Announcement

Collapse

Fandango at Home Forum Guidelines

Fandango at Home Forum Guidelines

The Fandango at Home Forums are designed to help viewers get the most out of their Fandango at Home experience. Here, Fandango at Home customers may post information, questions, ideas, etc. on the subject of Fandango at Home and Fandango at Home -related issues (home theater, entertainment, etc). Although the primary purpose of these forums is to help Fandango at Home customers with questions and/or problems with their Fandango at Home service, there are also off-topic areas available within the Fandango at Home Forums for users to chat with like-minded people, subject to the limitations below.

Please post all comments in English. When posting a comment in the Fandango at Home Forums, please conduct yourself in a respectful and civil manner. While we respect that you may feel strongly about an issue, please leave room for discussion.

Fandango at Home Forum Guidelines

The Fandango at Home Forums are designed to help viewers get the most out of their Fandango at Home experience. Here, Fandango at Home customers may post information, questions, ideas, etc. on the subject of Fandango at Home and Fandango at Home -related issues (home theater, entertainment, etc). Although the primary purpose of these forums is to help Fandango at Home customers with questions and/or problems with their Fandango at Home service, there are also off-topic areas available within the Fandango at Home Forums for users to chat with like-minded people, subject to the limitations below.

Please post all comments in English. When posting a comment in the Fandango at Home Forums, please conduct yourself in a respectful and civil manner. While we respect that you may feel strongly about an issue, please leave room for discussion.

Fandango at Home reserves the right to refrain from posting and/or to remove user comments, including comments that contain any of the following:

1. Obscenities, defamatory language, discriminatory language, or other language not suitable for a public forum
2. Email addresses, phone numbers, links to websites, physical addresses or other forms of contact information
3. "Spam" content, references to other products, advertisements, or other offers
4. Spiteful or inflammatory comments about other users or their comments
5. Comments that may potentially violate the DMCA or any other applicable laws
6. Comments that discuss ways to manipulate Fandango at Home products/services, including, but not limited to, reverse engineering, video extraction, and file conversion.

Additionally, please keep in mind that although Fandango at Home retains the right to monitor, edit, and/or remove posts within Fandango at Home Forums, it does not necessarily review every comment. Accordingly, specific questions about Fandango at Home products and services should be directed to Fandango at Home customer service representatives.

Terms of Use - User Comments, Feedback, Reviews, Submissions

For all reviews, comments, feedback, postcards, suggestions, ideas, and other submissions disclosed, submitted or offered to Fandango at Home, on or through this Site, by e-mail or telephone, or otherwise disclosed, submitted or offered in connection you use of this Site (collectively, the "Comments") you grant Fandango at Home a royalty-free, irrevocable, transferable right and license to use the Comments however Fandango at Home desires, including, without limitation, to copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from and/or sell and /or distribute such Comments and/or incorporate such Comments into any form, medium or technology throughout the world.
Fandango at Home will be entitled to use, reproduce, disclose, modify, adapt, create derivative works from, publish, display and distribute any Comments you submit for any purpose whatsoever, without restriction and without compensating you in any way. Fandango at Home is and shall be under no obligation (1) to maintain any Comments in confidence; (2) to pay to users any compensation for any Comments; or (3) to respond to any user Comments. You agree that any Comments submitted by you to the Site will not violate the terms in this Terms of Use or any right of any third party, including without limitation, copyright, trademark, privacy or other personal or proprietary right(s), and will not cause injury to any person or entity. You further agree that no Comments submitted by you to this Site will be or contain libelous or otherwise unlawful, threatening, abusive or obscene material, or contain software viruses, political campaigning, commercial solicitation, chain letters, mass mailings or any form of "spam."

