VUDU Reviewed, Doesn’t Cut It On HD Quality

Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 by MegaZone

EngadgetHD has reviewed VUDU, including their support for HD content. And they’re conclusions echo what I’ve said in the past:

We wanted the VUDU to deliver in such a way that HD freaks could really grab hold if those excruciatingly long wait times encountered with Netflix / Blockbuster were pushing them to find an alternative. Unfortunately, we still can’t wholeheartedly recommend the VUDU to those who appreciate high-definition. To be honest, the device still seems grossly overpriced when you consider that the aforementioned rental-by-mail options can be turned on and off on a whim, provide flicks that don’t vanish 24 hours after you hit play for the first time, and have HD libraries that far exceed that found on the VUDU. The primary selling point of this device is its ability to provide absolute instant gratification, but with HD VOD quickly expanding into more markets across the nation — not to mention the smattering of local B&M video stores surrounding most everyone — we’re still left scratching our heads trying to uncover exactly what niche this thing is aiming for.

At the end of the day, our time with the VUDU could be described as generally enjoyable. We were pleased with the interface, thrilled with the ease of use and particularly wowed by the audio quality. Still, those flashes of greatness can’t overcome the subpar HD video quality, high initial cost of ownership and unfortunate rental restrictions. Is the VUDU a unique and nifty gizmo for acquiring HD movies? Unquestionably so. Is it something that’s ready to replace your satisfactory relationship with HD VOD, Netflix / Blockbuster or HD DVD / Blu-ray? Not just yet.

VUDU is expensive for a single-purpose device, especially when video downloads are appearing as features on other devices – Amazon Unbox on TiVo, downloads on Xbox, AppleTV, etc. Sony is talking about adding downloads to the PS3. Netflix is talking about bringing streaming to more platforms, including the 360 and PS3.

And the system they use, caching a small amount of video for instant starts and relying on downloads for the rest, limits their quality. VUDU claims they can support HD downloads with a minimum of 4Mbps. But there is no way they can even come close to Blu-ray (or HD DVD) with bitrates that low. VUDU claims they’re ‘broadcast quality’, but even matching broadcast with bitrates that low would be tough. (Even given their codec advantage – broadcast is MPEG-2, VUDU is MPEG-4/H.264.) And EngadgetHD’s review reflects this.

About MegaZone

MegaZone is the Editor of Gizmo Lovers and the chief contributor. He's been online since 1989 and active in several generations of 'social media' - mailing lists, USENet groups, web forums, and since 2003, blogging.    MegaZone has a presence on several social platforms: Google+ / Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / LiveJournal / Web.    You can also follow Gizmo Lovers on other sites: Blog / Google+ / Facebook / Twitter.
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  • Ivan

    You would be surprised at the quality of HD content on Vudu. While they officially claim to be “broadcast” quality (i.e. matching cable/satellite VOD), most owners (who took time to compare multiple movies) seem to think that the quality is better than broadcast, especially due to lack of macroblocking. And the quality is better than content on Xbox Marketplace and newly released AppleTV HD rentals. You’re welcome to drop by Vudu forums and read the comments.

    I also don’t understand why Engadget and you think that Vudu’s concept of “headers” is somehow a flaw that compromises quality. The overall movie size is about the same for Vudu/iTunes/Xbox Marketplace (Vudu is 1080p/24 while the others are 720p/something). The difference between Vudu and AppleTV is that Vudu keeps 30 or seconds of every title (headers) on the box’s 250GB HDD (HD and SD) allowing instant watching and then it streams the rest after you place your order. AppleTV on the other hand, makes you wait a minute or so before you can start watching (360 works similarly).

    Bottom line, no solution will deliver Blu-Ray/HD-DVD quality VOD right now and between the three that offer slighly lower quality (Xbox 360 / AppleTV / Vudu), Vudu offers a slightly better quality and overall experience. Now, it doesn’t offer same functionality set of 360/ATV or all-you-can-eat plans like Netflix, but no one is really forcing you to buy Vudu right now.

    P.S. Having said above, rest assured that we made plenty of suggestions to Vudu and since they seem to release major updates about every 3 months, there is a good chance some of them will be addressed.