Vizio rolls out an HTIB with a wireless subwoofer
Vizio's new Jive SV5.1 integrates with your current stereo TV speakers, adding a center channel in the front, and a wireless subwoofer and rear speakers in the back, eliminating the need to run wires from the front of your home theater to the back.
Most people love surround sound, but can't stand all the messy wires required to make it work. Vizio's new Jive SV5.1 Enhancement kit attempts to solve that problem with a wireless subwoofer that's placed in the back of the room and feeds two rear speakers--eliminating the need to run wires from the front of your home theater to the back. The Jive SV5.1 integrates with your current stereo TV speakers, adding a center channel in the front, and the aforementioned wireless subwoofer and rear speakers in the back. While that's great in terms of reducing wire clutter, utilizing the built-in speakers on your TV for the critical left and right channels is going to disappoint anyone who values audio quality. Also note that the subwoofer works wirelessly on the crowded 2.4GHz spectrum, so you might experience some interference if your home theater is in the proximity of cordless phones and Wi-Fi networks.
Even with those shortcomings, we could see the SV5.1 Jive finding a home with gamers who aren't concerned as much with sound quality but still want a more immersive experience. The VIZIO Jive SV5.1 will have list price of $300 when it's released in July.