News and Press

Corner Office: VIZIO's William Wang

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:34:48 +0000

Sucess Magazine
By: Steven Strauss
April 2010

A Big Risk for a Big Payoff

It’s the hope of many an entrepreneur: Get your product not only into one of the big-box stores, but into the epitome of the big-box store, Costco. The murmurs of the crowd begin. “If we could get our stuff in Costco,” they dream, “just about everything would be well in the world.”

Meet William Wang, the slayer of Costco, the titan of TV, the visionary of Vizio. His company is the maker of what has become one of Costco’s most popular products: flat-screen televisions. That alone is a remarkable feat when you consider that not only is his company less than a decade old, but televisions were barely even on Costco’s radar when they started selling Vizio TVs in 2003.

To read more of this article please click here.

Top 10 By Industry: Consumer Electronics

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:51:20 +0000

Fast Company
February 19, 2010
By Mark Borden and Paul Hochman

6. Vizio

Founded in Irvine, Califonia in 2002, Vizio became the largest seller of LCD TVs in 2007. You have to hand it to a company whose monomania for cost savings has almost single-handedly plunged LG, Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, and Samsung into corporate despair.

To read more of this article please click here.

ROCK YOUR WALLS

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:41:25 +0000

Men's Health
December 1, 2009

2010 BEST HDTV
Vizio SV472XVT MEN'S HEALTH TOP PICK
That's no mistake. Vizio clawed its way out of the bargain bin to become the number one manufacturer of LCD TVs in the world, and sets like this one are why. It's packing all the style and functionality of rigs costing three times as much: 240 Hz-effect refresh rate, local LED dimming, 802.11(n) wireless Yahoo widgets, streaming movies (Netflix, Amazon On Demand, Vudu, Blockbuster On Demand), music (Pandora, Rhapsody), photos (Flickr), and even Facebook and Twitter. Heck, the remote is teeming with features, including a full QWERTY keyboard and Bluetooth. It's the most wellrounded HDTV you can find. $1,700.

To read more of this article please click here.

VIZIO Takes Top spot in US TV Shipments

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:17:37 +0000

I4U News
By: Shane McGlaun
November 18, 2009

Vizio has announced that it has continued sticking it to the big name brands
and has again grabbed the top spot on the list of LCD TV shippers in
America. In Q3 2009 Vizio grew its LCD sales 87% compared to Q3 2008. Vizio
also grew 200% in full 1080p HDTVs and premium features like 120Hz and 240Hz
refresh rates.

According to iSuppli, Vizio shipped about 4,075,000 TVs for the year so far
while Samsung took second place with 3,894,000 units shipped. Sony was in
third with 2,362,000 units shipped, LG was fourth with 1,739,000, and
Toshiba took the fifth spot with 1,686,000 units shipped.

Vizio shipped 1,234,667 TVs in q3 alone according to the numbers. Vizio also
had two of the top 5 most popular TVs with its VO320E in second place and
its VA26LHDTV in fifth. "According DisplaySearch's North American shipment
information, VIZIO has the highest year-over-year unit growth for 2009’s
first 3 quarters of any TV brand in the region at 70% YoY, far surpassing
the industry average of 9% growth," stated analyst Paul Gagnon of
DisplaySearch.

VIZIO Again Ranked #1 in Cumulative U.S. LCD HDTV Shipments Through Q3 2009

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:39:38 +0000

- VIZIO Q3 U.S. LCD Sales Grow 87% Year Over Year

- VIZIO Brand Shows Impressive 200% Growth in Full 1080p HDTVs and Premium Features such as 120/240Hz Refresh Rates

- Strong YoY Growth in High Performance Large Size 42”+ HDTVs

Irvine, CA – November 17, 2009 -- VIZIO, America’s #1 LCD HDTV Company, announced today that it remains the #1 shipper of LCD HDTVs to the U.S. through the 3rd quarter of 2009 according to iSuppli’s Q3 2009 U.S. TV unit shipments*.

