All About the Vudu On-Demand Video Streaming Service

Vudu is an online video-on-demand streaming service that provides access to movies and TV shows.

Walmart created Vudu before selling it to Fandango in 2020. The service offers an extensive library of movies and TV titles that you can rent and stream to select media devices, smart TVs, and home-theater components that have the companion app.

Devices That Support Vudu

You can access Vudu on the following devices.

• Smart TVs: Select models from LG, Samsung, Sony, and Vizio
• Media Streamers: Roku, Amazon Fire TV devices, Apple TV, Chromecast, and Nvidia Shield TV (Also available on TIVO DVRs).
• Game Consoles: Xbox 360 and later; PlayStation 3 and later.
• Mobile: Vudu App for Android and iOS
• PC Web Browsers: Chrome, Firefox, and more.

Pay Only for the Movies or TV Shows You Want

Vudu does not require a monthly subscription fee. Instead, you pay for each of the movies or TV shows that you rent or buy. Rental pricing ranges from $.99 to $5.99, and purchase prices generally range from $4.99 to $24.99. VUDU also offers special rental and purchase pricing frequently on their website.

Getting Started With Vudu

To start with Vudu, you must set up an account by entering your email and a password as well as credit card information for instant payments of rentals or purchases.

When renting a movie, you can stream it immediately, or you can choose to watch it later. You have to watch the film within 30 days of the day you rented it. Once you press Play, you have 24-48 hours (depending on the video) to finish it or to watch as many times as you'd like within the period.

Choose the Video Quality to Match Your Internet Speed

You can choose from three levels of video quality: "SD" for standard definition, "HD" for high definition 720p resolution, "HDX" for 1080p resolution and "UHD" for 4K.

Before selecting the quality level, your device can check your connection speed so the movie won't pause to buffer while streaming.

If you run into difficulties streaming a movie, Vudu offers to downgrade the quality level during your viewing. If you have a slower connection and want to watch the video in higher quality, choose the "watch later" option when you rent the movie.

In addition to rental and purchase, Vudtu offers some additional viewing services.

Vudu Movies on Us

Although Vudu is an on-demand pay-per-view service, it also offers a selection of movies that you can view for free, called Movies On Us. This category consists of reasonably recent films that no longer have a significant rental or purchase demand, as well as older or lesser known movies, but most are worth checking out.

Movies on Us videos may have commercials, but if you want to skip ads or view the 4K version, you can pay a rental/viewing fee using the available onscreen prompt provided with the free listing.

Vudu also offers movie trailers and clips that you can watch for free.

Movies Anywhere

Movies Anywhere provides a separate login account with the Movies Anywhere platform and links it to your Vudu account.

This service lets you use Vudu to watch digital versions of movies on mobile or other compatible devices from select studios that you purchased for other digital services (including Google Play and iTunes) in addition to Vudu.

Movie studios that support Movies Anywhere include:

• 20th Century Fox
• Sony Pictures
• Universal Pictures
• Walt Disney Studios
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Vudu Instawatch

Similar to the UltraViolet service, as part of Walmart's ownership of Vudu, the big-box store has a program called Vudu Instawatch.

When you buy a qualifying movie or TV show at Walmart, you get instant access to a free digital copy that you can access on Vudu and view on compatible devices (smartphones, tablets, PCs, laptops). If you buy the Blu-ray or DVD at a physical Walmart store, use your smartphone to scan your receipt and proceed with any further instructions.

If you buy a movie online through Walmart.com, check your email for a message that provides access to the digital copy.

Vudu Digital Movie Cards

If you're shopping at a Walmart store location, you can purchase a Vudu Digital Movie Card that you can use for watching Vudu streaming content.

Disc-to-Digital

Another service that Vudu offers is Disc-to-Digital, which provides viewers that own older, standard-definition movies on DVD the opportunity to access an HDX (1080p), near Blu-ray Disc quality, digital version for a minimal fee.

Viewers can then access the high-quality digital copy at any time on compatible mobile or home streaming devices.

The Bottom Line

You can browse through Vudu at any time on a PC, TV, or mobile device without establishing a Vudu login, but to access any free or paid content, you need to create a Vudu login.

Signing up is free; you only pay when you want to watch a movie or TV show that requires a rental or purchase fee.

Things to keep in mind:

• Movie titles are usually available on the same date (or earlier) than their physical Blu-ray or DVD counterpart.
• Some titles are rental only, some are purchase only, and some are both.
• Titles may be able in one or more formats SD, HDX, or UHD — each format has a different price.
• A film or TV show might also be available on a physical disc. If you order the physical disc version, it will ship to you via Walmart.com.
• For those that have 3D TV or video projector viewing setups, VUDU offers a 3D viewing option with a selection of past and current 3D films that can be rented or owned (digital version). All 3D movies are in HDX resolution.