Vizio stops making plasmas

[f0rge]

i thought Pixx would get a kick out of this:

http://i.gizmodo.com/5151917/vizio-d...-of-plasma-tvs

seems less panels being made means less surplus for Vizio to scoop up.

[N. Abstentia]

Does Visio actually make their LCD's or do they just buy those too?

[Rich-n-Texas]

The only thing Visio does is make dumbasses like pix happy.

[Duds]

Now if they would just end their LCD production too....

[pixelthis]

i thought Pixx would get a kick out of this:

http://i.gizmodo.com/5151917/vizio-d...-of-plasma-tvs

seems less panels being made means less surplus for Vizio to scoop up.

RUMOURS to the contrary, I AM NOT A VIZIO "fanboy".
They just make a quality set for a decent price.
THIS is bad news for plasma fanboys however, one more band member under the
water.

[pixelthis]

The only thing Visio does is make dumbasses like pix happy.

At least I am happy.
But I guess since you were born in Jersey...

[Woochifer]

They got out because they can no longer compete on price in the plasma space. Consider that Panasonic's 42" 768p plasmas can be found for around $650, with the 1080p 42" models around $800, and the 46" 1080p models under $1,000. Vizio's business model is built around undercutting the major brands, but with the price points down to these levels, they have very little room left to maneuver.

Last year, it seemed that Vizio was going to try and compete with the major brands at the higher end of the plasma market when they announced their 50" XVT model at CES. That turned out to be the CE equivalent of vaporware -- a bunch of marketing hype and no product to show for it. It took more than six months after the announcement for sample TVs to get into the hands of reviewers (who BTW praised those TVs for their picture quality), and the TVs didn't even arrive in stores until November, nearly a year after they were announced ... allegedly (I have yet to see any of those models actually in stores, so I don't even know if they ever went into mass production). By that time, the price points on the Panasonic and Samsung's plasma models had already dropped below the announced price on those Vizios.

[Woochifer]

Does Visio actually make their LCD's or do they just buy those too?

they don't make anything, they don't develop anything, they don't service anything. What they do is whole lot of marketing and outsourcing. Basically, they're a multibillion dollar company with fewer than 100 employees.

[pixelthis]

They got out because they can no longer compete on price in the plasma space. Consider that Panasonic's 42" 768p plasmas can be found for around $650, with the 1080p 42" models around $800, and the 46" 1080p models under $1,000. Vizio's business model is built around undercutting the major brands, but with the price points down to these levels, they have very little room left to maneuver.

Last year, it seemed that Vizio was going to try and compete with the major brands at the higher end of the plasma market when they announced their 50" XVT model at CES. That turned out to be the CE equivalent of vaporware -- a bunch of marketing hype and no product to show for it. It took more than six months after the announcement for sample TVs to get into the hands of reviewers (who BTW praised those TVs for their picture quality), and the TVs didn't even arrive in stores until November, nearly a year after they were announced ... allegedly (I have yet to see any of those models actually in stores, so I don't even know if they ever went into mass production). By that time, the price points on the Panasonic and Samsung's plasma models had already dropped below the announced price on those Vizios.

THEY are innovators , and lead the field constantly, like pulling out of a dying market.
AND THEY WONT BE THE LAST.
Be afraid plasma fanboy, be very afraid.
The reason Vizio got out of this sideline business because they saw that in the future that
there would be no plasma panel surplus, which is where they were going to get their panels .
This means that they too think that plasma is dead, and they have exelent marketing.
ODDS are that they got the word on the grapevine that the "delay" in opening the new panny plasma factory is going to be near permanent , or teh only things it will be turning out is LCDS.

[Woochifer]

THEY are innovators , and lead the field constantly, like pulling out of a dying market.
AND THEY WONT BE THE LAST.
Be afraid plasma fanboy, be very afraid.
The reason Vizio got out of this sideline business because they saw that in the future that
there would be no plasma panel surplus, which is where they were going to get their panels .
This means that they too think that plasma is dead, and they have exelent marketing.
ODDS are that they got the word on the grapevine that the "delay" in opening the new panny plasma factory is going to be near permanent , or teh only things it will be turning out is LCDS.

We'll see how far Vizio can go when the LCD price points continue to go lower and lower. Vizio's no more of an innovator than Apex Digital was in the DVD player market, and we know how that story ended. But, unlike Apex, which was actually the #1 DVD player brand for an entire calendar year, Vizio's time in the sun lasted only one quarter and they have been losing market share since then.

Once the major players erode Vizio's price advantage, Vizio doesn't have anything else to fall back on. Sony, Samsung, and Sharp have been tearing into Vizio's market share because if the price is reasonably close, consumers would rather buy from a known brand with a track record. Vizio retains a shrinking price advantage in the LCD market. That's why they're still in that market.

Vizio's price advantage in the plasma market is gone. If the Vizio plasmas cost the same or even more than the Panasonics and Samsungs, and they have inferior performance (teardowns showed that the Vizios used older series plasma panels), and they have inferior customer support, then why would anyone choose the Vizio? The same dynamics are playing out on the LCD side, as evidenced by all the gains that Vizio's competitors have been making.

[pixelthis]

We'll see how far Vizio can go when the LCD price points continue to go lower and lower. Vizio's no more of an innovator than Apex Digital was in the DVD player market, and we know how that story ended. But, unlike Apex, which was actually the #1 DVD player brand for an entire calendar year, Vizio's time in the sun lasted only one quarter and they have been losing market share since then.

Once the major players erode Vizio's price advantage, Vizio doesn't have anything else to fall back on. Sony, Samsung, and Sharp have been tearing into Vizio's market share because if the price is reasonably close, consumers would rather buy from a known brand with a track record. Vizio retains a shrinking price advantage in the LCD market. That's why they're still in that market.

Vizio's price advantage in the plasma market is gone. If the Vizio plasmas cost the same or even more than the Panasonics and Samsungs, and they have inferior performance (teardowns showed that the Vizios used older series plasma panels), and they have inferior customer support, then why would anyone choose the Vizio? The same dynamics are playing out on the LCD side, as evidenced by all the gains that Vizio's competitors have been making.

WHO CARES?
VIZIO is a reality now, they produce a good looking set with a great picture, at a great price, which is why I bought one.
If they go "tits up" I'll just go back to buying Sonys.
My current 42" VIZIO cost less than two weeks pay, if it ever breaks I will just buy another
set, either vizio or Sony.
As for APEX you are the only one who thinks this is an insult, a buddy has two Apex
CRT's, and a DVD player, all still work, and quite well.