Vudu @ CES 2014

[Walter-S_North_Carolina]

"Amit Balan, head of marketing and merchandising for Walmart's Vudu movie service, said Vudu enjoyed an amazing year with digital movie sales, especially thanks to early digital offerings before disc. "Early EST was amazing for us," he said. "For us we also doubled down on TV [content] and it surpassed all our expectations for 2013." He said that one in four Americans streams TV or movie content, and that they care about the movie, they don't care about the format.

Balan agreed that digital ownership is becoming increasingly popular, noting that Vudu.com forum members are apt to list how many digital movies they own, like a badge of honor. "You reach a point where a customer has eight to 10 movies in their collection, and it becomes pride of ownership,"he said."

[YankeeGator6]

Re: Vudu @ CES 2014

8 to 10...yeah, that's something to be proud of...especially when you get 5 free for creating an account.

[Speedaddict81]

Re: Vudu @ CES 2014

8 to 10...yeah, that's something to be proud of...especially when you get 5 free for creating an account.

Yep, that's totally the kind of numbers we discuss in the "largest library" thread.

[BlakkMajik3000]

Re: Vudu @ CES 2014

"Amit Balan, head of marketing and merchandising for Walmart's Vudu movie service, said Vudu enjoyed an amazing year with digital movie sales, especially thanks to early digital offerings before disc. "Early EST was amazing for us," he said. "For us we also doubled down on TV [content] and it surpassed all our expectations for 2013." He said that one in four Americans streams TV or movie content, and that they care about the movie, they don't care about the format.

Balan agreed that digital ownership is becoming increasingly popular, noting that Vudu.com forum members are apt to list how many digital movies they own, like a badge of honor. "You reach a point where a customer has eight to 10 movies in their collection, and it becomes pride of ownership,"he said."

I found this part interesting: "they care about the movie, they don't care about the format."

I'm not sure this is true. I think people now, more than ever, are concerned with the format. This is because most EST vendors have hardware and/or ecosystems to sell, so it's in their interest to have a format that only works with their devices. I think the folks at Vudu have benefited from a consumer that is tired of said restrictions.

Vudu is on a variety of platforms and devices, because Vudu isn't trying to sell you an ecosystem. They just want to sell you movies; lots of them. They don't care if you're using your PC, iPhone, Android tablet, or Blu-ray player. If I decide to switch from Android to iOS (not likely), I don't have to worry about my movies. I get my iPhone/iPad, go to the app store, download the Vudu app, and done.

I agree that the TV content is important, and I can definitely say that the tv selection has vastly improved from where it was.

[Walter-S_North_Carolina]

Re: Vudu @ CES 2014

I agree that the TV content is important, and I can definitely say that the tv selection has vastly improved from where it was.

Ditto.

Now, where is that season #3 of GoT?

[Jake]

Re: Vudu @ CES 2014

Ditto.

Now, where is that season #3 of GoT?

My guess is it will come out when the DVD/BD comes out, which is 2/18.

[amitbalan]

Re: Vudu @ CES 2014

My perspective below.

Cheers,
Amit

I found this part interesting: "they care about the movie, they don't care about the format."

I'm not sure this is true. I think people now, more than ever, are concerned with the format. This is because most EST vendors have hardware and/or ecosystems to sell, so it's in their interest to have a format that only works with their devices. I think the folks at Vudu have benefited from a consumer that is tired of said restrictions.

Vudu is on a variety of platforms and devices, because Vudu isn't trying to sell you an ecosystem. They just want to sell you movies; lots of them. They don't care if you're using your PC, iPhone, Android tablet, or Blu-ray player. If I decide to switch from Android to iOS (not likely), I don't have to worry about my movies. I get my iPhone/iPad, go to the app store, download the Vudu app, and done.

I agree that the TV content is important, and I can definitely say that the tv selection has vastly improved from where it was.

[amitbalan]

Re: Vudu @ CES 2014

Hi there, thanks for insights. Really appreciate the feedback. Generally speaking, I was alluding to the fact that we make it very complex for the customer. The quote is taken out of context -- when you're amongst friends, you don't talk about the formats, you talk about the movie. Customers care about the format because we make it really complicated with different formats for different ecosystems etc. At VUDU we really try hard to be a common platform -- i.e. device agnostic. As digital streaming becomes more and more mainstream, it would be nice if we can make it simple and people only care about what they enjoy -- the movie itself.

