TheiPhonegets the hoopla , theiPodcontinues to capture public interest , and the Mac enjoy the expert sales in its history . But what of the Apple TV ? Business blogger Philip Elmer - DeWitt go so far as tocall the Apple boob tube “ Steve Jobs ’ Forgotten Child,”speculating that Apple ’s telecasting set - top did not do as well as the ship’s company hoped it would , in terms of gross sales .
Why the deficiency of buzz for a production that was released just five months ago ? While providing only a little barometer , Macworld forum posters expressing disinterest in the Apple TV shared two vernacular complaint — the lack of a television rental system and business about picture calibre .
This is whereVuducomes in . Aiming to revolutionise the TV place - top experience , the Vudu box link up directly to a wideband connection and a television or display , allow you to choose from a immense ingathering of movies to rive and pelt . I had a chance for some face - sentence with the box ; here are some initial impressions .
First , some specs : The Vudu is a summary , black box weighing 7.5 pounds . It arrest a 250 GB tough record drive — enough to put in around 100 hours of owned movies . As for video recording quality , the Vudu ’s movies are encoded in MPEG4 , and the hardware plunk for HDMI v1.1 , Component , S - Video and Composite connections . For audio , the Vudu supports HDMI v1.1 , Digital Optical , Digital Coax and RCA .
Vudu versus Apple TV
There ’s a muckle to Vudu , and it ’s very different from the Apple television receiver . For the interest of being concise , allow me to bullet - percentage point the major differences .
So that ’s how the comparability breaks down . But how well does the Vudu perform ? After some time with an rating unit , my initial impressions of the Vudu are very positive .
The Vudu box and its remote ( Courtesy of Vudu )
Innovative user interface and remote control
The Vudu comes with a unique remote control . little , shameful , smooth and shape like an overgrown peanut , the Vudu remote control does not initially come out ergonomically correct . But you ’ll be surprised at how comfortably it stay in the palm of your hand .
Below the power clit toward the top of the remote is a pocket-size , erect scroll roulette wheel for your pollex , which you apply to sail through the Vudu menu very smoothly and well . To choose a movie or choice on the Vudu card , you but come home the gyre bicycle . There are four other button : a back button , a turn / pause button , a Vudu independent computer menu push , and a “ More ” button .
Overall , I ’m very pleased with this design ; it ’s so intuitive that I learn how to employ it in just second . And I love that the coil wheel eliminates the need for button mash to get to the picture show I want to watch .
The Find Movies screen ( Courtesy of Vudu )
Vudu ’s menu is also very nerveless and nonrational . The independent carte is a black screen containing five options : line up Movies , New Releases , My Movies , My Wish List and Info & configurations . Below those options are side - by - side poster images of presently sport picture show , which you may speedily choose to watch .
I was most impressed with the organization scheme that Vudu portray for browsing through its motion-picture show subroutine library . After pick out the Find Movies selection , the Vudu menu gives you several ways to pick a flick . If you ’re in the mood for an action movie , for illustration , you may browse the movie library using the Explore Genres pick . If you bang just what you want to watch , you could choose Search By Title , and eccentric in the title using the menu ’s synergistic keyboard . If you feel like watching a movie by a sure director or featuring a specific worker , you may choose Search By Actor or Director and quickly punch in the name . in conclusion , there are two more alternative to graze lists of Vudu ’s Top stag as well as Staff Picks .
motion-picture show buffs and movie fanatic alike will appreciate that once you flick on a moving picture , the Vudu menu displays additional information , including the picture ’s stamp , conductor , synopsis , star topology - rating , studio , and run - time . From here , you could even snap on the director or role player names and graze through other movies by that director or featuring those stars .
You ’ll find everything from plaster bandage and crew entropy to a plot summary on the menu for each movie on Vudu . ( Courtesy of Vudu )
How it works
The Vudu does n’t magically download an entire telecasting the instant you click the economic rent or buy button . Instead , it streams video , entail you watch over the television as it downloads ; you’re able to only fast - forward through the entire video once it finishes download .
This may set off violent flags for likely buyers who reverence video - buffer stave . The Vudu , however , rectifies this issue : the hard cause come squirrel away with a little portion of every movie . Therefore , you may rent or buy a movie and start play that pre - loaded portion immediately , in all probability forfend any slowdown .
Nevertheless , since the Vudu streams video , it still requires a middling fast broadband connection to ensure zero lag . Vudu ’s specifications advocate at least a 3 Mbps broadband connection for instant viewing . A 1.5 Mbps or slower connection is conducive to delayed viewing .
Something crucial to note about the Vudu ’s TV - streaming technology : You ’re not only downloading — you’re uploading , too . With the box plug in to the Internet , each Vudu user essentially contributes to a equal - to - match connection to ensure effective delivery of every movie , according to Vudu . The upload rate is , of course , capped at a reasonable pace so your cyberspace wo n’t become sluggish due to the Vudu .
I tested the Vudu on the high-pitched - throughput connection in our office , so of course I had no problems with interim . I can reckon the Vudu not being ideal in the neighborhood of my own home , where I surfboard the Web on a slow DSL connection . ( I ’m certain many of you , however , do n’t have stingy roomie like I do , and get to bask in the fondness of a home with 3 Mbps or faster cable television modem . )
To get the Vudu to turn with your wireless electronic internet , you ’ll require to connect it via Ethernet to a wireless bridge . Vudu recommend a router with at least 802.11 G for fastest delivery . But since the Vudu wo n’t move much , I ’d commend playing it safe and connecting the Vudu flat via wired Ethernet .
Video quality
Like the Apple TV , the Vudu presently does n’t offer high - definition movies . The hardware itself indorse HD motion-picture show , and Vudu says it plans to offer HD content on the boxful in the future .
I tested the Vudu on a VX2245wm ViewDock reminder and the image was very clean-cut and pleasing overall with precise colors and cracking particular . While watching the 3 - D - reanimate movieEveryone ’s Hero , I noticed upon tight inspection some small , blocky pixels due to the video ’s concretion . But from a reasonable viewing distance of about 8 foot , the picture looked great to me . Overall , the Vudu should be an fantabulous living - room gadget despite the current lack of HD - TV offering .
How much you’ll pay
The Vudu corner cost $ 399 , and there are no subscription or energizing fees . Those who opt against purchasing an Apple TV due to the want of a movie rentals should be proud of with the Vudu ’s gloomy rental pricing . One - time rentals range from $ 1.99 for older films and $ 3.99 for new releases . Renting a movie immediately activate a 24 - hour clock for which you may watch the film as many clock time as you wish until your time expires . The price for owning movies ranges from $ 4.99 to $ 19.99 , depending on the film ’s studio , age , and popularity , among other factors . When you take to purchase a movie , Vudu streams and store the movie on its 250 GB strong drive .
Overall impressions
The Vudu box is a great planetary house for things to come in the digital - moving picture era . I found the overall concept and excogitation to be reasoning and commodious ; the technology used to stream movies truly allow you to watch what you need instantly . And since I do n’t watch TV , the Vudu ’s lack of boob tube programming does n’t enervate me . Regular movie watcher should be very excited about the Vudu : it takes another step toward sparing you a trip-up to the video store , bringing entertainment within immediate orbit .
[ Brian Chen is an assistant editor atMacworld . ]
This clause was reposted to elucidate information about wireless networking with Vudu .
