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jamsys
Joined: 29 Jun 2006
Posts: 152
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| Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 10:22 pm Post subject: VuDu Box |
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Just picked up the VuDu internet video box from best buy...
Vudu is running a special for $149.00 which includes $50.00 in credits..
I wont go into all the details of the box, but their HD and new HDX (1080p) stuff is amazing! In my opinion it rivals BluRay (not as good as BluRay disc with excellent transfers tho)
For .99 - $4.99 movie rentals, this was a perfect solution for us!!!
Scott
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ecrabb
Forum Moderator
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Posts: 15909
Location: Utah
TV/Projector: JVC RS40, Epson 5010
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| Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 10:55 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting. I'm curious why you'd say it rivals Blu-ray, though. From all the reviews I've read, the data rate is about half that of most BD transfers, and the audio only a little better than DVD quality.
The deal sounds pretty good, and compared to driving to BlockBuster to pick up BD's, I can see the appeal. But, it simple won't work for me, since with my DSL, even if the movies are only 8GB, they'll destroy my bandwidth for an entire night - just to download one movie.
Good/great product offering? Sure. Rivals BD? I don't see how.
Thanks for posting comments, though - options are always a good thing.
SC
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jamsys
Joined: 29 Jun 2006
Posts: 152
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| Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 11:05 pm Post subject: |
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| ecrabb wrote: | Interesting. I'm curious why you'd say it rivals Blu-ray, though. From all the reviews I've read, the data rate is about half that of most BD transfers, and the audio only a little better than DVD quality.
The deal sounds pretty good, and compared to driving to BlockBuster to pick up BD's, I can see the appeal. But, it simple won't work for me, since with my DSL, even if the movies are only 8GB, they'll destroy my bandwidth for an entire night - just to download one movie.
Good/great product offering? Sure. Rivals BD? I don't see how.
Thanks for posting comments, though - options are always a good thing.
SC |
Bandwith is a issue (I am spoiled w/ 12mg down) and movies can be scheduled for a later time. I think the appeal is many of the BluRay movies I have rented have lousy transfers (the SD versions upscaled are almost as good) When it comes to a great transfer, I agree 100% with you.
I now have no need for blockbuster or redbox (or netflix)
The 'Must Have' BluRays I still will purchase tho
Scott
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ecrabb
Forum Moderator
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Posts: 15909
Location: Utah
TV/Projector: JVC RS40, Epson 5010
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| Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 11:07 pm Post subject: |
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Schnikees. Did some reading to see if I might be interested considering how cheap the hardware is...
http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Vudu_HDX_Delivers_1080p_HDTV_Movies_On_Demand.shtml
| Quote: | | Download times are quoted by the company as being about twice the length of the movie itself (at a high speed 4 MBPS connection). Customers who don't want to wait around can choose the standard definition or the "Instant HD" version of the film which begins playback virtually immediately. |
Wow. That means with my pathetic 1.5mbps DSL connection, I'd be looking at 10 or 11 hours to download a 2-hour movie.
I also saw this:
| Quote: | | This bandwidth savings allows VUDU to allocate more space for audio: a full 640 KBPS (kilobytes per second) for Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This equates to about 40% more audio information than what's available on a standard DVD. This should translate to a richer smoother sound to accompany the 1080p picture. |
That would be vastly inferior audio to almost any BD.
The convenience is certainly a good thing if you have a fast internet connection. If I could order a movie up at midnight or 1am and it would finish downloading at 4 or 5am so I could watch it the next day, I'd probably try one of those boxes.
SC
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jamsys
Joined: 29 Jun 2006
Posts: 152
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| Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 11:15 pm Post subject: |
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You need faster internet!
