i've been trolling here and keeping informed about vudu. the only reason i do not have a box is that there is not storage solution for puchased content. if htey allowed me to hook up an external hard drive and even swith those out when needed i'd be all over this thing. without that capability vudu is too expensive. to make it they will need to address this issue or cut prices severely.

i've been trolling here and keeping informed about vudu. the only reason i do not have a box is that there is not storage solution for puchased content. if htey allowed me to hook up an external hard drive and even swith those out when needed i'd be all over this thing. without that capability vudu is too expensive. to make it they will need to address this issue or cut prices severely.


Supposedly they have been working on a solution. I have no idea what that solution is, but an article I read mentioned that there would be a storage solution out in the second quarter. So hopefully something happens in April and not June.

I believe the masses want convenience first, but that does not mean that they will not take quality if it is delivered at a reasonable cost. It is a good sign if we are seeing sites offer 1080p for free.

where are they offering 1080P for free? Can you post the links? Thanks

TV.com is rolling out free 1080p streaming.

It is currently in beta with a few clips to demonstrate the technology. They are promising a wealth of content "soon".

http://www.tv.com/1080p/

I purchased a Vudu today. I suppose I'm in the minority, but my main purpose for the purchase was to get Pandora. I also really enjoy the YouTube interface. I'll probably watch a movie now and then, but movies are not my priority with Vudu.

I've purchased a lot audio and video electronics over the past 25 years. For $150.00, I can't think of another electronics purchase that has a bigger price-to-fun ratio.:)

We had friends over and they wanted to search for an artist from the 70's on youTube. Sure enough there were these videos of this guy playing a guitar in some club back in 74. We spent an hour looking at youTube before we even started a movie.

I spent $99 on the box back in early Jan. during a special. Love it. We already saved a few hundred $ in blu-ray and DVD disc purchases. We actually have bought just 1 SD disc since Dec. 19th, 2008 ... and we were a 40 disc per year family.

I just pulled down the Vudu device file for my Harmony remote and it seems that the Harmony has more commands than the bundled remote. For example, there seem to be 4 directional keys for up, down, left and right.

Does the Harmony remote provide more functionality than the Vudu remote?

I just pulled down the Vudu device file for my Harmony remote and it seems that the Harmony has more commands than the bundled remote. For example, there seem to be 4 directional keys for up, down, left and right.

Does the Harmony remote provide more functionality than the Vudu remote?


I don't have a Harmony, but I believe I have heard from other Vudu owners that the Harmony does doe more than the simple Vudu remote.

I just want to know what gets output when playing SD movies with the 1080p/24 fps setting.

I just want to know what gets output when playing SD movies with the 1080p/24 fps setting.


In my experience, the VUDU box upscaled SD movies to 1080P/24.....I saw a notification box in my screen informing me of this.....I have a projection system..hope this helps..

Picture looked good, but not like HD nor HDX...

In my experience, the VUDU box upscaled SD movies to 1080P/24.....I saw a notification box in my screen informing me of this.....I have a projection system..hope this helps..

Picture looked good, but not like HD nor HDX...
Thanks. I ended up picking up a Vudu box from BB yesterday. I am getting 1080p with SD movies on my Kuro display, so I guess that must mean that the video is upconverted to 1080p/24fps.

Thanks. I ended up picking up a Vudu box from BB yesterday. I am getting 1080p with SD movies on my Kuro display, so I guess that must mean that the video is upconverted to 1080p/24fps.

I believe you are correct. If a display does not support 24fps, I believe the HDMI will default to 1080i/60

bald

Thanks. I ended up picking up a Vudu box from BB yesterday. I am getting 1080p with SD movies on my Kuro display, so I guess that must mean that the video is upconverted to 1080p/24fps.

Miata, for what's worth..I'm in the same both my 3 year old Sony 46 TV but I finally downloaded a HDX movie over the weekend and all I can say is wow.....the quality lives up to the hype.

I thought I would write up my first impressions after having one day with the Vudu box (model BX100). I was viewing at 1080p/24fps with a Pioneer PDP-6010 Plasma TV (ISF calibrated) going though a Pioneer Elite VSX-92THX via HDMI with a 5.1 surround speaker system. I have a 6 Mbps U-verse internet connection. For reference my other streaming boxes are the Apple TV and the Roku player. My BD player is the Panny DMP-35 and my DVD player is the OPPO DVD-983.

Great:

- love the user interface: very polished, convenient filtering, scroll wheel remote
- the iPhone app for ordering has a nice cool factor -- even though I would hardly ever order ahead of time
- the ability to keep a list of movies on the wish list

Good:

- out-of-box experience was very good -- I was up and running in no time; the only complaint is that I kept on clicking on previews that were not available -- it would be better if the movie did not include a preview link if the preview is not available
- the HDX images are good -- did A/B comparisons with The Fifth Element and have to say that the HDQ version was about half way between the Superbit DVD version and the Blu-ray version; it would be great if the HDQ movies were instant
- the SD movies seem to be better than Apple TV SD, but not as good as DVD
- I'm not a super audio person, but the sound is pretty decent for streaming

Bad:

- newer HD movies seem to be $6 -- compared to $5 for the Apple TV
- the iPhone remote app does not work with the BX100 model since Vudu only enable IP control on the more expensive models (this is just plain stupid if you ask me)
- kinda hard to navigate back to my rentals and when you get to the movie screen the default selection is sometimes to buy the movie rather than play the movie that you already payed for -- give me a break
- a lot of the movies do not have previews and many of the ones with previews are small size -- the Apple TV has fullscreen previews for everything
- I don't like the idea of keeping the Vudu box powered all of the time and I hope it does not interfere with watching movies on my other devices
- no subtitles -- no different from Apple TV, Netflix or Amazon -- but still a PITA
- another common problem is that character entry for searches is a PITA -- I'm still not sure which I dislike more the Vudu or the Apple TV; at least with the Apple TV you can use the iPhone remote to type

Ugly:

- my biggest complaint is that the the wait on HDX movies is just not convenient for me -- and this is a real shame because the quality is quite good.
- no 1080i over component with the Vudu BX100 model (this will be a show stopper for many; I am bummed since it means that the Vudu player will not work on my very beautiful Loewe 38" 1080i CRT in the bedroom)
- Extra cost IR sensor: I had to spend an additional $45 with shipping to integrate with my universal remote

Conclusion:

I will definitely be keeping the Vudu box. The thing is just a joy to use. So far, it seems that the Vudu has higher image quality than the Apple TV for SD movies. I'm still trying to figure out how quality compares between the Apple TV and the the Vudu box for HD instant streaming, but since the Vudu charges $1 more than Apple I will probably stick with the Apple TV if the quality is close. As I am on the Netflix 3-at-a-time Blu-ray plan I have little interest in the HDX stuff. I feel like saying "So close, but so far away." The quality is good, but not as good as Blu-ray and since I can't watch instantly the convenience is lost. I would be much more interested in HDX at the current price and quality if the playback was instantaneous. And I don't know if this is normal, but while I was waiting to download the movie I could not watch anything else that I rented afterwards -- the other movies got queued behind the big HDX file.

At this point I have little interest in the Vudu Labs stuff. I like the Apple TV Youtube implementation better and don't normally use my HT for music listing, so Pandora has little utility either. I would kill to have the Netflix and Amazon stuff integrated. Being able to stream from a PC or Mac would be very nice. Speaking of which, now that I have so much choice one other thing I would like is a web portal where I could go to search a list of the all the movies I have available from Vudu, Netflix. iTunes Store and Amazon with the resolution, prices, ratings, links to IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, etc.

Miata, It will take a couple of days before all of the previews load onto the box. It will be slow for about 48 hours as the box updates with the latest firmware and database.
As for the HD quality comparison between Atv and Vudu. Vudu is better in picture and sound but Apple will suffice in some cases The difference is more noticable the bigger the TV. My Atv has been relegated to my 37" Tv. While my 42" and 106" screen are connected to Vudus.
I watch HDX for select movies and usually pre order while at work so they will be ready that evening, most of the movies I rent are instant HD as the iHD movie quality is the best avaiable to date on any VOD service. One thing I like is that the Box I have today is not like it was a year ago. Vudu is constantly upgrade, tweaking, and adding to the box/experience. You have alot to look forward to when it comes to Vudu.

Also you don't have to have it connected 24/7. You can unplug it and then plug it in at night or a couple of times a week to update the database. You can download a movie and take the box to a friend's house and watch it there.

Also you don't have to have it connected 24/7. You can unplug it and then plug it in at night or a couple of times a week to update the database. You can download a movie and take the box to a friend's house and watch it there.
I have a set of outlets on my power conditioner that get switched on when the AVR gets turned on. This means that the Vudu box will powered up any time I am watching anything on the TV. I would imagin that that is plenty of time to get updates and even do some P2P sharing with others. I don't plan on doing many HDX downloads, so that should not be an issue either.

Would there be any downside to turning the Vudu box on and off on a daily basis?

Miata,

I typically leave my Vudu box on 24/7 since I figure it's not hurting anything. However, I noticed my movies weren't being updated so I turn it off/on after a few days.

Heck, when I attempted to download my first rental last Friday, I was told that my Vudu box had NOT communicated back to Vudu HQ. So I had to open a ticket with support.

for what it's worth, I use my VUDU box for rentals AND purchases...what I'm running into now is lack of drive space to buy new movies...I can archive some to the VUDU Vault, but not all...There are some damn good movies that are becoming available for purchase, don't have the space..

Hopefully VUDU will allow external hard disks.....Personally, I haven't bought any type of disk-based movies since I got the box....that was in January of this year.....

Quick question.

I know that Vudu will only output HD via its HDMI connector, not via component. (Interestingly enough, I think that Apple TV can output HD over component).

When Vudu is outputting HD video via HDMI, is it simultaneously outputting audio via any other outputs, such as optical and/or RCA?

In other words, is the restriction of HD requires HDMI for the video path only?

If the HDMI interface is used then the VUDU turns off the component and composit connections.

Miata, It will take a couple of days before all of the previews load onto the box. It will be slow for about 48 hours as the box updates with the latest firmware and database.

There are two things here. First, many of the movies do not seem to have previews at all. They have no preview icon. Second, when you first fire up a new system many of the movies have an icon -- but when you hit play you get a message saying that the preview is not there. This is very hit or miss. It would be much better if the interface did not display an icon until the preview was available. All in all the Vudu previews are one of the few weak links in the Vudu system. Apple and Amazon provide previews for everything and you get full screen. It is just odd to me that Vudu has such a half-baked preview strategy.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but many movies don't seem to have any preview at all.

That being said, I have to say that after 2 days with the Vudu I really hate it when I go back to the Apple TV which is soo slow and clunky compared to the slick Vudu interface. Maybe the Apple TV will get relegated to watching previews full screen:-) Well, I will will still be using it for playing DVD rips, photos and for others in the family -- Youtube. I am quite the Apple fan and own just about everything Apple, so this is quite the complement for Vudu.

Quick question.

I know that Vudu will only output HD via its HDMI connector, not via component. (Interestingly enough, I think that Apple TV can output HD over component).

When Vudu is outputting HD video via HDMI, is it simultaneously outputting audio via any other outputs, such as optical and/or RCA?

In other words, is the restriction of HD requires HDMI for the video path only?

Audio output is active simultaneously on HDMI, Optical, and Stereo RCA when viewing via HDMI.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but many movies don't seem to have any preview at all.

Previews are licensed along with content. In some cases the content owner did not provide a preview and thus VUDU cannot display one. I know it's crazy that you can watch a "bootleg" preview of some of the moives on YouTube but the VUDU doesn't have it.

I downloaded a movie for the first time. It was [I]Burn After Reading[I]. I used the HDX mode. I was disappointed in the contrast of the picture. It was very dark, exhibiting what looked like black crush. Has anyone else downloaded this particular title? I'm wondering if others have seen a similar problem on movie downloads, or if its just my system.

miata - I am surprised you did not find the "buy only" option for certain studios new releases "ugly" ... Sony, Lions Gate and Disney seem to have a bulk of the "buy only" options on Vudu. Since I consider my Vudu (or any streaming player) a rent only option for me, buy only has zero appeal.

Oh and by the way, I will not buy a disc either if that's what they're thinking. I simply Red Box those that I have more than a passing interest in viewing.

question for miata or others. What is the best box (cheap too) to get for access to Netflix streaming?

miata - I am surprised you did not find the "buy only" option for certain studios new releases "ugly" ... Sony, Lions Gate and Disney seem to have a bulk of the "buy only" options on Vudu. Since I consider my Vudu (or any streaming player) a rent only option for me, buy only has zero appeal.

Oh and by the way, I will not buy a disc either if that's what they're thinking. I simply Red Box those that I have more than a passing interest in viewing.

question for miata or others. What is the best box (cheap too) to get for access to Netflix streaming?
I don't buy downloads either and one thing I like is the ability to filter by rent. It is a little irritating that that rent setting is not persistent or global across all browsing modes. So, we are probably in the same boat here.

After doing some comparisons between the Apple TV and Vudu for SD and streaming HD it seems that the Apple TV actually has quite a bit better PQ for SD and only slightly better quality for streaming HD. Since I really got the Vudu to hopefully get better quality for the same price I'm not sure that I be keeping it after all. I definitely prefer the Vudu interface over the Apple TV, but if I'm not going to rent any movies then it is kind of pointless.

I downloaded a movie for the first time. It was Burn After Reading[I]. I used the HDX mode. I was disappointed in the contrast of the picture. It was very dark, exhibiting what looked like black crush. Has anyone else downloaded this particular title? I'm wondering if others have seen a similar problem on movie downloads, or if its just my system.
Yes, indeed. I had awful black crush on HDX versions of Brideshead Revisted and the QW??? test file mentioned above. It took all the fun out of watching the movie. (I did not see it on the HD version of Wall-E.) I had re-checked the calibration of my set with DVE HD Basics before installing the Vudu. I was unable to eliminate it.

Audio output is active simultaneously on HDMI, Optical, and Stereo RCA when viewing via HDMI.

Thanks.

Pretty soon I might run out of objections to buying a Vudu.

Now my objection is I don't want to fiddle with my cables, etc. So I want Vudu to deliver a box to my house, unpack it, use HDMI to connect video to my TV, and use optical to connect audio to my receiver. Will they do all that? :)

- my biggest complaint is that the the wait on HDX movies is just not convenient for me -- and this is a real shame because the quality is quite good.


Are you talking about time to download or wait until movies are availiable? If time to download...isn't it basically "on demand"?

Are you talking about time to download or wait until movies are availiable? If time to download...isn't it basically "on demand"?
SD and HD are instantaneous if you have the bandwidth (2 and 4 Mbps respectively), but HDX is not on demand. You typically have to wait 4 hours for the download before you can play it -- and Vudu limits downloads to 4 Mbps regardless of your internet connection. So, there is no way around this except to order your movie 4 hours ahead of time.

As some of you may have read from my earlier posts I was trying to determine if it made sense for me to pick up a Vudu box to improve the PQ over my Apple TV. I was getting inconsistent information from the web on comparisons between the two and decided to see for myself...

Here is what I discovered:

1) I like the Vudu user interface much more than the Apple TV
2) The Apple TV has significantly better quality for SD movies and slightly better quality than "instant" HD movies than the Vudu (based on Changeling in SD, Deja Vu in HD streaming)
3) I just don't see myself taking advantage of the high quality Vudu HDX movies -- due to the download time delay
4) The price of SD movies and catalog HD are usually about the same for the Apple TV and Vudu; however, for new releases Vudu charges $5.99 versus Apple's $4.99

So, as much as I like the Vudu it seems that the logical thing for me to do is to return it. Heck I an still waiting for the IR receiver thingy to arrive via UPS. To be honest, if I didn't already have the Apple TV I probably wouldn't even be thinking of returning the Vudu.

I just wanted to make sure that I have done a fair evaluation of the system and that I didn't just pick the two worse Vudu movies for my comparison. Also, I wanted to make sure that there are big changes coming to the Vudu in the near future that would make me regret my decision.

