http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/ Engadget HD Comments for VUDU first on-demand service to sell HD and HDX movies http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/
This is pretty much pure spam, a straight PR page.

Nice "reporting", Engadget.]]>Feb 24th 2009 3:10AMhttp://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/]]>Feb 24th 2009 3:49AMhttp://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/
If the company's top-of-the-line encoding only approaches Blu-Ray, then whatever they're calling "HD" is a fraud. Not that most things labeled "HD" aren't...

It's sad that the FCC failed so completely in its task to define HD and the future of the U.S. TV system. Technology exists to measure visually perceptible degradation. The FCC should have set not only raw resolution requirements, but established requirements for that resolution to be maintained in MOTION pictures. Today's crop of compressed garbage would have failed that test and others that could have been specified even 10 years ago.]]>Feb 24th 2009 4:33AMhttp://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/Feb 24th 2009 4:43AMhttp://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/
Vudu's HD quality, albeit, 720p is still HD and significantly better the DVD which many people are fine with. HDX was introduced to match Blu-ray for those who are more demanding and is 1080p.

Just some facts before, you start yelling FCC and fraud. The fact is digital downloads are taking over. Movies for rent are already dominant and day and date from most studios, on-demand video is offering now purchases too and even Sony is offering huge digital downloads for rentals but they are experimenting now with selling games. Not in too distant future they will also offer purchases (just watch).

Packaged media cannot be saved IMO. The numbers are shrinking and Blu-ray isn't helping so it's good that there are alternative ways now.]]>Feb 24th 2009 5:10AMhttp://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/
Who said it did? Blu-Ray isn't even all that good, but here come downloads that are not even as good as that.

Most "HD" IS fraud, and it pervades the whole industry. For example, we have Panasonic selling 960 x 720 as HD. And that's an acquisition format. For the end user, we have DirecTV peddling their utterly abysmal picture quality as HD. The eventual format may wind up being 1920 x 1080 or 1280 x 720, but the image is actually inferior to that of a regular DVD. Come on, take a LOOK at this garbage.

The ATSC shat out a spineless, flailing "spec" that allows 18 different picture formats and INTERLACING. The allowance of interlacing (a relic of the '30s) tells you right there that this "next generation" TV standard is hopelessly outmoded already. Combine that with no provision for codec updates to every piece of equipment, and you have a massive boondoggle.

The widespread marketing of "digital quality" insults consumers, but they don't call the perpetrators on it. They don't even THINK about it: Every answering machine these days records digitally, making their barely intelligible recordings DIGITAL QUALITY.

We have the best video-display equipment ever available to the consumer, and nothing to play on it. We have a hash of compression artifacts, banding, and macroblocking that wouldn't stand up to a 27-inch screen let alone the 50-inch TVs you find so often today.

DEMAND BETTER.]]>Feb 24th 2009 6:00AMhttp://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/
In the real world, the one I live in and presumably Bozster does, and presumably most regulars at Engadget HD do, HD has a meaning. It's the system that's "high definition" in comparison with "SD"'s "standard definition". According to the ITU, HD is anything with 720x1280 (height x width) pixels of resolution or better.

That's what HD means. There's such a thing as good HD, great HD, bad HD, and awful HD. But they're all HD. If one of my local DTV stations were to squeeze six 720p channels into one multiplex, then it's safe to say they'd all look like ass, but they'd still be HD.

So it does include Vudu's Blu-ray quality "HDX" and their standard "HD". It also includes poorer quality systems such as Netflix's online HD streaming service, AppleTV, Hulu HD, YouTube HD, cable HD, etc. Vudu has chosen bitrates and codecs for HDX similar to those of Blu-ray, so if you admit, however grudgingly, that BD is HD, then HDX has to be too. But even if you don't, in the real world, the rest of us do consider it HD.

As we do ATSC HD.

Yes, in answer to your question, we should be demanding high quality. Here's how not to demand it however:

- Pretending something isn't HD because it's compressed enough to show artifacts.
- Demanding some companies branded products be debranded and described generically using the technical details (what next? In the next "HD round-up" a demand that "TWC added USA HD, TNT HD, and TBS HD, to its service in Charlotte, NC" be rephrased to "An operator of cabulousvisional services added three audio visual streams containing mixes of movular, dramatical and comedial content"?)