iSuppli’s 2009 YTD U.S. LCD Unit Shipments (thousands of units)
VIZIO	4,075
Samsung	3,894
Sony	2,362
LG Electronics	1,739
Toshiba	1,686

Source – *iSuppli Corporation Q4 2009 U.S. TV Market Tracker

“For 2009, VIZIO is currently leading the U.S. for LCD-TV market based on cumulative quarterly unit shipments and continues to gain consumer attention in part because of its aggressive marketing efforts and its strategy of providing newer technologies at value prices,” said Riddhi Patel, Principal Analyst, Television Systems iSuppli Corporation.

“We are thrilled to have achieved 87% YoY growth, far surpassing the industry average of 11%,” stated Laynie Newsome, VIZIO Co-Founder and VP Sales & Marketing Communications. “To achieve such strong growth during a tough economy, especially on our high performance offerings like TruLED and 120/240 Hz LCD TVs, shows that Americans have chosen VIZIO for its unique offering of the latest technology at a great value.”
VIZIO HDTVs are merchandised with the strongest and most efficient retail partners in the industry like Costco Wholesale, Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Target stores who all offer HDTVs at incredible values. With this strong retail presence VIZIO’s LCD TV unit shipments grew 87% from 658,997 in the third quarter of 2008 to 1,234,667 in Q3 2009.

"According DisplaySearch's North American shipment information, VIZIO has the highest year-over-year unit growth for 2009’s first 3 quarters of any TV brand in the region at 70% YoY, far surpassing the industry average of 9% growth," stated analyst Paul Gagnon of DisplaySearch.

VIZIO’s strength in the 3rd quarter was driven in part by two of the top five best selling TVs in the U.S. - the VO320E and VA320E.

QUIXEL Q3 2009 Best Sellers
Manufacturer	Product	Size	Resolution	Aspect Ratio	List Price
Samsung	LN32B360	32	1366x768	16x9	$549.99
VIZIO	VO320E	32	1366x768	16x9	$499.99
Philips	19PFL3504D/F7	19	1366x768	16x9	$299.00
RCA	L32HD31R	32	1366x768	16x9	$379.00
VIZIO	VA26LHDTV	26	1366x768	16x9	$499.99

“VIZIO had 2 out of 5 of Quixel's Top 5 Best Sellers by Units in Q3 2009 and more models that any other manufacturer for the quarter,” stated Tamaryn Pratt of Quixel Research. “When looking at VIZIO's YoY U.S. LCD TV sales that were up 87%, it appears that economic conditions remain especially favorable for the brand. VIZIO is well positioned as they are now a trusted brand that offers products that are both full featured as well as affordable.”

About VIZIO
VIZIO, Inc., "Where Vision Meets Value," headquartered in Irvine, California, is America’s HDTV and Consumer Electronics Company. In 2007, VIZIO skyrocketed to the top by becoming the #1 selling brand of flat panel HDTVs in North America and became the first American brand in over a decade to lead major categories in U.S. TV sales. Since 2007 VIZIO HDTV shipments remain in the TOP ranks in the U.S. and were again #1 in Q1, 2009 with over 20% market share. VIZIO is committed to bringing feature-rich flat panel televisions to market at a value through practical innovation. VIZIO offers a broad range of award winning LCD HDTVs including the new XVT series. VIZIO’s products are found at Costco Wholesale, Sam's Club, Sears, Walmart, Target, BJ's Wholesale, and other retailers nationwide along with authorized online partners. VIZIO has won numerous awards including a #1 ranking in the Inc. 500 for Top Companies in Computers and Electronics, Good Housekeeping's Best Big-Screens, CNET's Top 10 Holiday Gifts and PC World's Best Buy among others. For more information, please call 888-VIZIOCE or visit on the web at www.VIZIO.com.