Yes, indeed. I had awful black crush on HDX versions of Brideshead Revisted and the QW??? test file mentioned above. It took all the fun out of watching the movie. (I did not see it on the HD version of Wall-E.) I had re-checked the calibration of my set with DVE HD Basics before installing the Vudu. I was unable to eliminate it.

what about calibrating it after installing the VUDU? there were some free test patterns earlier on VUDU to download. Not sure what the title was though.
I know sometimes if I use my setting from my calibration with my BD player I might see the crush, but I have no problems when adjustments were made specifically for the VUDU.

This weekend was rainy at my house, so we used the time to catch up on some rentals and other content we have. I watched some Netflix DVD and Blu Ray titles as well as a couple of Netflix streamed titles in HD and SD as well as two movies on Vudu in HDX (Swing Vote and Twilight).

There is simply no comparison to HDX ibn Vudu except for Blu ray. I can't for the life of me understand why all AVS members are not on the Vudu badwagon for content. I watched Twilight and was completely blown away. We own the DVD for our daughters (who waatch it all over the house in SD) and the HDX version was rock solid. I also watched Beer for my Horses in HD on Netflix (Tivo HD) and it was OK, but nowhere near HDX quality. Unbelieveable.

I can understand the occaisional need to watch immediatley, but I decide at lunchtime what to rent in HDX and by the end of the day it is there. Infact, sometimes it takes a while, but it is still there.

If you don't have Vudu, you are really missing out!

...
I can't for the life of me understand why all AVS members are not on the Vudu badwagon for content.
...


I agree. For $1000s spent on home theater, the $150 for a vudu even if you only use it occasionally is a no brainer imo.

bald

This weekend was rainy at my house, so we used the time to catch up on some rentals and other content we have. I watched some Netflix DVD and Blu Ray titles as well as a couple of Netflix streamed titles in HD and SD as well as two movies on Vudu in HDX (Swing Vote and Twilight).

There is simply no comparison to HDX ibn Vudu except for Blu ray. I can't for the life of me understand why all AVS members are not on the Vudu badwagon for content. I watched Twilight and was completely blown away. We own the DVD for our daughters (who waatch it all over the house in SD) and the HDX version was rock solid. I also watched Beer for my Horses in HD on Netflix (Tivo HD) and it was OK, but nowhere near HDX quality. Unbelieveable.

I can understand the occaisional need to watch immediatley, but I decide at lunchtime what to rent in HDX and by the end of the day it is there. Infact, sometimes it takes a while, but it is still there.

If you don't have Vudu, you are really missing out!

We love the Vudu, but it is not because of HDX.

What we really like about the Vudu is the ability to quickly browse movies and actors and other movies that the same actors are in, etc., etc. We just love the super responsive, "no wait" experience. The other night came across The Postman Saturday night in HD and enjoyed watching it instantly. The quality was better than DVD and this title hasn't been released on Blu-ray.

I agree with you on the quality of HDX, but we have found it to be extremely inconvenient. The first time I ordered an HDX movie I was blocked from watching anything else on the Vudu until the HDX download finished. Fortunately, I was able to access movies via my Apple TV and used it while the Vudu download was finishing. Last night my wife and I decided to pull down Australia at 4:45. We figured that we would be able to watch it at around 9:00 or so after the kids went to bed. Well, the HDX download finally hit 98% at 11:15 last night. I know my internet connection is not the problem as a stream Vudu and Apple TV in HD with no problem.

I am also on the Netflix plan and get plenty of Blu-ray movies each month. I also buy Blu-ray movies quite often if I know ahead of time that I really want to own them. When we are looking to download it is for instant gratification. If we have to plan 4 hours ahead of time we might as well just move something to the top of our Netflix queue, order from Amazon or run down to Fry's. For us having a movie download service that is not instantaneous is almost pointless. We really look forward to the day when we can get HDX quality instantly.

^ I agree and at $5.99 and waiting 4+ hours is unacceptable. Heck I live in a remote upstate NY town and I get netflix within a day.

On another note as far a download quality goes nothing comes close to vudu.

We love the Vudu, but it is not because of HDX.

What we really like about the Vudu is the ability to quickly browse movies and actors and other movies that the same actors are in, etc., etc. We just love the super responsive, "no wait" experience. The other night came across The Postman Saturday night in HD and enjoyed watching it instantly. The quality was better than DVD and this title hasn't been released on Blu-ray.

I agree with you on the quality of HDX, but we have found it to be extremely inconvenient. The first time I ordered an HDX movie I was blocked from watching anything else on the Vudu until the HDX download finished. Fortunately, I was able to access movies via my Apple TV and used it while the Vudu download was finishing. Last night my wife and I decided to pull down Australia at 4:45. We figured that we would be able to watch it at around 9:00 or so after the kids went to bed. Well, the HDX download finally hit 98% at 11:15 last night. I know my internet connection is not the problem as a stream Vudu and Apple TV in HD with no problem.

I am also on the Netflix plan and get plenty of Blu-ray movies each month. I also buy Blu-ray movies quite often if I know ahead of time that I really want to own them. When we are looking to download it is for instant gratification. If we have to plan 4 hours ahead of time we might as well just move something to the top of our Netflix queue, order from Amazon or run down to Fry's. For us having a movie download service that is not instantaneous is almost pointless. We really look forward to the day when we can get HDX quality instantly.


Miata,

You've mentioned the HDX download blocking you from watching anything else a couple times now. That does not sound right, as you can change the priority of downloads on your Vudu. For example, after you have an HDX downloading you can rent/purchase a different title, and then go into your download queue (in My Movies/Rentals) where you can select the movie you want and tell your Vudu to "download now". That will move the other title in front of the HDX download, and allow instant viewing. You should also be able to watch any already downloaded titles while the HDX title is being downloaded. Your Vudu should be able to do quite a bit while the HDX title is being downloaded in the background.

Let me know if this is not what you are experiencing and I'll get the folks at Vudu to look into it.

Miata,

You've mentioned the HDX download blocking you from watching anything else a couple times now. That does not sound right, as you can change the priority of downloads on your Vudu. For example, after you have an HDX downloading you can rent/purchase a different title, and then go into your download queue (in My Movies/Rentals) where you can select the movie you want and tell your Vudu to "download now". That will move the other title in front of the HDX download, and allow instant viewing. You should also be able to watch any already downloaded titles while the HDX title is being downloaded. Your Vudu should be able to do quite a bit while the HDX title is being downloaded in the background.

Let me know if this is not what you are experiencing and I'll get the folks at Vudu to look into it.
Thanks nded. I'll have to play with the download queue next time. I was not aware of that capability.

If you don't have Vudu, you are really missing out![/QUOTE]

Well, I joined the Vudu bandwagon last month and I have mixed feelings about it. I've stated this on the Vudu forums and don't want to sound like a whiner but people must understand that all new releases are NOT available to RENT the same day on Vudu. That's what really surprised me. I thought you'd be able to rent on the same day but most of the time, this isn't the case. For example:

A few weeks ago, I wanted to rent Role Models but discovered it's not available until late April.

The new foreign flick, Tell No One, is out this week but there is NO mention of this movie on Vudu.

No availability of Quantum of Solace which is out this week.

The "big" movie this week is Slumdog Millionaire. I have family coming into town and they're anxious to see this (especially after my hype of Vudu's quality) however it was stated that it's not available to rent until late April.

Now on the flip side, they did have the great foreign flick, Let the Right One In in HDX, within a week of the release and the Watchmen's mini flick Tales of the Dark Freighter was available on the day of.

So I advise everyone thinking of getting Vudu -- keep your Netflix account because you'll need it to watch newly-released flicks.

Schwack.

PS. I should also make a point to praise Vudu's support and forum administrator's on their quick replies. I had a technical issue a few weeks ago and they addressed it within an hour. Also, when I posted my movie request for Let The Right One In, I was told by the administrator that the contract should be sign soon and see it on Vudu within a week and he was dead-on!!

what about calibrating it after installing the VUDU? there were some free test patterns earlier on VUDU to download. Not sure what the title was though.
I know sometimes if I use my setting from my calibration with my BD player I might see the crush, but I have no problems when adjustments were made specifically for the VUDU.

The one I found (mentioned above) was worthless, basically just a clip show (with the black crush). As also already mentioned, I did try to re-calibrate the set anyway. The results were unsatisfactory.
My DVD player, BD player and TViX all dial in at about the same values (using DVE or DVE HD Basics, as mentioned); the Vudu was way off.
There was no black crush evident on the HD (not HDX) encode of Wall-E, using the same settings as for the other equipment, so I suspect the HDX process. (However, the HD PQ was unimpresssive.) I finally returned it.

The one I found (mentioned above) was worthless, basically just a clip show (with the black crush). As also already mentioned, I did try to re-calibrate the set anyway. The results were unsatisfactory.
My DVD player, BD player and TViX all dial in at about the same values (using DVE or DVE HD Basics, as mentioned); the Vudu was way off.
There was no black crush evident on the HD (not HDX) encode of Wall-E, using the same settings as for the other equipment, so I suspect the HDX process. (However, the HD PQ was unimpresssive.) I finally returned it.

Which TV are you using? I've had the Vudu black crush on a Sony XBR8 LCD. Today, it's being exchanged for a Mitsubishi LCD. I'll be interested to see if there is any difference in the picture.

I agree on don't get rid of your netflix account today. I had Slumdog BluRay in my mailbox the day of release. Also - HDX and HD do not equal BluRay audio and video quality although HDX seems to be a tad better than DirecTV. The good thing about Vudu is that there are some titles in HD that are just not available on BluRay or DirecTV HD (i.e. Boy in the Striped Pajamas). So I will not be getting rid of my VUDU.

I've never had a Netflix account, but then again, I don't care whether or not I get to rent a movie on the day of release, or a few weeks later. The release dates are arbitrary anyway, and I already have more movies to watch on my Vudu then I may ever get around to viewing - life is short.

I've never had a Netflix account, but then again, I don't care whether or not I get to rent a movie on the day of release, or a few weeks later. The release dates are arbitrary anyway, and I already have more movies to watch on my Vudu then I may ever get around to viewing - life is short.


Well nded, that's where I disagree. If a great, critically acclaimed movie come out like Dark Knight, Slumdog, etc...I want to watch it when it comes out on release day. Why wait a month if you can watch it on DVD! I imagine the majority of users would want to watch it ASAP not 2-3 weeks later. You're rare.

However, having said that...my slumdog movie, on Netflix, has LONG WAIT in regards to the status!!!1

The one I found (mentioned above) was worthless, basically just a clip show (with the black crush). As also already mentioned, I did try to re-calibrate the set anyway. The results were unsatisfactory.
My DVD player, BD player and TViX all dial in at about the same values (using DVE or DVE HD Basics, as mentioned); the Vudu was way off.
There was no black crush evident on the HD (not HDX) encode of Wall-E, using the same settings as for the other equipment, so I suspect the HDX process. (However, the HD PQ was unimpresssive.) I finally returned it.
Do you or anybody else recall where to get these test patterns? I know that I have also been getting some black crush. All of my other sources are just fine -- OPPO BD-83, Toshiba HD-XA2, Apple TV, Roku Player and a VCR that they are all closely calibrated to the TV. These also share the same HDMI connection to the TV, so I will not be able to adjust the TV for the Vudu. I would just like to find ou how far off I am.

Which TV are you using? I've had the Vudu black crush on a Sony XBR8 LCD. Today, it's being exchanged for a Mitsubishi LCD. I'll be interested to see if there is any difference in the picture.

KDS-50A3000.

XBR8s are recent. I assume that you are replacing it for other reasons than black crush on Vudu. After all, swapping displays to accommodate a marginal source is the tail wagging the dog (but dumping a display that that could not do BDs justice is quite understandable).

Do you or anybody else recall where to get these test patterns? I know that I have also been getting some black crush. All of my other sources are just fine -- OPPO BD-83, Toshiba HD-XA2, Apple TV, Roku Player and a VCR that they are all closely calibrated to the TV. These also share the same HDMI connection to the TV, so I will not be able to adjust the TV for the Vudu. I would just like to find ou how far off I am.

I'm sorry: I'd don't recall the exact name. I thought it was mentioned here, but perhaps I read of it on the Vudu forum. Search Vudu for a file named something like QWXXY and "buy" it in HDX for $0.00--i.e, it's free. And it's worth every penny. The actual test pattern lasts all of 30 seconds (?). The rest is collection of mostly action clips from Disney flicks (I think); some don't even have audio. Sloppy. Maybe there are other files available.

My setup is similar to yours: all digital sources (Onkyo DV-SP1000, Samsung BD-UP5000, TiVo S3 and TViX M-6500A) funnel into the same HDMI input on the TV. Of course, this wouldn't be feasible if they required different calibration settings. By trying to accommodate the Vudu, I screwed the display up for everything else, and still could not achieve a satisfactory picture.

BTW, is that a Roku HD-1000 PhotoBridge (mine's in the basement) or the Netflix player?
I'd forgotten all about the VCR. :) It's on S-Video.

Well nded, that's where I disagree. If a great, critically acclaimed movie come out like Dark Knight, Slumdog, etc...I want to watch it when it comes out on release day. Why wait a month if you can watch it on DVD! I imagine the majority of users would want to watch it ASAP not 2-3 weeks later. You're rare.

If it is that important to somebody to see a certain movie ASAP, they should have watched it in the theater several months ago. A year from now it won't matter one bit in the scheme of things whether or not you watched Dark Knight 3 weeks before I watched it.


However, having said that...my slumdog movie, on Netflix, has LONG WAIT in regards to the status!!!1

That is the great contradiction of Netflix, in order for that business to be economically viable, only a very small percentage of members (typically the newest members) get to see the movie in the first few weeks. Yet the perception of having a slim chance of renting the movie on Day 1 somehow manages to make the Netflix Fanboys defend that physical media model. Already a few studios have stepped up to allowing Vudu to rent on day/date of release. It is only a matter of time before the other studios fall to what the market demands.

I'm sorry: I'd don't recall the exact name. I thought it was mentioned here, but perhaps I read of it on the Vudu forum. Search Vudu for a file named something like QWXXY and "buy" it in HDX for $0.00--i.e, it's free. And it's worth every penny. The actual test pattern lasts all of 30 seconds (?). The rest is collection of mostly action clips from Disney flicks (I think); some don't even have audio. Sloppy. Maybe there are other files available.

My setup is similar to yours: all digital sources (Onkyo DV-SP1000, Samsung BD-UP5000, TiVo S3 and TViX M-6500A) funnel into the same HDMI input on the TV. Of course, this wouldn't be feasible if they required different calibration settings. By trying to accommodate the Vudu, I screwed the display up for everything else, and still could not achieve a satisfactory picture.

BTW, is that a Roku HD-1000 PhotoBridge (mine's in the basement) or the Netflix player?
I'd forgotten all about the VCR. :) It's on S-Video.
I couldn't find any QWXXY searcing on the wen. I'll have to check on the Vudi later. I have the Roku Netflix player connected to the TV, but have an old SoundBridge for streaming music to the garage. Never had an HD-1000.

The "free" HDX title on Vudu for screen calibration is QWYZZY. You can pause on the various calibration pattern screens to allow adequate time for fine tuning. After a ton of movie clips in the middle, there is also a surround sound calibration routine towards the end of the title.

I don't know why they chose this title name - the adventurer in me would have chosen xyzzy......

If it is that important to somebody to see a certain movie ASAP, they should have watched it in the theater several months ago. A year from now it won't matter one bit in the scheme of things whether or not you watched Dark Knight 3 weeks before I watched it.
.

This is a silly response. Of course EVERYBODY would love to catch a great flick in the cinema. Hello!!! However if they miss it, they would want to watch it when it comes out. Plain and simple.

That Netflix scenario is what caused me to look at other alternatives. The wait & shipping delays are frustrating.

The "free" HDX title on Vudu for screen calibration is QWYZZY.
Thanks. I knew it was something of the sort. I no longer have the Vudu to check.

You can pause on the various calibration pattern screens to allow adequate time for fine tuning.
I recall seeing only one pattern, which was very crowded.

After a ton of movie clips in the middle . . .
My point was that the clips--by far the bulk of the 1-hour file--are worthless for calibration purposes. Downloading this file was a near-total waste of time.

. . . there is also a surround sound calibration routine towards the end of the title.
Right--but we were talking specifically about video. No one has mentioned audio problems. (So why not dispense with the clip-junk in the middle of the file?)

