Granted, we
did just ask you how you'd
tweak the VUDU, but we're fairly certain none of you would recommend over doubling the price. Nevertheless, VUDU is apparently hoping that folks not quite ready to pull the trigger on its original set-top-box will be totally enthused about dropping a cool grand on the XL. Apparently, this one sports a fair bit more internal space (1TB to be exact) -- enough to hold 500 SD movies. If you're wondering if any films other than
the Bourne trilogy will be available to take advantage of all this new space, VUDU is apparently aiming to unleash 70 of 'em later this month. Oh, and those high-definition films will run you $5.99 (new titles) / $3.99 ("HD classics) to rent, but hey, what's that after you've laid down $999 for the box itself?
[Image courtesy of
VUDU]
Read - VUDU XL has 1TB of storage
Read - 70 new HD films coming to VUDU
posted Jan 6th 2008 at 1:35AM
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ROGELIO @ Jan 24th 2008 6:18PM
Who manufactures the Vudu box.
MegaZone @ Jan 6th 2008 4:09AM
Yay, I'm twice as unlikely to buy this one.
cjohn17 @ Jan 6th 2008 9:44AM
VUDU has officially jumped the shark with this lump of junk. With this xtra-large paper weight they have given up on ever being a competitive rental service. Which is good because there is little to rent and most of their selections are purchase only - in stereo (LOL). Not much in the way of DD 5.1. VUDU can't offer new release rentals titles for 3-4 weeks after they've hit the streets at Blockbuster or Netflix. Which, BTW, will be offering VOD for far cheaper. Perhaps even giving away the box.
But why can't VUDU allow a USB2 drive to be attached? It would be a tenth the cost of this silly, useless monster.
cjohn17 @ Jan 6th 2008 10:35AM
P.S. DirecTV is doing this far cheaper in beta right now.
GhostDoggy @ Jan 6th 2008 10:22AM
Why should disk space be such an expensive option in products like this? I routinely buy 500GB disks for under $100 in retail. The last pair cost me $90 for Western Digital SATA2 with 16MB cache for $89 each. I would imagine buying them in bulk would be cheaper.
JeffDM @ Jan 6th 2008 11:31AM
This is lame. A 1TB drive costs $300 retail, so they're taking away the original drive and puting a new one in at twice the price of the drive? Taking away the retail value of the original drive, the drive in the VUDU is apparently worth 2.4 times the retail price of a bare drive. $400 + $6/ HD movie rental was already ridiculous. I gather it's probably the fault of the studios, but that makes a Netflix/Blockbuster subscription look like the best deal which nothing else can come close in value per movie, and I can use the equipment I already own.
RonV @ Jan 6th 2008 11:33AM
If anyone took the time to read the press release that this box is mostly for the high end installers. Also TB media drives don't come cheap. These things need to be silent and fast to support HD.
What I am really excited about is that the number HD titles are growing and you don't have to wait for the format war to be over to watch some great HD content.
From what I have seen so far the HD quality of the VUDU far exceeds what DirectTV is pushing as HD on their satellite systems.
cjohn17 @ Jan 6th 2008 1:32PM
RonV is a VUDU forum moderator. Take his biased payed for comments with a grain of salt. VUDU moderators have a habit of not being honest about their VUDU affiliation. Deceitful would be a good word for this. I was a VUDU beta tester, honesty is not what VUDU does best.
I have two DirecTV HDPlus systems and their HD selection far exceeds what VUDU offers or will ever offer (on VUDU it's just 3 lousy titles). It's laughable that he even said that. Plus, DirecTV is rolling out a VOD service.
With DirecTV you get hundreds of channels, PPV, VOD, great customer service - why bother will a company like VUDU that will likely go under before the year is up? Plus, DirecTV will often give the box and installation for free to sign up or upgrade.
RonV @ Jan 6th 2008 11:42PM
What Bias CJohn? You should be honest that you were a beta tester that got kicked out of the program because you couldn't follow the rules of the program.
I stated that the folks here should read the press release instead of reading your caustic posts.
