Curiously, no mention was made of how video looked from the Vudu box.  Anybody?

The video is actually very good.  SD movies are pretty much the equal of DVDs. The new HDx movies are spectacular on the video front.  Audio is somewhat of a letdown.

My biggest complaint about the system, and I’ve owned it less than a month, is that the catalog seems very thin. 10,000 movies seems like a lot, but it really isn’t. For instance, last week I watched “Run Fat Boy, Run”, afterwards I was still in the mood for a Simon Pegg movie and had seen Sean of the Dead recently, I wanted Hot Fuzz since I hadn’t seen it since it’s HD DVD release...it wasn’t to be.  They don’t have it.

Another issue is that movies are only available to own on release day and for a month or so thereafter, not rent. HD movies can’t be purchased at all...they have to be rented. So, you’re not going to find a new release in HD at all. So, while the new Hulk movie was released on Vudu, day and date with the DVD and Blu-ray, you can only own it for $20 in SD, which you can buy at all of the likely places on DVD for $16, and get the extras that you miss out on with Vudu. Or you can own the Hulk Blu-ray right now and watch it in HD any time you want...not on Vudu.

Video quality is very good, all things considered.

FYI, 1080i component output is currently available on the XL box and it is a simple software upgrade. They charge $99.00 for it and it makes the HDMI and analog video outs active at the same time.

The Vudu box is great. Definitely not perfect, but still great. It is the easiest to use and most versatile of all the options on the market and their software upgrades and new HDX movies show that things are only going to get better, all without buying new hardware!

Grayson,

I’m glad you enjoyed your time with the VUDU XL.  I’d like to take this opportunity to clarify a few points that may have changed since you received your box and answer any further questions that you or your readers may have:

* All of our HD content, both instant and HDX, is encoded at 1080p/24.  The box will, of course, scale the content to your preferred resolution.

* The VUDU XL is capable of storing up to 500 purchased SD titles compared to the 50 of the consumer model.  It doesn’t scale directly with disk size because some of the disk is reserved for rental content and some for the operating system and VUDU service.

* We offer an optional software package, XLS1, for the VUDU XL.  This enables HD component video (up to 1080i) simultaneous with HDMI and IP control for integration with IP-based automation systems.

* We are rapidly growing our HD library.  As it currently stands, we have over 630 titles available in HD or HDX.

* Archival of movies to the VUDU Vault is done in My Vudu -> Archive and Delete.

* We currently use the USB port for our available wireless kit which provides a plug-and-play wireless option for those customers that can’t easily run Ethernet to their TV.

Again, thanks for the review and if you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Patrick
Sr Product Manager
VUDU, Inc.

I’ve read the current VUDU box can’t support high resolution audio because of limitations of some of the chips used. It would also be great if the box had wireless ethernet built it. I never got a reliable connection with a powerline ethernet extender, though a wireless gaming point seems to be working well.

I waffled between VUDU and AppleTV, but am glad I went with VUDU since the new HGX format looks superb on a 120” screen while Apple is stuck at 720p until they release a new box. The new ability to order movies online is very handy as well. Order it from the office in the morning and it will be waiting to watch on the box that night. Easier than a trip to Blockbuster.

Mike,
Video streaming, especially high-resolution video, is a nightmare over any of the current WiFi standards. They just aren’t fast enough at any kind of distance or through multiple walls. Building WiFi into a VUDU would have been suicide for them in terms of tech support. As an installer, I hope they never build that in, at least not based on today’s WiFi technology.

Mike, you should try the VUDU wireless kit available through normal sales channels. I love that is a two-piece kit pre-configured, requiring no messing around with WEP keys or SSIDs. It can be used along side a customers existing Wifi network or used even if there is no Wifi network. It has great range and can sustain the throughput needed for real time HD playback on VUDU. It’s also a true Ethernet bridge unlike many game adapter solutions. This means you could have the VUDU Wireless kit in a cabinet connected to a small switch and the VUDU can provide Ethernet access for multiple devices such as a Tivo or PS3 in addition to VUDU.

Jim what about the audio was a letdown? Many titles are available in 5.1. The new HDX titles are available in 5.1 Dolby Digital at bitrates higher then DVD and equal to the Dolby Digital track on Blu-Ray. VUDU does not support TrueHD at this time, but that’s no surprise considering the realtime or near-realtime delivery of content.

HD DVD and Blu-ray have turned me into an audio snob. All of the movies I’ve rented so far have had audio at least as good as DVD, but only as good as the worst Blu-ray discs. Mind you that’s not bad, but like unions, as a consumer I always want more!

They proved me wrong on one of the points of my previous post this week. Journey to the Center of the Earth is available to rent on HD without the typical month long blackout.

Even though I posted some critical comments, on the whole I’m very happy with the system. I live in a rural area. A trip to the video store involves an hour of driving. Vudu is a great solution. It’s proven to be a good companion to Netflix and a higher quality, easier to use service when compared to Amazon Unbox through TiVo. It does have room for improvement though, particularly in the catalog department.

With products like VuDu what are the implications of Comcast restriction of 250gig of monthly band width usage?  You add this to You Tube, Voip, video gaming,music downloads, regular computer usage you’ll be pushing that 250gig.

I’d like to add a few comments to my review, based on reader posts.  I only had the consumer version for review (Not the XL).  I watched everything on 480p component (no HDMI available). 

1st, it was a real oversight not to spend more time on the video/audio quality.  Lets just say it is very good, but you have to remember it’s only as good as the source and source material varies drastically.  You really need to compare “apples with apples” by viewing the same movie on perhaps a Blu-ray and SD DVD player using the same interface and display.  I was only able to do this with SD DVD’s, but in all cases Vudu looked as good if not a little better.

Thanks Patrick at VUDU for clearing up a few things.  Like I said, I only had the consumer version.

Marc is correct in being concerned about internet service providers putting limits or extra charges on bandwidth usage.  This is going to be more of a problem in the future as more and more access providers begin to adopt the practice.  This will be a problem for all movie download services, but the Vudu box is unique in that you can’t directly control what it’s doing (downloading/uploading).  However, you CAN “pull the plug” on the internet connection when not in use or you’re away. 

Use a wired connection to the device whenever possible.  802.11g will be fine for the box if it’s not used for anything else (at the same time) and it’s fairly close by, but the problem it’s unpredictable behavior. 

Wish I had a Vudu in Turkey where I live most of the year.  Maybe someday.