Vudu Launches Second Generation of its OTT Service, Optimized for Internet-Connected Smart TV's

Over-the-top-TV specialist, Vudu (note: the company claims to have relationships in place with every major US movie studio and over 50 independent studios, enabling its OTT service to offer over 15,000 on-demand movies and TV episodes, of which around 2,000 are available in HD; the service has until now been delivered via the company's 1080p-enabled Vudu BX100, Vudu XL and Vudu XL2 set-tops), on Wednesday launched the second generation of its service, which it says has been specifically optimized for Internet-connected smart TV's. According to a report in the New York Times, the new version of Vudu's service is entirely cloud-based and, unlike the previous version, involves no downloading. The company also announced that LG Electronics will next month begin shipping new HDTV's that incorporate the new version of its service (note: last month, another HDTV manufacturer, Vizio, announced that it was working with Vudu to develop a widget that would make the latter's service available on its sets--see article published on itvt.com, June 24th; in May, Vudu announced that it had integrated its service into Entone media hubs--see article published on itvt.com, May 5th). While Vudu will continue to sell its standalone set-top boxes, the company is believed to be shifting its focus to building partnerships with manufacturers of connected TV's and other over-the-top devices. "Smart TV's are part of an exciting new industry trend," Vudu CEO, Alain Rossmann, said in a prepared statement. "Vudu is partnering with leading consumer electronics vendors to embed the new Vudu service directly into the TV, eliminating the expense and hassle of purchasing, installing, or connecting another device to the TV. With our second-generation platform we are pushing the envelope even further by delivering for the first time features such as instant fast forward and rewind, instant start for all movie qualities including HDX, and an even faster and more refined user interface."

Vudu's service allows users to rent or buy movies in 1080p HD and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound and entails no monthly fees. Other key features of the service, according to the company, include the availability of new-release titles from all major studios day-and-date with their DVD release; Vudu's proprietary HD format, HDX; and the ability to watch ordered movies instantly and to "fast forward, rewind and browse chapters without the delays or the frustration associated with buffering."

The LG Electronics HDTV models that will incorporate Vudu service are the LH50 1080p LCD series and the PS80 Plasma 1080p series with "NetCast Entertainment Access" (note: the latter service also provides over-the-top access to such services as Netflix, Yahoo! Widgets and YouTube). "Our alliance with Vudu further demonstrates LG's commitment to delivering the ultimate HD viewing experience, by providing instant access to more 1080p movie content than ever before" Peter Reiner, SVP of marketing and strategy at LG Electronics USA, said in a prepared statement. "Vudu highlights the superb video quality of our 'Full HD' sets with NetCast Entertainment Access, while providing consumers with access to thousands of HD movies with the touch of a button."