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Vudu Goes HD, Thumbs Nose at Blu-ray and HD DVD
Posted by Wilson Rothman at 3:32 AM on November 21, 2007
This winter, Vudu will give every Vudu owner and new buyer copies of both The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy, pre-loaded on their boxes in glorious HD. They will also have the opportunity to download The Bourne Ultimatum to own for $25. This is a sign that Vudu—and Universal—are looking past the current format war towards the increasingly inevitable download-only distribution.
Until now, Vudu has just seemed like a better alternative to CinemaNow or Movielink, IP-based video-on-demand that was ready-made for the living room. It still costs money to rent or own movies after you buy the the box, and content selection was limited to (very high quality) standard-def video. But now it's challenging the current state of HD.
Whenever we talk about the format war, there is always a segment of commenters who scream out "Neither!" in favour of the still nebulous digital download scenario. At the beginning of Blu-ray and HD DVD, Hollywood execs talked of a strict code: HD was for packaged disc-locked media only, while downloads had to be standard def. But Xbox Live changed that when it began distributing HD video for rent, and now, it seems, the floodgates are open. Even staunch HD DVD defender Universal seems eager to see what happens when you give customers to take their HD movies straight up, hold the shiny silver disc.
But there are good reasons why this doesn't yet signal the death knell of the disc formats:
• There's high-def and there's high-def. The video quality of Vudu's downloads is 1080i, impressive especially for film content, but a far cry from the 1080p favoured by true videophiles. Also, packaged disc content can have higher-resolution audio at this point, too, though that will change as pipes widen.
• $25 for a software-only copy of a movie sounds a little steep, considering you can get the HD DVD of The Bourne Supremacy at Amazon for $20. iTunes had to sell albums for $10 at a time when CDs costs $15 or more. I think $20 is the most Vudu could really charge for HD download-to-own titles.
• Saving an HD movie to your Vudu may put the screws to the HD DVD/Blu-ray debate, but it also starts up another format war, what our own Matt Buchanan labelled the Infinite Format War. For the time being, an HD movies saved on your Vudu is going to stay there, and you won't be able to play it on your Xbox 360. Never say never, but that's the deal for now.
Press release:
VUDU AND UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT TO DELIVER BOURNE TRILOGY DIRECTLY TO THE LIVING ROOM IN HIGH DEFINITION JUST IN TIME FOR HOLIDAYSIncluded With the Purchase of the VUDU Set-Top Box, VUDU Customers Get High Definition Versions of The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy and an Option to Purchase The Bourne Ultimatum Starting on December 11, 2007
VUDU Users Don't Need to Run to Video Store or Wait in Line on Release Day for the Ultimate Action Thriller
SANTA CLARA, CA - November 20, 2007 - VUDU Inc., the company that brings instant access to video content to the living room, announced an unprecedented collaboration with Universal Studios Home Entertainment to deliver the entire Bourne Trilogy in high definition (HD.)
In a groundbreaking HD arrangement, VUDU and Universal will offer the three installments of the franchise available through the VUDU service in HD with Surround Sound. Starting November 23rd, and for a limited time, VUDU will begin offering an amazing bonus to its existing and future VUDU customers that includes, with the purchase of their VUDU set-top box, permanent copies of The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy in HD - a $50 value. In addition, beginning December 11th, VUDU customers will be able to purchase The Bourne Ultimatum in HD for $24.99
By providing VUDU customers access to the Bourne Trilogy, VUDU expands its service to include HD content for the first time. These HD movies complement more than 5,000 titles available for rent or purchase directly through the television, without requiring a PC, cable service, or satellite TV subscription. The availability of The Bourne Trilogy expands on a previously announced agreement with Universal to deliver content in HD format.
"Digital delivery of HD movies through VUDU makes it easy for consumers to get the high quality content they most want to watch, when they want to watch it," said Tony Miranz, VUDU's Co-founder and EVP for Sales & Business Development. "Our agreement with Universal gives lovers of the Bourne series instant gratification in glorious HD right from the comfort of their own home. We share Universal's passion for providing viewers with the ultimate in video content, and look forward to collaborating on many more top-quality Universal releases."
"Universal is committed to providing new and innovative entertainment experiences for consumers," said Craig Kornblau, President, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures Digital Platforms. "VUDU's breakthrough technology speaks to the evolving digital distribution market and is a perfect way for Bourne fans to get the best motion pictures in superior home video quality in the timeliest manner possible."