As far as collections, picking 5 HD movies is a good start.

Thanks again for the comments -- cheers, Amit

[Walter-S_North_Carolina]

Re: Vudu @ CES 2014

Hi there, thanks for insights. Really appreciate the feedback. Generally speaking, I was alluding to the fact that we make it very complex for the customer. The quote is taken out of context -- when you're amongst friends, you don't talk about the formats, you talk about the movie. Customers care about the format because we make it really complicated with different formats for different ecosystems etc. At VUDU we really try hard to be a common platform -- i.e. device agnostic. As digital streaming becomes more and more mainstream, it would be nice if we can make it simple and people only care about what they enjoy -- the movie itself.

As far as collections, picking 5 HD movies is a good start.

Thanks again for the comments -- cheers, Amit

Mr. Balan,

Thank you for taking the time to clarify. When I read the quote, it felt like a piece of the conversation was missing. I can see that discussing a movie library and what titles are included with your friends, the underlying format is not really mentioned. I would agree with you.

Personally, I very much am invested in building a collection that will stand the test of time for both me and my family. As such, I personally try to stay on 1080p for my D2D transactions as much as is possible and stay on 1080p for my EST purchases exclusively. For me, the high standards your company has set are very much appreciated. I think my fellow forum members will agree.

When talking about my family's library with friends and family, you are right though, typically only the titles in the library are discussed.

Sincerely,

[Walter-S_North_Carolina]

Re: Vudu @ CES 2014

My guess is it will come out when the DVD/BD comes out, which is 2/18.

Yeah, that's what happened last year. It hit EST when the media hit store shelves. I was in a Wal-Mart on Thursday morning. Currently only season #1 & season #2 are on display.

Thx for letting me know when the third one is due to hit store shelves. I hope to own all three complete season passes in HDX here pretty soon.

[Jeff*H]

Re: Vudu @ CES 2014

Something I don't see mentioned much, but is a HUGE format-related reason why I prefer VUDU over Amazon or iTunes, is the fact that VUDU content will also play on 3G or 4G networks as well as a home wi-fi network; the other guys do not (only on wi-fi). This has been a godsend for us when travelling with children (otherwise we would have to download everything before a trip).

[Walter-S_North_Carolina]

Re: Vudu @ CES 2014

I carry a 64GB iPad that is locked and loaded for the kids whenever needed. Shopping trips are a pretty common time where it gets called in to save the day.

I can see that on a road trip with nothing downloaded that it would be great to quickly lobotomies the kids with a 3/4G stream. Ain't technology great!!!?

To think, previously you would of had to pop a valum to mentally cope in a situation like that. Now, the problem can be delt with at the source, freeing up your own chemical intake.

[tgmoore71]

Re: Vudu @ CES 2014

Hi there, thanks for insights. Really appreciate the feedback. Generally speaking, I was alluding to the fact that we make it very complex for the customer. The quote is taken out of context -- when you're amongst friends, you don't talk about the formats, you talk about the movie. Customers care about the format because we make it really complicated with different formats for different ecosystems etc. At VUDU we really try hard to be a common platform -- i.e. device agnostic. As digital streaming becomes more and more mainstream, it would be nice if we can make it simple and people only care about what they enjoy -- the movie itself.

As far as collections, picking 5 HD movies is a good start.

Thanks again for the comments -- cheers, Amit

This has worked really well for Netflix and the same thinking made me gravitate to Vudu. Not being locked into an ecosystem and availability on all platforms is key. Vudu should be the #1 movie streaming and download service....

[BlakkMajik3000]

Re: Vudu @ CES 2014

Hi there, thanks for insights. Really appreciate the feedback. Generally speaking, I was alluding to the fact that we make it very complex for the customer. The quote is taken out of context -- when you're amongst friends, you don't talk about the formats, you talk about the movie. Customers care about the format because we make it really complicated with different formats for different ecosystems etc. At VUDU we really try hard to be a common platform -- i.e. device agnostic. As digital streaming becomes more and more mainstream, it would be nice if we can make it simple and people only care about what they enjoy -- the movie itself.

As far as collections, picking 5 HD movies is a good start.

Thanks again for the comments -- cheers, Amit

Ah, I see what you're saying now. I would definitely agree. I talk about formats with a couple of people from time to time, but it's definitely a topic that rarely comes up, and when it does, I generally trumpet the virtues of Vudu and UV to anyone that will listen.