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Technical Details
- Instant access - choose your movie and watch it immediately on your TV. With cable or premium DSL speed, a standard definition movie starts in 2 seconds.
- No computer required - VUDU uses a high-speed broadband Internet connection to deliver movies directly to your television. We recommend a bandwidth of 2.0 Mbps (usually advertised by ISPs as 3.0 Mbps.)
- No subscription or activation fees, no long-term contract. Just pay per movie rental or purchase.
- Thousands of movies - VUDU offers approximately 6,000 films from every major studio and numerous independent distributors. New titles are added ever week, so you'll always have new movies to watch.
- High-quality audio and video - VUDU's proprietary encoding, decoding, and up-converting technologies enable HDTVs to display their best capabilities. While it's HD ready, VUDU is compatible with most TVs.
Product Details
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Product Description
Movie Fans... Welcome to Digital Heaven
Having VUDU in your home means never having to go to the video store again.
Movies On-Demand - Access over a vast library of movies and TV titles from all Hollywood studios and leading independent distributors directly from your HDTV.
New Movies Weekly - Watch newly released movies the same day the DVD becomes available. No worrying about it being in-stock at the video store, or having to queue it up online. Even watch the trailer before you decide to rent or buy.
HDXTM Movies - Only VUDU offers the highest quality internet-delivered format, HDX, featuring true 1080p HD, Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound.
World's Largest HD Library - With over 2000 HD titles VUDU has the largest collection available anywhere, physical media included.
VUDU Labs - Access millions of free videos and photos from popular Internet sites like YouTube, Flickr and Picasa, free On-demand television and games, plus free Internet radio from Pandora.
Instant Convenience - Having VUDU means that you don't need to plan anymore. With a large catalog of new releases and library titles available instantly you will never need to drive or wait for the mail again.
No Subscription - VUDU is available without a monthly subscription or contract. Rent or buy high definition and standard definition movies whenever you like - only pay for what you watch.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
52 of 54 people found the following review helpful
Vudu...close to being "the" IP movie delivery breakout product...(updated review: 11/03/08)
December 11, 2007
Vudu's combination of solid Standard Def and High Def video performance, stable hardware/software, easy to use interface, ease of setup and instantaneous playback make it the closest product yet to the "killer" internet based movie delivery platform. But for a few small improvements and one very critical issue with the studios, vudu could be the next way most of us watch movies on demand.
First the good news:
* Video quality is excellent on the SD content and outstanding on the HD. On Hot Fuzz (SD) there were NO discernable artifacts and the upscaled pic (1080p) on my RS1 FP was as good as the same movie I saw upscaled on my Toshiba XA2. The HD on the Bourne movies was very good and compares favorably to any HD DVD or Blu-Ray that I have. Video quality is nailed on this product.
* Interface is excellent. Quick to browse. The search function is fast and filtering results are relevant . Interface is the best I have seen for a video service.
*Setup is very simple. I would have no problem giving this to any tech challenged family member who has the prerequisite network requirements. Also it comes with all the cables you need to set it up on your HD tv, including HDMI and cat 5 network patch.
* Customer service is readily accessible and responsive by both phone and email. They seem to be solidly behind their product.
*The software and firmware on the unit is being updated regularly. It appears VUDU is commited to making requested changes and fixes on a regular basis. New features (such as TV and HD content) are being rolled out quickly to customers.
*Movie load speed is instantaneous on the features I have watched so far. No lag or glitches in playback.
And the areas that are pretty good right now but need improvement...
* Sound is hit and miss. A good number of films are only in stereo. Vudu says this is what the studios have given them. New releases are coming in with 5.1 but not all.
* There is no Closed Captioning right now in the box.
* The remote is compact and simple, consisting of only a few buttons and a down-click scroll wheel. Even though it is a joy to use, it is RF only. I wish that I could integrate this with my IR Harmony remote.
* HD content right now is limited to the free Bourne Movies. As I mentioned the quality is excellent for both video and sound. More HD content is promised and would be the SELLING point for this product if they could have well encoded, quality new titles available for rent in DVD release time window.
* Price for entry is still to high. Vudu will need to come down to the $49 - $99 range for the initial hardware setup to be competitive. Indications are that the price is dropping.
