Well, Vudu is teaming up with LG to offer Vudu streaming in their new LH50 and PS80 TVs which puts their position as one of the better and more promising hardware providers and video streaming services in serious doubt.

When we reviewed the Vudu box back in 2007 we found it to be amazingly intuitive with a great UI. Fast forward to today and we find it to be considerably overshadowed by everything else that can stream video – HD and SD – including the XBox 360, a cheap little box from Roku, and the PS3. In short, Vudu was first to the party but the cool kids got all the attention when they rolled in drunk at midnight.

Standard definition movies cost 99 cents to $3.99 to rent while HD movies cost $3.99 to $5.99. There is not contract. The box itself now costs $149, down from a high of $399, and features 2000 HD movies.

Maybe I’m cynical but when a streaming service with little brand awareness outside of the geek world becomes just another logo on a box (”This LG TV is Vudu-ready!”) you’re nearing the end of the line. Netflix can do it because they’re Netflix. Blockbuster might be able to do it because they’re Blockbuster. But Vudu was a blip on most radars at best. Sure it streams at 1080p, sure it has some good content including Pr()N, and sure it was a great idea in 2007. 2009? Not so much.

VUDU’s Streaming Movie Service Transforms HDTVs into Movie-On-Demand Video Stores

VUDU Launches Unparalleled New Movie Streaming Service For Next Generation Smart TVs

Santa Clara, CA – July 29, 2009, VUDU Inc., a leading provider of on-demand Internet entertainment services today announced its second-generation service platform specifically optimized for Internet capable smart TVs.

“Smart TV’s are part of an exciting new industry trend. VUDU is partnering with leading consumer electronics vendors to embed the new VUDU service directly into the TV, eliminating the expense and hassle of purchasing, installing, or connecting another device to the TV”, said Alain Rossmann, CEO of VUDU.

The new VUDU service delivers a compelling environment for consumers to discover and watch high definition 1080p movies on-demand. The company is also announcing that industry leader LG Electronics will ship new HDTVs that include the new VUDU service.

VUDU customers can instantly buy or rent from the largest library of on-demand high definition movies – including the newest releases from all major Hollywood studios, with no monthly fees. The VUDU’s service uniquely delivers movies in true 1080p high definition and high resolution Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound, setting the industry standard for on-demand HD movies.

“Internet-delivered video to the TV, sans box, is the Holy Grail for what the TV industry today calls ‘over-the-top’ providers, “said Jimmy Schaeffler, Chairman and CSO of The Carmel Group. “I believe VUDU’s widely acknowledged excellence in video quality and user experience is likely to be a key driver for customer adoption of this next generation of smart devices in the living room.”  

“With our second generation platform we are pushing the envelope even further by delivering for the first time features such as instant fast forward and rewind, instant start for all movie qualities including HDX, and an even faster and more refined user interface” said Alain Rossmann, CEO of VUDU.

Key VUDU Features:
Instant viewing experience: unlike typical Internet and on-demand video streaming, VUDU movies start immediately, and viewers can fast forward, rewind and browse chapters without the delays or the frustration associated with buffering.
Highest quality on-demand experience: VUDU’s unique HDX format delivers true 1080p resolution, TruFilm picture enhancements, and high resolution Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound
No monthly fees: customers can instantly buy or rent from VUDU’s extensive library of standard and high definition movie and TV titles.
Largest HD library anywhere: over 2,000 titles are available in HD or HDX format.
New releases: Newly released titles from all major studios are available day and date with the DVD release, months before they are typically available on subscription-based services.

The new VUDU Service for smart TVs will make its debut on LG Electronics’ upcoming models of Broadband TVs [later this fall – subject to completion of availability language by LG in the LG release].



Widgets and gadgets are the latest trend to hit HDTVs. Vizio is upping the game by equipping its soon-to-be-released HDTVs with an impressive suite of Internet applications and video streaming sites. So much so, that this portfolio will place them on top of many people’s wish list as these TVs will be better equipped than a TiVo or even Windows Media Server.

Forget about Vizio being a mid-tier, Walmart brand. These features might make some people question why they pay a monthly fee for a TiVo. Owners will be able to stream content from Revision3, Showtime and Pandora for free, while also able to subscribe to Vudu, Netflix, Blockbuster OnDemand, Amazon Video On Demand and Rhapsody. Plus, the sets are able to work with Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and the Yahoo Widgets Engine.

