TV built with Airplay 2 would solve that. When I had an Android for a while, I could do that to my Sony 2018 model with Android built in. But on iPhone, I have to switch first to Apple TV, then airplay to it. A minor, but annoying step.
 
Good for Visio for going back and supporting older models with this. However as with ANY smart tv support only last so long. My 2014 Visio already lost support for Hulu and Amazon Prime apps that used to be on it. My older LGs also lost support for services that used to work.
 
twistedpixel8 said:
Yup, it’s like the TV makers want TVs to be the new phones and get people to upgrade every year. It’s disgusting given all the waste produced.
Click to expand...
They still need to be a lot cheaper for people to upgrade faster with them. Most people I know buy a tv maybe once every 10 years.
 
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Bdubs35 said:
Curious...what's the advantage of having Airplay 2 functionality on a TV if you already have an Apple TV connected?
Click to expand...

Anyone on your wifi can sling video or audio easily to the TV. It's a convenience play.
[doublepost=1564585647][/doublepost]
Braderunner said:
To those who are "outraged" that their tv is not getting this update...why don't you already have an Apple TV?
I mean, if AirPlay is THAT important. Just sayin'. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I think the outrage is that a budget brand like Vizio is doing this for older TVs, while "premium" brands like LG and Samsung are bailing after a single year (LG) or not even offering the actual solution completely (Samsung). Given the audience here, where you expect superior support in exchange for that extra money, people are naturally wondering what that extra money was for.
 
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The big question I can’t find the answer to ...

If you have airplay 2 speakers (Ex HomePods) can the TV natively output to these speakers from any input ?

I can output my Apple TV to my stereo HomePods but can’t from any other input source. It would be awesome (but actually this should be how it works) if the tv could take any source including cable/satellite and output to the HomePods

Anyone know if this works ?
 
While those with an 2018 LG OLED can complain about not having this all I can say is that it does one thing for me that my Apple TV 3 can't and that's play 4K video. I'm not a big fan of this app because it can't play something outside of what's in the store… something has to be played to it (via Airplay). And it also doesn't support Apple Music.
 
If you get any "smart TV" be sure to turn off the spyware in settings*.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/7/14527360/vizio-smart-tv-tracking-settlement-disable-settings

Better yet, just don't let the bloody thing have internet access in the first place.

I have no use for any on-board features on any TV. Just need an HDMI in and I'm set. An Apple TV / Roku / whatever streaming device I choose can handle the rest, thanks, and I'll upgrade the comparatively inexpensive boxes as needed... and forego the crapware newer TVs come with. I bought my mom a TV recently (a Panasonic, I think?) and the damn thing was serving ads on the on-screen volume bar. Infuriating.

* while you're in there, maybe shut off the "smoothing" technology that makes movies look like soap operas.
 
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MrGimper said:
Or even my 2017!
Click to expand...

x-evil-x said:
They still need to be a lot cheaper for people to upgrade faster with them. Most people I know buy a tv maybe once every 10 years.
Click to expand...

I'm with you @MrGimper I bought a 2017 LG model in early 2018 when the price had nearly halved from its original selling point just 9 months earlier. But even at half the price, it was still the most expensive television I've ever bought. @x-evil-x is correct - my last TV was a Panasonic Plasma nearly 10 years ago. I wasn't planning to upgrade again any time soon.

If Vizio (who I've never even heard of) can update their budget TV's right back to 2016 and a premium brand like LG can't then I'm disgusted. Vizio's tech in their 2016 TV's can't possibly be any more capable than those released by brands like LG at that time let alone a year or 2 later.

I'm very grumpy about this. My LG is a fantastic set but I will be seriously thinking twice about buying from them again in the future.
 
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Kaibelf said:
Anyone on your wifi can sling video or audio easily to the TV. It's a convenience play.
[doublepost=1564585647][/doublepost]

I think the outrage is that a budget brand like Vizio is doing this for older TVs, while "premium" brands like LG and Samsung are bailing after a single year (LG) or not even offering the actual solution completely (Samsung). Given the audience here, where you expect superior support in exchange for that extra money, people are naturally wondering what that extra money was for.
Click to expand...

Spot on ... I paid £1600 in a black friday deal for my OLED55C7V in November 2017..... I'd expect better support
 
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Braderunner said:
To those who are "outraged" that their tv is not getting this update...why don't you already have an Apple TV?
I mean, if AirPlay is THAT important. Just sayin'. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Apple TV doesn't support HomeKit integration, such as turning on and off the TV with scenes. Apple is behind, Google has been able to do this via Chromecast.

Besides, the Apple TV implementation is modern Apple quality... crap. Just tried it, and Siri spun for 15 seconds and says "I'm having trouble with the connection". Rebooted the Apple TV with no change.
 
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