VUDU Apps Lets Customers Access Hundreds of Internet Services on Broadband HD Televisions and Blu-ray Players from Mitsubishi, SANYO, Sharp and Toshiba

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Consumer Electronics Show (CES) - VUDU Inc., a leading provider of streaming entertainment technology, today introduces VUDU Apps, a platform for the delivery of Internet applications and services to home theaters, HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc players (BDPs), the company announced today. Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, SANYO Manufacturing Corporation, Sharp Corporation and Toshiba America Consumer Products L.L.C. have adopted VUDU Apps as their platform for the delivery of Internet services directly to their broadband HDTVs. Toshiba will also integrate VUDU Apps into their line of broadband BDPs.

VUDU Apps provides customers with access to a wide range of Internet services and applications including streaming video, music on demand, photo browsing, social networking and more. The platform uses a unique, cloud-based architecture optimized for consumer electronics devices. VUDU Apps supports the development of responsive apps designed specifically for use on HDTVs without the need for downloading or installing software, ensuring consumers always have access to the most current version of an application. Devices featuring VUDU Apps will begin shipping to consumers in the first quarter of this year.

“We are excited to be making convergence in the living room into a reality. VUDU Apps is enabling the delivery of the highest quality entertainment from a broad range of Internet services directly on living room devices such as TV’s and Blu-ray players,” said Alain Rossmann, Chairman and CEO of VUDU Inc. “VUDU Apps delivers hundreds of new applications and services from leading names in Internet and media entertainment, with new ones being added each week. By integrating VUDU Apps into their broadband HDTVs and BDPs, our consumer electronics partners are able to deliver a product that continues to improve long after the customer has left the store.”

“VUDU Apps has enabled us to extend the reach of our original reporting to millions of connected TVs manufactured by the market’s top brands through a single application that works seamlessly across multiple platforms,” said Jeff Litvack, AP’s general manager of mobile and emerging products. “The Associated Press continues to break new ground with the delivery of fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world across all new media devices. VUDU’s innovative platform and distribution capabilities benefit AP news fans that now have the option to access the news that matters most to them without missing a second of their favorite show, movie, live entertainment or sporting event.”

VUDU Apps was initially developed to support the VUDU Streaming Movie Service on broadband HDTVs and BDPs. By integrating at the hardware level, VUDU Apps is able to take full advantage of today’s advanced broadband devices, delivering services like the VUDU Streaming Movie Service, which is the only on-demand movie service to offer 1080p HD video with 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus surround sound. Using VUDU Apps, the movie service has been able to easily integrate popular Internet services like Rotten Tomatoes and Wikipedia directly into the movie service user interface.

Applications available on VUDU Apps run the gamut of popular websites from video to photo to music to news to social networking as well as include other Internet services, such as the VUDU Streaming Movie Service. More than 100 applications are available on VUDU Apps, providing access to popular services like Pandora, Picasa, Flickr, Dailymotion and leading news providers, such as The New York Times and The Associated Press. The full list of services includes:

• VUDU Streaming Movie Service
• The Dish
• Best of Revision3
• Pandora
• Racing One
• Sessler's Soapbox Video Podcast
• Flickr
• Discovery Channel
• Attack of the Show
• Picasa
• NOVA
• X-Play's Daily Video Podcast
• Facebook
• Nature
• X-Play Game Previews
• Twitter
• NASA Jet Propulsion Lab
• G4 Videogame Trailers
• AP
• Hidden Universe HD
• Fresh Ink
• New York Times Videos
• Ted Talks
• The Feed Daily Video Podcast
• Dailymotion
• Walt Mossberg
• Gadget Pr0n
• Stock Quotes
• Andy Jordan's Tech Diary
• Around the Net
• Weather
• USA Today - Talking Tech
• Cheat! Video Podcast
• NBC Nightly News
• Hak5
• The MMO Report
• Meet the Press
• Pixel Perfect
• Teton Gravity Research
• Today
• Systm
• Golf Tips
• Countdown
• Fresh Trax
• From the Top at Carnegie Hall
• Rachel Maddow
• Philharmonia Orchestra
• Stand Up
• Morning Joe
• XLR8R
• IRrelevant Astronomy
• Zeitgeist
• Best of VH1
• London Landscape TV
• Good Morning America
• The Frustrated Rockstars
• Backpack Picnic
• Face the Nation
• UVTV
• Big Love
• White House Weekly Address
• Popcorn
• Bored To Death
• Fast Draw
• The Digg Reel
• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Katie Couric's Notebook
• The Screening Room
• Entourage
• Anderson Cooper 360 Daily
• Scene Stealers
• Flight of the Conchords
• CNN Daily
• Indie Film Nation
• Hung
• Bill Moyers Journal
• National Lampoon
• True Blood
• In Case You Missed It
• New Yorker Animated Cartoons
• New York on the Clock
• Now in the News
• iFanboy
• ABC News with Diane Sawyer
• CNN Student News
• Scam School
• Amanpour
• Journal Editorial Report
• Sesame Street
• Cnet News
• FOX News Flash
• Stump the Chef (HD)
• Monocle
• Washington Post | Photo Stories
• Good Housekeeping: What’s for Dinner
• Princeton University
• Washington Post | HD Podcast
• Delicious TV Veg
• Californication
• Slate V
• City by City (HD)
• Dexter
• Around the Horn
• DiveFilm HD
• Beautiful places in HD
• Mike & Mike Moment
• The Parent Code (HD)
• City Concealed
• The Basketball Jones
• Rocketboom
• MLS
• Diggnation HD
• Totally Rad Show
• Tekzilla

VUDU Apps is included for free on broadband HDTVs and BDPs from Mitsubishi, SANYO, Sharp and Toshiba.

About VUDU

VUDU is a leading provider of technologies and services that enable the delivery of Internet entertainment to broadband HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc players (BDPs). VUDU is the creator of the VUDU Streaming Movie Service, which delivers on-demand movies in HDX, the only format to offer streaming 1080p HD video and 5.1 surround sound. In addition, the company offers VUDU Apps, a platform to deliver Internet apps to broadband HDTVs and BDPs; examples of applications on the VUDU Apps platform include Pandora, Picasa, news from The New York Times and The Associated Press, and many more. VUDU is privately held, and headquartered in Santa Clara, CA. Broadband HDTVs and BDPs from LG, Mitsubishi, Samsung, SANYO, Sharp, Toshiba and VIZIO feature VUDU. For more information, visit http://www.vudu.com/.

About VUDU Apps

VUDU Apps is a platform for the delivery of Internet applications and services to home theaters, HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc players (BDPs). VUDU Apps provides access to a wide range of Internet services and products including streaming video, music on demand, photo browsing and more. VUDU Apps is a true cloud-based architecture, providing consumers with access to the latest applications without the need for downloading or installing software. More than 100 applications are available on VUDU Apps, including the VUDU Streaming Movie Service, Pandora, Flickr, Picasa, The New York Times, The Associated Press and many more. VUDU Apps provides Internet services for HDTVs and BDPs from Mitsubishi, SANYO, Sharp and Toshiba.

Posted by Shane Sturgeon, January 6, 2010 4:39 PM