All this content should be easily controlled and managed with a Bluetooth remote that features a slide-down QWERTY keyboard. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing this feature finally becoming available. Hopefully similar remotes will soon be available from TiVo and Moxi as there is nothing more annoying than typing via an on-screen keyboard.

The HDTVs connect to the local network via either 802.11n or wired networking. There is no word on DLNA support, but we wouldn’t be surprised if that finds its way into spec list.

Expect the new XVT series to be available next month and start at $749 for a 32-inch. The series continues up in price as LED-backing and 240Hz options are added. The top of the line VF551XVT has both options as well as five HDMI ports for $2,199 and will be available this September.

We’re just hoping that the picture matches the impressive feature list…

This is the first time VUDU says that Disney has allowed a downloadable service to sell their titles. Previously the films were only available on a rental basis. It’s always good news to see large additions to the VUDU catalog, but how about dropping the price a bit on the device itself? $150 is still kind of expensive even if Pandora is now available on the set-top box.

VUDU announced today that Disney is the first major studio to broadly license their HD catalog for purchase to any online service. Until now, HD movies have been available for rental only or offered for purchase in a one off basis.  Disney is licensing 60 of the library films and all new HD releases for purchase day and date with the DVD/BluRay release of the film.  Disney is offering this through VUDU in large part because of the quality of HD that VUDU offers, showing that Disney is a leader among the major studios who are making steady progress toward embracing the digital lifestyle of today’s consumers.

People do not want multiple devices hooked up to their TV. They don’t. What they really want is the functionality of all the devices without the physical boxes and it seems that Vudu understands this. The movie streaming company has teamed up with Entone to provide the IPTV company’s set-top boxes with the Vudu software. This is the first time that the service has been available without the actual Vudu box and it’s fantastic news.

Netflix made its way onto numerous devices last year and hopefully this announcement means 2009 will be Vudu’s year. Vudu’s interface is slick and users can select any movie without the assistance of a computer. It’s definitely a better overall experience than the Netflix streaming app. Most people, including myself, would love to have access to the Vudu library, but have avoided the service ’cause it will just add another box to the AV rack and remote to the coffee table. Give me Vudu – and Roku – on my TiVo and I’ll be a happy, happy man.

VUDU Introduces Pandora, First Music Application for VUDU

Latest Major Application Built on the VUDU RIA Platform Enables VUDU Owners to Bring Truly Personalized Radio to their Televisions and Home Theaters For Free

Santa Clara, CA, March 16, 2009 – VUDU, a leading provider of digital on-demand entertainment products and services, announced today that VUDU owners can get immediate access to Pandora’s free, personalized Internet radio service on VUDU. Pandora represents VUDU’s first music application for its growing RIA (Rich Internet Application) platform. Pandora joins YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and a selection of more than 120 channels of web based video content available to VUDU owners in their living rooms for free.

“As we continue to expand our RIA platform, we look forward to bringing many more popular services like Pandora to the VUDU Service,” said Edward Lichty, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Content. “Our open development environment allows us to easily release new applications in partnership with some of today’s most popular services and content delivery platforms, increasing the value of the VUDU service platform for our users and partners.”

“Pandora is committed to enabling our listeners to enjoy their Pandora stations in all the places they listen to music; at home, at work or on the go,” said Tim Westergren, Founder of Pandora. “We were impressed with VUDU’s speed and the quality of development and think that VUDU is a great way for our listeners to access their favorite Pandora stations in the comfort of their living room.”

VUDU customers can now experience Pandora on their televisions with all of the functionality that has made Pandora the leader in Internet radio. Using VUDU’s award winning remote control, VUDU customers can create new stations and personalize them by adding new variety to the station and “thumbing” songs up and down as they play. Additionally, Pandora on VUDU supports multiple accounts enabling every member of the family to play his or her own personalized Pandora stations.

Pandora (www.pandora.com) is a free, personalized Internet radio service based on the Music Genome Project, which began in 2000 and is the most thorough analysis of popular music ever undertaken. Each song in the massive collection, which includes Pop, Rock, Jazz, Electronica, Hip Hop, Country, Blues, R&B, Latin and Classical, is analyzed and assessed against up to 400 distinct musical attributes (encompassing melody, harmony, rhythm, etc.) to capture its unique musical identity. Pandora uses this information to build playlists based on musical similarity. By entering a favorite song or artist, a listener is instantly launched into a personalized listening experience. Listeners can create up to 100 of these personal radio stations and refine them by providing thumbs up or thumbs down feedback.

