vudu

Vudu is offering a brick-and-mortar purchase option for its digital movies.

Starting Tuesday, Wal-Mart customers will be able to buy a voucher card for a Vudu digital download. Once they get home, plugging the scratch-off code into any Vudu-compatible streaming device will allow them to stream the movie at their leisure. (Compatible devices include the PlayStation 3, any PC or Mac, and many TVs and Blu-ray players.)

Because it's a purchase, not a rental, viewers can re-stream the movie ad infinitum. Currently, only the standard-def streaming version (not the HD version) will be sold at retail. (HD and "HDX" versions of some titles are available via Vudu's online interface for an additional charge, usually $19.99; it's unclear if the HD/HDX versions of films will be made available at retail.)

The debut title is "Battle: Los Angeles," which is being sold for $14.96. By comparison, Wal-Mart is selling the DVD of the same film for $16.96, the HD Blu-ray for $19.96, and the DVD/Blu-ray combo pack for $24.96. The prices appear nearly equivalent on Amazon, including the Amazon Instant (streaming) version for $14.99. … Read more

Wal-Mart-owned Vudu is doubling down on television.

The company announced the addition of several prominent shows to its streaming service yesterday, including "Glee," "Modern Family," and "Weeds." It will also offer every episode of "Gossip Girl." However, only season one of "Glee" and "Modern Family" are available. Moreover, not all of the content is in HD. In fact, "Glee," "Modern Family," and "Gossip Girl" are available in standard definition only. "The Walking Dead," another new addition, is offered in HD.… Read more

The Vudu video-on-demand streaming service has long been available on a wide variety of connected home entertainment products, including networked TVs, Blu-ray players, and even the PlayStation 3. But now subscribers will be able to watch Vudu movies through computer Web browsers, too.

As with rivals Netflix and Amazon, the Vudu browser experience is pretty much the same as what you'll find on those other Vudu venues--the identical content library (albeit limited to standard-definition, thanks to studio restrictions) at the identical pricing. The video should work on any computer browser (Windows, Mac, Linux) that's compatible with the latest … Read more

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Nvidia announces a 3D sharing page called 3DVisionLive

HP may not announce a tablet at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show after all, but rather may wait until February if press invites are a decent indication of the company's plans

Asus announces a line of Android and Windows tablets as well as a new Android phone

Video streaming site Vudu is going to start streaming 3D movies

The Fling is a suction joystick for the iPad

Vudu's streaming service is now offering 3D movies, the company announced today.

The company's 3D content is currently available to select Samsung HDTVs and Blu-ray players. It will be made available to PlayStation 3 owners in "the next few weeks," a company spokesperson told CNET in an e-mail. Vudu's 3D films are coming to devices from Vizio, LG, and others in the next few months. The service will also be made available to 3D-capable Blu-ray players from Mitsubishi and Toshiba (among others), as well as the Boxee Box by the end of 2011, the Vudu … Read more

Add Panasonic to Vudu's growing list of hardware partners.

As of Wednesday, Vudu's streaming video service will be available on all of Panasonic's 2010 Blu-ray player models. It will join a panoply of other online entertainment options already available through the VieraCast menu on those players, including Netflix, Amazon Video-on-Demand, YouTube, and Pandora.

Also of note: Panasonic becomes only the third vendor (besides Samsung and Vizio) to offer both Vudu and Amazon, both of which offer similar subscription-free, a la carte online video streaming services. (Vudu emphasizes the video and audio quality of its 4,000-plus HD … Read more

PlayStation 3 owners are about to get yet another option when it comes to online entertainment.

As of November 23, the Vudu pay-per-view movie service will arrive on Sony's gaming console with an updated user interface. (Vudu says the new interface is more friendly for navigating with input devices like mice and the PlayStation Move.) The same "Vudu 2.0" UI will be rolled out on other Vudu-supported devices--including many Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players, the D-Link Boxee Box, Windows PCs and Macs--before the end the year. Vudu offers more than 4,000 HD movies for rental … Read more

The Boxee Box is finally shipping--and it's doing so with an updated user interface and some important new features.

The company held a launch party in Manhattan tonight, celebrating the availability of the long-awaited streaming media box and--finally--confirming the online content services that it will support. The two big ones: Netflix will be supported "by the end of the year," and Hulu Plus integration is also on deck. Those premium subscription apps will join Vudu's pay-per-view movie service, which had been announced previously, as well as MUBI, OpenFilm, IndieMoviesOnline, and EZTakes. Boxee also supports MLB TV, … Read more

"Toy Story 3" is available on DVD and Blu-ray starting today. Those who buy their disc from Wal-Mart will find a streaming version included.

According to Vudu, Wal-Mart customers who buy "Toy Story 3" on Blu-ray or DVD will receive a free copy of the movie on Vudu's streaming service. The film is available on all forms of Vudu, including via Boxee's software on the Web or on Blu-ray players and HDTVs with Vudu's streaming service, the company said in a blog post.

The free streaming version of "Toy Story 3" … Read more