Who doesn't love a good beta test, right? You can be the first kid on your block to try out a shiny new thing. And that shiny new thing, in this case, is running Apple's AirPlay 2 streaming protocol and HomeKit connection on your Vizio TV, in beta form.
Emails have gone out alerting those who wanted to get in on the beta that they can now get in on the beta. They're going to have to jump through a few hoops, though.
First is that you're going to have to have a Vizio TV that's supported in this beta trial. You'll start the process in the Vizio SmartCast app and enter your set's model number. If it comes back green, you're good to go.
But you're also going to have to have your iPhone enrolled in Apple's beta program — this isn't just a simple firmware update to your TV.
Why deal with any of this?
With AirPlay 2, you can stream or share content from Apple devices to the big screen. Effortlessly play videos, music, photos and more from your iPhone, iPad and Mac on your VIZIO SmartCast TV. HomeKit lets you easily and securely control your VIZIO TV and other HomeKit-enabled products with the Home app or Siri on your Apple devices.
So there's that.
The steps themselves are relatively straightforward.
- Verify your VIZIO TV's model name
- Sign in to your myVIZIO account, or create a new one
- Install the latest beta iOS release on your iPhone or iPad
- Accept the Terms and Conditions for VIZIO's beta program
- Update your TV's firmware over the network
- Set up HomeKit for your VIZIO TV
It's that No. 3 item that'll trip folks up. But if you're ready to get your beta on, have at it.