Introduced in late 2008, VUDU’s RIA is a standards-based platform that makes Web-hosted rich applications and services easily accessible through the VUDU Labs area of the VUDU service. Consumers can now use the VUDU remote control to access their favorite Internet content in their living rooms, optimized for display on their HDTVs. Combining the openness and ease of development of Web applications and a lean-back user experience optimized for television, VUDU RIA will be opening to developers later in 2009.

Attention Vudu owners-

You now have the privilege of downloading and owning HD movies from an on demand online distributor. There are roughly 50 titles that you can download in both HD and HDX. Magnolia, Kino and FirstLook are among the indie studios who have films available at the moment including “Man on Wire.”

But don’t let the capacity of your box hinder you from downloading content because you can use the Vault to store your movies. The HD content is priced between $14 and $24. That is all.

Thanks to cheaper hardware and higher revenue from movie sales, Vudu has lowered the price of their streaming set top box to $150. That’s a whopping 50 percent discount. Vudu’s current lineup includes 13,000 TV shows and movies. Their HD offerings are up to 1300. The 1TB XL model also saw a price drop bringing it in at $499 with a free $100 home theater connectivity software package. It doesn’t appear that the XL2 was discounted, but the wireless kit is now $79. So, you gonna stop by your local Best But to get one?

Vudu

Vudu’s iPhone app is now available from the App Store. You can now browse, purchase and rent movies from your iPhone so when you get home you won’t have to wait around. That is all.

iTunes link

VUDU sent along a minor update that adds a little YouTube goodness to the Netflix-streaming machine. Now, if a high definition version is available, the VUDU box will display that rather than the crappy SD version. You, the user, do not have to do anything extra; well, just update your movie streaming box. That’s all. You listening, TiVo. Where is your HD YouTube update? Eh?

So yeah, the buying site is down after I finished writing up the post. Hopefully the deal mentioned above doesn’t get removed.

Vudu

The holiday season is upon us and if you’re cruising the Interwebs, looking for a steal, this is it my little bargain hunter. Vudu has a massive sale on their streaming device. Instead of $299 which is honestly a little high, it’s going for only $99. Your shipped price would ring up $149 once you purchase the $50 required movie credit, but the HD streaming is well worth it. Netflix HD titles look alright, but Vudu’s HDX titles are amazing. Well worth the lower price of admission.

Vudu via Eng

VUDU has always been on the forefront of streaming video content and their latest venture aims to bring Internet videos to their set-top box in a very ZvBox-ish way. The VUDU RIA (Rich Internet Application) platform gives users access to video sites like YouTube, 120 on-demand video channels, Flickr and Picasa. While the platform is still in beta, it seems extremely similar to the ZvBox but with less options. The ZvBox championed the same concept expect offered access to not only YouTube, but also Hulu, Fox, ABC, NBC, College Humor, ect. Hopefully the VUDU option will work a tad better when it drops in ‘09 ’cause the ZvBox suffered from some terrible flaws.

Vudu is getting into the Black Friday tussle with sales on their movies. There are going to be four HDX titles, six HD movies, and a bunch of standard definition movies all for $4.99 each. So if you’re looking for a reason to stay off the roads on Black Friday, pick up the appropriate beverages Wednesday and plan for a snow day with Vudu, Friday.

Vudu via EngHD

Unless you’re in the biz of installing home theaters or you’re a hardcore home theater buff then you might as well pass on this Vudu news. The XL2 is a 1U rack-mountable doodad with a 1TB drive and is only available to order through a Vudu-certified custom installer or so the press release leads us to believe. Well, the goodness doesn’t stop there, folks.

XL2 also offers IP and IR control that allow it to be integrated into most high-end home control systems, 1080i HD output over component, and the ability to route and switch HD signals through the home with the use of off-the-shelf video switchers.

The XL2 itself will set you back $1299.

Vudu

Vudu’s HD catalog is officially the largest available from any service and even surpasses physical media. In the month of October Vudu added over 150 HD titles per week to reach this historical milestone. Their recently announced HDX service now has over 150 titles as well.

Today, they added 35 HDX titles and 398 HD titles, which we’ve listed after the jump in alphabetical order because we love you!