The V, VIZIO, TruLED, Extreme VIZIO Technology XVT, VIZIO Internet Application VIA, 240Hz SPS, Thin Line, Smooth Motion, Razor LED, Smart Dimming, Where Vision Meets Value names, phrase and symbols are trademarks or registered trademarks of VIZIO, Inc. All other trademarks may be the property of their respective holders.

###

Source: VIZIO, Inc.

Press Contacts for VIZIO:
Jim Noyd
Noyd Communications Inc.
T: 310-951-3768
E: jim.noyd@noydcom.com

Charley Fitzwilliam
Leader Enterprises
T: 949-579-0405
E: cfitzwilliam@leaderenterprises.com

Note for press only:
Photos, additional information and interview requests should be directed to agency.

Best of CEDIA 2009

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 01:03:00 +0000

Digital Trends
By: Stewart Wolpin
Award | September 19, 2009

Connected Devices
Vizio VIA VF552XVT ($2,199)

A milestone HDTV, this 55-inch LED backlit LCD set includes a number of choice enhancements. For instance: Built-in WiFi b/g/n (a first); a remote that has a slide-out horizontal QWERTY (a first); a USB jack through which you can play video, music and photos from a USB drive (rare); and connectivity to Yahoo widget-powered Vizio Internet Apps. Better yet, it’s likely to cost less than $2000 when it hits Costco and Sam’s Club in December.

Skymira Ranks #265 in Elite Inc 500 & is Named a CTC Innovation Pipeline Award Finalist

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:55:28 +0000

Business Wire
Award | August 12, 2009

MILFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Skymira LLC, a leading provider of state-of-the-art satellite and cellular technology solutions for the seamless management of remote operations, today announced that it has garnered two awards acknowledging the company’s rapid expansion and growth into a range of vertical industries with tailored remote management and communication requirements.

“We are very pleased with both accolades as they are a testament to the effectiveness of our Skymira TailorFitTM suite of solutions and the tremendous commitment of the entire Skymira team,” said Robert Landsfield, CEO, Skymira, LLC. “I anticipate Skymira’s upward growth will translate into additional momentum as well as more customer success stories with a common theme of us delivering substantial costs savings to corporate clients who experience increased productivity levels by embracing highly efficient remote management operations,” added Landsfield.

“If you want to know which companies are going to change the world, look at the Inc. 500,” said Inc. editor Jane Berentson. “These are the most dynamic, fast-growth companies in the nation, the ones finding innovative solutions to problems, creating smart systems, and inventing products we soon discover we can't live without. The Inc. 500 list is Inc. magazine’s tribute to American business ingenuity and ambition.”

The 2009 Inc. 500, unveiled in the September issue of Inc. magazine (available on newsstands August 17 to November 15) and on Inc.com, reported aggregate revenue of $18.4 billion—up significantly from last year’s $13.7 billion—and a median three-year growth rate of 880.5 percent. The companies on this year’s list are also responsible for creating more than 55,000 jobs since their founding, making the Inc. 500 perhaps the best example of the impact private, fast-growing companies can have on the overall U.S. economy. The largest company on the list, flat-panel-TV maker Vizio, broke the $2 billion revenue mark. Complete results of the Inc. 500, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found on Inc.com.

The Connecticut Technology Council’s 2009 Cantor Colburn Innovation Pipeline Awards recognize emerging technology companies that are judged to have an outstanding technology product or service which is either in beta or is already being sold in the marketplace. The Connecticut Technology Council is a statewide association of technology oriented companies and institutions, providing leadership in areas of policy advocacy, community building and assistance for growing companies.

About Skymira

Skymira delivers the industry’s first truly tailored remote information solutions for seamless management of remote operations through a complete set of state-of-the-art satellite and cellular technologies. Designed to unlock the value in corporate remote information, Skymira TailorFitTM solutions are the perfect combination of technology, services and client-insight, tailored to the exact fit each business requires.