The critical issue for Vudu? Studio release policies! Vudu is hamstrung right now by the fact that:
* some movies are not for Rent on first release but rather must be purchased. Movie purchase, even if a feature is in HD, is NOT where Vudu will attract customers. I don't go to Blockbuster to buy a film, and likewise I won't be buying a film from Vudu. However, I will pay more for a day/date release with the same DVD as Blockbuster has if I can just get it from Vudu. Even more so if it is in HD.
*New releases must rentable on the same day as they are released to DVD. This is THE market that Vudu will compete in. Catalog title rentals are great for the occassional view, but are not where Vudu's success will be made.
*HD content will be a HUGE driver for success. More HD content, especially HD new releases are necessary.
Vudu is a well executed, easy to use and stable product out of the gate. It is poised for greatness. If the above issues can be addressed, it will be under your TV sooner rather than later.
-Alex Baird-
Vudu Evangelist
*********
Update to review: 11/03/08
I wanted to update my review after living with and using the VUDU system for a year or so.
After this first year, Vudu is still being used extensively in my home theater. Vudu has consistantly updated and upgraded their product through both the interface and the quality of the movie software they deliver. This has improved the ease of use of an already great interface. For instance, they have grouped all their versions of a movie (Standard Def, High-Def, HDX (their blu-ray quality version) into a single listing so you no longer havea a confusing multiple list with each title. Sorting and finding movies has also been improved with the added bonus of "recommended" titles (think tivo recommendations) and a listing of the most popular rentals and purchases. In addtion they have instituted an archive feature where purchased movies can be stored on their servers to free up room on the local drives. Extended rental times and of course a much larger library of movies rounds out the changes to the interface.
The biggest and most important change for me though has been the quality of the movie software. The number of HD titles has been greatly increased. But more importantly is the release of many new films on the HDX format. This high bit rate codec is NOT a purchase/rent and immediate view format. It takes about two hours to download an HDX encoded title. However, the quality is truly the best of ANY downloadable service to date and is indistiquishable from a HD-DVD or Blu-ray. When I compared the HD-DVD version of "Chronciles of Riddick" with the HDX version it was impossible to tell the difference even on freeze frames swtiching back between the two. A similar comparison of the Blu-ray version of "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and the HDX version confirmed this. It is simply amazing to be able to get such high quality video through a download service! There is a difference in the audio quality between the HD disc formats and the HDX, with the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray having the more advanced lossless codecs (Dolby Tru-HD, DTS-Master HD or PCM uncompressed) with richer sound. But HDX is encoded with a high bit rate DD soundtrack in up to 5.1.
Overall the Vudu is the internet based movie service to beat. Vudu has done an outstanding job of upgrading their product and seem hard at work on delivering even more features in the future.
First the good news:
* Video quality is excellent on the SD content and outstanding on the HD. On Hot Fuzz (SD) there were NO discernable artifacts and the upscaled pic (1080p) on my RS1 FP was as good as the same movie I saw upscaled on my Toshiba XA2. The HD on the Bourne movies was very good and compares favorably to any HD DVD or Blu-Ray that I have. Video quality is nailed on this product.
* Interface is excellent. Quick to browse. The search function is fast and filtering results are relevant . Interface is the best I have seen for a video service.
*Setup is very simple. I would have no problem giving this to any tech challenged family member who has the prerequisite network requirements. Also it comes with all the cables you need to set it up on your HD tv, including HDMI and cat 5 network patch.
* Customer service is readily accessible and responsive by both phone and email. They seem to be solidly behind their product.
*The software and firmware on the unit is being updated regularly. It appears VUDU is commited to making requested changes and fixes on a regular basis. New features (such as TV and HD content) are being rolled out quickly to customers.
*Movie load speed is instantaneous on the features I have watched so far. No lag or glitches in playback.
And the areas that are pretty good right now but need improvement...
* Sound is hit and miss. A good number of films are only in stereo. Vudu says this is what the studios have given them. New releases are coming in with 5.1 but not all.
* There is no Closed Captioning right now in the box.
* The remote is compact and simple, consisting of only a few buttons and a down-click scroll wheel. Even though it is a joy to use, it is RF only. I wish that I could integrate this with my IR Harmony remote.
