Vizio SmartCast - The Future of TV ?
One of the technology areas I follow is home entertainment systems. As a person who has had upwards of 11 TVs and various sound systems in a home and have built and maintained various content management, distribution and automation systems for whole audio/video and device management, I was intrigued by the approach that Vizio has recently undertaken with their SmartCast technology.
In recent years we have seen an explosion in what are called "Smart TVs". These TVs run an Android or Linux OS variant - like Tizen, WebOS, etc on the "main board" of the TV and come with a number of streaming applications such as Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, etc., that allow you to stream internet content to the TV. In addition some devices had DLNA capabilities that would allow you to stream local content from a PC or laptop.
Anyone who has purchased a "Smart TV" knows that one of the challenges with that technology is that based on the relationship between the content provider and the hardware vendor - an app on the device can suddenly stop working because the content vendor made a change internally and did not release an update to the app for that device.
Similarly apps can come and go as content providers come online, then get bought or fail or have a falling out with the hardware vendor. And DLNA has always been hit or miss in my opinion and typically had a horrible UI.
Vizio is attempting to remedy that situation by de-coupling the apps from the TV and leveraging Google's Cast technology along with an Android tablet to provide streaming capability. The result is what they call SmartCast.
By de-coupling the apps from the TV itself, Vizio has A) reduced their exposure to the risks I mentioned above and B) provided more choice to the user in terms of what apps/devices they may want to use.
So here is how this works. Vizio's new P-series TVs are 4K HDR monitors with Google Cast - so effectively Chromecast built in. There are also 5 HDMI inputs, 1 Component Input as well as USB 3.0 & 2.0 ports, Analog and Digital audio outputs.
There are no "tuners" with this series which is a welcome sight. I've often felt that including NTSC/ATSC tuners and coax connections to a TV was a waste since most Live TV content today comes from either a cable or satellite set top box (STB). The only time I've leveraged existing built-in tuners in recent years was combined with CableCard technology - that was designed to eliminate STBs. While the technology did work - the selection of TVs that supported CableCard was limited and the technology did not support things like DVR streaming, pay per view, etc.
With SmartCast - the supplied Android tablet controls the TV and is the primary streaming content source. You could also use any Android/iOS device/app that supports Google Cast technology. As long as it can "see" the device - you can cast to it.
But there are some considerations you have to be aware of. First and most importantly is that you have a really good quality WiFi network and Internet connection. When you think about the data flow it really bounces around a bit.
Let's use YouTube as an example. Since the YouTube app is actually running on the Android tablet, the tablet is communicating to the internet to receive the content then instead of rendering the content on it's screen, is "redirecting" it to the paired TV device over WiFi. So the Tablet, TV and WiFi network have to be robust enough to support this multi-stream communication.
So you need to have an 802.11ac WiFi network - which means 5Ghz and often some of the range and interference constraints that can come with that model.
So the potential risk here is that if you have any glitches in the WiFi networking - it can affect your experience. Now the same would be true if the streaming apps were embedded with the TVs main board OS - but you need to be aware of that situation. The Vizio P-series does also come with a traditional ethernet connection - and so at least for that part of the communication stream - you could leverage a hard wired connection.
So this all sounds great for streaming content - but what about Live TV ? Like DirecTV for example.
Perusing through the P-Series Manual - Vizio does call out some Live TV control capabilities of the SmartCast App. Vizio calls out that if your DirectTV is on the same WiFi network as the TV and Tablet that you can download the channel guide to the SmartCast App and use it to select a channel and play it.
So to be clear - at least from the content Vizio provided in their manual - this is NOT the DirecTV Guide - but rather a channel listing with some icons to represent the various networks i.e. ABC, CBS, etc..
My assumption here is that Vizio is leverging a combination of HDMI-CEC to turn the DirecTV device on/off and then potentially DirecTVs RVU capability to do things like select channels, etc over WiFi. At least from what I can tell - today the SmartCast app cannot do things like control recording or playback from a DirecTV DVR - so like an HR44 or 54. So SmartCast is NOT a DirecTV Remote replacement.
Additionally there is no detailed content on how SmartCast would work with DirecTV's C41W Wireless STBs - since they are typically on a separate WiFi network via DirecTVs Wireless Video Bridge. My assumption is that the communication is with the main HR system.
Unfortunately the SmartCast App will not control other 3rd party devices like Home Theater Receivers, Blu-Ray, etc. So that means that you'll need to control any of those devices via whatever method you are currently using.
So to me the value proposition of this new approach really depends on the content you view. If your primary method of consuming content is streaming then the Vizio P-series and SmartCast definitely makes sense.