The real issue was, though, that the Vudu could not be reconciled with a calibration perfectly suited to all my other sources--done with standard, widely recognized tools--and that calibrating specifically for the Vudu not only did not solve the problem, but also made those other sources unwatchable. Moreover, the problem was evident only on the HDX movies I watched. (And no, I did not A/B those movies in both HD and HDX. Why pay twice?)

had absolutely no luck at all trying to find QWYZZY on either the web site or via the Vudu box.

This is a silly response. Of course EVERYBODY would love to catch a great flick in the cinema. Hello!!! However if they miss it, they would want to watch it when it comes out. Plain and simple.

That Netflix scenario is what caused me to look at other alternatives. The wait & shipping delays are frustrating.

I know several people who have absolutely no desire to see a movie in the theater. They prefer to see it in the comfort of their own home. Personally I like seeing it in the theater if it's in IMAX or with a DLP projector. After seeing those, the theaters with film projectors just don't cut it anymore and I've been really turned off by them since the difference between the film projector theaters and the IMAX(DLP) and regular DLP theaters is huge..
Anyway, everyone does not have the desire to see a movie in the theater.

Anyway, everyone does not have the desire to see a movie in the theater.

+1

I prefer my big leather chair to most any theater seat (and my feet won't stick to the floor). I make better popcorn, too.

Don't get me wrong, I too like watching movies in the comfort in my home. Don't have to deal with the talking at theaters, have your own food and BEER, I mean beverage.....

I just thought the guy's response of "if you wanted to see the movie ASAP, I should have seen it at the theater..." was silly.

Don't get me wrong, I too like watching movies in the comfort in my home. Don't have to deal with the talking at theaters, have your own food and BEER, I mean beverage.....

I just thought the guy's response of "if you wanted to see the movie ASAP, I should have seen it at the theater..." was silly.

And I think it is silly for somebody to get up in arms if they can't rent a new release on day/date. The fact of the matter is that this is a studio problem, not a problem with Vudu, when you have to wait a few weeks from release date to VOD rentals - let's just agree to disagree on this one.

This is a silly response. Of course EVERYBODY would love to catch a great flick in the cinema. Hello!!! However if they miss it, they would want to watch it when it comes out. Plain and simple.

That Netflix scenario is what caused me to look at other alternatives. The wait & shipping delays are frustrating.

Incidentally, I hate going to movies in the theater. I haven't been in years. The a/v quality at home is better than everything except the nicest theaters, none of which are anywhere near me. Plus, you invariably end up in a theater near some obnoxious person. Showtimes are limited. Seating is suboptimal. Breakdowns and technical errors are commonplace. $9 for that? BD/HDX please and thank you.

bald

I have the Vudu and the Apple TV and I see a pattern (probably driven by the studios) for delayed releases for renting. You might be able to purchase, but not rent. This might be frustrating if you are using the Vudu as your sole source of movies, but this is not a big deal to me as I have other streaming devices that might get earlier rent access. I also have the Netflix 3-at-a-time plan and if it is a movie that I really, really want to watch like Slumdog Millionaire I'll just purchase the Blu-ray on release date. Also, when I pre-order from Amazon I have it at the house when I get home from work on Tuesday evenings.

I have a hard time understanding how Vudu or Apple expect people to purchase for the same price as physical media and get something that is less flexible, and has less features. These download purchases seem like a weak gesture by the studios who really want to preserve the DVD and Blu-ray purchase revenue at release time. When Vudu or Apple only give me a purchase only option I check with the the other download services to see if it is rentable elsewhere. If not I simply wait for the movie to be available for rent from Netflix (which is the least expensive rent option), Vudu or Apple.

The net net is that I end up renting few new releases on the Vudu due to other options that are less expensive or have faster availability. I primarily use the Vudu for watching older classic movies that are not yet on Blu-ray. In those case Vudu provides higher quality than DVD for a good price.

Completely the model I use - Vudu has such a great selection - but I use it for obscure or older movies that I want to see in HD. Also - great back up if someone comes over and I want to do an on demand compulsive purchase. However - netflix seems to be a better value model - especially for blu ray

HI guys,
I saw a few reviews of the Vudo box and i like what I see.
I would be using it mainly for downloading 1080p content for newer movies.

Would the Vudu box give any benefit over the 1080p PS3 store downloads to my 80gb PS3??

Better picture quality?

HI guys,
I saw a few reviews of the Vudo box and i like what I see.
I would be using it mainly for downloading 1080p content for newer movies.

Would the Vudu box give any benefit over the 1080p PS3 store downloads to my 80gb PS3??

Better picture quality?

Audio quality is a big benefit of Vudu over other download services. Picture quality will depend on the source. Each box if capable of excellent audio and video quality, but Vudu is consistently pushing DD+ for HD downloads while the PS3 may be stereo.

I would rather watch a movie at home over any theater as we have a 119" diagonal screen, 7.1 surround sound and 2300W worth of LFE shakers in the seating. This does not even count the popcorn and beverage selection.

I put up with waiting for rentals on optical discs ... once you wait 3-4 months you never miss a movie that much in a theater. That said, an additional wait of 1 months is frustrating for a download. A buy only option on release day is an insult. Why would I spend $20 for an SD download when I can buy it at Wal-Mart for $16?

I am afraid the biggest offenders are Sony, Disney and Lionsgate. They seem to want to force you to buy a disc and given the pricing for the SD download, a blu-ray disc. No deal.

I was surprised last night when watching BarFly in HDX last last night that the movie just stopped at the 24 hour mark. Is this the case for all Vudu movies? All of the Apple movies allow you to finish any movie that you start before the 24 hour limit. That is a big difference. I have a hard time believing that the studios would have different rules for different download services.

I was surprised last night when watching BarFly in HDX last last night that the movie just stopped at the 24 hour mark. Is this the case for all Vudu movies? All of the Apple movies allow you to finish any movie that you start before the 24 hour limit. That is a big difference. I have a hard time believing that the studios would have different rules for different download services.

That's pretty literal-minded. Maybe just careless programming? Request a credit or free extension. If necessary, tell them about ATV's policy.

That's pretty literal-minded. Maybe just careless programming? Request a credit or free extension. If necessary, tell them about ATV's policy.
Not a bad idea. I'll contact Vudu. I did get curious and found this on the Vudu Support web site:


How long do rentals last?
(http://supports.vudu.com/questions/103/How+long+do+rentals+last%3F+)

It does seem that Vudu is trying to make an extra dollar or two to extend the movie to the finish. Not exactly customer friendly.

On the other hand, Apple's wording is very similar although I know in practice that you get to finish a movie that you start before the 24 hours is up. Interesting Apple does not have the extra cost extension revenue stream, and that might explain why more liberal.

iTunes Store movie rental usage rights in the United States
(http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1415)

I've been on the fence for a while as I am still within the 30 return period. I'll confirm this policy with Vudu, but this together with concerns about Vudu bandwidth usage and impending caps (Vudu thread (http://forum.vudu.com/showthread.php?t=11788)) makes me lean more towards returning the Vudu. I can always see if thing improve in another 6 months or so.

HI guys,
I saw a few reviews of the Vudo box and i like what I see.
I would be using it mainly for downloading 1080p content for newer movies.

Would the Vudu box give any benefit over the 1080p PS3 store downloads to my 80gb PS3??

Better picture quality?

PSN movie downloads are 720P.

I can always see if thing improve in another 6 months or so.

Yep. That's why I'm still subscribed to this thread.

That's pretty literal-minded. Maybe just careless programming? Request a credit or free extension. If necessary, tell them about ATV's policy.
Well, I got confirmation from Vudu support that their policy is to cut-off the movie at the 24 hour point -- even if you are in the middle of a movie. That more or less seals my decision to return the Vudu.

Well, I got confirmation from Vudu support that their policy is to cut-off the movie at the 24 hour point -- even if you are in the middle of a movie. That more or less seals my decision to return the Vudu.

That is pretty lame, and needs to change.

Well, I got confirmation from Vudu support that their policy is to cut-off the movie at the 24 hour point -- even if you are in the middle of a movie. That more or less seals my decision to return the Vudu.

That's really short-sighted--and hard to justify, considering how expensive their (HDX) movies are.

"No grace period. Violators will be shot." That's like the bad old days of B&M movie rental.

I own a Vudu box and also use TWC VOD... both have a 24 hr limit to watch rented content. The Roku/Amazon VOD also appears to have the same limitation. My understanding is that this limitation is set by the content owners (Studios) not the VOD service providers or box manufacturers. I will also like this 24 hr restriction loosen, but I'm afraid that I'd be barking up the wrong tree if I focus my rage on the service providers . Still, after reading all the resentments about this limitation, I have yet to hear about an alternative. In other words, I'm curious to hear about a similar VOD boxes that I can buy right now, that I can connect "directly" to my LCD TV via HDMI, that provides HD/HDX resolution stream of recent DVD movie releases and that does "not" have the 24hr limit to watch rented content.

Btw, I paid $99 for my Vudu box and since Vudu is not a subscription service I'm not pressured to watch x number of movies within a month to get my monies worth. I also try to keep the minimum balance in my account. If the Vudu service goes off line I can recuperate some of my money by taking the box apart and use some of the components for something else. I bet that there is more than $99 worth of parts inside the box.

I own a Vudu box and also use TWC VOD... both have a 24 hr limit to watch rented content. The Roku/Amazon VOD also appears to have the same limitation. My understanding is that this limitation is set by the content owners (Studios) not the VOD service providers or box manufacturers. I will also like this 24 hr restriction loosen, but I'm afraid that I'd be barking up the wrong tree if I focus my rage on the service providers . Still, after reading all the resentments about this limitation, I have yet to hear about an alternative. In other words, I'm curious to hear about a similar VOD boxes that I can buy right now, that I can connect "directly" to my LCD TV via HDMI, that provides HD/HDX resolution stream of recent DVD movie releases and that does "not" have the 24hr limit to watch rented content.

Btw, I paid $99 for my Vudu box and since Vudu is not a subscription service I'm not pressured to watch x number of movies within a month to get my monies worth. I also try to keep the minimum balance in my account. If the Vudu service goes off line I can recuperate some of my money by taking the box apart and use some of the components for something else. I bet that there is more than $99 worth of parts inside the box.
Apple lets you finish the movie if you start it before the 24 hour limit. I think you have to play the moveie straight through and you can't just pause it for hours. However, I've always been able to finish a movie on the Apple TV as log as I start before the limit is up. The Apple HD feeds are as good or better than the Vudu HD streaming feeds -- and I don't have the patience for the HDX downloads.

Apple lets you finish the movie if you start it before the 24 hour limit. I think you have to play the moveie straight through and you can't just pause it for hours. However, I've always been able to finish a movie on the Apple TV as log as I start before the limit is up. The Apple HD feeds are as good or better than the Vudu HD streaming feeds -- and I don't have the patience for the HDX downloads.

To clarify... the issue is not the 24hr limit. The issue is that if I pause a movie and still have an hour to watch I can not finish it in the Vudu box if I re-start it 23 hrs and 59 minutes after I started watching it. The ATV allows you to finish the movie if you restart it after 23 hrs and 59 minutes from the moment you start it... correct? If this is the case then I can see the advantage as with the ATV you get extra time to watch. So the watch window in the ATV is closer to 24:59+ time left on a movie you started to watch. Btw... the Vudu box also has the $1 extended rental period... does the ATV have something similar?

To clarify... the issue is not the 24hr limit. The issue is that if I pause a movie and still have an hour to watch I can not finish it in the Vudu box if I re-start it 23 hrs and 59 minutes after I started watching it. The ATV allows you to finish the movie if you restart it after 23 hrs and 59 minutes from the moment you start it... correct? If this is the case then I can see the advantage as with the ATV you get extra time to watch. So the watch window in the ATV is closer to 24:59+ time left on a movie you started to watch. Btw... the Vudu box also has the $1 extended rental period... does the ATV have something similar?
The Apple TV watch window is the length of the the movie. If I restart at 23:59 I can watch for the entire length of the movie. I don't know about other people, but I usually start watching a movie at about the same time during the evenings. So, if I can restart the movie the next evening at the same time and finish it that is a huge advantage. The other thing is that it is very disappointed to not be able to finish a movie. Yes. the movie I watched had a $.99 extension fee -- but that just pissed me off more than anything. There was no way that I was going to pay something that should have been free -- at least based on the expectations I had with Apple.

The Apple TV watch window is the length of the the movie. If I restart at 23:59 I can watch for the entire length of the movie. I don't know about other people, but I usually start watching a movie at about the same time during the evenings. So, if I can restart the movie the next evening at the same time and finish it that is a huge advantage. The other thing is that it is very disappointed to not be able to finish a movie. Yes. the movie I watched had a $.99 extension fee -- but that just pissed me off more than anything. There was no way that I was going to pay something that should have been free -- at least based on the expectations I had with Apple.

Agree... I have also found myself rushing to watch before the window closes. I follow the same rutine after I come home from work and so I start watching TV at about the same time every day. Vudu should be able to match the extended window of the ATV if there are no content provider restrictions. "Maybe" the folks from Apple had this stipulated on their contract with the studios while the folks from Vudu did not. There is always a chance to renegotiate. The $.99 extended window is still useful for those days that, for whatever reason, I can not make it back home within the 24hr window. I have not used this $.99 extended window yet... but I imagine that it can be activated via the Web UI of Vudu while I'm still away from home.

I think evryone can agree that the 24 hour limit needs to be changed. I would like the major studios to follow the independants with 48 hours. I have ony seen this on Vudu. I believe Apple is 24 hours for independants as well. I have only ran into this problem once and it was on Vudu. I started the movie and had to pay to extend. I like this option, however I still would rather rent from vudu than Apple because Vudu's quality is so much better.

I think evryone can agree that the 24 hour limit needs to be changed. I would like the major studios to follow the independants with 48 hours. I have ony seen this on Vudu. I believe Apple is 24 hours for independants as well. I have only ran into this problem once and it was on Vudu. I started the movie and had to pay to extend. I like this option, however I still would rather rent from vudu than Apple because Vudu's quality is so much better.
When you talk about the quality are you talking about the HDX movies? I know they are better than Apples HD, but when doing SD to SD and HD to HD comparisons I saw little difference. In fact, the Apple TV was slightly better in the two cases where I did an A/B comparison.

I know several people who have absolutely no desire to see a movie in the theater. They prefer to see it in the comfort of their own home. Personally I like seeing it in the theater if it's in IMAX or with a DLP projector. After seeing those, the theaters with film projectors just don't cut it anymore and I've been really turned off by them since the difference between the film projector theaters and the IMAX(DLP) and regular DLP theaters is huge..
Anyway, everyone does not have the desire to see a movie in the theater.

I generally prefer to watch movies at home myself, but the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood is an exception. The best film ever produced is shown there with exceptional care. A quality 35mm film is equivalent to a 12K digital projector. We just rarely get to see it in all of its glory.

When you talk about the quality are you talking about the HDX movies? I know they are better than Apples HD, but when doing SD to SD and HD to HD comparisons I saw little difference. In fact, the Apple TV was slightly better in the two cases where I did an A/B comparison.

It's just my opinion that across the board Vudu is better. The HDX movies don't compare to any other VOD offering right now, except Dish 1080p VOD but that is another story (I ditched Sat and Cable). Apple downloads, on the movies I have compared, have had more banding issues, compression artifacts, the sound was not as good, and picture not as crisp. The Apple TV was relegated to the bedroom because the problems seemed more noticable on a tv over 40 inches.. Vudu has its issues as well but accross the board I am more satisfied with it than the ATV. From the look of the box to the UI to the quality, to me, Vudu has out appled Apple.
There are so many variables that come into play as far as equipment and personal likes and dislikes. Sound is important to me and that is why the Vudu scores higher for me than the ATV and the reason I prefer HDX to HD on Vudu. I have a friend who thinks the quality of netflix over TivoHD is the same as DVD and that the quality of Amazon on the tivo is "really good" but to me Amazon is unwatchable via the Tivo. Don't get me wrong I love my ATV and Vudu and Apple are very close in quality I just feel Vudu edges it out.
If the ATV is right for you as your main source of VOD then keep it, as it is great to have choices and you should always go with what provides the best experience for you not what some schmoe's opinion (mine included) is. We live in a great time for entertainment from BD to VOD we have so many choices as to how our entertainment is delivered. The downside is that we are stuck as the industry tries to figure this new VOD monster out. They need to realize that Vudu, Apple, Amazon and the others are the new Blockbusters, Hollywood videos, etc.. and release at the same time as DVD.

