HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

There are a few movie download services vying for a spot in your entertainment cabinet. They all have their pros and cons, so we thought we'd look at four of the big dogs to see how they stack up. We chose to look at services that offer both the movies and a piece of home theater equipment to watch them with. There a ton of other options if you want to connect a computer to your TV, but since most people aren't doing that, we've decided to omit them from the discussion.

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Today's Show

News:

• Broadcasters' HD Squeeze Play
• Foxlink developing micro projectors for handsets, say sources
• Mitsubishi drops the price on LaserVue HDTVs
• TV makers hope thin is in for newest sets

Other:

• What's happening with Freeview HD?
• Beyond Blu-Ray: 2,000 movies on one disc
• The world's first Man Wall is the Taj Mahal of man necessities.
• Terry Tate - Draft Day

Movie Download Roundup

There are a few movie download services vying for a spot in your entertainment cabinet. They all have their pros and cons, so we thought we'd look at four of the big dogs to see how they stack up. We chose to look at services that offer both the movies and a piece of home theater equipment to watch them with. There a ton of other options if you want to connect a computer to your TV, but since most people aren't doing that, we've decided to omit them from the discussion.

Vudu

Vudu pioneered the "direct to TV" movie download business and continues to set the bar for audio and video quality. Unfortunately, despite being first to the party, they haven't grabbed too much market share.

• Hardware: Vudu Set Top Box for Movies on Demand, Cost $149
• Rental cost: New releases $3.99 for SD and $5.99 for HD/HDX
• Titles available: over 16,000, almost 2,000 in 1080p
• Audio/Video quality: 5 stars
• Portability: none
• Pros: Best video quality available, great selection
• Cons: No portability, no IR control

Apple iTunes

The dominant player in the music download market, Apple has quickly emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the download video market as well. With theintroduction of the Apple TV, they are poised to push all sorts of 'i' devices and technology into your living room.

• Hardware: Apple TV, Cost $224 for 40 GB (or $324 for 160 GB of storage)
• Rental cost: New releases $3.99 for SD and $4.99 for HD
• Titles available: "thousands", less than 50 in 720p
• Audio/Video quality: 4 stars
• Portability: iPod and iPhone for purchased movies (additional hardware cost)
• Pros: Easy to use, good quality, portability option, low cost HD rentals
• Cons: A little bit pricey, "Apple only" solution, very few HD titles

Sony Playstation Store

Due to the success of the Playstation 3, Sony has also become an impact player in the online movie rental space. For those with a PS3, it's a no-brainer, but that's pretty much your whole market right there. There's the little added bonus that if you buy a PS3 to download movies and watch Blu-rays, you get a pretty nice game system thrown in for free.

• Hardware: Playstation 3, Cost $399
• Rental cost: New releases $3.99 for SD and $5.99 for HD
• Titles available: 1358, 754 in 720p
• Audio/Video quality: 4 stars
• Portability: Sony PSP for purchased movies (additional hardware cost)
• Pros: Easy to use, good quality, portability option, Blu-ray player
• Cons: Expensive, "Sony only" solution

Amazon VOD

As with anything for sale via the Internet, it can't take long for Amazon to get involved. And when Amazon gets involved they pretty much play to win. TheVOD service is still fairly new, so we need to give it some time, but it could become a big factor. The Roku video player is a nice little device, and Tivo owners can get to Amazon titles as well.

• Hardware: Roku Digital Video Player, Cost $99
• Rental cost: New releases $3.99 for SD and $5.99 for HD
• Titles available: 11,611, None in HD yet (in Beta)
• Audio/Video quality: 3 stars
• Portability: Many portable devices for purchased movies (additional hardware cost)
• Pros: "Open" solution, portability option, multiple player options
• Cons: Low quality, no HD titles (yet)

Download Episode #381