Adding to it’s already formidable content lineup, BOXEE is now adding VUDU, Netflix and Hulu Plus access to it’s current platforms as well as the BOXEE BOX which is now shipping.  With the introduction of Google TV and Apple TV, many of the “other” content and hardware providers may see the need to create alliances in order to compete with the behemoths.  Certainly the addition of these new services make the BOXEE platform much more competitive with Apple and Google.

One possibly overlooked advantage of BOXEE is the ability to play virtually any HD content up to 1080p, from other PCs or a NAS in the home.  This feature is a real consideration for users who already have their own video libraries in various formats and resolutions.  With the higher resolutions and better quality services, MoCA is a must have for even the average BOXEE customer looking to stream HD video from the Internet or home server.

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In what seems to be a bet on the future of Over-The-Top (OTT) services, Wal-Mart acquired the VUDU online movie service in a deal estimated at $100M.  The VUDU service is used in HDTVs and Bluray Players from LG, Samsung, Vizio, Sharp, etc… and is adding more vendors this year.  VUDU is similar to the NETFLIX online streaming service, but is a Pay-Per-View service, offers up to 1080P HD movies, and usually offers a more recent catalog of movies.

Wal-Mart is one of the leading retailers for DVDs as well as HDTVs, so will be hedging their bets on the transition from packaged media to online media distribution.  VUDU might also help increase sales of Internet-enabled HDTVs and Bluray Players, as well as the services to install them.  Even longer term, Wal-Mart might also use VUDU to offer other online shopping services through the TV from digital music to household items from Walmart.com.

Whatever the future holds for Wal-Mart, VUDUs marketing power just increased exponentially and consumers will see and hear the VUDU brand a lot more.  Since VUDU offers the highest 1080P streaming quality of any online movie service (up to 10Mbps), a MoCA home network will ensure that perfect quality throughout the house.  Wal-Mart currently sells MoCA bridges on it’s website and with a VUDU-enabled HDTV, consumers will be the big winners in the end.

This recent review on Engadget shows how VUDU has done a complete switcheroo from a hardware provider to a video services company.  For those of us blessed with a super high speed Internet connection, VUDU streams “real” HD movies through the LG BD390 Blu-ray player with the best audio and video quality of all the current over-the-top VOD services.  However, you end up paying for that quality to the tune of $5.99 per movie with a 24 hour rental limit.  Still, if you want the best on demand HD video don’t forget to use a MoCA connection to get the best entertainment experience possible.

Vudu has set itself apart from other Internet-on-demand providers like Netflix, Amazon, Blockbuster, and Apple by stressing audio and video fidelity: it offers over 2,000 titles in 1080p high-def, many with full 5.1 surround soundtracks.

Plus, the LG player is a top rated Blu-ray player device just in case you wanted to play movies the old fashioned way.  Why entrust your 1080p happiness to Wifi streaming when MoCA will give you worry free viewing nirvana?

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Vudu’s CEO Alain Rossmann says that Vudu will embed the new Vudu service directly into the TV, eliminating the expense and hassle of purchasing, installing or connecting another device to the TV.

LG TVs will, of course, have some of the first TVs with Vudu embedded that will be available to purchase. Rossmann also says that the platform will have features like instant start, instant fast forward and rewind and a faster and more refined user interface. The LG TVs, with Vudu built-in, should be available to customers sometime next month.

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Gizmodo has gotten hands on with LG’s connected HDTV with Vudu, seems that with the few minutes that Gizmodo had with the service, it didn’t feel quite right.

It’s got nothing to do with Vudu‘s service, which is largely unchanged from the days of the Vudu set-top box. (I mean, we’re still in those days, technically, but hey, narrative! ) The interface is the same easily navigable set of panels and menus, which seem to work fine with LG’s standard remotes—no standalone clickwheel controller here.

The strange feeling I got from the movie samples, whether in SD, 720p or 1080p modes, was down to LG: The NetCast sets that’ll carry the Vudu option have LG’s 120Hz Trumotion interpolation technology, meaning that they essentially insert frames between what’s already on the source material, with the stated purpose of “smoothing” the video output. As we—and others—have complained about before, though, the effect can be strange, making motions seem unnatural, and giving a multi-hundred-million-dollar films an odd, camcorder-like aesthetic.

But despite this, Gizmodo believes that set-top boxes are on the way out to be replaced by multi-service web-connected TVs.

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Starting today, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America will be giving away a Vudu HD set-top box along with $50 worth of movie credits with a purchase of most Mitsubishi TVs. This promotion is set to run until August 10^th. Vudu allows for streaming of anything in their library, and to get the best streaming quality, you should use MoCA.

Via Twice