It’s late, you’re tired and the couch is calling your name. It’s time for a movie. Oops, you forgot to mail back those darn Netflix envelopes—they’ve been sitting there for days! You could get up and venture out into the world. Then again, the couch is mighty comfortable and the video store is probably closed already. Ah, but what if the video store could come to you? Say hello to VUDU.
VUDU is a unique Video On-Demand (VOD) device which allows you to rent or purchase film and TV content using your internet connection and VUDU’s home-grown little black box. After browsing VUDU’s catalog of nearly 5,000 film and TV titles, you simply select what you want to watch, decide whether to rent or purchase and playback begins. Plus, the network’s peer-to-peer architecture allows playback to begin, on average, within five seconds. How’s that for instant gratification? Not all titles are available for rental and not all are available for purchase, but many titles offer both options. Rentals stay on disk for 30 days, but once you push play, you have just 24 hours to finish it (or watch it as many times as you like).
The VUDU system is comprised of three things: VUDU’s hard disk-based set-top box, your television and a broadband internet connection. Upon unpacking the box, I discovered something strange: there’s no inch-thick user manual included. Instead, you get a small, colorful “Quick-start Guide” and that’s it. Did they forget to pack the giant manual, or is VUDU just that easy to use? They didn’t forget the manual.
The connection to your television can be made using component video or HDMI. However, take note: whereas the VUDU box can pass up to 1080p/24Hz video via HDMI, component is limited to 480p. A switch on the back of the box sets your “analog video output” to 480i or 480p. Just remember that if you want to take advantage of VUDU’s high def offerings, you’ll need HDMI. At press time, only the Bourne trilogy was available in HD, but by the time you read this, VUDU expects to have upwards of 70 HD titles available for rental. HD rentals cost $5.99; I’d like to see that come down to $4.99.
An elegant setup wizard brings the machine online and downloads any necessary updates before bringing you to the main menu. To complete your box activation, you’ll need a PC to set up a user account at vudu.com. Once your account gets “mapped” to your box, renting and purchasing titles is a piece of cake—one could even argue it’s a bit too easy! Thankfully, VUDU offers parental controls to prevent the young ones from going to town on your credit card.
The first thing you’ll notice about VUDU is the uniquely-shaped RF remote control. The remote sports only five buttons and a clickable scroll wheel, and it feels great in the hand. If you budget five minutes of your day for learning the VUDU remote, you’ll soon be wondering what to do with that extra four minutes and thirty seconds. It’s that easy. And the attractive, colorful user interface is more than just intuitive; it’s good—Tivo and iTunes good.
Video quality on standard definition titles comes close to rivaling DVD. The Bourne Ultimatum in HD looked decidedly better but not as impressive as my HD DVD. Although a video download from VUDU is unlikely to ever match the video prowess of a Blu-ray Disc or HD DVD, the convenience factor cannot be overlooked. Without fail, every film I rented or purchased started playing within ten seconds of clicking “Watch it Now.” That’s a remarkable achievement when you consider the fact that these are full length movies and not tiny MP3 files.
As for storage capacity, the standard VUDU box comes with hard drive capacity for 100 hours of standard definition content. If that doesn’t sound like enough, take comfort in the fact that support for Network Attached Storage (NAS) is coming later this year. That will mean your home PC or separate server can serve as a secondary repository for your VUDU content.
At press time, Apple had just announced its latest AppleTV box which appears to promise much of what VUDU is already delivering. Although Apple is not to be underestimated, it’s hard to imagine a simpler, more refined movie download experience than the one VUDU has created. Will VUDU do to the DVD what iTunes did to the CD? The fact that they’re offering instant content from every major Hollywood studio is a big step in the right direction.
What do you think about VUDU? Talk about it in the E-Gear forums.
Gr.eat review. The Vudu has 5000 films to 400 from Apple and 250 from my cable company. Click and it’s instant ly playing. The navigatinbg is terrific. One other great bonus. You can choose a category like drama or comedy. You can also filter for only 4 or 5 + critics rated movies. The list only gives you the absolute best movies ever put out. That’s fabulous. One blogger said .you’ll never see a bad movie again." Considering that 80% of what’s made is lousy, you’ll be crazy about the filter. No one else thought of it. I love my Vudu. I have afriend with an Apple Tv and he’s not happy. Film quality is not as good, and navigating is not as good. Also Apple only has 720 p which is not high def and you sometimes have to wait a half hour or two hours for a download – and that is after their yearly upgrade last month. Vudu is king.