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June 4, 2008 9:00 PM PDT

Vudu goes wireless

by John P. Falcone
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Vudu Wireless Kit

The Vudu Wireless Kit ($79)

(Credit: Vudu)

Like TiVo, Xbox 360, and Sonos, the Vudu on-demand movie player was one of those home entertainment products with a frustrating lack of built-in wireless networking. If an Ethernet connection wasn't nearby, you were forced to invest in a pair of power line networking adapters or a hard-to-configure wireless bridge to interface with the product's Ethernet-only connection. But that's no longer the case: as of today, a wireless option is finally available. The Vudu Wireless Kit is a dedicated pair of transceivers that creates a plug-and-play 802.11g wireless connection between the Vudu and your home's broadband router. Existing Vudu owners can pick up the kit for $79, while new customers can buy the Vudu/Wireless Kit bundle for $349, for a net saving of about $25.

Vudu Wireless Kit diagram

A diagram of the Vudu Wireless Kit setup in action.

(Credit: Vudu)


The Wireless Kit is the latest bid by Vudu to counter increasingly fierce competition from the updated Apple TV ($229) and the recent Netflix Player by Roku ($99)--both of which offer built-in Wi-Fi support.

John P. Falcone covers home theater and network entertainment products. He's been writing for CNET since 2002.
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by Macajuel June 4, 2008 9:22 PM PDT
I suspect it would have been even cooler if a unit with built in wireless support was released as well. However, now that the Netflix player from Roku is already out for $99, I can hardly see the sense in paying $349 for a player with a cumbersome wireless solution and then have to pay for each movie that I want to see (assuming that I watch my selection within 24 hours).
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by davezatz June 4, 2008 9:32 PM PDT
I have an Asus wireless bridge (available via NewEgg) at home that looks a LOT like this, without the branding of course. Works well with both Slingbox and Vudu. And much more reliable than the two crappy Buffalo "Ethernet converters" I dumped.
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by Macajuel June 4, 2008 9:44 PM PDT
Oh and by a show of hands, how many of you are willing to add yet another set of devices to your over-used powerstrips? Convergence is the name of the game.......I swear, whoever comes up with the idea of combining a cellular phone and a popular mp3 player is going to be rich....oh wait
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