One more user gone (and why)

[StevenRushing]

I bought the Vudu very very early, and loved it. Heck, I still love it. But it is gone. I am selling it to get an AppleTV. Here are my primary reasons.

1. I filled it up early. I bought movies, and filled the box up. I archived what I could, and am full again, all movies that cannot be archived. I cannot rent more than one movie at a time now, because I don't have the disk space. Usb offloading was promised as an upcoming feature years ago when I first bought my Vudu, and it isn't here yet. This is the primary reason I don't use Vudu anymore.

2. Netflix is nearly ubiquitous. I can watch movies and tv shows laying on my bed on my iPad or iPod Touch. I can watch them on my TV via Xbox 360 (and soon Apple TV). I can watch them on my laptop on the go or on my desktop. Vudu is on my TV only. The quality isn't quite the same, but on my 27" lcd it really isn't all that big a difference. Obviously those with 30-60" tv's are in a different realm than I.

3. AppleTV is going to be able to play the years and years of movies and TV I have purchased through iTunes. My iTunes videos are ubiquitous, computers, tv, iPods, iPad. Vudu is on my TV only.

Those who argue for the incredible quality of Vudu programming are in a different world than I am. My 27" TV maxes out at 720p which the AppleTV will take advantage of, and many Netflix movies will take advantage of them (maybe 5-10%, but it will get better!).

My only regret is all the money I spent in movies that are just gone now. If only I could have offloaded the movies to a harddrive so that the box would be useful I wouldn't be selling the box.

It was really good times Vudu, honestly, it was, but it is time for me to move on.

[aaronwt]

Re: One more user gone (and why)

I thought I read that there would be no purchases on AppleTV, only rentals.

I also saw this

"..With the new TV rentals and the new Apple TV the rules change a bit. If you download a rented TV show on your computer, you can play it on your iPhone, or iPod touch if it?s a standard-definition episode (TV episodes in HD can be played on your iPhone 4 or iPod touch (4th generation)). iOS 4.1 or later is required. Once you move the episode from your computer to a device, the episode will disappear from your computer?s iTunes library.

If you download a rented TV show on your iPhone 4, or iPod touch (4th generation) it is not transferable to any other device or computer. This remains the same as the current movie rental model..."

[canadien37]

Re: One more user gone (and why)

It is sad to see a user decide to give up the service after a long time sticking with it.....
As I have stated in the forums before, I got into the VUDU thing for electronic sell-thru of movies, not so much renting them. IMO The VUDU service is geared towards quality video, suitable for high-end systems, as evidenced by the installer only VUDU XL set-top and rack mount systems...I have no interest in watching my movies on computers, smartphones,etc...This is why I love their HDX quality, I use VUDU in my home theater only..... I, like you, have been disappointed about the lack of ability to store films using an external hard drive, but the content providers have a lot to say about that.....They do not want to cannibalize their DVD and Blu-Ray babies, but may be beginning to see the light with Disney offering purchases of some HDX titles, Paramount, Fox offering AVATAR, and independents offer them too....We all nave different needs concerning our consumption of entertainment, and VUDU for now offers the most bang for the buck......

However, if you have a box, you may want to try out the Brazil beta, recent improvements to it allow movies that you have downloaded to your hard drive or archived to be viewed again in Brazil....It is also a streaming service, your films are stored in the cloud, it also allows downloading purchases only....Remember, though, it is still BETA.....I have bought a lot of films during the current sale, some in HDX.....My main interest is to build a digital collection of HDX films, with the option of local storage.....Even though Netflix is successful now, I don't know if their business model of rentals with monthly subscriptions is profitable for Hollywood in the long run, and that is what matters....Look at the 28 day wait for new releases, for example......

It will remain to be seen who will come out on top in the rental/VOD wars....But I'll tell you this, if any company can do it, it's Walmart/VUDU......I hope they get serious during football season and ADVERTISE, ADVERTISE,ADVERTISE!!!