* HD content right now is limited to the free Bourne Movies. As I mentioned the quality is excellent for both video and sound. More HD content is promised and would be the SELLING point for this product if they could have well encoded, quality new titles available for rent in DVD release time window.
* Price for entry is still to high. Vudu will need to come down to the $49 - $99 range for the initial hardware setup to be competitive. Indications are that the price is dropping.
The critical issue for Vudu? Studio release policies! Vudu is hamstrung right now by the fact that:
* some movies are not for Rent on first release but rather must be purchased. Movie purchase, even if a feature is in HD, is NOT where Vudu will attract customers. I don't go to Blockbuster to buy a film, and likewise I won't be buying a film from Vudu. However, I will pay more for a day/date release with the same DVD as Blockbuster has if I can just get it from Vudu. Even more so if it is in HD.
*New releases must rentable on the same day as they are released to DVD. This is THE market that Vudu will compete in. Catalog title rentals are great for the occassional view, but are not where Vudu's success will be made.
*HD content will be a HUGE driver for success. More HD content, especially HD new releases are necessary.
Vudu is a well executed, easy to use and stable product out of the gate. It is poised for greatness. If the above issues can be addressed, it will be under your TV sooner rather than later.
-Alex Baird-
Vudu Evangelist
*********
Update to review: 11/03/08
I wanted to update my review after living with and using the VUDU system for a year or so.
After this first year, Vudu is still being used extensively in my home theater. Vudu has consistantly updated and upgraded their product through both the interface and the quality of the movie software they deliver. This has improved the ease of use of an already great interface. For instance, they have grouped all their versions of a movie (Standard Def, High-Def, HDX (their blu-ray quality version) into a single listing so you no longer havea a confusing multiple list with each title. Sorting and finding movies has also been improved with the added bonus of "recommended" titles (think tivo recommendations) and a listing of the most popular rentals and purchases. In addtion they have instituted an archive feature where purchased movies can be stored on their servers to free up room on the local drives. Extended rental times and of course a much larger library of movies rounds out the changes to the interface.
The biggest and most important change for me though has been the quality of the movie software. The number of HD titles has been greatly increased. But more importantly is the release of many new films on the HDX format. This high bit rate codec is NOT a purchase/rent and immediate view format. It takes about two hours to download an HDX encoded title. However, the quality is truly the best of ANY downloadable service to date and is indistiquishable from a HD-DVD or Blu-ray. When I compared the HD-DVD version of "Chronciles of Riddick" with the HDX version it was impossible to tell the difference even on freeze frames swtiching back between the two. A similar comparison of the Blu-ray version of "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and the HDX version confirmed this. It is simply amazing to be able to get such high quality video through a download service! There is a difference in the audio quality between the HD disc formats and the HDX, with the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray having the more advanced lossless codecs (Dolby Tru-HD, DTS-Master HD or PCM uncompressed) with richer sound. But HDX is encoded with a high bit rate DD soundtrack in up to 5.1.
Overall the Vudu is the internet based movie service to beat. Vudu has done an outstanding job of upgrading their product and seem hard at work on delivering even more features in the future.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
I received my Vudu last week. Set up was a breeze. Just make sure you have an ethernet/power/HDMI or Component connections nearby.
As far as looks and functionality, they are spot on. This box is made from the same guys that brought you Tivo, which is a GOOD thing. Simple and intuitive menus make toying around on the unit a joy. The remote, while funky looking, feels great in the hand and works like a charm.
As far as content goes, while large at 5000+ videos, was lacking a little in the new release category. I'm a big movie buff, so perhaps its because I seen alot of them already. Xbox Live has a much better selection right now of newer movies... and movies in HD.
Another quibble was the purchase/rent options. Some movies are only for rent, some movies are only for purchase. There seems to be no consistency here. You just have to hope you get the right movie with the option you are looking for.
I am a huge Mac fan. And I purchased this unit over AppleTV. Why?
Because of content!
I firmly believe, that whichever of these companies figures out how to get HD content onto their boxes first, with good studio backing, will not only be the clear cut winner of home movie boxes, but be the winner of the HD format period. And yes, I'm talking about YOU HD-DVD/BluRay!!!!
So Vudu... get it done. You are in the perfect position to do so.
