Vizio agrees to pay $3 million for alleged ‘false’ refresh rate claims

Should you purchased a Vizio TV in California after April thirtieth, 2014, Vizio could owe you some cash. The corporate has agreed to pay out $3 million after a 2018 class motion lawsuit alleged that its advertising and marketing of 120Hz and 240Hz “efficient” refresh charges was “false and misleading.” Vizio denies that it did something mistaken, in line with the settlement. The deadline for submitting claims is March thirtieth subsequent 12 months, and requires some type of proof of possession, together with proof of buy or the serial quantity, to qualify.

Along with paying out for verified claims, Vizio would “cease the promoting practices” and “present enhanced companies and a restricted one-year guarantee to all Settlement Class Members,” in line with particulars from the web site arrange for submitting claims. The lengthy kind notification says claims will cowl any TV from April thirtieth, 2014 by the settlement’s ultimate approval, which is about for a June twentieth, 2024 listening to.

TV makers typically use advertising and marketing phrases like “efficient refresh fee” to discuss with movement smoothing options, typically known as the “cleaning soap opera impact,” which are meant to cut back movement blur on trendy TVs. Movement smoothing is already controversial sufficient by itself, however corporations like Vizio will be frustratingly informal with refresh fee terminology of their advertising and marketing. Their phrasing can, to the informal shopper, typically indicate a TV gives greater than its native refresh fee, which is usually simply 60Hz surely. To make issues worse, every TV producer makes use of its personal advertising and marketing title for movement smoothing, and it’s typically so exhausting to show it off that we wrote an entire information about how to take action for lots of in style manufacturers.