Vizio, SRS partner up to wow you
Turns out that not everybody is lawyer-angry with Vizio right now. The company has entered a partnership with SRS Labs that will give it access to SRS's portfolio of audio technologies. Fruits of the partnership will start showing up in Q2 of 2008, when Vizio starts making SRS TruSurround XT available in three models: a 42- and 46-inch LCD, and a 50-inch plasma. Not exactly new, TruSurround XT is all about virtual surround sound; that audio we sometimes find phasey and unnatural to the point where it decreases our involvement with the content. But Vizio and SRS have data to back up their strategy: a Consumer Electronics Association poll showed that 76-percent of all flat panels are used without any external audio. We're used to being a minority opinion, but we don't understand the widespread fear over multiple discrete speakers in the room, especially with the rash of stylish HTIB systems now available. If you're in that 76-percent crowd, we suppose virtual surround is better than mono; but you're missing out.