You grant Fandango at Home the right to use the name that you submit in connection with any Comments. You agree not to use a false email address, impersonate any person or entity, otherwise mislead as to the origin of any Comments you submit. You are, and shall remain, solely responsible for the content of any Comments you make and you agree to indemnify Fandango at Home for all claims resulting from any Comments you submit. Fandango at Home takes no responsibility and assumes no liability for any Comments submitted by you or any third-party reserves the right to refrain from posting and/or to remove user comments, including comments that contain any of the following:

1. Obscenities, defamatory language, discriminatory language, or other language not suitable for a public forum
2. Email addresses, phone numbers, links to websites, physical addresses or other forms of contact information
3. "Spam" content, references to other products, advertisements, or other offers
4. Spiteful or inflammatory comments about other users or their comments
5. Comments that may potentially violate the DMCA or any other applicable laws
6. Comments that discuss ways to manipulate Fandango at Home products/services, including, but not limited to, reverse engineering, video extraction, and file conversion.

Additionally, please keep in mind that although Fandango at Home retains the right to monitor, edit, and/or remove posts within Fandango at Home Forums, it does not necessarily review every comment. Accordingly, specific questions about Fandango at Home products and services should be directed to Fandango at Home customer service representatives.

Terms of Use - User Comments, Feedback, Reviews, Submissions

For all reviews, comments, feedback, postcards, suggestions, ideas, and other submissions disclosed, submitted or offered to Fandango at Home, on or through this Site, by e-mail or telephone, or otherwise disclosed, submitted or offered in connection you use of this Site (collectively, the "Comments") you grant Fandango at Home a royalty-free, irrevocable, transferable right and license to use the Comments however Fandango at Home desires, including, without limitation, to copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from and/or sell and /or distribute such Comments and/or incorporate such Comments into any form, medium or technology throughout the world.
Fandango at Home will be entitled to use, reproduce, disclose, modify, adapt, create derivative works from, publish, display and distribute any Comments you submit for any purpose whatsoever, without restriction and without compensating you in any way. Fandango at Home is and shall be under no obligation (1) to maintain any Comments in confidence; (2) to pay to users any compensation for any Comments; or (3) to respond to any user Comments. You agree that any Comments submitted by you to the Site will not violate the terms in this Terms of Use or any right of any third party, including without limitation, copyright, trademark, privacy or other personal or proprietary right(s), and will not cause injury to any person or entity. You further agree that no Comments submitted by you to this Site will be or contain libelous or otherwise unlawful, threatening, abusive or obscene material, or contain software viruses, political campaigning, commercial solicitation, chain letters, mass mailings or any form of "spam."

You grant Fandango at Home the right to use the name that you submit in connection with any Comments. You agree not to use a false email address, impersonate any person or entity, otherwise mislead as to the origin of any Comments you submit. You are, and shall remain, solely responsible for the content of any Comments you make and you agree to indemnify Fandango at Home for all claims resulting from any Comments you submit. Fandango at Home takes no responsibility and assumes no liability for any Comments submitted by you or any third-party.
See more
See less

Considering Vudu - some questions

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 1
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous template Next
    #1

    Considering Vudu - some questions

    Hi everyone.
    First off, let me say that I am considering Vudu for my next home theater purchase. This will be my first foray into "VOD" other than fiddling around with DirecTV's beta DoD which is obviously in its infancy stage and not a whole lot is going on with it yet.
    I am an avid movie watcher - own both a Blu-ray and HD DVD player. I do purchase some movies - the ones that to me, have replay value. I also rent from Netflix. I am considering Vudu for a couple of reasons but mainly I want some instant access to movies and/or tv shows when I need it. There are times when I go through the NF movies and I wait for the turn-around to get the next movie in my queue. Between no weekend shipping, frequent holidays and throttling, NF becomes less appealing to me every month.
    Owning both high-def formats, I obviously look for that choice first. But I do watch many movies that aren't released in Blu-ray so SD DVD is the way I usually go.
    If I get a Vudu box, I will look for an HD showing of a particular movie first and then settle for SD if available.
    So here are my questions...
    1. I understand that purchasing movies is normally available upon a movie's DVD release but renting the movie takes about 30 days, right? That's a big bummer for me because I normally can get it from NF by the 30 day mark if I don't purchase the actual BD/SD disc (if I want). On the other hand, there are movies that get bypassed because I don't have enough time to either a. watch them or b. rent them in the first place (due to my NF plan only being 3 out at a time) For instance, my NF queue is currently about 150 movies in it and most of them have been released for some time now. This happens because when a couple of movies are released every week that I want to see, they go to the top of my queue. The rest get shifted down and become "rent them when nothing else is available" status.
    2. Other than Best Buy in California, where else can I purchase Vudu? Can I purchase it from an online retailer? If not, why doesn't Vudu do it this way? Is my only option to buy it from vudu.com?
    3. A wireless connection is not easy for me. I have tried (unsuccessfully) to use the Buffalo wireless ethernet converter down in my basement for my HD DVR and HD DVD player and couldn't get it to sync with my router (that is upstairs) correctly. I guess the powerline adapter is my only option but I've never used one before.
    I guess overall, I am trying to make sure that this will be a worthwhile purchase for me. If I'm going to spend $300 on the box plus another $100 or so for the powerline adapter, I want to be sure I'll get use out of it. It seems like I will but the two things mentioned above keep getting in the way (30 day window to rent and somewhat lack of HD content)
    Thoughts?
    Tags: None
    #2
    Re: Considering Vudu - some questions

