[img src="" caption="" credit="" alt=""]Vudu is a set-top box that connects to the Internet in order to bring movies to your television set, on demand.
Skirting around cable and movie rental and download services, Vudu aims to revolutionize the on-demand movie space. They're set to offer movies that can be purchased or rented, and are ready to play as soon as you pick which movie you'd like to see (meaning no wait time for downloads). Vudu has signed deals with all the major studios, and 15 smaller ones, except for Sony Pictures, and they've already got a library of over 5,000 titles to choose from.
This space is fairly crowded, and will only become more so in the future. Existing competitors include the cable companies, which are in the process of improving their own DVR and on-demand offerings, and cable cards. There is also AppleTV, which essentially aims to do the same thing as Vudu, in a less streamlined manner. Then there's TiVo, which hasn't been able to fully monetize their first mover advantage, and Joost, which is sans set-top box, and television set. Let's not also forget the game consoles such as PS3 and XBox, which offer movie and game downloads.
At this point, it may come down to marketing, execution, and the speed at which the other players promote their own products and services. In terms of the merging media markets and the devices we're familiar with (and also prefer for different kinds of entertainment), the consumer will have the last word.
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