HD titles:

12 Angry Men
21 Hours at Munich
A Dry White Season
A Fistful of Dynamite
A Great Wall
A Hole in the Head
A Kiss Before Dying
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy
A Rumor of Angels
A Slipping Down Life
Adios Sabata
Alfie
Alien vs. Predator
Ambush Bay
American Ninja
Angel Unchained
Art School Confidential
Article 99
At First Sight
Avalanche
Avanti!
Baby Boom
Barfly
Behind Enemy Lines
Ben-Hur
Beverly Hills Cop 2
Beverly Hills Cop 3
Black Girl
Blade Runner (Director’s Cut)
Blue State
Body Heat
Border Cop [aka The Border]
Braveheart
Breaker! Breaker!
Brian’s Song
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
Bucktown
Bull Durham
Bulletproof Monk
Caveman
Child’s Play
China Doll
Cinderella Man
City of Industry
Clambake
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Director’s Cut)
Clue
Code of Silence
Coffy
Colors
Company Business
Confessions of an American Girl
Convoy
Cool Blue
Cooley High
Cops and Robbers
Count Yorga, Vampire
Courage Under Fire
CQ
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Crisscross
Crusoe
Curse of the Pink Panther
Cutter’s Way
Cyborg Soldier
Dance with Me, Henry
Dark Blue
Davy Crockett, Indian Scout
Day Watch [Dnevnoy Dozor]
Days of Thunder
Death Rides a Horse
Desperately Seeking Susan
Die Hard With a Vengeance
Die, Monster, Die!
Diggstown
Dirty Work
Distant Voices, Still Lives
Double Trouble
Dr. Phibes Rises Again
Easy Money
Electra Glide in Blue
Enter the Ninja
Erik the Viking
Escape from Alcatraz
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask
Exodus
F.I.S.T.
F/X
F/X 2
Fantastic Four
Farewell to the King
Fay Grim
Fiddler on the Roof
Fight Club
Flesh and Blood
Fluke
Follow That Dream
For Those Who Think Young
For Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar Evers
For Your Consideration
Force 10 from Navarone
Friday the 13th: Part 2
From Noon Till Three
Futureworld
Gattaca
Ghost Warrior
Ghoulies
Ghoulies 2
Grave of the Vampire
Gun the Man Down
Hang ‘em High
Happy Endings
Hard Promises
He Who Must Die
Hercules Against the Barbarians
High Tide
Hoodlum
Hoosiers
Hot Dog… The Movie
House of D
House of Games
How to Beat the High Cost of Living
How to Murder Your Wife
How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying
Huckleberry Finn
Hurricane Streets
I Escaped from Devil’s Island
I Love You, Don’t Touch Me!
I, Robot
Ice Age
Ice Age: The Meltdown
If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium
If Lucy Fell
In the Name of the King
Inherit the Wind
Inserts
Inspector Clouseau
Interiors
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Iphigenia
Irma La Douce
It Runs in the Family
Jason’s Lyric
Johnny Be Good
Khartoum
Kid Colter
Kid Galahad
King of Hearts
King of New York
Kingdom of Heaven
Kings of the Sun
L.A. Bounty
L.A. Streetfighters
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
Last Tango in Paris
Lawman
Legend of the Lost
Lenny
Leviathan
Life Stinks
Little Man Tate
Little Miss Sunshine
Little Monsters
Livin’ Large!
Lone Wolf McQuade
Lupo
Mac and Me
Mad Max
Mademoiselle
Madhouse
Making Mr. Right
Man of the East
Man on Fire
Manhattan
Me, Myself and Irene
Memories of Me
Men of Honor
Mermaids
Midnight Cowboy
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
Miss Julie
Mississippi Burning
Moby Dick
Moonlight and Valentino
Moulin Rouge
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Unrated)
Mr. Majestyk
Mr. Mom
Much Ado About Nothing
Murder at 1600
Music from Another Room
My American Cousin
My Beautiful Laundrette
Mystic Pizza
Napoleon
Navajo Joe
Nim’s Island
Nobody’s Fool
Number One
Octavia
