Vudu has partnered with AVN Media Network to create an adult-entertainment channel.
(Credit: Vudu)When we got an early preview of Vudu last year, company reps told us off the record that its Internet video-on-demand box would someday offer adult-entertainment content. Well, that day has finally arrived with word that Vudu has consumated a deal with AVN Media Network to create the AVN Channel on Vudu, "robust with AVN reviews and ratings, etc..."
According to a press release from AVN, "The AVN Channel will include hundreds of the latest standard and high-definition titles from the leading adult studios including Wicked, Vivid, Hustler, and many others. This is the first stand-alone content channel available on Vudu."
"To celebrate the launch, AVN Adult Channel includes free access to the 2008 AVN Adult Movie Awards in brilliant 1080p HD. The legendary 25th anniversary show, hosted by Tera Patrick and Greg Fitzsimmons, features special appearances by Artie Lange of the Howard Stern Show, Bubba the Love Sponge, Dave Navarro, Jenna Jameson, and many other celebrities."
That's the good news. The bad news is that there's still a hefty to price pay for discreetly downloading porn to a set-top box in the privacy of your own home. Nevermind the initial $299 fee for the Vudu hardware, standard-definition adult movies will run you $6.99 for rental and $19.99 for purchase. High-definition smut will cost you $8.99 a pop for a rental and $29.99 to own it outright (we don't know what happens if Vudu goes out of business, but now that they're into porn, the company probably has a better shot at making it).
The AVN press release also notes that, "The AVN Adult Channel includes all the functionalities available in the award-winning Vudu interface plus an advanced discovery engine useful when searching by genre or studio. Consumers can take advantage of Vudu's safe and discreet billing system and avoid risky online transactions."
Vudu already has a full parental control feature built into its system (it effectively hides any content above whatever rating level the user prescribes), but the company will be further bolstering that with adult content: "Once the AVN Channel is enabled, password-protected privacy controls must be activated in order to access the service from the TV," says the press release.
Anybody care to comment? Is this a desperate move by Vudu or just a smart one?
Editors' note: This post has been updated to clarify the robustness of Vudu's parental control system.
Click the image to read the full review.
The AVN6620 is the latest in a steady stream of all-in-one in-car GPS and media devices from Eclipse. With a built-in Navteq-based navigation system with optional Sirius real-time traffic, and support for iPod, MP3s, CDs, and DVD video, the AVN6620 is a one-stop car tech device. Check out our full review right here.
We look at cool, modern Transformers toys; a GPS device that does so much, it required four CNET editors to test it; a preview build of Microsoft's Windows Home Server; and two slim phones comprise this photo roundup.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
Photos: Transformers
Transformers hits the big screen this July 4, and that means there's a whole lot of merchandising going on. Among the hordes of Transformers toys is Hasbro's Real Gear Transformers, a series of toy electronics that turn into robots. Remember Soundwave, the Transformer that became a tape deck? Well, this is the next generation of Transformers. And as a bonus, we've picked out which real electronics these toys remind us of the most.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
It took four members of the CNET Reviews team to tackle this device. An in-car GPS device and CD receiver, the AVN2210p can also be used as an iPod interface, a Bluetooth hands-free calling system, and a portable GPS device. Check out the photos of the Eclipse AVN2210p.
Photos: Windows Home Server preview
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CNET Networks)
We've spent the past few weeks playing with a preview build of Microsoft's Windows Home Server. The idea is to give anyone with a home network a robust but easy-to-use means to back up, organize, and access their data, especially media files. What we've seen so far looks like a hit. We imagine early adopters will be all over Home Server when it's released this fall. Have a peek at the photos of Windows Home Server.
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CNET Networks)
The Pantech DM-P205 brings the thin-phone concept to Disney Mobile. Its unique features are attractive to both parents and kids, so it actually looks like a real cell phone, and parents can control how the phone is used while kids still get Bluetooth and a camera. Learn all about the Pantech DM-P205.
Photos: Samsung Wafer (SCH-R510)
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CNET Networks)
The Samsung Wafer brings a familiar thin-phone design to Alltel. Lacking a unique front view, when you turn the phone to the side, you can see it's superslim. The Wafer offers respectable features, including a 1.3-megapixel camera, an MP3 player, an expandable memory slot, and stereo Bluetooth. See the Wafer's trim profile in our slide show.
It's not often that we see a single product that involves all the departments in the CNET mobile team. But the Eclipse AVN2210p did just that. While primarily an in-car GPS device and CD receiver, the AVN2210p can also be used as an iPod interface, a Bluetooth hands-free calling system, and a portable GPS device.
During the course of my review of the product, I called on Kent German for a test phone; Donald Bell for an test MP3 player, and Bonnie Cha for advice on portable GPS devices. Talk about digital convergence! Get an eyeful of the AVN2210p here in our Crave slide show.
We have seen a succession of in-car touch screen navigation/ multimedia devices over the past few months. While the hard drive-based Pioneer AVIC Z-1 still sets the standard for these systems, a number of lesser-known manufacturers have been rolling out their own systems. Eclipse's AVN5510 is a good contender for an entry-level all-in-one system.
The AVN5510 might not have a hard drive for navigation data or media storage, but it does have some very attractive features. Check out our slide show for the details and some beauty shots.
(Credit:
Eclipse)
Eclipse kicked off its CES 2007 press conference with the unveiling of the AVN2210p, an in-dash navigation and multimedia system that doubles as a handheld portable navigation device. The system comes in two parts, with a standalone portable navigation device, similar to the TomTom One, slotting into a double-DIN-sized audio unit installed in a car's dash.
The AVN 2210p's SD card-based navigation system features real-time traffic information as part of TomTom's optional service package, and can be updated by downloading maps from the Internet. The navigation system provides 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions, which play either through the car's speakers (when the system is docked), or via a built-in speaker (when the unit is detached).
When docked in the audio bezel, the 3.5-inch touch screen navigation unit acts as a control interface for all of the AVN2210p's audio and communication features.
Like the Eclipse AVN6600 that we reviewed last year, the AVN2210p is compatible with iPods (an iPod dock transfers controls for song selection and playback to the unit's touch screen), and can be used as a Bluetooth hands-free calling interface with the addition of an optional module. It can also be used as a receiver for either XM or Sirius satellite radio with separate subscriptions.
A USB port on the front of the audio unit enables drivers to play digital audio files from a thumbdrive or other portable media players.
Eclipse executives also touted the ability of the AVN 2210p to download content from the Internet via GSM mobile devices. Software for content download and playback is available as an option from TomTom's Plus services. The system also works as a garden-variety regular CD player (the entire faceplate rolls down to reveal a single CD slot) with the capability to play MP3s and WMA-encoded discs. The AVN 2210p will be available in stores in the spring and will retail for around $900.
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