Also I have been a DirectTV subscriber since they first launched and I would say that yes the have decent customer service. But their video quality and over compression limits my viewing enjoyment. Even their HD offerings are over compressed and introduces artifacts and I have had their HD service for about 2 years now and it hasn't gotten at all better even with MPEG-4.
cjohn17 @ Jan 7th 2008 6:53PM
If you bothered to read my post I DID specify that I was a beta tester for VUDU. So right away that makes me more honest than you were. But the program rules you mention involved deceiving people and not speaking out about VUDU's many issues. I would not lie nor would I sit on my hands for VUDU so I resigned the program. There was nothing to rent anyway. Vudu is mostly purchase only. But VUDU doesn't tell you that until after they have your $399.
As far as DirecTV's HD quality is concerned I disagree completely. I think it's great and in DD 5.1 unlike VUDU which is stereo only in many cases. Even the film 300 - stereo only. Besides, since you and your fellow VUDU moderators are prone to snake oil tactics, you have no power here so just move along.
But do tell the folks why VUDU deletes so many forum posts and threads from unhappy customers? Hmm, Ronny? If anyone is interested in the details of VUDUs many issues visit The Illustrated Conservative blog site along the sidebar. The truth shall set your wallet free!
cjohn17 @ Jan 6th 2008 1:42PM
Full disclosure: I have been a DirecTV customer for well over a decade. Not only do I think they have a great product so does JD Power & Associates annual customer-satisfaction survey. Something VUDU can't even sniff no matter how many VUDU moderators they send to load up review sites with false promises.
DirecTV's reputation for quality and service is well earned and they are much, much cheaper than VUDU.
cjohn17 @ Jan 9th 2008 8:45AM
This is a forum user that has also noticed that posts and threads written by unhappy users are deleted or hidden by VUDU. He asks politely (as we all did), "Is VUDU LIVING UP to your EXPECTATIONS?"
"For some reason my original post was very popular but taken away and tucked into some sub-category that only can be seen by registered users, but this is not a dislike or complaint, it is a question/opinion of what other VUDU members have to say on the subject...
I bought VUDU because the 1st thing I read all over the site and in the Press Releases was how VUDU has partnerships with almost all the studios, how it's optimized for High-Definition, and no more driving to your video store just to find the movie you want is not available.
I'm betting almost everyone else who bought it early or now thought - "GREAT, WE CAN FINALLY THROW AWAY OUR BLOCKBUSTER CARDS AND CANCEL OUR NETFLIX SUBSCRIPTION, AND MAYBE NOT EVEN BUY THAT BLU-RAY PLAYER YET, CAUSE THIS SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE GONNA HAVE THAT SAME LIBRARY OF NEW RELEASES OR POPULAR HIT MOVIE SELECTIONS THAT THEY HAVE AT OUR FINGERTIPS"!
Am I the only one with this view? I have searched everyday for movies we all know and love, and I'd have to say on average, any person looking will only find 1 out of 10 movies they search for." - paularino, VUDU Forum 01/09/08
So I ask you; should you trust a product or company that tries to hide bad press rather than face it head on? To me, it is especially unconscionable when it comes from customers who have risked a lot of money on their product. This sort of deceit is why I resigned from VUDU's beta test program. This is why RonV, a senior forum moderator, tried to hide the truth about the VUDU service and went after me.
But judging from the other posts here you all already get it!
Josh @ Jan 12th 2008 2:40AM
I am soooo tired of seeing cjohn17's posts everywhere, on every single blog, with the same rant/tirade everytime Vudu is mentioned. He's like a spurned lover with a score to settle.
And I'm tired of RonV's rebuttals, as well as his lack of disclosure that he runs a Vudu user's forum, dancing with him beat-for-beat. These two are bickering like high schoolers in love, and really should just get a room and make out already.
Seriously guys. You're *both* biased and you both have (what seems to be bordering on obsessive) agendas. Go outside, breathe some fresh air, check out the larger world that's out there, and move on to some other debate already.
cjohn17: allow others to give Vudu a chance, and let's see how the landscape evolves.
RonV: Vudu isn't perfect, and your bias is obvious.
Full disclosure: I own a Vudu and a Series 3 TiVo,