D2D: In-Store vs. In-Home

[Walter-S_North_Carolina]

I hear the accounts of folks fighting the D2D In-Home application. I suspect it has about a 90% success rate with reading discs and converting them correctly. Perhaps 95%.

Also, for folks who do not have a Bluray Disc player built into their computer/laptop they are left to go out and buy an external one or just forgo all the Bluray conversions via In-Home.

I work in technology. I do understand the convenience of doing D2D transactions in-home.

1. Fosters impulse purchases (good for Vudu)
2. Provides ease and instant access to the D2D program
3. Let's people who would of otherwise not done so, participate
4. Has a novelty effect from instant gratification purchasing
5. Saves the hassle of travel to a retail store

I also know that when given the choice, I personally prefer to take the route that I know will always be successful.

I know having never used the In-Home D2D app that I have lost out on the 50% offer. However, prior to the advent of the 50% beta testing special, I had completed converting my physical library and was just sniping as titles I was waiting on became D2D eligible. During the offer, I only did one D2D transaction. So for me, I did not loose out on anything over the last month.

With the 50% beta testing offer coming to a close, I was wondering if I was alone in preferring the in-store option for doing D2D transaction. Now that the costs of the two are again the same, I see the more reliable method as the better one.

I was/am very deliberate in my D2D transactions. I recognize that these titles will be around for a very long time. For me, when I go to make a D2D transaction, I prefer to do so the way I know I will have zero problems.

I did just under 200. I had a total of zero problems. It was 100% successful.

Plus, I really enjoyed travelling to my local Wal-Mart and being able to browse the movie aisles for a spell to see the new releases.

Am I alone in preferring the In-Store method?

It seems from reading the posts on the forum that I am and I just wanted to see if I was the last remaining dinosaur in a community that has moved on to in-home purchases for their D2D transactions.

[MaxH]

Re: D2D: In-Store vs. In-Home

Even when the price is the same I prefer VuduToGo. My nearest Walmart is 25-30 minutes and about $3 in gas each way, and it's nowhere near on my way to work or anyone I know. Meanwhile, I may have wasted about one round-trip's worth of my time in trying different discs at home....but with all the new titles that have been added since this started, I would had to have made 5 or 10 trips to do what I have done in the comfort of my home.

Once the promotion is over, if the titles that VuduToGo can't recognize haven't been fixed in some months, I might take them all to Walmart at some point, but only if I can do a lot of movies or a few that I really love in one trip.

[LuzRinggold]

Re: D2D: In-Store vs. In-Home

I hear the accounts of folks fighting the D2D In-Home application. I suspect it has about a 90% success rate with reading discs and converting them correctly. Perhaps 95%.

No, it's more like 40% to 50$ success rate. It used to be much higher before they started the discount.

Now that CinemaNow has an updated list of D2D titles, I use them as much as possible when Vudu TOGO fails to do it's job. When the title isn't available on CinemaNow then I check Flixster and when all else fails I take them to Walmart.

[madmod20061]

Re: D2D: In-Store vs. In-Home

No, it's more like 40% to 50$ success rate. It used to be much higher before they started the discount.

Now that CinemaNow has an updated list of D2D titles, I use them as much as possible when Vudu TOGO fails to do it's job. When the title isn't available on CinemaNow then I check Flixster and when all else fails I take them to Walmart.

I think it varies by person. My experience has been about 99% success with DVDs and about 90% with blu rays and I've done a lot of movies and saw no difference before or after the promo started.

[lujan]

Re: D2D: In-Store vs. In-Home

No, it's more like 40% to 50$ success rate. It used to be much higher before they started the discount.

Now that CinemaNow has an updated list of D2D titles, I use them as much as possible when Vudu TOGO fails to do it's job. When the title isn't available on CinemaNow then I check Flixster and when all else fails I take them to Walmart.

In my experience it is around 75% because I was able to convert using VuduToGo around 200 and around 50 didn't work.

[Walter-S_North_Carolina]

Re: D2D: In-Store vs. In-Home

interesting...

I guess my thought is that this is still an aggravation I fail to see the need to put up with. If I were like MaxH who had to drive 30-45 minutes to get to a photo counter, I could see reason. However, I have three super centers 10 minutes from my house in three different directions. I load my current hit list, print, and then off to see my friends at the photo counter. I am on a first name basis with the photo counter crew.

Plus, I get to browse the current titles in the movie aisle. It seems better the way I do it, but that is just me.

Not sure if anyone agrees or not. Maybe I am just old fashion or set in my ways.

[forphase1]

Re: D2D: In-Store vs. In-Home

I MUCH prefer the in home service, for a few reasons.

1) Time. While my Walmart is close (about a 10 minute drive) it's still going to be an hour process before I get home (see #2 below). Doing it at home is MUCH faster, provided of course that the disk(s) are recognized in the first place.

