VISEO SmartCast?

[Warden Callaway]

We have a VISEO Smart TV.  I have Samsung Android tablet and phone. Mary is Apple. We have a VCR  hooked to it. Linked to WiFi.  Life has been bearable with the system until about a week ago when SmartCast software invaded the TV. We couldn't find a way to get around setup crap.  So we went through the process of setting up. But every time we turn the TV on, we have to start all over. This morning it installed updates for a long time. I take it there is no way to just delete this system. Google research shows a way to deny data collection.  But you know that it's going to anyway. 

 

Any TV experts got any information that may help us out of this mess?

[Pat Riot]

I really have no knowledge of this but am buying a new TV. Your post prompted me to look into this Smartcast and your issue just removed Vizeo from my TV list. 
 

Here is what I found in regards to Smartcast. 
https://support.vizio.com/s/article/How-to-Uninstall-an-App-on-SmartCast?language=en_US

 

 

[Patagonia Pete]

Yeah ... this started after the last update. 

Anyhow ... by default (after the last update) you are powering up to SmartCast ...

 

If you take your remote and push "Menu" ... a list of "Settings" will appear on the left side of the screen ... If you look under "System" you will find a setting for "Input on Power Up" (or something similar).

 

Your's still has "SmartCast" in there.

 

You can select the "input" you want to use on Power Up ... I have "Direct TV" so I use the HDMI input port for Direct TV on mine. You can select "SmartCast" or any "physical" input you desire.

 

Some people just use the things on "SmartCast" all the time ... If they are "casting" stuff to the set from their phone or computer that is where it will end up anyhow ... plus there are free TV Apps in there and such.

 

If an input was selected for Power Up that didn't have anything on it ... the set would simply boot up and say "No Input" on a blank screen. I guess they thought the "SmartCast" default was better than just a blank screen. 

 

[Warden Callaway]

Menu, menu, menu...  there is no "Menu" button on our remote.  I read that in a lot of my study.  There is an INPUT. There is a button that looks like a system symbol * but it doesn't do anything. 

 

It repeatedly go to install routine on turning it on. Then locks up. We can use DVD player or stream from our other devices. But can't navigate directly on TV using the TV remote. 

[Patagonia Pete]

Well .. I don't know what your remote looks like ... but ... if you get into "setup" then the option you want to change is under "System".

If you can't get into setup w/ the Vizio remote then that is a real problem indeed. 

The "menu" button on this one is on the upper right side by the "OK" button. 

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

What I got.

 

[Patagonia Pete]

Wow ... well that sucks. You are going to have to figure out how to get into setup w/ your remote.

Then ...

Watch this video ... (important stuf start around 3:23) ... 

 

 

[Patagonia Pete]

Hey!! Check this out ...

>> quote <<

"If there is no menu on your Vizio remote, then you probably have an older version remote. To pull up the menu on older Vizio remotes, you need to hold down the ‘Input’ and ‘Volume Down’ buttons together."

>> end quote <<

https://robotpoweredhome.com/no-menu-button-on-vizio-remote/

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

Thanks,  I'll play with it in the morning when I have more brain cells firing in the right order.

[Warden Callaway]

Some success.  I got to the APP selection screen after about 30 minutes of upating. Went to SETTINGS and made the startup on last used and data collection to off. Turned TV off and back on.  Came up with black "Welcome to SmartCast" screen.  Had to go through process again but it skipped the download step so was just an few menu items to skip. Better but not good. 

[Patagonia Pete]

Can you use assign the input port you are using for your VCR instead of "last used"?? That would hard lock it to open on that particular port.

 

Good choice on the "data collection" thing ... If you leave that on then every Sunday morning it goes back to default (don't ask me how I found that out!!). 

[Warden Callaway]

Well, kind of had a work around that for sure shouldn't have been necessary.  Then yesterday it would stop on an error code. I could stream from tablet and use DVD player but no SmartCast.  Then this morning I couldn't stream.  Rebooted the WiFi router,  etc.  Got it back up to error code. Looked up the code. Basically said SmartCast wouldn't load. Go to Menu.  Then a long list of suggestions.   One was go into system menu and select another language,  Spanish or French are the other option.  SmartCast then tries to reload. It loaded and actually works.  But all the menu names are in French. 

[sassnetguy50]

For future reference: always video the process of changing the language so you'll know where to click.

[Pat Riot]

This may be a bit late but I would think the button that I circled on red would be “Settings”.

[Pat Riot]

By the way, after reading all about Viseo TVs and this Smart Cast issue I bought a new Samsung TV. I like it very much…so far. 

[Warden Callaway]

1 minute ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

This may be a bit late but I would think the button that I circled on red would be “Settings”.

It does at some points, not always.  

[Warden Callaway]

1 minute ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

By the way, after reading all about Viseo TVs and this Smart Cast issue I bought a new Samsung TV. I like it very much…so far. 

