Google Cast technology is the tech you can find powering popular consumer electronics, like the Chromecast from Google, a tiny HDMI streaming dongle you can plug into your HDMI TV or monitor and use it to stream media content that includes music and video through applications from your phone. Google Cast has also been integrated into a number of other products over the years since the initial Chromecast launch, like TVs, which Philips recently announced, and in speakers like those from Bang & Olufsen’s BeoPlay line. Today, Vizio who is more well-known for TVs themselves, have just unveiled a new lineup of soundbars for the home, all of which come with Google Cast technology built-in.
Alongside being known for TVs Vizio is also known to price their products fairly competitively in comparison with some of the more high-end brands like Sony, Samsung, and LG, and this sort of pricing structure seems to transition over to their newly announced sound bars as they start at just $179.99 for the 38-inch SmartCast soundbar 3.0, which is just the soundbar itself. Vizio will also be offering a range of different soundbar systems. The systems will start at a price of $219.99 for the 38-inch model that features 2.1 audio, and will go up from there to the 38-inch system which features 3.1 audio for $269.99.
Vizio will also be offering the 38-inch soundbar system in a 5.1 audio version for $299.99, and the systems go all the way up to a 45-inch soundbar system with 5.1 audio for $499.99. As stated above the entire collection of soundbars will have Google Cast built-in, and all of them are compatible with Vizio’s SoundCast technology which means you’ll be able to use your smartphone as a touchscreen remote after installing the SoundCast companion app from the Play Store. For those that don’t use Google Cast for streaming music, all the soundbars are also fitted with Bluetooth technology allowing streaming through Bluetooth as opposed to over the local WiFi connection. Vizio states that all of their soundbar systems are now available for purchase at the Vizio website, but they should also be showing up at various retailers as well.