What It Is: An Internet-based movie download service with more than 5,000 films available for purchase or rent — the difference here is that you download everything into a glossy, black, minimalist box that’s about the size (and shape) of an Apple TV or Airport Extreme.
Who It’s For: Surround-sound-equipped, movie and music junkies who are bored by their cable company’s on-demand features and don’t feel like schlepping to the local blockbuster (or waiting for Netflix movies to come in the mail).
Why It’s Worthy: Since it uses peer-to-peer technology (the same as BitTorrent), Vudu’s download process is fast, meaning if you have a decent broadband connection, you can usually start watching movies instantly (while the rest of the movie downloads in the background). It’s got the latest HDMI connections for 1080p upscaling and 5.1 Dolby sound. Right now, it’s got an eclectic and varied list of about 300 music movies and concerts, everything from the String Cheese Incident, Todd Rundgren and the Roots to Klaus Nomi documentaries and the poor man’s Saturday Night Fever, Thank God It’s Friday! But the most impressive feature is the simple, smooth, and easy-to-maneuver interface and responsive remote, which blows your average clunky, unresponsive cable remote out of the water.
Our Only Complaint: No HD, yet, and the built-in hard drive fills up rather quickly if you’re an impulse renter (or shopper), but Vudu promises the eventual ability to move purchased content to an attached external hard drive thanks to the two USB inputs. Also, you’ll need at least 2Mbps download bandwidth speed from your Internet connection, so if you’ve got less than that, you’ll have to upgrade to faster service (check your bandwidth at the Vudu site).
Cost/Where to Get It: Vudu.com; the player is $399; rentals are $.99 to $4.99; purchases $4.99-$19.99.
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- Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC.
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