Over the years I’ve grown to love Wikipedia as it can answer most of the questions one can have while browsing the Internet. But would I require Wikipedia support from Vudu? To be honest, I wouldn’t stop watching TV in order to start looking up stuff on Wikipedia. That’s what I have my laptop for. But Vudu seems to think differently.

Wikipedia information about movies, actors and more will be integrated into Vudu. Users will be able to read more about their favorite shows and actors straight on their TVs. They can access links and read more articles just as they regularly do on the computer.

What do you say? Are you interested in such features from Vudu?

In case you want to use your HDTV for anything else but watching TV then get ready to embrace Vudu’s new offers. The company has confirmed that it plans to bring various services straight to your TV as long as it’s a connected one. These services are Pandora, Flickr and Picasa which I am sure you’re familiar with already. Unfortunately not every HDTV out there will be able to access them just yet. Flickr and Picasa will be available on HDTVs made by LG or Mitsubishi while Pandora will be available only on HDTVs from Mitsubishi.

Vudu will deliver even more applications to your connected HDTV in the near future so stay tuned as we’ll keep tabs on Vudu for you.

via Vudu

What do you say, are you ready for some more VUDU HD content? If you are then you should know that VUDU has partnered with LG and the BD390 Blu-ray player will start sending on-demand content your way. The Blu-ray player is now available for $399 and when the time is right, all it will need is a brief software update. When is the time right? Well VUDU plans to go live on the player later this month so get ready for that software update.

via Press

Yesterday we told you that LG Netcast HDTVs would now be able to stream content from VUDU. Well, it looks like Mitsubishi is also jumping on board haing recently announced that they too will begin shipping VUDU ready TVs.

This line of VUDU ready TVs is called the Diamond Unisen collection and will include 18 speakers (as you can see above) that will make for out of the box Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound compatibility. The sizes range from 46-inches to 52 and will feature WiFi and Ethernet for said VuDU streaming.

Mitsubishi says that these sets are expected to retail in the range of $2,600 - $3,100 when they hit store shelves.

via engadgethd

In case you own an LG Netcast HDTV and you’d like to get more 1080p content then check out VUDU’s current listings. From today on everyone that happens to have one of LG’s LH50 LCD series or one of the PS80 plasmas will be able to select what VUDU HD videos to watch. And in case you need some incentive to start renting movies, then you absolutely need to know that the first HD or HDX rental is totally free. So what do you say folks? Are you ready to experience VUDU from that Netcast interface?

via prweb

LG and VUDU have announced that the future LH50 HDTV line will offer you access to VUDU’s streaming service without actually needing a box connected to the TV. If you plan to get one of the following HDTVs: 47LH50, 50PS80, 60PS80 and 42LH50, then you’ll be able to get HD and HDX movies on demand straight to your connected TV. There’s no monthly fee for the service so in case you don’t want to buy or rent any title then you won’t have to pay any monthly subscription.

This bundled deal will be available starting next month and we’re probably see VUDU reach similar agreements with other HDTV makers soon.

via Press

For the people who are now proud owners of VUDU, you can now bring truly personalized radio to your televisions and home theater for free. VUDU announced today that VUDU owners can get immediate access to Pandora’s free, personalized Internet radio service on VUDU.

Pandora represents VUDU’s first music application for its growing RIA (Rich Internet Application) platform. Pandora joins YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and a selection of more than 120 channels of web based video content available to VUDU owners in their living rooms for free.

VUDU customers can now experience Pandora on their televisions with all of the functionality that has made Pandora the leader in Internet radio. Using VUDU’s award winning remote control, VUDU customers can create new stations and personalize them by adding new variety to the station and “thumbing” songs up and down as they play.

Additionally, Pandora on VUDU supports multiple accounts enabling every member of the family to play his or her own personalized Pandora stations.

(Source) Press

The new age has pushed us towards watching movies and films using the Internet. But to make that happen, one would need a reliable online receiver such as the Vudu BX100. The Vudu BX100 plays Internet-delivered movies and TV shows at resolutions up to 1080p. Most similar to Apple TV with respect to features and price, the Vudu has some clear advantages.

The Vudu BX100 is encased in a glossy black chassis that is small enough to find a home in just about any rack or cabinet. Other than the front LED that indicates whether the unit is powered, the box is devoid of any controls or readouts.

The rear panel offers several outputs, including HDMI, component video, and digital audio, in addition to an Ethernet port for connecting to your home network. It comes with a uniquely designed remote control that intuitively navigates Vudu’s simple and elegant onscreen menu.

The BX100 was primarily designed for basic home-entertainment systems. For more sophisticated custom installations, there are two higher-end models—the XL ($499) and the rack-mountable XL2 ($799). The big difference is the amount of available storage. Both units have an on-board 1TB hard drive and are designed to integrate with touchpanel controllers from such companies as Crestron, Control 4, and Netstream.

(Source) Guide to Home Theater

Vudu HD Player

VUDU, Inc. is a leading provider of digital technologies and services that deliver entertainment over the Internet to consumers’ HDTVs and Home Theaters. VUDU announced recently that it has lowered the price of its on-demand Internet movie player to just $149. The player is available at Best Buy, audio video retailers, and online. VUDU HD is currently the only solution on the market that delivers weekly new releases from all the major studios.

It also has the largest HD library, the highest quality HD picture quality with HDX, local movie storage and the ability to access popular Internet content directly on the TV. Other video services (such as Netflix) do have large streaming video movie libraries, and some Blu-Ray DVD players do already come programed for the Netflix streaming movie service. VUDU however is the only distributor to specifically focus on HD. UDU is hoping that by cutting the price the device and its services will become more mainstream and demand will increase along with exposure.

Vudu has decided to adapt to the financial crisis and it has cut the prices in half for their movie set-top-boxes. The standard Vudu box will cost $149 instead of $299 while the Vudu XL will cost just $499 instead of $999. The Vudu XL2 is also getting a significant price cut from $1,299 to $799. It would be a crime not to get a new Vudu at these prices, wouldn’t you say?

via Vudu

It’s not only TiVo that can be controlled via an iPhone application. Those of you using a Vudu box, can control it now with a free application ready to be installed on your iPhone or iPod touch. You can browse the catalog and download titles to your Vudu box straight from your cell phone. It’s not a remote control, but it will really help you control that Vudu content you are looking for.

via iTunes

What, with VUDU’s recent announcement that they are the largest HD library in existence, you didn’t think some new hardware was soon to follow?

The rig you see here, entitled the VUDU XL2, is a rack mountable device capable of holdding a full 1TB of content, now that’s a lot. Also featuring 1080i output via component and both IP and IR control, the XL2 doesn’t mess around.

Don’t expect to be ordering one of these $1,299 beasts off the internet anytime soon as word has it they are only available from a VUDU certified installer, bummer.

Of course, if you are looking for the absolute very best for your home-theater establishment, this could possible be it.

It looks like VUDU is looking to give services like Netflix a run for their money, recently announcing that they are now the “largest HD library in existence”.

This shouldn’t be a surprise for those following the upstarting media provider as in the weeks building up to this announcement they have been adding upwards of 150 HD titles a week to their service, totalling over 11,000 titles.

VUDU shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon as they have also let us know that they will be adding more and more HD content as time goes by. Will this, coupled with their instant-on-deman viewing, be enough to topple Netflix? Only time will tell.

Read(TheEarthTimes)