A place to talk about anything related to Vudu that is of interest to AVSFORUM members. This thread may be occasionally visited by Vudu employees, but they don't have any editorial authority.

This thread is dedicated to VUDU : it is a spinoff of

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1009754

First extract from original thread:
From what I have seen Vudu looks much better than AppleTV. The DD+ aspect of Vudu is also attractive. The Vudu user interface was also very intuitive.

UNfotunately the VUDU box doesn't bitstream the DD+. It transcodes it to DD before being output from the box.

If you have specific questions related to the VUDU box or service, I'm happy to help.

Patrick Ellis
Sr Product Manager, VUDU

how is that unfortunate?

Because DD+ allows for a higher bitrate than DD. So if the box had the capability to bitstream it would have the possibility to have better audio quality than a DVD. But since it only has HDMI 1.1 it can't bitstream the DD+. It has to be transcoded to DD before output from the box.

OF course this doesn't make the VUDU box any less useful. It's all about convenience and the VUDU box is about as convenient as you can get for HD VOD.

With HDMI 1.1, it could also be unpacked to LPCM and sent over HDMI, without the conversion from one lossy format to another.

I don't think the box has that capability.

Blu-ray uses dolby-digital 640kbps, which isn't dolby digital plus, but which is a higher bit riate than standard dvd which is limited to dolby-digital 448kpbs or dolby-digital 384kbps. DD/640 works fine transmitted on the older optical toslink; I assume on hdmi as well.

DD/640 isn't loosless, but is perceptually transparent (http://www.answers.com/topic/digital-theater-system). Maybe someone would know which dolby digital bit rates vudu supports.

I'm not sure what the rate is, but with DD+ you can definitely get a higher bitrate which can sound much better than DD can. DD+ at 1.5mbs sounds much better than DD at 640kbs. They do not sound the same.

Perhaps you are you comparing the higher quality audio against DVD, which is limited to DD 448 kbps?

There is a slight audible improvement going to DD 640, but I haven't seen any links to double blind tests with level matched material where listeners were able to reliably pick out the lossless track versus the DD/640 track. Sticking with DD/640 makes sense given the download bandwidth limitations and given the hardware support for DD/640 on older non hdmi 5.1 surround sound systems.

I have no problem with them sticking with DD, that was their decision and it makes sense.

I read this awhile ago and gave up trying to always get TrueHD or measure bit rate. Even in my best set up (which is nowhere near a professional set up), I might hear a little difference switching between high/low bitrate DD but it's not something I can't continue listening to.

http://www.hemagazine.com/node/Dolby_TrueHD_DTS-MA_versus_Uncompressed_PCM

anyone know about this new format

What would you like to know?

Patrick Ellis
Sr Product Manager, VUDU

Vudu got a nice write up by David Pogue in today's New York Times

Question about differences with XL unit: aside from larger HD: what are the differences?

I would use with RTI remote but would not mind using an IR emitter

Compared to the BX100, the XL has a 1TB Drive (vs 250GB), which is good for permanent storage of 500 SD titles vs 50. Additionally, the XL has an optional software package that enables IP control and HD output (up to 1080i) over the Component outputs where they are otherwise limited to 480p. IR control is available on both boxes with the IR kit.

Patrick

Glad to see a Vudu owners/question thread.


I traded in bluray and Netflix for a Vudu box with wireless a few weeks ago, love it so far.

New releases are starting to show in HDX which, IMHO, has top notch PQ. If Vudu continues to support the HDX format, Ill have no reason to grab another bluray player (audio is not quite as good bluray but Ill live).

The on line ordering Vudu offers is very handy, you can select the movie on line the day it comes out, and its downloaded to your box when you get home.

Second extract - a few more to come

1) Is the HDX format equal to BluRay in terms of video quality? 2) Is audio similar to Blu-ray lossless audio or is it still Basic Dolby Digital? 3) Will VuDu support 7.1 audio through HDMI similar to some Blu-Ray discs and similar to what XstreamHd is positioning in their announcements?

I have been holding off on all download services until I can find one that matched Blu-Ray. I have also been holding off waiting for Xstream HD, although that seems to be vapor ware so far.

1) We're not going to make that claim, but feedback from those that have seen it is very positive.
2) HDX titles feature up to 640kbps Dolby Digital which, while not lossless, is a significant improvement in audio quality. It's also 40% greater than the bit rate of DD on DVDs and the same as the 187+ titles on Blu-ray that only have DD.
3) Unfortunately, our current hardware isn't capable of 7.1. So no, you won't see it soon.


Patrick

How will it compare to DirecTV HD VOD?

Perhaps this article has a bit more of the detail you are asking about
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6601272.html

Patrick

Can you tell me how to set up the XL for 1080i over component video output?

HD over Component is enabled as part the XLS1 software package for the XL. XLS1 also includes IP control (though this feature may already be enabled on your XL). Your dealer can place the order.

But it also has misinformation. All the VUDU HD titles have been encoded in 1080P24 not 1080i. They are just at a lower bitrate than the HDX titles. The HD titles are around 4mbs MPEG4 while the HDX are around 10mbs MPEG4, both at 1080P24.

Thanks: that did the trick :)

Where is this written? It's difficult to believe that a 4 Mbps 1080p24 encoding would be watchable. Even for 720p24 (less than half the resolution), the XBL Video Store uses a VC-1 encoding at around 6.5 Mbps.

VUDUPatrick, can you confirm?

Correct, from the beginning all of our HD content has been in 1080p24. Instant HD has a total stream bitrate of about 4mbps. H.264 with a good encoder and the right parameters can do some impressive things. Even more so when you give it nearly 10mbps average to work with.

I believe both Vudu and Apple have quite generous return policies so give it a try.

Another advantage is there are lots of exclusive HD content to try out as well. Many catalog titles that haven't made it to Blu Ray yet.

I wish Vudu or Apple TV offered subtitles with their HD movies.

I've got an Xbox 360, PS3 and TiVo Series3, all of which continue to evolve as download rental/purchase playback platforms, so I'm not sure exactly what either Vudu or AppleTV have to offer that would make them worth my dime. I'm sure that they have some superior features and available content, but is it enough to make them worth the investment (and the clutter of yet another oddly shaped box in my rig)? Currently, I don't think so.

Does anyone know if VUDU or AppleTV has the better SD picture quality? I'm very close to buying one of these systems.

Thanks

Oops, I just read more of the posts and it appears VUDU is better picture quality for both SD and HD, right?

Don't you mean 10 mbps peak? 10 mbps average would give you a stream rate of 10 mbps + audio which would for sure be above a total stream rate of 4 mbps.

The 10mbs is referring to the HDX titles. The HD titles are 4mbs.

Correct. Additionally, HDX titles peak at 20mbps while Instant HD titles peak at 8 or so.

I would suggest checking it out for yourself. Go to a Best Buy and watch part of a movie or TV show on a Vudu box. Also go to iTunes and download an HD TV episode (you also get the SD as well when downloading an HD file for watching on your iPhone or iPod) or go to an Apple Store and play around with an AppleTV. Right now it looks like the pilot of Valentine is up for free on iTunes (not the best cinematic quality)

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewTVSeason?i=293680287&id=292474694&s=143441

VUDUPatrick,

I'm looking for more info on your product. BestBuy only carries the 250Gb model, and i'd rather have a human being to yell at if i run into compatibility issues. Is there a timeline for enabling external storage on that device? (if at all?)

Also, would there ever be a consideration of adding a UPnP client to the machine so i can watch my other already ripped DVD collection via your machine? If this feature existed, i think you'd have a killer product. I'm getting rather sick of having 5 different machines in my hardware collection (mostly failed mind you) to watch 200 different titles i own already.

Think the LOTR saying... ONE MACHINE TO RULE THEM ALL. (and nobody please say PC, they're just too darn bulky and clumsy)

goobenet,

Thanks for the enthusiasm and suggestions. Unfortunately, we're not in the business of tipping our hand about unannounced features until they are ready to go. There are just too many variables that can result in disappointed people all around when a feature isn't as promised (or at all) or doesn't make a previously announced date. You'll hear when or if we announce such features as those you mention. Sorry I can't be more help than that.

Patrick

The biggest feature I think would be nice with VUDU would be a way to watch owned content that has been downloaded on one box, to be viewed on another one. Xbox Live allows this by being logged into to your gamer tag. As long as you are logged into the gamer tag that the content was purchased, you can download the purchased content and view it. And once that gamer tag is logged out, no one will be able to view the content so it is secure.

I'll be getting my third VUDU box later this week from Best Buy. This is why I would like this feature. If I only owned one box then it wouldn't matter.

Understandable. although looking through the specs between the $300 box and the $1k box, the only difference i can find is the 1tb hard drive? Unless it's lined in gold, a $600 premium seems a little off-the-cuff marketing to those who have to get "the best" and pay for it... those of us in the know however know that a 1tb drive can be had for under $150 nowdays.

Are there other features i'm missing here that warrant the premium? (just curious, i'm waiting for payday to pick one up, give it a whirl!)

The VUDU XL is also capable of up to 1080i over component (simultaneously with HDMI) and IP control for integration with advanced control systems. This is in addition to being able to store 500 SD titles vs the 50 or so of the VUDU HD (VBX100). Moving forward there may be additional features and functionality that will only be available on the VUDU XL.

Plus isn't the VUDU XL only available from custom installers? So the higher price has a higher built in profit margin for the custom installers since you are also buying their services along with the box?

Last extract from old thread:

You are correct in that the VUDU XL is only available from custom installers and select high-end specialty retailers.

Since this is the Vudu vs AppleTV thread gotta point out that AppleTV does 1080p over component & HDMI simultaneously. Having a 1 TB option on the AppleTV would be nice, but then again all of my AppleTVs are configured to stream from a central server that is located in my equipment room so really for me the local disk is only used for HD movie rental. As for IP control of the AppleTV I just use the Remote app on my iPhone. Let's me browse and control my AppleTV from anywhere on my network, pretty nice interface as well.

I thought AppleTV was capped at 720p and couldn't do 1080p? I'm really on the fence between AppleTV and Vudu. Right now, I'm leaning toward VUDU w/HDX, but I own 2 iMacs and an iPhone so the AppleTV is very interesting from an integration and long term viability standpoint (I'm more nervous about VUDU going out of business in a year or 2).

If the AppleTV can actually output 1080p; it would be possible that Apple could announce a product similar to HDX and existing AppleTV's could handle it correct?

Thanks!
KF

New Vudu owner so Im subbing to the thread.

Very happy so far, seems the HDX push is going well. HDX PQ is damn fine.

VuduPatrick, if we buy a unit and the hard drive fails, can we replace it ourselves or do we have to buy a new vudu box? Curious how that is handled as I am considering a Vudu unit, but I don't want to be stuck with a non-servicable box and have to buy a new one when (not if) the drive fails.

Good question.

Sorry, the hard drive is not user-replaceable.

What is the cost to have the drive replaced? I would really hate to have these units be disposable and just have to buy a new one.

Reason I ask is with AppleTv, there is a pretty easy upgrade/replace process, similar to Tivo. Not that either manufacturer "support" it. Since I am sure the price of the Vudu unit is not recouping the actual costs (maybe it is?), but you intend to make your profit off the PPV style of selling, I would think it would be better to have a unit that users would not have to worry about losing use of to continue the PPV revenue stream.

What kind of drive is used by Vudu? Sata? IDE? SCSI (doubting this one, but just in case)

Honestly, I don't see how Vudu will be in business 6 months from now. The hardware and movies are expensive an do not offer any value add over competing products. Vudu lacks the ability to stream photos, music, movies, watch trailers, youtube, and a large # of TV shows.

Their probably breaking even on hardware or losing money. And the money they make off of content is pennies.

What consumer would choose this over their existing cable box, Netflix, AppleTV, PS3, or a dedicated Blu-ray player?

This is exactly what I am thinking. I am not exactly mainstream in my choices with technology, but a Vudu box wasnt even a consideration for me because of the above reasons.

The new HDX format is great. I traded in my BR player for a 6mo experiment, so far Im happy. When a movie becomes available for rent, I can tell my box to remotely download it from any pc, then watch it whenever I want. For me, this is a replacement to Netflix (got tired of waiting on new flicks) and a BR player. As far as streaming goes, my Directv HDDVR does that.

You gotta remember, Vudu is still young, and those apple fans can say what they want about Apple TV, but at the end of the day, the AppleTV movie PQ aint so hot. Jobs also just stated that itll still be a "hobby" in 09, so its another mediocore apple product I wont buy.

And BTW, who the hell cares about watching you tube, thats pretty lame reasoning. Vudu has one purpose, watching movies without having to leave your home, and at their current pace, theyll have more HD movies than Apple soon.

^ I got nothing against Vudu or AppleTV, but I seriously don't get the pricing scheme.

If you watch 10-20 movies a month, are you going to replace your <$20 a month Netflix with $50-$100/month for their PPV scheme?

If you only watch 5 movies a month, you're not really a "hardcore" movie watcher, so are you going to drop a couple hundred bucks on a Vudu/AppleTV box and then still pay $25/month?

Note I am assuming $5 PPV prices.

Sorry, but I can't afford $100 a month to watch movies, even if it's tons more convenient than Netflix. I'd probably be willing to pay $40 (still twice as much as Netflix), but not much more. So they either need to cut prices pretty much in half, or offer a buffet plan to get my business.

Again, I really hope these services take off as the potential and convenience is astounding, but I just don't see how they can compete at these prices. Of course, I said that about a certain other technology that recently beat out the "affordable" option, so don't listen to me.

No way to watch 10-20 on Netflix, they throttle you.

I'll gladly pay $5.99/movie so I can watch it when Im ready. Too many times with Netflix I was sitting around thinking "man, sure would be nice to have that movie"

The way I see Apple vs Vudu is, for tv shows Apple rules in content. For new movies, they both offer the same and have the same dates for the most part, but the HDX PQ of Vudu rules.

Price on both is high, I wonder how long before we'll see a Netflix style rental plan from VOD?

My move from media to VOD was slow because I had to allow for the 30 day rental delay window to catch up to the movies I had seen, but Im there now and have 1-2 new movies to rent every week now. Looking forward to it.

I love the Vudu box, but if Apple actually took the AppleTv seriously and came out with a 1080p version of a high end encode like Vudu's HDX, it might be the king. Especially with the HD tv show content.

Yep, Vudu for me wins quality and that is what keeps me from pulling the trigger on Apple TV....

Cmon vudupatrick, give me some more info so I might invest in your product and proclaim it to all who ask that Vudu is the best solution... :)

Just spoke with someone at the vudu forum on Apple HD vs Vudu HD (not HDX). Sharpness is about the same, color on Vudu may be better, and Vudu has instant start on HD movies with 4mbps. HDX is no contest, but as stated, ATV rules the roost in tv and anything ipod related.

Looks like if you require movies and tv (and PQ matters), you need need two of something (Vudu/ATX/XBox/Amazon)

Ill be glad when we have one box that offers quality downloads of tv and movies. I have to wonder if Vudu isnt considering getting more into tv shows.

i was not able to get hdmi and component to work - as soon as i plugged hdmi in - component shut off

Richard,

HD over component and simultaneous component and HDMI are limited to the VUDU XL and only with the purchase and activation of the software package XLS1. IP control is also part of XLS1 but through December 31, it is included on all XLs.

Vudupatick, did you see my questions? Are you just choosing not to answer them?
Even the simple one about what happens when the hard drive dies? What is the process to get the $80 part working again? I looked on the website, the FAQ's were slightly above useless so that is why I am asking here. Really it should not be hard for a potential customer to find this info on the website, but no query with the words "repair" "replace" "service" returned any results.

The vudu forums are even more vague on the capability to actually get purchased content back in the event of hardware failure. 1 year limits, 2 year limits are kicked around over there and any valid concern is merely brushed aside as fodder by people over there. It's almost like a site affiliated with AVS... question the company and management and you are immediately labeled as a troublemaker.

If the info is there, please direct me to it as my search terms are not liked much by the search engine. Really it should not be hard to find what the policy is in the event of hardware failure relating to:
Do I have to buy another box at $299 for what will most likely be just the harddrive
What exactly is the policy on restoring purchases (again the forums are all over the place with no definitive answer)

He's in marketing and may not know. There some engineers over at the forum, they might have a better answer.


Im betting its like dvr's and such, you send it back.

I saw your questions. The hard drive is not user replaceable (and I don't believe dd would work). I'm trying to get the correct information to give you about out of warranty repairs.

Thank you for looking into it.

However, while I don't own the box, I have a hard time believing that given the opportunity, that someone could not figure out how to replace the drive. heck I have replaced drives on pretty much every home entertainment device I have owned that has had a hard drive (Dish DVR, Directv DVR, Tivo and so on) though various methods. Only Sony and their DHG-HDD series of OTA receivers have eluded me. And that is what worries me. Sony charges a ridculous price to replace the drive (If you can even get them to do it anymore) and you sit back just knowing that drive cost is nill to them.

I understand obviously that the whole DRM crap fest is part of your answers, but if vudu offers a reasonable repair option and clarifies the policy on purchased content being re-downloaded for no fee (1 year, 2 year, lifetime?) I am in, if not, then I can't justify my cash going to Vudu.



I tried the (are they official for support or just user info and hosted by the company?) forums and they didn't seem to address the question. I emailed vudu through the support page yesterday morning on these questions and am still waiting for a response.

The big thing that I am seeing regarding purchased titles is this from the website

If VUDU has to repair or replace your VUDU Equipment, or if content is lost due to a failure of the hard drive in the VUDU Equipment, VUDU will, to the best of its ability and within the rights granted to it by its content licensor's, replace all purchased (but not rented) movies
or other purchased (but not rented) entertainment content that you acquired from VUDU and that is or are stored on your VUDU Equipment ("Content"), for a period of one (1) year from the date of such Content's purchase."

