{"id":22453,"date":"2017-07-11T15:21:57","date_gmt":"2017-07-11T19:21:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/?p=22453"},"modified":"2019-11-26T12:33:14","modified_gmt":"2019-11-26T17:33:14","slug":"that-vudu-you-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2017\/07\/11\/that-vudu-you-do\/","title":{"rendered":"That VUDU You Do"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Roku<\/p>\n

I’ve always been a fan of Netflix<\/em> and I’ve been a customer of theirs since 1999 back when they were DVD-by-mail only and had but one distribution center on the West Coast. Joining Netflix was a no-brainer back then considering the outrageous prices, paltry selections and, worst of all, late fees that were the hallmarks of brick-and-mortar video and rental chains. When Netflix started their streaming library service, it was all over for the big sloppy chains. Netflix’s DVD-by-mail service mortally wounded the rental chains, and the streaming service buried them.<\/p>\n

But that was then….<\/em><\/p>\n

Lately I’ve been spending more time searching for something to watch on Netflix rather than actually watching something. Their movie selection seems to have gone on a crash diet with the library consisting of a lot of direct-to-video stuff. They now have a lot of original programming, but I seem to be having trouble maintaining interest. Shows that started out strong like “House of Cards”<\/em> or “Orange is the New Black”<\/em> have run out of steam after a few seasons. I have given up on them like a half-read book that I’ll never pick up again. Even the Marvel shows which would seem to be right up my alley are tough to get through. The turgid “Luke Cage”<\/em> or the ho-hum “Iron Fist”<\/em> are hardly binge-worthy. They seem to be hobbled by their budgets limiting the scope and action of the stories to a few sets, and they are all so relentlessly dour. I’ve been watching those in the background like electronic wallpaper. They make noise, but I’m not really engaged.<\/p>\n

I’m sad to say that Netflix is turning out to be one bill too many for me. It’s not that it’s expensive, but why rent a vacation home you never visit?<\/p>\n

So I’m considering giving the pay streaming services the heave-ho, and chase down some of the free and ad supported offerings on my beloved Roku<\/em> box.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Vudu’s rental\/purchase section.<\/p><\/div>\n

Which brings me to VUDU.<\/em> They are one of many rental and purchase movie sites on the net that carry recent releases before they are available on disk. What’s interesting is that they also \"\"have a decent selection of movies and shows which can be viewed for free<\/em>. The only catch is that they have commercial interruptions similar to HULU, but, unlike HULU,\u00a0 the free stuff on VUDU really is free.<\/p>\n

The selection on VUDU’s free section is much more shallow than Netflix’s library but that ends up being a plus. It’s easier to find something worth watching. There is a lot of stuff of the never-heard-of-it, direct-to-video<\/em> variety, but there are also some surprising films like The Blood of Heroes.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"I haven’t seen this movie in years, but I remember thinking it ranked right up there with the Mad Max<\/em> series which probably inspired it’s makers or investors to make it. There were a lot of these types of films floating around in the wake of The Road Warrior<\/em> because they were cheap to make, but this was a cut above the rest. It felt like it was in the same universe as Mad Max only 100 years in the future, and what an unusual cast! Rutger Hauer, Joan Chen, Vincent D’Onofrio and a few other familiar faces. It’s well worth a look if you enjoy these sort of things. If not, check out VUDU’s free section. You’re bound to find something there.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve always been a fan of Netflix and I’ve been a customer of theirs since 1999 back when they were DVD-by-mail only and had but one distribution center on the West Coast. Joining Netflix was a no-brainer back then considering … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3456],"tags":[185,4174,4173],"class_list":["post-22453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weird-world-of-the-roku","tag-roku","tag-the-blood-of-heroes","tag-vudu"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1ed1x-5Q9","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":23052,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2018\/01\/04\/resolution-goodbye-netflix\/","url_meta":{"origin":22453,"position":0},"title":"Resolution: Goodbye Netflix","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"January 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I was a Netflix subscriber back when nobody ever heard of them -- back when they were just a mail-order DVD rental outfit with but one distribution plant in San Jose, CA. I had my doubts when they leapt into streaming but was pleasantly surprised at how watchable it was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Weird World of the Roku"","block_context":{"text":"Weird World of the Roku","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/weird-world-of-the-roku\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Father-time-color.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23105,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2018\/01\/09\/more-thoughts-on-leaving-netflix\/","url_meta":{"origin":22453,"position":1},"title":"More Thoughts on Leaving Netflix","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"January 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I have a few more thoughts bouncing around my brain pan on cancelling my Netflix subscription\u00a0which I thought I would share with you. I have been a Netflix subscriber since the end of the 20th Century and practically all of the 21st Century with a short detour to a forgotten\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Weird World of the Roku"","block_context":{"text":"Weird World of the Roku","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/weird-world-of-the-roku\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/netflix.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/netflix.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/netflix.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23204,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2018\/01\/30\/i-want-my-polka-music-tv\/","url_meta":{"origin":22453,"position":2},"title":"I Want My Polka Music TV!","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"January 30, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"When I purchased my first Roku about 8 years ago I quickly became convinced that it was the best $60 I had ever spent. The house I moved into in the mid-1990s was wired throughout it's three floors for cable, but despite the constant barrage of junk mail, telemarketer calls\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/polka-screen-cap.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/polka-screen-cap.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/polka-screen-cap.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/polka-screen-cap.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4190,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2015\/03\/05\/wonderfully-weird-channels-roku\/","url_meta":{"origin":22453,"position":3},"title":"The Wonderfully Weird Channels of the Roku","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"March 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm starting a new category that could be considered for cord-cutters or folks looking to save some serious cash by giving cable TV the heave-ho. I could be considered a cord-cutter in a way although I never had a cord to cut in my current residence. Back when the city\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Stuff Joe Likes"","block_context":{"text":"Stuff Joe Likes","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/stuff-joe-likes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Screen-Shot-2023-08-18-at-12.20.52-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Screen-Shot-2023-08-18-at-12.20.52-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Screen-Shot-2023-08-18-at-12.20.52-PM.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Screen-Shot-2023-08-18-at-12.20.52-PM.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Screen-Shot-2023-08-18-at-12.20.52-PM.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Screen-Shot-2023-08-18-at-12.20.52-PM.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1924,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2010\/11\/30\/i-want-my-roku-tv\/","url_meta":{"origin":22453,"position":4},"title":"I Want My Roku TV!","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"November 30, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"This is Tina's birthday card to me for 2010. It's another one of her brilliant digital collages. Tina usually bases the card on whatever my current obsession may be (it seems there is never a shortage!) This year she's ribbing me over my fixation with the Roku which is a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Drawer Cards"","block_context":{"text":"Drawer Cards","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/drawer-cards\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"TV Man - I Want My Roku TV!","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5287\/5221078570_67d60fae3b_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13242,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2013\/06\/01\/the-girl-who-dared\/","url_meta":{"origin":22453,"position":5},"title":"The Girl Who Dared","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"June 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the beefs that people level at Netflix's streaming service is that there's nothing to watch. I don't know about that. While it's true that the studios seem to be bickering with Netflix over how much their libraries are worth and have pulled a lot of content from the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Movie Matinee"","block_context":{"text":"Movie Matinee","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/movie-matinee\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/the-girl-who-dared.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/the-girl-who-dared.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/the-girl-who-dared.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22453\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}