VUDU – the future of home movie viewing? I think not…

I heard about ‘Vudu’ a few months ago – a file saving ‘DVD type’ player. Connect to your TV and Ethernet and download unlimited films. Sounded good – if a a little concerning for the the nature of my business (buying and selling used cds and dvds – click!)

Now that the product is being reviewed I think it may have an appeal to the casual film
fan although I liken it to having Cinemax, Showtime etc. with the ability to save the file for the film. I think collectors want both the option to select any DVD they wish (from any genre) but also have the case, artwork, and visual satisfaction of a collection. I realize the IPOD generation proves the opposite but I’m not certain that the same culture applies to DVDs at present. I think Amazon’s option to download from a much bigger library directly to your PC would hold a greater appeal for the tech inclined/collector. The biggest plus is no PC or Satellite hook up is needed.

So what does $400+ get you?

• Sub DVD quality movies – from a library of 5,000 titles
• 5,000 titles sounds like a large selection – it really isn’t
• 250 GB hard drive – so you can store 100 titles. No details about possible expansion.
• Ability to rent movies for $2-$4 for a 24 hour rental (this won’t worry Netflix or Blockbuster)
• In fact you can purchase DVDs from me for less…and keep them!
• Ability to purchase a film for $15-$20 – instant gratification factor

Below is the Yahoo Tech write up – I’ve a feeling this will do about as well as DAT.

Not sure this sounds attractive as a purchase (at least to me)Want a collection of 5,000 movies that you can start watching immediately, at the press of a button? The Vudu set-top box just might be the answer, and it’ll arrive on store shelves in a matter of weeks.
I blogged about Vudu back in April; now that we’re closer to the launch date, more details have emerged, and David Pogue of the New York Times even has a hands-on review. According to Pogue, the $400 set-top box boasts impressive, DVD-level quality (competitors such as Apple TV and the Xbox Video Marketplace suffer from sub-DVD image quality with their standard-def offerings), an easy-to-use remote, an Ethernet port (no need for a PC), and a 250GB hard drive, capable of storing 100 full movies. Videos start the moment you click “play”—that’s because the Vudu stores the first 30 seconds of all available movies locally, and downloads chunks of movies from other Vudu users (see my original post for more details). While the $400 price tag is a bit pricey, there’s no monthly subscription fee; you can rent movies for $2 to $4 (with a 24-hour viewing window) or buy videos for $15 to $20.

Sounds cool, but of course, the Vudu will live and die according to its selection of movies, which (according to Pogue, at least) is a bit spotty. Sure, plenty of hits are available, including “300″ and “Blades of Glory,” but some recent titles, such as “The Departed,” are missing, and there are plenty of Z-grade stinkers. That said, Vudu execs say they hope to have more than 10,000 titles, including HD movies, available in the coming months.