As far as looks and functionality, they are spot on. This box is made from the same guys that brought you Tivo, which is a GOOD thing. Simple and intuitive menus make toying around on the unit a joy. The remote, while funky looking, feels great in the hand and works like a charm.
As far as content goes, while large at 5000+ videos, was lacking a little in the new release category. I'm a big movie buff, so perhaps its because I seen alot of them already. Xbox Live has a much better selection right now of newer movies... and movies in HD.
Another quibble was the purchase/rent options. Some movies are only for rent, some movies are only for purchase. There seems to be no consistency here. You just have to hope you get the right movie with the option you are looking for.
I am a huge Mac fan. And I purchased this unit over AppleTV. Why?
Because of content!
I firmly believe, that whichever of these companies figures out how to get HD content onto their boxes first, with good studio backing, will not only be the clear cut winner of home movie boxes, but be the winner of the HD format period. And yes, I'm talking about YOU HD-DVD/BluRay!!!!
So Vudu... get it done. You are in the perfect position to do so.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Having lived with a VUDU for the last couple of months, I can honestly say it has changed the way we enjoy our video experence.
Being able to select a movie to watch at the moment you start to watch is a wonderful experence, If the guys come by we can pick a "guys" movie, if the wife wants to see a "romantic" movie we pick one. If we are lucky to have the kids with us we can pick one that satisfies them.
With over 5,000 movies there is something for everyone.
The quality is great on my 52" LCD tv, better than DVD, plus no trips to the video store or waiting for the mailman, they are all in my VUDU.
This is truly a great product.
Being able to select a movie to watch at the moment you start to watch is a wonderful experence, If the guys come by we can pick a "guys" movie, if the wife wants to see a "romantic" movie we pick one. If we are lucky to have the kids with us we can pick one that satisfies them.
With over 5,000 movies there is something for everyone.
The quality is great on my 52" LCD tv, better than DVD, plus no trips to the video store or waiting for the mailman, they are all in my VUDU.
This is truly a great product.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Value Doesn't Meet Market Needs - No WiFi is a killer.
I'm stunned that anyone thinks this box is a good value. The cost of the movies is outrageous & only confirms that the people
who think its a great deal must also think that... Read more
who think its a great deal must also think that... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Lance J. Miller
New Vudu Apps
I just purchased vudu set top box (which you can only buy second hand now) and find it to be an excellent alternative to the local video store (sorry). Read more
Published 19 months ago by Revwedge
Great Product but do shop around
Love the product - was about to purchase but did decide to shop around. Best Buy has same product for $149 - Saved $50 plus shipping. Read more
Published on December 12, 2009 by J. Brancato
Rip off
The amount you have to pay for movies is OUTRAGEOUS!! Why would I pay $4.99 to rent a movie when I could get a Netflix supscription and get as many movies as I want? Read more
Published on December 8, 2009 by Music is my Fav.
The Hardest Working Box In The Business
I bought my VUDU Box over Christmas when it was on sale. I had been looking into buying one for some time and decided to strike at this opportunity. Read more
Published on April 27, 2009 by LessThanZero
Very Satisfied
I've owned my Vudu box for about a month now and love it! Very easy to set up and the video quality is terrific! Read more
Published on March 9, 2009 by L. Thomasino
Forget paying per movie, use Netflix Roku/Amazon Player
The Netflix Roku/Amazon Player is a Vudu killer. For $99 box you get unlimited free viewings of thousands of (mostly older) movies, plus get instant access to new movies via... Read more
Published on February 21, 2009 by Bic
Vudu was exactly as promised
I just picked up a Vudu box a few weeks ago and could not be happier, I have bought two more since then as gifts. It was VERY easy to setup and has a ton of movies. Read more
Published on November 23, 2008 by Mike C
Not a good service
For me this product is a service and Vudu and other on demand providers are (still) not strong enough to change/challenge online movie rules:
- Generally on demand movies are... Read more
- Generally on demand movies are... Read more
Published on October 10, 2008 by A. Villate
Wireless Kit is Not Included in the price
The wireless kit costs an additional $100 on top of the $300 box. I really love the whole idea, but if they can't include the wireless what is the point? Read more
Published on October 2, 2008 by Jake Petrosky
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