Amazon HD content now available on Roku

http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/21/amazon-video-on-demand-goes-hd-we-go-hands-on/

From the Roku Home page:

"Select from more than 40,000 Hollywood hits, classic movies and your favorite TV shows, including hundreds in HD. New movies are available the same day they are released on DVD. No subscription fee required."

Available the same day the DVD is released and no subscription fee?... Are both of these new for Roku ?

Edit: Does anyone know how soon one can start watching an HD movie in the Roku? and... Does it require a minimum download speed to start watching within a specific time window? Anyone out there with both a Vudu and Roku box that can tell us how the HD PQ of both boxes compare?

I see direcTv is now offering 1080p/24 movies on demand. Apparently they start relatively quick after purchace. Has anyone compared this service to Vudu? Differences?

Last weekend I read where VUDU had dropped to $149 and Best Buy now sells them. Having a 10% off coupon I checked and only one location near me had them in stock so I took a trip. They had one installed in their game room and my first take was it's all black and appears to be an Apple TV on steroids.

The unit is about twice the size of an Apple TV (height wise) and appears to be very well built along the lines of Sonos (perhaps even nicer). The remote is plastic, nicely built, cool and very easy to operate.

Well with a 45-day return policy what did I have to lose outside of the $20 credit I'd have to create when registering my VUDU. I figured I'd spend that much renting movies over the same time period so it was a wash.

It's packaged in much the same way as Sonos or Apple products. Once turned on installation is four simple steps and again like Sonos extremely painless. In only a few minutes you are up and running.

They offer a wireless option but I decided to connect it to an Apple Airport Express. I also wanted to connect my TiVo to the same Airport Express so I connected a hub to the Express and both of the devices to the hub. Remarkably each of them worked instantly much to my surprise.

Once I was up and running I saw hints of the Apple TV interface in the VUDU. However the VUDU was dramatically faster, easier to use and overall a better experience. My only negative was occasionally the remote scroll wheel's single click wasn't being registered.

I wasn't sure if it was a bad scroll wheel or perhaps RF interference. Since when it happened it felt like the wheel had missed a gear I thought it was hardware related. Also the remote had a faint rattle (if shaken) which the demo didn't.

Looking around their forum to see if it might be a known issue I couldn't find any reports of bad remotes. I did find a posting saying you could connect a wireless mouse to its USB port and use it to control the VUDU and I couldn't resist giving it a try. A quick reboot and my Logitech mouse was in control and it scrolled wonderfully which closed the case for me as I had a flakey scroll wheel.

I fired off an email to their support department relaying what I was seeing and the next morning I got an apology for having the issue and they shipped a free replacement the same day (second day delivery at that).

The real reason I wanted to use VUDU was for their new HDX encoded movies. Their HD encodes are superior to Apple TV's HD movies (I owned an Apple TV for a few months) and HDX is supposed to be leaps ahead of both. Also they will playback at 24 frames per second which my projector loves (much quieter as the color wheel spins slower).

I only have a T1 to my house so in this day and age I'm an antique but I don't mind downloading the movie beforehand as streaming live isn't an option. Luckily they had a demo clip of HDX that I could download in a few minutes and if the films are anywhere close to the same quality I'm impressed.

Currently they offer over 1,400 films with quite of few of them being HDX and most of the new releases seem accounted for. I'll know better in a few weeks but I know if I had more bandwidth it would be real hard not to use VUDU on a regular basis. It's fun to use and the HDX image appears stunning and the audio isn't far behind (5.1 on most films).

Based on their high-quality product and the support they offer you can't help but want to see them succeed. Of course it won't make Blu-ray obsolete any time soon but for me it just might replace the four or so Blu-ray rentals I'm interested in viewing monthly. However I'll still be buying my yearly handful of Blu-rays.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but looking at the Roku specs I only see Stereo (L/R RCA) outputs. For a second there, to supplement my Vudu box content, I was considering getting a Roku box given that now one can get Amazon HD content without a subscription fee. But... HD movies with no Dolby 5.1 sound... never mind.

Last weekend I read where VUDU had dropped to $149 and Best Buy now sells them. Having a 10% off coupon I checked and only one location near me had them in stock so I took a trip. They had one installed in their game room and my first take was it's all black and appears to be an Apple TV on steroids.

The unit is about twice the size of an Apple TV (height wise) and appears to be very well built along the lines of Sonos (perhaps even nicer). The remote is plastic, nicely built, cool and very easy to operate.

Well with a 45-day return policy what did I have to lose outside of the $20 credit I'd have to create when registering my VUDU. I figured I'd spend that much renting movies over the same time period so it was a wash.

It's packaged in much the same way as Sonos or Apple products. Once turned on installation is four simple steps and again like Sonos extremely painless. In only a few minutes you are up and running.

They offer a wireless option but I decided to connect it to an Apple Airport Express. I also wanted to connect my TiVo to the same Airport Express so I connected a hub to the Express and both of the devices to the hub. Remarkably each of them worked instantly much to my surprise.

Once I was up and running I saw hints of the Apple TV interface in the VUDU. However the VUDU was dramatically faster, easier to use and overall a better experience. My only negative was occasionally the remote scroll wheel's single click wasn't being registered.

I wasn't sure if it was a bad scroll wheel or perhaps RF interference. Since when it happened it felt like the wheel had missed a gear I thought it was hardware related. Also the remote had a faint rattle (if shaken) which the demo didn't.

Looking around their forum to see if it might be a known issue I couldn't find any reports of bad remotes. I did find a posting saying you could connect a wireless mouse to its USB port and use it to control the VUDU and I couldn't resist giving it a try. A quick reboot and my Logitech mouse was in control and it scrolled wonderfully which closed the case for me as I had a flakey scroll wheel.

I fired off an email to their support department relaying what I was seeing and the next morning I got an apology for having the issue and they shipped a free replacement the same day (second day delivery at that).

The real reason I wanted to use VUDU was for their new HDX encoded movies. Their HD encodes are superior to Apple TV's HD movies (I owned an Apple TV for a few months) and HDX is supposed to be leaps ahead of both. Also they will playback at 24 frames per second which my projector loves (much quieter as the color wheel spins slower).

I only have a T1 to my house so in this day and age I'm an antique but I don't mind downloading the movie beforehand as streaming live isn't an option. Luckily they had a demo clip of HDX that I could download in a few minutes and if the films are anywhere close to the same quality I'm impressed.

Currently they offer over 1,400 films with quite of few of them being HDX and most of the new releases seem accounted for. I'll know better in a few weeks but I know if I had more bandwidth it would be real hard not to use VUDU on a regular basis. It's fun to use and the HDX image appears stunning and the audio isn't far behind (5.1 on most films).

Based on their high-quality product and the support they offer you can't help but want to see them succeed. Of course it won't make Blu-ray obsolete any time soon but for me it just might replace the four or so Blu-ray rentals I'm interested in viewing monthly. However I'll still be buying my yearly handful of Blu-rays.

Reads like a commercial!
Btw, we already know what it is and how it works. . . .

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but looking at the Roku specs I only see Stereo (L/R RCA) outputs. For a second there, to supplement my Vudu box content, I was considering getting a Roku box given that now one can get Amazon HD content without a subscription fee. But... HD movies with no Dolby 5.1 sound... never mind.

The ROKU specs page shows

"Audio Output:
Stereo (L/R RCA)
Digital Optical (Toslink)
Digital over HDMI "

http://www.roku.com/technology.aspx

The ROKU specs page shows

"Audio Output:
Stereo (L/R RCA)
Digital Optical (Toslink)
Digital over HDMI "

http://www.roku.com/technology.aspx

True, but still none of the digital ports show that they support Dolby 5.1. I'd be surprised if both their engineering and marketing departments failed to recognized that their "official" web site does not mention such critical feature. As a potential costumer I'd be skeptical that this feature exist in their box because the available information online (including their official web site) fail mention, anywhere, that Dolby 5.1 is supported.

Btw, we already know what it is and how it works. . . .I guess I'm not that smart. I didn't even know it uses P2P.

True, but still none of the digital ports show that they support Dolby 5.1. I'd be surprised if both their engineering and marketing departments failed to recognized that their "official" web site does not mention such critical feature. As a potential costumer I'd be skeptical that this feature exist in their box because the available information online (including their official web site) fail mention, anywhere, that Dolby 5.1 is supported.

Does it even say stereo pcm is supported?

EDIT: Look at page 9 of the manual it says,

"Audio connections
For standard stereo sound (2-channels, left/right), use the red and white connectors on the
composite cable. For surround sound (5.1 audio), use either an HDMI or optical audio cable, if
available."

Does it even say stereo pcm is supported?

EDIT: Look at page 9 of the manual it says,

"Audio connections
For standard stereo sound (2-channels, left/right), use the red and white connectors on the
composite cable. For surround sound (5.1 audio), use either an HDMI or optical audio cable, if
available."

I see it now... I looked at the Quick Start Guide and this info is not mentioned there. Well, it "could" be that it supports Dolby 5.1, but that the box is not Dolby certified. In other words it supports Dolby 5.1 perfectly, but they can not use the word "Dolby" for marketing purposes - This is the case for receivers that do not display THX as it is a lab certification not a technology. Otherwise, Kudos to the Roku marketing folks for hiding this info so well from potential costumers.

Edit: It could also be that they don't want to mislead costumers mentioning Dolby 5.1 because their content providers (Netflix and Amazon) streams are not coded that way.

I "might" give the box a second thought... but I doubt it. Roku appears to have already dropped support for their Soundbridge box without much warning based on what the CEO mentions on this thread http://forums.rokulabs.com/viewtopic.php?t=20806 I already own a Vudu box. One box with an uncertain future is good enough for me. I'll wait around and see who else will come out with an "inexpensive box" that supports HD/HDX VOD with "no-subscription fees".

Edit: It could also be that they don't want to mislead costumers mentioning Dolby 5.1 because their content providers (Netflix and Amazon) streams are not coded that way.Apparently they do offer 5.1 just not (currently) on the Roku. Via engadgethd.com...

So we were pretty bummed in our early testing of Amazon's newly HD-enabled Video On Demand service to find that it only streamed stereo audio instead of full 5.1 surround, but it looks like that's actually device-dependent -- we just tried it out on our TiVo HD, and movies play back in Dolby Digital 5.1. Yeah, that's still no Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD, but it's definitely a vast upgrade from the sad two channels we got off the Roku Video Player. So why the difference? The TiVo doesn't stream content like the Roku -- it actually downloads a video file and plays it locally from its hard drive. That means that in addition to surround audio, we also saw a pretty dramatic increase in picture quality over the Roku -- not exactly Blu-ray, but at least on par with the Apple TV, which also downloads content locally.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/04/22/amazon-video-on-demand-supports-5-1-surround-on-tivo-plus-hands/

Later on they mention how bad the TiVo's interface is for streaming and I couldn't agree more. For the typical TiVo stuff it's slow but livable but once you leave there it looks bad, is extremely slow, and the reason I purchased a VUDU. :)

Apparently they do offer 5.1 just not (currently) on the Roku. Via engadgethd.com...

So we were pretty bummed in our early testing of Amazon's newly HD-enabled Video On Demand service to find that it only streamed stereo audio instead of full 5.1 surround, but it looks like that's actually device-dependent -- we just tried it out on our TiVo HD, and movies play back in Dolby Digital 5.1. Yeah, that's still no Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD, but it's definitely a vast upgrade from the sad two channels we got off the Roku Video Player. So why the difference? The TiVo doesn't stream content like the Roku -- it actually downloads a video file and plays it locally from its hard drive. That means that in addition to surround audio, we also saw a pretty dramatic increase in picture quality over the Roku -- not exactly Blu-ray, but at least on par with the Apple TV, which also downloads content locally.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/04/22/amazon-video-on-demand-supports-5-1-surround-on-tivo-plus-hands/

Later on they mention how bad the TiVo's interface is for streaming and I couldn't agree more. For the typical TiVo stuff it's slow but livable but once you leave there it looks bad, is extremely slow, and the reason I purchased a VUDU. :)

Trust me, you'll love the vudu!

However, if Amazon had offered OAR and HD on my Tivo back when i bought Vudu, I woldn't have ever discovered it. I am glad I did.

That being said, I did rent an HD title at $4.99 last night to try it out and the quality was good. I still prefer the HDX but on immediate purchases like we do for my daughter and her friends that come over, some may go to Amazon to save a buck. Another plus for Amazon is not having to have money in your account, but that is trivial.

Trust me, you'll love the vudu!

However, if Amazon had offered OAR and HD on my Tivo back when i bought Vudu, I woldn't have ever discovered it. I am glad I did.

That being said, I did rent an HD title at $4.99 last night to try it out and the quality was good. I still prefer the HDX but on immediate purchases like we do for my daughter and her friends that come over, some may go to Amazon to save a buck. Another plus for Amazon is not having to have money in your account, but that is trivial.I have The Wrestler in HDX all ready to view (in the theater) so I'll find out soon enough. My bandwidth is so slow that nothing would be immediate so I figured why not go with HDX. I agree the prepaid thing is kind of silly and to my thinking it just might work in reverse. Every time I go to rent something I keep thinking I'll have to get refilled which is a lot more than a movie rental. So it feels like I'm spending more... silly but true.

I love TiVo for TV but the rest of the interface looks so amateurish not to mention so painfully slow I have a hard time going there. I purchased two of them when the TiVo HD first shipped thinking I would use them for streaming and sharing shows between themselves or PCs. Neither feature worked out and currently I'm down to only one of them.

For me VUDU will be a success if it replaces my four or so (on average) monthly Blu-ray rentals. The fee will be roughly the same outside of my original purchase which is covered by the having fun nerd budget. :) I was fairly happy with the Apple TV but I never used any of its other features. So based on my usage (110 inch screen) HDX appears to be the way to go.

I love TiVo for TV but the rest of the interface looks so amateurish not to mention so painfully slow I have a hard time going there. I purchased two of them when the TiVo HD first shipped thinking I would use them for streaming and sharing shows between themselves or PCs. Neither feature worked out and currently I'm down to only one of them.



I transfer HD content between my seven TiVos on a regular basis and also from My PC without any problems. I'm not sure why your TiVo interface was slow unless it was the initial few days when it's updating it's database.

I can initiate a transfer and start watching the content immediately(well in one or two seconds) since it will usually transfer in faster than realtime.(between 1X and 4X realtime) Depending on what other things the TiVo is recording and the bitrate of the HD content. (TIvo to TiVo transfers can exceed 40mbs, PC to TiVo is slower ranging from 13mbs to 20mbs)

On another note, I hope VUDU increases the fastest download speed available soon. I have a 50mbs inbound pipe(20mbs outbound) so the current 4mbs limit is painfully slow. Plus I would have no problem increasing my upload speed from my three VUDUs to several mbs each instead of the current 333kbs upload speed each has.

I transfer HD content between my seven TiVos on a regular basis and also from My PC without any problems. I'm not sure why your TiVo interface was slow unless it was the initial few days when it's updating it's database.The TV part of the interface is livable but everything else is beyond silly (for me). Just now I clicked on Video on Demand and it was at least eight seconds before the screen appeared. Once there reaction times feel like they are underwater and the graphics look like 480i being upscaled (rather badly). Music, Photos, & Showcases isn't much better.

I can initiate a transfer and start watching the content immediately(well in one or two seconds) since it will usually transfer in faster than realtime.(between 1X and 4X realtime) Depending on what other things the TiVo is recording and the bitrate of the HD content. (TIvo to TiVo transfers can exceed 40mbs, PC to TiVo is slower ranging from 13mbs to 20mbs)I was trying to transfer to a PC wirelessly and I remember TiVo even admitted there were issues (with speed) whether it has gotten better I don't know.

On another note, I hope VUDU increases the fastest download speed available soon.They are more than fast enough for my needs.

They are more than fast enough for my needs.

