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

Wednesday July 31, 2019 6:20 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
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.


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.

Tags: HomeKit Guide, AirPlay 2, Vizio
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Bboble
7 months ago
AirPlay on a 2016 Vizio, but, not a 2018 LG!?

What year is it?
Rating: 20 Votes
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twistedpixel8
7 months ago

I'm still outraged at LG not supporting ''old'' (2018 OLED's) models.


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.
Rating: 13 Votes
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Smeaton1724
7 months ago

AirPlay on a 2016 Vizio, but, not a 2018 LG!?

What year is it?

I'm still outraged at LG not supporting ''old'' (2018 OLED's) models.
Rating: 10 Votes
Avatar
Kaibelf
7 months ago

Curious...what's the advantage of having Airplay 2 functionality on a TV if you already have an Apple TV connected?


Anyone on your wifi can sling video or audio easily to the TV. It's a convenience play.
[doublepost=1564585647][/doublepost]

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:


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.
Rating: 6 Votes
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Platocplx
7 months ago

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.


Seriously. Especially with how little the TVs change year to year and there is barely any 4k content thats broadcasted still and they want to just move to 8k next. its nuts.
Rating: 5 Votes
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jetjaguar
7 months ago
Crazy that LG wont update the 2018s with this
Rating: 5 Votes
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AJClayton
7 months ago

Or even my 2017!


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.


I'm with you [USER=742732]@MrGimper[/USER] 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. [USER=204600]@x-evil-x[/USER] 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.
Rating: 4 Votes
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Jsameds
7 months ago
Shame Samsung won't update their older TVs. I have a 2016 KS8000 which is more than capable of running Airplay but they simply aren't updating anything pre-2019 which is lame.
Rating: 4 Votes
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MrGimper
7 months ago

I'm still outraged at LG not supporting ''old'' (2018 OLED's) models.


Or even my 2017!
Rating: 4 Votes
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sw1tcher
7 months ago

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/


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/2019/03/ftc-investigates-whether-isps-sell-your-browsing-history-and-location-data/
Rating: 4 Votes

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