How do we demand it? We demand bitrate and codec combinations that result in less artifacts. We make a distinction between good HD and bad HD, and we demand better bitrates where we see bad HD. And on the very, very, rare occasion that a company claims to be producing HD when they are producing content with a lower base and/or transmitted resolution than commonly accepted definitions (such as the ITU's) we call them out on it.

But redefining HD to mean "High quality HD" is a dead-end. It makes those who resort to such tactics look, well, dumb. On a technical level, you're wrong, and that's all anyone will see, your wider argument in favour of higher quality video will be discarded with the rest.]]>Feb 24th 2009 10:29AMhttp://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/
So? The point is that "HDX" DOESN'T.]]>Feb 24th 2009 7:34PMhttp://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/
I've never bought movies to own on any digital download service just because of the uncertainty of DRM systems.

The main point is that their box doesn't allow you to backup your movies but one good thing they are doing is the ability to redownload your purchases so you are at least covered there.

Overall, this is indeed huge news. It's a good start.]]>Feb 24th 2009 3:55AMhttp://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/Netflix has had some success with the Xbox fanbois when the service was announced to them during the 4th quarter but the air will come out of that balloon this year. With their limited attention span and limit on the wallets most Xboxers will lose interest in paying each month for netflix streaming and they will be off to something else.

When mum and dads everywhere have a box on their tvs that can get digital downloads, then we can talk about Digital Downloads taking over. Until then NOT GONNA HAPPEN]]>Feb 24th 2009 7:07AMhttp://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/
The other possibility is Toshiba's plans regarding SD cards will come to fruition, but they seem thus far to be hung up on allowing other people to do the work. It'd be more positive if they used their influence within the DVD Forum to get a non-proprietary standard out there that everyone can sign on to.]]>Feb 24th 2009 10:32AMhttp://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/
I'm on the 2 DVDs at a time subscription. I'm tired of the wait between the mailings AND when a popular movie, Batman Dark Knight for example, comes out I might have to wait a week or so just to get it. Now, I also have an Xbox and like Owen stated the early hype on getting Netflix movies through the Xbox was great but then you realize A) the video quality is sub-par at best, and B) the selection is PITIFUL.

I tend to believe that the DVDs will soon to be a thing of the past for consumers will pay for "instant" viewing instead of waiting a day or two. Plus the constant cleaning of the DVD drives when Neflix dirty DVDs corrupt them.

From what I read on other reputable/legit sites, Vudu does offer the most selection of HD movies and has the best quality. however, I'm wary of their pricing model.]]>Feb 24th 2009 10:27AMhttp://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/heard of vudu's proprietary"hdx"format.if it truly comes close to rivaling blu-ray(e.g.1080p/24fps),i can't begin to imagine the time it takes to download to a vudu hd let alone how much bandwidth a month is being used in the process.i think it's a bit disingenuous for reporters to continually talk about d.downloads taking over and not mention the effect bandwidth caps will have on an ever increasing streaming/downloading community. or,has this subject become obsolete(definitely need a response on that one)? another thing is pricing:$23.99? you can get most br discs for that price online and even@best buy on their release date;with a physical copy(dvd/br),you're paying for a disc,packaging,etc. am i the only one who thinks this is a bit much to be paying for something that's basically eliminating the middleman? maybe,with greater acceptance,prices will come down;but for right now,i can't see eschewing a dvd/br for an"hd"download.]]>Feb 24th 2009 11:02AMhttp://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/
It does all HDX content is 1080p/24fps with full surround audio. It look better than some blu-ray encodes.

"...i can't begin to imagine the time it takes to download to a vudu."

About four hours. ]]>Mar 7th 2009 8:05PMhttp://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/http://enghddev.weblogsinc.com/2009/02/24/vudu-first-on-demand-service-to-sell-hd-and-hdx-movies/
Anybody can get cheap content from indie filmmakers and tiny documentary publishers that are just happy to have any audience at all (just look at Netflix's Watch Now selection). The real test will be how much the mainstream content will cost. If its 25 or more dollars and its stuck on a single box and your ability to continually watch what you paid for is contingent on Vudu's solvency then thanks but no thanks.
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