With HD becoming the present rather than the future, set-top box producers are going to have to keep up with the technology to stay in the game. Luckily, Vudu is doing just that.

Vudu is a set-top box enabling the purchase and rental of full-length movies to a television using an Internet connection and peer-to-peer technology.

From HD To HDX

As with its rival, Apple TV, Vudu has been offering HD movies for a few months now. But the quality of HD downloads is not generally the same quality of HD movies on the Blu-ray or the (now defunct) HD DVD formats. Until now.

This week saw Vudu unveil what it calls HDX, and it’s a new format which means that content downloaded from the Web will now be 1080p, near-Blu-ray quality for the first time ever.

What’s more, movies rented in the new format will cost exactly the same as normal HD movies: $5.99 for new releases, and $3.99 for catalogue titles.

Netflix has already revolutionised the DVD rental market, and its now attempting to do the same in the online streaming sector.

You hear nothing from a company for ages and then three stories come along at once. Today has seen Netflix add Starz Play movies to its Watch Now service, open up its API, and make a promise to Mac users.

How would you fancy a sub-$100 set-top box that plays all manner of Web video on your home television? That is exactly what Roku is aiming to do with its (former) Netflix player.

Roku Netflix Player

The Roku Netflix player, a cheap set-top box that enables owners to stream movies and TV content from Netflix to their home TV, was launched in May 2008 to a mixed response.

Some loved the affordability and ease of the box, while others insisted on comparing it (unfavourably) with more established set-top boxes such as Apple TV and VUDU.

The First Of Many Netflix Partners

While the Roku box has some problems, particularly its lack of HD options, it’s still a good addition to the set-top box line-up that, through its cheap price point, brings the technology to the masses.

The set-top-box market is slowly but surely building. Every company seems keen on getting a device out there and in to our living rooms capable of streaming video from the Internet. And there’s now a new contender on the scene.

We already have market leader Apple TV, as well as other alternative such as VUDU. But there are many more devices entering the fray.

New Competition

May saw the release of the sub-$100 Roku box complete with Netflix streaming capabilities built in. Since then, Roku has stated its intention to increase its content partners, with YouTube and Hulu the front runners to be added in the future.

Then there is the emergence of games consoles as a viable device for video distribution. The Wii has the BBC iPlayer, the Xbox 360 is due to get Netflix, and the PS3 is getting its own video download service.

LG BD300

At the end of July, we saw the first sighting of a forthcoming Blu-ray and streaming video hybrid from LG called the LG BD300. Now the company has filled in the details.

Can you tell the difference between what all of the different makes of set-top-box are offering? Me neither, which makes any initiative an important one for anyone interested in purchasing one the many on offer.

VUDU is a set-top-box that rivals, and does pretty much the same thing, as Apple TV, Roku, and a host of other similar products.

Adult & Family-Friendly Content

Last week saw the company announce on-demand porn films via an Adult Video Network (AVN) channel. Adult movies can be bought or rented for between $6.99 and $29.99.

But this week’s offering is a bit more family friendly, and judging by the premium prices charged for adult material, more friendly to your wallet as well.

I remember watching a demonstration of a video phone years ago, only to find that the quality was so poor, the demonstrator may as well have been talking to a bunch of pixels. How times have changed.

Now, thanks to the emergence of VoIP services such as Skype, and affordable-for-all webcams such as the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000, video chat is finally a very real option.

Perfect For All Occasions

The Pro 9000 has at its core a 2-megapixel image sensor. Combined with smooth-tracking autofocus, Carl Zeiss optics, and RightLight and RightSound technologies, this means you’re almost guaranteed a good result, whatever the situation the webcam is being used in.

While perfect for use on Skype and instant messaging service such as Windows Live Messenger and AIM, the Pro 9000 also comes with HD capabilities.

Netflix has added another content partner to its increasing roster, and this one combines digital downloads with Blu-ray movies. Good news for the companies involved, the consumers, and digital distribution?

Movie and television content streaming company Netflix seems intent on making its service as accessible to as many people as possible, setting multiple partnerships in an effort to enable its content to be delivered to the maximum number of homes.

Sub-$100 Roku Box

This strategy started back in May when Roku released its new set-top box, which came with the ability to stream Netflix movies. The box may have been derided in some quarters, but at just $100, it opened up digital content to a whole new level of consumers on a budget.

Since then, Roku has announced that the box will expand to include other content partners in time. YouTube, Hulu, and Amazon Unbox were cited as the most obvious candidates, but no names have yet been revealed.