Satisfaction with Vudu

[NA9D]

Re: Satisfaction with Vudu

Third, the organization isn't the best. Although I like the filter and genre options, I wish there was a more effective way of scrolling and finding movies.

Vudu has shown an incredible willingness to adapt things to customer requests. Why don't you submit into the feature request forum some specific ideas on how you think the UI could be arranged better. The UI is capable of undergoing a lot of change and while I can't talk specifics, the UI is certainly not static.

How else would you like to find movies? Given that you can filter multiple genres, filter studios, filter ratings, filter release date and use all sorts of those combinations, how would you do it better? I am not being sarcastic here, but am really interested in knowing how you think it could be done better. To me the searching and filter capabilities of the box are tremendous and blow away the capabilities that a competing device like the AppleTV has. Have you really tried playing with all the different options and selecting multiple choices?

What would be a more effective way of finding movies? It's a very important question because the easier it can be made, the better for all of us. Your ideas could help to make Vudu better, and I mean that.

Lastly, as I said the number of movies isn't dazzling.

Now, I am confused. If the number of movies isn't dazzling, then how can the search functions not work that well. If the box had say, 50 movies on it and that were it (like Comcast VOD) then there would be no need of search functions (like Comcast VOD). But the box has 100 times that number of movies so to me that's dazzling and the search functions are needed. So forgive me if I don't understand but you seem to be saying too mutually exclusive things: The search function doesn't work well enough to make finding movies easy but the catalog of movies isn't very large.

If it's not large, then how can you say that you can't find the movies you want to watch with the search tools available...

[redwein]

Re: Satisfaction with Vudu

I don't know if mine blinks more than usual but blue, green, orange lights blink excessively in the back of the box causing the room to light up in the dark.

There is just no way that those small LEDs can "light up a room". I get it that you are annoyed with them and that probably causes you to focus your attention on them more than others. I imagine it's kind of like once you notice a squeak or rattle in your car it's hard to ignore. Unfortunately I don't know that there is a remedy for not being able to ignore things like this but the tape thing sounds like your best bet.

[redwein]

Re: Satisfaction with Vudu

I don't think anyone at Vudu expects you'll never use a DVD player again or never visit a Blockbuster again.

I know I'm probably in the minority, but that is exactly what I intend to do. Since I have had Vudu, I have not used my DVD player nor visited Blockbuster and have no intention of doing either. I do, however, occasionally go to the theaters and I do watch TV via my Tivo.

[NA9D]

Re: Satisfaction with Vudu

I know I'm probably in the minority, but that is exactly what I intend to do. Since I have had Vudu, I have not used my DVD player nor visited Blockbuster and have no intention of doing either. I do, however, occasionally go to the theaters and I do watch TV via my Tivo.

Well, I don't know if any other customer has purchased what, 5 Vudus? So yeah, I think you are in the minority!

Anyhow, I can't remember the last time I've been to Blockbuster myself. The only real use the DVD player gets is from some of our kids videos that we either already have or aren't available on Vudu. As much as possible though I tend to rip any DVDs I have and play them back on my Roku Photobridge.

I do plan on buying a BluRay player some time this year once the profile 2.0 units come out. For the few movie choices that I like to purchase, I'd still rather own physical media.

[RonV]

Re: Satisfaction with Vudu

And yes, I have an example for a delayed movie:
I am Lengend comes to vudu on April 17th.
The same movie is coming on Comcast on Demand anywhere between April 1st and April 15th (they have a trailer for the new OD movies to be released during that date)

I checked all the known VOD sites and listing for Comcast, Time Warner, DirecTV, and the Defacto InDemand web site. They are all stating April 17th as the release date of I Am Legend.

Here is the link to the InDemand date:

http://www.indemand.com/viewProduct....1&prodId=81047

By the way InDemand is one of the distributors of VOD to Comcast, TimeWarner, and Cox Communications.

[orccro1]

Re: Satisfaction with Vudu

Lawsuits may not have been put in Apple's path, but they are not getting the amount of content from the studios that they said they were going to get. I don't think they are to 100 HD movies yet.

Actually, according to the AppleTV Junkie there are 179 HD rentals.

-orccro

[HeadHodge]

Re: Satisfaction with Vudu

I am forced to place an article of clothing, towel, etc. over the vudu box. I don't know if mine blinks more than usual but blue, green, orange lights blink excessively in the back of the box causing the room to light up in the dark.

The LED thing is just plain weird. I don't think using black tape makes someone a racist (or does it?).

