Vudu begins shipping 1TB box, updates system software

By Ed Oswald | Published March 6, 2008, 5:39 PM

Vudu pushed an update to its platform this week which would allow for users to free up hard drive space by "storing" purchased movies on the company's own servers.

Known as the "Vault," it appears to merely allow for the customer to delete the movie from the set-top box's hard drive by flagging the movie as having been previously purchased from the Vudu servers.

The function would be available for select movies and TV shows offered through Vudu, and re-downloads would incur no additional charges. If the consumer wishes to not archive the movie, they would be able to delete it -- in which case, additional charges might apply.

However, in some cases, content providers may only allow for deletion and not archiving. Both functions would be available through the My Movies menu screen.

Other enhancements would be provided with version 1.3 of the set-top box' OS, including revised sort functionality, updated TV show search functionality, a revised advance settings menu, and a new Most Watched list, ranked by popularity among Vudu users.

Vudu said it would also make available an IR receiver kit for $39 which would make the device usable with selected programmable universal remotes.

The company has also confirmed to BetaNews late this afternoon that its Vudu XL, a version of the set-top box with a 1 TB internal driver has begun shipping as of Tuesday. That option would be available for $999, over two-and-a-half times the cost of the standard $295 box.