Vudu’s New HDX Format Offers 1080p/24 Video with ‘Virtually no Artifacts’
Ideal for large-screen TVs, new format features super-high bit rates that might turn Blu-ray faithfuls into nearly-on-demand users.
Vudu,http://www.vudu.com/ provider of IP-based video-on-demand, is launching a new 1080p format that is "virtually artifact free," says CTO Prasana Ganesan.
The new format, called HDX, delivers the same 1080p/24 resolution as the company's "Instant HD" format, but at more than twice the bit rates – on average around 9.5 Mbps, and as high as 20 Mbps for "complex scenes."
The catch? As opposed to Vudu's original HD format, which allows almost instant access to high-def movies, HDX makes you wait about 3 hours until you can start watching your on-demand video.
That three-hour window was the target for Vudu in creating a solution that balances "quality and convenience," Ganesan says. "I can order a video at 4 pm at work, and start watching it at 7:00 when I get home."
The higher bit rates were necessary for Vudu's bleeding-edge customers (and especially non-customers) who have front projection systems yielding large images. "Even with true 1080p, you can still have artifacts," Ganesan says.
He suggests that "a lot of people are waiting on the sidelines because Blu-ray has the best quality, but they're looking for a combination of quality and convenience."
How Does Vudu Do It?
Click here to continue.
Ideal for large-screen TVs, new format features super-high bit rates that might turn Blu-ray faithfuls into nearly-on-demand users.
Vudu,http://www.vudu.com/ provider of IP-based video-on-demand, is launching a new 1080p format that is "virtually artifact free," says CTO Prasana Ganesan.
The new format, called HDX, delivers the same 1080p/24 resolution as the company's "Instant HD" format, but at more than twice the bit rates – on average around 9.5 Mbps, and as high as 20 Mbps for "complex scenes."
The catch? As opposed to Vudu's original HD format, which allows almost instant access to high-def movies, HDX makes you wait about 3 hours until you can start watching your on-demand video.
That three-hour window was the target for Vudu in creating a solution that balances "quality and convenience," Ganesan says. "I can order a video at 4 pm at work, and start watching it at 7:00 when I get home."
The higher bit rates were necessary for Vudu's bleeding-edge customers (and especially non-customers) who have front projection systems yielding large images. "Even with true 1080p, you can still have artifacts," Ganesan says.
He suggests that "a lot of people are waiting on the sidelines because Blu-ray has the best quality, but they're looking for a combination of quality and convenience."
How Does Vudu Do It?
Click here to continue.
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