I'm sticking to my solution. If Pink Floyd is not your thing, then I recommend a lick of the Hypno-Toad, then watch the movie "Heavy Metal" with the LED's full on. It will not only blow your mind, but you "will" end up loving your LED's.

Regards

[NA9D]

Re: Satisfaction with Vudu

Actually, according to the AppleTV Junkie there are 179 HD rentals.

-orccro

Thank you. I stand corrected.

[aaronwt]

Re: Satisfaction with Vudu

There is just no way that those small LEDs can "light up a room". I get it that you are annoyed with them and that probably causes you to focus your attention on them more than others. I imagine it's kind of like once you notice a squeak or rattle in your car it's hard to ignore. Unfortunately I don't know that there is a remedy for not being able to ignore things like this but the tape thing sounds like your best bet.

Those LEDs will light up a room, just like similar LEDs from other devices. It just not very noticeable until your eyes are adjusted to the dark. In a dark room, after your eyes have adjusted to the darkness, a noticeable amount of light comes from LEDs like the ones on the VUDU. They don't bother me though since I have gigabit switches in every room with the LEDs creating the light. As long as the LED isn't facing directly toward my eyes in the dark, they don't bother me. Most of my devices with the LEDs are either placed low, high, or the LEDs are facing the back like with the VUDU. So yes they do produce light, but I don't think it will bother most people. But obviously it will bother some, and a piece of dark tape, to cover the LEDs seems like an inexpensive solution if the light does bother someone. And a piece of tape should be preferable to some clothing since the clothing might block someof the airflow to the device. And blocked airflow is never good with a piece of electronics.

[redwein]

Re: Satisfaction with Vudu

Those LEDs will light up a room, just like similar LEDs from other devices. It just not very noticeable until your eyes are adjusted to the dark. In a dark room, after your eyes have adjusted to the darkness, a noticeable amount of light comes from LEDs like the ones on the VUDU.

I didn't say you couldn't notice it. I just think that saying they light up a room is just a bit of an exaggeration. In our bedroom, we have a lighted alarm panel, 2 LED alarm clocks, a Tivo with various LEDs on the front, the Tivo extender with lights on the front of it and the Vudu. All of them create a small amount of light at night. I can honestly say that my room is not "lit up" though and my wife and I are able to easily sleep with it.

[gibbs0828]

Re: Satisfaction with Vudu

You guys make a lot of great, valid points. I am sorry for the initial confusion, but I am in fact satisfied with my vudu box! I say question whether it will ever be huge, because of these minor flaws... The little things matter too!

But yes, the LED lights do light up my room. There's no point of arguing that. In a future, version maybe a plastic slider could be built in. I will try the black tape for now.

Additionally, I understand Apple has more leverage but perhaps discussions are in the mix to extend it. After all this time (several months), I would think an adjustment would be made.

In regards to sorting, Yahoo! movies has an excellent feature: Their review. They take every publicized review (from national newspapers) and combine/divide them together to give a score (on a letter scale: A+,A, A-, etc.). They then do the same thing with user reviews. Perhaps incorporating these more efficient ratings would help with the sorting.

So you guys are telling me there is no delay whatsoever between the time Vudu and other VOD services get movies? Seems wrong to me.

I appreciate the feedback from everyone...
-Matt

[NA9D]

Re: Satisfaction with Vudu

You guys make a lot of great, valid points. I am sorry for the initial confusion, but I am in fact satisfied with my vudu box! I say question whether it will ever be huge, because of these minor flaws... The little things matter too!

I've never had or seen a product that doesn't have minor flaws. Nothing is ever 100% perfect for 100% of the people. Even if you thought the product was perfect, someone else wouldn't.

But yes, the LED lights do light up my room. There's no point of arguing that. In a future, version maybe a plastic slider could be built in. I will try the black tape for now.

Why add cost and complexity for something that is an issue for a very small percentage of the user population and that is easily and unobtrusively fixed with electrical tape?

Additionally, I understand Apple has more leverage but perhaps discussions are in the mix to extend it. After all this time (several months), I would think an adjustment would be made.

The ATV2 software has only been out for just about 2 months. It came out in mid-February if I remember right. Anyhow, who knows what is going on behind the scenes. ATV is not the remedy for the 24 hour viewing window. But none of us know what sort of negotiations any of the VOD companies are in with the studios. It could all change tomorrow - we just don't know.

