Vudu HD: Four Hours to Download?
The Associated Press gives a mixed review to the new $399 set-top.
By Swanni
That's according to an article by the Associated Press.
The wire service recently reviewed the $399 set-top which enables users to download movies over a high-speed Internet connection.
The VUDU box, which first went on sale last month, offers 5,000 standard-definition films, which can be rented for around $3.99.
Some films, including the HD edition of Matt Damon's Bourne Ultimatum, can be purchased, meaning it can be stored permanently on the set-top. Vudu customers can buy the high-def Bourne Ultimatum for $24.99.
While the AP praises VUDU's standard-def picture -- saying it compares favorably with a DVD -- the wire service is less positive about the high-def image.
"The Bourne Ultimatum looked very good in HD," the review states. "The only image flaw I could find was occasional 'false contouring,' which is when a color gradient, like a sky going from light blue to dark blue, breaks up into distinct bands of color. That's something you'll see on cable and satellite HD broadcasts, but not on Blu-ray or HD DVD, the two competing HD video discs."
The review also notes that, unlike the standard-def movies, VUDU's HD movies take about four hours to start. However, they do include Surround Sound.
The AP also notes that the high-def selection now is limited to the Bourne trilogy. However, the Vudu hard drive has the capacity for 50 standard-def or 25 high-def movies.
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Swanni (Phillip Swann) is
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