Audio File
May 1, 2008
VUDU VIDEO-ON-DEMAND SYSTEM
For decades, media companies have sought to deliver
video-on-demand: any movie you wish to watch, whenever you wish to watch it,
instantly. Ever-increasing Internet speeds have made video-on-demand technically
feasible, yet most Internet-based movie delivery is done through cumbersome
computer-based products. Such arrangements may be adequate for college dorm
residents, but not for anyone who simply wants to relax on the couch with a good
movie.
Enter Vudu, a product that may be as revolutionary for home theater as the Apple Macintosh was for computers. Like the Macintosh, Vudu refuses to conform to the inadequate concepts that preceded it. It employs iconoclastic ergonomics, radical new form factors and advanced engineering in the pursuit of incomparably simple operation.
Vudu offers a choice of approximately 5,000 movies. Select one and it begins playing immediately, with no advertisements, no FBI warning and no confusing navigation menus. A charming interface on your TV screen shows you the DVD cover art for each movie; the experience is more like browsing the racks at the video store than scrolling through the pay-per-view offerings on cable TV. You can search for movies by name, genre, leading actors or director.
A unique remote control, curved to fit your hand, features only five buttons and a scroll wheel—but thanks to the intuitive design of the on-screen interface, this is all you need. The sculpted lines of the $295 Vudu box make even the sleekest computer look staid, and the unit is small enough to tuck into practically any shelf.
One can choose to "rent" the movies for 24 to 48 hours at prices approximating Blockbuster’s, or to purchase them at prices comparable to DVDs and permanently store the movies on Vudu’s internal hard drive.
Vudu Labs recently released the Vudu XL, an upscale $999 version. The XL works the same way as the original Vudu, but adds features that make the product suitable for use in custom home theater systems. Foremost among these is a much larger internal hard drive, which lets the XL store more than 500 movies—roughly 10 times the capacity of the standard model. Also, unlike the original, the XL can be interfaced with touch-screen home automation systems such as Crestron.
While Vudu delivers most of those 5,000 movies with picture quality comparable to DVDs, the company now offers at least 70 movies in high definition, and promises more to come. New movies simply appear in the on-screen offerings; all updating is automatic. Simply put, there is no easier, more convenient way to watch movies at home.
Vudu, 888.554.8838, www.vudulabs.com
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