Providing proven cost-savings through timely access to a company’s remote assets and information, Skymira supports a variety of functions, from streamlining paperwork to GPS fleet tracking and remote equipment monitoring, in the transportation, maritime, oil/ gas, construction, utilities, mining and forestry industries. Its partners are leading manufacturers and network operators including: Inmarsat, SkyTerra, Skywave, Iridium, EMS Satcom, Hughes, Thrane & Thrane, Wideye, and Sierra Wireless, among others.

Skymira was founded in 1998, and is based in Milford, Connecticut. Information about the company can be found at www.skymira.com.

Methodology

The 2009 Inc. 500 measures revenue growth from 2005 through 2008. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of 2005, and therefore able to show four full calendar years of sales. Additionally, they had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2008. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2005 is $200,000; the minimum for 2008 is $2 million.

About Inc. Magazine

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures LLC, Inc. (www.inc.com) is the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies that delivers real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. With a total paid circulation of 712,961, Inc. provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. Visit us online at Inc.com.

Top 40 Under 40

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:52:40 +0000

OC METRO
Award | May 1, 2009

LAYNIE NEWSOME
Co-founder, and vice president of sales and marketing for VIZIO

Irvine businesswoman Laynie Newsome is taking America’s HDTV service by storm. Under Newsome’s direction as co-founder and vice president of sales for VIZIO, the HDTV provider has skyrocketed to the No. 1-selling brand of flat-panel HDTVs in North America and is the first American brand in more than a decade to lead major categories in 2007 U.S. TV sales.

Most important lesson learned:
Building a brand is a marathon event, it is not a series of short hurdles. You must pace yourself to endure time, and you must be consistent.

Next big step:
To be recognized as the world’s best consumer electronics company and to expand and replicate our success overseas

Advice for other young professionals:
Have a passion for what you spend your time on. Believe in something, and you will become infectious! Be patient; don’t get discouraged. Every successful person has had a door shut in their face, you are not alone. Recognize your weaknesses and gravitate toward others who excel in those areas, and you’ll be amazed at how fast you learn.

What you do for fun:
I spend quality time with my husband and my children. We chill out at our cabin in Big Bear, and when we are near home, we take our kids to the beach. We try to see the world through their eyes, and it gives us a better perspective to enjoy the moment.

If you could have dinner with anyone – alive or dead – who would it be and why?
My Uncle Jim Lowney – he was like a father to me and walked me down the aisle. He always believed in me and would light up when I’d walk into a room. I always felt like he could see VIZIO today, even back in the beginning. When I’d visit him, he’d relish all the details of our trials and celebrate our small victories. He passed away in 2003, shortly after we started selling our first TV sets. And now, 8 million HDTVs later, I’d love to see the smile on his face.

Entrepreneurs Honored at Business Journal Event

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:47:56 +0000

The Orange County Business Journal
By: Courtney Baird
Award | March 19, 2009

The Business Journal honored seven entrepreneurs—six of whom are beating the odds in industries especially hurt by the recession—at its eighth annual Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards on Wednesday.

William Wang, chief executive of Irvine-based flat-panel TV maker Vizio Inc., gave the keynote speech.

Wang said his insistence on never giving up helped him bounce back from losing millions in a business venture, claw his way out of a burning plane that had crashed and build Vizio from an idea that some competitors laughed at into a company that did $2.3 billion in sales last year.

Wang was the Business Journal’s entrepreneur of the year in 2008.

The 2009 winners:

* JP Gough, founder and chairman of Newport Beach’s Orange County Business Bank. Gough started the bank because he needed a job after “losing his shirt” in politics, he said.

After its IPO in 2002, the bank grew 12 times over during six years and has weathered the recent credit crunch.

* Henrik Fisker, cofounder and chief executive of Irvine-based Fisker Automotive Inc.; Bernhard Koehler, cofounder and chief operating officer of Fisker Automotive; and Alan Niedzwiecki, chief executive of Irvine-based Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc.

