With the introduction of Vudu Labs, owners are enjoying some new functionality this week. Riding the Internet media wave, Vudu ($300) has extended their platform ($300) to provide a variety of freely available web content… in addition to existing movie streaming/download services. Initial offerings include YouTube, Flickr, and numerous video podcasts. Like much of the Vudu experience, navigating the new content is relatively efficient – although I’d like to see something a bit more visually appealing while media is loading.
This initiative certainly adds value to a device that clocks in at a higher price point than AppleTV ($230)… and they say this is just the beginning: The “Vudu Rich Internet Application (RIA)” is being developed as an open and extensible platform to facilitate delivery of web content in a lean-back environment. Of course, we’re all still waiting for a simple method to bring Hulu’s video library to the television…
The brief non-narrated video I shot (above) begins with a quick run-through of Vudu’s existing film library and interface, followed by some time in the new Labs area.