Does the Vudu Vault service make the 1 year thing no longer an issue?

Also, looking at this thread over on the vudu forums
http://forum.vudu.com/showthread.php?t=2000

is Nded a vudu rep? Cause his answer in post 3 makes me believe that he is, but the way he answers later on is not someting I would want to deal with if I was a customer.

I just got a Vudu box last week, and I am impressed. I was holding out for PQ, and the HDX content knocked me off the fence. I have watched several titles in HD, and HDX, and can say that HDX is almost as good as Blu-Ray. I did an A/B compare with a Blu-Ray title I own, and I could see just a hair more detail on the Blu-Ray, in freeze frames, but I really had to look for it. This is on my 133" screen.

I have spent many years with Netflix, and it is just a real pain in the behind, trying to get SD content, not to mention HD content, for me, was almost impossible. Then, when I finally got it, some times it was the wrong disc, the disc was scratched etc. I finally gave up, and just started buying all my movies. This started getting expensive, and there were plenty of movies I just wanted to watch once. For me, Vudu is well worth the money. Now I just hope they up the content, and release dates for rentals.

Geez Free, netflix has been great for me, but like your experience with neflix, I had the same issues with blockbuster online service.

I am very close to going with vudu for their quality, I just need a few more questions answered. I am one of those consumers a big box store employee hates and I admit it. I like to ask ALOT of questions :)

I like my XL but it is addictive: you can spend a lot of money with just a few clicks of the remote :)

I would still like to see Vudu add HD Test Patterns and an active screen saver of cover art

I bought the XL through a local integrator and installed it myself; controlled by an RTI remote system: also have the Apple TV

[I have no connection with Vudu other than as a customer]

I hear ya on the spending, Im glad I got the $200 credit to get it out of my system :)

I already second your motion at Vudu forums for the test patterns.

yeah from what I have seen HDX quality will be hard to beat with a streaming only delivery.

I still am looking forward to it and maybe this will speed up amazon and tivo with their HD plans.

SatinKzo - No, I'm not (nor have I ever been) a Vudu employee. I think the later on post that bothered you was my sarcastic response to an irritating poster ,which would be easier to understand if you had been following the forum live at the time, where the other guy was constantly bombarding the Vudu forum with gripes because he is obsessed with complaining about Vudu (he loves his @TV hobby gear). The folks at Vudu bent over backwards to try and please the other guy, but he just kept on disrupting the forum. Eventually he was banned for life for being a troublemaker.

I would be happy to independently answer any questions you have about getting a Vudu.

Very good to know. Thank you for your reply. I was not sure and that is why I asked.

I really want to get vudu but I am still waiting for my questions to be answered either here, over at vudu forums, or in an email reply to them that I submitted on Monday (Oct 27th) morning.

I have only gotten 1 answer that the hard drive is not user replaceable, but every manufacturer says that and will not support it and I don't expect a company employee to tell me it can be done even if it can be so I am fine with that answer. But I do have other questions.

I have not yet attempted to replace/duplicate the hard drive, so I can't report on how this might work in the field. From a purely technical perspective you gotta believe a dedicated tech with the right gear could do it, but I can't tell you how.

Do you have any other open Vudu questions?

yes nded, I do.

Can you read back on the purchase replacement policy question I had a couple posts up (#123)?

Also, do you happen to know what Vudu's policy/charge is for drive replacement when it does fail? Again, I don't want to pay through the nose for a sub $100 part.

*Btw, in my comment about your reply on the vudu forums to the one user... No issues with how you replied I was just thining "man is this guy a vudu employee? I wouldn't want my employees posting that in public to a customer". But going back and looking at other posts I can see why it appears he ticked off a few people there. Nothing wrong with a fellow customer telling someone to scale it back though.

You may find the reading at http://www.cepro.com/article/vudu_plans_1000_hd_titles_lifetime_content_recovery/ to be helpful in your decision making process.

AFAIK the hard drive replacement cost hasn't been publicy addressed, as we just now reached the point where the first Vudu's sold to the public are 1 year old and are out of the warranty period. I expect that VUDUPatrick will get back to us fairly quickly with an official answer.

Thank you Nded, I appreciate your responses.

I must say also, thank you Vudu. you have pushed the competition lately with quality. Looking at all the netflix partnerships now (tivo just added). I am wondering if Tivo/netlfix could match HDX quality since they would essentially have the same hard drive buffer/storage as vudu!

One more question for anyone...
Is vudu still planning Demo kiosks? I thought I read they were not just selling through bestbuy but havine demo systems there... I still can't find one in stock in any bestbuy store within 300 miles of me and I just want to go see one in person. All I have now are screenshots and reviews from users.

The problem with this statement is that the majority of consumers do not care about Blu-ray/HDX quality. The number of people watching full length shows on their laptops is growing dramatically. Availability vs. quality, and availability wins every time. Netflix is going to take over this market. The Netflix streaming player is going to be available for every platform and close-to-DVD-quality is perfect for the majority of consumers.

They just announced that the Netflix streaming player is coming to TiVo S3's and HD's. Its coming to 360's and Blu-ray players and they have a stand alone box. You can use it on PC's and soon to be Mac's.

Where can Vudu compete? I can't figure it out. Their business model is non existent. They offer a service that doesn't add any value over the competition. All it does is allow you to purchase movies. It doesn't play music or photos. It just doesn't compete and it's expensive for what it does.

For the purists out there that want the best quality then there will be Blu-ray.

Well, I don't know if there is a "problem" with my statement....

I expect netflix HD quality to be comparable to Vudu, but not vudu HDX at first. I would dearly love for it to offer the HDX quality at first trust me. But I don't see them being able to match it on the non-mass storage based players (Roku, Samsung players). So netflix HD will be HD-lite at first as my best guess and probably HD-lite only on the streaming only players with limited storage. Unless I have missed somewhere a direct head to head comparison against the netflix HD.

As for the purists and guys like me, yes, BD is the way to go to get the best PQ available to the consumer mass market, but sometimes I don't care if say Baby mama is in HD-lite or in Full HD glory from Blu-ray, I just wanna watch it NOW in the best possible PQ that is available NOW :)

*disclaimer, baby mama came to mind, I don't actually care if I watch it in SD or HD or in No-D :)

I think people understate how many there are that actually care about PQ.

Secondly, there are multiple music services (Amazon, Walmart, Apple), why cant there be more than one for movies (and there should be)?? Dont forget that the watch now content is crap as far as new stuff goes, and the HD will be too. Yeah, its great if you get bored and are sitting in an airport. When Netflix decides to go new release download, youll be paying for it just like Apple and Vudu. Why do you think they are putting it in all these boxes? So they have more people to charge ;)

Netflix didnt take over the rental market (BB Online is doing fine) and even though Netflix might be Walmart, but there is still room for Target.


We all began to think that HDDVD and BR would stand side by side, only thing that killed HDDVD was the studios.Now, to keep revenue up, studios are looking into selling movies any way they can, the more download services the better. I for one dropped both Netflix and BB Online and strictly use my Vudu box.

I cant blame em on the video, so it doesnt bother me. Studio spends 100 mil on a movie, just for people to steal it.

I have no problem with studios protecting their investments. Not to turn this into a big debate in this thread cause it doesn't belong here. Not sure what it is about movies and music but people seem t be inherently dishonest when it comes to them. For some reason even the most law abiding people think it's ok to make copies of rentals instead of buying a copy.

I do believe that you should be able to make copies of stuff you own though for real backup purposes, not to share with friends.

I completely agree with this statement, and it goes along with your earlier question. What happens if you buy a movie and the HDD craps out??

I can see myself buying some big movies like Batman/Iron Man, but only when they are released to buy in HDX.

And since my previous post will probably get deleted... (yep, only lasted 45 minutes?)

here is something I hope can stay...

VuduPatrick where are you? I never got any further info from you and no one has responded to my questions that I posted through the vudu support form on the vudu website. It said I should get a response withing a day or two I believe.

VuduDoug, are you associated with Vudu in anyway? I see you have been on, but have not commented yet.

Back on topic, rented Journey To The Center Of The Earth, on my Vudu box in HD, and it looked like crap. First title I have been really disappointed with. I read a review on the BD, and it should have been decent looking, but this looked worse than DVD quality. I am wondering what determines the picture quality, since some of the titles (even HD, not HDX ones) I have seen looked pretty decent.

It did look a little funny. Makes me glad that HDX starts really rolling out in Nov for new releases.

Hey guys, can you be a little clearer on what you mean about Journey looking like "crap". I get the idea abut it being DVD quality (which really isn't bad, but not if it's billed as HD), but was it fuzzy? Pixelated? bad color (although it has been mentioned elsewhere that even the BD looked funky)?

The daylight scenes, especially the end looked good, but the underground scenes had whacked out skin tones and funky colors. I get from the review that this wa spart of the look, I just dont think the HD encode was very good.

You really see the lack of PQ in HD during dark scenes, and I think this was part of the problem. I also watched 88 minutes this weekend in HD, and it looked very good.

FWIW, I rented/watched Journey HD on Vudu Friday night and it looked good to me. Not sure what problems you encoutered Free. Could you give us a more detailed description of what you saw and didn't like/expect?

The contrast too high and made the movie look washed out at times. After reading the bluray review, I think this was just an aspect of the movie. Like I said, the last 5 minutes in the vineyard and some of the beginning scenes looked great.

Along with the contrast being too high, and making it looked washed out, I thought that much of it looked really soft and fuzzy. I don't know if it was intended to look that way, but it appeared to be really low resolution. It may be because I watch exclusively HD material, and haven't watched a DVD in a long time, but I remember thinking to myself at one point that it looked almost like VHS.

I agree there were a few scenes, including the vinyard scene at the end that looked much better, but still looked kind of muddy or mushy in terms of detail. The Blu-Ray review I read gave it 4 stars for video, so I assumed it was a VUDU issue.

There were a few underground scenes that were exceptional fuzzy, I just chalked it too the high contrast. It was almost like a jacked gamma setting on my old Sony RPLCD.

I agree, we need a VUDU thread. I would rather chat with AVS videophiles here, than the people over on the VUDU forum, who might not be as concerned about video quality.

Hey moderators - how about forking the last few pages of this thread into a new "Vudu Talk" thread?

a Master VUDU Thread would be a great idea :)

feel free to name it what you like

OK, all the old stuff has been copied into the new Vudu thread.

Hehe, good deal.

I have the VUDU XL and am very pleased

One thing to keep in mind: if you control this with an integrated control system, you must buy the IR receiver: you cannot apply a standard IR block signal to the connector as it will damage the unit

What I did is tape the VUDU IR receiver to an IR emitter: I downloaded the IR commands from the VUDU site (in my case for an RTI control system) and it works great: the RF remote also works

the only thing I have not figured out is how to control over TCP/IP: not a big deal though: I tried everything including Telnet but no luck

I think the only "open" question from the earlier discussion is a response from VuduPatrick (or some other Vudu official) regarding the price and procedure for a HDD replacement out of warranty. Given the fact the the Vudu is just now 1 year old, they haven't had to do such, so I expect them to get back to us with an answer soon.

Any other Vudu questions on peoples minds here?

I think the only "open" question from the earlier discussion is a response from VuduPatrick (or some other Vudu official) regarding the price and procedure for a HDD replacement out of warranty. Given the fact the the Vudu is just now 1 year old, they haven't had to do such, so I expect them to get back to us with an answer soon.

Any other Vudu questions on peoples minds here?


And more importantly in that question, what happens to owned movies when the HDD craps out.

Something Id like to get clarified:

HDX - Are we going to see all NEW releases in this format (not new releases of old movies, but for NEW movies) from here on out?

The plan is that all new releases offered in HD will also be in HDX. We'd like to offer all new releases in HDX, but it is dependent on the studios offering HD AND offering masters in sufficient quality as to warrant HDX.

I think the only "open" question from the earlier discussion is a response from VuduPatrick (or some other Vudu official) regarding the price and procedure for a HDD replacement out of warranty. Given the fact the the Vudu is just now 1 year old, they haven't had to do such, so I expect them to get back to us with an answer soon.

Any other Vudu questions on peoples minds here?

At the moment, out of warranty service is handled on a case-by-case basis. We of course want our customers to be happy. The hard drive isn't generally replaceable if it fails so we'd likely most often opt for replacement.

Patrick

The plan is that all new releases offered in HD will also be in HDX. We'd like to offer all new releases in HDX, but it is dependent on the studios offering HD AND offering masters in sufficient quality as to warrant HDX.


Understood, thats good enough for me. I imagine the big budget flicks I mostly watch will all be carried in HDX, so no worries.

Vudu has now added a movie title search in the movies section of Vudu.com. GREAT add.

I'm more concerned about what happens if the company goes under. Yes, HDD failure would be a problem in that case too, but not being able to add any more content for the rest of my life doesn't sound like such a great deal either. With physical media you aren't dependent on a single provider. Blockbuster and Hollywood Video took over from the small video rental chains and nothing was lost. When DIVX failed, the players could still play regular DVDs. But another movie rental company that depended on broadcasting over the airwaves recently failed, and their boxes are now worthless doorstops after only a year or two. I would like to see some sort of assurance of an continuing or alternate distribution channel before I drop $300.

If this is a concern for you, you should not be an early adopter, and right now Vudu is early adopter stuff. Good thing about the $200 movie deal, but Im a renter only.

If this is a concern for you, you should not be an early adopter, and right now Vudu is early adopter stuff. Good thing about the $200 movie deal, but Im a renter only.

agreed

I think this thread should concentrate on technical issues and user experiences

Thanks

Just checked my Vudu after the latest database updates and they kept their promise of 1000+ HD titles by year end. As of today my Vudu shows a total of 11,602 titles, with 1151 being available in HD (many also in HDX). I think that puts Vudu ahead of Blu-Ray for total HD releases, and the HD catalog has been growing by over 100 titles per week lately. We could have over 2,000 HD Titles on Vudu soon. All with instant viewing, if you have 4MB internet service.

Very cool!

From a user standpoint - has anyone compared the quality of HDX to Sattelite HD download services?

From a user standpoint - has anyone compared the quality of HDX to Sattelite HD download services?

Directv HD PPV (On demand that you download the file) is slightly better than Vudu HD

Vudu HDX is much better than Directv HD PPV

Vudu HDX and Directv 1080p tests appear to be very close to equal

I noticed in one of the posts from the second extract it seemed to indicate that subtitles are not available with Vudu movies. Is this accurate? No subtitles is a definite deal breaker for me. My wife is Thai, she understands and speaks English just fine but following a movie can be pretty difficult for her because of all the slang, idioms, colloquialisms and innuendo. There is a pretty good selection of BDs with Thai subtitles and if there's a movie she really wants to see that doesn't have them I usually order the Thai DVD release online. I just can't imagine that it would be very difficult for them to encode subtitles into the stream.

For all intents and purposes there are no subtitles on the Vudu. Some of the "foreign" titles do have english subtitles, but you can't turn them ON/OFF.

I found this following links from the bestbuy deal; i actually would pay more for rentals if i could get them the same day as a video store. What is the release schedule for vudu like? for example can you watch hellboy 2 today?

I found this following links from the bestbuy deal; i actually would pay more for rentals if i could get them the same day as a video store. What is the release schedule for vudu like? for example can you watch hellboy 2 today?

The rental schedule varies by studio policy, which is out of Vudu's control. For example, Hellboy 2 was available for purchase today (actually was available this morning for instant viewing at 12:01 am PST), but Universal delays the rental window 30 days. On December 11 you will be able to rent Hellboy 2 on the Vudu. Most studios enforce the same 30 day delay for VOD rentals - I think Warner Bros. is the exception, with same day rental as DVD release.

This seldom bothers you when you get used to having almost 12,000 titles at your fingertips for instant viewing - there's tons of good stuff to watch right now, so I don't let the studios arbitrary release dates concern me.

Thanks! so if you purchase can you archive off? 250gb isnt going to take too long to fill at 10mbits/sec.

Thanks! so if you purchase can you archive off? 250gb isnt going to take too long to fill at 10mbits/sec.

Currently, select purchased content can be archived back to the "VUDU Vault", freeing up room for new purchases and be downloaded again later. At this point HDX content is not purchasable, so there isn't really a limit since it's rental only. Of course, we recognize that our users want to build collections (in SD for now) and need space to do so and hopefully some day we will be able to offer more HD content for purchase.

Patrick

Any unused portion of the VUDU $200 Movie Credit will expire 4 months after Account activation date.

T/C of bestbuy deal... so i use it or lose it?

Any unused portion of the VUDU $200 Movie Credit will expire 4 months after Account activation date.

T/C of bestbuy deal... so i use it or lose it?

That's correct. Though you could rent a bunch of movies right at the end and extend your viewing window by 30 days or so.

Well I just ordered one for pick up at bestbuy; hopeful its as good as its looks.

That's correct. Though you could rent a bunch of movies right at the end and extend your viewing window by 30 days or so.

ahh so you have 30 days to view the rental? im presuming its a 24hrs once started type thing?

Any unused portion of the VUDU $200 Movie Credit will expire 4 months after Account activation date.

T/C of bestbuy deal... so i use it or lose it?

Yep, so mark your calendar to use up any remaining credit the day before it expires. You could just go crazy and purchase all the Star Trek movies!

ahh so you have 30 days to view the rental? im presuming its a 24hrs once started type thing?


Yes, you typically have 30 days to view the rental. The exact terms are visible prior to completing the transaction. And yes, depending on studio, you have 24 or 48 hours to complete the viewing.

