Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

[NA9D]

Re: Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

2. Larger purchasable library. Rent library seems equal with the ATV2

Actually, Vudu has something like 4000 movies for rental. ATV2 has less than 1000.

ATV2 has the advantage of:
1. IMHO cleaner interface

Only in the UI. Trying to RW/FF through content on ATV is a nightmare. Yeah, there is chaptering but try skipping backwards 5 seconds quickly to hear missed dialog on ATV. It's no where near as clean in that area as Vudu.

5. Slightly larger HD movie selection

By what measure? Vudu has over 100 HD movies now. ATV was to have 100 by the end of Feb. But since there's no way to get counts on ATV unless you do it manually, I guess we don't really know now do we?

Movie pricing seems almost the same on both units. Apple's cheaper on the HD movies, Vudu has some older movies that are cheap to rent. I think in the end it'll even itself out and they are really both on par.

Agreed. They are pretty close and each has some advantages over the other. Neither is a clear cut winner at this point. It all has to do with your preferences and what you want. I agree with any of your points that I didn't dispute! Apple has the edge on TV shows, podcasts, etc. Both just make life more fun!

As for continuing to make things better - ATV has been out for over a year and there have been 2 additional software releases. Vudu has been out for not even 6 months and there have been 6 software releases. Vudu's plan is to roll out new updates approximately every 4 to 6 weeks. Each update adds new and improved functionality or features. I wonder how long it will take Apple to come out with a new update that isn't just bug fixes.

Back on topic, I believe that sooner rather than later, that Vudu is going to have the features you want. It will not be the same box 6 months from now it is today. I doubt you can say that about your ATV.

[Broman]

Re: Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

wow... I get told to stay on topic from one Mod and then another comes in and corrects my personal opinions. Interesting.

Either way, I'm not putting out $300 in the hopes that the company does something I'm looking for down the road. ATV2 does what I want now in the interface. ATV2 isn't flawless or a complete package either. My major gripes are the crappy Apple remote (can use a universal remote which makes up for a lot), as well as the heat and esthetics of the unit itself. Beyond that I was just trying to buy a different interface for a second TV and was lead to believe that my experience could be better with the Vudu. For me, I think ATV2 is a better interface and choice. The 30 day guarantee is a nice offer from Vudu. I do appreciate that.

but to get back on topic...

[Broman]

Re: Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

It's your choice, but given how simple it is to set the filters to "Available to Rent", I'm surprised.

BTW you are correct it is simple. However I dislike having to do it every time I go to find a movie. Permanent selection or the ability to turn off purchase only was the topic of the thread.

[NA9D]

Re: Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

wow... I get told to stay on topic from one Mod and then another comes in and corrects my personal opinions. Interesting.

Yeah, well I'm a rebel. And I made a feeble attempt to bring it back to the topic at the end.

And I apologize if you feel I was trying to correct your personal opinion. I can't do that no matter how hard I try. I was simply attempting to engage in discussion on the topic and give you my opinions. I agree with most of what you say.

And given what you want, perhaps Vudu isn't the right thing for you right now and that's fine. Maybe some day it will evolve into what you want and then you can always buy one down the road a bit.

At the least, I am glad you came in here asking the questions. I'm sorry we weren't able to give you the answer or answers you wanted to hear.

[redwein]

Re: Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

BTW you are correct it is simple. However I dislike having to do it every time I go to find a movie. Permanent selection or the ability to turn off purchase only was the topic of the thread.

OK. I have to ask. Given that you acknowledge it is simple, is that really the only reason you are returning the box? It really doesn't sound like a big deal in the grand scheme of things. I'm curious if maybe there is more behind your decision to return it.

[Rusdude]

Re: Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

I think, the OP should be concerned with how much content is available on AppleTV (movies; iTunes still rules TV). Macworld came out with a story yesterday that says that there are only about 400 movies for rent on ATV. Compare this with 4,000-odd rentals on Vudu.

[HeadHodge]

Re: Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

wow... I get told to stay on topic from one Mod and then another comes in and corrects my personal opinions. Interesting.

Either way, I'm not putting out $300 in the hopes that the company does something I'm looking for down the road. ATV2 does what I want now in the interface. ATV2 isn't flawless or a complete package either. My major gripes are the crappy Apple remote (can use a universal remote which makes up for a lot), as well as the heat and esthetics of the unit itself. Beyond that I was just trying to buy a different interface for a second TV and was lead to believe that my experience could be better with the Vudu. For me, I think ATV2 is a better interface and choice. The 30 day guarantee is a nice offer from Vudu. I do appreciate that.

but to get back on topic...

