VIZIO announced today the launch of something called Co-Star – a streaming video player that uses the latest version of Google TV. With VIZIO’s Co-Star, users get instant access to thousands of apps, full-screen web browsing capabilities-via Google Chrome with Adobe Flash Player and HTML 5 support-and the best in streaming entertainment.

Unique to the stream player market, the VIZIO Co-Star offers the distinct advantage of connecting to a cable or satellite box. This allows viewers to enjoy live TV along with the web, apps, OnLive cloud gaming and other streaming entertainment without interrupting what they’re already watching. This integrated experience along with the universal touchpad remote with keyboard which eliminates the need to switch TV inputs or remotes to access alternative content and provides viewers with a truly smart TV experience.

The added benefit of Google TV’s search feature is that it lets viewers easily browse websites, hunt for streaming movies or locate their favorite TV shows; with picture-in-picture technology, it can all be done while simultaneously watching live TV action.

The VIZIO Co-Star will be available for pre-orders in July 2012 only on VIZIO.com for $100, and you can see all the specs here: http://www.vizio.com/