Vudu pumps up high-def content, set-top storage

By Ned Randolph -- Video Business, 1/7/2008

JAN. 7 | On-demand set-top box Vudu will add 70 new high-definition movie titles to its catalog later this month and in February roll out a $999 Vudu XL box that comes with a terabyte of storage, capable of holding 500 movies.

The standard Vudu box, released in October, stores 100 hours of movies. Selling for $399, the box connects through the Internet and enables customers to rent or purchase electronic copies of movies to watch on their TV sets.

When Vudu announced its first high-def title, Bourne Ultimatum in December, the company pitched the service as an alternative to the DVD format war between HD DVD and Sony Blu-ray disc.

Vudu rents new releases in high-def for $5.99 and older titles for $3.99. Standard-def titles rent for 99¢ to $3.99.

Among the 70 new titles are War, Transformers, Blades of Glory, A Mighty Heart, The Italian Job and the Star Trek movies. More high-def titles will be available in the coming months.

"With today's announcement, Vudu is continuing to deliver on its promise to make high-def content as simple and convenient for customers to enjoy as traditional formats," said Tony Miranz, Vudu's co-founder and executive VP of sales and business development. "As more movie fans invest in large-screen HDTVs, Vudu is pleased to provide an ever-expanding range of top-quality films formatted specifically for high-quality high-def viewing.”

Vudu faces strong competition from Apple TV/iTunes, Amazon Unbox/TiVo and Netflix, which announced a deal with LG Electronics last week. Vudu touts a library of 5,000 standard-definition movies and TV shows from all the major U.S. film studios and more than 22 independent and international film distributors.

Vudu's standard-definition content is optimized for HDTVs, which is the equivalent of buying a DVD that "up-converts" from 780p to 1080p.

"As a company founded by movie lovers, for movie lovers, Vudu is dedicated to raising the bar for the home viewing experience," said Patrick Cosson, VP of marketing. "Vudu XL, the perfect movie vault, is designed to provide the most flexible solution for home theater enthusiasts and deliver the content consumers want, instantly and in high quality."