    Welcome to the Vudu forum!

    Re 1 - 30 days - you'll get over this real quick when you start realizing the value of being able to choose a movie you feel like watching and never having to wait. Seriously, what does it matter whether or not you see a particular movie in the first 30 days from DVD release? How many movies are so important to your life that it makes a difference?

    Re 2 - Online Retailers - Other sources are Amazon.com, DVRupgrade.com, Zappos.com, and the occasional deal on eBay (one with BIY for $269 tonight).

    Re 3 - Your other alternative is to pull a piece of CAT5 cable to the basement - it would be worth it in my opinion, as I am a "hard-wired" kind of user. However, there have also been several good reports on the powerline adapters.

    Comment

      #3
      Re: Considering Vudu - some questions

      Originally posted by Nded View Post
      Re 2 - Online Retailers - Other sources are Amazon.com, DVRupgrade.com, Zappos.com, and the occasional deal on eBay (one with BIY for $269 tonight).
      I believe Zappos.com is a shoe store. I think it would be difficult to buy a Vudu from them unless it is some cool new style of shoes.

      I take it back. They sell electronics there too. Who knew. I've been buying only shoes there for years.

      Comment

        #4
        Re: Considering Vudu - some questions

        Originally posted by redwein View Post
        I believe Zappos.com is a shoe store. I think it would be difficult to buy a Vudu from them unless it is some cool new style of shoes.

        I take it back. They sell electronics there too. Who knew. I've been buying only shoes there for years.
        Do you wear a 9gb double wide, like I do ??

        Comment

          #5
          Re: Considering Vudu - some questions

          Originally posted by Southpaw View Post
          Hi everyone.

          1. I understand that purchasing movies is normally available upon a movie's DVD release but renting the movie takes about 30 days, right? That's a big bummer for me
          Yep. Agreed. Warner Brothers movies are available for rent the same day as DVD release. I believe the independent studios also do that. But WB is the only major to take the jump into buy/rent on DVD Tuesday.

          This is likely to change in the future as VOD takes off. Purchasing a Vudu and using it is one way to hasten this change.

          2. Other than Best Buy in California, where else can I purchase Vudu? Can I purchase it from an online retailer? If not, why doesn't Vudu do it this way? Is my only option to buy it from vudu.com?
          Lots of places like Ed mentioned. Then you can also purchase it at Magnolia stores that aren't part of Best Buy, Tweeter, and a number of other high end regional HiFi retailers. Check out: http://www.vudu.com/buy_storefront.html

          3. A wireless connection is not easy for me. I have tried (unsuccessfully) to use the Buffalo wireless ethernet converter down in my basement for my HD DVR and HD DVD player and couldn't get it to sync with my router (that is upstairs) correctly. I guess the powerline adapter is my only option but I've never used one before.
          If you want to go wireless, RonV here in the forums can help you. He's a whiz at it. I'd recommend Nded's suggestion and run some CAT-5 cable. That's best. Powerline is OK, but get the 2nd gen powerline systems. Sometimes I have a hard time holding an 8 Mb/sec link with my first gen system (you need 8 Mb/sec as it's 4Mb/sec each direction).

