No more red envelopes for you! VUDU is a sleek, accommodating box that accesses more than 5,000 movies from major studios. It’s all there for your choosing, as easy as picking up the remote of your DVD player and pressing “play.” All you need is an apparatus of comfort, a TV, and a broadband connection, and you can tell the video retailers, the U.S. Post Office, and the FBI to fudge off.
While VUDU is ideal for people who are enthusiastic about movies, it may not be recommended for hardcore cinema addicts who have seen everything and are always looking for the Treasure of the Sierra Madre of obscure titles. 5,000 features is a lot, as the average video store holds, perhaps, 2,500 titles, but it’s not enough for film fans who, like Scorsese, watch movies every day.
The VUDU movie box is $399 and includes a remote, RF antenna, two AA batteries, an AC cord and HDMI, Ethernet, and composite video with analog stereo audio cables. It uses encoding, decoding, and converting technologies to allow HDTV systems optimal performance. It also has two USB ports for future storage options that will be available in six months. You get unlimited rentals and 100 hours of owned movies. For instant viewing, a three Mbps broadband connection is advised.
Rentals run between $0.99 and $3.99; purchases are $4.99 to $19.99, depending on the release of the title. For more information or to purchase, visit www.vudulabs.com.
