Just a few week ago, Vudu expanded their content library with the introduction of adult titles. And in just a few weeks, Vudu will announce the availability of 1,000 HD movies. However, between the here and there rumors of Vudu’s demise have sprung up. While it appears true nearly 20% of their staff was laid … Read more
Let me start by saying every device should offer some sort of wireless connectivity, preferably built-in. Research indicates folks are going to connect a limited quantity of devices to their televisions, so it behooves companies to reduce barriers to entry. As to why wireless isn’t integrated into everything: Another chip raises the BOM. And more … Read more
As efficient as the Vudu RF remote with scroll wheel is, many folks would prefer to control their home theater via a single remote. So, Vudu’s introduced an IR Receiver Kit today at $39. In addition to the pricey IR dongle, the pricey Vudu XL ($999) with additional storage and IP-based home control hooks is … Read more
Vudu has thrown down the gauntlet… They contacted me yesterday to emphasize their “quality of HD video is better” than what Apple TV provides. The claim is based on Vudu’s resolution of up to 1080p versus Apple’s 720p. Of course, the pixel count doesn’t tell the whole story… How well are these movies compressed and … Read more
Last week, Vudu (now available for $295) rolled out system software 1.2 in conjunction with HD movie rentals. For the instant playback touted by Vudu, you’ll need about 4Mbps download throughput. Unfortunately, the bedroom segment of my LAN is experiencing some sort of bottleneck. According to a Vudu engineer who pulled my logs, my session … Read more
As you can see from the pics below, I’ve gotten the Vudu review unit unpacked and hooked up. The out-of-box-experience (OOBE) is decent and the Vudu build quality looks and feels very nice. The movie selection is quite large, though they don’t offer enough current blockbusters. Not to mention… Like other services, some films are … Read more
Canadians looking for alternative ways to consume their media are having a pretty good month… Though much later than their southern US neighbors, in the last three weeks TiVo, Xbox 360 movie downloads, and now iTunes television downloads have been made available. iTunes TV purchases run $1.99 CAD which closely mirrors the US dollar. (For … Read more
Beating the rapid iPhone price drop by two or three weeks, Vudu has significantly reduced the price of hardware by $150 about 50 days after launch. While it’s not clear if the early adopters will get some sort of compensation, à la Apple, and while I still question the market potential of a dedicated movie … Read more