          What I tell people as well is that Vudu is continuing to improve the box. Customer comments here on the forums have become changes to the box in the form of software updates. Vudu is very responsive to customer feedback and so you can influence the future design of the product. The Vudu you buy and own today will have completely new and extended features and offerings six months from now. It won't be the same box.

          Comment

            #6
            Re: Considering Vudu - some questions

            Thanks for the taking the time to comment on my questions guys.
            The first responder mentioned that I will get used to waiting 30 days for new release rentals. I don't know about that. I get very antsy about seeing some of the films that are released and sometimes I buy them just to see them asap. But if I can resist buying them, I rent them asap from NF. (which is why my queue has grown so large - older movies get shuffled down)
            I guess I would just have to live with the 30 day rule unless it happens to be a WB or indie flick.
            Yeah, who knew zappos.com sold this device? As soon as I saw that, I checked their website and sure enough, it's listed for sale for $295. Weird. Never would have thought that. I did see Amazon's listing before I posted here but their sale goes right to Vudu - it's not sold by Amazon itself, at least not today.
            There is no way I can send that much cat5 cable from one end of the house to the other and down to the basement. It's just not feasible. The basement is finished so we're talking going through walls and everything. I think powerline is my only option unless I put the vudu box upstairs to that TV but I'd much rather have it on my 110" screen!

            Comment

              #7
              Re: Considering Vudu - some questions

              Originally posted by Southpaw View Post
              Thanks for the taking the time to comment on my questions guys.
              The first responder mentioned that I will get used to waiting 30 days for new release rentals. I don't know about that. I get very antsy about seeing some of the films that are released and sometimes I buy them just to see them asap. But if I can resist buying them, I rent them asap from NF. (which is why my queue has grown so large - older movies get shuffled down)
              With enough content to watch "now" I am sure you can get to those old movies and then the new releases!

              I did see Amazon's listing before I posted here but their sale goes right to Vudu - it's not sold by Amazon itself, at least not today.
              And buying direct from Vudu is a problem, why? It's not like the other places are any cheaper...

              The truth is that these other retailers make some money off the sale when you buy from them and Vudu makes less. I prefer to see Vudu make as much money as possible right now as a start-up who's product has been selling for just 6 months.

              Other than buying in a brick and mortar store or finding a better deal on like free overnight shipping, I'm not sure why buying from Vudu isn't a good idea.

              There is no way I can send that much cat5 cable from one end of the house to the other and down to the basement. It's just not feasible. The basement is finished so we're talking going through walls and everything. I think powerline is my only option unless I put the vudu box upstairs to that TV but I'd much rather have it on my 110" screen!
              I would encourage you to put CAT-5 on your long term plans then. A good electrician can do wonders. There will be more and more need for network connectivity of AV devices in the future. My AV setup probably has about 6 or 7 network devices on it now.

              If I were you I'd check out SlingMedia's SlingLink Turbo. The AV side has a 4 port switch so you could add other devices at your AV end.

              Comment

                #8
                Re: Considering Vudu - some questions

                Originally posted by NA9D View Post
                And buying direct from Vudu is a problem, why? It's not like the other places are any cheaper...

                The truth is that these other retailers make some money off the sale when you buy from them and Vudu makes less. I prefer to see Vudu make as much money as possible right now as a start-up who's product has been selling for just 6 months.

                Other than buying in a brick and mortar store or finding a better deal on like free overnight shipping, I'm not sure why buying from Vudu isn't a good idea.


                I'm not saying that buying directly from Vudu is a problem. I'll probably end up doing it that way if/when I go for it. I was just pointing out the fact that Amazon wasn't the seller as the poster mentioned Amazon as a place to buy. My point was that Amazon was no different than Vudu as a place to purchase the unit. No big deal.

                Okay, I hadn't noticed this before but I checked out my current wiring. Apparently my house is wired w/ cat5. I didn't know that. I thought it was the old-fashioned phone line (not sure what you call it) and not cat5 but I was wrong. Currently all I'm using it for is my phone line but I take it I can just plug an ethernet cable from my wireless router (my internet is evdo with Sprint) to the cat5 and then do the same downstairs to my various items that have ethernet connections? Jeez, I feel dumb for never noticing this before but I guess I never took the time to look.
                If this all would work the way I'm thinking it would work, I'm getting more and more excited about trying this out.

