Vudu's 1,100-plus HD movie library bests Apple TV, Netflix, and Xbox Live--for now

(Credit: Vudu)

Vudu is now offering more than 1,100 movies in high-def, making it No. 1 in on-demand HD. The company says that it blew past the 1,000-title milestone by adding more than 150 HD flicks per week in October, and it's pledging to continue its HD focus in the weeks and months ahead. (The HD selections represent about 11 percent of Vudu's total library of on-demand movies.)

Indeed, a quick examination of competing services seems to bear out Vudu's claim. We counted more than 1,100 HD movies available through Vudu's box (including about 200 that are also offered in Vudu's Blu-rayesque HDX format), compared to 391 on Xbox Live Marketplace, and something south of 700 on Apple iTunes. (Netflix will be kicking off its own HD streaming service later this month with a mere 300 titles.) By comparison, Amazon's Blu-ray inventory--i.e. the total number of Blu-rays available--shows a total of close to 2,000 titles, though that includes TV shows and prerelease discs.

The Vudu BX100 retails for $300, but a limited-time promotion includes a $200 movie credit for those who purchase the unit at Best Buy, lowering the effective cost to just $100. Vudu HD and HDX movie rentals cost $4 to $6 each.

So: is this a big enough HD movie library for you to take the plunge on Vudu? Or are you sticking with Blu-ray?

[kswa1987]

for me netflix is the best of both worlds. i can rent hd-dvds and blu-rays (when i get a blu-ray player!!) and watch instantly on my computer, my girlfriend's computer, my mac, and soon... my xbox! all for a flat rate of about $10 per month. vudu may have the jump on hd but price-wise netflix's ever expanding library of titles (combined with their recommendation system) is the top pick for now in my opinion. (not to mention the number of devices it is compatible with now that mac and xbox support have been added)

[edgeofbladeLR]

Honestly, between Netflix Instant watch, Xbox Live, and PSN, I'm happy and my wife is happy with the selection. And on top of that, I really don't care for HD unless they can squeeze it down my relatively narrow pipe. With SD content on Xbox Live, I start the download, and a few seconds later, it's ready to play to the end with no additional buffering. Netflix on PC and Xbox is the same.

When it comes to video content, i'm happy enough with SD. I leave the HD emphasis for my games.

[bpob1977]

I'm quite happy to see more options for HD content. I do, however, object to investing in hardware which ties me to a specific service. For the time being, I find Netflix to be of greater value, where I can "rent" Blu-rays with no expiration, or I can view on-demand using my pc (attached to the TV.) If someone eventually offers a generic box which is not specific to any single service, I might consider the investment. In the meantime, I'll continue to us my pc.

[aguythatknows]

I like that there are more 1080p titles available, that is a big plus. Also the HDX, which has the full blu-ray video bit rate is great. I would like to see a monthly fee for unlimited downloading, or at least an amount of titles for a fee for unlimited watching. The fact that every other streaming product is at MAX 1080i or less (most content from these providers, mostly netflix, are old titles that only play 480i....puke) i like the box, and the concept, the growing HD is a huge plus, but I want a monthly fee OPTION available to me

The bottom line is Vudu is out of time and options competing with all the deep pocket big boys like apple with billions in the bank. The ceo even tried to sell the company before he quit. I smell another akimbo/moviebeam here.

[lobo65]

No thanks. I'll stick with Netflix blu-ray discs. I'll bet those downloads don't come with lossless audio.

[GuyGadois]

I have a Vudu and love it. We used to have Netflix but when I counted up how much we spent on renting the DVDs through that service it was much more than Vudu.

I love the service. Their cataloge has tons of current movies and I no longer have to wait for them to arrive in the mail. Point, click and watch the movie.

Guy

[mikereynaga]

I beta tested for Vudu and while on the surface it seems like a cool service i actually backed out of the testing and returned the unit because the service just doesnt make sense for what they charge.

$300-400 for the hardware that will be useless if the company goes under and $4-$6 per title?? Netflix watch now is included with my $9 monthly charge and i dont need any additional hardware if i want a blu-ray title and i dont want to wait to get it from netflix i can rent it for less from blockbuster.

the hardware is what kills it for me. they should have made this available in a browser like netflix did.

with the plugin for Vista Media Center i put together a pc more than powerful enough to run my media and connect to my tv for less than $300 and i love it.

[dancingbear3]

I know I'm replying months later - but no news about Vudu now that the price is down to $125 for box? I prefer HD quality as I have a new HDTV. The quality from PC-HDTV thru Boxee & Netflix frankly stinks. I'm hoping to get rid of Cable, and Vudu seems to be best quality content. I do wish it had WiFi and don't understand why you can't off-load onto other devices, but... now it's cheaper than AppleTV and no subscription....any opinions?