VUDU enables high-speed broadband customers to get instant access through their TV to more than 5,000 movies from all the major and more than 20 independent studios and distributors. VUDU delivers movies to consumers as they are released by the studios to DVD and maintains an up-to-date library of current releases. VUDU lets consumers watch the movie they want to watch when they want to watch it--no planning necessary, no computer required, no software downloads, and no cable TV service or satellite subscription needed.
Availability
VUDU can be purchased at select retailers and online including Tweeter, Magnolia, MyerEmco, Amazon.com ,VUDU.com, and other select AV retailers.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
Matthew Self
Posted January 25, 2008 2:00 PM
A couple of clarifications:
VUDU's HD content is delivered in 1080p/24 format, which is the best HD format available for film content.
As mentioned in the Jan 6 press release, HD movies on VUDU will play instantly for all customers who have an Internet connection with at least 4Mbps bandwidth.
--Matthew (VUDU - VP Operations)
astrocramp
Posted 12:56 PM 20/11/07
*YAWN* My xbox360 has been downloading HD movies for over a year, streamable to any PC, for much cheaper.
astrocramp
DC_Audiofool
Posted 12:56 PM 20/11/07
HD...at what bitrate?
DC_Audiofool
EMoShunz
Posted 12:47 PM 20/11/07
@Oro: true. i think for video games it will only be 1 or 2 more generations until its all d/l only. as for cross compatability...a man can dream.
EMoShunz
Arza
Posted 12:44 PM 20/11/07
I just did the speed test and the needle was buried in the 10mbps. I think here in Canada most internet users are on cable. I'm not sure what the situation is like in the US, but it seems like this is a decent alternative to appleTV.
Just one question though. What happens when you fill up the Vudu with downloaded movies? Are we going to be able to transfer the titles to an external HD? Then what about uploading those movies again?
Arza
daftrok
Posted 12:42 PM 20/11/07
Thats what makes the PS3 so 1337 for home theater setups. Not only is it shiny and black its the only console that allows you to supe up your HDD without voiding any warranties.
daftrok
Oro
Posted 12:42 PM 20/11/07
@EMoShunz: How else is Sony going to sell BluRay movies?
I can't wait for digital distribution to finally happen and take hold, but it won't until all content becomes media neutral. If I download a song, I should be able to play it on an iPod, a Zune, a PC, a car, &c &c. If I download a movie, I should be able to watch it on my TV, my computer, my portable media player. If I download a book from Amazon, I should be able to read it on a Kindle, a Sony eReader, my laptop, my PocketPC, anything. I'm paying them money so I can listen/watch/read the content, it shouldn't matter what I'm using to do so.
Oro
EMoShunz
Posted 12:39 PM 20/11/07
@Noobs-R-Us: sure, but, the vudu only has an 80GB from what I read. I haven't bought a PS3 yet, but I was planning on getting one with a big HDD, I thought 80GB was the biggest (well, not until the pvr ad iptv are released in north america). either way though, the PS3 will allow you to store on other drives on your network, this thing doesn't (yet, i think it says in the FAQ it might happen soon).
EMoShunz
fallenturtle
Posted 12:36 PM 20/11/07
What happens when you run out of drive space? Do you have to delete your $25 movie purchase? Will Vudu and other similar services keep track of what you purchased and allow re-downloads?
Frankly, if I'm going to fork out $25 for a movie, I want a way to have a physical backup of it.
fallenturtle
Noobs-R-Us
Posted 12:33 PM 20/11/07
@EMoShunz: Because PS3 has a tiny Hard Drive! It's not cost efficient. Those tiny notebook hard drives don't hold much and are expensivo.
Noobs-R-Us
ninjamurf
Posted 12:30 PM 20/11/07
I'm not sure that 1080p TV's or content are wide spread enough for all the "videophiles" to be turned on to the point of ignoring the rest. 1080i is a perfectly capable resolution. As is 720p. What's more important is getting quality content at those resolutions. Planet Earth on my 720p set is phenomenal because of the way it was produced and distributed. When the only way to get 1080p content is from HD-DVD or BlueRay there isn't much point for the general public to invest in either. Combined with the fact that not only are there a grand total of ZERO broadcasters currently broadcasting in 1080p there are a grand total of ZERO broadcasters who are PLANNING on broadcasting in 1080p. It's not even on the network radar at the moment so the only way to get that content is through HD style disks. Not worth it for mainstream America.
ninjamurf
frigg
Posted 12:27 PM 20/11/07
AppleTV has been behaving really really well lately, hoping that Apple will buy it Vudu as a little stocking stuffer for Christmas.
frigg
EMoShunz
Posted 12:24 PM 20/11/07
ok, first impression after a quick look...
why the hell doesn't sony just add this capability to the ps3? it would have all of the things i see as a fault on this...
hdmi 1.3
1080p
built in wireless
one less freaking component
other than that, rental prices are ok...maxing out at $4, $3 would be better (no store is needed, no physical media needs to be purchased, stands to reason the price should be less than a video store). purchase prices are too much, a d/l that you have to buy your own media, and don't get all the other junk, top price should be $12.
i know...never happen.