2) Frustration. According to my Walmart, since this d2d started they have had a total of 6 transactions...5 of which were from me. :-) Which means no one at my store is really familiar with what needs to be done or how to do it quickly. Every single time they have to pull out the instruction book and learn or refresh themselves on how to do it. This of course adds tremendously to my time. Also, since they do it so rarely things get 'misplaced', like the stamp they are supposed to put on the disks. Last time I was there they couldn't find the stamp and it took them 15 minutes to locate it, then they had to ink it as it was dry. Needless to say my experiences with in store d2d has been frustrating, though in the end it all worked out.

I currently have some 420 or so movies on Vudu...90% of which are in home d2d conversions, the rest being from codes where I've bought movies and the 20 or so that I've done in store. I currently have another 10 or so movies that are d2d eligible, but not recognized by at home, and I'm waiting patiently for them to finally work so I don't have to take them to Walmart. Just my thoughts.

[LuzRinggold]

Re: D2D: In-Store vs. In-Home

.

[LuzRinggold]

Re: D2D: In-Store vs. In-Home

I hear the accounts of folks fighting the D2D In-Home application. I suspect it has about a 90% success rate with reading discs and converting them correctly. Perhaps 95%.

No, it's more like 40% to 50% success rate. It used to be much higher before they started the discount.

Now that CinemaNow has an updated list of D2D titles, I use them as much as possible when Vudu TOGO fails to do it's job. When the title isn't available on CinemaNow then I check Flixster and when all else fails I take them to Walmart.

[quackman]

Re: D2D: In-Store vs. In-Home

I have taken movies to Walmart several times and find it very frustrating. Sometimes I'm there for 30 to 45 minutes just waiting and watching them trying to figure out how to convert a few movies. The employees are never trained how to do it, even though it is really a very easy process. I try to help them and sometimes that goes well, but it just depends on the employee. One time I went there and, after waiting 30 minutes for help, they said they didn't have anybody there who knows what to do and so couldn't help me. I went home. I wish I had another Walmart close by, but this one is my only reasonable choice.

So, based on my experience with my local Walmart, I try in-home D2D first and then go to Walmart only when I have movies which won't convert, which unfortunately is about half the movies I have tried.

[Walter-S_North_Carolina]

Re: D2D: In-Store vs. In-Home

I have heard from a few Vudu D2D enthusiast that they run into a stumbling block with Wal-Mart staff being unaware of the program or how to complete the D2D transactions, needing to spend cycles learning a process they are unfamiliar with.

I guess I can concede this is a problem. I had it too the first time or two.

However, I took in another batch every two weeks every time I got paid. I paid my way through my D2D journey with cash money on my paydays.

I guess me showing up every two weeks got all the staff at my local Wal-Mart trained. Now, we all know each other by first name and it takes all of two minutes.

As I indicated, I also have time to browse the movie aisles after and for me it is just an easier process. Also, one I enjoy more.

I just like the 100% success rate. After all, this is something I am suppose to enjoy. The treks into the photo counter are an event that I do enjoy better then feeding a disc into a cd tray.

I guess I am just different. I'll chalk it up to eccentricity, idiosyncrasy, terminal uniqueness, etc...

[madmod20061]

Re: D2D: In-Store vs. In-Home

No, it's more like 40% to 50% success rate. It used to be much higher before they started the discount.

Now that CinemaNow has an updated list of D2D titles, I use them as much as possible when Vudu TOGO fails to do it's job. When the title isn't available on CinemaNow then I check Flixster and when all else fails I take them to Walmart.

For you it may be that low. For a lot of us it's around 90%. There is no static percentage as all our collections are different. Plus, vudu is still in beta. If these problems persist out of beta then i think there is more room for complaints. Cinemanow is out of beta so it's logical to assume they have better success rates.

[lujan]

Re: D2D: In-Store vs. In-Home

... Cinemanow is out of beta so it's logical to assume they have better success rates.

Also, Vudu is the only one doing blu-ray D2D. Flixster and CinemaNow still don't do blu-ray conversions which is a mystery to me?

[LuzRinggold]

Re: D2D: In-Store vs. In-Home

For you it may be that low. For a lot of us it's around 90%. There is no static percentage as all our collections are different. Plus, vudu is still in beta. If these problems persist out of beta then i think there is more room for complaints. Cinemanow is out of beta so it's logical to assume they have better success rates.

My real "complaint" is that I seemed to be having a higher success rate before they added the 50% discount. I finally gave up on trying to get the discount. I just bought another movie yesterday for the kids, Mouse Hunt, and tried to convert it and it will not work in Vudu TOGO either. Big surprise! CinemaNow and Flixster do not have it so I will have to take it to Walmart.

[madmod20061]

Re: D2D: In-Store vs. In-Home

Also, Vudu is the only one doing blu-ray D2D. Flixster and CinemaNow still don't do blu-ray conversions which is a mystery to me?

Yes. Put a blu ray in and they have no problem reading them. You just get a message stating blu rays are not supported. Why not just support them. Oh well.