Keep Up with Competition

[Live-L]

I'm writing this post not because I like the competition, but because I believe that unless Vudu does it won't be as successful as I would like to see it become.

1) Currently, in version 10.0 of itunes you can rent or BUY all of the current relases in HD or SD and it can be played on all things apple. Like iPad, iPod, iPhone, etc. and if you buy a movie in HD you also get the SD version as well.

2) Net Flix even has an app for iPad, surely Vudu can, even if it's only in SD, because of problems with Bandwith. It will still give your custmers mobile access until more bandwith or new streaming technologies become available.

3) I personally am only interested in buying content. I want to start building a digital library so that I don't have to keep buying the physical disk. However, physical disk do have some advantages, for instance, if I rent or buy a physical disk I can start watching it in the living room and if I get tiired I can take it into my bedroom and watch it. VuDu's current policy won't allow you to do even that. if a person rents a video he ought to be able to watch it wherever he wants during the specified time period. Which would be nice if it were 48 hours instead of 24 hours.

4) Although, storage of Physical disk is a problem, you do always have your disk. To make the transition to digtal a more pratical choice for consumers. They need certain assurances that they will always have access to their content. For instance, if i started a collection on VuDu and five years late VuDu went out of business or changed ownership, I should still have access to all of the content that I purchased.

5) How about a small fee for access to VuDu library of movies, content 4 to six months old. This will give some of us who have been collecting movies for some time now, a easier time transitioning to digital content. Cost for this service will have to be competive with your competition Netflix.

Things that many say they can't do I see apple doing, don't let apple take charge in the digital era. Won't someone step up and take them on.

[DanielG]

Re: Keep Up with Competition

The studios determine whether or not we have the rights to offer a title to sell to own or to rent. We are continually working with them to shorten those windows. Most studios offer their titles day-and-date for rental, and we're still working with those that don't.

[Live-L]

Re: Keep Up with Competition

I Know but want to point out that aplle with itunes 10.0 are offering a lot more than Vudu at present. Perhaps this can be used or studied for future negotiations.

Just log in to itunes with Version 10.0 check out the current releases that are available in HD for purchase, and then check out the purchase agreement. They give both SD and HD when HD is purchased.

Perhaps at the least VuDu can offer HD to those who purchase SD at the difference in cost when HD becomes available.

What is the difference between SD and HD releases with studios that don't cooperate fully with instant release?

[canadien37]

Re: Keep Up with Competition

I'm writing this post not because I like the competition, but because I believe that unless Vudu does it won't be as successful as I would like to see it become.

1) Currently, in version 10.0 of itunes you can rent or BUY all of the current relases in HD or SD and it can be played on all things apple. Like iPad, iPod, iPhone, etc. and if you buy a movie in HD you also get the SD version as well.

2) Net Flix even has an app for iPad, surely Vudu can, even if it's only in SD, because of problems with Bandwith. It will still give your custmers mobile access until more bandwith or new streaming technologies become available.

3) I personally am only interested in buying content. I want to start building a digital library so that I don't have to keep buying the physical disk. However, physical disk do have some advantages, for instance, if I rent or buy a physical disk I can start watching it in the living room and if I get tiired I can take it into my bedroom and watch it. VuDu's current policy won't allow you to do even that. if a person rents a video he ought to be able to watch it wherever he wants during the specified time period. Which would be nice if it were 48 hours instead of 24 hours.

4) Although, storage of Physical disk is a problem, you do always have your disk. To make the transition to digtal a more pratical choice for consumers. They need certain assurances that they will always have access to their content. For instance, if i started a collection on VuDu and five years late VuDu went out of business or changed ownership, I should still have access to all of the content that I purchased.

5) How about a small fee for access to VuDu library of movies, content 4 to six months old. This will give some of us who have been collecting movies for some time now, a easier time transitioning to digital content. Cost for this service will have to be competive with your competition Netflix.

Things that many say they can't do I see apple doing, don't let apple take charge in the digital era. Won't someone step up and take them on.

I think, for the moment, VUDU is doing fine vs. Apple.....ATV cannot compare IMO to VUDU.....The problem I have with the Itunes model is that it's all proprietary, as you said movies can be only played on Apple products....That is pretty limiting, if you ask me.....Not everyone has an I-this or an I-that, I sure don't and have no desire to get one either.....My guess is the studios want to get as much content to as many pieces of gear as possible, regardless of manufacturer.......

When VUDU first started, they also had a proprietary system, using their own set-top boxes.....Now they have gone to a software-based setup, with other equipment makers installing their app.......