I am not sure how Vudu transfers film to video,but notice that they do not seem to have "native" setting for resolution. Using high performance scalers like a "Lumagen Radiance" more or less requires you to feed it the native resolution of the source so it can deinterlace and scale as needed for the display. It would seem to be most critical with SD material. At a recent Vudu training I believe the rep indicated 480p was the minimum,with options to 1080p.The only way to change the resolution is deep in the menus.
Anyone have any insight into the variables when combining Vudu with a high end processor.?
Thanks

I am not sure how Vudu transfers film to video,but notice that they do not seem to have "native" setting for resolution. Using high performance scalers like a "Lumagen Radiance" more or less requires you to feed it the native resolution of the source so it can deinterlace and scale as needed for the display. It would seem to be most critical with SD material. At a recent Vudu training I believe the rep indicated 480p was the minimum,with options to 1080p.The only way to change the resolution is deep in the menus.
Anyone have any insight into the variables when combining Vudu with a high end processor.?
Thanks

You're correct, there is not currently a native mode. Our SD content is nativley in 480p and the HD content in 1080p. Native mode is one of those things that has been requested by a handful of people (you're just the second I've heard from, personally), but hopefully it will be something we can provide some day. But to be honest, I've done some side-by-sides with VUDU's scaling and using the same content with a high-end external scaler, and our scaling compares very favorably. I've heard from others in the industry in this regard as well. Still, we understand that some of you would like to see such a feature. As with anything, it's a matter of priorities, time and resources.

You're correct, there is not currently a native mode. Our SD content is nativley in 480p and the HD content in 1080p. Native mode is one of those things that has been requested by a handful of people (you're just the second I've heard from, personally), but hopefully it will be something we can provide some day. But to be honest, I've done some side-by-sides with VUDU's scaling and using the same content with a high-end external scaler, and our scaling compares very favorably. I've heard from others in the industry in this regard as well. Still, we understand that some of you would like to see such a feature. As with anything, it's a matter of priorities, time and resources.

Thanks! The 1080p HDX material looks great!
Just to clarify. Your lowest resolution material is 480p.So you "interlace" 480p material to 480i for use on NTSC only displays?
DVDs are 480i native,that is why we like to use players that can output at that rate. The Lumagen and many others use expense circuits to match the progressive native resolution of the display it is connected to. On larger screens in particular this improves picture quality

You're correct, there is not currently a native mode. Our SD content is nativley in 480p and the HD content in 1080p. Native mode is one of those things that has been requested by a handful of people (you're just the second I've heard from, personally), but hopefully it will be something we can provide some day. But to be honest, I've done some side-by-sides with VUDU's scaling and using the same content with a high-end external scaler, and our scaling compares very favorably. I've heard from others in the industry in this regard as well. Still, we understand that some of you would like to see such a feature. As with anything, it's a matter of priorities, time and resources.

Great Patrick. Its good to know you guys are considering some of the things videophiles care about. I think the way the box continues to improve reminds me of how Directv does with their HDDVR, and thats a very good thing.

The Vudu is just over 1 year old, and in that time we have seen 7 software updates, taking us from 1.0 to the current 2.0 version released to the public last month (HDX was the highlight of the 2.0 software). I think we have been averaging 6-7 weeks between updates.

I love it. Directv does a great job adding new features thru public testing, and its weekly for new builds. Dish on the other hands is very slow and many times it buggy when the NR hits. I dunno even how cable does. Keep up the good work Vudu.

http://gizmodo.com/5091594/vudu-xl2-internet-streaming-goes-rack-mounted

What are the chances that the vudu + will ever allow playback of ripped dvd's from either its hard drive or ethernet connection?

Any unused portion of the VUDU $200 Movie Credit will expire 4 months after Account activation date.

T/C of bestbuy deal... so i use it or lose it?

i will definitely use it.

Starting next Tuesday, November 25th, VUDU will begin a limited time, Black Friday promotion featuring special pricing on select SD, HD and HDX titles. Yes, there will be some HD and HDX titles made available for purchase during this promotion.

there goes that $200 credit. :) and maybe more.

Starting next Tuesday, November 25th, VUDU will begin a limited time, Black Friday promotion featuring special pricing on select SD, HD and HDX titles. Yes, there will be some HD and HDX titles made available for purchase during this promotion.

Sweet!

Posted today by Patrick over at forum.vudu.com:

Starting tomorrow, we will have 24: Redemption available for purchase in SD, HD and HDX, all with 5.1. This is the extended edition with 17 minutes of content not shown in the broadcast version. As there is not a Blu-ray release of this, the HDX version will be the highest quality version of this available anywhere.

Question for those who have VUDU at home:

Does it look any better or worse than the setup at my local Best Buy?

Question for those who have VUDU at home:

Does it look any better or worse than the setup at my local Best Buy?

Well, that's darn near impossible to answer, other than to say "yes, everyones home system either looks better OR worse than the setup at your local Best Buy". ;)

How did the setup at BB look, and what BB would that be? If it is not looking good, the Vudu marketing folks will want to track them down. What did you see at BB that motivated you to ask this?

I can say it looks and sounds great on my 110" projection system with 1400 watts and a kickass subwoofer.

Question for those who have VUDU at home:

Does it look any better or worse than the setup at my local Best Buy?

If you have any blu-ray experience, I can offer you this.

HDX is almost as sharp, but the shadow details and blacks are lacking a tiny bit (dont get me wrong, its not bad). All this is just due to the encode being slightly less quality compared to a BR disc.

I wonder if you were watching a HD or SD feed on the vudu?

Today I found something new and unexpected on my Vudu that is a great reason to own a Vudu - access to an HD title that is still in theaters - Splinter. Splinter is still in theaters, but you can see it right now on Vudu. Winner of Screamfest 2008 Best Picture and Best Director, Splinter is the story of a couple trapped inside a rremote gas station by a parasitic organism that attacks and changes its victims into undead hosts.

I don't personally care for such films, but this is a direction I've been pushing for for some time - having movies available for rent on Vudu at the same time they are available in the theaters. Rental prices are a litlle higher then usual ($7.99 HD/HDX and $6.99 for SD), but it thrills me to see this industry breakthrough. I'd definitely be willing to pay such a premium to see more of this coming down the pipeline, and I think it will happen.

Question: Will I be able to take advantage of HDX movies if my TV does not support 24fps?

I have an older HDTV (3 year old Sharp) that does not accept 1080p/24. Can I still download HDX movies and output them at 1080i? Will it be any better than the non-HDX movies at 1080i? I'm hoping I would still benefit from the greater bit rates. Anyone know?

Yes you can view any HD/HDX title at 1080P24 and lower resolutions.
And yes it will still look bettter than the HD titles.

Yes you can view any HD/HDX title at 1080P24 and lower resolutions.
And yes it will still look bettter than the HD titles.

Great! Thanks...on my way this weekend to becoming a VuDu owner then.

If all my internet connections in the home are done through my wireless router is it absolutely necessary for me to purchase the wireless kit from Vudu, or can I use my existing wireless bridge with a switch connected to it and then plug in my vudu to the switch via an Ethernet cord.

Any chance of some sort of rental scheme coming out in the future or the ability to download certain television series or will everything be PPV movies?

On average how much bandwidth is required for a 2 hour movie. Does the VUDU box stream or do you have to wait for the download to complete?

Up until recently, I have been very happy with the picture quality of the HD, and especially the HDX titles. The other night I rented a movie called "Brotherhood of Blood" in HD, and it was absolutely the worst picture quality I have ever seen on my screen. This title was worse than VHS, and I highly advise it be avoided. It was un-watchable for me, I FF through to see if the PQ improved, but no luck.

I am a bit puzzled, although I understand it was probably a really horrible source content, you think it would be screened, and downgraded at least to SD. I really feel ripped off especially since the charge was $5.99.

Now I am hesitant to rent, unless I am really sure of a title. Directv, allows a couple minutes preview, before you commit to buy. This allows time to check and make sure that the aspect ratio is proper, and the picture quality is decent. Vudu should offer the same option.

If all my internet connections in the home are done through my wireless router is it absolutely necessary for me to purchase the wireless kit from Vudu, or can I use my existing wireless bridge with a switch connected to it and then plug in my vudu to the switch via an Ethernet cord.

That should work with no problems. I have mine hardwired, but for the hell of it one day I connected my Xbox wireless adapter to my vudu and it worked.

Up until recently, I have been very happy with the picture quality of the HD, and especially the HDX titles. The other night I rented a movie called "Brotherhood of Blood" in HD, and it was absolutely the worst picture quality I have ever seen on my screen. This title was worse than VHS, and I highly advise it be avoided. It was un-watchable for me, I FF through to see if the PQ improved, but no luck.

I am a bit puzzled, although I understand it was probably a really horrible source content, you think it would be screened, and downgraded at least to SD. I really feel ripped off especially since the charge was $5.99.

Now I am hesitant to rent, unless I am really sure of a title. Directv, allows a couple minutes preview, before you commit to buy. This allows time to check and make sure that the aspect ratio is proper, and the picture quality is decent. Vudu should offer the same option.

I like to watch foreign and older movies (1930s, 40s, 50s) on Vudu as well as their more recent movies. Sometimes the initial transfer or transcoding of these movies by the studios is not always up to par. I have called Vudu support twice about poorly rendered movies that have been inadequate to watch (once about poor subtitles). I have received credit back on those two. By-the-way that is two out of a hundred or more of the movies I have watched on Vudu.

Can anyone explain how 99 for 99 works? Are all of the movies on this list available to rent for $.99 in HDX?

99 for 99 is only SD. As far as I know you can't get any HD movies for $.99.

I like to watch foreign and older movies (1930s, 40s, 50s) on Vudu as well as their more recent movies. Sometimes the initial transfer or transcoding of these movies by the studios is not always up to par. I have called Vudu support twice about poorly rendered movies that have been inadequate to watch (once about poor subtitles). I have received credit back on those two. By-the-way that is two out of a hundred or more of the movies I have watched on Vudu.

OK, I am giving that a try. I will let you know how it goes.

Wow! Just like that they credited me for the movie. Great customer service!!!

On average how much bandwidth is required for a 2 hour movie. Does the VUDU box stream or do you have to wait for the download to complete?


The Vudu streams instantly - if you have adequate internet bandwidth.

Standard Definition movies require 2MB internet service
High Definition movies require 4MB internet service

If your internet service is not fast enough, the Vudu will let you know how many minutes you have to wait before you can start watching the show. I have 10MB internet service, so I have instant viewing of SD and HD titles.

Can anyone explain how 99 for 99 works? Are all of the movies on this list available to rent for $.99 in HDX?

Yeah, that list is all SD titles. The lowest price I have seen on HDX rentals is $3.99.

Any chance of some sort of rental scheme coming out in the future or the ability to download certain television series or will everything be PPV movies?


There are currently 51 TV series available on the Vudu. I hope this expands soon. 24 and Prison Break stand out, along with some oldies (Lost in Space).

FWIW, we've got an official VUDU Blog now at blog.vudu.com (http://blog.vudu.com) and a Facebook fan page for those of you that may care. These are good places to keep an eye out for upcoming VUDU happenings.

After working on my new HT room for over 6 months, my husband decided to surprise me with the new Blockbuster 2Wire rental unit. Now to put things in perspective, I'm the electronics geek, he is not. I didn't look much under the sheets about this unit because after all it was a gift, and I was being gracious. I installed the unit and to my shock first off, downloads only come in 480i, there is absolutely no 5.1, it's only 2 channel, and to date they have only 4 HD movie offerings! To make matters worse, obviously it looked lousy on my 50" Pio Kuro. I must say the company executive was polite listening to my ranting and ravings and kindly returned the unit. I am now assigned the task of replacing this unit with something that will pass my muster. Let's face it, this is either Vudu or Apple TV. Everything in my guts is pulling me the way of Vudu, but obviously, I'm a bit nervous about the company's survival. On the other hand, the Apple TV product is inferior to Vudu. Granted Apple has financial strength, but they have hardly spent $ developing the unit and they could easily abandon it. Vudu users, I need your feedback. How is the picture quality? Are download times super long? How is the audio quality? I thank you all ahead of time for any insight you can give me. Thanks, DJ:)

After working on my new HT room for over 6 months, my husband decided to surprise me with the new Blockbuster 2Wire rental unit. Now to put things in perspective, I'm the electronics geek, he is not. I didn't look much under the sheets about this unit because after all it was a gift, and I was being gracious. I installed the unit and to my shock first off, downloads only come in 480i, there is absolutely no 5.1, it's only 2 channel, and to date they have only 4 HD movie offerings! To make matters worse, obviously it looked lousy on my 50" Pio Kuro. I must say the company executive was polite listening to my ranting and ravings and kindly returned the unit. I am now assigned the task of replacing this unit with something that will pass my muster. Let's face it, this is either Vudu or Apple TV. Everything in my guts is pulling me the way of Vudu, but obviously, I'm a bit nervous about the company's survival. On the other hand, the Apple TV product is inferior to Vudu. Granted Apple has financial strength, but they have hardly spent $ developing the unit and they could easily abandon it. Vudu users, I need your feedback. How is the picture quality? Are download times super long? How is the audio quality? I thank you all ahead of time for any insight you can give me. Thanks, DJ:)

VUDU has three levels of quality. All content is MPEG4.
SD is the lowest quality which for SD does look very good. You need a 2mbs connection to watch instantly, anything slower gives you delayed viewing.
HD is the next quality. You need a 4mbs connection for instant viewing, anything slower has delayed viewing.

HDX is the top tier product. It runs at an average of 10mbs MPEG4 with 20mbs peaks. The audio is 640kbs DD.
With this there currently is no instant viewing since the VUDU boxes currently download at 4mbs max. Hopefully that will change in the future. Since the VUDU software is constantly changing for the better. They have made many changes in the last year that have improved the VUDU experience immensely.

The HDX quality is excellent. The only thing better I have seen is from BD or HD DVD. And currently the HDX price is the same as the HD price. IF it's something I want to watch right away I'll pick HD, but if I have the time I'll do the HDX. And I'll even occasionally watch SD titles. I'll watch a VUDU SD title before I watch a DVD.

Now with the HDX titles it seems that you are able to watch the title in 3.5 to 4.5 hours depending on the length of the movie.
For example I rented Street Kings in HDX on Sunday. the move is 1 hour 50 minutes long and it gave an estimate of 3 hours 42 minutes for download.

One of the new things VUDU has implemented is online ordering, which works well for me with the HDX titles. I can choose the title at work during the day and it's ready for me to watch that night. Or I can just use my PC instead of having to turn on my components in my main viewing area just to pick a title.

The VUDU software has been constantly evolving and for the better. I have been pleased with my three VUDU purchases.
And with the current promotion from purchasing the VUDU box from BEST Buy it is definitely worth it.
You get $200 in movie credits to use within four months.

VUDU must know what boxes are at BEST Buy. All I did was activate my box with the proper info and a screen popped up thanking me for my purchase of VUDU from BestBuy and my credits were automatically applied.
An excellent deal.

You won't be disappointed with the VUDU box. Plus you have a trial period anyway. If you aren't satisfied you can return it for a full refund. Although you would be charged for any titles you watched from your $200 promotion, but that should be expected. Anyway it's a win win situation.

.....snip.... I'm a bit nervous about the company's survival. On the other hand, the Apple TV product is inferior to Vudu. Granted Apple has financial strength, but they have hardly spent $ developing the unit and they could easily abandon it. Vudu users, I need your feedback.
I don't think anybody from Vudu will directly address financial strength, but that doesn't stop us outsiders from learning something. David Pogue recently wrote in the NY Times "Vudu asserts that it’s doing fine — it just got $46 million in venture capital — and will arrive in Best Buy this week. And in the complex matrix of desirable features — broad movie selection, prompt movie availability, reasonable pricing, high quality, instant playback and so on — the Vudu box scores very highly indeed." - full article at http://www.benchmark.com/news/sv/2008/10_01_2008.php

This is on top of the original $25M investment to get the company started. I'm convinced that the folks backing Vudu are in this for the long haul, and are poised to come out on top of the Digital Download market evolution.

How is the picture quality?

I just verified that your 50" Pio Kuro has HDMI inputs, so you will be able to take advantage of the HDMI output of the Vudu - the PQ will be sweet on your baby.

Are download times super long?

If you have 4MB internet service, there is no waiting to watch SD or HD quality. HDX quality (the closest to Blu-Ray and the undisputed leader in the Digital Download battleground) does have to be downloaded before watching, so it will take 3-4 hours to download a typical movie (assuming you have at last 4MB internet service).

How is the audio quality?

Vudu supports 5.1 audio and sounds great. The 5.1 format is sent over HDMI and also via Optical (that's how I have my Vudu connected to my sound system). While not all movies have surround sound track (hey Casa Blanca in HD looks great, but they didn't have the gear to record 5.1 in those days), when the studios provide Vudu with a surround sound movie, you will get to enjoy it.

I thank you all ahead of time for any insight you can give me. Thanks, DJ:)

Take Aaronwt's advise and get one at Best Buy now to take advantage of the $200 rental/purchase credit. Vudu has a 30 day, no questions asked, return policy. If you aren't satisfied, you can take it back to Best Buy, and you'll only be out the value of the rentals you used. I doubt you'll be doing this, instead I imagine we'll be seeing you soon as a new member of forum.vudu.com! Like him, I also have 3 Vudu's (I know one Vudu owner who now has 5 boxes), and I'm very happy with my Vudu experience.

