Vudu, Inc., a venture-backed Silicon Valley firm that includes Openwave, TiVo and WebTV veterans among its executive ranks, says it has closed deals with seven major studios to use Internet file-sharing networks to deliver movies to a proprietary set-top box that connects to TV sets.
Vudu, founded in 2004 and funded by Greylock Partners and Benchmark Capital, says it will be able to offer "instant access" to over 5,000 movies from The Walt Disney Studios, Lionsgate, New Line Cinema, Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Studios, and Warner Bros. Entertainment. The company, which has yet to set an official launch date or announce pricing for its Vudu set-top box, says that its Internet movie service won't require a personal computer, in contrast to existing movie download services from CinemaNow and Movielink or Apple's Apple TV product.
Vudu says that will get both new releases and library titles from its studio partners. It adds that it has also struck deals with "15 top tier independent and international film distributors."
