VUDU First to Sell On-Demand Movies in High Definition
provider of digital on-demand entertainment products and services, today
announced it has achieved another industry milestone by becoming the first
on-demand service to offer high definition movies for download to own on its
popular 1080p Internet Movie Player. HD movies are available for purchase
today to all VUDU owners.
Until now consumers have been restricted to renting HD movies from on-
demand services, including VUDU’s library of over 1,400 HD movies, the largest
HD library in the world. Today VUDU unveiled a collection of over 50 HD movies
from top independent studios that are available for both rental and download
to own. Movies offered in this collection will be available for purchase in
both instant HD and VUDU’s industry-leading HDX format at the same price. HDX
is the highest quality on-demand format available anywhere on cable,
satellite, broadcast, or the Internet.
Magnolia Picture’s Man on Wire, the 2009 Academy Award winning documentary
that has been showered with critical praise and global film awards, is among
the first titles to be offered for purchase in HD on VUDU, along with
critically acclaimed Transsiberian and War, Inc. from FirstLook Studios.
“Consumers are clamoring for the ability to own digitally-delivered titles
in high definition, especially in our HDX format, and we are excited to be the
first in the industry to meet this consumer need,” said
EVP of Strategy and Content. “This is a watershed event for the industry as
well, signaling the studios’ recognition of and confidence in digital delivery
as an increasingly important part of their business. We expect to see a
continuing expansion of digital rights in the coming months.”
FirstLook Studios, Kino, and Magnolia Pictures are among the independent
studios offering films for sale on VUDU in HD. VUDU plans to offer every HD
release from these studios for purchase as they are added to the service, day
and date with DVD release. All current films and subsequent additions to this
HD collection will be available to purchase in instant HD and VUDU’s industry-
leading HDX format.
“We are thrilled to work with VUDU to offer our new releases for sale in
HD when they are released on DVD,” said
of FirstLook Studios. “We continue to explore every channel for distribution,
and the emerging digital platform that reaches consumers in their homes
directly on their HDTVs via VUDU is an important new channel for us.”
High definition titles purchased from VUDU can be stored on the consumer’s
VUDU box or in the VUDU Vault, a free online storage option for movies and TV
shows that enables consumers to free up disk space while still retaining
access to all their purchased titles. Movies are priced between
$23.99
VUDU’s library of more than 14,000 movies and TV episodes, including more
than 1,400 HD films, is updated weekly with new releases and library titles.
VUDU is the only service to offer both instant start HD and HDX, the highest
quality on-demand format available anywhere. Designed to deliver an optimized
cinematic experience to owners of 40-inch and larger HDTVs and projectors, HDX
with VUDU’s TruFilm(TM) technology features a virtually artifact free 1080p
picture and immersive, high definition sound.
Additionally, VUDU offers access to popular Internet based content, from
video, music and photos from popular sites such as YouTube, Flickr, and to
games and social networking applications, directly on the TV, all easily
accessible using the VUDU remote control with no need for a PC.
About VUDU:
VUDU is a leading provider of digital technologies and services that
deliver Internet entertainment to consumers’ HDTVs and Home Theaters. VUDU’s
1080p Internet Movie Players, the VUDU HD, VUDU XL and VUDU XL2 are designed
to deliver tens of thousands of on-demand movies and TV shows directly to
HDTVs. All versions support native instant start HD as well as HDX, and
automatically upscale standard resolution movies. All movies are displayed in
1080p resolution at 24 frames per second, the cinematic gold standard.
Through relationships with every major US movie studio and more than 40
independent studios and distributors, VUDU offers a vast array of on-demand
choices at the highest quality. The VUDU collection is constantly updated, and
newly released movies from major studios are available on the same day as the
DVD is released. Consumers can finally watch great movies without the hassles
associated with traditional services: — no driving, no mailing, and no
monthly fee. For more information, visit http://www.vudu.com/.
SOURCE VUDU, Inc.