News article should mention Vudu

[ag-87]

A news article on the NPR site called "best-streaming-service-netflix-amazon-prime-hulu-disney-max" is currently not mentioning Vudu. Given Vudu is my favorite streaming service, I'd obviously like them to do well. Therefore, I found it very disturbing that they weren't included in this article, mainly because the article included a bunch of really weird services I've never even heard of. I'd like to suggest to the Vudu staff that they contact NPR and demand the article be updated to include them. Some review sites are nothing but advertisements, but this is in theory a news site, not a reviews site.

I'd include the full link but the forum doesn't seem to allow links for some reason.

Thank you

[Toddwrtr]

Vudu = “Best” ???

If anything, an article about Vudu should center on how far this service has fallen in the last few years.

Also, that NPR story was discussing subscription services rather than digital sell-thru, which is what Vudu is.

[lujan]

Vudu = “Best” ???

If anything, an article about Vudu should center on how far this service has fallen in the last few years.

Also, that NPR story was discussing subscription services rather than digital sell-thru, which is what Vudu is.

Amen to that!

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[ag-87]

Thank you for your replies

To be more clear, the reasons I find excluding Vudu disturbing is that regardless of any problems they have (I have some things I'd like them to fix such as some problems with subtitles), when all is said and done they are still my favorite streaming service (largely because I vastly prefer purchase-based services over subscription-based or advertisement-based services). Therefore, not mentioning them at all but mentioning a bunch of weird services I've never even heard of makes excluding them seem to me like a serious flaw in the article. Further, they DO mention advertisement-based services so that means that first of all, Vudu does qualify for the article based on that aspect of its service, and secondly, by mentioning approaches other than subscription-based services, it is a flaw in the article not to at the very least mention purchase-based services as a general subject.

In any case, this is just my opinion and seems to me well-worth mentioning in case the Vudu staff wants to take my suggestion

Thanks

[Toddwrtr]

Thank you for your replies

To be more clear, the reasons I find excluding Vudu disturbing is that regardless of any problems they have (I have some things I'd like them to fix such as some problems with subtitles), when all is said and done they are still my favorite streaming service (largely because I vastly prefer purchase-based services over subscription-based or advertisement-based services). Therefore, not mentioning them at all but mentioning a bunch of weird services I've never even heard of makes excluding them seem to me like a serious flaw in the article. Further, they DO mention advertisement-based services so that means that first of all, Vudu does qualify for the article based on that aspect of its service, and secondly, by mentioning approaches other than subscription-based services, it is a flaw in the article not to at the very least mention purchase-based services as a general subject.

In any case, this is just my opinion and seems to me well-worth mentioning in case the Vudu staff wants to take my suggestion

Thanks

I think I found the article you were referencing, and all of the services were subscription on demand (Hulu, Disney+, Paramount+, etc.) or IPTV aka cable replacement services like YouTubeTV or Fubo.

[ag-87]

Thanks for your response

I do understand what you mean as far as the article being focused [mainly] on subscription-based services, but I guess what I meant could best be explained by saying that if I were to be more specific about my suggestion for Vudu, it would be to ask the article authors to add the following:

- Since they are mentioning other alternative categories to subscription-based such as those that are advertisement-based, another category that they should also mention are those that are purchase-based such as Vudu. To do otherwise seems to me a rather serious flaw in an article discussing the best options for customers given that some customers are likely to be more like myself and prefer services that are purchase-based.

- Under the "Free platforms and FAST channels" (advertisement-based) category they should include Vudu. I've never even heard of half of those that they list in this section (in addition to also never having heard of a number of other services they mention elsewhere that are subscription-based).

The point of all this is that anything that helps Vudu do well has a chance of being good for us existing customers and visa versa. While I don't work in the field of advertising or anything, mentioning them in articles such as these seems to me could be important.