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jamsys
Joined: 29 Jun 2006
Posts: 152
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| Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 11:16 pm Post subject: |
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Also, I have spent $99.00 on alot of worse stuff 
Scott
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ecrabb
Forum Moderator
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Posts: 15909
Location: Utah
TV/Projector: JVC RS40, Epson 5010
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| Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 11:24 pm Post subject: |
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| jamsys wrote: | | You need faster internet! |
Tell me about it. I'd upgrade, but I HATE our local cable company. It's a history thing. Plus, they play that game where you literally can't find anybody who can tell what the hell the monthly cost will be AFTER the 6-mo introductory price. Last time I had them on the phone, the best I could get out of them was that my broadband bill would probably be another $20/mo or so to go from 1.5mbps DSL to their 6mbps (usually) cable. I just can't bring myself to give another $250/year to a company I despise even if it costs me a bunch of bandwidth.
Qwest (my DSL provider) is rolling out much faster service out in the area, so that's good. My coworker just got his DSL upgraded to 12mbps, and they even offer a 20mbps service. Unfortunately, they won't give me a timeline for when or even if they'll be upgrading the equipment in my local CO to support the new speeds. I wish I knew somebody at Qwest that could find out for me.
SC
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jamsys
Joined: 29 Jun 2006
Posts: 152
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| Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 11:59 pm Post subject: |
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Its a waiting game... I pay $42.00 for approx 12mg down and can go to 20mg for another $10.00... I heard in my area that FOIS is going to be here soon. That will provide much faster speeds... But for me the 12mb is not a option as I am running the below via the net:
Vudu
Vonage x 2
DirecTv OnDemand
PS3
Music Server
4 Lap/Desktops
2 Web Camera
House Alarm
and I am sure a few others....
I just started watching The Dentist on Vudu in HD and it looks comparable to DirecTv 1080i (and alot cheaper!)
Like I said, I have spent worse, and have many laserDiscs to prove it
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WanMan
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 10270
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| Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 12:53 am Post subject: |
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| jamsys wrote: | | You need faster internet! |
Speed is only have the equation. Typically, streaming doesn't use TCP transmission, but rather UDP. And even if TCP is used most ISPs that I'm aware of (Comcast, TWC, AT&T, etc.) all have monthly bandwidth caps. And from a layer-2 perspective, your ISP-portion of the network affords your Vudu traffic to mingle with everyone else's and its all best effort--meaning a potential of less than ideal transmission speeds.
I just watched a couple of episodes of Pushing Daisies and it was above 25 Mbps data rate. Maybe if I lived in a country that really cared about commercializing cowsumer broadband, but that just isn't the case in the USA.
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AnalogRocks
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Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 26706
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
TV/Projector: Sony 1252Q, AMPRO 4000G
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| Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 7:26 am Post subject: |
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| WanMan wrote: | | jamsys wrote: | | You need faster internet! |
Speed is only have the equation. Typically, streaming doesn't use TCP transmission, but rather UDP. And even if TCP is used most ISPs that I'm aware of (Comcast, TWC, AT&T, etc.) all have monthly bandwidth caps. And from a layer-2 perspective, your ISP-portion of the network affords your Vudu traffic to mingle with everyone else's and its all best effort--meaning a potential of less than ideal transmission speeds.
I just watched a couple of episodes of Pushing Daisies and it was above 25 Mbps data rate. Maybe if I lived in a country that really cared about commercializing cowsumer broadband, but that just isn't the case in the USA. |
Ahhh ha! Drink!
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WanMan
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 10270
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| Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 10:39 am Post subject: |
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BTW, I am not knocking the Vudu. I predicted these kinds of services would pop-up 3-4 years ago when BellSouth's then CEO decided to not look to the future in Video over IP because without being allowed to impart prejudice on non-internal video traffic (a la net-neutrality) and joe-blow can sell their end users video for $$$.
As a result, the backlash has been implemented in the form of bandwidth caps, and with a new suitor company eyeing mobility as their gravy future.
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geoffschultz
Joined: 28 Jan 2009
Posts: 3
Location: Marlborough, MA USA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:46 pm Post subject: |
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I just got a VUDU box and I have it connected via HDMI to a HDfury2. My TV only does 1080i, and it appears that the VUDU box wants to output 1080p. The menu to select the HDMI output format only appears if the HDMI is plugged in, so I can't select it when viewing via composite or NTSC. Did you have the same problem and, if so, how did you solve it?