Why studios provide licensing to Apple for new HD films for purchase is beyond me.....However, their HD is only 720P, from what I can recall......I am in total agreement with you on point #4......Fair Use of purchased content is paramount if digital distribution is to be successful..........

IMO, the thing to be aware of is digital distribution is in it's infancy, it has great potential...Let's also mention another fly in the ointment, the economy......You really think people are going to drive to a brick-and-mortar store to rent a video when gas hits $5 a gallon? Hell, I'll just sit home and hit a button and boom, my film is playing....

Hopefully, the studios will adjust their business model to one that reflects current economic conditions, in time, they will have to, because people will be more concerned about keeping a roof over their head and food on the table than what is the latest flick....

[Live-L]

Re: Keep Up with Competition

Ah Canadien37,

You make my point, of course I am aware of apple's marketing strategy to sell more apple hardware. But this is all the more reason for VuDu and the Studios to make an agreemant before Apple gets an avantage in this area. Think ipod and the music industry apple was out front in getting DRM free music to the public, and itunes became a major point of distribution for music even for people without apple devices.

I agree that sooner or later the studios will catch up to the digital era, but what about the consumer in the meantime. he gets caught having to continually purchase or repurchase content while the industry figures it out.

What I am simply trying to do is to urge VuDu to move more aggressively to make change NOW. Again, I beleive the first one to make content widely available will be very successfull. if itunes is any example.

[canadien37]

Re: Keep Up with Competition

Ah Canadien37,

You make my point, of course I am aware of apple's marketing strategy to sell more apple hardware. But this is all the more reason for VuDu and the Studios to make an agreemant before Apple gets an avantage in this area. Think ipod and the music industry apple was out front in getting DRM free music to the public, and itunes became a major point of distribution for music even for people without apple devices.

I agree that sooner or later the studios will catch up to the digital era, but what about the consumer in the meantime. he gets caught having to continually purchase or repurchase content while the industry figures it out.

What I am simply trying to do is to urge VuDu to move more aggressively to make change NOW. Again, I beleive the first one to make content widely available will be very successfull. if itunes is any example.

My point is I do not like proprietary systems like Apple, even though VUDU was proprietary early on, the powers that be decided the P2P and proprietary model did not benefit their vision, then decided to go streaming and embed their software in various devices......Also, I think their embedding into the PS3 was a real coup for them.....I do not see the urgency to provide an app for Apple products, not to say that they won't in the future....Being on Apple products is not the be-all and end-all of their existence.....

I do not think the studios will ever provide DRM-free movies......There is an initiative called Ultraviolet, which is a digital rights locker that holds purchased films.....They can be accessed from any device, and supposedly has more features than that......

VUDU is backed by Walmart, the largest retailer in the world, believe me, if an aggressive move needed to be made, they would do it.....In terms of the consumer purchasing and repurchasing films, that is an individual choice, the studios aren't holding a gun to anyone's head....They are tapping into the "I gotta have this or I gotta have that" mentality, if someone succumbs to it, and repurchases a film they didn't intend to, who is the fool? It will be very interesting when Star Wars comes out on Blu-Ray later this year what the uptake will be.....

I must admit I am biased regarding VUDU, because I do not watch my films on a cellphone, tablet, or anything that IMO takes away from the theatrical experience I get in my HT......I am very critical about the technical aspects of a film, i.e., aspect ratio, image quality, quality of transfer, etc.....So far VUDU has been more than up to the task......I have no desire to watch films on a small screen....

[Live-L]

Re: Keep Up with Competition

My point is I do not like proprietary systems like Apple, even though VUDU was proprietary early on, the powers that be decided the P2P and proprietary model did not benefit their vision, then decided to go streaming and embed their software in various devices......Also, I think their embedding into the PS3 was a real coup for them.....I do not see the urgency to provide an app for Apple products, not to say that they won't in the future....Being on Apple products is not the be-all and end-all of their existence.....

I do not think the studios will ever provide DRM-free movies......There is an initiative called Ultraviolet, which is a digital rights locker that holds purchased films.....They can be accessed from any device, and supposedly has more features than that......

VUDU is backed by Walmart, the largest retailer in the world, believe me, if an aggressive move needed to be made, they would do it.....In terms of the consumer purchasing and repurchasing films, that is an individual choice, the studios aren't holding a gun to anyone's head....They are tapping into the "I gotta have this or I gotta have that" mentality, if someone succumbs to it, and repurchases a film they didn't intend to, who is the fool? It will be very interesting when Star Wars comes out on Blu-Ray later this year what the uptake will be.....