But again, just my opinion

Thanks

[Toddwrtr]

Vudu has nothing to do with articles being written about them as a "top 10 list" of streaming services, and if they did, the article would very obviously be biased. Do you own stock in Comcast or something? Vudu has a LOT of issues they need to get under control, but unfortunately, they aren't even listening to their customers anymore. When was the last time a Vudu employee actually responded to a post on this forum, other than "I'll have someone look into it" and then never hear back again.

Many of us have been waiting over TWO YEARS for Vudu to fix the issues with the FandangoNow library merger. There is a 10+ year old thread regarding movies that are on Vudu in the wrong aspect ratio that Vudu apparently is no longer interested in working to get resolved. There are recent movies that are missing HDR or Dolby Atmos that Vudu apparently has no interest in getting resolved, and prefers to just point the finger at the studios for sending them the wrong file and telling customers that they'll just have to live with it.

If Vudu doesn't get their act together, and soon, they are going to wind up in the Streaming Services Graveyard along with CinemaNow, Target Ticket, and many others. With the Apple TV app available on just about every streaming device and smart TV these days, there is no real reason for Vudu to even exist.

[ag-87]

> Vudu has nothing to do with articles being written about them as a "top 10 list" of streaming services, and if they did, the article would very obviously be biased

Agreed. However, I'm not talking about top 10 subscription-based services or suggesting that Vudu has any control over such articles; the article also includes alternative choices so I found it disturbing, surprising, and even biased for the article not to even mention in that part of the discussion the service that I do think is one of the most well-known and, to me, one of the top purchase-based choices. I'm suggesting they contact the author and point this out (perhaps my previous wording that they "demand" was a bit strong).

> Do you own stock in Comcast or something?

LOL ... no, rather: "The point of all this is that anything that helps Vudu do well has a chance of being good for us existing customers and visa versa". In other words, what benefits Vudu may well benefit the existing customers and what doesn't could cause us problems. Doing well such as by bringing in more customers is better for us, thus why I'd like to see such articles not exclude Vudu. That's my only stake in this.

> Vudu has a LOT of issues they need to get under control ...

Agreed, and I must apologize, I didn't mean to imply that everything is perfect or that there weren't a variety of issues I've seen go by on the forum (I read the forum nearly every day). In fact, I have also run into some issues myself off and on (for example, I need to post about some completely missing subtitles in some episodes of some of the series I own). I do get it, and by no means intended to imply that I would take lightly anything related to those having to endure various problems.

But that said, my opinion is that overall Vudu has been vastly better than the other services I have used and so I want them to do well. For example, most of those other services have UI's that are extremely poor and bother me a great deal (to say the least) while I really like Vudu's UI a lot (even after what I feel was a significant mistake a few years back of changing it from the superior older one). And there's more that they do extremely well; that's just one example. In the end, I find it is a trade-off between the things they need to fix and the things that they are doing better than the rest, and, in my opinion, that they do come out in front of those other services. Again, the reason I want them to do well.

But I wasn't planning to address the things that need to be fixed vs what is good, just pointing out to their staff that I think they would benefit from advocating for themselves with respect to that news article, again, my only stake in it being that what is good for them could potentially benefit us existing customers (and what is bad for them could lead to problems). Therefore, it seems quite logical to me for us to want them to do well. And just a thought, but perhaps if they do well enough they could even end up hiring more staff and be able to fix issues faster.

I should also mention that I've been using Vudu for quite a few years, but I didn't sign up to the forum until much later. So my opinions are based on many more years of experience with them than my profile may seem to imply. I'm also a software engineer (other, unrelated companies) and have a lot of sympathy for the workers trying their best to help the customers but all-too-often being understaffed (potentially the case here). I also have zero tolerance for bad software designs such as most of the other services' very poorly-designed UI's that I've used. Vudu, on the other hand, has a fantastic UI.

Anyway, I understand where you are coming from and, again, apologize if my being enthusiastic about endorsing them came across badly, as I certainly meant absolutely no disrespect whatsoever given the problems people are dealing with as you mentioned.

Thanks