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VUDU coming to Playstation 3 on November 23

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Network,

VUDU f2.0, playstation 3

As if having Sony's own Video Marketplace, Netflix, and Hulu to satisfy the film cravings of PS3 owners wasn't enough, Sony is now adding a fourth movie service with VUDU. 

Basically, VUDU is a video marketplace that allows rentals and purchases of movies through streaming. This is something that the other services on the system don't do, as it is the only one that allows you to purchase movies without downloading them, but it's not a big leap either. 

Rentals will cost about $2 for SD, while HD is a higher $4-6--those $6 rentals get you the HDX 1080p streaming content, which looks fantastic. Signing up with the VUDU service will earn you a $6 credit as well. 

VUDU is only available in the US.

Read More | Kotaku

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Holiday Gift Guide 2008: VUDU $99 for a limited time ($200 off!)

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies, Men, Techies, Under $100,

VUDU

If you, or someone you love, is a big movie buff with an HDTV, we have to recommend the Christmas Special that is going on right now. The VUDU set-top box normally sells for $299, but for a limited time it can be had for just $99. Now, you also have to buy $50 in movie credits, so the total cost would be $149, but that $50 is would go towards rentals and purchases of VUDU content, including their fantastic HDX 1080p movies. Rentals cost from $1-4 dollars, and purchases are obviously higher.

We recently reported on a lot of the Internet content that has also just made its way to the VUDU service, so all in all, we think this would make a nice gift - either for someone else, or for yourself. Our only complaint with VUDU remains that their speeds are limited, which provides a very, very poor experience if you want to rent HDX content. No matter how fast your Internet connection is, VUDU caps downloads at 4.0 Mbps. That means that my super fast 50.0 Mbps connection means absolutely nothing, and I still have to wait hours before I can watch an HDX flick. If they got rid of that, it would unleash HDX, their flagship offering. A personal niggle for sure, though. If you don’t care, pick one up!

If you miss the sale, you can typically find some nice VUDU deals on Amazon.

Read More | VUDU Store

Vudu HDX 1080p movie downloads are “insanely sharp”

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Broadband, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies,

Description

Yesterday, VUDU went live with their new HDX 1080p movie downloads, and word on the street (or, at least, from Pogue at the Times) is that they are the best thing available as it pertains to the digital download movie game. Now, VUDU promised “ quality” movies, and I don’t think that’s what we are seeing here. After all, that would mean some people would have to spend the better part of a day downloading a flick - that would make for an awkward evening when inviting the girl over. However, the quality is decidedly sharper than DVD, and looks better than high definition downloads from other services, like iTunes through Apple TV. So, how do they achieve this goodness? Well, the bit rate for the videos hovers around 9Mbps, and goes as high as 20Mbps during fast-moving action scenes. Nothing else touches that, including your cable company with their On Demand, seriously.

VUDU currently has 65 movies available to rent in their HDX format, and all new releases will be available in HDX as well. A VUDU box will run you $299, but if you buy it before the end of the year, you get a $200 movie credit, which seems to make it worth the price of admission - especially since those who own s have such a hard time finding great content to take advantage of their screens on a consistent basis. You can get one online, or at your local Best Buy.

Read More | New York Times

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