Once Upon a Time in America
One, Two, Three
Osama
Pajama Party
Paper Lion
Parents
Personal Velocity
Phaedra
Phone Booth
Pit and the Pendulum
Planet of the Vampires
Platoon
Play Dirty
Poltergeist 2: The Other Side
Pootie Tang
Popi
Pork Chop Hill
Posse
Posse
Prisoner of the Mountains
Pumpkinhead
Pursuit
Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You
Queen of Hearts
Quigley Down Under
Radio Days
Rancho Deluxe
Raw Meat
Real Men
Rebel in Town
Red Dawn
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins
Reprise
Reptilicus
Return of Sabata
Return of the Magnificent Seven
Revolt at Fort Laramie
Revolution
Rich Kids
Road House
Robbers’ Roost
Robocop 2
Rolling Thunder
Romeo Is Bleeding
Running Scared
Sabata
Salt and Pepper
Scandalous
Scarecrows
Scooby-Doo in Where’s My Mummy?
Scream and Scream Again
Semi-Tough
Shadows and Fog
Shanghai Surprise
Shutter
Silent Hill
Sleepover
Soapdish
Some Girls
Species 3
Species: The Awakening
Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country
Stay Hungry
Storefront Hitchcock
Straight Out of Brooklyn
Street Kings
Super Troopers
Support Your Local Sheriff
Sweet Smell of Success
Swing Shift
Tales of Terror
Tank Girl
Teachers
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terror in a Texas Town
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Amityville Horror
The Baby-Sitters Club
The Barefoot Contessa
The Battle of El Alamein
The Bed Sitting Room
The Charge of the Light Brigade
The Charge of the Model-T’s
The Chocolate War
The Conversation
The Couch Trip
The Counterfeiters
The Dark Half
The Day After Tomorrow
The Defiant Ones
The Delinquents
The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission
The Dogs of War
The Food of the Gods
The Foot Fist Way
The Gallant Hours
The Garbage Pail Kids Movie
The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Group
The Gunfight at Dodge City
The Hard Word
The Hawaiians
The Honey Pot
The Horror Show
The Hospital
The Hotel New Hampshire
The In Crowd
The Jewel of the Nile
The Job
The Juror
The King and Four Queens
The Knack, and How to Get It
The Last Man on Earth
The Long Goodbye
The Longest Day
The Lover
The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
The Maltese Falcon
The Masque of the Red Death
The Mighty Quinn
The Neanderthal Man
The Omen
The Organization
The Package
The Peacekillers
The People That Time Forgot
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
The Playboys
The Pope of Greenwich Village
The Presidio
The Pride and the Passion
The Punisher
The Purple Rose of Cairo
The Relentless Four
The Resurrected
The Return of a Man Called Horse
The Return of Dracula
The Return of the Living Dead
The Return of the Pink Panther
The Revolt of the Slaves
The Right Stuff
The Rock
The Rookie
The Running Man
The Scalphunters
The Secret of NIMH
The Secret of Santa Vittoria
The Sentinel
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
The Thomas Crown Affair
The Train
The Virgin Suicides
The White Buffalo
The Wonderful Country
The Young Savages
Thelma and Louise
This World, Then the Fireworks
Thrashin’
Three Kings
Throw Momma From the Train
To Kill For
To Live and Die in L.A.
Topkapi
Trail of the Pink Panther
Transporter 2
Troll
UHF
Undertow
Undiscovered
Unforgettable
Unforgiven
Urban Cowboy
Valdez Is Coming
Welcome to Woop Woop
What Happens in Vegas (Unrated)
What’s New Pussycat?
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Windtalkers
Witness for the Prosecution
Wooly Boys
X-Men: The Last Stand
X2: X-Men United
Yellowbeard
Yentl
Young Billy Young
Youngblood
Yours, Mine and Ours