Hey guys. Thanks for the prompt and detailed support. I have a 10 meg server and I did the Vudu speed test and it indicated I will have immediate download with HD! I plan to install via Ethernet. Think it's the only way to fly. Guess I will become a member of your group very shortly! DJ:)

Glad to hear. If you have any further questions, I'm glad to help where I can.

Patrick
Sr Product Manager, VUDU

Hey

I just bought a Vudu. MY question is does the $200 credit apply to purchases or is it only for rentals?

It applies to purchases also.

Thanks for the confirmation. I want to buy "The Dark Night" so i was wondering if anyone knows if there is a difference in quality of the movie when purchasing the movie in Vudu Vs Apple TV? I am assuming both are in SD.

Thanks for the confirmation. I want to buy "The Dark Night" so i was wondering if anyone knows if there is a difference in quality of the movie when purchasing the movie in Vudu Vs Apple TV? I am assuming both are in SD.

Yes they are both SD and as an owner of both the Vudu encode is definitely better than the Apple encode. My Apple TV has been banished to the bedroom and is used for TV shows (until Vudu gets more) and for playing digital copies of movies that come with certain BD. I have rented more from Vudu in the last year than form blockbuster in the last 3 years.

Thanks for the confirmation. I want to buy "The Dark Night" so i was wondering if anyone knows if there is a difference in quality of the movie when purchasing the movie in Vudu Vs Apple TV? I am assuming both are in SD.


Do you already "own" some other Batman movies (or similar titles)? If so, how many times do/have you watch them? I ask this because you might be better off waiting for December 26 to rent the HDX version. You'd have to want to watch that movie 4 times before purchasing the SD version makes financial sense - I can only think of a small handful of movies I've been willing to watch 4+ times (life's too short, and there are over 12,000 titles on the Vudu calling my name).

Hey

I just bought a Vudu. MY question is does the $200 credit apply to purchases or is it only for rentals?

Enjoy!

I own Batman Begins in HD DVD and i have watched a few times. It would have been sweet if we could own HDX movies. Just curious, Is there a specific reason why HDX movies can't be owned?

I own a few HDX titles from a special promotion they had around Thanksgiving.
The titles are
The Chronicles of Riddick, Pitch Black , and Unleashed.

Anyone have a VUDU VBX1000 XL 2. Are they shipping? Issues ?

I don't think anybody from Vudu will directly address financial strength, but that doesn't stop us outsiders from learning something. David Pogue recently wrote in the NY Times "Vudu asserts that it’s doing fine — it just got $46 million in venture capital — and will arrive in Best Buy this week. And in the complex matrix of desirable features — broad movie selection, prompt movie availability, reasonable pricing, high quality, instant playback and so on — the Vudu box scores very highly indeed." - full article at [url]http://www.benchmark.com/news/sv/2008/10_01_2008.php[/url


Well, I don't think they are out of the woods. They have had layoffs in the middle of summer. That might mean the technology is worked out???? If they get a real installed base this holiday, I doubt they will be independent for long. I suspect that was the plan all along.

I will admit, being an early adopter these days seems to carry a little more risk than it did a couple years ago. But then again, don't all investments!

I wonder what their installed base is for break even or even what their installed base is overall. I think the primary risk they have is netflix rolling out a HD box with HDMI and a HDD. Who knows, maybe Netflix will buy them, that would be nice.

Anyone have a VUDU VBX1000 XL 2. Are they shipping? Issues ?

The XL2 is simply an XL1 in a different case (rackmount form factor). I have an XL1 and there are no issues with it. XL's are only available from custom HT installers.

I own Batman Begins in HD DVD and i have watched a few times. It would have been sweet if we could own HDX movies. Just curious, Is there a specific reason why HDX movies can't be owned?

I would expect the HD/HDX purchase flood gates to be opened shortly after they give us external storage support.

Well, I don't think they are out of the woods. They have had layoffs in the middle of summer. That might mean the technology is worked out???? If they get a real installed base this holiday, I doubt they will be independent for long. I suspect that was the plan all along.

Layoffs/reorgs in Sillycon Valley are standard operating procedure. From the outside it looked like they decided to refocus R&D and needed different skill sets.

I will admit, being an early adopter these days seems to carry a little more risk than it did a couple years ago. But then again, don't all investments!

I wonder what their installed base is for break even or even what their installed base is overall. I think the primary risk they have is netflix rolling out a HD box with HDMI and a HDD. Who knows, maybe Netflix will buy them, that would be nice.

Being bought out for thier IP (and an established install base/infrastructure) is one of the future scenarios I've seen for Vudu - that would be a motivating factor for the VC dollars to have been invested. I just hope it isn't Sony!

Hi all. Well, I purchased my Vudu from Best Buy of course yesterday. Setup was a breeze, but I had a few questions and the folks at customer service called me back promptly! Thank you customer service! Watched our first movie in HD last night and all I can say is SWEET! Nice resolution, good color balance, no pixelation, and best of all in 5.1! I'm very impressed and happy. The only think that bums me out is when I tell folks I have Vudu, they say "what's that"? Even the kid at the customer service dept in Best Buy did not know what he was selling me. So now I tell everybody that Vudu is the "Bee's Knees" of the downloadable movie rental industry!:D

Yeah, I keep hoping to see a major Hollywood title promotion that says "Now available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Vudu".

Is the best buy deal still going on? I was on their website and could not find it.

Never mind, just found it.

Layoffs/reorgs in Sillycon Valley are standard operating procedure. From the outside it looked like they decided to refocus R&D and needed different skill sets.

Layoffs are one thing, booting the CFO and CEO within the course of three months is definitely not standard operating procedure.

The XL2 is simply an XL1 in a different case (rackmount form factor). I have an XL1 and there are no issues with it. XL's are only available from custom HT installers.

Huh, really! That's annoying. The rack is certainly better for me. Would love to hear from someone with one and if they are shipping.

There are now 1,307 HD/HDX titles available on Vudu - that's over 10% of the total catalog of 12,495 titles.

Huh, really! That's annoying. The rack is certainly better for me. Would love to hear from someone with one and if they are shipping.

We're currently backordered on the XL2 and should start shipping again in the first week or so of January.

When is the online software going to get access to my wish list? Right now it is extremely cumbersome to find and rent movies online. I have resorted to rating movies I want to see, so that I can find them more easily, but we really should have access to the same wish list that is on the device, when we are logged in.

It would need to do it for each device. I have three VUDUs on my account with different wish lists on each one.

From endgadet at http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/12/16/vudu-gets-official-with-internet-content/

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadgethd.com/media/2008/12/vudu-labs-home---ondemand-tv.jpg

The VUDU fans who felt teased by the leak a few weeks ago can feel a little better today. Not only is VUDU offically announcing access to the previously discovered features, but in addition VUDU owners will have access to other on demand HD content from networks you've actually heard of like National Geographic and PBS -- other SD content will also be available, but really who cares about SD? What might end up being the most interesting in the long run though, is the fact that VUDU has brought this to market using its new VUDU RIA (Rich Internet Application) platform, which in the future will allow third parities to bring even more internet content to your living room. We'll have to hold our tongue on this idea until sometimes next year though, to see if anyone actually adopts it. These features are great and all, but how 'bout giving us access to our own content VUDU? Yeah we know, you're partners wouldn't like that very much, would they? The full release is after the jump.

VUDU Brings the Web to TV with Breakthrough Internet Application Platform

Company Launches More than 120 Channels of Web Based Content and Applications, Announces Rich Internet Application Platform Open to All Developers in 2009

Santa Clara, CA – Dec. 16, 2008 - VUDU today took a major step forward in bringing the Web into the living room by launching the VUDU RIA (Rich Internet Application) platform, a standards-based platform that brings Web-hosted rich applications and services to consumer appliances such as the popular VUDU Internet movie player. VUDU RIA combines the openness and ease of development of Web applications, lightweight hardware requirements compatible with today's consumer Internet appliances, and a lean-back user experience optimized for television.



To demonstrate the power and flexibility of VUDU RIA, VUDU has created an initial set of applications and services in a new area of the VUDU home page, called VUDU Labs. Available today to all VUDU owners, these applications include casual games, implementations of Flickr, Picasa and the entire YouTube library, as well as a new "On Demand TV" area with more than 120 channels.



Today, VUDU customers can access a broad selection of free on-demand shows provided by major network television and on-line specialty sites spanning news, food, music, sports, and more. Programs include daily highlights from shows such as "Today", "The Rachel Maddow Show", "Anderson Cooper 360", "Fantasy Focus NFL", "MTV News", as well as full programs, some in HD, from Nova, National Geographic, PBS and others. VUDU plans to add more applications and services throughout 2009.



"VUDU RIA enables us to quickly open up huge libraries of web based content to TVs in living rooms around America," said Edward Lichty, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Content. "We are excited to deliver both high quality TV shows as well as Web applications which enable our customers to share their photos and watch the tens of millions of YouTube videos on their HDTV's."



VUDU RIA Brings Web Application Development to CE devices

VUDU RIA allows developers to take advantage of the most advanced RIA techniques such as asynchronous Web queries, local scripting, and persistent client-side storage, along with unique TV-centered technologies such as VUDU's acclaimed user interface, one-wheel remote control navigation, and VUDU's TruFilm-powered video rendering for maximum visual quality.



VUDU RIA enables the development of responsive, rich applications optimized for display and use on high definition televisions that bring the wealth of data and content of the Internet to the living room without needing to deploy new software on the consumer appliance, a first in the consumer electronics world.



VUDU RIA is targeted at today's low power set-top boxes and Internet appliances and delivers a lightning fast user experience on a 300 MHz embedded processor with 128MB of RAM. Applications developed on the VUDU RIA platform are as responsive as native applications but have the added advantage of being able to pull from the vast and growing reservoir of Internet content and services. They can also be updated anytime without modifying any software in the consumer's appliance, creating a dynamic experience heretofore unavailable in the living room. VUDU RIA will be opened up to third party developers in the first half of 2009.



"Our goal in creating VUDU RIA was to allow anyone with Web development skills to easily author Web-driven applications for the TV," said Prasanna Ganesan, VUDU's Chief Technical Officer. "We are very pleased with the results and look forward to opening up VUDU RIA to the developer community."

Ed
My Video Collection - stuff I could watch right now
http://www.justaddpower.com/images/vudu.JPG 12,495 Titles
http://www.justaddpower.com/images/vudu.JPG 1,308 High Definition Movies @ 1080p24fps

Wow!!

More news on the same from CNET at http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10123525-1.html

http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/bto/20081215/VUDU_Labs_-_OnDemand_TV_-_News_610x343.jpg

Vudu is adding some free video content to its set-top box. Streaming video from providers such as YouTube, MSNBC, CNN, MTV, PBS, and National Geographic will be available, as will access to Flickr and Picasa photos and a handful of casual video games. The new content will be available via a free firmware update that's scheduled to hit all Vudu boxes over the next 24 hours.

The new services will be available as part of what Vudu is calling the Rich Internet Application platform, or RIA. (It'll be available on a tab called "Vudu Labs" on the set-top box's main home screen.) Vudu hasn't signed deals with any of the above-mentioned content providers; instead, the RIA is using freely available Web content and feeds. Vudu is planning to open up its RIA platform to third-party developers in the first half of 2009. The company is also noting that the platform is optimized for fairly low system requirements ("a 300 MHz embedded processor with 128MB of RAM"), suggesting that the Vudu Rich Internet Application platform could be ported to other set-tops as well.

Vudu gave CNET a sneak peek of the RIA features a few days early. We think it shows promise, but--as always--content is king, and there's not yet a wealth of must-see TV there. While Vudu says that the "On-Demand TV" section comprises more than 120 "channels," much of it is just clips or short-form content (often video podcasts, such as Rocketboom), with very little long-form full-episode content available. For instance: the "movies" section listed in the screenshot above had no actual movies; instead, it was comprised of featurettes and minisodes highlighting upcoming movies. A Vudu representative said that most network TV shows--full TV episodes available from Hulu, NBC, ABC, Fox, and CNET owner CBS--are currently housed in proprietary players that require a full Web browser or some sort of contractual arrangement, taking them off the table, at least for now.

On the other hand, navigation was generally smooth, and streaming quality was mostly solid (though, aside from an occasional high-res video, the visual presentation of most clips were as blocky as you'd expect from blowing up a Flash video on a big-screen TV). At the very least, Vudu now has the architecture in place to begin offering a more complete digital viewing experience of free content beyond its core pay-per-view offerings. That gives it a worthwhile bullet point against competitors such as Apple TV (which also has YouTube) and the Xbox 360 (Netflix). And as YouTube moves from short viral pet videos to full-episode TV shows, that feature could well become more worthwhile as well.

If the new Vudu features sound compelling--or potentially compelling, at least--remember that Best Buy's $200 movie credit--bringing the price of the $300 Vudu BX100 to an effective price of just $100--expires on December 31.



Ed
My Video Collection - stuff I could watch right now
http://www.justaddpower.com/images/vudu.JPG 12,495 Titles
http://www.justaddpower.com/images/vudu.JPG 1,308 High Definition Movies @ 1080p24fps

This is great news but I hope they work on getting some full length TV shows on there from services like Hula. That is the only thing I think Vudu is lacking at the moment. They simply don't have a lot of TV content and getting a service like Hula or a similar one would go a long way in selling these boxes.

This is great news but I hope they work on getting some full length TV shows on there from services like Hula. That is the only thing I think Vudu is lacking at the moment. They simply don't have a lot of TV content and getting a service like Hula or a similar one would go a long way in selling these boxes.

"....as well as a new "On Demand TV" area with more than 120 channels.
Today, VUDU customers can access a broad selection of free on-demand shows provided by major network television and on-line specialty sites spanning news, food, music, sports, and more. Programs include daily highlights from shows such as "Today", "The Rachel Maddow Show", "Anderson Cooper 360", "Fantasy Focus NFL", "MTV News", as well as full programs, some in HD, from Nova, National Geographic, PBS and others. VUDU plans to add more applications and services throughout 2009..."

WOW!!!:eek::eek::eek:

VUDU keeps raising the bar!!

I can see my three VUDU boxes will be getting a longer workout in the future.

This is great news but I hope they work on getting some full length TV shows on there from services like Hula. That is the only thing I think Vudu is lacking at the moment. They simply don't have a lot of TV content and getting a service like Hula or a similar one would go a long way in selling these boxes.


Vudu already has about 85 full length TV Series in the "pay-per-view" side of the house. In the new Vudu Labs zone I know that "Meet the Press" is a full length free TV show. I've not watched all of the 120 channels to be able to say for sure how many other channels are full length episodes.

Keep in mind that this RIA (Rich Internet Applications) announcement is the tip of the iceburg. There's really no limit to what we might see when they open the RIA interface to 3rd parties in 1Q 2009.

I came here to make sure you guys had seen the news, but Ed beat me to it. Anyway, questions, comments or suggestions are welcome, either here or on our forums (or our blog, facebook page, twitter, whatever)

I heard that once a rented movie is watched, one cannot delete it off the disk. One has to wait for it top drop off after a few days. Is this still an issue?

Thanks in advance for the reply.
Sam.

I heard that once a rented movie is watched, one cannot delete it off the disk. One has to wait for it top drop off after a few days. Is this still an issue?

Thanks in advance for the reply.
Sam.


I'm not sure this is an "issue" as much as the nature of the extended rental feature. The rented movies used to drop off the Vudu box immediately after the 24-48 hour viewing window expired. When they announced the extended rental option (i.e. the ability to rent the movie again within 1 week of the virst viewing for $1 ) they started leaving the rental on the disc longer. That way when you extend the rental you don't have to use any bandwidth to download the movie again. This is actually a good thing!

This "issue" doesn't really affect anybody unless they have already filled their hard drive with purchased content (about 50 movies). Those few people have to wait a week for their rentals to expire before they can rent again. I expect this to be resolved when the release external storage support, allowing you to offload purchased content to other hard drives.

Do you have any other Vudu questions?

Ed
My Vudu Video Collection - stuff I could watch right now
http://www.justaddpower.com/images/vudu.JPG 12,495 Titles
http://www.justaddpower.com/images/vudu.JPG 1,308 High Definition Movies @ 1080p24fps

I'm not sure this is an "issue" as much as the nature of the extended rental feature. The rented movies used to drop off the Vudu box immediately after the 24-48 hour viewing window expired. When they announced the extended rental option (i.e. the ability to rent the movie again within 1 week of the virst viewing for $1 ) they started leaving the rental on the disc longer. That way when you extend the rental you don't have to use any bandwidth to download the movie again. This is actually a good thing!

This "issue" doesn't really affect anybody unless they have already filled their hard drive with purchased content (about 50 movies). Those few people have to wait a week for their rentals to expire before they can rent again. I expect this to be resolved when the release external storage support, allowing you to offload purchased content to other hard drives.

Do you have any other Vudu questions?

Ed
My Vudu Video Collection - stuff I could watch right now
http://www.justaddpower.com/images/vudu.JPG 12,495 Titles
http://www.justaddpower.com/images/vudu.JPG 1,308 High Definition Movies @ 1080p24fps


Ed, Thanks for answering.

The reason I asked was, there are times when as a family we get an urge to watch a movie which is not in our collection. I usually run down to the nearest BlockB if they have. In this case if the Vudu's disk is full and am not able to rent could be an inconveniance thats all.

Since there is the BestB deal is going on, I might treat myself with a Vudu. Not sure yet.

How is HD content quality? ( I have a Mitsu RP 1080i CRT)

Thanks.
Sam.

Ed, Thanks for answering.

The reason I asked was, there are times when as a family we get an urge to watch a movie which is not in our collection. I usually run down to the nearest BlockB if they have. In this case if the Vudu's disk is full and am not able to rent could be an inconveniance thats all.