The trio has raised $94 million to develop an upscale sedan, the Karma, and a sports car, the Sunset, which both run off a combination electric and rechargeable battery engine.

* Sheldon Razin, founder and chairman of Irvine-based healthcare information technology company Quality Systems Inc.

Razin used a few thousand dollars to build the company into one that had a recent market value of more than a billion dollars.

* Patricia Cinkle, president of Santa Ana-based Alar Staffing Corp.

Cinkle survived an abusive childhood and unemployment as a single mother to create an employment company that does $30 million in yearly sales.

Cinkle also was one of five women honored at the Business Journal’s 14th annual Women in Business awards luncheon last May.

* James Saccacio, chief executive of Irvine-based real estate data provider RealtyTrac Inc.

Saccacio built his company from something that few wanted to invest in to one that is often cited by publications such as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Business Journal.

Trender Award

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000

March 5, 2009

Trender Research is pleased to announce the winners of our first annual Trender Awards. At final count, almost 100 tech products and services were submitted for consideration by Trenders or the vendors themselves. From these candidates, we compiled a short-list of finalists that were announced last week.

The Trender Awards were created to honor gadgets and services that are not only novel and technologically advanced, but also improve people's lives in some way and have appeal to everyday folks. It is our view that these products have a good chance of becoming mainstream, have already been embraced by everyday consumers, or have what it takes to be adopted by customers in their intended target markets.

Below are the winners of the Trender Awards. We have a couple of ties, and in other cases the voting was so close or Trender feedback after the finalists were announced was so strong, that we felt compelled to give “honorable mention” status to a few finalists.

Our process and selection methodology were described last week, but as a reminder we tried to look beyond products and services that would only appeal to tech-savvy consumers and early-adopters.

A press release will go out the beginning of next week announcing the good news. Please contact me if you would like to use the Trender Awards “Finalist” or “Winner” logos in your marketing materials and I will send you the appropriate files.

Mega Trender Award: “Best Overall New Product/Service for Everyday Folks”

• Winner: Apple “iPhone”

Apple’s iPhone wins our top award as the first real smart-phone to be widely adopted beyond the business professional market. This user-friendly device appeals to many demographics and is spawning a whole new mobile applications market.

Trender Award: “Best Video Product”
Co-Winners:

• Allio “Lite HDTV/PC”

• ZeeVee “ZvBox 100”

Votes were spread across the different Internet TV technologies presented by the finalists, but it is interesting to note that the two true “everything your PC and HDTV can do” approaches won out. Allio’s all-in-one device has appeal for its simplicity, but leaves a wiring challenge for consumers. ZvBox solves the wiring problem by using the home’s existing coaxial cable, but adds some level of set-up and usage complexity.

Trender Award: “Best Video Service or Portal”

• Winner: ABC.com

• Honorable mention: Hulu.com

I was really surprised that Hulu did not win this category. Feedback from the Trenders is that they most liked the interface and the HD content on ABC.com, and if I were to do a follow-up poll, I bet we would find many of their favorite shows can be found there.

Trender Award: “Best HDTV Brand”

• Winner: Vizio

Vizio wins as the HDTV brand perceived to have the right combination of great product and good value.

Trender Award: “Best Communications Product/Service”

• Winner: VidTel

• Honorable mention: Skype

While some were horrified at the potential of getting caught in their pajamas, most Trenders agreed with me that it is about time the video phone revolution finally comes to the mass market.

Trender Award: “Best Mobile Product/Service”

• Winner: Apple “iPhone”

No surprises here as my one lonely vote for RIM’s BlackBerry Storm was unanimously overruled by the rest of the voting Trenders.

