Vizio rolls out speed update for its revamped smart TV platform

Vizio’s most recent TVs are poised to get peppier thanks to an upcoming performance-boosting patch for the manufacturer’s just-overhauled smart TV platform.

The software update will deliver a variety of improvements, including faster power-on times for the TVs themselves, along with quicker app switching and smoother navigation of the Vizio Home Screen user interface, Vizio says. 

While most Vizio TVs dating back to 2016 are now running on the new Vizio Home Screen software, only Vizio’s more recent sets will benefit from the speed update.

This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart TVs.

Specifically, all 2021 and newer Vizio TVs will get the performance update, along with “select” 2020 models, according to a Vizio rep. 

Slated to roll out in the “coming weeks,” the new update will make supported Vizio TVs power on up to twice as fast, Vizio promises. 

Vizio Home Screen users will get “smoother scrolling” and “improved speed and performance” when switching between apps, while voice and text searches will serve up “faster recommendations,” Vizio says. 

Vizio

Vizio

Vizio

The performance patch arrives roughly six months after Vizio rolled out a major revamp of its smart TV platform. 

Dubbed Vizio Home Screen, the new software replaced the old Vizio SmartCast platform, offering an all-new home screen complete with left-side navigation, jumbo “hero”-style promos for new and trending streaming offerings, and integrated Rotten Tomatoes scores and Common Sense Media descriptions for parents. 

Vizio Home Screen also brings video recommendations (which should be familiar to anyone who subscribes to a streaming service), along with a customizable “App Row” and a watch list.