A recent announcement from Vudu reveals that the company will now offer on-demand high definition movies as purchasable downloads. Vudu will in fact be the first company to sell on-demand HD and HDX movies through its 1080p internet movie player.
Vudu has now opened up its expanding movie library for sale and will offer a collection of more than 50 HD movies. Boasting of owning the largest HD library in the world with more than 1,400 HD movies, Vudu will allow users to own the HD movies after they download them.
Users can choose from a wide array of HD movies through many independent studios. Users can purchase the Vudu HD movies in two formats namely instant HD and the HDX format. Both formats will be available at nearly the same price points.
While the HD format allows users to enjoy movies in high resolution, the HDX format is the highest quality on-demand format. The latter is available on the cable, satellite, broadcast or the Internet.
“Consumers are clamoring for the ability to own digitally-delivered titles in high definition, especially in our HDX format, and we are excited to be the first in the industry to meet this consumer need,” mentioned Edward Lichty, Vudu’s EVP of Strategy and Content. “This is a watershed event for the industry as well, signaling the studios’ recognition of and confidence in digital delivery as an increasingly important part of their business. We expect to see a continuing expansion of digital rights in the coming months.”
Dean Wilson, Chief Operating Officer of FirstLook Studios, further exclaimed, “We are thrilled to work with VUDU to offer our new releases for sale in HD when they are released on DVD. We continue to explore every channel for distribution, and the emerging digital platform that reaches consumers in their homes directly on their HDTVs via VUDU is an important new channel for us.”
The first titles to be offered for purchase include the 2009 Oscar-winning documentary Magnolia Picture’s Man on Wire and the critically acclaimed Transsiberian and War, Inc. from FirstLook Studios.
Users can now store the HD titles on the Vudu box or in the Vudu Vault which is a free online storage option for movies and TV shows. Users can thus enjoy free disk space while still accessing their purchased HD titles.
The HD movies are available now for purchase to all Vudu owners in a price range of $13.99 to $23.99.