In regards to sorting, Yahoo! movies has an excellent feature: Their review. They take every publicized review (from national newspapers) and combine/divide them together to give a score (on a letter scale: A+,A, A-, etc.). They then do the same thing with user reviews. Perhaps incorporating these more efficient ratings would help with the sorting.

While I agree that some of Vudu's ratings are questionable, I'm not sure how getting better ratings would help with your sorting issue. You can already sort by rating. You can also view movies by most watched or most popular. So I'm not sure how this Yahoo score would help with the actual sorting method or routine the user would have to go through. I agree that it would be better to have better or more accurate ratings, but then again, I don't typically go by critics ratings when viewing movies as I don't always like what the critics like, etc.

So you guys are telling me there is no delay whatsoever between the time Vudu and other VOD services get movies? Seems wrong to me.

Yes. That is what we are telling you. We have asked you to provide examples and the only one you gave, no one else could verify. The only instance where someone else may have a movie sooner than Vudu could be a situation where Vudu doesn't have the license for the movie period for some reason. For example, there are HD movies on ATV that are not in HD on Vudu. At the same time, there are HD movies on Vudu that are not on ATV. Why the differences, I don't know but that would be the only time when something on another service may appear before appearing on Vudu. But this is by far the exception rather than the rule. Vudu is getting almost all new releases coming out these days.

[MaxH]

Re: Satisfaction with Vudu

Remember, Matt, the delay from DVD release and the blackout windows are 1) to "protect" DVD sales' market share, 2) to "protect" brick-and-mortal rental (and Netflix) market share, 3) to "protect" premium cable's market share. I put protect in quotes because I certainly wouldn't avail myself of any of those options, whereas I would certainly rent some movies sooner if I was able to do so. My wife and I kept checking for The Darjeeling Limited and Into the Wild, which we watched on Vudu the first weekend they were available. However, I haven't been in a Blockbuster in years, and I cancelled Netflix back when they bragged about having 5-10K movies. I don't know why the studios think they're benefiting by having these blackout windows, but remember, Time Warner owns HBO, New Line, and Warner Brothers, and the studios often distribute their own movies on DVD.

As for the LEDs, I think there's only one solution: install a rheostat that controls not only the rear NIC LEDs, but the front ones, too.

I'M KIDDING.

I shouldn't have to say that, but you know that at least a dozen of you started picturing it in your head. Come to think of it, do LEDs take variable voltage, or does it have to be fixed? See, now I'm doing it, too!

Anyway, thanks for sharing some of the things that new users may be noticing, Matt, that's invaluable to us. I know after testing this thing for over a year, I'm sometimes more aware of how far it's come than how it might look to a pair of fresh eyes.

[HeadHodge]

Re: Satisfaction with Vudu

I've never had or seen a product that doesn't have minor flaws. Nothing is ever 100% perfect for 100% of the people. Even if you thought the product was perfect, someone else wouldn't.

Well, I beg to differ. I thought I made a mistake once, but I was wrong!!

Why add cost and complexity for something that is an issue for a very small percentage of the user population and that is easily and unobtrusively fixed with electrical tape?

Well done!! Very PC.

You can already sort by rating. You can also view movies by most watched or most popular.

As per my experience, I would really like to see a "order by Newly Added to VUDU" sort.

However, I haven't been in a Blockbuster in years, and I cancelled Netflix back when they bragged about having 5-10K movies.

I quit using Blockbuster the day after they started guaranteeing the movie "Popeye" would always be available for rent or it's free.

I still use Netflix, but slowly weaning off it. We're done from 6 movies at a time to 3. It's because I can still get stuff that's not available yet from VUDU i.e. the new Ghost in the Shell movie.

Last night I watched "Once Upon a Time in the West". It had lot's of great stars, but was your typical spaghetti western. The reason I mention it, is that the picture quality was excellent. The contrast was great, the color definition was great, and the artifacts were there but minimal. The sound was DD5.1 too. Paramount demonstrates with this movie what can be done to provide a good quality picture and sound experience even for classic movies. The picture was so clear I could see Charles Bronson's pock marks and Henry Fonda's nose hair!! (Don't get me wrong I'm not implying I'm into that sorta thing )

Anyways my point is that from my experience, VUDU is getting better and I'm getting more and more confident that VUDU will be able to deliver the kind of quality viewing experience I'm looking for in a very convient way!!

[NA9D]

Re: Satisfaction with Vudu

As per my experience, I would really like to see a "order by Newly Added to VUDU" sort.

I'm not promising anything but be careful what you wish for....