Since there is the BestB deal is going on, I might treat myself with a Vudu. Not sure yet.

How is HD content quality? ( I have a Mitsu RP 1080i CRT)

Thanks.
Sam.

The HD quality is great, and the HDX quality is the undisputed winner compared to any other Digital Download service. But hey, don't trust me, use your own judgement. The Vudu has a 30 day - no questions asked - money back guarantee. Get one from Best Buy now to take advantage of the great $200 credit, and if you aren't pleased, all you've lost is the cost of a few rentals.

I don't think you'll be dissapointed, and your family will love having instant access to over 12,000 titles. I now own 3 Vudu's, and I can't imagine ever crossing the threshold of a Block Buster again. I just want to watch movies, and this is the best thing going IMHO.

Does anybody know if you already have a Vudu and an account set up, if the Best Buy credit would apply to your current account, or would you have to open a new account for the new Vudu?

Does anybody know if you already have a Vudu and an account set up, if the Best Buy credit would apply to your current account, or would you have to open a new account for the new Vudu?

The credit applies to your existing account, so you can share the $200 Vudu bucks across all your Vudu's.

Does anybody know if you already have a VUDU and an account set up, if the Best Buy credit would apply to your current account, or would you have to open a new account for the new VUDU?

Yes it applies to the current account. I had two VUDU boxes when I bought my third one from BestBuy. I just entered the info on the VUDU site, after I was logged in, to activate the box. And a message popped up thanking me for purchasing it from BB and then I saw where the $200 was credited to my account. It was quick and easy and definitely worth it with the $200 credit.
And with the 30 day, money back guarantee, it's a win-win situation.

I think it had something to do with looking at my movie collection (over 700) and thinking how many times I had watched most of them. Thanks for all of the feedback here. I am buying at least 1 unit, most likely 2.

Can I get the $200 deal on both if I get two? Better get to watchin' if so...


Thanks again, this thread, your comments and Patrick's participation sealed it for me. This is what AVS is for!

I think it had something to do with looking at my movie collection (over 700) and thinking how many times I had watched most of them. Thanks for all of the feedback here. I am buying at least 1 unit, most likely 2.

Can I get the $200 deal on both if I get two? Better get to watchin' if so...


Thanks again, this thread, your comments and Patrick's participation sealed it for me. This is what AVS is for!

Yeah, you can double dip the credit. Just be sure to use it up in 4 months! See you on forum.vudu.com

Yeah, you can double dip the credit. Just be sure to use it up in 4 months! See you on forum.vudu.com

Bought it tonight. Merry Christmas to me.

See you there (and here).

Bought it tonight. Merry Christmas to me.

See you there (and here).

Congrats! Don't forget that it will probably take 2-5 days for your new Vudu to do a "background" download of all the catalog updates since it was built. By New Years you'll have a fully operational battlestar. :D

...wife says it waits for Christmas Eve (our Christmas present opening party that night). And, that is really bad news since I fly out on Christmas morning and don't get back until Jan. 1. I'll hook it up and let it connect while I am gone. I'll at least get to try it out over the New Year's weekend.


Thanks again.

I have one important question that I can't seem to find an answer to. I hear this box being compared (and dominating) to the AppleTV from a Rental & Owning content perspective (and the "free" online content is a HUGE bonus), but can this box play my local content from my network? If not, this box (for me & my family) is a waist of time...


Thanks

I have one important question that I can't seem to find an answer to. I hear this box being compared (and dominating) to the AppleTV from a Rental & Owning content perspective (and the "free" online content is a HUGE bonus), but can this box play my local content from my network? If not, this box (for me & my family) is a waist of time...


Thanks

The current public software for Vudu owners does not yet support playback of local content. However, Vudu recently announced and released the Rich Internet Applications (RIA) platform. They will be giving us all access to the RIA interface in 2009, and I'm convinced we'll be able to use this to build (and share) our own applications for Vudu that would allow you to do this (i.e. play local content from your network). After all, your local content would be internet accessable from your Vudu on your LAN - just gotta know the IP address of your storage location and provide a menu data file that's RIA compatible. No promise, but I know this is something most Vudu owners have been asking for since day one. When RIA is released for private local development I can imagine our own sourceforge type project site.

For several days, the main VUDU movies page comes up with blank images.

http://www.vudu.com/movies/

Does this happen for anyone else? I have tried different browsers, and it doesn't make a difference, and I have not changed any settings. I am wondering if this is a problem that is being worked on?

For several days, the main VUDU movies page comes up with blank images.

http://www.vudu.com/movies/

Does this happen for anyone else? I have tried different browsers, and it doesn't make a difference, and I have not changed any settings. I am wondering if this is a problem that is being worked on?

comes up OK

For several days, the main VUDU movies page comes up with blank images.

http://www.vudu.com/movies/

Does this happen for anyone else? I have tried different browsers, and it doesn't make a difference, and I have not changed any settings. I am wondering if this is a problem that is being worked on?


Looks good to me - you might want to clear your browser cache, or check your DNS settings for something unique to your setup.

Maybe you are looking at a cached page that is still working. :)

I cleared my cache, tried a different computer, now Vudu.com is not even working. Maybe they are updating the online movie selection system, I hope, I hope, it could use some changes.

For several days, the main VUDU movies page comes up with blank images.

http://www.vudu.com/movies/

Does this happen for anyone else? I have tried different browsers, and it doesn't make a difference, and I have not changed any settings. I am wondering if this is a problem that is being worked on?

No problem here. And it was fine for the last few days too.

They're running a Christmas Special at https://my.vudu.com/buynow/ - you can get a Vudu for $99 with the purchase of $50 in movie credits - $149 for the package, or you can add the wireless kit for $49 more.

Maybe you are looking at a cached page that is still working. :)

I cleared my cache, tried a different computer, now Vudu.com is not even working. Maybe they are updating the online movie selection system, I hope, I hope, it could use some changes.

If all the PC's you are using are on the same LAN it definitely sounds more like a shared DNS error from the DHCP server.

The current public software for Vudu owners does not yet support playback of local content. However, Vudu recently announced and released the Rich Internet Applications (RIA) platform. They will be giving us all access to the RIA interface in 2009, and I'm convinced we'll be able to use this to build (and share) our own applications for Vudu that would allow you to do this (i.e. play local content from your network). After all, your local content would be internet accessable from your Vudu on your LAN - just gotta know the IP address of your storage location and provide a menu data file that's RIA compatible. No promise, but I know this is something most Vudu owners have been asking for since day one. When RIA is released for private local development I can imagine our own sourceforge type project site.

I'll be watching this space for that "update" / widget / app to come. It seems that I can't transfer anything to the box as well (and take advantage of the 250GB hard drive)?

I'd really like to buy it @ the Xmas Special price, but I'd need to know what's coming, so I'll probably just wait..

Thanks

If all the PC's you are using are on the same LAN it definitely sounds more like a shared DNS error from the DHCP server.

How do I fix this DNS error, it is only VUDU.COM that has the problem. Every other web site, has no problem, and it just started happening in the last day or two.

BTW: I watched a movie through my VUDU box tonight, so it is having no trouble with the network.

I am confused by what they mean when they say SD? I keep hearing people say their SD is great quality, but I really don't think it would be good to watch all these movies in 4:3 unless the director shot it that way.

Also, have people really done a comparison of BR vs. their HDX? Is it really that close?

Also I find it a bit odd they won't let you search their catalog unless you are an owner?!

Last question is whether they have implemented some sort of preview feature on their films before you buy or rent? I really would like to be able to check the quality of their encoding on a title by title basis. Is this at least in the works?

I am about this close to buying one in the next 24 hours!

SD is SD, as in not HD. This has nothing to do with the aspect ratio, it can be in 4:3, 16:9, or other, it is just not HD. However, I only watch HD so someone else will have to answer this question more authoritatively.

I have done side by side comparison with HDX and the same title on Blu-Ray, frame by frame, and it is very close.

No comment on your third question.

Last question is that there is no preview of material, other than the trailer, which gives you no idea of the quality, of the encoding. I agree this is an important feature, one that Directv provides, and VUDU should step up to the plate on this one. That being said, I have only seen a couple movies so far, that had really bad transfers, that were labeled HD, and none that were HDX.

SD is SD, as in not HD. This has nothing to do with the aspect ratio, it can be in 4:3, 16:9, or other, it is just not HD. However, I only watch HD so someone else will have to answer this question more authoritatively.

I have done side by side comparison with HDX and the same title on Blu-Ray, frame by frame, and it is very close.

No comment on your third question.

Last question is that there is no preview of material, other than the trailer, which gives you no idea of the quality, of the encoding. I agree this is an important feature, one that Directv provides, and VUDU should step up to the plate on this one. That being said, I have only seen a couple movies so far, that had really bad transfers, that were labeled HD, and none that were HDX.

Ok so are their SD movies in 16:9 aspect ratio?

Ok so are their SD movies in 16:9 aspect ratio?

Most of the DVDs I owned between 1998 and 2005 were widescreen. Just like most of my HD DVD/BD titles are.

I am confused by what they mean when they say SD? I keep hearing people say their SD is great quality, but I really don't think it would be good to watch all these movies in 4:3 unless the director shot it that way.

Remember that "SD" is just a standard definition DVD. Until high-definition DVDs came out all movies were delivered on SD (standard definition) DVDs. Now you can buy high-definition DVDs ... Blu-ray (now-a-days). "SD" has nothing to do with the layout of the movie or the screen.

I have watched many SD movies on Vudu. Just like DVDs these Vudu SD come in whatever the studio supplies. I have watched several hundred movies on Vudu and only very rarely seen 4:3; usually these are just poor transfers from the studios.

Sadly, I also have DVDs which are also 4:3 transfers; usually where the studio just dumped whatever they have to DVD to make a buck. This is NOT what happens with Vudu movies. You have to watch quite a lot of "nonstandard" / non-mainstream movies to encounter this (and I do watch a lot so I do know what I am talking about here).

Also I find it a bit odd they won't let you search their catalog unless you are an owner?!
Many websites are like this. Even AVS once was like this AFAIK.

I believe you can still browse.


Last question is whether they have implemented some sort of preview feature on their films before you buy or rent? I really would like to be able to check the quality of their encoding on a title by title basis. Is this at least in the works?
The previews are movie trailers, just like in the theater; AFAIK they come from the studio, not Vudu.

In the two instances I have had problems with quality, I have called/written Vudu support and gotten my money back. They are thankful when you spot something others will not like. Vudu appears to be very focused on customer service / quality.

Just picked this up last night. Sweet deal with the $200 in free movies. I currently have an Apple TV so I'm looking forward to doing a side-by-side.

One thing I notice is that NONE of the trailers are available? Is this normal?

How do I fix this DNS error, it is only VUDU.COM that has the problem. Every other web site, has no problem, and it just started happening in the last day or two.

BTW: I watched a movie through my VUDU box tonight, so it is having no trouble with the network.

Well... I e-mailed tech support this morning about the web site issue, and just checked, and it is already fixed. I have done nothing with my network, so it must have been on their end.

They are very speedy, and great customer service, from my experience. I really hope they continue to do well. It is little companies like this, that are innovative, and put the customer first, that really deserve to thrive. I kind of hope they don't get too big, or the CS may suffer.

I see when browsing their online catalog only 3 pages of TV shows. However the press releases suggest way more than that. What shows are on there and what networks? Shows like Lost? What about Food Network? Would be nice if Vudu would put the full browseable catalog on there.

I ordered mine today from their website, took advantage of the $99 offer, I chose 2d air. How long will it take to ship, does it ship the same day if ordered by 3pm? I know they are in CA but maybe they have warehouses in the central states?

Ok so are their SD movies in 16:9 aspect ratio?

Many SD titles are 16:9, some are 4:3, some are even "wider" - it all depends on the source material provided by the studio.

Just picked this up last night. Sweet deal with the $200 in free movies. I currently have an Apple TV so I'm looking forward to doing a side-by-side.

One thing I notice is that NONE of the trailers are available? Is this normal?
Give your new Vudu about 4-6 days to download all the trailers and posters (it happens in the background, so the more you use your Vudu, the longer it will take for you to download the trailers).

I see when browsing their online catalog only 3 pages of TV shows. However the press releases suggest way more than that. What shows are on there and what networks? Shows like Lost? What about Food Network? Would be nice if Vudu would put the full browseable catalog on there.

Mainstream TV titles are the weakest part of Vudu rcatalog ight now - only about 85 series are in the catalog. With the recent relase of the RIA (Rich Internet Applications) interface, I expect to see a variety of creative Vudu Labs solutions to this in 2009 for the Vudu.

anyone care to comment on their opinion of how vudu compares to appletv? i mean which is the most fun? which one can really replace blockbuster?

personally, i'm torn after reading about both. it seems like to have the best video download services at home right now one would go with cabletv and supplement that with both the vudu and appletv. that would give you hd movies through vudu and a huge other library through appletv

FWIW, Vudu broke into the "other library" category last week with the introduction of Vudu Labs and RIA (Rich Internet Applications). In 2009 we'll be able to write our own RIA applications for Vudu, which should give the Vudu a bigger than huge "other library".

anyone care to comment on their opinion of how vudu compares to appletv? i mean which is the most fun? which one can really replace blockbuster?

personally, i'm torn after reading about both. it seems like to have the best video download services at home right now one would go with cabletv and supplement that with both the vudu and appletv. that would give you hd movies through vudu and a huge other library through appletv

Depends. I have a 50" Fujitsu that I paid $6k for back in early 2006. I have yet to really use it's HD capabilities. I am so tired of waiting for a quick and affordable way to enjoy HD. BR is too expensive, NetFlix requires waiting, as their streaming HD doesn't do justice, plus involves other contraptions like PCs or XBoxes. Apple HD doesn't compare with BR.

So here comes HDX from Vudu. I know it is probably a few percent shy of BR, but at this point it's damned close enough.

And doesn't Vudu have 12k titles in their library? How much more does Apple have that you're actually gonna miss, aside from TV, which I hope Vudu improves?

There were 12,495 titles in the Vudu catalog when I last looked - with over 1,300 available in HD/HDX, and it just keeps getting bigger every week. The netflix streaming service is all old content - that's the only thing they can afford to give away. If you want access to the most movies, and the largest HD catalog in the world, Vudu is the winner.

Anyone lose your Audio Settings on VUDU? I initially set the audio for Dolby Digtal,but a few weeks later it seems to have defaulted to PCM. Reset it and everything sounds fine,but wondering if there was a firmware update that may have caused the switch?
Thanks

...

...
And doesn't Vudu have 12k titles in their library? How much more does Apple have that you're actually gonna miss, aside from TV, which I hope Vudu improves?

what about all of this stuff about appleTV in another thread?

quote:
Apple announced Thursday that all four of the major US television networks are offering primetime programs in high definition on the iTunes Store, which has become the world's most popular online TV service with over 200 million episodes sold, including more than one million HD episodes purchased since last month.

"We've got an incredible Fall 2008 TV lineup with over 70 primetime comedies and dramas, including many of the most popular shows on TV in stunning HD," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of Internet Services. "With over 200 million episodes sold, iTunes customers have proven they love watching television on their computer, iPod, iPhone and TV with Apple TV."

The iTunes Store features the world's largest online catalog of TV programs with over 70 primetime comedies and dramas from the major networks and television programs from over 70 cable networks including Bravo, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, ESPN, FX, HBO, MTV, Nickelodeon, Sci Fi, Showtime and USA.

Apple said the list of HD programs now available on the iTunes Store includes ABC's "Brothers & Sisters," "Desperate Housewives," "Dirty Sexy Money," "Eli Stone," "Grey's Anatomy," "Life on Mars," "Lost," "Private Practice," "Samantha Who?" and "Ugly Betty." CBS programming includes "CSI," "CSI: Miami," "CSI: New York," "NCIS" and "Numb3rs." FOX shows include "Bones," "House," "Prison Break" and "Sons of Anarchy," which airs on FX. NBC shows include "30 Rock," "Heroes," "Kath & Kim," "Knight Rider," "Law & Order: SVU," "Life," "Lipstick Jungle," "My Own Worst Enemy" and "The Office," and SCI FI Channel's "Battlestar Galactica" and "Eureka," and USA Network's "In Plain Sight," "Monk," "Psych" and "The Starter Wife."

Standard definition television shows on the iTunes Store are $1.99 per episode, while HD programs from ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX are $2.99 per episode. Many series offer a season pass option which allows customers to purchase entire seasons at a discounted price.

The iTunes Store digital media catalog now spans over eight million songs, over 30,000 TV episodes and over 2,500 films including 600 in high definition.

end quote



all of the above is a compelling reason for me, and i'll bet a lot of people, to feel torn apple's other content and vudu's movie content.

what about all of this stuff about appleTV in another thread?
.....

all of the above is a compelling reason for me, and i'll bet a lot of people, to feel torn apple's other content and vudu's movie content.

This is easy for me. I would rather keep $10/month basic cable, lose the rest of cable which is utterly useless to me outside of the Food Network, and then watch network TV through Cable. Then rely on Vudu for all film and I would imagine a TV catalog that will grow over time.

The thing for me is I am a videophile. I have equipment that is being wasted without the best input feed. Apple TV and Netflix VOD are just not even close to BR. Vudu gives me near BR quality at a very attractive price and form factor. Apple is just not even a consideration.

I agree mostly, as I would love to ditch cable and watch HD TV content on Vudu as well. As long as it comes in timely and HDX Quality.

I agree mostly, as I would love to ditch cable and watch HD TV content on Vudu as well. As long as it comes in timely and HDX Quality.