I typically watch HDX titles now, so the faster they can be downloaded the better. Since I would be able to watch them sooner.
If the download time could be cut down to one third of the current time, I would be able to pick a title and watch it the same evening. It's not usually a big deal since I usually pick them in adance but sometimes I see something I want to watch in the evening and I can't because of the longer download time for HDX titles.

I typically watch HDX titles now, so the faster they can be downloaded the better.I understand but at the same time I think your bandwidth is much larger than their target market base. In my case it is much smaller. :) What they offer appears to meet the customer base they are going after (there are always exceptions like us).

On another note, I hope VUDU increases the fastest download speed available soon. I have a 50mbs inbound pipe(20mbs outbound) so the current 4mbs limit is painfully slow. Plus I would have no problem increasing my upload speed from my three VUDUs to several mbs each instead of the current 333kbs upload speed each has.

I second this. I really need instant access. It would be nice if Vudu did something like Netflix where they stream at the maximum rate possible. I would be willing to settle for something between HD and HDX PQ if it was instantly streamed. I ended up returning my Vudu box because the Vudu HD PQ less or the same as Apple TV HD. I think the reason is that the Vudu HD streaming is limited to 4 Mbis whereas the Apple TV HD streams are up to 5 Mbps. See Apple TV specs (http://www.apple.com/appletv/specs.html). It sounds like Amazon may also challenge Vudu for streaming.

We can talk about how small the market is for people with faster broadband internet connections, but I have to think that the size of the market for people who are willing to wait 4 hours to watch an HD movie is even smaller. Vudu is going to have their lunch eaten if they do not improve the quality of their HD streaming service by increasing the bit rate.

I second this. I really need instant access. It would be nice if Vudu did something like Netflix where they stream at the maximum rate possible. I would be willing to settle for something between HD and HDX PQ if it was instantly streamed.With VUDU using P2P I'm sure they would love to open the bandwidth door if and when they have the number of installations to justify it. I have already been reading complaints about how much upstream bandwidth the service uses and if they were to increase it now my guess is they would lose more customers than they would gain.

It would be interesting to see how it breaks down but I wonder if most users are broken down into two groups. One group wants instant viewing and the other the highest quality possible. Again not everyone fits into either group and a pure guess is most of the instant viewer group is happy with SD. At least if we are talking about customers beyond "geeks"

In some ways I see VUDU being similar to Sonos. The geeks (me included) jumped on board and love it. But at the same time they keep "demanding" it transforms into a more geek based system. I have nothing against that but in a lot of cases I think it takes the product further away from being able to be successful mainstream.

In this case if it eats up the average user's upstream bandwidth to satisfy a few geeks I don't see VUDU coming out ahead. After all I'm sure they want to be everything to everyone but like everything else when you gain something you lose something at the same time. (yin-yang).

Here are two things they could do (are they?) to help decrease the waiting period to a large degree. Preload parts or all of the popular titles in the format you typically view. And allow you to pre-order titles before they become available... just don't let you view them. This way it could be downloaded beforehand and there would be no waiting at all.

It would be interesting to see how it breaks down but I wonder if most users are broken down into two groups. One group wants instant viewing and the other the highest quality possible. Again not everyone fits into either group and a pure guess is most of the instant viewer group is happy with SD. At least if we are talking about customers beyond "geeks"

For those that demand the highest quality there is Blu-ray, and renting through Netflix is a lot cheaper than any of the download services.

For those that demand the highest quality there is Blu-ray, and renting through Netflix is a lot cheaper than any of the download services.I disagree with most of this. :) For me Netflix wasn't cheaper as I would never get the new releases on Blu-ray so I ended up having to rent to them locally. Local rentals are priced about the same as VUDU. So I ended up spending more with Netflix.

I agree Blu-ray isn't going to be topped in quality even with HDX and I'm not sure who wins out with the most new releases... I'm guessing Blu-ray. But when I wanted to watch the latest Bond movie the three local rental shops were all out of Blu-ray... none to be had.

I have a 110 inch screen, 1080p projector and I'm fairly picky with what I watch such that I don't view DVDs in the theater. But I was happy with the Apple TV's quality in the theater (720p). I expect HDX to be better and if it is I'll be more than satisfied using it for one-time rentals. If I care beyond that level I'll be purchasing the Blu-ray anyway.

For those that demand the highest quality there is Blu-ray, and renting through Netflix is a lot cheaper than any of the download services.

But not as convenient. I recently started renting discs again, but many times I'm in the mood to watch something today. And if I have to wait 1 or two days for the title, when it arrives I won't be in the mood anymore to watch it. So the titles sits around for weeks or months and ends up being returned without being watched.
I'm trying not to do that this time. If I haven't watched a title within two weeks, it goes back i the mail.

And when I'm in the mood to watch something it has to be in HD. HDX titles are the best quality you can get for digital downloads, so if I can get them faster, I will be inclined to watch more of them.
I'll be more than happy to increase my upload speed by a factor of 10 for my three VUDU boxes so they can all upload at 3.33 mbs. As long as that gives me a 10mbs download speed for HDX titles. Of course instantly would be preferred, but 10mbs would cut down the wait tremendously from the current 4mbs download limit.

Not having HD audio is the main reason I do not vudu.

Not having HD audio is the main reason I do not VUDU.

The HDX titles also have the best audio of the digital download options . 640kbs DD.

Of course lossless is best but the convenience of the HDX trumps everything else. Some titles I will only watch from Blu-ray Disc. But for the majority of titles, HDX is perfectly fine with me.

Not having HD audio is the main reason I do not vudu.I think the movie's sound mix will have more influence than the encoder differences.

Here is how I would rank the movie watching options I have played with in terms of PQ, AQ, just-in-time watching convenience and price.

In terms of PQ :

1) Blu-ray media
2) Vudu HDQ
3) Apple HD
4) Vudu HD
5) Netflix HD
6) DVD media
7) Apple SD
8) Vudu SD
9) Netflix SD

In terms of AQ (I only have 5.1 surround system):

1) Blu-ray media
2) Vudu HDQ
3) DVD with DTS
4) Apple SD/HD w/ DD 5.1, Vudu SD/HD w/ DD 5.1, DVD with DD 5.1
5) Netflix HD/SD with stereo

In terms of just-in-time watching convenience (this is subjective, but with my 6 Mbps connection):

1) Pre-order purchase the Blu-ray media on Amazon
2) Apple SD/HD with ability to watch beyond 24 hours for free
3) Vudu SD/HD with hard cut-off at 24 hours
4) Blockbuster local stores (10 minute round trip for me with good BD media availability)
5) Purchase BD media from local stores (20-30 minute round trip for me with Fry's, Best Buy or Target)
6) Vudu HDX
7) Blockbuster online with in-store trade-in
8) Netflix online

It is hard to argue with the convenience of ordering HDX online rather than driving to a local store to get the Blu-ray version, but if you are on an unlimited plan that convenience comes at a high price premium.

In terms of pricing for HD (if you watch lot of movies) -- lowest to highest:

1) Netflix HD streaming that is bundled with subscription
2) Local Blockbuster Premium Total Access plan
3) Online Blockbuster Total Access plan
4) Netflix online subscription plan with Blu-ray
5) Apple/Vudu HD catalog $3.99
6) Apple new release HD $4.99
7) Vudu new release HD or HDX $5.99
8) Purchase the Blu-ray media (of course this gets cheaper the more times you watch the movie)

So, HDX is lower PQ/AQ and more expensive than Blu-ray subscription rental options, and is only more convenience if you plan ahead and don't have a Blockbuster close by. Of course, if you don't watch enough to justify an unlimited subscription plan then the Vudu HDX and other download options become more attractive.

So, for me the sweet-spot for a Vudu box is for instant HD streaming when we want to watch something that we do not have at home. I am also interested in a few catalog titles that are not yet available on Blu-ray, but it is just easier to chose from something that is already available on Blu-ray.

I second this. I really need instant access. It would be nice if Vudu did something like Netflix where they stream at the maximum rate possible. I would be willing to settle for something between HD and HDX PQ if it was instantly streamed. I ended up returning my Vudu box because the Vudu HD PQ less or the same as Apple TV HD. I think the reason is that the Vudu HD streaming is limited to 4 Mbis whereas the Apple TV HD streams are up to 5 Mbps. See Apple TV specs (http://www.apple.com/appletv/specs.html). It sounds like Amazon may also challenge Vudu for streaming.

We can talk about how small the market is for people with faster broadband internet connections, but I have to think that the size of the market for people who are willing to wait 4 hours to watch an HD movie is even smaller. Vudu is going to have their lunch eaten if they do not improve the quality of their HD streaming service by increasing the bit rate.

I agree. I also have 50Mbit service and it is painful to wait 4 hours for a movie. I am coping with it, but there is no need. If you have it, why not have software that takes advantage of it.

I transfer HD content between my seven TiVos on a regular basis and also from My PC without any problems. I'm not sure why your TiVo interface was slow unless it was the initial few days when it's updating it's database.

I can initiate a transfer and start watching the content immediately(well in one or two seconds) since it will usually transfer in faster than realtime.(between 1X and 4X realtime) Depending on what other things the TiVo is recording and the bitrate of the HD content. (TIvo to TiVo transfers can exceed 40mbs, PC to TiVo is slower ranging from 13mbs to 20mbs)

On another note, I hope VUDU increases the fastest download speed available soon. I have a 50mbs inbound pipe(20mbs outbound) so the current 4mbs limit is painfully slow. Plus I would have no problem increasing my upload speed from my three VUDUs to several mbs each instead of the current 333kbs upload speed each has.


Even with my Tivos hard wired (no wireless here), I cannot get realtime. I think I read that the s3 boxes are faster than the HD boxes and I only have one of those. My other 4 are Tivo HDs. Are yours all S3s?

Even with my Tivos hard wired (no wireless here), I cannot get realtime. I think I read that the s3 boxes are faster than the HD boxes and I only have one of those. My other 4 are Tivo HDs. Are yours all S3s?

I have three S3 and four TiVoHD boxes. They all can transfer HD in realtime or faster between boxes. Even over a wireless G network at my girlfriends I get realtime transfer or faster of HD content between the two TiVoHD boxes there.

I think my Vudu box rebooted at about 1PM today. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the last time I checked the firmware level on the box it was at version 2.1.2. Today I see version 2.2.0 (rev 34051) did I miss something or has this version been there for long time?

Today I see version 2.2.0 (rev 34051) did I miss something or has this version been there for long time?I just tried to check on their forum and it's down... so something is up. :)

I just tried to check on their forum and it's down... so something is up. :)

Never mind, I just checked and 2.2.0 was released 3/4/09... I just had not updated my notes.

Never mind, I just checked and 2.2.0 was released 3/4/09... I just had not updated my notes.It's back online and I spotted a note that it had been down for scheduled maintenance.

For long(er) time VUDU users I was wondering do they typically have the HDX title available at the same time or close to when the Blu-ray version ships? I haven't checked too closely yet but looking over their Coming Soon releases I didn't see many interesting titles... perhaps there just aren't many in the next few weeks.

I love the hardware, interface, and hopefully the HDX encodes but I'm wondering if it will be able to replace my four or so new release Blu-rays I typically rent a month.

I must say my first HDX experience was a bust as far as video quality goes. It looked pretty much like VHS (I know it was by design) on my projector and my DLP set so I couldn't blame either of them. :) I have still the rest of the $20 to blow before I decide to keep it or give it back to Best Buys.

Most HD/HDX/SD rentals come out 30 days after it's released on disc. Although they usually have a purchase option for SD the day the disc is released.

Although lately there have been more HD/HDX titles available day and date with the disc release.

.....snip.... I must say my first HDX experience was a bust as far as video quality goes. It looked pretty much like VHS (I know it was by design) on my projector and my DLP set so I couldn't blame either of them. :) I have still the rest of the $20 to blow before I decide to keep it or give it back to Best Buys.

What was the HDX title that "busted" for you?

What was the HDX title that "busted" for you?It was The Wrestler. Not saying it was a bad transfer as the reviews I've read say it has a very grainy look...

The Wreslter debuts on Blu-ray with an impressive 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. The film features a gritty, grainy presentation, and intentionally so.

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php?id=4363&show=review

Just after watching the Experience HDX "trailer" you get all ready for some pristine HD. :) Next up is Australia which is supposed to be largely crystal clear.

vudu seems just too expensive for prime time.

the world is waiting!!!

Well, the Vudu XL-1000 is now for sale at Costco for $299 - http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11474889 , and the regular Vudu BX-100 is still at Best Buy for $149. Not that expensive for the best VOD service on the planet.

Well, the Vudu XL-1000 is now for sale at Costco for $299 - http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11474889 , and the regular Vudu BX-100 is still at Best Buy for $149. Not that expensive for the best VOD service on the planet.

What is the difference between these units?

Ray

Isn't the hard drive size the major one? And I think home automation integration is another.

For $300 it's not a bad deal for the extra space. My first two VUDU boxes were around $300 each, with only the 250GB hardd drive. Although I did get a movie credit with it too.

Doesn't it really only make sense to get the XL-1000 unit if you plan on purchasing a lot of movies? Otherwise, you just have a bigger disk that you won't use up. BTW, the XL-1000 also includes component out at 1080i compared to the BX-100 which is limited to 480p. One other nice thing about the XL-1000 is that you can use the iPhone remote application with it.

my previous comment was not about the price of the box being too expensive. when i said vudu is too expensive for prime time i meant that the high cost of viewing over a long period of time would prevent widespread acceptance. the cost of enjoying a hd movie on vudu must come down. if it were cheaper more home theaters( read me) would have vudu. the company and its product would become more successful.

Their prices seem to be inline with other providers. Everyone seems to price the HD content between $4 and $6 on average.

In the first year of use, the actual cost of movies is around $9 per view based on new release and cost of the box (which can't be used for anything else).
That's expensive.

Their prices seem to be inline with other providers. Everyone seems to price the HD content between $4 and $6 on average.
The real problem is that Vudi charges $6 for new releases whereas the other players -- at least Apple and Amazon -- only charge $5. I think that over time even $5 is going to be too expensive for wide adoption.

Does anyone know if they download movies you don't rent or purchase onto your VUDU so they can be sent P2P to other users? I see more download traffic then I would expect and my box has been up and running for a couple of weeks so it shouldn't be the initial start-up activity. I know that it's continuously downloading new stuff but I just checked and I'm seeing as much or more traffic than the first few days.

Charles, they also download updates to the movie catalog on a regular basis as they get more movies in/out. This also includes the 30second headers of the movies.

Charles, they also download updates to the movie catalog on a regular basis as they get more movies in/out. This also includes the 30second headers of the movies.I understand but I'm looking at 600Kbps going on 24-hours now. I have no outstanding rentals or purchases and I know it's VUDU... unplug the cable and the 600Kbps becomes 50Kbps.

Plus I can see the activity via the Set Bandwidth Limit Screen. Although the moment I turn it on it slows down to nothing. Then after a couple of minutes it jumps right back up to 600Kbps (uploading varies from 100Kbps to 300Kbps).

Looking over the last two weeks it appears VUDU is averaging close to 500Kbps for the entire period. Two jumps for movie rentals and roughly one day of 200Kbps or so.

I just discovered Pandora Internet Radio on Vudu: great resource and the Vudu interface makes it even better

but: there is no way to defeat the screen saver: I contacted tech support and they said they have had several inquiries about this: perhaps we could convince Vudu to make this a menu option

Looking over the last two weeks it appears VUDU is averaging close to 500Kbps for the entire period. Two jumps for movie rentals and roughly one day of 200Kbps or so.

That's a lot of download. If you sustain 500 kbps you will download 162 GB in a month. That's absurd! Compare to the proposed download caps of < 50 GB by Time Warner.

Actually, forget Time Warner. That activity, by itself, is more than 50% of the relatively generous Comcast cap of 250 GB.

If I owned a Vudu I'd be quite p***ed at this. It's ridiculously high.

Charles,

They don't "pre" download any movies to your VUDU but it does get updated with new previews, movie "heads", and other catalog items. The amount of the update is different week to week depending on what new items are being added.

Does anyone know if they download movies you don't rent or purchase onto your VUDU so they can be sent P2P to other users? I see more download traffic then I would expect and my box has been up and running for a couple of weeks so it shouldn't be the initial start-up activity. I know that it's continuously downloading new stuff but I just checked and I'm seeing as much or more traffic than the first few days.