EMoShunz
mattblatz
Posted 12:10 PM 20/11/07
@Spyrojoe: When our broadband speeds actually reach acceptable levels.
mattblatz
EMoShunz
Posted 12:08 PM 20/11/07
how is it i've never heard of this vudu thing. must research it!
EMoShunz
Spyrojoe
Posted 12:03 PM 20/11/07
This is a sign that Vudu-and Universal-are looking past the current format war towards the increasingly inevitable download-only distribution."
When lord? When's gonna be my time?
Spyrojoe
mobilehavoc
Posted 2:07 PM 20/11/07
Awesome! 1080i downloadable full length features??? These will only take 24 hours to freaking download!
mobilehavoc
Kaiser-Machead
Posted 2:02 PM 20/11/07
@junk: That makes the deal that much sweeter.
Kaiser-Machead
fostina1
Posted 2:00 PM 20/11/07
like i said previously, movies on discs is already old news. when a fingerprint can screw up the quality of a movie, you need to start looking for a better delivery method. why support tech thats dead before it even gets going good. movies on thumbdrives and downloads is the future. or downloading the movies at blockbuster on to my thumbdrive, im telling you discs are DEAD!!!
fostina1
junk
Posted 1:24 PM 20/11/07
@fallenturtle: Vudu does keep track of your downloads and rentals. From what we (the Vudu users forum) have been told, you will be able to redownload movies that you've already purchased, if your box dies. This doesn't exactly answer your question, but it stands to reason that old/not recently played movies will be booted when you run out of space. I don't know if there's been a straight answer about running out of disk space though. It's an awesome box though. I canceled Netflix the other day and will be Vudu only.
junk
perros
Posted 1:06 PM 20/11/07
For films shot at 25frames/sec (pretty much all of them), 1080p is actually NO different to 1080p, as each frame is shown at least twice anyway with 3:2 pulldown.
But yeah, digital distribution should be cheaper.
-Perros-
perros
Noobs-R-Us
Posted 1:04 PM 20/11/07
@Oro: that will NEVER happen.
Noobs-R-Us
Canoehead
Posted 2:42 PM 20/11/07
Re PS3 - you can now get notebook HDDs up to 250gb, which you could put in the PS3, simply by following the instructions that come with the PS3 (how revolutionary!). The PS3 can also accept connection of external HDDs, BUT they are limited to Fat32 (file size no more than 4GB). In order to make a HD PVR / IPTV solution work (with the DRM they will want) you would have to connect your HDD to the PS3 and then it would format the drive with some sort of proprietary file system on the Tivo, which would presumably marry the drive to the PS3 and the drive would then be unreadable to any other system.
Canoehead
EvilJ
Posted 2:37 PM 20/11/07
I'd love to think that this is a soon-to-be reality.
But it's not.
People often forget that there are still segments of the population who don't have/have access to high-speed internet.
What's more, I'm sorry, but if you put every movie I owned in 1080i/720p, though I may thank you for it, I'd still need at minimum a TB of storage.
Drive storage is going down rapidly in price, but I still think that (as much as it sucks) discs are the cheapest way to distribute large amounts of data... not for the consumers, though.
Think about it... in order to distribute large amounts of data, it not only takes a lot of bandwidth on the consumer end, but imagine what we'd be looking at from the studio/distributor end. Yes, they have to ship physical media now, but I'd love to see the cost of distribution/manufacturing vs sales and the cost of bandwidth/ digital storage vs sales.
I mean, Blu-rays/HD-DVDs cost, what, a buck a piece max to manufacture. They sell from $20-$30 each. I'm not saying the studios get $19-$29 per sale, but the profit margin is massive.
As people have pointed out here, iTunes had to make the cost of buying an album CHEAPER than the cost of buying a CD because people like to own THINGS. Me personally, I'm just as content with a digital version so long as I back it up six ways from Sunday, but I'm not the general public.
