Vudu vs. AppleTV
Here’s “an article about Vudu, a movie-downloadin’ box that will compete with AppleTV and the Xbox 360. Distinguishing features:
- no computer required
- uses P2P
- claims purchased films start playing right away, with no need to download
- apparently has broad studio support
- many ex-TiVo developers
Looks interesting. Will it work? Consumers aren’t dumb. So the cost of the downloads will be crucial. They will have to be substantially cheaper than DVDs to justify the purchase of a $300 box.
And from what that article says, it seems Vudu doesn’t do TV shows. It strikes me that the compelling reason to buy into the iTunes-iPod-AppleTV system is getting TV shows right after they air. If you get your shows from iTunes, you can cancel your cable altogether. The downloaded films aspect seems much less compelling – hobbled by high prices, poor selection and lack of extras. So I’m not sure relying on films alone will be a smart move, especially since both competing systems offer much more.