Glad they finally stepped up the quality, but by reading that you’d think they invented two-pass video encoding.

Well, they claim to have proprietary algorithms, and so far the other IP-VOD services haven’t reached 1080p so they must be doing SOMETHING.

At least they more invented their technology than Speakercraft Invented iPhone Interface for Multiroom Audio

LOL @ “blow the wad”

But seriously folks, this is what is going to put a hurt on physical media.

Vudu’s original HD movies were weak (~4Mbps) but now, those who took the plunge are not out in the cold. A simple firmware upgrade, and BAM ... 2-3 times the bit rate with no new hardware and no new discs.

And guess what? Internet speeds aren’t exactly getting slower, so I doubt this will be the last upgrade for Vudu. No more re-buying a movie you already own every time a new format or a remastered version comes out ... just re-download it. Though I imagine Hollywood will get wise and eventually start charging a small fee for an upgrade, but it’s still a better deal than buying new players and new copies of the same movies.

Did you also see that Vudu is offering an exclusive deal to Best Buy customers. Buy your box for $299 and get $200 in free movie bucks. I guess that pretty much makes this a DIY product instead of a CI product.

The Vudu XL is their channel product.

Yeah, $299 does not get you a 1TB Vudu XL. It gets you a 250GB box with none of the integration support of the XL.

And Vudu is offering a $1000 movie credit that we can resell to our customers with the XL unit so they get a box ready to go with $1000 worth of available credit.

We have sold 25 or 30 of the XL boxes already and so far they are great and our customers really like them.

I don’t know why I never saw anything about Vudu before (or maybe I did and just forgot...).  HDX over the internet is just the thing I am looking for in my HT.  I can buy the top notch films on Blu-Ray and rent the ones not worth owning on Vudu!

Vudu, you should add DTS-HD and DD True HD to those boxes as part of the downloads though… Or at least make it an option for people that prefer lossless sound quality.  I don’t care about it on most movies, but if I’m going to download a HD concert, I’m going to want the option of HD sound, even if I have to wait a bit longer to get it…

In any case, I just ordered my unit from Best Buy and I’ll have it hooked up by tomorrow night!

Thanks,

- Jeff

Hi Jeff,

Just beware the Best Buy model (X100) is limited compared with the XL.  Aside from very limited HDX storage, 6-10 films compared with 75 for the XL.  If you are in the CI business, you will find that this model doesn’t offer integration capabilities (IP) for all the modern remote products (Philips Pronto) and control systems, or HD over component, and will not support future CI specific software features on the X100. 

Give us a call (408-492-1010 OR http://www.vudu.com) and we can direct you to a distributor, or discuss requirements for becoming a dealer. 

If you are an end-user, our website lists the 1000 authorized direct dealers who would be happy to sell you an XL.

Enjoy your new VUDU!

Mark Donnigan
VUDU, Inc.

I’m still not clear how this format needs to be output in order to see the quality.  Has anyone rented a movie in SD and in HDX format and compared the two using the component output?  Will the better quality be apparent?  I assume the HDMI format will show it.
Is the HDMI output providing 1080p 24 fps?  Anyone help me out here?
Thanks, Grayson

Grayson,

HDMI will be fine, as would HD over component with a VUDU XL.  The HDMI output does do 1080p/24 and that would be the best match for the content which is also 1080p24. 

That said, even on my 768p Panasonic plasma, the picture is fantastic increased detail evident.

Patrick
VUDU, Inc.