The new VUDU - A copycat version of everything else that we despise!

[trd365]

Congratulations! You just destroyed the best movie buying/watching platform available!

This copycat version of Netflix/Prime Video/HBOMax and all other Mickey Mouse streaming services is a joke. Not to mention, insulting to VUDU customers.

This was my greatest fear when I heard Fandango was acquiring VUDU.

Let me be clear to those who work for the company..

We chose VUDU for a reason and quite frankly, it was better when Walmart owned them.

The way I see it, you have three options:

1.) Revert back immediately and save the platform from certain death.
2.) Create a button that allows users to select a "classic" view for the majority who want to actually SEE their titles. (Assuming you're running analytics, this should be the ultimate test to determine which version is preferred by VUDU customers.)
3.) Refund every title purchased to those of us who wish to exit.

It's not rocket science. We purchase the movies and would like to find and watch them quickly and efficiently without burning through batteries...scrolling and loading...scrolling and loading...There's no need to force "active users." If you want to increase user activity, get a better selection of freebies instead of the same garbage you've been pushing since the acquisition.

I will not waste another second of my time searching one row/4 titles at a time on a big screen. This is the very reason I despise the other streaming services.

We're movie watchers here. We're not time wasting, zombified right-swipers.

I've already phoned in and will continue to do so until the necessary changes are made and I assure you that I will not back down on this as it is a monumental inconvenience for me.

If it isn't broke, there's nothing to fix and nobody respects copycats. That's the bottom line.

PS. Thank you for ruining my movie night!

[RebelRave]

With 12,700+ movies, I am completely insulted by the new app. So much money spent... and now the app to watch everything... is really really bad.

A classic button would be amazing. This new app is awful. 50+ seconds on the splash screen Really? Did you even dev test it??

[Alan Smithee]

I've already basically retired my Roku in favor of both Apple TV and NVidia Shield, but hooked the Roku back up to check the new Vudu interface. Yes, this is pretty bad. Having the status bar onscreen with no way to hide it is a deal-breaker right there. You can call me obsessive for not wanting it on during the first 3 seconds of anything, but it shouldn't be that difficult. The way it was before, I always instinctively hit the Back button to make it go away immediately, which was a minor annoyance but I could live with that. In EVERY survey I've gotten from Vudu though, I noted that was one of my biggest complaints and it would be nice if they could just not have it appear automatically- this proves that they never actually read any responses. This will keep me from watching the free-with-ads movies also, since the display returns after every commercial break and this time there's no way to hide it. Again I'm VERY sensitive to things like this, not even tolerating a Volume indicator appearing onscreen when adjusting the sound, which you can call "obsessive" but it should not be so difficult.

Checking a movie it at least seems to still be letting the end credits play uninterrupted; interrupting credits (assuming I don't want to watch them) is my #1 complaint about streaming in general and I don't use services that force that experience- it's surprising the movie studios don't have much of a problem with that either, as movie theaters as bad as they are could still never get away with that. Amazon was for a while, and as a result I no longer use their video service or even purchase items from them. I've seen though that they've since also added on-screen garbage at the beginning of movies, including the movie rating with the top corner of the screen shaded in blue. A few years ago I had gotten a survey from FandangoNow where one question asked how I would like having movie suggestions appear over end credits; I immediately told them I would close my account with them if that happened and thankfully it never did.

I remember when Vudu first started out and the only way to use it was to buy the dedicated box. I had one of the first "Smart TVs" and was able to start using Vudu that way; I always saw it as marketed towards the enthusiasts. Even the Wal-Mart purchase didn't change that too much, but these recent changes certainly give me less reason to use it now over other services. If my other devices start forcing the on-screen info at the beginning with no way to disable it, then it will become my LAST choice next to Amazon and I'll certainly regret having paid for any content that I can't watch on other services (mainly Movies Anywhere and Apple). The previous Vudu interface was still the easiest to browse on, this new interface looks like I've set my TV to Zoom the screen showing just one row at a time! I heard there was a Beta-testing program with this before it was launched- I wasn't invited to participate but if I had been I certainly would have called out all of these issues- or was this one of those where they only surveys were multiple-choice with answers to "How do you like the changes?" having the only options: I love them, They're Great, Very Good, or A-OK ?

PLEASE don't move this new interface onto all the other devices, I guarantee that I will pretty much just stop using Vudu altogether if that happens.

[mrewster]

PLEASE don't move this new interface onto all the other devices, I guarantee that I will pretty much just stop using Vudu altogether if that happens.

+1

[Navigator]

I haven't posted in a good long while here, but I had to come back to say that I absolutely HATE the new interface. Please, Vudu, abandon this trash and change back immediately.

[Nygiantsfan3342]

Agreed 100% with original post. This new interface is garbage. Whoever designed it should be demoted. Whoever approved this change should be FIRED.

Seeing just 5 movies at a time while scrolling is intolerable. Worse than Amazon Prime which is terrible in and of itself. Please improve this immediately, or better yet, return to the previous, SUPERIOR interface! Why change what worked?