I agree with what a lot of people have said about the current format war. It's stupid. While it's going to increase over the next quarter, homes with HDTVs account for about a third of the population. That's not a lot. Blu-rays and HD-DVDs really only benefit people with an HDTV and, at minimum, a 5.1 surround sound system. That's not that many people.
Until everyone in this country at least owns an HDTV... it doesn't matter.
I do find it interesting that Universal is looking for a way out of their HD-DVD quandry, though... :)
EvilJ
EMoShunz
Posted 2:25 PM 20/11/07
@fostina1: i wish you were right. soon though, within 5 years i'd say.
EMoShunz
Suffer
Posted 3:55 PM 20/11/07
Here are the problems with this DL to set top box as I see them: Finite space, lack of portability, and extras. HDDs have managed to keep well ahead of the space demands made by music horders like myself (although the hardcore lossless CODEC loving audiophiles may be scraping the edges, but what happens when I fill up my Vudu? I don't want to have to cull my collection to add new content. Currently I have over 200 DVDs. Translated into HD files, are they all going to fit on the limited space of a set top box?
And what about those family trips to Grandma's for the holidays? How am I going to keep the kids amused in the back seat with portable DVD players if the content is sitting on my Vudu?
Finally, what about my extras!? Do these Vudu files contain the audio commentaries, the deleted scenes, etc or will it just be the film?
Just my 5 cents.
-Suffer
Suffer
R2B2
Posted 3:55 PM 20/11/07
@astrocramp:
I love my Xbox 360 too, but there's no way in hell I could possibly stand to watch a movie or TV show on it since it's as loud as a god damn hair dryer.
R2B2
MrBlahBlah
Posted 5:02 PM 20/11/07
the 360 is totally the better deal.
MrBlahBlah
Rusdude
Posted 4:19 PM 20/11/07
I'd like to hear more on exactly what is going to be offered in HD on Vudu -- HD is nice but content is the king. Also, what Vudu really needs is subscriptions plans. I doubt studios would allow unlimited movies per month on Vudu but 10-20 for $20/mo. would be nice.
Rusdude
robinandtami
Posted 5:49 PM 20/11/07
@mobilehavoc:
Actually, most of the HD movies that I have downloaded over the XBox Live Marketplace have been ready to watch within 30-60 minutes of starting the download; and I just have crappy old Bellsouth DSL. The XBox calculates how long the download should take and allows you to start watching before the download completes. Once or twice it has miscalculated and I've had an unplanned intermission while waiting for the DL to catch up, but that's surprisingly rare.
robinandtami
navvywavvy
Posted 11:56 AM 21/11/07
I'm glad to see that steps are being taken in this direction. But there are "iPod steps", and then there are "Zune steps". The fact of the matter is that until they can give me something that is better quality and a more reasonable price, I'm going to continue with my current method of watching torrent sites like a lazy lion eyeing a gazelle.
navvywavvy
fkasten
Posted 4:01 PM 20/11/07
I just received my new VUDU box and want to clear up a couple misconceptions from some of the postings here. The box has a 250GB disk and a USB port that VUDU has said will soon support an external drive. The capability isn't here now but DISH just added external drive support to my 622 DVR so I'm sure VUDU can too. Also VUDU uses a patented technique to preload the beginning of movies on the hard drive and download the remainder as you're watching from a Peer to Peer network. The result is instant access to their movie library with no computer in the mix (just your broadband connection to the VUDU box to your TV). I used a Linksys Wireless Game Adapter to connect mine to my home wireless network. It's really slick.
fkasten
WTF-STFU
Posted 2:12 PM 20/11/07
Hope none of you wants to use your universal remote to control this box; it's RF only so you'll be reaching for that gay looking VUDU remote whenever you want to watch a movie. How stupid can they be?
WTF-STFU
legostormtrooper
Posted 12:24 PM 20/11/07
I don't really see online distribution catching on. For one thing it takes too long to download a high def movie. And I don't want movies that only exist on my hard drive. What if my hard drive crashes? The thing about discs is that if my player breaks, I can just get another player.
legostormtrooper
x23
Posted 6:02 PM 21/11/07
true videophiles like these?
[www.hometheatermag.com]
or like the kind that work in the Sony marketing department?
x23
Suffer
Posted 3:52 PM 23/11/07
Flame me if you must, but I have spent hours (not in one standing) in Best Buy and Circuit City looking back and forth between 1080i and 1080p on 50inch and larger screens and I just can't see the difference. I understand the difference in the mechanics, but I'm just not seeing a significant difference in picture clarity.
-Suffer
Suffer