                Comment

                  #9
                  Re: Considering Vudu - some questions

                  Originally posted by Southpaw View Post
                  (my internet is evdo with Sprint)
                  Uh-Oh. Warning. This could be a major problem for you for a number of reasons:

                  1.) May not support instant viewing of even SD content. EVDO RevA could possibly hit 2 Mb/sec or maybe slightly higher. Technically RevA could go up to about 3 Mb/sec but I've never seen mine get that high. The most I've seen my Sprint EVDO Rev A connection get me is about 1.8 Mb/sec and that not consistently. Data speeds vary depending on the traffic loading on the cell site you are connected to. Voice calls get priority and as the voice calls come up, data rates are taken down. Additionally, your data rate is also somewhat affected by other data users on the site as well.

                  2.) Sprint may have some usage limitations that you will hit very rapidly with Vudu. I did not have any usage stipulations in my contract that I could find but I have heard of others who have. Typically, the rule of thumb is that 5 Gb/month is generally the rule with EVDO data transfers. A single SD movie is about 1.5 GB. An HD movie around 3GB. A few movies in a month coupled with the Vudu's upstream and you'll be in trouble quite possibly. In general, I think that a service like Vudu could be considered abusive of the network policies on a wireless network. Just be careful.

                  I would HIGHLY recommend you get a different internet provider if you plan on using Vudu. Even if Sprint will let you get away with truly unlimited usage (they might), you will still have difficulty, IMHO, getting a good instant VOD experience. That coupled with the risk of aggravating your carrier is just not a good formula.

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Re: Considering Vudu - some questions

                    Jon and I discussed this a while back. I can vouch for Sprint's "Unlimited" plan. To them about 5 gig in a month will have them sending out a warning message. 8 gig in a month will have them threating to terminate your service.

                    I have a friend that lives in Woodstock, IL. Can't get cable or DSL in his neighborhood and Sprint came to the rescue. He wasn't interested in bittorrent but was a software developer that worked a lot of hours from home and moved a lot of code back and forth and remoted into systems. He was shocked when he go his first warning and then the termination letter. I asked him to get me a copy of the letters but he never did.

                    Comment

                      #11
                      Re: Considering Vudu - some questions

                      Huh, here I was coming here to try and get talked INTO Vudu and you guys have talked me OUT of it.

                      Seriously though, EVDO is something I should have brought up in post #1 and I meant to, but forgot.
                      I do have an unlimited usage plan. DL speeds are something I'm concerned about as the bandwidth test on vudu.com shows at night I get just above 1mb/s and during the morning/day I get close to 1.5mb/s. I kind of already had an understanding or acceptance that I might not get truly instant viewing. I really don't have a problem with that but I do have a problem if Sprint decides to give me the ax for massive usage.
                      EVDO is my ONLY option for high-speed internet service where I live. I don't have a cable or DSL option at this point in time.
                      So I guess I'm out of luck, huh? Darn, I was really getting excited about trying out the service.

                      Comment

                        #12
                        Re: Considering Vudu - some questions

                        I think I can speak for everyone of us when I say we would love you to buy the box. I'm in sales and I have a cardinal rule that if the product is not right for the buyer, you have to tell them. It does none of us any good to have you buy something not right for you or well, not right at this time.

                        I think you are asking for problems using Vudu on EVDO only. I really do. Plus the experience just isn't as good when you have to wait 45 minutes for a 90 minute movie (trust me - I used to have a 1.5 Mb/sec DSL plan).

                        As soon as you can get a service that has some sort of cable buried under ground, come back here and buy the product. It will be even better then. But until then, I'd highly recommend you wait.

                        Bummer. I know.

                        Comment

                          #13
                          Re: Considering Vudu - some questions

                          Originally posted by redwein View Post
                          I believe Zappos.com is a shoe store. I think it would be difficult to buy a Vudu from them unless it is some cool new style of shoes.

                          I take it back. They sell electronics there too. Who knew. I've been buying only shoes there for years.
                          I bought my Vudu from Zappos 2 weeks ago .. arrived the next day .. definately recommend them !

                          Comment

                          Previous template Next
                          Working...
                          X