HDX titles:

Alien vs. Predator
Day Watch [Dnevnoy Dozor]
Distant Voices, Still Lives
Fight Club
Finding Amanda
Happy Endings
House of D
Ice Age
King of New York
Little Miss Sunshine
Men of Honor
Mission: Impossible 2
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Unrated)
Nim’s Island
Platoon
Shutter
Silent Hill
Speed
Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home
Street Kings
Super Troopers
The Day After Tomorrow
The Job
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The Matrix Revolutions
The Punisher
The Rock
The Rookie
The Running Man
To Live and Die in L.A.
Top Gun
Transporter 2
Undiscovered
What Happens in Vegas (Unrated)
Wooly Boys

Vudu

Best Buy now carries Vudu and is offering new customers a $200 credit for a limited time.

How good is it? Hit the jump for comparisons and to learn about Vudu’s TruFilm Technology.

TruFilm is made up of the following components.

PSYCHOVISUAL PROCESSING
The human eye is not uniformly sensitive to detail in light and dark areas of an image. With careful use of this knowledge during encoding, it is possible to exploit this sensitivity difference to improve the compression of the video and the perceived detail. The simplest forms of this have been in place for many years in digital video. For example, chroma subsampling reduces the amount of bandwidth allocated to the color channels, since the human eye is much more sensitive to luminance (brightness) than it is to chrominance (color).

VUDU’s encoder uses more advanced algorithms than used in the past by taking into consideration changes in brightness. The eye is much more sensitive to high frequency (fine texture) detail in bright areas. As a result it is possible to reallocate bits from lower-complexity parts of the image in order to noticeably boost quality. Other encoders have the tendency to overly reallocate from large flat areas which can introduce blocking artifacts to the image. The Adaptive Quantization functionality in VUDU’s encoder considers scenarios such as these and more intelligently allocates data within the frame. As a result, VUDU is able to improve overall image quality with enhanced details in dark areas of the picture while virtually removing the artifacts typically present and often noticed in other Internet-delivered or broadcast video.

FILM GRAIN PRESERVATION
As an analog medium, film inherits a large part of its look and feel from the chemistry of the film itself. This is most visible to the viewer as film grain. The amount and look of the grain is the result of the film stock and the exposure settings used by the filmmaker. Directors and photographers go to great lengths in selecting the appropriate film and settings to give their movies the look and feel that they want to communicate. Modern digital video encoding techniques often remove much the film grain either intentionally (because it looks similar to noise in the image) or through accident (because the encoder over-compresses the video and loses detail, including the grain). . This
results in an encoded picture that not only fails to preserve the vision of the filmmaker but also displays visible artifacts in grainy underexposed areas of the picture. VUDU’s Film Grain Preservation technology detects this film grain prior to encoding and ensures that the film grain is preserved and present on the video for display to the viewer.

STATISTICAL VARIABLE BIT RATE
As discussed above, while VBR encoding offers potentially better quality, it is difficult to stream as compared to CBR encodings. This can lead to a choice between downloading a high-quality video for delayed, offline viewing and streaming a lower-quality video for instant gratification. VUDU employs a carefully-controlled application of HDX by VUDU 9 VBR encoding called Statistical Variable Bit Rate that optimizes the beginning of the movie for quick streaming access and then enforces a peak bit rate limit on the rest of the movie to aid in predictability. Additionally, VUDU’s encoder performs multiple encoding passes over the video to help make intelligent rate control decisions, while
maintaining a “variable bit rate buffer”, which essentially allows for variability in bit rate without breaking the average and maximum bit rate constraints. All of this helps preserve the quality of the film while providing the predictability required, allowing instant viewing of the movie over the Internet.

COLOR GRADIENT PROCESSING
Many video compression systems create pictures that are optimized for CRT displays, rather than modern LCD and Plasma digital displays. The display characteristics of the latter displays are different from that of the CRT, and can expose artifacts that may remain well-hidden in CRTs. A common example of such artifacts is visible in images with subtle color gradients, such as an expanse of blue depicting a cloudless sky. In such images, one can often see banding or “false contouring” on an LCD or Plasma display while a CRT might be more forgiving. VUDU designed its hardware and encoding software with these display technologies in mind. Through a technique
known as Color Gradient Processing VUDU identifies potential trouble areas present in an image and tunes the image for the best result possible with LCD and Plasma flat panel displays.

Those long download times are true, but Vudu is hoping you’ll queue HDX movies online or hours before you’re ready to watch. I’m down with picking out movies online while I’m at work, so they’re ready to go when I get home.

High-res

High-res

Just in case you have the need to travel with your movie-streaming Vudu box, there is a travel kit now available. It includes everything you need including an extra antenna, power supply, HDMI cable, and composite cable. That way all you need to do is throw your box and remote into this $69 kit and hit the road, Jack.

Vudu has big plans for their IP-based content delivery service. Big plans and we don’t mean that .99 cent rental thing. 

“In a very short time we’ll have 1,000 HD titles,” says Donnigan. “That’s more than Blu-ray. We have some huge deals.”

That’s a lot of high-def content. More than any service we can think of. But also, the company wants to help recovery lost movies due to a hard drive failure by offering a lifetime content warranty. That’s very kind of Vudu; you did pay for the flicks in the first place.

The long-term future of Vudu maybe in question — after all, how many digital delivery systems do we need — but if they lead the HD title race, they just might have a bright future. More info certainly to come at CEDIA.

via CEDIANews