I think for tv series, HD would suffice in most cases, its not like Scorsese is directing these shows, but sure if it would come in HDX I wouldn't complain.

I think the problem with Apple and Netflix and all the cable networks is that they treat us like we're idiots. Like we don't know what HD is about. OK, so most people probably are fooled, but the people on this forum are probably not. The whole point of HD is for the stuff to look exceptional. The crap they pass off as HD today on cable is laughable. I feel like HD should have put constraints on the bitrate as well as the resolution, because in the digital world it is that important.

This is easy for me. I would rather keep $10/month basic cable, lose the rest of cable which is utterly useless to me outside of the Food Network, and then watch network TV through Cable. Then rely on Vudu for all film and I would imagine a TV catalog that will grow over time.


Yes, let's do some basic math... $2.99 per episode, 13 episodes per year - just short of $40 for one program. How many do you watch a week, a year, 3... 4... 5... more...?

Now, if you really like the program and would watch it repeatedly, perhaps it is a bargain.

I think for tv series, HD would suffice in most cases, its not like Scorsese is directing these shows, but sure if it would come in HDX I wouldn't complain.

I think the problem with Apple and Netflix and all the cable networks is that they treat us like we're idiots. Like we don't know what HD is about. OK, so most people probably are fooled, but the people on this forum are probably not. The whole point of HD is for the stuff to look exceptional. The crap they pass off as HD today on cable is laughable. I feel like HD should have put constraints on the bitrate as well as the resolution, because in the digital world it is that important.

Good points, I agree.

On the topic of cost, just to be able to view an episode you missed, due to a cable failure, or to watch in higher quality, without commercials, and especially without that awful network logo stamped in the middle of the screen, would be worth it to me.

New Vudu owner, my family bought me one of the vudu boxes and am pretty enthused to get started. It ran thru the setup, did the network settings, i did the activation and showed my $100 credit plus $200 from bestbuy for a total of $300 credits and its been sitting at the "loading the latest content" screen for probably close to two hours.

Is this normal?

Also, it says do not unplug or turn off your box so im kinda in limbo here. doesnt look like the content (Progress) bar has moved in the past 2 hours either.

Hey guys! Just joined the Vudu family thanks to the wife. So far I just che3cked out the HDX demo which looks pretty great.

Is there an alternative to the IR remote adapter from Vudu? $40 seems a bit steep for a cable just to use the harmony.

New Vudu owner, my family bought me one of the vudu boxes and am pretty enthused to get started. It ran thru the setup, did the network settings, i did the activation and showed my $100 credit plus $200 from bestbuy for a total of $300 credits and its been sitting at the "loading the latest content" screen for probably close to two hours.

Is this normal?

Also, it says do not unplug or turn off your box so im kinda in limbo here. doesnt look like the content (Progress) bar has moved in the past 2 hours either.

Are you seeing any network activity on your LAN/Router?

Are you seeing any network activity on your LAN/Router?

Yea but ive got so many things on the lan and running it could be anything. I just read on the vudu forum that it sometimes happens and a reboot should fix it, so here we go :-)

Yea but ive got so many things on the lan and running it could be anything. I just read on the vudu forum that it sometimes happens and a reboot should fix it, so here we go :-)

Yeah, that is what I was going to tell you to do next. Should be OK.

anyone care to comment on their opinion of how vudu compares to appletv? i mean which is the most fun? which one can really replace blockbuster?

Unfortunately until the date windowing issues get straightened out neither will be a replacement for Blockbuster or Netflix (physical not streaming).

As for AppleTV vs. Vudu, AppleTV is really an extension to the Apple eco-system. I have several and honestly what I find I use them for mostly are music, photos and kids TV programs (I have a 3 and 5 year old). I haven't had satellite TV service in four years, so I do buy a lot of TV and rent a few movies for myself from iTunes but for whatever reason I end up watching those shows on my laptop or iPhone instead of on my AppleTVs.

Well after about a week of owning vudu there are few things I am really unhappy about. I know ATV, Netflix/Blockbuster all have their faults, I also own ATV and ive rented via PS3 and XBOX360 both and so far I think my favorite would be ATV. Seems like the movies are generally available faster from ATV. Also, I love the quality of HDX but why are the options so extremely limited? I hate that you cant buy an HDX. In fact, why is your purchasing of any HD movie so severely restricted on vudu? I know the number say differently but it sure seems like there are more HD movies available for purchase via ATV, am i wrong about that? All in all, i am happy i got it as a xmas gift but I would have trouble recommending it over ATV for streaming.

I hope over the coming months movies become available faster and HD/HDX titles increase dramatically or i just dont see vudu surviving.

Well after about a week of owning vudu there are few things I am really unhappy about. I know ATV, Netflix/Blockbuster all have their faults, I also own ATV and ive rented via PS3 and XBOX360 both and so far I think my favorite would be ATV. Seems like the movies are generally available faster from ATV. Also, I love the quality of HDX but why are the options so extremely limited? I hate that you cant buy an HDX. In fact, why is your purchasing of any HD movie so severely restricted on vudu? I know the number say differently but it sure seems like there are more HD movies available for purchase via ATV, am i wrong about that? All in all, i am happy i got it as a xmas gift but I would have trouble recommending it over ATV for streaming.

I hope over the coming months movies become available faster and HD/HDX titles increase dramatically or i just dont see vudu surviving.


Hi Dink,

I believe you'll find that no digitally-delivered service offers HD content for purchase, Apple included. This is currently a restriction of the licensing studios. We're hopeful that the situation will improve over the next year or so. We don't offer HD for sale because we're not allowed to do so. Regarding the number of HD titles, I believe that you'll find that we have the largest HD movie collection anywhere, including Blu-ray.

The biggest things on my wish list from Vudu are:

1. Improved Online Software: I would like to see software that would allow, putting movies in the wish list on the web site, as well as an easier movie browsing and searching experience. Check Netflix to see how it is done.

2. Ability to stream HDX if bandwidth allows. I always want to rent HDX, but some times, I don't get them ordered in time. I have a fast connection, but we are limited to 4mb download.

3. New box with advanced audio support, and titles to match. Would love Dolby Tru-HD etc.

4. D-Box Motion Codes Compatibility

I agree with the higher resolution audio - in order to move me off of blu ray - I would like to see high resolution audio. With a netflix subscription I can get unlimited blu ray and i do not sacrifice audio or video quality. i would think that for Vudu to compete they would have to at least offer comparable quality to bluray for audio and video. Considering that the cost of the service is much higher than Netflix - I would assumme that you could get comparable quality.

I agree with the higher resolution audio - in order to move me off of blu ray - I would like to see high resolution audio. With a netflix subscription I can get unlimited blu ray and i do not sacrifice audio or video quality. i would think that for Vudu to compete they would have to at least offer comparable quality to bluray for audio and video. Considering that the cost of the service is much higher than Netflix - I would assumme that you could get comparable quality.

Right now the movies are encoded in DD+, but the box can not output DD+, this is somewhat upsetting but they are first gen boxes. The HDX movies are 640K which is within BD specs and is how early WB disc were encoded. They sound great, much better than DVD but not as great as some BDs and HD DVDs (DD+, DDTHD, DTS-HD, DTS-HD MA)
The Vudu Box is 99.00 this week or 149.00 wirth a wireless kit. That is the same as 3-6 BDs. This is a great deal, so much so my wife told me to order another one for the bedroom because she is annoyed with the ATV there and does not like to use the XBOX or PS3 to rent movies. Vudu is, in my opinion,
the best VOD service today and I have them all. This is well worth the entry price he are asking.
If you don't like it the they have a 30 day return policy. But I doubt you will be returning it. It is a great suppliment to BD. I use it to rent movies that I am in the mood for and don't have to wait until I am no longer in the mood to receive them. I still buy the occasional BD and still get some from Netflix. But Vudu has become my primary source for movie watching.

Give it a try you won't be dissapointed.

Right now the movies are encoded in DD+, but the box can not output DD+, this is somewhat upsetting but they are first gen boxes. The HDX movies are 640K which is within BD specs and is how early WB disc were encoded. They sound great, much better than DVD but not as great as some BDs and HD DVDs (DD+, DDTHD, DTS-HD, DTS-HD MA)
The Vudu Box is 99.00 this week or 149.00 wirth a wireless kit. That is the same as 3-6 BDs. This is a great deal, so much so my wife told me to order another one for the bedroom because she is annoyed with the ATV there and does not like to use the XBOX or PS3 to rent movies. Vudu is, in my opinion,
the best VOD service today and I have them all. This is well worth the entry price he are asking.
If you don't like it the they have a 30 day return policy. But I doubt you will be returning it. It is a great suppliment to BD. I use it to rent movies that I am in the mood for and don't have to wait until I am no longer in the mood to receive them. I still buy the occasional BD and still get some from Netflix. But Vudu has become my primary source for movie watching.

Give it a try you won't be dissapointed.

Me and my three VUDU boxes also agree!:D

I would get another one if it would let me transfer movies between boxes.

Whoa, the Vudu box is only $99?
I was seriously looking to buy one for Christmas at regular price.
Why the sharp (and sudden) price drop though?
This isn't a firesale due to low sales I hope. Or is it to move existing stock to make way for an upgraded player?

For $99 I'm tempted, but I don't want to invest in tech that might not be around tomorrow.
What's the consensus on the price drop?

Whoa, the Vudu box is only $99?
I was seriously looking to buy one for Christmas at regular price.
Why the sharp (and sudden) price drop though?
This isn't a firesale due to low sales I hope. Or is it to move existing stock to make way for an upgraded player?

For $99 I'm tempted, but I don't want to invest in tech that might not be around tomorrow.
What's the consensus on the price drop?

The price is consistant with all the "specials" for the last quarter:

Best Buy - $299 with $200 in movie credits, so the hardware was $99

Vudu Special 1 - $149 with $50 in movie credits, so the hardware was $99

Vudu Special 2 - $99 with no movie credits, so the hardware is $99

Face it, were talking a motherboard and a hard drive, plus a remote control, and the Vudu business model is definitely a "give away the razors and sell the blades" proposition. Heck, even if they ever go under (which I don't think is going to be happening), you'll still have a 250GB SATA hard drive you can repurpose.

i agree on the business model - at 4.99 a pop for hd movie rental - they can give away the boxes. They have a recurring revenue business model and download rentals are how they are going to make money in the future. The apple and netflix boxes are/have been pretty cheap. Also the game boxes have been throwing in download capabilities for free. I have heard that Apple has pulled back from their Apple TV box as it is not generating revenue. In the end - a recurring revenue model seems to be the only reliable business model here. If Vudu can get people hooked on downloading movies they may have a chance to survive

For all you VUDU users. Are downloads available as soon as DVD/BluRay availability? How about DirecTV availability. I am trying to determine which service has the earliest availability for new releases

i agree on the business model - at 4.99 a pop for hd movie rental - they can give away the boxes.

Well I think the pricing is variable but most movies I've rented either in HD or HDX were $3.99.



To Vudu representatives:

Can you or someone else here let me know why I'm getting significantly slower download speed. My connection is wired and it's Cox premium at 25 mbit/s. Everything else pretty much flies but Vudu still takes me 9 hours to download an HDX movie. Is this a cap on the side of Vudu servers?

I would really like to see this cap go away if you charge for the box.

Also, my suggestion would be to update your Wifi Kit to an N-standard. If I wanted to stream HD movies via my wifi G has somewhat bottlenecks.


Thank you.

Are you sure your VUDU is set for the max download bandwidth of 4mbs? Go into the service quality section and double check.

The VUDU box is capped at 4mbs. An HDX title typically takes my three boxes 3.5 to 4.5 hours to download depending on the length of the movie.

One of the things I hope they have planned for the future is an increase in the download speed. Of course instant HDX would be great, but at least cutting the download time of HDX titles in half would be welcome. So increasing the download speed to 8mbs would hopefully accomplish that.

VUDU has changed alot since I got it a year ago. Each software update brings more improvements. They certainly aren't sitting still.The box keeps evolving into something better and better.

Are you sure your VUDU is set for the max download bandwidth of 4mbs? Go into the service quality section and double check.

The VUDU box is capped at 4mbs. An HDX title typically takes my three boxes 3.5 to 4.5 hours to download depending on the length of the movie.

One of the things I hope they have planned for the future is an increase in the download speed. Of course instant HDX would be great, but at least cutting the download time of HDX titles in half would be welcome. So increasing the download speed to 8mbs would hopefully accomplish that.

VUDU has changed alot since I got it a year ago. Each software update brings more improvements. They certainly aren't sitting still.The box keeps evolving into something better and better.

Aaron,

What speed is your provider? I just learned I can upgrade to 50Mbps service from my provider but hesitate if I can only use 4 Mbps from VUDU. I suppose a 15 Mbps service is plenty adequate now for VUDU. (I don't have VUDU yet ... but it is a near term plan)

Kevin

Aaron,

What speed is your provider? I just learned I can upgrade to 50Mbps service from my provider but hesitate if I can only use 4 Mbps from VUDU. I suppose a 15 Mbps service is plenty adequate now for VUDU. (I don't have VUDU yet ... but it is a near term plan)

Kevin

I have 50mbs service from FIOS.

For all you VUDU users. Are downloads available as soon as DVD/BluRay availability? How about DirecTV availability. I am trying to determine which service has the earliest availability for new releases

Vudu has same day (DVD Tuesday) availability for purchase as DVD/BluRay for most new release titles. Day 1 is typically purchase, with rental also being available on day 1 for some studios (i.e Warner typically), while other studios defer rental options until 2-4 weeks later.

If you are into movies, Vudu has the largest HD movie catalog in the market, so for a great many titles Vudu has superior availability to BR, as there are lots of HD/HDX movies on Vudu that have never (and may never) hit BR. From a catalog comparison perspective, Vudu has over 1,400 HD titles (out of almost 13,000 total titles), while BR has a littl over 800 movie titles. When you compare the catalogs side by side, there are about 250 HD movies available on both BR and Vudu, with MGM being the major studio behind Vudu's var superior HD catalog.

Vudu has same day (DVD Tuesday) availability for purchase as DVD/BluRay for most new release titles. Day 1 is typically purchase, with rental also being available on day 1 for some studios (i.e Warner typically), while other studios defer rental options until 2-4 weeks later.

Could you provide a link showing the ability to purchase a VUDU HD/HDX version of these new movies being released 1/6 on DVD/BD

Rightous Kill
Pineapple Express
Disaster Movie
Wackness
Bangkok Express

I don't seem to find anything.

Could you provide a link showing the ability to purchase a VUDU HD/HDX version of these new movies being released 1/6 on DVD/BD

Rightous Kill
Pineapple Express
Disaster Movie
Wackness
Bangkok Express

I don't seem to find anything.

He was talking about SD. SD is purchase day and date. You won't be able to purchase the HD titles from anyone.

He was talking about SD. SD is purchase day and date. You won't be able to purchase the HD titles from anyone.

This Vikingfan guy is "stalking" me on multiple forums purely for the purpose of running a smear campaign against Vudu supporters. Trust me, nothing you could tell him about Vudu would satisfy his hatred. For some reason he resents Vudu supporters spreading the news about why they like the product. He's just trying to start another fight here - I'll put him on my Ignore list here also (and I encourage everyone else to do the same), but he really needs to understand that this type of behavior is not appropriate.

point of order

This is unacceptable: we will ban any members from this thread if this situation continues

2-4 weeks AFTER normal release to rent some HD titles? Am I understanding this correct??

Back to Vudu - it appears that they have HD or HDX rental availability similar to what you would see at your local blockbuster or netflix. The reason I ask this or make this point is that VUDU seems like a good back up option to me for Netflix. The problem with Netflix is the issue with new releases on BluRay. All new releases seem to hit the Long or Very Long wait status. Many times this is not an issue - it eventually comes. However - if I had a $99 Vudu box - if I really want to watch and not wait - Vudu is a really viable option. And - for $99 - this is now entering into the - it can not hurt purchase decision. Vudu seems to be offering a compelling option for me to consider. Now if VUDU could only offer High Resolution audio (i.e. DTSMA 7.1), BluRay quality video, and a Netflix-subscription model - and the ability to hold a movie on my hard drive for more than 24 hours - then that would be a Netflix/BluRay killer for me. However, for right now - Vudu seems like a pretty inexpensive back up for me - prevents me from getting in my car to go to the local video store.

VUDU compliments Netflix nicely.

Although no way to ever get DTS-MA with the current box since it uses HDMI 1.1.
I currently have three boxes. For me to purchase another one they would need to come out with a new box with HDMI 1.3 so the current DD+ could be bitstreamed instead of being transcoded to DD.

But either way I'm using my VUDUs more and more. I don't rent any discs any more so I only use Netflix for streaming. For BD titles, now i either purchase them or rent the HDX version on VUDU.
Which reminds me. i need to log into my VUDU account online so I can have the HDX version of Babylon AD ready for me to watch when I get home tonight. Today is the first day it was available.

point of order

This is unacceptable: we will ban any members from this thread if this situation continues

I'm sorry Nded thinks I'm stalking him. The VUDU homepage does not allow catalog searches if your not a registered owner. I did not see any HD/HDX options for these movies. When he said most titles were available to own on the same day the dvd/bd is released, I thought that might be info that non-vudu owners couldn't see. The delayed rental window,price of rentals and non-availability of HD versions for some films, is why I won't purchase a VUDU box. So if this practice had started to change, it might make the service more appealing.