The content world is changing and everyone from Samsung, LG, Sony, Apple, Google, Roku to Vizio is scrambling to try and address it. Today we are in a transition from a broadcast centric model to a demand centric model. Additionally the delivery model is changing from methods like Satellite and Switched Digital Video over cable to Internet based.
Even with providers like DirecTV today - OnDemand content primarily comes in from an internet connection - not from the SWM module on your Satellite dish.
The challenges I see with "Internet TV" and the concept of "wire cutting" fall into two categories. First is the industry fragmentation. While there is the potential for great choice - so downloading and running apps from only those providers you want there is also a potential for massive levels of app sprawl.
Today many content providers out there are publishing some kind of streaming app. But often those apps require that you have a satellite or cable subscription to be able to stream. Do I really want to have to find, download, register and launch an app every time I want to see some different content ? Second - many of those streaming apps do not have all of the content I want from that provider - so they don't necessarily provide a lot of value
And even for those providers that support direct billing and provide a large catalog of content - like Hulu or Netflix - do I want to maintain accounts, billing, Id and passwords for them ? And if I have multiple SmartCast TVs - I have to set this up on each tablet.
Finally in a Verge article this week that interviewed Matt McRae - the CTO of Vizio about SmartCast - Matt mentioned his goal of killing the remote control as we know it and using a new "ceremony" or approach on how you interact with your TV. The funny thing is though is that the new P-series actually comes with 2 remotes. First is the "basic" remote a very simple device that turns the TV On/Off, changes, channels, controls volume, etc. Then the Tablet is the second screen that you use to select and display content.
As I mentioned above - SmartCast is NOT a universal remote replacement. I share Mr McRae's frustration with the lack of innovation in the Home Entertainment industry when it comes to remote device automation. But in my opinion SmartCast truly doesn't address that situation today.
I absolutely loath IR and have gone through all of the cost and effort around converting to RF remotes with hubs and the all too finicky "flasher" approach. And even with "high end" devices that supported serial connections for interfacing with automation systems like Crestron, AMX and others - the combination of antique technologies, poor execution and lack of standardization makes it all the more frustrating.
Bottom line - the Vizio P-series and SmartCast takes an interesting approach to dealing with managing and delivering streaming content. It reduces a lot of the pain involved with using a traditional TV remote to try and select, manage, and control streaming apps.
But the technology is in it's early stages and you really need to make sure your WiFi network is ready to support it. Additionally for Live TV and 3rd party device control - there are limitations. It will be interesting to see how Live TV vendors around this technology like DirecTV, Cox, etc are willing to work with Vizio to advance this approach. I wish them good luck.
In recent years we have seen an explosion in what are called "Smart TVs". These TVs run an Android or Linux OS variant - like Tizen, WebOS, etc on the "main board" of the TV and come with a number of streaming applications such as Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, etc., that allow you to stream internet content to the TV. In addition some devices had DLNA capabilities that would allow you to stream local content from a PC or laptop.
Anyone who has purchased a "Smart TV" knows that one of the challenges with that technology is that based on the relationship between the content provider and the hardware vendor - an app on the device can suddenly stop working because the content vendor made a change internally and did not release an update to the app for that device.
Similarly apps can come and go as content providers come online, then get bought or fail or have a falling out with the hardware vendor. And DLNA has always been hit or miss in my opinion and typically had a horrible UI.
Vizio is attempting to remedy that situation by de-coupling the apps from the TV and leveraging Google's Cast technology along with an Android tablet to provide streaming capability. The result is what they call SmartCast.
By de-coupling the apps from the TV itself, Vizio has A) reduced their exposure to the risks I mentioned above and B) provided more choice to the user in terms of what apps/devices they may want to use.
So here is how this works. Vizio's new P-series TVs are 4K HDR monitors with Google Cast - so effectively Chromecast built in. There are also 5 HDMI inputs, 1 Component Input as well as USB 3.0 & 2.0 ports, Analog and Digital audio outputs.
There are no "tuners" with this series which is a welcome sight. I've often felt that including NTSC/ATSC tuners and coax connections to a TV was a waste since most Live TV content today comes from either a cable or satellite set top box (STB). The only time I've leveraged existing built-in tuners in recent years was combined with CableCard technology - that was designed to eliminate STBs. While the technology did work - the selection of TVs that supported CableCard was limited and the technology did not support things like DVR streaming, pay per view, etc.
With SmartCast - the supplied Android tablet controls the TV and is the primary streaming content source. You could also use any Android/iOS device/app that supports Google Cast technology. As long as it can "see" the device - you can cast to it.
But there are some considerations you have to be aware of. First and most importantly is that you have a really good quality WiFi network and Internet connection. When you think about the data flow it really bounces around a bit.
