VUDU is a revolutionary new product that will transform the way you get and watch movies. VUDU is instantaneous—no more driving to the video store, no more relying on the mail, no more waiting for downloads. VUDU is thousands of movies delivered directly to your TV. VUDU is freedom—it doesn't require a PC and is independent of your cable or satellite TV service.
Are you ready to VUDU? All you need is the VUDU box, a TV, a broadband Internet connection, and a love of movies. Then, sit back, relax, and enjoy the right movie, right now.
Vudu, a two year old Santa Clara, Calif.-based start-up has launched this new kind of set-top box that will allow you to download and watch movies, and promises a better experience than, say, the Comcast video on demand. It utilizes P2P technology and broadband to offer an experience that could be dubbed “instant NetFlix.”
The company was started by Tony Miranz, a former VP at Openwave, a wireless software company in 2004, and initially went by the name Vvond, and later changed it to Marquee before switching to Vudu. It has raised about $21 million from Graylock Ventures and Benchmark Capital.
VUDU caught the attention of mainstream media quickly and was featured on ABC News, Gizmodo and The New York Times :
ABC News :
“What you’re pointing out is the big trend—do we not want to get away from the era of the disk? Mailing it or driving it around in our car to the store we rented it at, or worse, bought it to watch, what, once or twice? It’s just starting to seem like a really clumsy model, and this is another example, a piece of evidence that technology companies are about to come feed on the DVD.”
Gizmodo:
“These are the first pictures of the box, remote control and UI of Vudu, a video store in a box that is going to engage in a battle royale with Apple TV later this summer. The service will launch with thousands of movies from seven major studios as well as indie distributors, connects directly to your TV and does not require a PC or a cable box.”
The New York Times:
“(Vudu) has built a small Internet-ready movie box that connects to the television and allows couch potatoes to rent or buy any of the 5,000 films now in Vudu’s growing collection. The box’s biggest asset is raw speed: the company says the films will begin playing immediately after a customer makes a selection.”
"We’ve created the product everyone wants, the product many have tried to build, and, until now, the product no one has succeeded in delivering," said Tony Miranz, founder of VUDU. "We’ve brought together the best team in Silicon Valley to give movie lovers the ability to watch thousands of movies instantly, without leaving their homes."
Under the company’s wide-ranging licensing agreements, VUDU’s studio partners will provide new releases, along with select titles from their coveted libraries. In addition to entering into licensing agreements with the major studios, VUDU has struck deals with 15 top tier independent and international film distributors.
The VUDU team, led by Mr. Miranz and Chairman Alain Rossmann, consists of consumer electronics and Silicon Valley technology veterans from TiVo, WebTV, Openwave, 2Wire, Slim Devices, OpenTV, and Danger.
http://www.vudulabs.com |