Back to Vudu - it appears that they have HD or HDX rental availability similar to what you would see at your local blockbuster or netflix. The reason I ask this or make this point is that VUDU seems like a good back up option to me for Netflix. The problem with Netflix is the issue with new releases on BluRay. All new releases seem to hit the Long or Very Long wait status. Many times this is not an issue - it eventually comes. However - if I had a $99 Vudu box - if I really want to watch and not wait - Vudu is a really viable option. And - for $99 - this is now entering into the - it can not hurt purchase decision. Vudu seems to be offering a compelling option for me to consider. Now if VUDU could only offer High Resolution audio (i.e. DTSMA 7.1), BluRay quality video, and a Netflix-subscription model - and the ability to hold a movie on my hard drive for more than 24 hours - then that would be a Netflix/BluRay killer for me. However, for right now - Vudu seems like a pretty inexpensive back up for me - prevents me from getting in my car to go to the local video store.

Having recently joined VUDU, I can tell you that it is a great back up. I cannot tell you how many times I have just decided to order movies on whim (and this coming from a non renter). In fact, I look forward to the day it evolves some more and hopefully takes a bigger share of my HI-DEF purchases/rentals.

Having recently joined VUDU, I can tell you that it is a great back up. I cannot tell you how many times I have just decided to order movies on whim (and this coming from a non renter). In fact, I look forward to the day it evolves some more and hopefully takes a bigger share of my HI-DEF purchases/rentals.

With any luck 2009 will be the year that the studio's greed for purchase revenue overcomes their fear of allowing purchase of HD Digital Downloads. Even if they do, I'll likely just continue to rent titles - you have to want to watch a movie way too many times to justify the price - otherwise it's cheaper to just rent it when you want to watch it again. Hardly anything coming out of the studios these days is something I'd want to keep watching over and over again.

Anybody have any thoughts on the xl2 or is there a thread for this?

Anybody have any thoughts on the xl2 or is there a thread for this?

I don't think you'll find many XL2 owners on this forum. I do know that the XL2 is the same motherboard and specifications as the XL1, with the difference being the rackmounted case.

I do own an XL1, so I can answer practical questions about the difference between an XL1 and the original BX100. The main differences are:

1) Hard Drive - 1TB vs 250GB
2) IP Control for systems integration is only supported on XL1/2
3) Component on the XL1/2 supports full HD 1080p, but only 480P on BX100 (all boxes support full HD on HDMI)
4) The XL series have simultaneous output on HDMI and Component, when you connect to HDMI on BX100 the other Video outputs go dark.

Thanks; I think the xl2 has more space as well. How many HDX movies fit on a xl1? Also any comments on blu ray to vudu hdx compare? I have a 60 inch elite kuro for viewing and a high end audio for decoding as well.

Are you sure your VUDU is set for the max download bandwidth of 4mbs? Go into the service quality section and double check.

The VUDU box is capped at 4mbs. An HDX title typically takes my three boxes 3.5 to 4.5 hours to download depending on the length of the movie.

One of the things I hope they have planned for the future is an increase in the download speed. Of course instant HDX would be great, but at least cutting the download time of HDX titles in half would be welcome. So increasing the download speed to 8mbs would hopefully accomplish that.

VUDU has changed alot since I got it a year ago. Each software update brings more improvements. They certainly aren't sitting still.The box keeps evolving into something better and better.

Thanks aaronwt. I think i had a downpeak when I plugged the Vudu initially so my 4mbps connection was disabled. I ran the Service Utility again and I got 4mbps. Now I can download HDX movies in 3-4 hours.

I'm just curious if cap they have to 4mbps is because of bandwidth expense or something else. Cause it kind of defeats the purpose if we can't download HDX movies in real time or even faster. You would figure it would off-load their servers much quicker then capping it and occupying bandwith at 4mbps for even worse 2mbps for some.

This is one of the primary things I would like to see unclogged.

Thanks aaronwt. I think i had a downpeak when I plugged the Vudu initially so my 4mbps connection was disabled. I ran the Service Utility again and I got 4mbps. Now I can download HDX movies in 3-4 hours.

I'm just curious if cap they have to 4mbps is because of bandwidth expense or something else. Cause it kind of defeats the purpose if we can't download HDX movies in real time or even faster. You would figure it would off-load their servers much quicker then capping it and occupying bandwith at 4mbps for even worse 2mbps for some.

This is one of the primary things I would like to see unclogged.

It gets a little bit complicated at this point because one of Vudu's goals is to make the impact of the service on the users home network negligible. Instant HD service requires the user to have 300KB upload bandwidth available for peeering. Instand SD requires 200KB, while delayed viewing SD requires 100KB upload (the minimum to be a functional Vudu appliance). In order to support instant HDX, you would likely need enough peers with 400KB-600KB upload available, without impacting their home networks. That is getting on the hairy edge of being able to deliver without dimming the lights on the typical broadband home service, especially DSL. Cable and FIOS are in better shape, but way too many folks are still on DSL.

The good news is you have a choice (i.e. instant HD or delayed HDX), plus the option of being able to access your Vudu account from anywhere in the world via the internet and start that download while your on the road.

Accessing the account online really comes in handy with the HDX titles. Babylon A.D. was just made available today in HD and HDX. So I rented the HDX version online at work today, and when I got home this evening it was ready for me to watch.

My Vudu will be delivered today , cannot wait to get it up and running, the ability to start downloading to the box by reserving online is great. I agree with the top poster on Renting vs owning, I was heavily into DVD and buying titles, 1200 later I shake my head at the money I spent vs how many times I've watched a title. I really only buy stuff I know I'll rewatch like Indiana Jones, Iron man etc. And if I want to own it I'll buy the Blu. Most new movies thou won't get alot of viewings, I just watch Pineapple Express last night, and OK movie but not something I'll need to watch again, perfect for rental. I just wish the Rental window was the same on all titles, Babylon was available immediately, Pineapple won't be for another month.

My Vudu will be delivered today , cannot wait to get it up and running, the ability to start downloading to the box by reserving online is great. I agree with the top poster on Renting vs owning, I was heavily into DVD and buying titles, 1200 later I shake my head at the money I spent vs how many times I've watched a title. I really only buy stuff I know I'll rewatch like Indiana Jones, Iron man etc. And if I want to own it I'll buy the Blu. Most new movies thou won't get alot of viewings, I just watch Pineapple Express last night, and OK movie but not something I'll need to watch again, perfect for rental. I just wish the Rental window was the same on all titles, Babylon was available immediately, Pineapple won't be for another month.


Congrats on joining the Vudu crowd. Don't forget that for the first 3-5 days your Vudu will be downloading all of the software and catalog updates, so you will see some pretty constant network activity - and may not see everything available from the catalog. After your box is caught up to date, you'll be good to go.

Accessing the account online really comes in handy with the HDX titles. Babylon A.D. was just made available today in HD and HDX. So I rented the HDX version online at work today, and when I got home this evening it was ready for me to watch.

I really hope that VUDU allows online access to the wish list on the box soon, since it is cumbersome to find all the movies that you want to watch. Frankly, I would be watching a lot more movies, if it wasn't such a pain with the existing online software.

Also, I am still trying to figure out why I have to log in every time I navigate to the VUDU site. I checked all my cookies, and it should remember me. You can't even do a movie title search without logging in each time, so overall, I find the online software very cumbersome.

Congrats on joining the Vudu crowd. Don't forget that for the first 3-5 days your Vudu will be downloading all of the software and catalog updates, so you will see some pretty constant network activity - and may not see everything available from the catalog. After your box is caught up to date, you'll be good to go.

Within the 3-5 day period can you DL HD/HDX movies or is the box too tied up to do so?

Within the 3-5 day period can you DL HD/HDX movies or is the box too tied up to do so?


You can DL HD/HDX out of the box - I just don't know how quickly you will get the complete catalog titles (first/fastest download). You need the catalog entry to be able to rent the movie. The longest part of the download is all the artwork and headers, which will take a few days. I'd estimate that within the first hour you'll be able to find anything, you just won't see the browser screens in their full glory until a couple days later.

I would really love to be able to attach either my NAS device to Vudu and get cool Vudu UI interface with maybe covers on all my digital movies and shows, if not that at least the ability to stream and access my digital library over the network.

I think making Vudu also a media streamer would completely seal the deal for me. There would be no need for me to get anything else for renting purposes.

I would really love to be able to attach either my NAS device to Vudu and get cool Vudu UI interface with maybe covers on all my digital movies and shows, if not that at least the ability to stream and access my digital library over the network.

I think making Vudu also a media streamer would completely seal the deal for me. There would be no need for me to get anything else for renting purposes.


Sounds like a great idea to me - perhaps the RIA interface to Vudu Labs will make this possible some day. I can't wait to get my hands on the RIA developers kit. If it can stream HD YouTube and OnDemmand TV content from the Internet, I don't see why it can't stream LAN media with a few 'tweeks'.

You can DL HD/HDX out of the box - I just don't know how quickly you will get the complete catalog titles (first/fastest download). You need the catalog entry to be able to rent the movie. The longest part of the download is all the artwork and headers, which will take a few days. I'd estimate that within the first hour you'll be able to find anything, you just won't see the browser screens in their full glory until a couple days later.

It should update the catalog during the setup process, so you should be able to rent immediately. However, you won't have all the cover art or trailers initially and many titles (particularly ones that are new to the service) may not be instant (though the wait should be too bad).

Hi Patrick, I'm sorry if it's not appropriate but any plans on what I suggest above for the Vudu box? I understand direct playback from external drive might have some legal conundrum but streaming our own content across the network shouldn't be a bit problem no?

I can say your request is a fairly common one and that I agree it would be cool. But beyond that, we don't comment on features (planned or not) that aren't ready for release. Sorry.

I can say your request is a fairly common one and that I agree it would be cool. But beyond that, we don't comment on features (planned or not) that aren't ready for release. Sorry.

Understandable. Thanks.

Maybe I need to call Best Buy on this one, but I'd rather talk with you guys. Is the $200 movie credit deal still valid @ BB? I see that they still have it up, but the grey print says it ends on 12/31. Here we are 9 days later and they haven't pulled it from the website, so I'm wondering about this discrepancy.

edit: nevermind about $99 vudu at bb, I'm an idiot and didn't see that was just for the wireless kit. ;-)

Hello-
VUDU owner for the last year (very satisified, I might add). Have a question regarding the VUDU Wireless Kit-got one for Christmas from my sister-in-law (who gave me the VUDU last Christmas-she's pretty cool :D) and she was under the impression that this kit will allow me to view VUDU on any TV. When I looked at the box, as well as the VUDU product page, it looks like it is a wireless hook-up for the VUDU box for only the TV that the VUDU is connected to. I currently have a Netgear Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter so my VUDU and Wii are connected to the Internet in that fashion. So, I can either return the Wireless kit :( or get a VUDU box for my other TV ;) and use the Wireless kit to connect it that way, correct?

Hello-
VUDU owner for the last year (very satisified, I might add). Have a question regarding the VUDU Wireless Kit-got one for Christmas from my sister-in-law (who gave me the VUDU last Christmas-she's pretty cool :D) and she was under the impression that this kit will allow me to view VUDU on any TV. When I looked at the box, as well as the VUDU product page, it looks like it is a wireless hook-up for the VUDU box for only the TV that the VUDU is connected to. I currently have a Netgear Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter so my VUDU and Wii are connected to the Internet in that fashion. So, I can either return the Wireless kit :( or get a VUDU box for my other TV ;) and use the Wireless kit to connect it that way, correct?

Your analysis is correct, and if you act fast, you can still get a new Vudu from the website at http://my.vudu.com for only $99. I have 3 Vudu's now, and I'm really looking forward to what new stuff we'll get on our Vudu's in 2009.

Any new announcements at CES from VUDU??

Any new announcements at CES from VUDU??

Sorry, no. Apart from some meetings, we don't have a presence at CES and don't have anything to announce this week.

What day do the new releases show up on the VUDU boxes?

Your analysis is correct, and if you act fast, you can still get a new Vudu from the website at http://my.vudu.com for only $99. I have 3 Vudu's now, and I'm really looking forward to what new stuff we'll get on our Vudu's in 2009.

Got it-thanks!

Can you combine the $99 offer and the $200 off on movies?

Can you combine the $99 offer and the $200 off on movies?

No, but you might consider yourself better off:

$299 = $99 Vudu plus $200 in movie credits that "expire" in 4 months (use them or lose them)
$99 = $99 Vudu and you only pay for what you watch, when you watch.

My Vudu box is due at my home on the 14th. Looking forward to it.

Since I have my PS3 standing on it's side, there is room to place the Vudu box next to it on edge. Is this possible to all you current users? What is the power consumption? I suppose I could stack it on top or under an existing DVD player.

My Vudu box is due at my home on the 14th. Looking forward to it.

Since I have my PS3 standing on it's side, there is room to place the Vudu box next to it on edge. Is this possible to all you current users? What is the power consumption? I suppose I could stack it on top or under an existing DVD player.

I'm not sure about the power consumption but I have it stacked on top of my HD DVD player and it fits fine and since the box is pretty cute it doesn't stand out that much at all.

I personally have greater problem now with Xbox 360 and PS3 looking ugly next to my Denon, HD-A30, Samsung 1500

I'll have to check Powerchute sometime to see how much power the VUDU uses.

I just checked with one of my VUDUs. It showed around 9 watts while watching a movie and around 18 when booting up. I'll have to check out the UPS on one of my other VUDUs to see what that shows. Plus I don't know how accurate Powerchute is or the info it's getting from the APC UPS. Since that does seem lower than I expected.

Although I guess the most accurate way would be to get a watt meter that you stick inline with the devices power cord. I think my brother or Dad has one so I'll see if I can borrow it sometime.

I just checked with one of my VUDUs. It showed around 9 watts while watching a movie and around 18 when booting up. I'll have to check out the UPS on one of my other VUDUs to see what that shows. Plus I don't know how accurate Powerchute is or the info it's getting from the APC UPS. Since that does seem lower than I expected.

Although I guess the most accurate way would be to get a watt meter that you stick inline with the devices power cord. I think my brother or Dad has one so I'll see if I can borrow it sometime.

Thanks,

I don't think power will be a problem standing it on its side.

k

How did I miss this for $99? GRRRR! I wanted one so bad. I'm already in the process of selling off many of my BDs because there is no replay value for some of them - much rather stick to renting on a whim.

Sorry, the Holiday $99 special is over - they are back to $299 on the website and they are currently backordered - more new inventory due in a week or so. You still may be able to get a deal on ebay.

Yeah...oh well. They'll dip back down again in a few weeks I'm sure.

I bought it last week for $99, lucky perhaps. I considered the wireless bundle for $149 (with the box) but missed that by a day so I simply bought the box for $99.

By the way, I think it is a bit risky to offer a $99 special and then back to $299. Now people may wait for another "special" price before buying in. Of course they could use the price of entry to limit subscriber growth to allow them to profitably grow their server base with out suddenly overwhelming it.

Mine just got delivered yesterday.

Definitely a polished consumer-grade product. Setup was a breeze (wireless kit). Everything "just worked." Interface is top-notch. Selection is good, not perfect obviously. Only had time to watch some trailers and the HDX free demo and add about 50 films to my wishlist. Hopefully will get to watch something tonight, tomorrow for sure.

Some comments -
1) product is clearly the best in the marketplace right now. Looking back, comparisons to Akimbo are hilarious. Clearly made by people that had never tried Vudu. Selection is better than netflix, quality is better than netflix, and the hardware is better than the roku box.

2) Price point is too high at $299. I love this thing, but would never have purchased at $299 (without wireless no less). It's just not going to sell at that level. I bought at $149 and that's probably the limit, maybe $199 would do OK, $99 with wireless would be ideal. This is of course, is not based on what hardware cost, box capability, or how good the experience is, just based on what the public will consider "competing products" in this class - that is Roku, blu-ray streaming players, etc, and what I bet the average person is willing to pay to play with an "unknown" player.

3) Service will live and die by content. I wish I could get rid of netflix altogether, but there are still too many new titles that arent available, or even more so, slightly older releases that go out of catalog due to licensing agreements. 300? Gladiator? LOTR?

I really hope Vudu makes it. The idea of high quality VOD is the future. The cable co's could clearly do something to challenge, but based on the quality and performance of their DVR (not to mention the actualy PQ/AQ and selection of their titles) I'm not holding my breath.

Whether it's Vudu, Cable, Netflix, XstreamHD etc, something like this is the future. I just hope in this case, the best product wins (or at least survives) and we arent stuck with something like Netflix streaming "HD" or the current crop of low-quality cable VOD solutions.

bald

edit: Almost forgot, even my wife was impressed. "it's like you're not even using the internet." Not sure praise comes much higher than that.

with the apparent demise of XstreamHD - it looks like Vudu may be the best bet. Apple does not seem to be investing in their platform. Netflix could be the most compelling but it seems to be a lower quality offering. XstreamHD was the most compelling offering but it looks like it was vaor ware

I did a search of the spin off thread and this thread for "projector" and nothing came up. Can VUDU be used with a projector? I have a 720p projector. My video is HDMI but the audio is optical into the receiver. Is this possible with the VUDU? Also my screen is 14' wide so I am concerned about the quality of the image. DVDs look good and Blue Ray looks really good. How does VUDU compare with either of these.
Thanks-

I have my Vudu running thru my Anthem D2 then out to my Sony Pearl projector and the hd and hdx images are great the sd is about equal to dvd.

I just hooked mine up last night and I am impressed. First of all it is much smaller than I expected. I did not stand it up on end, instead taking advantage of the rubber isolation feet.

It has an optical output (left of the HDMI connector) for the above poster. I use the HDMI to feed my Denon and then onto my front projector with a 119" diagonal, so far the image quality is every bit as good as anything out there. Click to enlarge.