 

We had Samsung.  My tablet and phone are Samsung.  Gave it to our sun because it kept trying to Bluetooth to my hearing aids.  And aids are coded and just get intermittent rrrrrrrp sound.  Would have to go in and unlink them every time I turned TV on. One of his nephews hit the old Samsung with a hammer and killed it about the second week he had it. 

 

The VISIO has been working great until about a week ago. 

[Pat Riot]

15 minutes ago, Warden Callaway said:

 

We had Samsung.  My tablet and phone are Samsung.  Gave it to our sun because it kept trying to Bluetooth to my hearing aids.  And aids are coded and just get intermittent rrrrrrrp sound.  Would have to go in and unlink them every time I turned TV on. One of his nephews hit the old Samsung with a hammer and killed it about the second week he had it. 

 

The VISIO has been working great until about a week ago. 

Understood. Come to think of it the Samsung TV tried to link up to my new iPhone via Google. I put a stop to that. It tried again and I stopped it again. It hasn’t tried since. I am very close to removing all things Google from my iPhone. 

[Warden Callaway]

Just gets crazier.  Yesterday the I couldn't get past SmartCast but could still cast from tablets, VCR, etc. Got to be bedtime and couldn't turn off TV.  The remote had no effect on the TV.  I just flipped the power strip switch and went to bed. 

 

This morning I turned power back on. Turned the TV on and it started updating the Viseo software.  Something new.  Got to a point and stopped with an error message.   Went to YouTube on tablet and streamed Hickok45.  When done, closed YouTube ChromeCast. The remote continued to work YouTube menus.  Ok.  Went to TUBI on tablet.  Wouldn't stream to TV. Did some rebooting,  etc, but still won't stream TUBI content.

 

I guess it'll work itself out or fail completely. 

[Patagonia Pete]

I assume you are aware that SmartCast and ChromeCast do the same thing. With ChromeCast you need to plug a ChromeCast device into an HDMI port on your TV or whatever. 

SmartCast does what ChromeCast does but does not need the plug-in. A SmartCast Vizio will show up as a "cast" device just like a ChromeCast receiver.  

[Warden Callaway]

1 hour ago, Patagonia Pete said:

ChromeCast you need to plug a ChromeCast device into an HDMI port on your TV or whatever. 

 

Not had to ever. I bring up something on tablet with the cast to TV symbol in the corner and if I poke it it'll say "loading Chromecast"  on the TV and up will come the movie.

[sassnetguy50]

5 hours ago, Warden Callaway said:

Just gets crazier.  Yesterday the I couldn't get past SmartCast but could still cast from tablets, VCR, etc. Got to be bedtime and couldn't turn off TV.  The remote had no effect on the TV.  I just flipped the power strip switch and went to bed. 

 

This morning I turned power back on. Turned the TV on and it started updating the Viseo software.  Something new.  Got to a point and stopped with an error message.   Went to YouTube on tablet and streamed Hickok45.  When done, closed YouTube ChromeCast. The remote continued to work YouTube menus.  Ok.  Went to TUBI on tablet.  Wouldn't stream to TV. Did some rebooting,  etc, but still won't stream TUBI content.

 

I guess it'll work itself out or fail completely. 

1- my tablet would cast from some apps and not others.  It was the app settings on the tablet.

 

2- The newer Vizio needs unplugged after a lot of casting or it will become unresponsive.  Streaming on the factory installed apps doesn't cause this.  Using the "reboot" in the menu doesn't prevent it.  Unplugging the tv seems to clear whatever cache was filling up.  We've started using the installed apps more instead of casting.  Now we unplug the tv about every 6 weeks as preventative maintenance and it no longer becomes unresponsive.

[J-BAR #18287]

Warden;

 

After getting it set up in a working configuration,  just leave it on 24/7.  Mute it when you go to bed.

 

Otherwise, it sounds like you have a nice new target for your home shooting range!  

[Warden Callaway]

We have another work around.   Sawmill Mary came beck from town with a stack of DVDs from the library.  "Wasn't much to pick from." She says. Couple 2-3 are droll British TV mystery series like Hercule Poriot. 

[Warden Callaway]

Situation changes almost daily on how to get around SmartCast not working. I'm able to cast YouTube from my tab by hook and crook.   Then I can use controller to navigate.  Sometimes Tubi will work, sometimes not. VCT works OK. Lately I can't turn TV off with controller.  All other functions I've tried on the controller work like normal - that I've used.  Maybe a new TV for Christmas. 

[Warden Callaway]

Praise the Lord and pass the biscuits,  looks like time has fixed the Viseo with SmartCast.  This morning it came right up without going through some cussed procedures.  

 

I asked the guy at the Wally-World electric area last week if he knew anything about this problem.  Long shot. As I expected,  he knew nothing.  "Did you unplug it and plug it back in?". 

 

We were buying our phones, tablets, TV at Best Buy. They had a Samsung representative that knew his stuff.  But they cut out his position and other geeks were of little help.