Thanks, Geoff
Last edited by geoffschultz on Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:47 am; edited 1 time in total
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AnalogRocks
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Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 26706
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
TV/Projector: Sony 1252Q, AMPRO 4000G
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| Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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| geoffschultz wrote: | I just got a VUDU box and I have it connected via HDMI to a HDfury? My TV only does 1080i, and it appears that the VUDU box wants to output 1080p. The menu to select the HDMI output format only appears if the HDMI is plugged in, so I can't select it when viewing via composite or NTSC. Did you have the same problem and, if so, how did you solve it?
Thanks, Geoff |
Is there a 480P setting on the VuDu box?
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geoffschultz
Joined: 28 Jan 2009
Posts: 3
Location: Marlborough, MA USA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, there's a 480P setting on the VUDU box, but my TV only has a 1080i RGBHV input. I can can see a distorted display, which from similar problems with my Samsung BluRay player, I know that it's outputting 1080p, but unlike the SamSung, I can't switch to composite/NTSC and change the format.
I have hooked up the composite outputs, and can set up the box. Unfortunately the HDMI setup menu only appears when the HDMI is plugged in, and when it's plugged in, the other outputs are disabled.
-- Geoff
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AnalogRocks
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Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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What a PITA! Do you have a computer montior handy with a VGA input? You may be able to do your setup that way. Also you may need an HD15 to HD15 F/F coupler if your Monitor has a hard wired cord on it.
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jamsys
Joined: 29 Jun 2006
Posts: 152
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| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:02 am Post subject: |
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| geoffschultz wrote: | I just got a VUDU box and I have it connected via HDMI to a HDfury? My TV only does 1080i, and it appears that the VUDU box wants to output 1080p. The menu to select the HDMI output format only appears if the HDMI is plugged in, so I can't select it when viewing via composite or NTSC. Did you have the same problem and, if so, how did you solve it?
Thanks, Geoff |
Not sure it will help, but I am running my Vudu HDMI 1080i to my VP50 Scaler, and HDMI 1080p out to the Fury and to my PJ.
In spending alot of time on the Vudu Forums, there is really no difference between the 1080i and 1080p output (esp since your tv does 1080i) Check for help at the Vudu Forums.
If the fury is working correctly, the Vudu should see it as a HDCP compliant HDMI device. Do you have the power supply for the Vudu?
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geoffschultz
Joined: 28 Jan 2009
Posts: 3
Location: Marlborough, MA USA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:45 am Post subject: |
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AnalogRocks: Thanks for the great suggestion to use a computer monitor that handles 1080i/p. I was able to plug it unto my HD Fury2 and change the output format to 1080i. It's working great. I watched the latest Mummy movie, and was extremely happy with the image. I would never have known that I was watching an Internet feed. I've got FIOS Internet (20/5 Mb), FIOS TV, and Netflix via a Samsung BluRay box. So far this blows all of the above away.
Jamsys: I signed up for the VUDU forums this afternoon, but have yet to get a confirmation message to allow me to post to it. Thankfully this forum came to the "rescue"!
-- Geoff
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AnalogRocks
Forum Moderator
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 26706
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
TV/Projector: Sony 1252Q, AMPRO 4000G
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| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 4:20 am Post subject: |
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| geoffschultz wrote: | AnalogRocks: Thanks for the great suggestion to use a computer monitor that handles 1080i/p. I was able to plug it unto my HD Fury2 and change the output format to 1080i. It's working great. I watched the latest Mummy movie, and was extremely happy with the image. I would never have known that I was watching an Internet feed. I've got FIOS Internet (20/5 Mb), FIOS TV, and Netflix via a Samsung BluRay box. So far this blows all of the above away.
Jamsys: I signed up for the VUDU forums this afternoon, but have yet to get a confirmation message to allow me to post to it. Thankfully this forum came to the "rescue"!
-- Geoff |
You're welcome! Glad you got it going.
Jeremy
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