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/919/productvudu5yr8.th.png (http://img150.imageshack.us/my.php?image=productvudu5yr8.png)

If there is a better mousetrap than this I would sure like to know about it. It has a section of $0.99 movies with a generous selection. We did one of these after our box was up 5 minutes. Today I am scheduling an HDX download from work so that I have it ready to go tonight. I will even try a regular HD title to check out that quality.

I did a search of the spin off thread and this thread for "projector" and nothing came up. Can VUDU be used with a projector? I have a 720p projector. My video is HDMI but the audio is optical into the receiver. Is this possible with the VUDU? Also my screen is 14' wide so I am concerned about the quality of the image. DVDs look good and Blue Ray looks really good. How does VUDU compare with either of these.
Thanks-

I think Vudu is the last thing you need to worry about, if you are satisfied with DVD, and 720p, on a screen that wide.

I watch almost exclusively HDX on my 10' wide screen with RS20. Some times I watch HD because I don't have time to download the movie due to the bandwidth limitation, but SD, I avoid due to the quality. However, I avoid DVD's as well.

SD vs HD/HDX

I just got my Vudu and have hooked it up to an infocus X1 via 480p component projecting on about a 70" diagonal screen - I was planning on watching mostly SD based material as it is cheaper. I am mostly satisfied with the appearance of DVDs on this setup, would I notice much a difference between SD and HD? I assume I would with HDX, but I'm mostly interested in instant watching. Is there a difference in the quality of the surround encoding between SD and HD? My audio is decidedly higher end than my video. I was planning on trying it out with Apaloosa today, not sure if the HD is worth it over the SD version?

bald

SD vs HD/HDX

I just got my Vudu and have hooked it up to an infocus X1 via 480p component projecting on about a 70" diagonal screen - I was planning on watching mostly SD based material as it is cheaper. I am mostly satisfied with the appearance of DVDs on this setup, would I notice much a difference between SD and HD? I assume I would with HDX, but I'm mostly interested in instant watching. Is there a difference in the quality of the surround encoding between SD and HD? My audio is decidedly higher end than my video. I was planning on trying it out with Apaloosa today, not sure if the HD is worth it over the SD version?

bald

I doubt you'd notice anything different with only 480p.

I think Vudu is the last thing you need to worry about, if you are satisfied with DVD, and 720p, on a screen that wide.

I watch almost exclusively HDX on my 10' wide screen with RS20. Some times I watch HD because I don't have time to download the movie due to the bandwidth limitation, but SD, I avoid due to the quality. However, I avoid DVD's as well.

No offence, but where did I state I was satisfied? I said DVD looks good-as it is up-scaled through either a state of the art (when purchased) Faroudja chip in my changer and a state of the art (when purchased) Reon HQV in my player, or Silicone Optics in my projector. Or did you mean the Vudu is not going to give me a better image? My projector is a couple of years old so I am looking for equipment that will not be of lesser quality when I move to 1080p. I looked at a lot of projectors, and sent/returned several, before getting my 720p. It looked better than any of the 1080p projectors including Runco, Sony, JVC, etc. When I see a projector that gives me a better picture than mine, 720p or 1080p, I will replace mine and use my 720p for outside viewing-great bright picture. I, like you, prefer HD over SD/DVDs. I don't think I have purchased a DVD for myself since HD DVDs hit the market.
Thanks for the info.-

Just watched Apaloosa in SD. Overall pretty good quality. I think I would have to have the DVD and VuduSD side-by-side in order to notice much difference. Some of the scenes looked sort of soft, and the dark scenes struggled some, but I imagine that has as much to do with the age and quality of my projector as anything else. I was probably paying closer attention than usual. Sound I think was at least as good as DVD.

Now if only everything was rentable, I could cancel netflix and quit visiting mailboxes. The studios really need to get their **** together and stop hamstringing services like Vudu.

bald

No offence, but where did I state I was satisfied? I said DVD looks good-as it is up-scaled through either a state of the art (when purchased) Faroudja chip in my changer and a state of the art (when purchased) Reon HQV in my player, or Silicone Optics in my projector. Or did you mean the Vudu is not going to give me a better image? My projector is a couple of years old so I am looking for equipment that will not be of lesser quality when I move to 1080p. I looked at a lot of projectors, and sent/returned several, before getting my 720p. It looked better than any of the 1080p projectors including Runco, Sony, JVC, etc. When I see a projector that gives me a better picture than mine, 720p or 1080p, I will replace mine and use my 720p for outside viewing-great bright picture. I, like you, prefer HD over SD/DVDs. I don't think I have purchased a DVD for myself since HD DVDs hit the market.
Thanks for the info.-

Sorry, I didn't mean for my comment to be taken as a dig against your system. I am sure I could have phrased that better.

All I was trying to say was that the VUDU box would not be the limiting factor in your current set up. I also was going by a misunderstanding of your post, that you were satisfied with DVD quality.

Moving up the scale, with the very best projectors capable of resolving full resolution, I have compared VUDU HDX along side the same title on Blu-Ray, and it is pretty close, even on a large screen.

The biggest limitation, as I see it, is the source material. For example, Bald mentioned above, the SD version of Appaloosa looking a bit soft. Well, I watched it in HDX, and it still was not a Wow quality source material. I have also watched some HD titles on VUDU that looked worse than SD, and some that looked almost as good as HDX.

How did I miss this for $99? GRRRR! I wanted one so bad. I'm already in the process of selling off many of my BDs because there is no replay value for some of them - much rather stick to renting on a whim.

Patrick posted on forum.vudu.com that Vudu's from the Best Buy stores will get the $200 movie credit, if they are activated by Jan 31.

http://forum.vudu.com/showpost.php?p=31991&postcount=2

No offence, but where did I state I was satisfied? I said DVD looks good-as it is up-scaled through either a state of the art (when purchased) Faroudja chip in my changer and a state of the art (when purchased) Reon HQV in my player, or Silicone Optics in my projector. Or did you mean the Vudu is not going to give me a better image? My projector is a couple of years old so I am looking for equipment that will not be of lesser quality when I move to 1080p. I looked at a lot of projectors, and sent/returned several, before getting my 720p. It looked better than any of the 1080p projectors including Runco, Sony, JVC, etc. When I see a projector that gives me a better picture than mine, 720p or 1080p, I will replace mine and use my 720p for outside viewing-great bright picture. I, like you, prefer HD over SD/DVDs. I don't think I have purchased a DVD for myself since HD DVDs hit the market.
Thanks for the info.-

Vudu movies should look fine on your 720p projector. You can set the Vudu to output 1080p, 1080i, or 720p via HDMI. Vudu should sound fine, as it has an optical output to tie into your sound system. I use my Vudu at 1080i on my 8' wide projector.

HDX will look best, but I think you'll find HD and SD to look just as good as your other comparable devices. Besides, if you don't like it, take advantage of the 30 day satisfaction guarantee.

Can someone point me to the supported sound formats over HDMI? I watched an HDX movie last night and the picture was outstanding but I noticed my receiver not showing 5.1, maybe I need a setting adjustment or something? Any how I enabled PLIIx to fill all of my 7.1 channels.

Perhaps this particular HDX movie did not have 5.1??? I thought all HDX had 5.1.

Patrick posted on forum.vudu.com that Vudu's from the Best Buy stores will get the $200 movie credit, if they are activated by Jan 31.

http://forum.vudu.com/showpost.php?p=31991&postcount=2

Still too expensive when this $99 last week. They will bring the price down again. Even $149 with $50 worth of rentals would be fine. No way would I spend $299 and have $200 worth of rentals not knowing how long the service would be available.

Still too expensive when this $99 last week. They will bring the price down again. Even $149 with $50 worth of rentals would be fine. No way would I spend $299 and have $200 worth of rentals not knowing how long the service would be available.

I did not use the bestbuy deal, but I heard the $200 in credits have to be used within 4 months anyway...someone corrrect me if I'm wrong.

Incidentally, I'm a new Vudu owner - pretty impressed. I also agree though, I did the $149 for the box + wireless adapter, and love the box, but never would have invested @ $299, credits or otherwise.

bald

Can someone point me to the supported sound formats over HDMI? I watched an HDX movie last night and the picture was outstanding but I noticed my receiver not showing 5.1, maybe I need a setting adjustment or something? Any how I enabled PLIIx to fill all of my 7.1 channels.

Perhaps this particular HDX movie did not have 5.1??? I thought all HDX had 5.1.

While we always request 5.1 soundtracks, sometimes they are not available. It could be that the movie is older and the studio hasn't invested in remastering the audio or they simply don't make a 5.1 soundtrack available to us. We do show what the audio format is in the details of the movie however, so you can confirm what format it is before purchase. This is on both the box itself and the web. What title did you watch?

Regarding audio formats, for both HDMI the digital audio outputs, both PCM stereo and a Dolby Digital bitstream are available. It should be fine out of the box, but you can choose which you want under the audio settings.

Now if only everything was rentable, I could cancel netflix and quit visiting mailboxes. The studios really need to get their **** together and stop hamstringing services like Vudu.

I agree. A lot of titles I'm interested in watching are only available to own.
As far as I'm concerned, the movie library is ok. A lot of it is just filled with **** titles that were direct to video. I can't believe they don't have one single John Wayne movie in their library and they only have about half of the AFI's top 100 films of all time. I know the studios are mostly to blame for this, but the vudu library has a long way to go.

While we always request 5.1 soundtracks, sometimes they are not available. It could be that the movie is older and the studio hasn't invested in remastering the audio or they simply don't make a 5.1 soundtrack available to us. We do show what the audio format is in the details of the movie however, so you can confirm what format it is before purchase. This is on both the box itself and the web. What title did you watch?

Regarding audio formats, for both HDMI the digital audio outputs, both PCM stereo and a Dolby Digital bitstream are available. It should be fine out of the box, but you can choose which you want under the audio settings.

Thanks Patrick,

The Forbidden Kingdom. I don't see where it is listed as 5.1 on audio online ... maybe when I get home I can check again.

I did not check under audio settings of the box. I guess I need to check it out. I must have assumed since I passed the setup test (audio and video) with only HDMI connected that all was o.k.

Click on the "Rent From" button here (http://www.vudu.com/movies/Title/The-Forbidden-Kingdom/2008/) and it will show you the options. It should have been in 5.1 for you.

I agree. A lot of titles I'm interested in watching are only available to own.
As far as I'm concerned, the movie library is ok. A lot of it is just filled with **** titles that were direct to video. I can't believe they don't have one single John Wayne movie in their library and they only have about half of the AFI's top 100 films of all time. I know the studios are mostly to blame for this, but the vudu library has a long way to go.

FYI, we've got 44 movies in which John Wayne was involved. There happens to be a bug right now in which if you search for the actor exactly like "John Wayne" (yeah, that's a fun one), you don't get any results, but if you find a John Wayne movie, say "The Shootist" and click on his name you'll find them all. Or if you search for "Wayne" he's in there.

Patrick,

Is there a day of the week/month when "coming soon" typically gets updated?

bald

Patrick,

Is there a day of the week/month when "coming soon" typically gets updated?

bald

It varies based on the specific title. Note that just because something doesn't appear in coming soon, it doesn't mean we won't get it.

Why is there no HD/HDX version for Indiana Jones?

Why isn't Eagle Eye available?

you can choose which you want under the audio settings.

I'll look for the menu path to the audio settings. I have not noticed a "settings" selection in the main menu ... I admit however I am easily distracted by the different methods to find movies and we find ourselves going off to watch a movie!

14 seconds buffering to get a movie going. I like that. I have not rented a Disney title so far but I am hoping we don't have to "wade" through 5 previews and 2 commercials for quadruple dip catalog titles before watching the movie. They have a tendency to do this on disc based titles and it gets annoying.

By the way, we now have watched 3 movies in 3 days. SD (x2) and HDX. Will try an HD sometime soon. The instant SD on a newer release was very decent PQ. Instant HD should be even better. So far we are very impressed. I now wished I would have bought at least 1 more box during the special.

I'll look for the menu path to the audio settings. I have not noticed a "settings" selection in the main menu ... I admit however I am easily distracted by the different methods to find movies and we find ourselves going off to watch a movie!

14 seconds buffering to get a movie going. I like that. I have not rented a Disney title so far but I am hoping we don't have to "wade" through 5 previews and 2 commercials for quadruple dip catalog titles before watching the movie. They have a tendency to do this on disc based titles and it gets annoying.

By the way, we now have watched 3 movies in 3 days. SD (x2) and HDX. Will try an HD sometime soon. The instant SD on a newer release was very decent PQ. Instant HD should be even better. So far we are very impressed. I now wished I would have bought at least 1 more box during the special.

When your box gets totally up to date, you should not even have to put up with that 14 second delay! As for the Disney titles, you'll happily find only the show and no commercials.

As for buying another box - I was pushing for this on a lot of forums - at least you got 1, GizmoDVD is now waiting quasi-patiently to get in on the next window. Hopefully that deal will come back again in the future.

When your box gets totally up to date, you should not even have to put up with that 14 second delay! As for the Disney titles, you'll happily find only the show and no commercials.

As for buying another box - I was pushing for this on a lot of forums - at least you got 1, GizmoDVD is now waiting quasi-patiently to get in on the next window. Hopefully that deal will come back again in the future.

Yep...as soon as it hits $149/$99 I'll grab one. Until then...I'll sit back and read.

When your box gets totally up to date, you should not even have to put up with that 14 second delay! As for the Disney titles, you'll happily find only the show and no commercials.

As for buying another box - I was pushing for this on a lot of forums - at least you got 1, GizmoDVD is now waiting quasi-patiently to get in on the next window. Hopefully that deal will come back again in the future.

$99 is still available (technically)

I posted on the Vudu forums that a rep at BestBuy said Vudu was still honoring the $299 with $200 movies credits deal. Patrick from Vudu acknowledged that you should still be able to get the deal as long as you purchase and activate by 1/31 (the activation end-date in the initial deal). So, you give them your $200 up front and have to use it in four months, but surely we'll all use $200 from a new box in four months, right?

I went and got my second box this weekend. I plan to get it set up and activated today.

Yep...as soon as it hits $149/$99 I'll grab one. Until then...I'll sit back and read.

Gizmo, this is off your post, but I see you own about the same number of HD titles as I do. I quit buying almost altogether when I got my Vudu at Christmas. Do you see the same?

I figure even in HDX at $6, I have to rent the darn thing 4 times to equal a (discounted) purchase on Blu. And, older catalog titles are available cheaper if we can live with HD or SD. I just can't justify much of it. As I look at my collection (over 1000 total), I can see maybe 100 titles we have watched more than 4 times.

My only purchase in January so far is Eagle Eye and I doubt we'll watch that more than 4 times.

With Netflix on each Tivo in the house (4) and two Vudus, I could envision selling my collection altogether for the first time.

FYI, older HDX titles are also $4 rentals - only the new releases are $5.99.

Ed

FYI, older HDX titles are also $4 rentals - only the new releases are $5.99.

Ed

And after a $5.99 viewing you are offered $3.99 or less for a 2nd viewing within 2 weeks I think. At least it looked like it on my box.

I demo'ed Vudu to 2 other friends. They thought it was a fantastic idea for $99 and I believe they would even stomach $149-$199. At $299 they are in the Gizmo camp ... wait for entry.

I would also like to see HDX download speeds boosted from 4 Mbps to 8-10 Mbps in the next few Qtrs and full 20 Mbps within 1.5 years. Right now however there is no other download service that comes close IMHO. I stopped PSN downloads and blu disc buying is "on hold" ....

And after a $5.99 viewing you are offered $3.99 or less for a 2nd viewing within 2 weeks I think. At least it looked like it on my box.

I demo'ed Vudu to 2 other friends. They thought it was a fantastic idea for $99 and I believe they would even stomach $149-$199. At $299 they are in the Gizmo camp ... wait for entry.

I would also like to see HDX download speeds boosted from 4 Mbps to 8-10 Mbps in the next few Qtrs and full 20 Mbps within 1.5 years. Right now however there is no other download service that comes close IMHO. I stopped PSN downloads and blu disc buying is "on hold" ....

The extended viewing window is typically 1 week long, and the price for the second rental period varies from 49 cents to $1.99 (i.e. 99cent movies extend for $0.49, $3.99 movies extend for .99 and $5.99 movies extend for $1.99. YMMV.

The extended viewing window is typically 1 week long, and the price for the second rental period varies from 49 cents to $1.99 (i.e. 99cent movies extend for $0.49, $3.99 movies extend for .99 and $5.99 movies extend for $1.99. YMMV.

O.K. that is probably right. I doubt mileage varies here.

Gizmo, this is off your post, but I see you own about the same number of HD titles as I do. I quit buying almost altogether when I got my Vudu at Christmas. Do you see the same?

I figure even in HDX at $6, I have to rent the darn thing 4 times to equal a (discounted) purchase on Blu. And, older catalog titles are available cheaper if we can live with HD or SD. I just can't justify much of it. As I look at my collection (over 1000 total), I can see maybe 100 titles we have watched more than 4 times.

My only purchase in January so far is Eagle Eye and I doubt we'll watch that more than 4 times.

With Netflix on each Tivo in the house (4) and two Vudus, I could envision selling my collection altogether for the first time.


I too have slowed my purchasing way down. Since I started Vuduing last a year ago (Jan 9) I can count on two hands how many optical discs I have purchased. It is too easy and convenient to use Vudu. One of the reasons I purchased optical was too have the movies I enjoy right at my fingertips. I now have thatwith Vudu. Plus I get the bonus of not having to get my lazy but up to take the disc out of the case, put it in one of the players, wade through the opening stuff, and then have to take the disc out and put it away. Now it is scroll, a couple of clicks, and watch.... much easier.