Walmart acquires Vudu

Walmart has acquired the video store known as Vudu. Vudu is basically getting “any movie” at “any time”. If you want any recent movies on demand and legally, Vudu is your best bet. At the current time, you can watch any of its 16,000 movies and television episodes instantly on your television. Vudu gets movies the same day they arrive on DVD. The quality is much better than on Netflix, pay-per-view or any other Internet service; you can get high definition–the high-end 1080p kind–and even surround sound. And there’s no monthly fee; you pay only when you watch a movie ($1 to $7, depending on the age and the quality level you choose).

Back in 2006 when Vudu was launched, it came as a separate $400 box that sat on top (or below) your television and the owner could choose whether or not to buy or rent digital movies. The concept didn’t catch mainstream appeal as most consumers could not financially support purchasing the box and then each individual movie or TV show. Additionally, the new game consoles (Xbox 360, PS3 and now Nintendo Wii) emerged as an additional competitor who partnered with Netflix which became the kiss of death for Vudu. In December of 2008, Vudu shifted its focus to the current day focus of the company which is to allow consumer electronics manufacturers to integrate its software into their own devices to enable movie downloads. So far, Vudu has announced deals with numerous television and Blu-ray player makers that agreed to offer Vudu on their devices, such as LG, Mitsubishi, Sanyo, Sharp and Toshiba.

What does this partnership mean? Walmart is hopping into the online movie distribution game and trying to compete head to head with Redbox and Netflix. This is a risky proposition, but pertinent to how we will soon view all movies and television. Vudu’s problem in the past has not been their product. Many people feel their product is superior to that of Netflix. The issue has been distribution. No one has heard of Vudu or understands what makes the product ahead of its time. Walmart took steps to offer them a huge launching point to spread the word about this product. With proper marketing and implementation, Vudu could develop into a legitimate alternative to Netflix. Keep in mind that Vudu has no monthly fees, same day availability as all the new DVD releases and a much better quality than the existing services out today. Consumers can now add the service onto an Internet ready device such as televisions and blue-ray player via a free software update. After signing up you are off and watching the latest releases for video. I hope this service grows and provides some serious competition to Netflix. As of right now I will be keeping my eye on the latest developments after the acquisition is complete. Is this enough for you to cancel Netflix and sign up for Vudu? My answer is a strong maybe.

About the Author
I am a developing social and digital media junkie on an adventure through life. Right now I am on the chapter in the book where I live in Los Angeles. Reach me on twitter @ahr19. Thanks for reading my post.
See all posts by Amani.