According to the New York Times, Wal-Mart will acquire Vudu, the online movie service. Looks like it will be a good match since Wal-Mart sells a boat-load of DVDs. Vudu gives them an easy way into the streaming market without having to build something from the ground up.

For Vudu it’s good as well. They’ve never been profitable, despite having their players embedded in increasing numbers of TVs which may have turned that around eventually. Walmart should make it easy to build on that momentum.

Toshiba’s ZX900 Cell TV claims to have 143 times the processing power over existing televisions. That processing allows for Toshiba’s Resolution+ upscaling, a 480Hz frame rate and some home media server capabilities. Net TV applications include Netflix, VUDU, CinemaNow and Pandora, along with 802.11n WiFi and 1TB of HDD for streaming and storage.

It also boasts video phone capability, but it’s we aren’t sure if it has a built-in webcam or if you bring your own USB. The Japanese version has eight tuners, but that has been removed from this US version. These displays use KIRA2 LED-backlit displays with 512 zones of localized dimming, as well as built-in Wireless HD.

Vudu just announced the integration of Wikipedia into its service, featuring information about movies, actors and other info. You’ll be able to read articles and follow links, just like on Wikipedia.com. Vudu is also adding their own links to Vudu information like for instance the filmography of an actor/actress. Seems like a great way to learn more about the content you are watching and to find related content as well.

The company has been able to do steady upgrades thanks to the user-interface being generated on Vudu’s remote servers and they’ve managed to provide a consistent experience across many devices. That’s really saying something.

Wait. I thought HDTVs were all about watching actual TV. Well, VUDU thinks it’s all about apps and they may be right. VUDU has today made both Picasa and Flickr access possible through LG and Mitsubishi sets with integrated VUDU software.

Yes, this was already available to those of you relying on one of VUDU’s set-top boxes, but some of us like to have everything within the display itself. Pandora streaming is also available on VUDU-fied Mitsubishi panels, but LG has “requested that only free TV and games be available on their devices.”

Mitsubishi is now the second brand to include Vudu in their HDTVS after LG. Select Mitsubishi Diamond televisions to be exact. The LT-46249 and LT-52249 models feature an Ethernet port that connects to the Internet and the Vudu service. If you want to be wire free, there’s also a WIFI option.

The news makes us wonder who will be next to include Vudu in their sets. Time will tell. Vudu is on a real streak here. It was only back in July when we told you about LG including vudu in their LH50 Netcast HDTVs.

Vudu has announced that its service will be integrated in a number of LG televisions. Previously, Vudu had it’s own set top box to deliver the videos. It’s a smart move as this will make things cheaper for users being integrated in the TV and Vudu has to make less hardware.

The new VUDU also brings instant fast forward and rewind and instant start for all movie qualities, and there’s no monthly fee associated with the service. The following LG TVs will feature the new Vudu VOD service: 60PS80, 50PS80, 47LH50, 42LH50 (60, 50, 47 an 42 inches).

We’re used to seeing free DVD or Blu-ray players with an HDTV purchase, but Mitsubishi is trying a new approach. Beginning July 16th, authorized retailers will give you a free Vudu box and $50 service credit with every Mitsubishi TV.

The box is only a $150 value, but then again Vudu is the only player out there offering 1080p HDX video rentals right now, plus it supports Pandora, Flickr, YouTube and local streaming, so bundling the TV with the box is an easy way for Mitsubishi to jump into the connected TV market without having to work very hard.

Most of us thought that after Christmas those promotional prices would change, but instead of prices going back up on the Vudu set-top-box, the retail price is now permanently reduced by 50%. You can get a box for $149 (previously $299).

The VUDU XL is also down by half, dropping from $999 to $499, which includes a home theater connectivity software package. Even the VUDU XL2 is getting in on the action, dropping from $1,299 to $799. So, are you gonna buy one now?

Remember Vudu? That set top box striving to bring you lots and lots of video content over the Internet? You can now add porn to the list – welcome the AVN Media Network to the Vudu line up.

AVN said it is launching the AVN Adult Channel, which will offer “hundreds of the latest standard and high-definition titles from the leading adult studios including Wicked, Vivid, Hustler, and many others.” Though it plans to offer free access to the upcoming 2008 AVN Adult Movie Awards, you’ll have to otherwise pay for your porn to the tune of standard definition movies at around $7 rental/$20 purchase and HD movies at $9 rental/$30 purchase.

Most devices come with wireless capabilities, whereas the Vudu broadband video-on-demand box requires an Ethernet connection. As of today, that’s no longer the case as a wireless option is available for Vudu. The Vudu Wireless Kit is a pair of transceivers that creates an 802.11g wireless connection between the Vudu and your broadband router.

Those who already own Vudu can get the kit for $79. The other option, for new customers, is to buy the Vudu Wireless Kit bundle for a price of $349. It’s what many have been waiting for, but we’d like to see it at a slightly lower price.

Vudu is making some moves to keep in strong competition with the yet-to-be-released second version of AppleTV, this time offering a software update and more high-def content. This software update to version 1.2 comes not much more than a week after Vudu gave their system a 25 percent price cut bringing it down to $295 and closer to AppleTV’s $229. AppleTV had recently announced the “take 2″ version will add on features that will allow users to download video content to the appliance without the need of a computer in between, which is a feature that Vudu possessed and AppleTV did not.

The recent software upgrade for the Vudu video system brings some new features to improve user experiences with choosing videos to download. A new indicator will evaluate the current broadband speed and indicate if the selected video will download and show well without any skips or extended delays. When searching for a video it can also recommend titles for instant start based on the connection speed.

It just keeps getting better for consumers looking for on-demand set top boxes. In response to the new firmware upgrade and price drop announced by Jobs for the Apple TV, Vudu has given its own demand box a 25 percent discount. This brings the price of the Vudu system down to $295 from $399.

Apple recently discounted the Apple TV with prices as low as $229 for the 40GB model and they’ve also are scheduled to move into a space where Vudu had an upper hand – movie downloads without a PC. Apple TV not only is going to match that point of service but can also bring in YouTube videos AND content from your computer into your living room, which Vudu cannot.

Netflix is set to launch their set-top box with the help of LG electronics. The union will allow subscribers to watch movies directly from the Internet to their TV’s. Netflix presently has upwards of 7 million subscribers, many of which have been waiting for this service. They are hoping to launch the set-top box by mid 2008. The price will range between $4.99 to about $16.99 a month, all inclusive of rates. Apparently, LG would embed the receiver into its $799 dual-DVD player, which supports the competing Blu-ray and HD-DVD high-definition DVD formats.

Vudu Inc, which already offers a set-top box for $399 lets consumers buy or rent movies from a selection of about 5,000 titles. Netflix on the other hand has about 90,000 titles available through their online mail order service. Netflix Chief Executive Reed Hastings sees it as a huge opportunity and said the LG partnership was the first of many such deals for the company.

A new set top brick…er, we mean box, is now available for sale today. VUDU, with lots and lots of movies to rent and download, is priced at around $400 for the box plus one-time rental fees ranging from $0.99 – $3.99 and prices for purchased movies ranging from $4.99 – $19.99.

The VUDU is designed to be connected to a high speed broadband connection at home so you can enjoy your choice of more than 5,000 titles from every major U.S. film studio and more than 20 independent and international film distributors. This box lets you watch movies instantly by streaming them for viewing as they are downloaded and stores the movies you rent or buy. It’s also equipped with HDMI outputs for connecting to a HDTV.