By 
If you are a fan of all things Android like us, you have been dying to get your hands on a VIZIO Co-Star but haven’t been able to catch it in stock. The $100 Google TV box has been flying off the shelves like no other Google TV unit, mostly due to its great price and equally good features.
After going in and out of stock for several months, the VIZIO Co-Star is now available for purchase again. We don’t know if it will be for very long, but it should be a good idea to purchase yours as soon as possible. It has been some time since it’s launch and the hype might be starting to slow down, but it is still a device many of us have been waiting to get.
It is a great deal for $100, especially considering it comes with a capable dual-core processor and OnLive compatibility. It would be great for streaming, Google TV apps and even cloud gaming. You really can’t get a better deal when it comes to a capable, yet affordable Google TV device.
If you want to sign up for one, you can go ahead and purchase it at VIZIO’s website right now. We already did, will you?!
[via GTV Source]
This or Roku 2?
I would say the Co-Star. It has Google TV, which evolves much faster than Roku’s software. Not to mention Google TV is not simply a streaming service: there is streaming, but you can also benefit from all Google TV apps and features (like Chrome). It is a much more interactive and dynamic experience.
I would go with the Roku. Way more apps, and they get more all the time. I have never lost connection 1 time, and the picture is very, very good. On my costar I lose connectivity constantly, and it reboots 3-4 times a week on me. The app support is non-existent on the costar. Maybe 10 good apps if that, the rest are not compatible.
can I rent movies from Google play and then stream them on this device?
It has Google Play on it, so yes.
Yep!
I have a Co-Star and have had it for going on a month now. I have to say that it is pretty smooth. Other than the occassional screen resizing after going into specific features, it holds up very well. I don’t feel bad to say that it is HEAD and SHOULDERS above the Logitech Revue, which I replaced with the Co-Star.
I consistently find myself rebooting my revue because it will run low on memory. Any features that I would be missing switching to the costar?
Not that I’m aware of. I use it to watch Netflix and run the twit app I have. Sometimes crunchyroll. I will say that I’m disappointed in the fact that it doesn’t support very m any video file formats.
I had one for a few weeks and the remote lost connection. Called support and got me working then the BT function wouldnt work. Tried repairing several times but wouldnt pair. Also wifi is weak so ethernet cable a must or youll get a lot of disconnect. Had to return it and just bought the sony one.
I will have it in a few days… let’s hope I don’t run into all these issues. :(
just make sure you use the heck out of it within the first few weeks as you only have 30 days to get a refund and they charge 10% restocking unless you speak to a supervisor. You pay for shipping back. Regarding wifi though theres nothing that can be done to fix it. Hardware thing.
Please do a solid review of this. I would love to see how it goes
Definitely!
Wrong reply
Just returned mine. Worst 100 bucks I ever spent.
I really hope they fix some of the bugs with an update soon. I love the concept and features but I hate having to reboot the device several times a week because it freezes up.
I got one and thought it was a piece of junk. Slow response times an sold it on eBay to break even. For what this does, get a blue ray player with apps. Just as good and just as cheap. What are you guys getting paid to keep hyping this terrible box?
so that blu Ray player has a full featured web browser and an app store?
The app store on the Co-star is horrible. I have used maybe only 6 of the apps, the rest are junk.
Search is where it is with gtv. I can search my dvr, live dish programming, netflix, amazon, and youtube(movies) from my revue. You have to pay for the dish network integration. Once you start using search to find things you won’t want to live without it.
Vizio gives great great value/features for the money spent. I hope they improve on their product support. I have a Vizio TV with wi-fi and apps – the hardware is wonderful: I wish there was more support as far as updates and official company customer service.
Biggest pile of turd I like. Was buggy at the beginning then learned how to update the apps. Now I know its strengths and weaknesses and I am very happy with it. Mostly use netflix and youtube pay per view. Chrome crashes too frequently to be usable. Has lots of potential. Perhaps next years google tv box will reach the vision. Vizio customer support is completely worthless. Couldn’t even tell me to update the google play app.
Mine freezes up, or loses picture at least once a day. I then have to reboot it, which is a pain in the butt. I tried to send it back, but I had it 32 days and Vizio said they won’t take it back after 30. I should have just put that money into a home theater PC!
Pre-ordered one, but they decided to take over a month (after shipping) to address the fact the shipment tracking never even showed it was delivered. Another month to call me back asking if I want them to ship me another device, I had already initiated a charge back since I never got a call back from them regarding the issue in between. Poor customer service forced me to charge back and I will be boycotting Vizio in the future since they’ve proven to me they aren’t in a rush to care about issues for their customers. I can only imagine the hell someone would have to go through with a troubleshooting issue.
I agree. I pre-ordered mine and it literally took 2 weeks to get to me with that horrible Fed-Ex to post office service and they charged me $10 s&h, this is an outrage.
Google TV devices are seriously lacking. Google needs to make sure these OEMs aren’t putting out complete crap before they expect these things to take off.
I have been very disappointed with mine. It started our really smooth, but, now is loses connection constantly, and when I scan for my network it will not always find it. When it finally does, it will lose connection. Plus, this little box get’s very, very hot. I’m wondering if this has anything to do with it. It will sometimes reboot while watching tv, once again, i’m curious if it’s from the heat.
It has lot’s of promise, but, it still needs some work. The remote control does not always register the button pushes, and I find myself having to press it multiple times, and pressing very hard to register. Would be nice also if more apps were compatable. It’s a nice first try for Vizio, and If I could I would send it back and buy an additional Roku which has worked flawless for me.
Had mine since launch. For what it is worth, it works quite well. I also have a Roku but the Co Star can do so much more, it justifies the slightly higher price. I only wish that they would develop a dedicated Amazon VOD app like the one Roku uses. Internet browsing is ok, but I only use that on occasion. I mainly use it for Netflix, Amazon and YouTube. The YouTube integration is very good, and not something you can do with Roku. But I do hope an update comes sooner than later to help address some of the issues.
It would be nice if someone compared the gtv experience when it is integrated with Dish vs without it. It is huge difference in the whole experience but you only ever here about gtv and not how great it is when integrated. To have google search capabilities across so much is a big deal.
I can vouch for Comcast. I’m able to search easily for things and it finds both Cable options and online options for shows, movies, or anything.
That’s a nice Roku, err, I mean Vizio lol
I don’t get all the naysayers. I’ve had mine for over a month. It’s frozen only a couple times and it’s been due to flash content, a simple power off and on works fine.
I like that my whole family has been able to start using it and I’ve exposed them to tech. They watch shows on there easily and it’s all thanks to the full fledged browser, it looks amazing on our tv at full 1080p. I’m glad they’re enjoying it more than me, I have no time other than the occasional Amazon Instant movie.