Vudu Introduces Opportunities For Users To Share Movies And TV Shows

[mjzee]

I found the following on Breitbart, at the bottom of a column with unrelated stuff, so I'm breaking it out here. The original URL is http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2014/05/15/hollywood-playbook-may-15-15

Vudu Introduces Opportunities For Users To Share Movies And TV Shows

Walmart's Vudu is a wonderful invention. One option is to buy digital copies of movies and store them in Vudu's cloud, which allows you to access your collection anywhere. What's especially sweet is that a lot of DVDs and Blurays now come with free digital copies you can store in Vudu's cloud just cuz.

A great Vudu feature is that for a small fee of $2.00 per, you can convert almost any DVD or Bluray to digital for cloud storage. Better still, it's only $1.00 if you do ten or more at a time. Depending on the size of your collection, this is a pretty cheap way to have a back-up copies should anything happen to the physical disc.

My favorite feature, though, allows me to convert my DVDs to HD for $2.50 a piece (if you do 10 or more at a time). Not everything converts. There are licensing issues, apparently. But $2.50 a pop is more than worth it and obviously much cheaper than purchasing a new Bluray copy.

Using the Roku, I blow these Vudu-stored films up through a hi-def projector and onto my 17' x 8' screen and they look fabulous. No issues whatsoever. Some look as good as Bluray. Some don't, but are close enough.

Through Vudu, I have also found HD copies of favorites like "The Stone Killer" and "Charley Varrick" that aren't even available on Bluray.

Anyway, the news today is that Vudu will now allow you to share your collection with as many as five people:

Invitees in the “Share My Movies by Vudu” initiative have to create an account with Vudu, which is free, or link the Walmart service to their existing UltraViolet digital lockers. Then they get to see or download whatever’s in the inviter’s library — including select DVDs added via Vudu’s Disc to Digital service. “We know you’ve spent a significant amount of money and time building your collection and have plenty more films to add to it,” Vudu Senior Director Amit Balan says in a blog post. “Share My Movies by Vudu is another way we’re helping you get the most out of your collection.”

You can share your collection now, but that means giving others your password.

As much as anyone, I love holding a physical movie and the fancier the packaging the better. Vudu allows you to have it both ways for a reasonable price.

Edited May 16, 2014 by mjzee