Well my 2 cents.

I have both ATV and VUDU and am just getting into the actually using them mode instead of evaluation mode.

And so far just from personal experience I'm watching more VUDU than ATV.

Not because I'm biased one way or the other, but because VUDU has a better selection of movies I want to watch that also contain my minimum quality requirements of DVD quality or better AND DD5.1 audio.

I'm a rental only person and agree it's a pain to waid thru VUDU to find what I want. But I find it a bigger pain to find what I want with ATV.

We just finished watching Trade and In my Backdoor, on VUDU. Both of them pretty much sucked but the picture and sound quality definitely met or exceeded our expectations.

So go with ATV, but in my opinion you might think twice about keeping them both as a way to increase your options for obtaining and viewing content.

Regards

[Broman]

Re: Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

Yes it is a big factor. On the ATV2 if you see a movie anywhere on the screen you can rent it, otherwise it doesn't show up. On the Vudu I keep feeling let down or frustrated because movies I'd like to rent are purchase only. Out of sight out of mind IMHO is better if your purely a movie renter

Between having to check that off each time for a search, as well as some general interface aesthetics compared to the ATV2, I don't think the value is there at this price point for me.

[redwein]

Re: Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

Between having to check that off each time for a search, as well as some general interface aesthetics compared to the ATV2, I don't think the value is there at this price point for me.

And you don't consider the lack of content on ATV as reducing its value more than "having to check off each time"? I am having a hard time understanding that. This really sounds like throwing out the baby with the bath water.

[Broman]

Re: Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

For newer movies I'm not having an issue finding stuff to watch. I suppose for older films it would be more comprehensive with Vudu. I've actually found things on the ATV that Vudu doesn't have and vice versa. Maybe my perception is off, but It feels as though ATV is getting some films before Vudu. Haven't had the Vudu long enough to test that out. Either way I don't feel short changed by apples content, which I think your driving at.

Like I mentioned earlier, I have picked some older films to watch only to have bad luck in selection and have it be a purchase only. This is very frustrating. While it can be solved by checking off the rent only button I don't like having to use the genre search feature every time I want to find a movie. The main screen for example, it's a mix of both.

[orccro1]

Re: Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

It's your choice, but given how simple it is to set the filters to "Available to Rent", I'm surprised. There's even some titles that you see in there that are purchase only that you might want to buy.

It would be nice if the "Available to Rent" filter were even simpler; that is, make so that it stays on permanently. I am a "rental only" person, but will buy occasionally. But if I buy, I want to own the actual DVD. Another option with Apple TV is you can use a program like Handbrake (on my Mac), borrow or rent a DVD (say from Netflix), and rip and transfer the movie to Apple TV and play it later at your leisure (and return the DVD to Netflix and get the next DVD in your cue!).

Nonetheless, I really enjoy Vudu and hope it succeeds--but it would be great to be able to turn on a permanent "rental only" filter.

[orccro1]

Re: Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

Why not just add a "rental only" option on the home screen?

[NA9D]

Re: Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

Why not just add a "rental only" option on the home screen?

Well, we've asked for the ability to have a user preferences setting where you go in and set what genres, studios, star ratings, rental or purchase status, etc. that you want to see by default. You could always manually go in and change it for the short term but your default prefs would be across the board until changed.

We'll ask for it again.

I think this would be something that would suit everyone.

My biggest question is there are contractual obligations with the studios on showing certain films (ie: if we put this movie up for rental, then you must show users this other film that is purchase only).

[aaronwt]

Re: Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

And the only way to get around that would be a filter you can implement to only filter rental titles, which the VUDU has.

[Broman]

Re: Possible to permanently turn off purchase only movies?

And the only way to get around that would be a filter you can implement to only filter rental titles, which the VUDU has.

It would be great if this filter was global and permanent. That's my beef with the system. For me, it's all about the letdown of selecting a purchase only movie.

I think Vudu probably has the leverage now that they've proven it's a viable movie revenue option for the studios. Apple isn't being forced to include both... I would imagine the possibility is there for Vudu to negotiate for the sake of the end users who want to rent only.

I think having the box hit the end user with all filters off and giving the user the option to go in to the system and turn off purchase movies is quite reasonable.