Disabling the screen saver for the Pandora session has been requested quite a bit to VUDU. Also I hope in the future they enable the Pandora Video series.

I just discovered Pandora Internet Radio on Vudu: great resource and the Vudu interface makes it even better

but: there is no way to defeat the screen saver: I contacted tech support and they said they have had several inquiries about this: perhaps we could convince Vudu to make this a menu option

Charles,

They don't "pre" download any movies to your VUDU but it does get updated with new previews, movie "heads", and other catalog items. The amount of the update is different week to week depending on what new items are being added.I understand it's always downloading data and for a good reason. It just seems on the surface a little overboard from what I can tell. Admittedly I'm not starting with a lot of bandwidth to begin with.

The attached chart basically shows activity since I have connected the VUDU. First the initial data flow, a movie rental, then it seemed happy for a few days. However for the last week outside of another movie rental it's pretty much solid at 500Kbps or more.

I have verified it's VUDU as you can see it dropped to nothing late Saturday the moment I unplugged VUDU (at the time I viewed the three minute interval version of the report). You can also see where it drops to nothing two Sundays ago when I viewed a movie in the theater (I didn't bother to plug it into the network).

So I'm left with just what the heck is it downloading all of the time... :) Perhaps because of my limited bandwidth it's still working on the initial download (for two weeks)?

It is a well-known fact (or maybe not so much) that Vudu is based on peer-to-peer:

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/daves-download/2008/12/19/forbes-bad-vudu-sopping-up-bandwidth.html

Charles,

After the initial setup the VUDU will update the catalog to the current version minus the previews, movie graphics, and other miscellaneous items. On a 2 to 4 mbps downstream connection this usually finishes in few days. Since this update is considered a "low" priority for the VUDU box, as you search and use the box it will suspend the update until the VUDU is idle again.

I would like to know who long this will go on for you also. Keep the status updates coming.

I understand it's always downloading data and for a good reason. It just seems on the surface a little overboard from what I can tell. Admittedly I'm not starting with a lot of bandwidth to begin with.)?

It is a well-known fact (or maybe not so much) that Vudu is based on peer-to-peer:

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/daves-download/2008/12/19/forbes-bad-vudu-sopping-up-bandwidth.htmlBut we are discussing downloading not uploading... I understand I'm sharing my currrent rental, expired ones not yet deleted and previews or whatnot I may have already downloaded with the world. Uploading is capped at 300Kbps which I am rarely seeing.

By the way it's still at 600Kbps and going strong this morning.

There’s one less set-top box needed today, thanks to a new partnership between movie on-demand service Vudu and IPTV company Entone.

Starting this summer telecommunications companies employing Entone’s IPTV technology (more than 50 worldwide) will be able to offer Vudu’s library of more than 14,000 movies and TV titles to their customers, without a need for the Vudu box.

Steve McKay, CEO of Entone, said the two companies began working on the concept at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

“The thinking around that time was that everyone was pitting the over-the-top guys (video delivered outside of cable and satellite) against the operators,” he said. “Consumers had to choose between pay TV services and over-the-top Internet video services where the latter was something you did when you were not watching TV.”

This is the first time those two “competing visions” will come together in one service.

“By marrying the two concepts, your online movie library is now available as part of your core TV viewing experience from the same user interface and remote control,” McKay said.

Using existing in-home cabling, Entone’s IPTV set-top boxes enable viewing on all TVs in a household.

“Entone’s approach of embracing rather than defending against online video services is a win-win-win for operators, content providers and consumers,” he said.

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/electronic-delivery/vudu-partners-with-iptv-company-entone-15597

With all the bandwidth caps being imposed these days I can't see how a peer to peer model is going to work in the long run?? My Comcast is a relatively high 250 gigs but I have read that other providers are much less.

But we are discussing downloading not uploading... I understand I'm sharing my currrent rental, expired ones not yet deleted and previews or whatnot I may have already downloaded with the world. Uploading is capped at 300Kbps which I am rarely seeing.

By the way it's still at 600Kbps and going strong this morning.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting your graph. What is "inbound" and what is "outbound" on it? According to your image, inbound is only 35 kbps, while outbound is 520 kbps.

Maybe Vudu has decided that you have something interesting to share with the rest of the world? :)

With all the bandwidth caps being imposed these days I can't see how a peer to peer model is going to work in the long run?? My Comcast is a relatively high 250 gigs but I have read that other providers are much less.

That's funny, "these days" all i keep hearing about is companies back peddling on caps, congressmen making it clear that caps aren't welcome, and at the same time other companies rolling out faster speed services without caps (See DOCSIS at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1144301). The last one is especially telling, why would you roll-out a super high speed interstate and then tell people that they can only drive on it 1 day a week? Can you please list a recent company that has announced implementing caps? Seems to me that the trend is towards dropping caps and making much more bandwidth available everywhere.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting your graph. What is "inbound" and what is "outbound" on it? According to your image, inbound is only 35 kbps, while outbound is 520 kbps.The graph is based on my provider's equipment so it's reversed for me. The blue line is incoming traffic and the green outgoing. It's been at 500Kbps or so since then and I just pulled the plug to verify it's VUDU and will post an updated image.

I have updated this post to make it a little easier to see what's going on. The graph reflects the activity since installing VUDU. Blue is downloading (what I'm receiving) and green uploading (what I'm sending).

90% plus of the download activity is by VUDU. This has been verified by unplugging VUDU, watching the activity drop accordingly and monitoring the VUDU activity page.

The two 1000Kbps spikes are two movie rentals which VUDU capped just as they say they would. Also uploading has been capped at 300Kbps again just like they state.

I understand the initial few days it needs to "fill up" the box but for some reason the second week used much more bandwidth than the first. For almost a week and a half it has been averaging over 500Kbps none stop.

Their FAQs state they will continually upload the beginning of movies along with other "new stuff" required to stay up-to-date. I guess my question is are other users averaging the same activity, is it from my box still being new and not fully populated or some thing else going on?


http://homeaudiovideoadvisor.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/VUDU4.png

That's funny, "these days" all i keep hearing about is companies back peddling on caps, congressmen making it clear that caps aren't welcome, and at the same time other companies rolling out faster speed services without caps (See DOCSIS at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1144301). The last one is especially telling, why would you roll-out a super high speed interstate and then tell people that they can only drive on it 1 day a week? Can you please list a recent company that has announced implementing caps? Seems to me that the trend is towards dropping caps and making much more bandwidth available everywhere.

The trend is away from caps. There are a few markets where a company has a broadband monopoly where they may try and squeeze extra cash from their customers, but no ISP in their right mind will do that when they have true competition.

Factor in the political pressure that comes up when trying to abuse the monopoly and it is clear to see that caps are a dead end for ISPs.

a lot of familiar names from their forums, but I haven't been in a while, so I'll just throw this in here...

Lately, my box has been going through an odd pattern of buzzing sounds. It hums, then gets progressively louder over about a 3-4-second span, then winds back down, then up, then down again. It's just doing this non-stop. I've had the unit since Sep. '08 and never had a single problem (other than a weird pink screen I posted on the vudu forums a while back), and it only started a week ago. Has anybody else had this happen or know of this issue?

a lot of familiar names from their forums, but I haven't been in a while, so I'll just throw this in here...

Lately, my box has been going through an odd pattern of buzzing sounds. It hums, then gets progressively louder over about a 3-4-second span, then winds back down, then up, then down again. It's just doing this non-stop. I've had the unit since Sep. '08 and never had a single problem (other than a weird pink screen I posted on the vudu forums a while back), and it only started a week ago. Has anybody else had this happen or know of this issue?

That sounds like the HDD going bad. I'd contact Vudu customer support and get it diagnosed/repaired while you're still under warranty.

For almost a week and a half it has been averaging over 500Kbps none stop.

Yeah, that's an absurd amount of data being pushed to your box.

I wonder if multiple Vudus in a household will cooperate to share all this activity? Isn't that what P2P implies? Because if they don't do that, then 2 Vudus in a house will max out the download limits for a Comcast account! Ridiculous.

Yeah, that's an absurd amount of data being pushed to your box.VUDU's support pronounced it as normal... at least for the first month or so. In essence its database is being brought up-to-date (perhaps my box had been sitting around for a long time).

I just ordered two more rentals so for a while I won't be able to see if it slows down. Like they said I'm guessing for a month or so it wouldn't. I really don't mind all of the activity but it just seems overkill for the way I'd use the service.

Which brings me to my real issue. The delay in new releases being made available. Up to now I typically rent four or so Blu-ray movies a month to view in the theater and the occasional rental for the den. Being a new releases guy I figured I could use VUDU for these rentals but it appears I can find them in my local rental store before they show up on VUDU thirty days later (if at all).

That's why I originally purchased it. Everyone was out of the latest Bond thriller (in Blu-ray) so I thought what they heck I can live through the extended download times. But I'm not so sure I can wait the month before they begin.

Anyway I have three movies to watch and afterwards I'll decide whether to keep going or return the unit. I will say I love the hardware including the remote along with the interface. I much prefer it over Apple TV which I tried for a few months. It's just one of those devices you enjoy using. Similar experience to TiVo and Sonos. I'm just not sure it fits my viewing habits all that well. Don't worry VUDU it's me not you. :)

There have been some HD movies available recently day and with the disc release, but that is not the norm. The content providers typically have up to a 30 day window before the titles are available to rent.

That sounds like the HDD going bad. I'd contact Vudu customer support and get it diagnosed/repaired while you're still under warranty.

That's what I figured. Didn't know if anybody else had run into this, though.

Lately, my box has been going through an odd pattern of buzzing sounds. It hums, then gets progressively louder over about a 3-4-second span, then winds back down, then up, then down again. It's just doing this non-stop.There is a chance it's the fan. I haven't noticed how these units power up and down but sometimes you can tell if it's the fan during one of those cycles.

Looking at Vudu for the first time now, whats the difference between the HD and the HDX movies?

Looking at Vudu for the first time now, whats the difference between the HD and the HDX movies?
Based on a small sample size I would say that HD is about 1/3 way between DVD and Blu-ray whereas HDX is about 2/3 the way to Blu-ray. Of course, this is subjective. I think the prices are always the same. One big difference is that with a 4 Mbps or better pipre you can stream HD whereas HDX requires about a 4-5 hour wait to watch after ordering.

Looking at Vudu for the first time now, whats the difference between the HD and the HDX movies?

HD is streaming, HDX is downloads. HDX offers a higher quality.

By higher quality do you mean the HDX has a higher resolution?

Also is this like a DVR where the movies can be kept as long as they are stored on a disc or is it like my cable On-Demand service where I have a specified amount of time (24-48 hours) to watch the movie and then its gone?

From what my wife said with the HDX I could start the downloading from a separate location such as at work to be ready to watch for that night when I get home, is that true? (sorry I havent found anything saying this or not)

HDX has higher quality due the compression profile and provides higher bitrates. SD on the VUDU averages 2 mbps, HD averages 4 mbps, from what I understand that HDX is variable the range depends on the complexity of the video content. The resolution of 1080p/24 is 1920×1080 and both HD and HDX are encoded to this.

Rentals can be held on the HD for 30 days but once you start watching you have 24-48 hours depending on the title.

Your wife is correct, with your VUDU hooked up you can go to the VUDU web site or use an iPhone to rent HDX movies and start the download process before you get home.

By higher quality do you mean the HDX has a higher resolution?

Also is this like a DVR where the movies can be kept as long as they are stored on a disc or is it like my cable On-Demand service where I have a specified amount of time (24-48 hours) to watch the movie and then its gone?

From what my wife said with the HDX I could start the downloading from a separate location such as at work to be ready to watch for that night when I get home, is that true? (sorry I havent found anything saying this or not)

Thanks for answering my questions. Im gonna read the entire thread before asking any more :) (hopefully)

The HDX titles average 10mbs with 20mbs peaks using MPEG4.
And the HDX audio is better than DVD quality with a 640kbs bitrate for the Dolby Digital audio.

The HDX titles are noticeably better than the HD titles. Which is why I rarely watch the HD titles anymore.

Is Vudu studio limited to certain studios?

Is Vudu studio limited to certain studios?

I think you are asking what studio's that supply content to VUDU. As of right now VUDU has agreements with all the major's and lots of independent. They used to have a section on their web site of the studio's but its not there anymore. Here is what I found on my VUDU:


20th Century
LionsGate
MGM
paramount
Sony
Universal
Walt Disney
Warner Brothers
Independent-Catchall for all other studio's


You can also filter by studio in the UI on the VUDU. I hope this answers your question.

vudu is great!!!
i've been watching since before they started. yet i still don't have a box.


my cable tv and my car available to me in the usa makes vudu too expensive for regular use in home theater.


i'll wait for vudu to go public or get bought out by a bigger fish who can afford to compete for my dollars by dropping the new release hd movie prices. then i will buy the stock and secondly buy a vudu box.

or maybe i can't resist much longer ... damn i want a vudu ...
actually, if they sign up hulu it would be worth the cost of frequent use.

if they sign up hulu it would be worth the cost of frequent use.

hulu on VUDU has been one of the top requested features but the lawyers and content owners have this one all tangled up. The problem with hulu is their terms of service which restricts the usage of web to TV. Recently didn't a bunch of folks get upset when hulu shut off access to Boxee?

wouldve had me sold this weekend if I could find a damn place to purchase the XL2 rack mounted version...

Vudu certainly seems to be moving in the direction of converging different video sources...

Online video-on-demand service Vudu, which offers movies and TV shows through its own set-top box for a fee, is bringing in some ad-supported content.

Vudu has partnered with Brightcove to make the latter's content deals available via the Vudu box. The first content available will be music videos from Sony Music's MyPlay Video Network affiliate program.

The partnership is a first for Brightcove, whose content was only available on Web sites prior to this deal. The Vudu deal makes Brightcove's ad-supported content playable on TVs.

Brightcove director of technology partnership Chris Johnston said, "The partnership announced today with Vudu is a significant step forward for media businesses that want to centrally manage distribution and monetization across the Web while also taking advantage of the high-quality TV experience Vudu enables."

Vudu executive VP of strategy and content Edward Lichty added that the deal means content owners can "make all of their online video available on the television without changing their monetization strategy."

http://www.videobusiness.com/blog/1730000173/post/600044460.html

Are all of the LOTR titles available in HDX? I saw one listing but am limited by searches without an account

Are all of the LOTR titles available in HDX? I saw one listing but am limited by searches without an account

The only title from The Lord of the Rings right now on the VUDU is The Fellowhsip of the Ring. It's in HDX, HD, and SD. I don't know when VUDU will have the other titles but I too am waiting for these titles...

Netflix will soon be available via Vista's Media Center (12,000 Movies) http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/20/netflix-watch-instantly-comes-to-vista-media-center-not-extende/

I understand that the Vudu box is all about PQ and that it currently uses P2P to deliver its content, but it would be nice if Vudu were do develop a software client, similar to the Netflix client for Vista, that can be installed on mobile devices (at least on laptops). This way one could "rent" Vudu content while on the road. (More revenue for Vudu) I understand that there are movie studio issues that would need to be addressed. "This is just a thought..." Vudu is "supposed" to be a software company. It "might" require that Vudu build a separated content library with smaller footprint files for this purpose. The PQ won't be as great because of smaller (lower resolution) files, but the smaller size would facilitate faster delivery of the content to mobile clients. I believe that Netflix strategy is to grow their user base first by being ubiquitous (corner the market) and later worry about PQ. Vudu needs to have an answer to Netfilx's strategy.

Whats the difference between the XL & XL2?

Mostly the case - XL2 is rack mounted. There are also some extra LED's in the XL2 form factor. Otherwise they are the same motherboard, CPU, HDD, software.

Ok after spending a loooong weekend searching to purchase the XL2 locally with no luck, I sent an email to vudu asking if I can order it from them. I just received a response saying the XL2 has already been discontinued.

Being as the site still lists the XL2 and doesnt mention this, I wanted to ask if anyone knows whats going on and/or is there a new model coming out soon that I should wait for?

Do any of the current VB1000 XL owners have the mid atlantic face plate and if so do you have a picture of how this looks? Since a rack mounted version no longer seems available, im curious to how this looks.

