Western Digital announced that it has added VUDU and several other sports and entertainment services to its WD TV Live and WD TV Live Hub media players.
For more information visit: www.westerndigital.com
Unedited press release follows:
WD® ADDS THOUSANDS OF NEW HD MOVIES FOR WD TV® CUSTOMERS
New Services Now Available; New Remote Control App for Apple® and Android™ Mobile Devices Improves Media Player Navigation
IRVINE, Calif., – Dec. 20, 2011 – Western Digital (NYSE: WDC), the world’s leader in external storage solutions and maker of the acclaimed WD TV® media player family, has added streaming movie service VUDU, as well as several additional new sports and entertainment services to the WD TV Live™ and WD TV Live Hub™ media players, adding to the media player family’s current content offerings from Netflix®, Hulu Plus™, Blockbuster®, CinemaNow®, Spotify™, Pandora®, YouTube®, Facebook® and many others. In addition to VUDU, new services include SnagFilms, XOS College Sports, SEC Digital Network, Comedy Time and Watch Mojo.
Additionally, the new WD® TV Remote™ app improves the navigation experience for WD TV Live and WD TV Live Hub users by turning their iPhone®, iPod touch®, iPad®, or Android™ compatible mobile device into an advanced feature remote control for their WD TV. The WD TV Remote advanced features allow users to more easily navigate the wide variety of digital media WD TV users enjoy on their television, from leading entertainment services to personal video, photos or music.
New Services1
• VUDU – WD TV customers now have access to VUDU’s large HD library of movies and TV titles instantly on their home entertainment systems. WD supports the HDX™ video format that features 1080p Full HD video and rich Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 audio, allowing users to enjoy a cinema-like experience at home with the hottest new releases available on-demand without any subscription fees or late fees. Upon VUDU registration on their device WD TV media player users will receive a $4.99 USD credit towards VUDU movie rentals, which are available to rent starting at just $2 USD for two nights.
• SnagFilms – Customers now have on-demand access to SnagFilms’ broad collection of full-length independent films, free of charge, in genres such as documentary, comedy, drama, family friendly and pop culture.
• XOS College Sports – This free service offers the largest digital library of college sports video, including more than 75 years of current and classic college sports action.
• SEC Digital Network – On demand access is available for current season and classic Southeastern Conference games, videos, interviews and more. This service includes more than 1,000 hours of original and exclusive video.
• Comedy Time – This free service includes a broad library of short-form comedy video programming.
• Watch Mojo – Customers now have free access to Watch Mojo’s professionally-produced premium videos in categories such as comedy, education, fashion, food, health & fitness, music, politics, technology and video games.
Improved Navigation with WD TV Remote
The new WD TV Remote app improves the navigation experience for WD TV Live and WD TV Live Hub users, providing all the features of the standard WD TV remote control along with several advanced features, including a gesture pad to help navigate menu screens and services with intuitive touch gestures, as well as QWERTY keyboard support for text entry and search functionality. A favorites screen provides quick access to entertainment services on the WD TV. WD TV Remote connects over the home wireless network and can work with multiple WD TV media players in the home. Additionally, WD TV Remote is available in multiple languages, including English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Japanese, Korean, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Russian, and Portuguese.
“WD TV personalizes the entertainment experience for consumers better than any other digital media player,” said Chris Bull, director of marketing for WD’s Connected Home Solutions group. “Whether it is photos or movies on your PC, Mac®, tablet, smartphone, personal cloud drive such as the My Book® Live, or one of our exciting entertainment services such as VUDU, WD TV media players enable anyone in the family to easily enjoy a custom entertainment experience with their favorite movies, TV shows, music and photos.”
Price and Availability
The VUDU, SnagFilms, XOS College Sports, SEC Digital Network, Comedy Time and Watch Mojo services are now available on WD TV Live and WD TV Live Hub media players, which are available at select U.S. retailers and online at www.wdstore.com starting at $99.99 USD MSRP. WD TV Remote is currently available as a free download from the iTunes® Store and we anticipate will be available on the Android Market soon.
About WD
WD, one of the storage industry’s pioneers and long-time leaders, provides products and services for people and organizations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company designs and produces reliable, high-performance hard drives and solid state drives that keep users’ data accessible and secure from loss. Its advanced technologies are configured into applications for client and enterprise computing, embedded systems and consumer electronics, as well as its own consumer storage and home entertainment products.
WD was founded in 1970. The company’s storage products are marketed to leading OEMs, systems manufacturers, selected resellers and retailers under the Western Digital and WD brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company’s website (www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information.
1 Subscription or membership may be required. See service provider terms and conditions for details.