[jeremymc7]

Hate the new interface. Looks horrible. Shows less movies and information. Less functional. More clicks to do things. TEN steps back for one step forward.

New interface reminds me of someone using a stock web template or something. One size fits all.

Reminds me a company’s first attempt at a streaming app.

Prior interface was dated. Still was based on the original Vudu HW where you did most everything with a scroll wheel and a click.

Hate this new one.

[jeremymc7]

Another thing really hate about the new (Roku) app is the absurd about of clicks to get places. This was just not thought out and tested extensively.

A simple example is the left bar as you go down from Spotlight, MyVudu, My Offers, ete. You have to click down to My Vudu, but then you have to click enter to open it. It should auto open on each screen as you press down or up the list. What’s the point in forcing people to click enter when it’s already highlighted / selected. And then of course you still have to press enter again to actually get into your actual My Movie list.

Side comment. Why is there a Fandango At Hone Spotlight collection when it’s called Vudu by Fandango; not Fandango by Vudu. Wasn’t this called Theater at home. That was self descriptive and a more logistical choice. Now not only is there more confusion because the label has been changed, and to something less understandable to the average person.

[Emissary35]

Total BS that when you begin playback or resume from being paused, rewind/fast forward the player controls are stamped on your screen covering your video and you can't get rid of them until you wait 5 seconds for them to disappear! This is an absolute deal breaker! The controls should not automatically appear when starting a video or resuming playback, only when the user calls for them with a button press. This needs to be fixed immediately, I'm so sick of streaming apps and their pop ups over videos ruining everything! Netflix started with their annoying "Skip" buttons for recaps and intros and now other services are copying them, same with Netflix popping up suggestions during the end credits even if you have auto play turned off, and now popping up ratings at the start of videos when ratings should be on the menu not the video itself! Take note Vudu and all other streaming apps, we want a simple viewing experience that allows us to watch the entire movie or episode from beginning to end with NOTHING plastered over our videos! Is something this simple really so hard to achieve in 2022? Seriously? All of these streaming companies are more concerned with adding annoying features that actually take away from the viewing experience instead of improving it and they never provide options to turn them off! Vudu get this fixed, get the controls off my screen!

[ploog]

What’s the point in forcing people to click enter when it’s already highlighted / selected. And then of course you still have to press enter again to actually get into your actual My Movie list.

Probably because they went so crazy w/ the graphics, updating the display as the focus shifts would be both difficult and seizure-inducing.

Side comment. Why is there a Fandango At Hone Spotlight collection when it’s called Vudu by Fandango; not Fandango by Vudu. Wasn’t this called Theater at home. That was self descriptive and a more logistical choice. Now not only is there more confusion because the label has been changed, and to something less understandable to the average person.

I suspect because Fandango is the parent company, and is still engaged in theater ticket sales ... so they're looking to extract some cross-promotion value from their streaming platform. Have to agree that it really will be confusing to the average user, though. (edit: Reviewing the UI, I'm already puzzled as the difference between "Fandango at Home" and "In Theaters.")

Seems like the interface was designed more for marketing than with much consideration to making it more useful to those who have chosen VUDU as their primary platform for their digital library, pushing content rather than making the environment more appealing and keeping it as a favored platform.

[Capt-Cupcake]

Why are people complaining? I think it looks really nice

[Emissary35]

Why are people complaining? I think it looks really nice

Obviously you haven't actually read any of the complaints, otherwise you would understand why everyone hates this update. It seems like you are simply impressed by a shiny new look on the surface regardless of how bad all of the changes actually are and how bad the functionality is.

[trd365]

I hate EVERYTHING about this updated app!
I hate it so much that I've been getting my daily movie fixes on PrimeVideo.
That app sucks too, but nowhere near as much as VUDU's updated Roku app.
I spoke to another VUDU agent today and couldn't believe it when they said they rarely use the app and "Don't really watch movies or TV shows."
They had better fix this soon or it's going to cost them a fortune in refunds.

[ploog]

I spoke to another VUDU agent today and couldn't believe it when they said they rarely use the app and "Don't really watch movies or TV shows."

Chuckle. I was going to make a similar suggestion, the other day, regarding the app's developers.

[Emissary35]

None of these app developers care about the movies or TV shows streamed through their apps. They only care about their terrible designs which they think looks impressive. Functionality and improving the viewing experience (or simply not designing something that does ruin the viewing experience) never enters into their minds. There is a complete and total disconnect between the people designing these apps and the people who actually like to sit down and watch movies and TV shows on the app. A comment like "we don't really watch Movies or TV Shows" really does say it all. These people don't give a damn, they have no common sense or care about the customers. Fandango's purchase of Vudu has ruined it if this app doesn't get rolled back, I'm not confident they even care at all about complaints to even listen to negative feedback. They will probably just keep on with their terrible game plan regardless of how much we hate it.