Ok after spending a loooong weekend searching to purchase the XL2 locally with no luck, I sent an email to vudu asking if I can order it from them. I just received a response saying the XL2 has already been discontinued.

Being as the site still lists the XL2 and doesnt mention this, I wanted to ask if anyone knows whats going on and/or is there a new model coming out soon that I should wait for?

Do any of the current VB1000 XL owners have the mid atlantic face plate and if so do you have a picture of how this looks? Since a rack mounted version no longer seems available, im curious to how this looks.

Strange. I bought one in March.

The 2nd response I received back from Vudu stated that the "XL2 was only a limited run".

As said I was looking to purchase the XL2 last week. I think this has put off my decision to Vudu (at least for now). Besides a lack of interest in the other models, seeing that the company can not even provide there own product (which was still being advertised as of yesterday) brings into question whether the company is really stable....

It wouldn't be the first time a company advertised a product and it wasn't available. Thats happened with many of my A/V products I've pruchased over the years.

Not a good sign of stability that a product released 6 months ago has already been discontinued and all remaining models have had there prices drop by 50% in a month.

And although I would have purchases the XL2 last week (if I could have found it) I still keep thinking is it really worth it to spend $600 just so I can then pay to download movies... From a cost perspective, Im not seeing the savings there compared to purchasing BD media.

I still keep thinking is it really worth it to spend $600 just so I can then pay to download movies... From a cost perspective, Im not seeing the savings there compared to purchasing BD media.

The premium paid for Vudu is so that you do not have to go out and find your Blu-ray (or anything else). You go to a menu, select a movie, confirm you want it and done; watch within seconds or for HDX watch when it completes downloading.

As much as I can complain about the costs per movie and the premiums Vudu gets, I still rented/watched two movies today and will probably watch 4 this weekend. It is very/too convenient.

Later on this evening, I'll probably wander over to Vudu online and scroll through the HDX selection and rent a few so I can watch some high-quality movies whenever I want (without a perceived delay).

I had to stop pre-renting a bunch of HDX movies since I ended up having to extend the rental or never watched them. So now I limit myself to no more than two pre-rented HDX titles at any one time. I can't rent another title until I watch one of the two.

It's been working out OK so far.

The business model is not a very good bargain compared to netflix - more expensive than Netflix and poorer quality (audio and video) when compared to netflix. If you are an avvid movie watcher BluRay via Netflix is still the way to go. Vudu can be used to supplement if you just have to watch a movie that is not in your mailbox from Netflix or for a movie that is in HD/HDX that is not out on BluRay yet - a lot of older movies. Also - the downloading of a number of movies - inevitably leads to late charges when you do not watch them - which again is the benefit of Netflix - never pay a late charge.

That's great, assuming that Netflix actually sends you the discs. I gave up on them long ago.

The business model is not a very good bargain compared to netflix - more expensive than Netflix and poorer quality (audio and video) when compared to netflix. If you are an avvid movie watcher BluRay via Netflix is still the way to go. Vudu can be used to supplement if you just have to watch a movie that is not in your mailbox from Netflix or for a movie that is in HD/HDX that is not out on BluRay yet - a lot of older movies. Also - the downloading of a number of movies - inevitably leads to late charges when you do not watch them - which again is the benefit of Netflix - never pay a late charge.

Yes these services complement each other. One serivice has never been the answer for me.

I use my VUDU, Netflix, TiVo, Xbox360, and PS3 all as options for video rentals. With VUDU and Netflix accounting for the majority. I also used to use FIOS for VOD but I rarely used it so I turned the box in to save my $10 monthly rental fee on their HD STB.

You have 30 days to watch once you rent a title on the VUDU. There is no "late charge", its your choice to watch that movie in the 30 days window or not.

I usually only download a HDX movie when I know I am going to watch it within the next day or two. The HD and SD are more of a impulse renatals when the kids or friends want to watch something.

Also - the downloading of a number of movies - inevitably leads to late charges when you do not watch them.

That's great, assuming that Netflix actually sends you the discs. I gave up on them long ago.

And then after you left they stocked up on Blu-Ray and 95% of all titles are readily available and arrive the next day

You have 30 days to watch once you rent a title on the VUDU. There is no "late charge", its your choice to watch that movie in the 30 days window or not.

I usually only download a HDX movie when I know I am going to watch it within the next day or two. The HD and SD are more of a impulse renatals when the kids or friends want to watch something.

It would be nice if the download services allowed you to download movies and keep them until you watch them. When I started with Vudu - I would go to the catalog and pick the 4-5 HDX movies I thought I would watch that month and download all at once. Then I got hit with a couple of late fees which was a little irritating. However, I expect the rules are more driven by the content providers as both DirecTV and Vudu have some sort of time bomb associated with down loaded rental content. I would really like to see downloading take off but I would really like to see them deal with some of the things that may keep it from going mainstream (quality of audio, quality of video, cost). Think of how great it would be to have a subscription download service comparable in price or only at a slight premium to Netflix with the audio and video quality of BluRay - but then I can dream.

I'm assuming the Late fees you are referring to are actually the reduced fees to rent the title again after the 30 day viewing period has expired.
I think it's called an extended viewing period. The ones I've done have given me another 30 days to watch the title and the cost seemed to be $1 to $3 for the extended rental.

yes the studios nickle and dime you with the down load services

Is it the studios that are doing the re-mastering of each of these movies for VOD?

Where as I would have expected the studio to do the remastering of these movies it seems that each of the VOD places are offering different levels of quality such as actual resolution, compression, audio options etc with Vudu growing at a different rate of available movies from other places.

The studios provide the Master and then the VOD provider does their own encoding.

Hulu coming to the Roku box???... just a rumor... we all know that the TV studios pressured Hulu to remove itself from Boxee because it connected directly to TV sets which threaten the TV studios ads revenue model... But I would not be surprised if Hulu and the TV studios are working on an ads "revenue sharing model" that the TV studios (content owners) can live with... when Hulu is deployed in boxes that connect directly to TVs. It is just a matter of time... the TV studios are looking very closely at data showing a fast growing (online/internet) streamed video viewing audience and the changing habits of their existing TV viewers (they not longer just own TVs and cable boxes... they have gaming consoles, DVRs and streamed video playing Vudu boxes... they can not afford to ignore these accelerating changes.

Again, just a rumor and speculation on my part.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/02/hulu-coming-to-roku-video-player/

I saw a couple news announcements such as: Brightcove's Ad-Supported Video Comes to TV Through Deal with Vudu

I dont know to much about all of this or the Hulu mentioned above by another poster but its definitely rubbing me the wrong way to want someone such as me to pay hundreds of dollars for a box, just so I can turn around and pay full price to rent & buy movies, along with the aggrevation of having to pay for internet and download these items and throw on top of it all that you want to start filling everything with advertising & commericals.

All this points to not saving much or even any money from regular movie rentals/purchases anyway but is besides the point and I would still try it just for convience. However I just think its too much to shove advertising on consumers in addition to paying for the service.

Is it just me and everyone else doesnt mind paying plus getting stuck with commericals?

As long as the ad supported fare stays in Vudu Labs then I am fine with it. Right now the only ad supported content is Sony's My Play service and that is found in Vudu Labs along side You Tube and Pandora etc..

Again my comments were meant more in general; not knowing to much about what type of advertising and where it is being place. My point is simply against double dipping, dont collect from advertising companies while charging me for the same service. But yes I agree for something that remains in a category where all the content viewing is free, sure add the advertising.

Excerpt about Vudu

Proprietary solutions like Vudu could keep content locked up forever. If Vudu goes away (which is not unfathomable), you may be at the mercy of the company's hardware. Eventually the hard drive will fail.

That's the price you pay for Vudu's super-duper video quality. Hey, they had to give the studios something.

If you read the fine print, you'll notice that you don't even own the content you purchase from Vudu (and Vudu certainly isn't the only one).


No right, title or interest in the Content is transferred to you. All Content is licensed, not sold, transferred or assigned to you, for personal, non-commercial use only on VUDU Equipment. You may not edit, modify, copy, distribute, transmit, download, display, perform, reproduce, publish, license, translate, create derivative works from, transfer, alter, adapt, sell, rent, lease or sublicense any Content, or facilitate any of the foregoing. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, you may not (i) show any Content to any public audience or view it in public location; (ii) duplicate, reproduce, transfer record, or create copies of Content or any portion thereof (including without limitation by "burning," P2P file-sharing, posting, uploading or downloading) onto any physical medium, memory or device, including without limitation, CDs, DVDs, VCDs, portable media devices, computers or other hardware or any other medium now owned or hereinafter devised.

http://www.cepro.com/article/what_happens_to_your_digital_content_if_the_provider_goes_ou t_of_business/

Excerpt about Vudu



http://www.cepro.com/article/what_happens_to_your_digital_content_if_the_provider_goes_ou t_of_business/

Quote:
Proprietary solutions like Vudu could keep content locked up forever. If Vudu goes away (which is not unfathomable), you may be at the mercy of the company's hardware. Eventually the hard drive will fail.

That's the price you pay for Vudu's super-duper video quality. Hey, they had to give the studios something.

If you read the fine print, you'll notice that you don't even own the content you purchase from Vudu (and Vudu certainly isn't the only one).


No right, title or interest in the Content is transferred to you. All Content is licensed, not sold, transferred or assigned to you, for personal, non-commercial use only on VUDU Equipment. You may not edit, modify, copy, distribute, transmit, download, display, perform, reproduce, publish, license, translate, create derivative works from, transfer, alter, adapt, sell, rent, lease or sublicense any Content, or facilitate any of the foregoing. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, you may not (i) show any Content to any public audience or view it in public location; (ii) duplicate, reproduce, transfer record, or create copies of Content or any portion thereof (including without limitation by "burning," P2P file-sharing, posting, uploading or downloading) onto any physical medium, memory or device, including without limitation, CDs, DVDs, VCDs, portable media devices, computers or other hardware or any other medium now owned or hereinafter devised.




How is that different from a disc? You aren't allowed to copy or edit the content on a disc either.

How is that different from a disc? You aren't allowed to copy or edit the content on a disc either.

Here is some language from one of my DVDs:

Warning: The copyright proprietor has licensed the program (including, without limitation, its soundtrack) contained in this video for private home use only. Unless otherwise expressly licensed by the copyright owner, all other rights are reserved. Use in other locations such as airlines, clubs, coaches, hospitals, hotels, oil rigs, prisons, schools and ships is prohibited unless expressly authorized by the copyright owner. Any unauthorized copying, editing, exhibition, renting, hiring, exchanging, lending, public performances, diffusion and/or broadcast, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. Any such action establishes liability for a civil action and may give rise to criminal prosecution.

Here is the language from the case:

WARNING: All rights of the producer and of the owner of the work reproduced reserved. Unauthorised copying, hiring, lending, public performance, radio or TV broadcasting of this DVD prohibited.


So I would say the language of the VUDU and the DVD that I own is pretty well aligned. Owning physcial media doesn't negate any copyright.

Exactly. Whether a disc or a download, you are only ever buying a license for specific and limited use.

There is an obvious difference between "buying" content from Vudu and buying physical media.

If
Vudu goes bust
and
your Vudu hard disk eventually fails (they all do)
then
you are SOL for all movies which you "purchased" (ha-ha) from them. YOU LOSE EVERYTHING!!!

OTOH, if New Line Cinema goes bankrupt (or is bought by Time Warner), your DVD of Austin Powers still plays in any of literally millions of PCs and/or DVD players. Even if you don't make a backup and your kids destroy one DVD of the trilogy, your other two DVDs are still OK.

Vudu is fine for rental, but "buying" a movie from them is, IMO, MORONIC.

You're not supposed to be making backups.

People who bought 8track tape and betamax thought they had the best deal at the time (they were right at the time). There are many examples of this.

I happen to like Aretha Franklin a lot. For one of her albums I owned a reel-to-reel which I used to play on my Revox, I own a vinyl record of it, I owned a cassette of the same album, and I now own a CD of it. I finally ripped the CD to my system and now have it on many portable devices including an older Arcos and now a Zen. I have had seven different MP3 players mostly junked by now. Who knows where Aretha will end up next.

(No, I never did the 8track thing, nor laserdisc although I regret not owning laserdisc.)

Its technology and media - its about enjoyment and convenience.

I also own three different copies of T2 including the Extreme version. The Japanese are exploring making 3d from 2d representations; when that gets going, I will likely have a 3d version also.

It has all been well worth the price.

Oh yeah, I own a Vudu and like it alot. I own several of the HDX movies. And yes, it is about convenience, I have re-watched some already also.

Buying an HDX movie on Vudu does not make sense to me when I can own the physical disc on BluRay with Special Features, Lossless sound, and superior video quality. Also there is no way to easily back up Vudumovie and the prices seem comparable to physical media. In terms of owning - I am not sure Vudu offers that much more convenience. Amazon ships everything to me in two days - arrives before I know it.

I am not sure I would characterize a Vudu purchase as Moronic - but I definately would not want to amass any kind of substantial library of titles that I could not back up easily and reliably.

I own 300 albums and 1200 CD's that I have amassed over 40 years and I can not think of a better way to insure you do not lose stuff then keeping physical media.

Oh yeah - all new houses in my county in California are forced to have sprinkler systems so I am not to worried about losing physical media to a fire.

Sprinkler systems are no guarantee of that. My brothers condo building is equipped with sprinklers, but that didn't stop a fire that started outside the building from doing serious fire damage to half of one of the units. Even with the sprinklers working properly.

All the owners were out of the building for over a year for repairs.

Yes - the only full proof way to protect a library is to have a combination of physical media and some type of web based storage.

Yes - the only full proof way to protect a library is to have a combination of physical media and some type of web based storage.

http://rlv.zcache.com/nothing_is_foolproof_to_a_talented_fool_tshirt-p235751700410618944tdf9_125.jpg

I believe this also applies to "full proof".

I think the fear about loosing content bought and stored in the Vudu box could be "alleviated" if/when external USB storage is supported. This way one can have one or more "physical" backup copies of the movies one buys. The issue is that any content bought from a specific Vudu box "might" only play back in the specific Vudu it was bought from... Or in a Vudu box (or other device) with the associated smart card inserted. (In the 2nd case I'm "assuming" that the security to unlock the content is tied to the smart card in the Vudu box... this might not be the case, but it'd be the "smart" way of solving the issue as a "physical" smart card ensures non-repudiation) I have a TWC DVR with an external hard drive with similar restrictions, but it does not have a smart card. The content recorded on the external drive can only be played back on the same DVR it was recorded from. I think the unlocking logic is tied to the chip id (hash) unique to each DVR. The no-repudiation inherent of physical media fulfills copyrights restrictions from the studios.

It needs to be like it works with XBOX live. Any video content I've purchased on Xbox Live can be viewed on any Xbox 360 as long as I'm logged into Xbox Live with my Gamertag. I keep my Gamertag on a Memory unit so I can easily go between my Xbox 360's.

Unfortunately with VUDU the Smart card(or whatever the card is called) isn't supposed to be removed and is tied to the box. They should have tied an account to the smart card so content could be viewed on any VUDU the owner wants. As long as they have their smart card inserted in the machine. I have three VUDU boxes and that would help with watching purchased content on different boxes.

So the new models of Vizio LCD Vs will have Vudu on board!

i guess this means more to come for Vudu? Maybe more brands? Blu Ray players? Tivo?



This is some of the best news for Vudu fans....

Anyone out there having problems seeing the Vudu Movies Catalog using Firefox 3.5? It worked fine with the previous releases. I get a "Your request returned 0 results." message instead of the movie listing. The same thing happened when I used the "beta" versions of IE 8. It was fixed with the "official" release.

Anyone out there having problems seeing the Vudu Movies Catalog using Firefox 3.5? It worked fine with the previous releases. I get a "Your request returned 0 results." message instead of the movie listing. The same thing happened when I used the "beta" versions of IE 8. It was fixed with the "official" release.

Yep! It works fine with Safari but I get the same results as you do when using Firefox 3.5 on my Mac.

I noticed that the $149.00 Vudu box is temporarily out of stock on the Vudu web site. I suppose that is good news in that they're selling a lot of them.