Trender Award: “Best GPS/Navigation Product/Service”
Co-Winners:

• Garmin “nuvi 200 series”

• Networks in Motion “AAA Mobile”

We had another tie in this category. The Garmin nuvi 200 family of products was seen as the best and most affordable of the GPS products, but an equal number of Trenders are intrigued by the idea of baking this capability into their cell phones via Networks in Motion’s navigation service (which powers Verizon’s VZ Navigator among others).

Trender Award: “Best Photo Product/Service”

• Winner: GigaTribe

• Honorable mention: Picasa

Taking lots of digital photos is no problem for people, but sharing large folders of photos/videos with friends and family with little effort was a bit tricky, until now. GigaTribe has some user-interface quirks to work out, but it’s the best option if you want to set up a highly secure network to safely share large files directly from your hard drive without size limitations.

Trender Award: “Best Audio Product/Service”

• Winner: Sonos "Multi-Room Music System"

Honorable mention: Apple “iTunes”

In close voting, Apple almost had a sweep of the categories where it was considered. The promise of Sonos’ high-end, whole-house atmospheric sound overwhelmed Sony’s less expensive kitchen audio device. Conclusion, “mainstream” does not always mean cheap.

Trender Award: “Best Accessory/Peripheral Product”

• Winner: iGo “iGo Everywhere Wall and Auto Charger”

• Honorable mention: Nextar “Solar Bluetooth Car Kit”

iGo’s universal charger is just too darned practical to not win this category that had over a dozen products in consideration. The green appeal of Nextar’s device fits into a larger trend.

Trender Award: “Best Security Product/Service”

• Winner: Swann “DIY Doorbell Video Intercom”

Not everyone wants or is willing to pay for a sophisticated home security system, but most Trenders understood the value of a front-door, do-it-yourself video intercom.

Trender Award: “Best Robotics Product”

• Winner: WowWee “Rovio”

• Honorable mention: iRobot “Roomba”

iRoomba, arguably the first mass-market robotics device and one that several Trenders own, takes a back seat to Rovio’s “remote presence” robot.

Trender-Blender Award: “Best Convergence Product/Service”

• Winner: VidTel

VidTel wins the battle of the convergence products.

Trender-Render Award: “Best User Interface for Any Product/Service”

• Winner: Apple “iPhone”

No contest here for the iPhone. Apple proves again its prowess at building a device people actually like to interact with.

Trender-Sender Award: “Send It! Best Hoped-For Upcoming Product/Service”

• Winner: VidTel

Except for those who lounge around in their pajamas, our Trenders expect great things from VidTel. Now don’t let us down.

Trender-Mender Award: “Most Improved Product Line”
• Winner: Sling Media “SlingCatcher”

Sling Media really completes its product line with a device that not only sends content from another SlingBox to your TV, but also scrapes together a PC/Internet TV story.

Trender-Gender Award for Men: “Best Product/Service for Men”

• Winner: Sling Media “SlingBox”

Another win for Sling Media is propelled by Trenders who want to watch their favorite sports team while on the road.

Trender-Gender Award for Women: “Best Product/Service for Women”

• Winner: Lok8u “Nu.M8”

The voting in this category was across the board, but the Moms won out with a way to keep track of the kids. I mean REALLY keep track of them.

Tender-Trender Award: “Best Product for Kids”
• Winner: Nintendo “Wii”

If they are going to play video games anyway, you might as well give them a work-out.

Trender Award: “Best Embedded/Enabling Technology”

• Winner: MoCA

In a category that was confusing for everyday Trenders, the idea of using the coaxial cable in their homes for multi-media distribution was the most appealing.

Trender-Pretender Award: “Most Overrated Product/Service”

• Winner: Microsoft “Windows Vista”

We could have put any number of maligned products in this category, and Vista would still have won this dubious award. Why is it that we spend so much money on powerful computers, and we still end up with an experience that is slow and buggy?

Trender-Ender Award: “Death of a Product/Service Category”

• Winner: Dedicated Fax Machines

Our Trenders see no need any more to buy a dedicated fax machine with the all-in-one printers now available.