Showdown: Apple TV vs. VUDU

[Shane]

So you've probably read that Apple is getting into the movie rental business, and with high definition even. With the recent upgrades to their Apple TV unit and addition of movie rentals, Apple is now positioned toward the top of the heap when it comes to online high definition movie rentals. Another company that is at the top of that heap is VUDU, who also has a hardware-based player that connects directly to the TV just like the Apple TV unit. I thought it would be appropriate to pit these two against each other and see which comes out on top.

[url=http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/columns/2008/02/showdown_apple_tv_vs_vudu.php]Read the Column[/url]

[HD Addict]

I happen to be an early adopter of Apple TV, but being a Canadian I have yet to see the full potential that this Apple product can bring to my Home Theatre. As if that wasn't bad enough, now I learn that a competitor's product, though being somewhat more expensive but only a fraction more expensive than what I originally paid for my Apple TV, has more to offer and more importantly has 1080p/24 HD to boot than the Cupertino effort. I'm rather perturbed when Apple still lags behind others when it comes to Home Video and only seems able to progress in halting stages when it does venture into this area. I shall anxiously wait for the Apple TV HD Movie rentals to come to Canada ( and the iPhone too,) and to see whether Apple will close the gap with regard to the HD resolution in the meantime.

[Shane]

I have another article that I will probably publish next week that is an overview of video download services. Not just Apple TV and VUDU, but also services from Microsoft, Amazon, Netflix, et. al. One common thread I noticed among them was that there was not a single service that was available outside the US. I will try to do some research on this prior to publishing that next piece and get more information.

Thanks,

- Shane

[led1002]

There are more reason to buy Apple TV than just movie rentals. I was an early adopter to use it for display of my photos wirelessly from my desktop Mac. I also use it to watch Podcasts, listen to music and look at Youtube videos. Does the VUDU have similar features?

[Shane]

There are more reason to buy Apple TV than just movie rentals.

From the article:

Please note that this Showdown is comparing these two services for the purposes of movie viewing alone. I realize that there are other features available with the Apple TV like synchronizing music, photos, etc., but we will not cover those. If those additional features are important to you then you may not find as much value in this comparison as those just looking for a movie player.

Enjoy,

- Shane

[hharris4earthlink]

Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge Apple fan; I've been using a Mac since they first came out, but I don't get this product. I just watched the entire Terminator series in HD on Blu-ray discs. Each disc took about 2 days to arrive from Netflix and I can keep them for an unlimited time without charge. I watched them on a PS3 that, according to Sony, will soon provide downloads of HD movies. I have already downloaded and played HD games. I plug my iPod into the PS3 and it copies and or plays content stored on it. Why would anyone buy a device that only downloads movies that you can only play for a limited time ... and that's all it does. There's not that much price difference between the two products.

Like I said, I'm a huge Apple fan, but this product I just don't get. Am I missing something?

Henry

[Shane]

Hi Henry,

You make some very valid points. But please recognize that this is a comparison of these two players. At no point am I comparing it to Blu-ray or PS3 capabilities. There are many other arguments that come in to play if you begin comparing to packaged media (ie. Blu-ray).

To answer your question though, suppose for arguments sake that someone just wanted a way to rent movies where they didn't have to wait on Netflix queues or drive to the video store ... either one of these products would be perfect. And if that person had no interest in gaming, they could get a VUDU for $100 less, or an Apple TV for $170 less.

Thanks,

- Shane

[flamaest]

This rental model is nice, but Netflix beats everyone on price.

Apple and VUDU need to get on the all-you-can-eat bandwagon for SD TV shows and HD/SD movies.

The very second Netflix puts out their internet download set-top box, these two units will be hurting bad; Assuming Netflix continues down the fixed-monthly price concept, which it should.

I want to drop my cable TV and use one of these choices, but I'm not going to be nickel and dimed to do it.

Competition is great!
Fabian Lamaestra.

[Shane]

Believe me, Apple and VUDU would LOVE to offer a subscription model. They are limited by the studios (I am told). Netflix's "Watch Instantly" service is not affected because they are streaming the video, and you don't actually download a file for playback.

I think Netflix will have trouble including it as a subscription if they try to offer a similar service to Apple And VUDU. My guess is that the Netflix box will simply be an interface to their "Watch Instantly" service and continue to stream vs. download, which of course will limit your video quality to SD resolutions.

We'll know more once LG and Netflix release specs and features.

- Shane

[carolsky9]

Vudu is obviously best in its hardware - the resolution of 1080p on Vudu vs only 720p for apple, and Vudu has 6 times more storage (40 gigs versus Vudu's 250 gigs at only $50 more, and 5000 movies for Vudu and only 1000 for Apple (5 times more for Vudu.) You concentrated on the hardware, but this article didn't discuss the software, where Vudu is even much better.
You can zip around the Vudu menus much easier and faster. In thirty seconds your movie is picked. (That's a hell of a lot quicker than Netflix, Blockbuster, Apple, etc. Then, click and it starts in a fraction of a second, whether standard or high-def. Their remote was on two top ten of the year lists for hardware (Pogue at NYTimes tech was one). The remote is RF so you don't have to point it at the box which is surprisingly nice, and you can hide the box in a closet to make your wife happier. You can filter your choices from twenty categories and its better than Apples and you can't do that with xbox. Here are two things that make it KING. First, you can choose a filter in 5 seconds that reduces your lists to the 4+ and 5+ movies only. Since 80% of movies are not worth watching, you do not waste your time with a bad movie! For me, that is great. Secondly, you can preview every movie before ou either rent or buy. I also have had Netflix and like it second best,but you can't filter or preview with them and certainly with no one else. The combination of spontaneously picking a movie when you sit down, picking the type you want to see and filtering for only the best, and then being able to preview it are the best items by far. I hope you mention these in future articles, since everyone seems to focus on hardware. With Vudu, the graphics are fabulous and the software makes it much more fun than anything else. Give me fun over bandwidth every time. Carol.