I must admit I am biased regarding VUDU, because I do not watch my films on a cellphone, tablet, or anything that IMO takes away from the theatrical experience I get in my HT......I am very critical about the technical aspects of a film, i.e., aspect ratio, image quality, quality of transfer, etc.....So far VUDU has been more than up to the task......I have no desire to watch films on a small screen....

Ok Canadien37
This is a forum to talk about what you don't like about VuDu, not sit around the camp fire and sing Kumbayah.

I don't like proprietary models like Apple either, but what you or I like is not so much the question.

The reason Apple is able to get agreements with studios is because of their ability to show content providers that they have people that access itunes through all of these devices and that people are actually making purchases on these devices. So whether or not you or I watch movies on a smaller screen is not revelant to the argument, seeing that other people clearly do.

As far as Wal-Mart holding a gun to someone's head is also not the point. The point is to be able to offer content to people as quickly as possible in the format they prefer. In an era of HD to offer content for purchase in SD and then later in HD does not best address the consumer demand, especially when as I have already stated, your competition does.

Think, you want to make a customer "wait" to purchase content in a more expensive format? Does this sound like a good business model to you?

Shouldn't this be the other way around?

Isn't what keeps the movie industry going, is new content? Shouldn't they try to get more for the content, rather than less.

The point is, when VuDu can bring more content to the consumer in more ways than their competion. There is no reason for anyone to choose the competition.

[aaronwt]

Re: Keep Up with Competition

I'm writing this post not because I like the competition, but because I believe that unless Vudu does it won't be as successful as I would like to see it become.

1) Currently, in version 10.0 of itunes you can rent or BUY all of the current relases in HD or SD and it can be played on all things apple. Like iPad, iPod, iPhone, etc. and if you buy a movie in HD you also get the SD version as well.

..........

anything I buy or rent on VUDU I can play on all things VUDU. So what is the problem?

[Live-L]

Re: Keep Up with Competition

anything I buy or rent on VUDU I can play on all things VUDU. So what is the problem?

To make More (all) things VuDu! and bring more chioces to Consumer!!

[canadien37]

Re: Keep Up with Competition

Ok Canadien37
This is a forum to talk about what you don't like about VuDu, not sit around the camp fire and sing Kumbayah.

I don't like proprietary models like Apple either, but what you or I like is not so much the question.

The reason Apple is able to get agreements with studios is because of their ability to show content providers that they have people that access itunes through all of these devices and that people are actually making purchases on these devices. So whether or not you or I watch movies on a smaller screen is not revelant to the argument, seeing that other people clearly do.

As far as Wal-Mart holding a gun to someone's head is also not the point. The point is to be able to offer content to people as quickly as possible in the format they prefer. In an era of HD to offer content for purchase in SD and then later in HD does not best address the consumer demand, especially when as I have already stated, your competition does.

Think, you want to make a customer "wait" to purchase content in a more expensive format? Does this sound like a good business model to you?

Shouldn't this be the other way around?

Isn't what keeps the movie industry going, is new content? Shouldn't they try to get more for the content, rather than less.

The point is, when VuDu can bring more content to the consumer in more ways than their competion. There is no reason for anyone to choose the competition.

You don't have to tell me about what forum I am on, and I am not singing Kumbayyah, either...I was just responding to something YOU disliked about VUDU, which is ok, we all have our opinions.....

That said, if VUDU wants to follow the ITunes model, they will....If they want to put an app onto Apple's devices, they will.....If Apples' gear was their top priority then they would have an app....Apparently VUDU brass' decision was to embed their service into TV's, Blu-Ray players, another set-top box via Boxee(IomegaTV), PS3's, and the Boxee box first.....

"Isn't what keeps the movie industry going, is new content?" Not necessarily....people purchasing films more than once helps bring in the revenue......It seems this topic revolved around how Apple does business, bottom line, if VUDU thinks Apple's products are relevant to their company vision, they will include them in the embedded product list......Another issue may be for some reason, Apple is deciding not to include a VUDU app, because they have a VOD offering as well, right?(I don't know for sure, I'm not an ATV user)....If this is the case, there is nothing VUDU can do about it...They may not want the competition against their own offering, because IMO, VUDU would crush whatever VOD service Apple has and lose the revenue they get having their own offering....

[raaurora]

Re: Keep Up with Competition

2) Net Flix even has an app for iPad, surely Vudu can, even if it's only in SD, because of problems with Bandwith. It will still give your custmers mobile access until more bandwith or new streaming technologies become available.

Vudu did not write an app for the ipad but rather optimized their web site for it. If you go to vudu.com on your ipad you will get redirected to an iPad friendly version of the site (you can tell from the uri) and then you watch a movie just as you would on your laptop. Worked great for me when I tried it.

http://www.vudu.com/setup_ipad.html