I wonder if thats a good thing or bad thing that company is unable to supply its own product...

The business model is not a very good bargain compared to netflix - more expensive than Netflix and poorer quality (audio and video) when compared to netflix. If you are an avvid movie watcher BluRay via Netflix is still the way to go. Vudu can be used to supplement if you just have to watch a movie that is not in your mailbox from Netflix or for a movie that is in HD/HDX that is not out on BluRay yet - a lot of older movies. Also - the downloading of a number of movies - inevitably leads to late charges when you do not watch them - which again is the benefit of Netflix - never pay a late charge.

If you are not an avid movie watcher, then Netflix can be a much more expensive option than Vudu. We only watch one movie every couple of months or so, so Vudu is much cheaper than anything with a monthly subscription fee. That fee, even at the lowest level, puts the cost of renting a movie in the same ballpark as just buying the physical disc. We haven't bought a box yet, I'm still waiting to see if they survive the recession. But if they do, or the price comes down a bit more, or someone finds a way to guarantee me I won't have a doorstop if the company should happen to go under, then I'm there.

Re: late charges. I have never understood why people consider them a problem. I don't rent a movie unless I'm ready to watch it. Of course I also don't pay late fees on my credit cards, or carry a balance.

We haven't bought a box yet, I'm still waiting to see if they survive the recession. But if they do, or the price comes down a bit more, or someone finds a way to guarantee me I won't have a doorstop if the company should happen to go under, then I'm there.

I feel pretty much the same as you. I won't buy until I'm sure I don't wind up with a doorstop. But if very few people buy, that almost guarantees that these will become doorstops.

I don't really care about the money so much, because Vudu has cut the price quite substantially since the boxes were introduced. It's more that I'd feel like a "sucker" if the company went bust.

Of course if this could be used as a general purpose streamer outside of Vudu's content, I'd be all over it. I wouldn't mind paying 2x as much for a good streamer, the current products out there have a lot of limitations.

I wonder if thats a good thing or bad thing that company is unable to supply its own product...

Yes, it could just as easily be looked upon as a bad thing. I sent them an email asking about availability. There response was, "...At this time I have no ETA on when the shipment will come in...."

About 2 months ago I was going to purchase the XL2 box but couldnt find it in any of the dealer locations they list on there site. When I actually contacted them I told the XL2 was no longer available, was only produced on a limited run, would not be making more and removed the listings of the product the same week. At least you got a mention that a shipment may come in, in the future...

I was put off buying altogether from that, just seemed to strange that there "top of the line" product just released within 6 months was no longer available. And now to hear there mass sold product is also no longer in stock and the company has no clue when it may be getting more in....

Something stange is going on.

About 2 months ago I was going to purchase the XL2 box but couldnt find it in any of the dealer locations they list on there site. When I actually contacted them I told the XL2 was no longer available, was only produced on a limited run, would not be making more and removed the listings of the product the same week. At least you got a mention that a shipment may come in, in the future...

I was put off buying altogether from that, just seemed to strange that there "top of the line" product just released within 6 months was no longer available. And now to hear there mass sold product is also no longer in stock and the company has no clue when it may be getting more in....

Something stange is going on.

The VUDUBX100 is in stock at BestBuy.com and also at several of the Best Buy Brick and Mortar stores near me too.

It would not surprise me if Vudu became purely a service company, and licensed their technology to 3rd party hardware vendors. Netflix has had tremendous success on that front.

If Vudu could be offered on new televisions, Blu-ray players, etc.. then they would stand to do MUCH better then trying to handle all the hardware manufacturing themselves.

We knew some stores already had the product, the question really is can they refill it once existing stock sells.... Or do you think Best Buy has a secret supplier that the Vudu themselves dont know about to fill there own shelves

Interesting read from today's headlines. Might shed a little light on whats going on with VUDU.


07.07.2009 — Vizio is incorporating Vudu's video-on-demand (VOD) engine into some new TVs.

But that little news item got lost in the recent Vizio press release that also mentioned eBay, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Pandora and a number of other Web-based services.

Neither company cares to discuss the collaboration.

"Vizio announced their partnership with us as you read, but we don’t have more to say about it right now," says Vudu co-founder Edward Lichty.

Vizio spokesperson Jim Noyd echoed that sentiment.

Vizio appears to be the first company to enable Vudu in its television sets.

Vudu, which pioneered high-quality 1080p movie downloads, is trying to get out of the hardware business and shift to an OEM software model.

The company had its first OEM success recently, with Entone agreeing to embed the technology into its settop boxes. Vizio appears to be the second taker.

Vudu was a novelty when it debuted in 2007. Since then, however, competing services such as Netflix Watch Instantly, Amazon, Apple TV, even Hulu have stolen luster from Vudu, which still maintains its position as the highest-quality VOD provider.

Rumors persist that Vudu is about to be acquired -- possibly by a public company. True? Is Vudu in a pre-acquisition quiet period? Would that explain the unusual silence?

Lichty says only, "We’ll be talking more about our initiative in this [consumer electronics] space a bit later in the summer."

Yep! It works fine with Safari but I get the same results as you do when using Firefox 3.5 on my Mac.

Firefox 3.5 is now working on the Vudu Movies Catalog. Either the Vudu site was updated to support this browser or an update to the Cooliris addon fixed the problem. I have not made any other changes to Firefox 3.5.

VUDU fixed their site...

Firefox 3.5 is now working on the Vudu Movies Catalog. Either the Vudu site was updated to support this browser or an update to the Cooliris addon fixed the problem. I have not made any other changes to Firefox 3.5.

A new promotion from Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America starting July 16 will offer a Vudu HD set-top box free along with $50 worth of movie credits for the purchase of most Mitsubishi TV models.

Frank DeMartin, Mitsubishi marketing VP, confirmed the promotion to TWICE, saying the Vudu box and movie credit offer (a $200 value) will be available through all authorized Mitsubishi retailers, and will run through Aug. 10.

"We simply wanted to provide a value-add bundle other than Blu-ray, something new and exciting for our retailers," DeMartin said.

http://www.twice.com/article/314901-Mitsubishi_Vudu_To_Kick_Off_Joint_TV_Promotion.php

anyone have any speculation on why Vudu doesn't go directly at netflix with an all you can eat program. Do the studios prevent this?

anyone have any speculation on why Vudu doesn't go directly at netflix with an all you can eat program. Do the studios prevent this?

The current "relealse window" model prevents this. That model was based on physical media growth and pricing. As physical media declines and faces pricing pressure (especially from kiosks), then the content owners will have to shift strategies if they want to see growth in the home media market.

They would see more money via streaming then they currently get (ARPU) from kiosks.

A friend went to the Best Buy in Burbank, CA this afternoon to buy a VUDU box. It is listed in stock at both the Burbank and Glendale stores. The sales guy says they don't sell them in stores anymore, hadn't heard from the VUDU reps for a long time, and thought they didn't make them anymore. The store guy called the Glendale store (in stock, according to web site), but they didn't have one either.

Has anybody actually bought a VUDU box at a Best Buy recently?

Thanks,

A friend went to the Best Buy in Burbank, CA this afternoon to buy a VUDU box. It is listed in stock at both the Burbank and Glendale stores. The sales guy says they don't sell them in stores anymore, hadn't heard from the VUDU reps for a long time, and thought they didn't make them anymore. The store guy called the Glendale store (in stock, according to web site), but they didn't have one either.

Has anybody actually bought a VUDU box at a Best Buy recently?

Thanks,

I havent been to a Best Buy for the standard box but I did follow the Vudu website of authorized dealers around to 3 different locations trying to pick up the XL2 box, none of these authorized dealers had this or even the XL version. When I contacted Vudu about it I was told the XL2 is no longer being made. Funny since it was there premiere version and within 6 months of its own release and already discontinued....

While I don't tend to go into Best Buy for a list of reasons too long to post in this thread, I was in the neighborhood this morning, so I dropped in to see what the deal was with Vudu at Best Buy. I found the following sign marked "next generation players" that seemed to be a logical place to look:

http://www.justaddpower.com/images/vuduaisle.jpg

As I looked down the aisle I quite easily spotted the Vudu section amongst the Blu-Ray players:

http://www.justaddpower.com/images/vudushelves.jpg

Upon closer inspection I found a floor sample right above the "Vudu is Here" sign:

http://www.justaddpower.com/images/vududisplay.jpg

Below the display were at least 4 "New in the Box" pieces ready for one to purchase and carry out of the store.

http://www.justaddpower.com/images/vudustock.jpg

Now, I know this may be a stretch for some folks to grasp, but is it just possible that the Best Buy salesman didn't know what he was talking about? A google search for 'best buy salesman incompetent' sure brings back a lot of hits.....

Regarding the XL, I really think Vudu has dropped the ball on the XL in a lot of ways. The only real physical difference between the XL and the BX100 is the size of the hard drive. XL has 1TB hard drive, BX100 has 250GB hard drive. Not exactly worth the $700 list price difference at the time ($299 vs $999) in the minds of most consumers. To further distinguish the XL, they enabled 2 features in the software that aren't availble on the BX100 - IP based remote control, and 1080p output via Component (vs HDMI only on BX100). This was something the HT pros said they needed to put the XL in the high end homes. As for the XL2 - it was exactly the same as the XL, just in a rack mount form factor - and nobody was willing to pay the suggested price for that one (can't recall what the MSRP was).

TomsHT - If you are still interested in an XL, they can be purchased new on eBay from authorized dealers. This morning I see a $399 Buy It Now XL. The ball is in your court to decide whether or not to purchase one. Seeing as Vudu continues to grow and expand (see recent announcements here and elsewhere), I don't think you have to worry about them not being around for some time.

I don't think Vudu is going anywhere. Their relationships with studios alone is a major asset.

I do expect them to integrate the service into other devices, and possibly allow remote storage.

nded... Thanks for your time researching this subject. I will suggest to my friend that he try ordering online and see what happens. Perhaps BB also needs to upgrade its inventory software!

Thanks again,

nded

I thought the XL also offered 1080i output over component as an upgrade?

I have the XL: paid too much for it but I love the service

nded

I thought the XL also offered 1080i output over component as an upgrade?

I have the XL: paid too much for it but I love the service

Yeah, I wasn't complete in describing the HD over Component "feature" of the XL. Basically, the BX100 is limited to 480P on component, while the XL can put out whatever you want over component. The decision to limit this to the XL really irked me (I do have an XL and 2 BX100's).

I have never seen a VUDU box in any Best Buy in South Carolina .

I have never seen a VUDU box in any Best Buy in South Carolina .

Well, I've never seen a governor fly off to Buenos Aries to have an affair in Florida, it must be a regional thing. I guess you'll have to mosey on over to Atlanta if you want to see a Vudu on the shelves of a Best Buy.

Basically, the BX100 is limited to 480P on component, while the XL can put out whatever you want over component. The decision to limit this to the XL really irked me (I do have an XL and 2 BX100's).

That is so strange. My TiVo HD has no problem with 1080i over component; if it didn't do that, I wouldn't have bought it!

That is so strange. My TiVo HD has no problem with 1080i over component; if it didn't do that, I wouldn't have bought it!

BINGO - I really think they are nuts to limit this feature to the XL's. When the Vudu first came out (before the XL series) they said no HD over component was a restriction imposed by the studios to protect HD content from being copied. The the XL came out with HD over component and they never have adequately explained that contradiction to my satisifaction.

I still like the Vudu service, I just don't agree with all of their decisions. Of course they aren't paying me to tell them what to do, so I guess that doesn't matter.

I had a pleasure to speak to Vudu representative not so long ago at Best Buy in their Magnolia dept. Where I asked them a few questions about certain possibilities like exchanging HDDs or plugging additional storage via USB, streaming over network to multiple VUDU devices etc.

I was told that Best Buy is actually an investor/partner with Vudu so them not carrying it is highly unlikely and I'd have to agree with nded who mentioned that Best Buy representative just didn't know what he was talking about.

At my Best Buy, a large number of HDTV sets on display have Vudu connected to it with some previews and demo interface to try out.

No Magnolia dept. in any BB in SC.

It's in the regular section at my local BestBuy.

It's in the regular section at my local BestBuy.

Oh.. I think I wrote in a way where people misunderstood.. I was standing in magnolia dept. for some other reason and the Vudu guy was just there.

Vudu plugged to HDTVs was in regular Best Buy HDTV dept.

No Magnolia dept. in any BB in SC.

OT: Don't worry, you're not missing much.

There was a real, standalone, Magnolia store here up until a few months ago. It was much much better than the little "Magnolia dept" found in some BB stores around here. Unfortunately BB closed this standalone store. Must not have been profitable enough.

I just picked up my Vudu yesterday. So far so good. I need faster internet though because the movie download is slow. Probably what I will start doing is downloading the movies I want right before I go to bed, and let it run all night as needed. I like the fact that you can power down the player and it will still download movies. Interface is nice and easy to use as well. So far I really like it. I will report back after I watch the first movie.

The porn rentals are expensive though!!!:p

It appears that MediaFly will be available via the Roku Player by the end of the year.

http://mediafly.typepad.com/cvconant_tech_insights/2009/07/faq-mediafly-on-roku-digital-internet-player.html

Glad you like the VUDU. How fast is your internet connection?

One additional option is that you can rent/purchase titles from the VUDU web site while at work and they would be ready to view by the time you got home. I do this for HDX titles since they aren't instatly viewable.

I just picked up my Vudu yesterday. So far so good. I need faster internet though because the movie download is slow. Probably what I will start doing is downloading the movies I want right before I go to bed, and let it run all night as needed. I like the fact that you can power down the player and it will still download movies. Interface is nice and easy to use as well. So far I really like it. I will report back after I watch the first movie.

request to Vudu:

please give us an option to turn off the screensaver:

I love Pandora internet radio on Vudu but there should be a way to disable the auto screensaver

request to Vudu:

please give us an option to turn off the screensaver:

I love Pandora internet radio on Vudu but there should be a way to disable the auto screensaver

This request was also made many times on the VUDU support board since Pandora went live. Don't know what type of options for the screen saver VUDU is working on but its high on my request list also.

I wouldn't mind if a screen saver came on with Pandora running as long as it had the album art and title information on it...

Read through most of this thread, but I don't think I saw this question addressed:

Can the Vudu output video over HDMI and composite simultaneously?

That's a must have feature for me.

Tried posting this question at Vudu forums but my posts are not being posted to the forum.

Does anyone know if the IR receiver kit will work with the logitech harmony RF wireless extender?

Thanks

Read through most of this thread, but I don't think I saw this question addressed:

Can the Vudu output video over HDMI and composite simultaneously?

That's a must have feature for me.

I've never checked since don't use any analog connections. Although if I get a chance this week I'll check with one of my VUDU boxes. If I can find some analog cables.

Read through most of this thread, but I don't think I saw this question addressed:

Can the Vudu output video over HDMI and composite simultaneously?

That's a must have feature for me.


When you plug in an HDMI monitor the Vudu disables all analog outputs (Composite, S-Video, and Component).

When did you post this on the VUDU board? They are usually very responsive to activate their forum accounts. Did you get a email to confirm your registration on their board?

I am not too familiar with the Logitec RF extender but if it passes the normal IR signal back to the "emitters", the VUDU IR profile from a supported harmony remote should work.

Tried posting this question at Vudu forums but my posts are not being posted to the forum.

Does anyone know if the IR receiver kit will work with the logitech harmony RF wireless extender?

Thanks

I posted my question either Wednesday or Thursday of last week. After I submitted the message something popped up on the screen real quick. Something about it would have to be looked at by and admin before it would show. I actually tried to posting again like a day later and still the same thing.

I had a hard time getting on that forum. I finally gave up and registered again under another name. That seemed to work.

When you plug in an HDMI monitor the Vudu disables all analog outputs (Composite, S-Video, and Component).

Bummer. And component doesn't output 1080p correct?

Unfortunately, that's a deal breaker for me on what looks to be an otherwise great device.

Bummer. And component doesn't output 1080p correct?

Unfortunately, that's a deal breaker for me on what looks to be an otherwise great device.

I wish they would make a version of all devices with just HDMI outputs instead of all the extraneous analog outputs. I have around two dozen HDMI devices now and wish I didn't have to pay for the extra connections I will never use. I really like having one cable/connection for audio and video.