Let's use YouTube as an example. Since the YouTube app is actually running on the Android tablet, the tablet is communicating to the internet to receive the content then instead of rendering the content on it's screen, is "redirecting" it to the paired TV device over WiFi. So the Tablet, TV and WiFi network have to be robust enough to support this multi-stream communication.
So you need to have an 802.11ac WiFi network - which means 5Ghz and often some of the range and interference constraints that can come with that model.
So the potential risk here is that if you have any glitches in the WiFi networking - it can affect your experience. Now the same would be true if the streaming apps were embedded with the TVs main board OS - but you need to be aware of that situation. The Vizio P-series does also come with a traditional ethernet connection - and so at least for that part of the communication stream - you could leverage a hard wired connection.
So this all sounds great for streaming content - but what about Live TV ? Like DirecTV for example.
Perusing through the P-Series Manual - Vizio does call out some Live TV control capabilities of the SmartCast App. Vizio calls out that if your DirectTV is on the same WiFi network as the TV and Tablet that you can download the channel guide to the SmartCast App and use it to select a channel and play it.
So to be clear - at least from the content Vizio provided in their manual - this is NOT the DirecTV Guide - but rather a channel listing with some icons to represent the various networks i.e. ABC, CBS, etc..
My assumption here is that Vizio is leverging a combination of HDMI-CEC to turn the DirecTV device on/off and then potentially DirecTVs RVU capability to do things like select channels, etc over WiFi. At least from what I can tell - today the SmartCast app cannot do things like control recording or playback from a DirecTV DVR - so like an HR44 or 54. So SmartCast is NOT a DirecTV Remote replacement.
Additionally there is no detailed content on how SmartCast would work with DirecTV's C41W Wireless STBs - since they are typically on a separate WiFi network via DirecTVs Wireless Video Bridge. My assumption is that the communication is with the main HR system.
Unfortunately the SmartCast App will not control other 3rd party devices like Home Theater Receivers, Blu-Ray, etc. So that means that you'll need to control any of those devices via whatever method you are currently using.
So to me the value proposition of this new approach really depends on the content you view. If your primary method of consuming content is streaming then the Vizio P-series and SmartCast definitely makes sense.
The content world is changing and everyone from Samsung, LG, Sony, Apple, Google, Roku to Vizio is scrambling to try and address it. Today we are in a transition from a broadcast centric model to a demand centric model. Additionally the delivery model is changing from methods like Satellite and Switched Digital Video over cable to Internet based.
Even with providers like DirecTV today - OnDemand content primarily comes in from an internet connection - not from the SWM module on your Satellite dish.
The challenges I see with "Internet TV" and the concept of "wire cutting" fall into two categories. First is the industry fragmentation. While there is the potential for great choice - so downloading and running apps from only those providers you want there is also a potential for massive levels of app sprawl.
Today many content providers out there are publishing some kind of streaming app. But often those apps require that you have a satellite or cable subscription to be able to stream. Do I really want to have to find, download, register and launch an app every time I want to see some different content ? Second - many of those streaming apps do not have all of the content I want from that provider - so they don't necessarily provide a lot of value
And even for those providers that support direct billing and provide a large catalog of content - like Hulu or Netflix - do I want to maintain accounts, billing, Id and passwords for them ? And if I have multiple SmartCast TVs - I have to set this up on each tablet.
Finally in a Verge article this week that interviewed Matt McRae - the CTO of Vizio about SmartCast - Matt mentioned his goal of killing the remote control as we know it and using a new "ceremony" or approach on how you interact with your TV. The funny thing is though is that the new P-series actually comes with 2 remotes. First is the "basic" remote a very simple device that turns the TV On/Off, changes, channels, controls volume, etc. Then the Tablet is the second screen that you use to select and display content.
As I mentioned above - SmartCast is NOT a universal remote replacement. I share Mr McRae's frustration with the lack of innovation in the Home Entertainment industry when it comes to remote device automation. But in my opinion SmartCast truly doesn't address that situation today.
I absolutely loath IR and have gone through all of the cost and effort around converting to RF remotes with hubs and the all too finicky "flasher" approach. And even with "high end" devices that supported serial connections for interfacing with automation systems like Crestron, AMX and others - the combination of antique technologies, poor execution and lack of standardization makes it all the more frustrating.
Bottom line - the Vizio P-series and SmartCast takes an interesting approach to dealing with managing and delivering streaming content. It reduces a lot of the pain involved with using a traditional TV remote to try and select, manage, and control streaming apps.
But the technology is in it's early stages and you really need to make sure your WiFi network is ready to support it. Additionally for Live TV and 3rd party device control - there are limitations. It will be interesting to see how Live TV vendors around this technology like DirecTV, Cox, etc are willing to work with Vizio to advance this approach. I wish them good luck.
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